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>> gianni infantino is the surprise new boss of fifa. and donald trump gets the backing of chris christie as the republican's presidential candidate. after five long years of war, all the warring sides in the conflict apart from isil and the al nusra front has agreed to participate in a cessation of hostilities. less than an hour ago the united nations security council voted unanimously about the cease-fire. the deal was struck in munich, but throughout the day there has been more fighting and reports of more civilian casualties. diplomatic editor james bays joins us live now. james, as you're hearing from the representatives of the different members of the

council, i suppose two things really came out. one was how much of this depends on the actions of armed groups, fighting on the ground in syria, and of course the second part is the backers regionally and internationally, and how they influence those parties. >> yes, you can have a cessation of hostilities on paper. you can have, as you now do in the last hour an u.n. security council backing it, but right now this is the crucial moment in terms of actions rather than words. is there going to be a lull in the violence that cessation of hostilities cechcally has come into force just moments ago as it's past now in saturday in syria. when he addressed the u.n. security council the u.n. special envoy described this moment. >> saturday will be critical tomorrow, in fact, from midnight. no doubt there would be no shortage of attempts to

undermine this process. we're ready for it. we should not be impressed. we should not be overly concerned. we should address it and realize that this is part of any cease-fire every sever assess station of hostilities. diplomats tell me that they know there is not a quitening of guns across syria apart because two groups are not even included in this. this will still be attacked by an array of different parties on the ground and from the air. that's isil and jabhat al nusra. stephanie powers said that people had a right to be steptcal by things.

>> towns being pummeled up to this very day. a town that is not held by isil or al nusra front. it is hard to seem serious and sincere about ceasing hostilities when you ramp up fighting right up to the minute the cessation of hostilities is to take affect. >> in the coming hours and days this could be the start of a longer process, but one that begins on march seventh? >> absolutely, maryam. we have the cessation of hostilities, which is now technically in place. will it be respected is the big question. we now have the big part of the plan from the u.s. and the russians, which is more aid deliveries. more aid going to besieged areas that's been mentioned by several ambassadors by this meeting. if you get progress on those two distinct tracts in the coming

days, then they say that those peace talks that collapsed earlier this year in geneva will be revived, as you say monday march 7th is the date for the start of those peace talks again. but of course at every stage we have to express caution because those peace talks are things that have collapsed before earlier this year and of course collapsed before when they were last tried in geneva a couple of days ago. it will be a very difficult way forward for new. >> thank you very much. our diplomatic editor james bays bringing us the very latest from new york. >> at midnight the cessation of hostilities came into affect. this is a very fragile agreement to say the at least. that is for a number of reasons.

primarily because it doesn't include one of the major opposition groups that is fighting bashar al-assad and his regime. it's leader said that they would not be abiding by it even though they were not invited to participate any way. they said that this agreement didn't amount to anything other than a conspiracy against the revolution. he said that the syrian people had to continue the fight to free themselves from tyranny. another reason why this agreement is very fragile, in that it gives all sides who have signed up to it the right to use violence in self defense, which begs the question if there is, indeed, a cessation of hostilities, why there would be a need for self defense. added to that, this doesn't include isil. isil is under the pretext of

fighting isil that the russian air force has been bombarding the areas. they've targeted non-isil targets. we've seen that in several places. in the leads up to that midnight there was an increase in violence around damn and aleppo as forces loyal to ash ha--to loyal to bashar al-assad. the intention to stop the violence, this is a last gasp effort to make that happen. there is hope that in the civilian population in the besieged areas of syria that there would an lull in violence to allow for much needed aid,

areas that have note seen food, power, fuel on end. people will be counting the hour by hour hoping that the guns will, indeed, grow silent. >> polls have closed in iran after being extended for several hours due to a last-minute rush of voters. iranians are electing both their parliament and assembly of experts, the clerical body that will likely appoint the country's next supreme leader. it's a test that progressive president hassan rouhani has helped to secure since the your last year. >> reporter: the queue of voters stretched around the block. turn out at this election has been high and in the capital at

least that should favor the list of moderates and reformists. definitely the next parliament should reform the law on foreign investment, banking, social security as well as the labor laws. in my opinion these major laws need to be modified very fast. >> the mosque serves as a polling station. no ordinary mosque, it was here that the revolutionary spread its message of monarchy over 35 years ago. watch what happens when a conservative cabinet turns up to vote. >> get back to the back of the queue, they cry. reformists and moderatists are expected to hold sway. >> i would like to have a better

economy, a better life with friendship all over the world. >> yet conservative support remains strong elsewhere. this was supreme leader ayatollah khamenei casting his vote. the reformist block could well determine if iran moves to openness and much-needed reform. but in in this system geared towards the ultimate power of conservatism old thinking and the status quo remain deeply entrenched. this woman said that the united states could not be trusted. >> they keep insulting us. we came to an agreement. yet they keep threatening us. we're not afraid of threats. >> this election is a test of the policies of moderate president hasan rahani. he settled the nuclear issue and

heard sanctions lifted and he's likely to get a show of support for that. but no one is expecting a countrywide landslide. jonah hull, al jazeera. >> let's get more on this story now with a former iran adviser to the u.s. state department. he joins us live from washington, d.c. thank you very much for speaking to us. voting was extended several times. we know that turn out was high. it's very early still but what are your initial thoughts on how this strong turn out could impact the compensation of the iranian parliament? >> traditionally it has resulted in more reformist officials were elected whether we're talking about the parliament, presidency or any other elected body inside iran. i think that bodies well for the coalition that rouhani has built and that he's trying to keep together. as many people as he has had in

his tent, that helps to move policies slowly forward you can't move any policy forward in iran. >> of course, everyone watching the election for the assembly of experts, particularly closely this year because they are likely to elect a successor to ayatollah khamenei. nothing likely to change that? >> it's certainly within the realm of possibility that they'll pick the new successor. it's much like the concave that selects the pope. but the competition of alliances is more nature. we're talking about something that is not in the short- to medium term. it's a longer term selection process that comes to the forefront. it does give individuals such as

president hassan rouhani, who is a member of the assembly another to reach out across the aisles, if you will, to more conservative-minded individuals to say for the betterment of the country, and to better fulfill the political, economic and social aspirations of the iranian people, we should work together to find someone who will heal and unite the country rather than divide it. >> what are the implications of that strategy, if you like, for the for the parliamentary election. we know that they were short of candidates. the thing they said differently, they would say let's not boycott. get out there and vote. we'll work with what we have and invite some of the moderate principlists into our camp as well. how important was that? >> i think it was critical not just inside of iran but around the world.

that message is if voter turn out is high then that means that builds of iranens felt it was better than boycotting or staying at home. it's better than dealin dealings that the country ends up making. >> thank you very much. >> coming up, the latest on the attack on a hotel in the somali capital, 14 people have been killed. ed.

>> you're watching al jazeera. let's take you to our top stories. the secession of hostilities voted in. there are reports of more civilian casualties. and the polls have closed in the iranian elections. it is the country's first parliamentary vote since iran's activityic nuclear deals signed last year.

and football's governing body fifa has voted for jianni infantino as it's new president. he now faces the job of restoring fifa's badly tarnished image. >> gianni infantino, he's not the favorite. that was sheikh salman. but infantino's instance lobbying across the globe worked. he won with a majority 115 votes to salman's 88 in the first vote to go to a second round for over 40 years.

it was that tense. >> we'll applaud all of you for what we 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 do together. >> he has a huge job to try to stabilize an organization that became rotten to the core after 17 years under sepp blatter. his election pledge 5 million confederation raises questions how an organization $550 million a year can afford it. disappointment and some bemusement from sheikh salman, the asian confederation chief who thought he had more than enough votes. some of his pledges did not come through. some african delegates broke

ranks and deified the directive to vote for him. if he had been elected, questions over his human rights record may have brought another shadow over fifa it can barely afford. 207 national representatives came to zurich knowing it was crucial they got this right and pushed through the reforms the organization desperately needed. 89% of them agreed to do so. they hope it will be enough to satisfy the u.s. and swiss authorities who wanted fifa radically overhauled. after the glory infantino will need to work tireless to convince the world his new fifa is be trusted. lee wellings, al jazeera, zurich. >> 14 people have been killed in an al-shabab attack in the somali capital, this according to security sources. a car bomb was detonated at the gates of a hotel in mogadishu.

the fighters then stormed the. the police killed three of the attackers and the scene is now security. hundreds of thousands of supporters of general haftar have rallied in baghdad they told 34 seats in parliament and said that a democratic government should now be formed. a journalist activist has ended his hunger strike. he remains in custody without charge. under the deal reached with israel he'll now be released in may. we have reports from west jerusalem. >> this is just minutes after he ended the hunger strike.

the palestinianen journalist and activists was arrested in late november and was put in administrative detention which is imprisonment for six months he newible indefinitely. >> thanks to god i will be free because that have unity. >> earlier this month this video cuffed to his hospital bed calling out in pain went viral. it protesters demanded that the government free him and all prisoners held in administrative detention. the united nations human rights agency called it legally questionable, and it was discussed between palestinian president mahmood abbas and u.s. secretary of state john kerry. last month israel supreme court

suspended him because of his deteriorating health. despite the ruling he refused to stop his hunger strikes saying he would only stop if done on his conditions. he's accused of having links to hamas, something that he denies. in the occupied west bank, his relatives celebrate the end of the hunger strike. >> we're happy to announce that his battle with hunger strike with the help of god, the unity of our society and agreement was reached at the hospital. >> under the zeal reached, he'll continue to receive treatment at the northern israeli hospital where he's currently being held and will be allowed periodi periodic visit by his family.

>> after coming near death the deal reached with israel is something of a compromise. although he's 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. >> a palestinian man wanted by israel in connection to a decades-old murder has been found dead in a bulgarian capital. he was found in the compound of the embassy. he was wanted in israel for killing an israeli settler in 1996. the embassy told them that the dealt was the result of violence on the territory of the embassy. two turkish journalists charged with revealing state secrets have been freed from state prison. but they still face trial next

month. the detention violated their human rights. victoria gate nby reports. >> reporter: after 92 days behind bars this was the moment they were freed. turkey's institutional court ruled that their detention was unlawful and violated their personal safety as well as their freedom of expression. the court's rules was the first step in what was likely to be a long campaign to clear their name. they have to answer to charges to terrorism court next month. if convicted they can face possible life sentences. >> we got out, but more than 30 colleagues remain in prison. we'll continue to fight in the name of humanity, freedom of the press, and freedom of expression until this concentration camp that you see behind me becomes a museum. >> they were involved in

publishing report in a turkish newspaper which alleged that trucks belonging to turkey's intelligence agency were used to carry weapons to syria. the turkish government denied those allegations and said that the trucks were carrying aid to the turk men who were fighting forces. president erdogan filed a lawsuit against the newspaper and they were arrested last november. the media rights group reporters without borders ranks turkey 149th out of 180 countries in its world press freedom index. he said that his case is just one example of the turkish government's heavy handed approach. >> we still have friends in prison. our struggle must continue. our unity against pressure on the media should continue. >> they described the court's decision to free him as historic. both men will start preparing for their trial next month when

once again the issue of press freedom in turkey will be in the spotlight. >> new jersey's governor chris christie has endorsed presidential frontrunner donald trump. he said that he had the best chance at beating hillary clinton come november election. alan fisher has more. >> ththe chris christie endorsement is a surprise, but for all thinks thoughts he can read the political lay of the land, and he releases that donald trump is likely to win the nominee for the republican party. also he really dislikes the other candidate. he considers ben carson i will relevant, but he disliked marco rubio. he dismantled him on the stage during one of the rebates.

he regards him a as a lightweight. he has no intellectual depth. and cruz is seen as an obstructionist. one of the reasons why there are problems in washington, people put themselves above everyone else and stop things from getting done. >> he will need diversity on his ticket. and having another angry white man does not do that, so chris christie is a former federal prosecutor might well be looking at role of attorney general. also, will chris christie bring a lot of supporters. the reason why cyst christie is out of the race, he does not have a lot of supporters to begin with, but his supporters may find a home in the trump camp. this is a big endorsement for donald trump, the most

significant and powerful yet and shows that his campaign team really now have their act together. >> authorities in the french port of calais have started evacuating refugees from their makeshift camps. residents of the camp have been asked to leave after a court approved plant to demolish the shanty town. the area has served as a home to thousands of refugees wishing to reach britain by the english channel. vote necessary ireland have gone to the polls in an election where the economy has taken center stage. counting begins on saturday and no one party is likely to command the parliamentary majority. french oil giant has been fined more than $800,000 in a paris court for corrupting foreign officials. the charge relate to the company's role in the united nations oil for food program in iraq more than a decade ago. understand that deal iraq was allowed to sell oil in return

for humanitarian goods like food and medicine. but the oil also found its way to saddam hussein's government. this is where you need to go for everything that we're covering. it's all right there, www.aljazeera.com. about sixty miles south of kabul to clear taliban from the area. there's nothing unusual about this. us special operations forces often accompany afghan soldiers on these sorts of missions. i was in afghanistan at the time