just give us a sense of what the turnout in the atmosphere is like today. to the limit in the methods we've had on the town now going from totality that was all of three hours ago today much of commission spokesperson talking about thirty eight percent of voters had turned out to work at that point which was with post talking in toronto in the morning. and like you pointed out earlier the ports of call in an hour but. long care was outside of political issues we had in the capitol and getting the time reports from. the sessions across the across the country as well junaid people the voting on the basic ordinary predictable electoral it's use all the voting on the state of democracy in the country. i think it's.

two pronged as you know really have a lot of people especially in the opposition which includes three major political parties in the country as well as the former president moment of decay and how will the country for taking. this chunk of the electorate are looking for a change in terms of democracy and stopping on too much of a long violations as well for the supporters of the president focused on. i guess you can call it an issue undealt of money especially the infrastructural development that he has promised and some of which he has fulfilled. a lot of damage. that had to or trying to sell infrastructure once taken from chinese take on corporations or banks like. that was very simply opened and

it's out of the camp part of the campaign as well ok general even mohamed talking to us live from them all these many thanks let's bring in matt must seem he is formally a foreign minister in the maldives he joins us on the line from colombo the seem the european union refusing to send observers one assumes because there's no point sending a but yet also other countries talking about targeted sanctions if democracy doesn't demonstrably improve in the middle of the us where does this leave the election. yes. there is no credible election observers in maldives at the moment because all the democracy democratic countries as well as the european union decided well in advance that the government had not been obliging them the government had not been doing requesting quit what they have requested to do before prior to the

elections that is to. free the party leaders as well is to abide by the ruling of the supreme court of february first but none of these things happened so they decided that they don't observe this election and give any credibility to this election. but fortunately today they had not been any violence or any such thing as being in the audience but the voting process is very very slow and this is frustrating a lot of people that people waiting in the queues now for seven hours over and still they're not being able to cast their vote so that's a major problem. i think the problem that this is created due to the fact that god meant that decided that they would use a tablet to. register all of the votes which is quite a new city to go to because this really creates unnecessary delays and not constitution the laws and i think actually tells them that this kind of thing

should be used to tease all the papers and it's a very small. population it's only about six hundred sixty thousand over and there's no reason for us to go into this kind of technicalities inventions of the modern government have all this being to create a situation where few voters can actually turn up and many could be discredited from voting and so there'd be less warts that paves the way for the government this regime to cheat in the elections and create voter fraud ok. first. so you are going to miss this clearly the president did say he is not cheating his opponent would say he is not cheating either because both of them are going with how this process is allegedly working successfully today the polls are going to close in what forty four minutes from now but when you if you rewind eighteen months or two years the declaration of

a state of emergency judges being detained so that's not democratic and i suggest to you what does that do to the people who can vote the people who can exercise their democratic right. is he then a lot of people in the queues to waiting and there not be there but do able to walk but we are hoping that they would not shut down the bet it's as long as there are people in the queue they've been our people to join the queue after the time is out but then those who are they are they should they should have the right to vote so this is what we are hoping will happen however long it takes our people to be dead to water and it turns out real hopeful that if you could have turned out but not as much as we want that turned out to be because of various difficulties in getting to the stations and also people being confused from being shifted from one box to

the idea but this is a very very important vote for want to get people. to lose the satellite whoever wins what are the chances they address two key questions question number one has been raised basically by human rights watch this saying that the administration as it stands at the moment in effect muscles the media and also what are the chances that whoever wins launches some sort of investigation because there was a lot of controversy a few years back over twenty four tenders that were given out to big business and they circum navigate the system to handle those tenders presumably to people who will make a lot of money out of building projects. if we need a lecture and certainly going to go through all of these. islands and send everything

that has been it wanted. all this infrastructure that is not in line with the constitution and the laws of the country we would do that but. after doing that we will find out exactly how much these projects at any cost and what we have to pay back so these are the negotiations that we if we see the actions this is what we are going to do and we have got to get anybody investing in more days but the problem is there has to be transparency and it has to be in accordance with the laws and the constitution of the country ok thank you so much for joining us from colombo in a scene that's welcome to the news of the former foreign minister in the mold of. also more still to come here on the news hour for you including the story sponsor lanka's former president is accusing the government of mismanaging its finances. and soon this replica of the vatican sistine chapel will be open to the public in mexico a little the artist who painted the mules. and the sports

news anthony joshua retains his world heavyweight titles and is already making plans for his next big fight. the u.n. humanitarian chief says yemen is approaching a tipping point with famine a major threat three quarters of yemenis that's twenty two million people are in need of some kind of humanitarian assistance or protection eighteen million of them including many children don't know where the next meal will be coming from eight million severely food insecurity that means they depend on food assistance to survive the u.n. expects another three and a half million yemenis or soon add to that total number simmonds is in the orbach refugee camp in djibouti what's the latest on the ground in yemen and.

well the latest is obviously the fighting is continuing in the port city is on the northern side of the border and is the focus of all of that action however there is a series of protests the are getting bigger by the moment in the south in aden and other parts this follows the arrest of three southern separatists in the government controlled area on saturday that was in had remarked now what we're also seeing is counter protest these demonstrations but this civil unrest is growing these southern separatists are backed by the u.a.e. yet they're protesting at the government which is backed by the coalition so really effective there on the right same side but they're fighting a different battle within a battle if you will which has gone on for years and now it's coming to a really serious point because these demonstrations are mixed with other

demonstrations from protesters who feel that they can't go on with the economy in such a state with their conditions so appalling with in terms of the food ability of food affordability of any good so this is now quite serious civil unrest and the three southern separatists who were arrested were accused by the saudi u.a.e. led coalition of inciting protests against that coalition is the government that's actually speaking on behalf of the coalition by the way so complex picture but something really to watch in the coming days that's really the situation there right now peter and in the ebb and flow of this ugly ugly war. scenario where as ever in yemen is the refugees who are caught in the middle. most certainly that is the case and more and more not just caught in the middle of

the fighting so often but also away from the fighting in desperate states some of them with hunger now the major obstacle it would seem for the coming months the aid agencies warning that this is now a giant of a problem that's going to get worse rather than better here in this refugee camp these are people who have got out of it and we saw some of those escaping yemen earlier today. they're hungry like millions of fellow yemenis they've left behind these men have just arrived in old book huddled together in some shade having being smuggled out of yemen for two hundred dollars each. it was a life and it's a war we don't want to be part of says this man explaining that he and the others feared they'd be conscripted to join who theory rebel forces. this is where they'll end up with families who may have refuge but little else this man has fresh

drinking water but can't afford to buy food so his family has to get by soley on emergency aid learn and get lots all outlets but there was a lot we don't receive anything but enough to survive from the u.n. we don't have the instruction needed for our children the elderly even us it's a grim existence here in the sweltering it's such a dry arid and infertile place the natural focus though of aid agencies is across the water in yemen where by the day the situation for the people is getting more and more critical. in a remote yemeni village they continue to take leaves from trees is their only means of survival these two brothers know that cooking and eating the leaves will lead to sickness but it provides more mail a day for their extended family and it's a choice between malnutrition or eating lovely.

you know not enough of the children are suffering from constant diarrhea translates and fever we don't know how and where we can treat them we get no help no one there is no relief organization in our area when we go asking for help we get nothing. some of the children and babies from the village of as lyman had to province have ended up here in this medical clinic. you can see what aid agencies warm is a crisis for the young weak and hungry that's growing bigger. well. yeah the war in the famine has caused a spike in the number of those who eat the vine leaves which is leading to an increase of malnutrition cases the vine leaves a highly acidic substance that reduces absorption in the intestines and the stomach is a very dangerous condition. less than a week ago when i was there reported on the clinics work this little girl is a fish shoaib ahmed was waiting for treatment she has since died. the

medical staff are fighting against one of the consequences of war and the losses are higher now than ever before andrew symonds al-jazeera in djibouti. now the philippines has temporarily suspended all korean operations across the country after two mining sites were hit by separate landslides within a week rescuers in the city of naga in cebu province continue to search for possible survivors off the dozens of homes were buried by a collapse mountain on thursday when forty villages remain missing but hopes of finding them alive a fading. as more now from the ground. we are at the mass we held for some of those who died in the landslide this is right behind the mayor's office in the city of not in civil province. this is the body of the lord a cop way she died at five am when the landslide struck thursday morning. her

husband is still fighting for his life while some of their grandchildren remain missing to this day. these are some of the members of the family. are said. fifty year old female a boy. we've spoken to survivors and say they have been encouraging and asking the government to stop operations they were aware of the danger but they had very little choice they did not want to leave the area because they've had that land for generations and now they feel they simply do not have any choice. president of the good that they're to was here the other the and that's called for quarrying operations across the country to be stopped for fifteen days. but many here feel what they want really is a full stoppage acquiring operations in the area. so this is the.

this is the company of family. father mother and children all died in the landslide there caskets are called word because we were told that some of their bodyguards have already been dismembered. many of the residents who live in the area also work for the company now they feel they see that the price they had to create was. not a few moments we'll have the weather for you with kevin but also still ahead here on al-jazeera the woman accusing a u.s. supreme court nominee of sex the salts agrees to testify before the senate. from counting down to the start of the write a column but all the public to say yes take about goals biggest one of them and to question the sports news in about twenty minutes.

three tranquil arabian can you. deny you can feel intense in the finish. over the last several days we've been watching every circulation here in the mediterranean sometimes they call that a medication because they can bring some very heavy rains across some areas i want to show you what we're going to be seeing here over the next few days watch the rain pushing across parts of tunisia now with that rain we have seen some very active flooding across the area here in noble we have seen about two hundred six millimeters of rain just in the last twenty four hours that is over half of what tunisia would get in the whole year and this is what two hundred six millimeters of rain does look like across that area we have seen four deaths already because of the flash flooding across the country this is just in the city of novel right here from amateur video where we have seen roads as well as transportation railroads being taken out also from tunisia into tunis so what's going to be happening over

the next few days is the water is beginning to recede i want to show you what we can see on our forecast map right now the area of rain has been pushing down towards the south and dissipating but we still have a little bit down here towards the southern part of the coast we're also dealing with some very heavy rain across parts of the u.k. right now and it has been raining for the last twenty four hours with this area of low pressure and that is going to be bringing some severe weather over the next few days. the weather sponsored by qatar and race. were. i have dedicated almost my entire professional life to the bench and then fight against corruption and what i have learned is that we need choppiness we need also to shine the light on those captives and this award bridges that gap that existed in this.

nominate your own version here all shined a light on what they do and to have not shine a light on your hero with your nomination for the international pacer war two thousand and eighteen for more information go to isa war dot com. a reminder of our top stories this hour the iranian president hassan rouhani is

accusing the united states and some gulf countries of creating instability by supporting ethnic groups in iran his comments come a day after a military parade killed at least twenty five people warned the u.s. will quote regrets its aggressiveness just half an hour of voting is left in the maldives and a presidential election seen as a test for democracy for the island nation the president of the i mean is seeking another five year term the opposition says this poll is not fair i mean for silencing dissent the u.n. humanitarian chief says yemen is approaching a tipping point with famine a major threat three quarters of the population that's twenty two million people need some kind of humanitarian assistance because of the ongoing war that. the stage is now sets in the u.s. for a dramatic showdown between a supreme court nominee and the woman who's accused him of sexual assault both are expected to testify before the senate judiciary committee on thursday christine

blassie ford says brett kavanaugh assaulted her at a party in one thousand nine hundred two when they worked in high school students together he denies those allegations the trumpet ministration is continuing to offer strong support for kavanagh. but honestly the way some democrats have conducted themselves during this crisis is a disgrace. the president are confident that senate republicans will manage this confirmation properly with the ut most respect for all concerned and i believe the judge brett kavanaugh will soon be justice brett kavanaugh and take his seat on the supreme ruler of the united states of america. ok let's get more on that story that story for you john hendren has more now from washington. it was a nail biter of an end to a congressional game of chicken on thursday the woman who initially came out anonymously to accuse brett kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her thirty six years

ago will speak under the full glare of a congressional committee the senate judiciary committee there was an agreement on saturday that the two sides will come together on sunday they are meeting again to hash out some details but it appears that it will happen on thursday now she had wanted this is christine blazin forward she had wanted this to happen on thursday she got that but she also one of the questions to be asked by the senators themselves and she wanted to speak after brett kavanaugh the u.s. supreme court nominee the committee wanted this to happen on wednesday they conceded that point the one of the questions to be asked by a staff counsel that is a woman because all of the republicans on that committee are men and they want to cavanaugh to go second those may be among the details to be hashed out on sunday but meanwhile there was something of an embarrassment for the republicans on that committee and that is that a young man who had been a spokesman for the republicans on the committee has resigned and that was after it was discovered that he had been fired from a previous job because of

a sexual assault sexual harassment allegation of his own so as we go forward mitch mcconnell the senate leader on the republican side has said that kavanagh will be confirmed mike pence said he also believes the vice president of the united states that kavanagh will be confirmed so this will all go forward on thursday and presumably if that committee has its choice after that they will simply move forward as soon as possible to a vote in the committee and then eventually in the full senate. the coals going to police offices to be removed from schools in the us a study by a civil rights and educational advocacy groups in front minority students the targets a police brutality in schools joe castro with mall. these are not the images you. expect from school you know. a police officer responsible for keeping students safe has put one in a choke hold the reason the boy's friends say was because he threw an orange at

a wall when you're in the hallways and atmosphere of tension and slight worry and fear the incident in philadelphia in two thousand and sixteen sparked student protests and demands to remove police from the city's public schools the school district spends thirty million dollars a year on police deploying about three hundred fifty officers across some two hundred campuses the philadelphia student union says that creates a militant environment in feel like oh i have to put on this myth i have to make sure that you know. i'm not acting out of character doing anything that's considered to be. bad i guess in philadelphia's public school district eighty five percent of students are of color and black students are three and a half times more likely to be arrested or refer to police officers than white students advocates point of that as a sign of the existence of

a school to prison pipeline where minorities are criminalized at a young age and then continue to land behind bars as adults. a spokeswoman for philadelphia school district declined an interview but said in a statement that the safety of students and staff is top priority meanwhile an alliance of educational justice groups reports that across the u.s. school police have assaulted students at least twenty four times in the past two years we want to publicly education system that actually is positive and that non-punitive and that reflects the best of all of us in our students and black students that we need to have police should not even be in the question but in reality the opposite is happening in the state of. florida recently required all schools to have armed security in response to a high school shooting that left seventeen people dead in february how do you keep american schools safe from school shootings if you get rid of all the police

officers please don't make us school safe. police don't protect black and brown students students have a different vision of what school safety looks like to the students that vision is replacing police with counselors having students work with each other to resolve conflicts and teaching coping skills they say the first step to keeping schools safe is keeping the fear of police brutality out hi joe castro al-jazeera philadelphia. c europe where the annual conference of the u.k.'s main opposition labor party is starting with bricks it causing lots of arguments the party leader jeremy coleman says a general election is required if the u.k. prime minister theresa may fails to win support for her brics it plan critics say she was humiliated by e.u. leaders and some spoke in austria three days ago when they rejected her plan to leave let's go live now to our correspondent paul brennan who's in liverpool with a labor party conference is taking place so paul does the labor front bench

genuinely feel they've got mrs may the prime minister on the ropes this time. i don't know if they believe that it's them that's put her on the ropes or whether it's the european union that's put her on the ropes but certainly they sense weakness huge weakness in the prime minister and in the government's position particularly in relation to bracks sits and the labor party understands that we could be just a matter of months away from a snap general election in fact there's been a headline in the sunday times this morning suggesting that prime minister may might actually call a snap election to try and get herself out of the problems that she's in in relation to parliamentary democracy here and getting the votes that she needs in order to back up her stance in relation to bracks it that said the labor party has been rather ambivalence unambiguous about where it stands on a people's vote or a second referendum on the bracks it issue they would like their preferences for a general election and that was certainly reiterated by the labor leader jeremy

corbyn on the eve of this conference. we will challenge this government's. on whatever deal it brings back on our six tests on jobs on the ring standards on environmental protection and protection of those jobs and the ability of an incoming labor government to infest and intervene in an economy to bring about decent wages jobs and full employment. and if this government can't deliver then i simply say that the reason may the best way to settle this is by having a general election. also poll we're hearing from mr corbyn that he's relating to or talking about this move for the party membership to have a say on whether they go for another final deal referendum so i mean the labor party in the u.k. never moves particularly quickly does that mean that labor will end up having an

internal referendum about the merits of another referendum. well not necessarily an internal referendum but there is going to be debate here at conference in liverpool over the next couple of days more than one hundred constituency parties have put forward motions asking for a second referendum or at least labor to outline what its stance is going to be if for example or no deal comes forward and jeremy coburn has pre and the other members of the labor leadership have previously like you said like you heard in the clip that i advocated very strongly for a general election as their preferred option and and have come out not wanting a. second referendum now they say that they will abide by the will of the party membership but it's a very complicated consideration calculation they have to make because the party membership tens of thousands of extra new members of a last year useful background idealistic background to they represent are they

representative of the wider labor supporters all around the country many of whom still back rex it it's a really important and difficult calculation to labor leadership has to make paul brennan live for us in liverpool there paul thanks a lot. a chinese hospital ship has docked in venezuela doctors on board the piece are called treat people for the next week before continuing an eleven nation tour last month the u.s. sent a hospital ship to neighboring colombia venezuela is experiencing a deepening economic crisis which has led to a shortage of food and medicine. shoppers in sri lanka fear more price rises inflation at an all time high and the sri lankan repeat has fallen to a record low against the dollar government ministers are denying they are to blame under reports now from the capital colombo they only jayawardene opened a big green colombo six months ago bringing his savings and experience from working abroad he had big plans but his wife says an unstable economy increasing costs and

a sliding rupee have made things very difficult we can't increase our prices each time gas prices increased off live in korea because our customers know what price we offer certain items that so each time we come increasing thought as a result we absorb the cost. the price increases have been many. will sugar even bust. commuters forced to fork out higher fares for the second time in four months be very good at getting at it maybe a small increase in the fear but when you take the total cost it's a big amount for the month. to make matters worse for the struggling economy the sri lankan rupee has lost almost nine percent of its value against the dollar so far this year and worse is expected. the devaluation has a former president demanding to take over. with them because from.

where we are monitoring it just waiting i mean if you want to really discuss. you want to. know the first thing is do i would look. up waiting for the. government ministers or dismissing rajapakse as complaints and say he's former administration because the problems this from this. eighty three percent of the. theater and of course we would have had to we have had to pay. lorne's in order to. previous with it. but. while doing that while doing all these. we have also managed to bring me who. while the government and opposition trade accusations about force to blame for the

economic problems many sri lankans us struggling to make ends meet among them the war the neighbors who are determined to stay afloat and make a go of their business despite the odds with al-jazeera colomba. pope francis has paid tribute to lithuanians who suffered and died during soviet and nazi occupation he's in the lithuanian capital as part of a three country baltic tour the country is remembering the near extermination of its centuries old jewish community plans has warned against the rebirth of the quotes and semitic attitudes that fueled the holocaust. labor of love which has taken eight years of devotion to complete mexico city will be opening its own replica of michelangelo's sistine chapel to the public this week or tie a graphic designer over most of his time to painting the work on the ceiling of his local church he relied on donations from friends and parishioners to finance the murals here's

a story. you know many differences and i say yes my name is miguel francisco my c.d.'s and the person that painted the replica of the sistine chapel here in mexico it took me eighteen used to.