every hot day for us now a few thunderstorms have been skirting across the northern parts of africa to have seen a couple in parts about geria and chuni z.-a those showers should be trying to pull away as we head through the day on thursday 30 should be dry ahead jane it's getting to a pleasant 21 degrees during the day. he had it all. the passion the success and the popularity. and then he gave it all up. for the love of his homeland. football rebels dove into the realm of footballing legend rashid a clue free. before could be algerian national liberation front with his feet rashid mclean free and b f l n t on al-jazeera.

you're watching al-jazeera a reminder of the top stories this hour. saddam's military leaders have agreed with opposition groups to a 3 year transitional periods the opposition will have 2 thirds of the majority in the legislative assembly no decision though has been made on the sole front council opposing that guides the transitional periods. iran's ambassador to the united nations has denied seron was involved in the attack on 4 ships off the ewing coast on monday meanwhile the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has ruled out its negotiations and washington over its nuclear program but he also said there would be no war. and china has reported slower than expected economic growth in april

that was before higher u.s. trade tariffs affects. 5.4 percent last month also dropped from an 8.5 percent growth rates in march. and will than 60 people have been arrested after a wave of attacks against muslims in sri lanka the police chief is warns that officers will respond with maximum force to what he calls rioting morgues that have killed one person a night curfew will remain in place in northwestern province that seen the worst violence tensions have been high since the easter sunday bombing which killed at least 250 people well this is live for us now in colombo more than 60 people arrested so far what he tell us. that's right as the police and the law enforcement authorities basically round up

all those that were behind all of these ruptures of while and mainly in the northwestern province we're seeing this sort of details emerge now bear in mind there are reports that the violence was conducted in a sort of an organized manner the initial sort of reaction and the initial kind of thoughts that this was you know sporadic spontaneous kind of outpouring of anger and frustration leading on from the easter sunday bombings seems obviously to have been misplaced as there are increasing reports that these organized gangs did to sort of marauding local neighborhoods targeting people from the muslim community and the police you see doing it on the way hearing that over 60 arrests more than 30 people are produced before magistrates and even as we speak out there in the northwestern province there are certain courthouses that are expecting even more

suspects to be produced before the magistrate so we might see those numbers going up now the tensions i did kind of take that entire area by surprise a lot of sporadic violence let's take a look at some of what happened there. in recent days groups of people have attacked was slim homes businesses and set fire to vehicles. this is what's left of a factory that produced. police say it was destroyed by what they called. one man was killed in the violence one another is critically injured and being treated in hospital the catholic bishop in vallance menders visited the area on tuesday 1st used to make sure that very snore maybe. because common feeling that various restrictions imposed on the. and i said people.

in the dark of what is happening therefore my personal. understanding is that it is better that maybe our freedom is given so that the people will know the truth. police say the 3 worst affected districts north of the capital colombo young people work together in what appeared to be planned attacks some people in the violence hit areas see outsiders are responsible for the attacks the young i mean i guess we now have a big good man who can still live peacefully with people in this village it's not the people here that attacked us we don't know who they were but they were all from the outside it became ready and they were armed with swords and holes all ready to attack. his muslim community makes up less than 10 percent of the country's $22000000.00 population political leaders here a warning the violence will not only increase tension but could also hinder the investigation into the easter sunday bomb attacks that killed 250 people.

and that is one of the reasons why basically people are so keen to see this violence contained the muslim and christian communities have a centrally live peacefully for many decades in this country as have the other populations of different groups borders we have different people of different he was and there hasn't been this sort of major communal sort of differences but many people pointing to the fact that this outbreak of violence does appear to have those of his agenda outside hands trying to sort of make capital and take this to a different level and make something that it isn't. joining us from colombo thank you. a venezuela supreme courts has called for 4 more opposition m.p.'s to be

stripped over immunity so they can be tried for treason police a long time the opposition controlled national assembly in the capital minutes before opposition than the one wide though was due to leave the session to see a new man has more from caracas. it was his last chance to speak in public before going underground minutes earlier opposition deputy congress but only had been stripped of his legislative immunity so that he can be tried for subversion. all the regime knows how to persecute the national assembly but we want to render it won't fall to its knees and give up the struggle for freedom that we have begun. with with that he left joining 13 other opposition deputies who by their gone into hiding asked for political asylum in embassies or been imprisoned since losing their immunity just in the last week or the. proponents of president nicolas

maduro the day had begun badly they discovered they'd been locked out of the now powerless legislature the only institution they control the national assembly building is directly behind me but since early this morning police and national guardsmen have been allowed anybody to go inside one officer told me that it's because the bomb squad is inside but according to opposition deputies who were due to be meeting there today this is just a ploy another attempt they say by the government to intimidate them. the deputies gathered in an adjacent building as a handful of government supporters shouted insults and we're here to raise our voice against those traitors. president macdougall has targeted the deputies who form part of the opposition leader idles tightest inner circle but why the remains defiant valen to convene the assembly again on wednesday. if we have to

hold our stations on the streets we will but the federal legislative palace belongs to the parliament to the people of venezuela and we want to announce it they have brute force on their side obviously yes but that will not dissuade us no matter what they do to us. why those says his representative in washington will be meeting with the head of the u.s. southern command on monday to discuss possible u.s. military cooperation. mother did not immediately respond but while attending a military ceremony in honor of those who helped for oil in uprising against him on april 30th he said the armed forces are prepared to defend venezuela against any outside aggression this as members of the 28 nation venezuela contact group prepare to arrive in caracas this week to attempt the seemingly impossible a negotiated settlement to the increasingly explosive political conflict you see in human i just got access. to the u.s.

states of alabama has passed a bill on almost all abortions including in cases of rape the measure which is the nation's most restrictive abortion laws approved by the state senate the bill contains an exception for when the pregnancy creates a serious health risk for the woman it will not go to the governor to be signed into law and she's expected to give her approval this is part of a broader effort to have the supreme courts reconsider the constitutional rights to abortion. the mayor of mexico city has declared an emergency over its air quality the city is among the 10 most populated in the world and people there blame wildfires for the talk sick mixes smoke and car fumes they are so bad that the mexican football league has decided to postpone the 1st leg of its semifinal series money reports. a nightmarish haze has taken over the skies above

mexico city authorities say the dense cloud of toxic air is the result of dozens of wildfires burning in southern mexico and central america is it's the season for high temperatures and this year has been especially hot on the other hand we've also seen periods of prolonged drought. the air quality in the city has gotten so bad the local government has urged people to stay indoors as the air outside is unsafe to breathe apart from breathing it really stings your eyes it's very annoying see isn't that a light it's incredible you can see it in the air the air looks cloudy the amount of pollution you can see is amazing for. the mask because of the smart it's painful to inhale it i read days i have stark levels of pollution. more than 20000000 people live in this metropolitan area making it the most densely populated space in north america. exhaust from the nearly 6000000 vehicles that regularly transit the

city isn't making things better. but some people are taking matters into their own hands been out of the world recently won a lawsuit against the city after proving air pollution from hydrocarbons is causing medical problems among residents will never work as when i can see something that there's no doubt this is an environmental crisis by any standard there are so many air pollution particles in some parts of the city that this would be considered a high contamination of fine particles. mexico's capital. was once known as the most contaminated city in the world and although improvements have been made the city appears to be struggling to curb back pollution this lookout would normally guarantee a beautiful view of the mexico city skyline instead what we can see today is little more than a smoky haze you can even smell it and it could still be several days before the air quality begins to improve. the smoky air has turned the sunsets over the city

blood red and with wildfires continuing to burn in surrounding states the problem appears to be far from over. mexico city. processors in israel are calling on people to boycott what's this year's your version song contest it's being hosted there these are the scenes in the city of tel aviv earlier on choosing the demonstrators say israel is using the events to mask rights abuses against palestinians in the west bank and gaza artists and broadcasters of come under pressure to withdraw from the competition. curtain not in the french riviera where the cannes film festival is underway met 2 very different types of comedy films of premiering at this year's events famous direct since war competes with promising new comers for the big prize and charley angela reports from cannes. film stars flashbulbs festival magic.

can is a celebration of cinema like no other and in its 72nd year it is still surprising audiences. this year its opening with a zombie comedy. packed with stars directed by jim the dead don't die seems an unlikely choice for the prestigious festival but the american director has used the genre to sneak in big ideas that they sometimes get buried under all the bodies the festivals directed. explained his. john or cinema is important for cinema for many artists especially in the era of big studios it was a way for them to express themselves within a defined framework and today john are cinema continues. a man of many genres is director quentin tarantino who rushed to finish his new film screening. once upon a time in hollywood is a black comedy set in 1960 s.

los angeles the infight the go to jail is called manslaughter many more heavyweight directors will walk this red carpet over the next 11 days including ken loach. terrence malick and. but they'll also be flanked by newcomers that critics anxious to see i want to see what massive i mean it's kind of ridiculous that this is the 1st black woman to ever be on position as a director or a kind of intrigued to see what women. are more than the men because i feel like ken loach parenting that. we kind of know their work and we know that film is going to solve it but are they really going to surprise us can is dedicated to cinema survival but in doing so it lost out to new films for martin scorsese and steven soderbergh this year that's because they were produced by netflix who refuses to screen in cinemas before going online but netflix now attracts the biggest names

that spent $12000000000.00 on content last year and it's unclear how long can will be able to hold back this changing tide charlie rangel just can't. same with the arts a painting by the french artist has sold for more than a $110000000.00. one of 20 following celebrated paintings depicting his neighbor's haystacks in northern france the painting was completed 8090 and this one of the 1st by a school of our sister known as the impressionists to sell for more than $100000000.00. this is al jazeera these are the top stories for sudan's military council has agreed with opposition groups to a 3 year transitional periods the opposition will have a 2 thirds majority in parliament it's insides have yet to decide though on the

make up of the software and cancel the bosy that will guide the transition of an obscene we pledge to our great people that our agreement will be completed and we will achieve the ambitions of our proud people within less than $24.00 hours god willing so that our proud people will celebrate the victory achieved by the people and the army in order to achieve the goals of the great revolution. as a commander of the n.c. eisel coalition in syria and iraq says there's been no increase in the threat level from iranian backed groups last week the u.s. deployed warships to the region in a move it's it's was a response to indications of threats from iran no there's been no increased threat from iranian backed forces in iraq and syria where aware of their presence clearly . and we monitor along with a whole range of others because that's the environment we're in. iran's supreme

leader ayatollah ali khamenei has a rule dates negotiations with washington over its nuclear program but he also said there would be no war iran's ambassador to the united nations has denied his country was involved in the attack on 4 ships off the u.a.e. coast on monday. china has reported slower than expected economic growth in april that was a period before higher u.s. trade tariffs took effect across slowed to 5.4 percent last month that's a drop from an 8.5 percent growth rate in march. more than 60 people have been arrested after a wave of attacks against me. the police chief is warns that officers will respond with maximum force to what he called why it's in morgues that have killed one person tensions have been high since the easter sunday bombing which killed at least 250 people. the headlines the news continues here in al-jazeera after inside

story i mean this was different whether someone telling someone this very red it doesn't matter we think it's how you approach a vigil and that's what it is a certain way of doing it you can't just. inject a story in the eye out. violence and death since your daughter's protesters demand the ruling military council step down and agreement to hand over power to civilians has reportedly been reached about how much power to me only give up and can a transition be smooth this is a just a. hello and welcome to the program. sudan's military rulers said they would not allow the country to descend into chaos but just hours after announcing

a transition deal with an opposition alliance security forces were accused of firing on protesters on monday night a number of protesters and a soldier were killed the military denies the allegations and blames what it calls infiltrators thousands of people have been holding a sit in l. side the army headquarters for weeks they want the army generals who toppled president omar al bashir to transfer power to a civilian government mandated reports from the capitol hill to the protesters are angry and they have been escalating motus not only how they report the body kids around the square where they've been company for weeks but they're also cruel to some of the main groups on the streets in the capital we've also seen some protesters blocking highways outside the city something that's not going to leave inconvenience for people living in that outlying region from these valleys for their economy youth to the hospital also essential food supplies and album

necessities they need the protesters saying that this is in the 10 mission for. cut it out on them to dance rocket support forces something that's been denied by the. military council which it is rather food treats us in the square. a tough with a view of conflict the peace talks of course this also i hate to the talks between the opposition and the transitional military council they had a clear timetable and they wanted to achieve a lot we do similar to ours now up in that. on the streets more and more of course the protesters are saying that the transitional military comes from being. viewed by outside forces they are pointing fingers at countries like. the united arab emirates and their argument is that in the early

days the military council was compromising and giving in to some of their demands of the point where so that it be the united arab emirates say they will support sudan with billions of dollars in aid but they say is when the military council got more and more intransigent and they feel that these interference coming from those countries the protesters that the u.a.e. and so that it be is checkbook diplomacy will not work done mohammed or what you said story. joining me now i guess with us here in the studio is well lead modibo founder and president of sudan policy forum in heart to khalid shaikh a social activist and business owner in sudan he's also been the ongoing protests and in kill a well i look a senior lecturer kill university and an expert in international law i'd like to

begin cartoon where the khalid shaikh the army seems to be very definite they say that the protest movement has been infiltrated in fact they are calling them in full traitors and that's why they open. on the protesters on monday nights you've been at these protests have you seen any of these so-called infiltrators. absolutely not there has been a complete what i would say farcical story circulated about infiltrators the s.b.a. has let these demonstrations for over 4 or 5 months right now without one single act of violence we have checkpoints at all entry points to the city an area we have never had any incident so far the only people who have 4 by 4 pickups with armed soldiers who have anti-aircraft guns or large caliber weapons are the army and the rapid defense forces are and they are the ones who are traveling freely with

impunity all around khartoum with their armed men so i don't see how you could have 10 or 20 pickup trucks infiltrate an area that's cordoned off by the army let me bring in a will of the here from kill university the army it clearly sensing that there is a change coming that there will be a transitional government and then transition to civilian power is this about the army now trying to discredit the protesters so they can take a large a slice of the pie as this transition takes place do you think. it's really difficult to say a disappointment on the one hand it's very difficult to see what the army would gain out of orchestrating that kind of violence at this stage in the process but at the same time there are potentially other forces who might be responsible for this there are you know a proliferation of values militias under president omar hassan al bashir which he

used to advance his own political agendas by dividing different forces and also by distributing the balance of forces within the country so it's not clear to me whether this come to this came from the military or from other forces but i think at this particular stage in the negotiation between the military council and and the alliance for change for freedom and change i think this is a very bad events to have happened and it's important that both parties make sure that these this sort of violence would not continue let's bring will lead by the way here in the studio. is there a sense that the protests the negotiations could all spiral into violence and effectively derail if these incidents become larger and larger or do you think this is an isolated incident what's your take i think i definitely don't think it's an isolated incident it will look at the master plan i mean everything is going to

plan here the various time they wanted order bushehr to run for elections on 2020 it didn't work in the 2nd 2nd i mean part. of the plan was for them to bring in it know all of us to their side to be accepted as they needed and in part to be with you as i mean their attempt to install. and humidity and then you know it is the t.m.c. the transitional military called. and the leadership of committee on board on used every means i mean primarily soft and hard tools to disarm the political process and we need didn't where to then they have to move to part 3 which is i mean ensuring that the process is is been disrupted but definitely in an insidious manner i mean they don't want they don't want it to be

very clear to the public so for me i think that every thing is going now according to the master plan part 3 which was to create the sit in and then go when they didn't when it didn't work out then they moved to 3 b. which is blaming it on on others i mean but but then if you if you just look at the whole situation it's. this i mean if you look at the circumstantial as well as the direct evidence i mean the game has turned a deaf ear on incitement caused by some bright they're saying get their lives who are trying to incite hatred against the protesters they tend a blind eye on the cards down mentioned by a holiday shared with stuart hall impunity. they did not make any effort to

halt to cause the custody of people like tariq who was part of the shadow but it brigades and these are. this is a battalion who claim to a different order but he with their own lives and souls and if you look at all of that the recently. released accounts of terrorist organizations i mean organizations which the t.m.c. itself has classified stare at is they were recently released even though it was only frozen like a couple of months ago so if you put all of that together then you realize that the t.m.c. is not proof i mean it's provoking the whole situation so i want to bring in here from here university our guest in the studio will leave me is convinced there is a master plan a plan that was in place perhaps to do to get to get us to the stage that we're at

right now do you think there is a master plan would you think events up slightly spiraling out of control now. i don't think i have all you know the facts and the evidence to claim that there is the master plan but obviously i think what we see. of the authoritarian order that has been in place for the last 30 years and when that order and particularly when the people who are in the negotiating position are people who are a part of that very routine and when this transition is not just about moving the country forward but also about holdings also perpetrated atrocities accountable of course you are bound to have this this types of disagreement and potentially i think the desire on the part of the military to derail everything i think we should we should remember that their forty's who have suffered hugely under our government are one of the loudest and one of the most passionate voices in this protest movement they are part of the alliance. and they are negotiating with the

very military that actually laid the water in there for in early 2000 particularly around 2003 so when the calls for accountability. the desire to hold those who perpetrated account is responsible and those who are responsible for those crimes are the very people again this where you are negotiating you are bound to have these kinds of problems so i think there is certainly reasons to suspect that the military would have an interest in doing the kinds of things that are the biggest indoor is alleging bed certainly i personally do not have evidence to suggest that this is clearly the work of the military. it's interesting isn't it because you do make peace with your friends and know your and you make peace with your enemies and your friends. however all the army trustworthy of the

protest movement itself do you think joe they negotiating. with people they see as being equal partners well i think one of the issues that is defining what is the army the army right now is made up of many different factions just looking for power between themselves and even that in itself makes it difficult to know who is a genuine partner and who is a foe. we definitely do not accuse the army of orchestrating it directly but elements within it we don't say the top leadership but there have been similar incidents last week in a similar incident happened but this has got fired up on before that also went out for and so there seems to be a pattern of getting rid of this protest movement or at least trimming it down and then maybe having a sort of what i'd call a weakened or enfeebled civilian transformation that can be managed and control and that's the issue that we're facing right now. having actions just all within so i

guess in khartoum is saying. we can feel transitional government might be beneficial to the army but there are regional implications they will eat i want to bring you in here on the one hand there seems to be qatar and turkey on the other hand there seems to be the u.a.e. saudi arabia and perhaps even egypt. with all their agendas in the country where are the plate the the regional players landing here what sides are they on i believe i mean. the security agency obviously i mean the the hands of the t.m.c. is not far away from from yesterday's scenario i mean not believing the top. officials here but that hans is not that far away from the whole situation i think that they are trying to exploit. the situation of their own making something that's

not atypical of security agencies especially in. the region and poets are now feeling that. the army might have given in to the the i mean if see the forces of freedom and change the they are not happy with the concessions that might have been made on the ground if you want to talk about saudi arabia and the u.a.e. they are the ones that are really pushing and egypt pushing the army. i don't know for sure but there are regional powers that don't want to feel that their friends i mean. the top of his in the team see they don't want to see the backs of their own friends being pushed against the wall they don't want them to get into the negotiations with their arms to sit behind their backs so they they want to create a scenario to give themselves some sort of a live image but every time they attempt to do that they week in the principles

asian so i i think they're at. fault for floor for the neighboring countries to be pushing sudan in such a direction if it's just really it's going to create a very precarious situation not only for sudan but for the whole sudan it belt and this is this is the some for me and i think for some. regional powers here but i want to remind. mr howard. if you look at the press conference yesterday that the at. if you would of the officer who was giving the press conference. he was not very sympathetic with the protesters in the sit in he did not he did not. mean any condolences to the families of the dead or or show any sympathy to the. massacre victims on the ground so that way of an attitude exposes the his thinking and the thinking of the company itself

is the claim of seizing power to protect the protesters and let's bring in august let's get them to react we're talking about the press conference yesterday no words of condolences from. me let me bring a call they don't shake here in khartoum is this a hardening of the army's position or do you think the army is.