0. to stand the differences and similarities of cultures across the wound is another matter when you cool hand luke in music kind of thing that matter to you. violence escalates in the central african republic 3 u.n. peacekeepers are killed ahead of sunday's elections. and sam is a damned this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up the new coronavirus variant spreads further japan and france for the 1st cases of the new strain. the mystery around the nashville explosion deepens what could be human remains are found missing in of the massive blast. and the young writers are showing in the renaissance of iraq in literature refusing to be simon's.

central african republic is a nation on edge as it waits for a landmark ruling on whether to perspire in sunday's election rebel forces are advancing after a ceasefire with the government broke down 3 un peacekeepers have been killed by unidentified attackers in the color u.n. secretary general antonio terrorists has condemned the killings he's demanding an investigation. international community is becoming increasingly concerned violence could spiral out of control in central african republic russia france and rwanda are deploying military forces in support of the government catherine sawyer reports from the capital bangui. was president for stina dara arrives for his final election rally in bongi in full force has been

telling people to come out and forth on sunday without fear i recently formed a group called the patriot put change all c.p.c. has threatened to march to the city and launched attacks against government troops backed by un peacekeepers in some rural areas the c.p.c. which is a coalition of several armed groups has called off a ceasefire it had declared them wednesday. they are trying to come to bangui usent are africans must open your eyes help our armed forces un peacekeepers mean those from rwanda and russia giving us a hand to unload those and the fighters come into the city. 16 presidential candidates have been cleared to run in the polls but johnson. son of the country's only south declared emperor has withdrawn citing security concerns former president

francois was disqualified by the constitutional court state officials and the u.n. accuse him of being behind the c.p.c. rebellion to disrupt the election and overthrew the government has backed and he said who's a marched as president would dare a strongest challenger to serve. president is the founder of one of the strongest political parties with solid policies he himself is a very popular leader but he did not but my candidacy is the party that endorsed me . most opposition candidate starts the campaign a while. and won the election postponed but that's all candidates are each promising to finally bring back to the public room by. may think that. people talking to here. i think that the hard problem is before. knows all about pain caused by conflict his leg was blown off by

a hand grenade when the mostly muslim armed groups seleka over on bungie 2013 and overthrew. actually cannot understand what's happening to me and i'm scared of what's happening now they're only coming to kill i want to ask the government to help us to stop those who are coming. is now preparing to vote in an election clouded by fear and uncertainty he tells us who only go to the polling station if he feels absolutely safe a sentiment shared by many other voters catherine al-jazeera. is the central africa directs for human rights watch he says rebels control most of the territory and pose a serious threat to free and fair elections. this temporary cease fire i think a bit too much stop was put into it and i say that because of the groups that make

up this rebel coalition the 6 groups that make up the c.p.c. this coalition this new coalition are some of the groups that have perpetrated the most gruesome crimes in the central african republic since 2013 them wantonly killed civilians they've used rape as a weapon of war they've caused widespread displacement and pillage so the fact that they've broken this temporary ceasefire is not in of itself surprising i think what's much more worrying is how much territory they seem to be able to take and how quickly they seem to be able to take it and how close they actually are to the capital bunky all reports are indicating that within 100 kilometers so it's very very tense in the city right now i think this is the most tense the central african republic has been since early 2013 when we saw the last iteration of the cycle of coups which indicates a change of power in that country it's worth noting that the killing of blue helmets the killing of international peacekeepers is in of itself a war crime but the fact that peacekeepers have been killed in these sadly these

peacekeepers that you mentioned this is just the latest batch of peacekeepers that have been targeting the c.a.r. the fact that they have been targeted i think it's demonstrative of the impunity that these armed groups continue to operate with within the country the central african republic is operating after a peace deal in 2019 that peace deal ceded a lot of impunity to these armed groups and instead of stopping attacks on civilians and peacekeepers they simply ramp them up in the last few weeks and months and really it does not bode well for a country that's supposed to be going through general elections in 48 hours. more areas of the u.k. are entering the highest level of coronavirus restrictions shutting non-essential business isn't forcing people to stay home northern ireland scotland and large areas of england are joining regions already and tear for rules they've been

reintroduced to combat an alarming rise in infections partly blamed on the spread of a new more virulent strain of the virus the more contagious variant has now been confirmed in japan 5 people were put in quarantine their infections were confirmed upon arrival from the u.k. they traveled before japan joined more than 50 countries in banning flights from britain france has confirmed its case of the mutant variant to the health ministry says the person is a french citizen who arrived from the u.k. a week ago france had closed its borders to britain but lifted the ban on wednesday provided travelers submit a negative test and the new strain is causing concern right across europe increasing pressure to tighten lockdowns dominic kane explains from berlin. christmas in rome during code where goodwill to others mean socially distance

events providing presence of the poor and homeless as welcome as these gifts may seem what many people want this winter is the coded vaccine and now the 1st consignment of it have arrived in rome ready for distribution on sunday to people who the pope says should be 1st on the list. i pray for all those in charge of nations companies international organizations to promote cooperation and not competition and look for a solution for everybody vaccines for everybody especially for the most vulnerable and needy ones in every region of the planet as in many other e.u. countries the vaccine will also start being distributed in germany on sunday it's a development many hope will transform the situation. in the long. end of this we see the long awaited light at the end of the tunnel become brighter we will come closer to the exit from this crisis step by step how long the road will be depends on us if we remain reasonable and patient then we will gradually be able to do many

things again that we had to do without for a long time. the strategy many european governments are adopting is to file a return to hard lock downs and the start of mass vaccination their hope is to reduce the numbers of new infections and eventually lower mortality rates that has been claiming the lives of thousands of people every day for some time dominic kane al-jazeera berlin australia is reimposing coronavirus restrictions in parts of sydney after 9 new cases in the state of new south wales were traced to a cluster in the city's north in other areas of the city people were told not to shop on boxing day sydney's northern areas will now revert back to stay at home orders for at least 3 days. u.s. president elect joe biden has expressed sympathy for many families facing their 1st christmas after losing loved ones he released

a holiday message alongside his wife jill promising to do more to combat the pandemic in 2021 we know for so many of you and i know this is been a very difficult year and we're reminded in this season i hope our common humanity and what we're called to do for one another many of her fellow americans are struggling to find work not only put food on the table pay their rent or mortgage reminded we're on this earth to care for $1.00 another to give what we can and to be a source of help and hope to friend in stranger like many families are facing their 1st christmas having lost are not in jail and i know that. and we know how in times of grief a kind word can mean so much. fear a city of nashville is under a curfew after an explosion ripped through a neighborhood on friday a motorhome blew up early on christmas morning after playing a recording bomb warning several buildings were damaged and 3 people suffered minor

injuries police haven't been able to establish a motive we have found 2 issue that we believe could be remains that were just held there that you know examined and they will be able to let you know from that point darby was detonated so it was so well and so we have no idea it was such a large explosion but the investigation continuing matter all over this area down there and so we'll continue to examine it to see if it is human remains. out the series john hendren has this update from nashville. it's common nashville now but hours ago an early morning christmas explosion shattered the calm injuring 3 people and destroying 41 buildings according to authorities here they're not exactly sure what the intended target was but the explosion occurred outside of an a.t.m. t.v. transmission building and there were warnings the recreational vehicle was

broadcasting apparently recorded messages telling people to evacuate the area and at one point saying that within 15 minutes there would be a possible bomb explosion meanwhile authorities say that they have found what appears to be human remains they don't know if that was someone inside the vehicle or someone who was nearby and have not confirmed that it is indeed human remains but they are operating on that theory now and authorities are investigating this as a potential terror attack and they are looking into what the motive was who was involved in this attack but meanwhile they have declared a curfew in downtown nashville from friday through sunday the christmas morning explosion has destroyed a large swath of the tourist area here in what is the country music capital of the united states. at least 35 people have been kidnapped the northeast nigeria man

dressed in military uniform sets a roadblock and the doctor that travel is on their way to made a goody believe the incident could be linked to boko haram. still ahead of al jazeera campaigning ends in the jazz presidential elections where 30 candidates are competing for the top job and really the residence in delaware the state that's forged joe biden's political career. hello there and season's greetings has officially been a white christmas for parts of england with a little dusting of snow into these writing if yorkshire in a northern england just about here winds coming in from all the north the directions that we have seen one to 2 wintry flurries nothing much to speak of the

heavier snow has been further south down around the alps and further east it was that western side of russia let's look back up towards the northwest where we have these tightly packed i suppose we have storm bella gathering and that's going to bring some very wet sand windy weather much milder weather in across the u.k. as we go on through saturday brae blustery conditions winds in excess of 150 kilometers per hour on the gusts so some nasty conditions the possibility of flooding here as well the wintry mix that we have around the outs with slightest way down towards the divine or it helps joining up that wetter weather over towards the black sea and snow there into that western side of russia more blustery conditions wet weather into the southeast of europe as we go on through sunday we'll look up towards the northwest all for weather very heavy rain with the possibility of some flooding coming down across central parts of france at that stage snow on the leading edge of that to the south of that it is dry for much a spy but pretty cold in madrid.

frank assessments you've got colleagues on the ground in the canaries what is the situation there's only one doctor and one nurse or 2200 people informed opinion just how big this foreign policy in the early stages of a bi ministration he comes into office with a huge amount of foreign policy experience in-depth analysis of the day's global headlines how will a place like it will get the vaccine when there's no money at all the rest of rich countries are fighting for an inside story on al-jazeera.

back you're watching out of syria time to recap our headlines now 3 un peacekeepers have been killed in central african republic rebels are advancing ahead of sunday's election the constitutional court is set to decide on whether to respond the vote japan and france have confirmed their 1st cases of a more contagious coronavirus mutation it was 1st identified in britain 50 countries are maintaining travel bans with the u.k. the us city of nashville is under a curfew after a motorhome blew up injuring 3 people a recorded bomb morning was playing before the explosion is not yet known who was responsible. to palestinians including a 6 year old child of minor injuries after israeli airstrikes in the gaza strip a number of empty sites belonging to a mass and this time it jihad were targeted a hospital was damage earlier the israeli army accused her mass of firing 2 rockets towards southern israel. 30 candidates have made their final pitches to vote is

ahead of elections in the polls are historic and set the course for the 1st peaceful transition of power going to dress reports from the capital in the army on how africa's 2nd grade of virus wave was having an impact. it's been a busy 3 weeks of campaigning for presidential candidate. any wave of coronavirus infections forced the government to impose a limit on carbon which on the last day. but the leading candidate a confident of the right message a subpoena to the protests former fording and interior minister mohammad. is the governing party's candidate in our candidate has visited all parts of the country even before the start of the campaign selling practical ideas to the people and to see how people live to understand their problems helps us design a program to better people's lives were confident of winning in the 1st round one

of bazooms main rivals 3 time presidential candidate and former prime minister senor morrow says that one tavern. in my political experience it's impossible for anyone to win an election outright in the 1st round each of us would want to but it's impractical no one will it's very very difficult . a total of 30 candidates are running for president while some have complained hard most have been on the sidelines seeking to form alliances with stronger parties. although much of the campaign focused on who becomes president voters will also choose 171 representatives to field a seat in this parliament some will later from the country's next cabinet as in previous elections analysts say this year may end up with a coalition of one of the being quality parties and other smaller ones. the decision on who gets to form the coalition depends on what $7500000.00 voters

decide on sending a presidential candidate request 50 percent plus one of valid votes cast to win outright that has never happened in an election here if no candidate gets that voters will be called once again to choose among the 2 candidates with the highest number of votes with the trees i'll just see that you have me. in beijing is reportedly considering a major overhaul of the election committee that decides hong kong's chief executive and legislative council vocal media has reported china's top legislative body is examining whether to scrap or $117.00 seats likely to be controlled by opposition district councillors it's seen as yet another attempt to curb the opposition's influence in the territories 2022 leadership race. of math in brussels to look over the post for exit trade deal that's finally been

agreed with the u.k. parliament some both sides need to ratify the agreement which will uncoupled britain from decades of membership of course from london. i have a small present for anyone who may be looking for something to read in that sleepy post christmas lunch moment and here it is 2000 pages of dense detail the british government's christmas gift to the nation because this is a deal a deal to give certainty to business travelers and investors in our country from the 1st of january a deal with our friends and partners in the in brussels e.u. ambassadors met for a christmas day briefing with the blocks bricks at negotiator michel barnier the $27.00 european union states are expected to formally back the trade deal within days the european parliament which normally votes on a tax before it becomes law will vote on the deal retrospective early in january

the choreography is different for british m.p.'s who will cast their vote on the deal in parliament on the 30th of december where it's expected to pass with the the government controls a sizable majority of the opposition labor party says it will reluctantly back it a day later midnight december 31st the u.k. will unplug its economy from the world's largest trading bloc in a deal that will either drive or diminish the country for generations to come. it's been a year of painful uncertainty for everyone the british economy is shattered thousands of businesses a teetering on the edge of ruin a while the country has been grappling with the impact of covert 19 it's also been living under the long shadow cast by breaks it and worries that the british economy might never be the same again but now that there is a deal here in london that voted almost exclusively to remain in the european union

there's a sense of quiet and reluctant acceptance. at this time of great upheaval a familiar face with a traditional christmas message even on the darkest nights a queen elizabeth is the hope of a new dawn but even with this deal uncertainty remains there are fears unemployment will rise if firms relocate to the e.u. a few transport companies have access to britain's new border crossing software and unanswered questions on how to avoid physical border checks between northern ireland part of the u.k. and ireland and e.u. member as more details emerge is clear the british government also gone further than expected in granting the e.u. access to british fishing grounds the e.u. and u.k. are now decipher ing the trade deal for general consumption both eager to show they've gained the most ground at the 11th hour in the park al jazeera london. u.s. president elect joe biden often talks about working class roots in pennsylvania but

his political career was made representing the time the state of delaware is election to the highest office makes him the 1st president from delaware 1st state to ratify the u.s. constitution. kristen salumi takes a closer look at the place the next president calls. delaware traces its european roots back to the 1600s the city of new castle boasts many historic sites including the courthouse where the state 1st declared independence from great britain not to mention its more powerful neighbor pennsylvania this land marked example of the federal period architecture belonged to the son of george reid one of the signatories of the u.s. constitution like many in the state tour guide and murphy hopes the 1st state's 1st president will finally put delaware on the map i can remember traveling to

california one time they asked me where i'm from and i said delaware and where's that even those who aren't huge fans of joe biden can see his election has benefits to bring more more tourists i think she would be king from it was here in new castle that joe biden won his 1st election 50 years ago taking a seat on the county council he hasn't lost an election since and many here see a win for biden as a win for delaware the shipping industry has long since left the shores of this former british colony these days wilmington home to the biden transition team is better known as a tax haven for corporations those in the struggling hospitality business are happy the hotels are now full of news media and more than that george taylor is looking forward to the new administration he gives that message of hope and for most black people out of my such as myself i believe he's going to do such a great job you know making sure that we are all integrated we are all united in

one america it was in fact delaware founding father george reid who pushed to create the u.s. senate and guarantee equal representation for smaller states turns out politics in delaware has always been personal when you have such a small place everyone has to get along in some way and i think the. it's the tradition that joe biden is certainly coming coming out of where your senator or your representative or in this case your president as a next door neighbor has just showed to a lot of people here the hope is joe biden will now speak for the entire nation particularly the under represented in keeping with local tradition christian salumi al-jazeera newcastle delaware former japanese prime minister shinzo alba has apologized for mistakes over political funding scandal which is cast a shadow over his successor it involves almost $300000.00 for events attended by all those supporters between 20162019 dinners is not scaled tokio

hotel was subsidized by his center right party but not properly declared threatens to damage the new prime minister you're sure he this is long serve the zombies right and man. even though the accounting was done without my knowledge i'm keenly aware of my moral obligations i would like to deeply and really apologize to the people. i was devoted to my duty as prime minister so regarding the operation and sitting at the dinner party i was not involved tool for many years there were no mistakes in my office in the operation or in the elections so i left it to the person in charge. now iraq has produced some of the most celebrated and respected rights is in the arab world but the conflicts sectarianism and political oppression forced many to flee and right from abroad well now

a new generation determined to keep iraq's this free heritage alive trying to make a comeback tell stratford explains. mcauliffe has been writing about the momentous and often violent changes iraq has suffered for more than half a century the baghdad based author whose novels short stories and poems have been published across the arab world has had to navigate censorship political imprisonment and even death threats throughout his career he acknowledges his contribution to iraqi literature but he's saddened by what he says is the lack of impact his work has had. the country has culturally regressed people who don't read or write might struggle to develop culture across the arab world is suffering terribly and their right has to without freedom to write how can of this learn i feel have little effect on people's thoughts the bookshops along elements and up

the street named after a 10th century poet have been immortalized in iraq in arab culture for centuries the crumbling alterman buildings have witnessed how the pressures on iraqi writers and readers have changed over the years the challenge of avoiding jail worse under the rule of saddam hussein to bomb attacks and kidnapping by al qaida eisel and various armed groups that still have much power in iraq elements an obvious street as almost a mythical status in the history of arabic literature a place where writers and intellectuals would meet to discuss politics and the arts but despite the political instability and violence in this country continues to suffer there is increasing evidence of young writers appearing who are determined not to self censor and to protect and build on iraq's literary past. but i'll be arty is a young recently published iraqi poet she owns

a bookshop and one of a number of recently opened publishing houses close by she says half the books in her shop by new young iraqi writers. get their work out of blair uk it's difficult fred generation to find the correct road to walk along so we depend on ourselves and through books and reading i hope we can change the next generation to plant flowers not phones that we find on the path we travel along we have to read more widely to forge a new future young people hear differently same came to read more at baghdad's annual international book fair young people who can afford to buy books including arabic literature history philosophy and translated foreign works but. it is difficult for our generation to find the correct road to walk along so we depend on ourselves and through books and reading i hope we can change the next generation to planted flowers not thorns that we find on the path we travel along we have to read

more widely to forge a new future young people here definitely seem keen to lead us home to cook the world and i hope at least that iraq's literary heritage is being rekindled by a new generation who say their country's future stability and growth will be helped by young iraqis reading and writing more chance traffic al-jazeera baghdad. let's take you through some of the headlines here now to syria now 3 un peacekeepers have been killed in central african republic rebels are advancing ahead of sunday's election the constitutional court is set to decide on whether to proceed phone the vote catherine sawyer has more from bungie. was. fired because.