presence there just after the nine eleven attacks in two thousand and one. the lower house of the u.s. congress has approved a spending bill including more than five billion dollars for president trump's proposed wall along the mexican border well the draw flow needs at least sixty votes in the one hundred member senate to pass but it's not yet clear if that will happen a temporary funding bill must be possible signed by midnight on friday to avoid a government shutdown bill schneider is a political analyst and public policy professor at george mason university he says the looming shutdown is putting president trump in serious political trouble republicans have control of the house now they will lose it in about two weeks when their new house takes over that will be a democratic house this is a final statement by the republican house in support of donald trump remember these are a lot of defeated republicans who might like to come back some day and they can all be arguing those who were defeated if they come back they can argue hey i got livered for president trouble you should vote for me to come back to the wall

seemed to be closing in the mall or investigation the payoff of hush money to the women who claim to have had affairs with donald trump now we have this partial government shutdown coming we have a cabinet official who does something very rare in the united states he's resigning on an issue of differing principle with the president that does not happen very much the last time i can remember it was just before world war one when the secretary of the state of state who is a democratic isolationist resigned because he thought the president wanted to get the united states involved in world war one you don't see many resignations on principle and this i think is a very serious matter for voters to weigh when they look at target president john he is in very serious political trouble. time for a short break here on al-jazeera when we come back find out why most polling booths were empty during togas parliamentary elections and what one asian nation is doing to reduce its yawning wealth gap stay with us.

medieval western society it was a feudal society that detail to keep the wind out of a bubble and as soon as the pope ended his speech some people stood up and said god will sit down and the entrance to the city was horrific they killed people in the streets in their houses and in. the crusades an arab perspective at the sold one shop at this time on the. kidnappings a man does in crimea since russia's full stanek sation of the black sea. i don't understand why he was kidnapped. scores of crimean tatars have been arrested tortured and killed most believe by russian security

forces. crimea russia's dirty secret on al-jazeera. day one of a new era in television news. this encampment that we're in today it didn't exist three weeks ago now there's at least twenty thousand or hinder refugees who live here. i gotta commend you all all i'm hearing is good journalism . has resigned. their. coverups. some form of closure he saw the syrian army. in the city as well as posters of syrian president bashar.

but. now. welcome back a quick reminder of the top stories here on al-jazeera u.s. defense secretary james mattis has resigned and would leave his post at the end of february so he's stepping down so the president from another defense chief with views more closely aligned to result comes a day off the trump announced he was withdrawing u.s. troops in syria. a report say trump is now also planning to pull out thousands of u.s. troops from afghanistan after the sudden start seven thousand soldiers there could

be back home within months the u.s. military presence there from just after nine eleven attacks in two thousand and one . the lower house of the u.s. congress has approved a spending bill which includes funds for president trump proposed along the border with mexico and now needs to get at least sixty votes in the one hundred member senate to pass but it's not yet clear if that will happen. now sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections in the democratic republic of congo have been delayed for a week the voting will now take place on december thirty the president of the electoral commission said violence and logistical issues meant his staff could not be ready in time catherine so reports from the capital kinshasa. it's been a long and difficult day for the democratic republic of congo's independent national electoral commission send election officials have been preparing for a march and dissipated presidential and parliamentary poor that has been delayed for two years now on sunday voters want to cast their ballots using new back

controversial electronic voting machines for the first time in the country we have those. election forces. and election is going to take place on the tenth year of december this year. this was. due. to. technical. really do you just. it's a logistical nightmare millions of ballot papers i get to arrive in the country the last batch on the gets to kinshasa on saturday the president of the electoral commission has said that the delay is mainly because of a crisis in kinshasa after a warehouse where the city's voting machines while stored was barnes' down security and any boiler outbreak in the east i've also been mentioned and some people are angry about this decision the. pain and suffering on president kabila

and the senate president we are ready to be killed for our country this man who outside the commission's office is saying. said his exam had held him audience your meetings with presidential candidates the catholic church and government officials to explain why it's impossible to go to the polls on sunday three main candidates a man will show diary of the ruling party. leader of the country's largest opposition party as well as mohsin for you the kind of quality. did not show up we are telling him he has to blink he has to do it organize the election if he and the mr day have to be removed from the. twelve positions because the people of color are fed up that they cannot have any excuse not to postpone the election or show we're going to protests we will say no to this

because this is kind of you know. a way of you know all of the respecting people. on wednesday the governor of conciousness suspended all political rallies in the city for security reasons this campaign period has been chaotic and violent delaying the election only adds the tension and certainty in the country catherine sorry al-jazeera kinshasa. has been a low turnout in voting in togo articles by opposition and religious leaders for a boycott of parliamentary elections it's estimated that only about eight percent of eligible voters showed up to cast a ballot. after weeks of deadly anti-government protests in togo election day in the tiny west african country was calm under heavy military presence. well much of everything is quiet but the atmosphere is not comforting opposition parties called for

a boycott after their demands through regional mediators were not met. they were convinced the vote was rigged by the ruling union for the republican party it's expected the ruling republicans will hold on to their parliamentary majority. some of said we should not vote because of a lack of political understanding. the opposition has been demanding an overhaul of how elections are conducted they also want transparency and constitutional reforms to place presidential term limits. he shouted you know public places i am not voting choosing to not vote is also a choice i just follow the instructions given by opposition leaders hundreds of thousands of protesters have been calling for the resignation of their president for nursing day house rules since his father died in two thousand and five the senior narcing bay was a military general who took power in one thousand sixty seven through

a coup. because you know they are perpetrating violence and abusing human rights. amnesty international says togo continues to arrest and detain people arbitrarily torturing and killing citizens and now togo returns to business as usual one of the world's poorest countries with half of the seven million told willy's living on less than a dollar twenty five a day according to the world food program freedom house says togo has no freedom and adding insult to injury total ranks near syria and yemen as one of the unhappiest places on earth paul chatterjee on al-jazeera eleven migrants have been found dead off spain's southern coast thirty three others were rescued by the local markets on set this all had to travel from north africa well then sixty one thousand migrants arrived in spain since the beginning of things eighteen. now the

u.k. second biggest airport has been brought to a standstill after the appearance of drones forced the cancellation of all flights but his troops have been sent to gatwick airport south of london as police continue to hunt for the operator of two drones the devices reappeared nearby everytime the airport tried to reopen its runway more than one hundred thousand passengers have been stranded and about seven hundred fifty flights disrupted was sitting on the run nearly six hours. as we can no fly zone is possible but they counsel a offer that they said to us you have to get out from. we get out all the family is . going back to london's and we stay here as we sleep on the floor and i have never seen any airport anywhere in the world affected by drugs in this way eighteen months ago gatwick had a little bit of a scare when an idiot threw a drinking cheap price for forty minutes five flights this is several orders of magnitude that whoever is behind this has very carefully and deliberately

targeted the world's single runway airport at a time when everything is under maximum straight may not britain's transport minister says everything possible is being done to deal with the backlog of stranded passengers or even regular conversation with the airlines and we look at all measures we counted ease the pressure on passengers to get people away one thing is are we going to be doing is temporarily and i'm trying to temporarily lifting the nightclub descriptions and other reports some more planes could get into the country apologise to the residents affected by the throat and probably try and so people christmas is out now the widening global wealth gap a spot social unrest in many parts of the world it's raising particular concerns in thailand after one survey named the country as having the biggest disparity one percent of the population controls more than sixty six percent of the country's wealth scott hardly reports from bangkok. even though the physical distance between

thailand's rich and poor can be small for two it's just a matter of metres the wealth gap between them has been steadily widening and according to one report it's now the world's largest tos lived in a bangkok slum for forty five years and now in the shadow of the capital's latest ultra luxury model she picks wild vegetables for her dinner who's worried should be kicked off the land her situation is not unique. a recent international report put thailand at the top of the wealth gap list in a country of nearly seventy million the richest one percent controls sixty six point nine percent of the country's wealth economist a bank executive on it raised concern on social media about the growing wealth inequality as it leads to social unrest like with the rival thai political groups known as the red shirts and yellow shirts that. things have been in new qualities you know for me the. red target.

problem is quite clear to me that's inequality at the crossroads suntanned capitalist thailand's military government quickly responded to pump on it and the wealth reports when you look at the data. the real data come from many countries table six have only forty countries that country when in doubt but if you look at all country around it will be a number one so for those ties at the lower end of the wealth chart it's not just about having few or no assets or even a low income it's about the lack of opportunities and resources so their chances and hope of changing their environment working their way up are extremely low a great deal of industries in retail in thailand are controlled by a select few firms or families they're well connected to the government ensuring their position top. top up lim chip program runs a craft beer company but he says he had to shift his brewing out of thailand

because of regulations that favor the too large beer companies huge production minimums and strict advertising laws he was even arrested emanuel at the late you cannot do it because someone already has to a superior to fight and. in this country that you know oh man not really has power and when the hold up i think it's possible for them too many people live at the moment saw their money evolve according to economists pump in it those unfair advantages given to people who are already at the top of the wealth chart are the most damaging to the economy and the country it not only makes the rich richer but it takes money and opportunity away from others scotland al-jazeera bangkok now the be a summer it's just some of the world's most famous ski resorts less well known though in suffolk data it's the only result in tajikistan where a new generation of local ski is a dreaming of sporting glory the country's also having to boost tourism for winter

sports and explains. at least fifty percent of the g.q. stone is over three thousand metres above sea level. it's one of the most mountainous countries in the world mountain ranges that define national borders include the prime is which stretch into northern afghanistan the allée and the t.n. which reach into kazakstan uzbekistan. and china but as you can stand has only one ski resort soffit is about seventy kilometers north of the touchy capital ducharme bay. it was built during the soviet era but has been renovated and expanded in recent years after the first big snow fall of two thousand and eighteen olympic slalom skier aleesha caused a lot of as a lesson to give he represented tajikistan in the two thousand and fourteen olympics held in sochi russia. whenever i'm teaching the kids i feel great because

this is my sport i teach them from the bottom of my heart because these kids will become flag bearers of the jackets that. teaches these children for free the kids come from poor families who can't afford the latest warm clothing but that doesn't in any way dampen the children's enthusiasm. i have been skiing for one year i want to ski in other countries i want to be the best at the sport there may be only a couple of runs on these mountain slopes but they are enough to challenge these young learners and some who are considerably older now i haven't skied for twenty five years but i cannot tell you how much of a pleasure it is to be skiing again for the first time and especially here in tajikistan. back at the ski school children are preparing for another lesson eighteen year old

mare who helps them tighten their boots and ski bindings. from early childhood i had a dream to ski and so now my dream is come true because for six years i've practicing i've always wanted to represent my country and of course get the first prize. despite the uphill struggle of living in one of the poorest countries in asia these children have the enthusiasm and potential talent for being downhill champions one and all. that al-jazeera suffer daryl tajikistan. right time for a quick check of the headlines here on al-jazeera u.s. defense secretary james mattis has resigned under leave his post at the end of february he said he's stepping down so president trump can have a defense chief who views more closely aligned to his own comes a day after trump announced he would than he was withdrawing u.s.

troops from syria a report say that trump is now also planning to pull out thousands of u.s. troops from afghanistan about half of the seven thousand soldiers there could be back home within months the u.s. has had a military presence there from just after the nine eleven attacks in two thousand and one the lower house of the u.s. congress has approved a spending bill which includes funds for president trump's proposed wall along the border with mexico it now means to get at least sixty votes in the one hundred member senate to pass but it's not yet clear if that will happen. a temporary funding bill must be passed and signed by midnight on friday to avoid a government shutdown. the presidential election in the democratic republic of congo has been delayed until december thirtieth the vote had been shuttled for sunday the president of the electoral commission said violence and logistical issues meant the start could not be ready in time. eleven migrants have been

found dead of spain's southern coast thirty three others are rescued by the local maritime service all had traveled from north africa more than sixty one thousand migrants arrived in spain since the beginning of twenty eighteen but us the charge to chinese nationals of the involvement of a massive hocking campaign the justice department says the suspects are linked to the chinese government claim beijing has denied washington says the pair targeted at least forty five u.s. organizations including the u.s. navy and nasa they're also accused of targeting dozens of other companies that at least twelve countries. in the u.k. second biggest airport has been brought to a standstill for the parents of drones for the consolation of all flights but his troops have been sent to gatwick airport south of london as police continue to hunt for the operator of two drones the devices reappeared nearby which on the airport tried to reopen the runway more than a hundred thousand passengers and stranded at about seven hundred fifty flights

disrupted well those are the headlines the news continues here on al-jazeera after war of that subject. china could be facing a debt iceberg that's according to s. and p. global the trumpet ministration just been insisting towards the saudis and other producers that they want to have more production to cool down the prices we bring you the stories that are shaping the economic world we live in counting the cost on al-jazeera. the holiday inn devorah hotel was our house. people were shot dead on the entrance to the hotel. i do remember a time when hotel was a shelter and started running. resume your fellow.

below the rest of us to. try. and turn to the camera man should look at the screen they allowed a few. hours of this place continued to function during fifteen a half years of siege. on a day and was the best to tell the people of the world what was happening in syria . sorry a vote city of love art and music. but on the banks of the million at sco

river the lifeline of bosnia herzegovina history has also been carved in the heart of the balkans. this place has given birth to civilizations and peoples and witnessed wars that have shaped europe. but this historic city where races religions and ethnicities have molded together was torn apart in one thousand nine hundred ninety two by a bloody war. it lasted for three and a half years and took the lives of thousands of bosnian muslims serbs and croats. this distinctive yellow building on the front line saw the siege and bloodshed close up but also became a fortress for the world's media. this is the story of sarajevo's infamous war hotel the holiday inn.

in one thousand nine hundred two sorry aver was preparing to host the fourteenth winter olympic games two years later. the holiday inn designated for v.i.p.'s and senior olympic committee figures was under construction. before the hotel was built the land was called silica splats because visiting circuses used to set up the. can of morrison is a professor of modern history at lester's de montfort university in the u.k. . he's written four books on the balkans including one about sarajevo's landmark holiday in. the design of the building was quite controversial it was designed by this study of architects events that are seized buildings you can find

all over the city the scale model the original scale model of the hotel was and was built in yellow it was constructed of yellow plastic but when the builders who were working on the building actually started to construct the facade and they saw that the facade was actually yellow events that are said that the it came as quite a shock they didn't expect the building itself actually to be yellow. and the an architect even straus came up with a new hotel concept what he called a city in a hotel which you have no need to leave. floors and corridors were to open into a spacious lobby giving the illusion of greater size. the holiday inns grand opening was on the sixth of october nine hundred eighty three with the president of the international olympic committee one and tonio somewhere around in attendance. one of the few people who's worked at the hotel since the start is high road. he's now the hotel's executive director. and olympic skater very smart

sent us here to southern florida has been all of the below deal for double what it was. moment skep to see any of us near got to know that she is not she said more knowledgeable knows me figure out what's on the ship to sneak it paul. beau ballistic worked as a translator for foreign media and he's very familiar with the holiday inn she and kenneth morrison visited the hotel while he was working on his new book about the reporting of the siege of sarajevo for me the hotter holiday was always. very important first for the olympic games i was really young girl who worked for the for the guests harvesters later in hot tests and in fact for the first time when i get to the heart of holidaying was during the olympic games. the euphoria of the

sarajevo winter olympics was short lived. to georgia to roll and autumn and years abroad tito had led the socialist federal republic of yugoslavia since one nine hundred forty four. his death in one thousand nine hundred left a political vacuum a worsening economic crisis and led to a wave of nationalism. in the early one nine hundred ninety s. serbia croatia slovenia bosnia heard so governor montenegro macedonia pulled themselves violently apart. after the one nine hundred ninety elections in bosnia herzegovina three main nationalist parties shared power the muslim s.d.a. led by alyea is a bag of it the serve s.d.s. under rather than carriage and a branch of from new to german's croatian h d z. the s d a n h d said wanted independence while the serb s.d.s.

wanted to remain in the rump of yugoslavia along with serbia and montenegro. so the relationships between nice three parties soon deteriorated dramatically. on the twenty ninth of february nine hundred ninety two a bosnian independence referendum was held. the muslims known as bosniaks and the croatians took a full part but the bosnian serbs largely boycotted the vote and rejected the yes result on the first of march the same day a serb wedding party was sporting the serbian flag in downtown serie a when it was fired on by a bosnian muslim gangster killing the groom's father. the serb family made for the holiday inn where a number of rooms had become the temporary h.q. of the bosnian serb leader radovan carriage inch. the bloody wedding episode may have offered the bosnian serbs the opportunity they've been waiting for. that same

night they began implementing what was effectively a dress rehearsal for the siege of sarajevo. barricades appeared and armed masked men stalked the streets from his heart but the holiday inn rather than carriage which oversaw the action this room room five thirty of this suite was also used by a rather encourages the leader of the serbian democratic party or s.d.s. he lived here with his family in this sweet cottage which his wife and his two children and they stayed here until the shootings on the sixth of april one thousand nine hundred two after kaddish escaped from the hotel with his family. by monday the sixth of april a large but peaceful protest for bosnian unity had made its way from the parliament towards the holiday inn and carriages base there. were snipers on the upper floor open fire. bosnian journalist sami of courage was nearby when the shooting started

. i remember when the shots came from the holiday inn actually we heard cracks we heard some noise and then we so people you know falling down started to running everywhere you know hiding behind trees big. in some small buildings and everything . sniped at a safe place of you know what was your not a proud. moment. what sally is one of those named guys in my name is pat but i meant up front just for sure but to it toby was fodder what about. six civilians were killed on that first day of the c h. carriage a cheese guards and family escaped from the hotel the bosnian police arrested serb snipers in the lobby of the holiday inn which then remain closed for several months

. from here the three and a half year war erupted and spread across all of bosnia herzegovina. for him. in april and may nine hundred ninety two dozens of journalists had arrived in sarajevo among the experienced mountain belts from the b.b.c. would be here tomorrow shooting for this till. he and his crew first stayed here at the hotel business in ilija near the airport. martin bell lives in north london. he left the b.b.c. in one nine hundred ninety seven to become a member of parliament and is now a unicef ambassador but to those who knew him in bosnia always be the man in the

white suit. we arrived in a great rush because the war had already broken out and frankly we were a day late we drove in from belgrade and the obvious place topping place reserved. the first major battle of the war took place on the twenty second of april nine hundred ninety two in and around the hotel bosnia between the bosnian serbs and yugoslav army on one side and the emerging bosnian muslim armed groups on the other . it lasted for ten days. one cameraman was wounded and other t.v. crews rooms were hit by snipers and shelling. martin bell and his crew were trapped inside the hotel with all the journalists guests and stuff these red pitches shot by the b.b.c.'s eric powell show bell and the crew

doing a live link because london with mayhem going on around the world. so we were on the balcony of the hotel and while we were there a huge battle erupted all around us as they have done for the past two years me but it is it is difficult to see that working at the moment because there is not as you can hear around me the bill for instance well you know sometimes things happen and i felt the air above my head something was happening to it a bullets whizzed by and and suck the air out of it and it hit the wall behind me if you'll excuse me i just want to break off because we've had so many sides like i wanted into the provocative. under that point i turned to the camera man us.