long ago all these things we were told were impossible suddenly become connected to the wake up call to be ignored. violence escalates in the central african republic 3 un peacekeepers are killed ahead of sunday's elections. and sam is a dan this is a live from doha also coming up the new coronavirus variant spreads further japan and france report the 1st cases of the new strain. the mystery around the national explosion deepens what could be human remains are found at the scene of the blast. in christmas of the border we report on the plight of thousands of mexican migrants

living in temporary shelters ways to get asylum in the u.s. . central african republic is a nation just 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 and turn over terrorists has condemned the killings he's demanding an investigation. the international community is becoming increasingly concerned violence could spiral out of control in central african republic russia france and rwanda are the pouring military forces in support of the government catherine sawyer reports from the capital bangui. was

president for stina shines toward 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. my honor they are trying to come to bangui you sent our 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 son of the country's only celtic lead emperor has withdrawn citing security concerns former president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. president were is the founder of one of the strongest political parties with solid policies he himself is a very popular leader but he did not back my candidacy it's the party that endorsed me. most opposition candidates campaign a while back and. lection postponed presidential candidates are each promising to finally bring it back to the public revive the economy and provide may think that. people are talking to here he was saying 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 over on bungie in 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. louis module is the central africa director of 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. at least 35 people have been kidnapped in northeast nigeria armed men dressed in military uniforms set up a road block in abducted the travelers as they headed to my degree it's believed the incident could be linked to buckle haraam afghanistan's capital has been hit by

a series of explosions at least 5 separate attacks were sort of across kabul 2 police officers were killed in the worst incident no group has claimed responsibility it comes as the taliban and afghan government continue talks here in doha more areas of the u.k. are entering the highest level of coronavirus restrictions shutting down essential businesses and forcing people to stay at home northern ireland scotland and large areas of in the joining the regions already under the tear for rules they've been reintroduced to combat in the alarming rise in infections partly blind on the spread of a new more virulent strain of the virus more contagious variants is now being confirmed in japan 5 people who are arrived from the u.k. were found to be infected and put in quarantine they travel before japan joined more than 50 countries and banning flights from britain france has confirmed

its 1st case of the mutant variant to the health ministry says the infected person is a french citizen who arrived from the u.k. a week ago france of closed its borders to britain but lifted its ban on wednesday for travelers with a negative kovi test and france is among a number of european countries receiving their 1st shipments of coronavirus vaccines vaccinations start on sunday beginning with people in elderly care homes it's part of a wave of deliveries being made across europe after the drug agency approved the pfizer bio tech shot. u.s. president elect joe biden has expressed sympathy for the many families facing their 1st christmas after losing loved ones he released a holiday message alongside his wife jill promising to do better 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 are from 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 a loved one in jail and i know that. and we know how in times of grief a kind word can mean so much the u.s. city of nashville is under curfew after an explosion ripped through a neighborhood on friday a motorhome blew up early on christmas morning after playing a recorded 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 there's a matter all over this area down there and so we'll continue to examine it to see if it is human remains. i'll just serious john hendren has this update from the national. 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. so i had an al-jazeera we meet people in delaware the state that forged joe biden's political career and the young writers are showing him the renaissance of iraqi literature who are refusing to be silence.

but. we've got some heavy snow pushing across the balkans at the moment some very active weather thundery downpours just around italy and the balkans sees 2 areas of low pressure gradually making the way for the race with the central possibilty bratislava quad little ridge of high pressure just nosing its way in here up towards the northwest this is where the real weather action is this is a storm which will make its way through sas take going on into sunday behind this cold front some very strong winds gales or severe gales rattling across the united kingdom we already have 85 flood warnings in for schools parks all of the u.k. 3 of them severe in will have to share and in bad. flooding will be an ongoing concern damaging winds as well really taught

a packed ice about some very very windy weather blasting across oland and scotland initially and eventually pushing down across the southern wilds and southern england sweeping through as we go through the overnight period into was sunday watch weather comes back in behind the quite a rattling of showers just rolling through as we go on through the day so some nasty weather to watch out for wet weather too across a good part of the low countries and see much of france more wintry weather grassy pushing over towards grace by sunday. the b.b.c.'s journalism is revered around the world but its close relationship with the british state has always placed limits on its independence and i looked. before the existence of a civil things it goes true phillips explores the little known central long tussle between the b.b.c. in the u.k. government and considers the current threats to its future if the government has it

in the lead to see what try to deceive the enemy is on the new this battle for the b.b.c. a listening post special on al-jazeera. you're watching out to 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 perspire on the vote to pan and france have confirmed their 1st cases of a more contagious coronavirus should 1st identified britain more than 50 countries have banned travelers from the u.k. . the us city of nashville is under a curfew after

a motorhome blew up injuring 3 people a recorded bomb warning was played before the explosion or yet known who was responsible. to palestinians including a 6 year old child of minor injuries after israeli airstrikes hit the gaza strip and number of empty sites belonging to harass and the sonic jihad were targeted and the hospital damaged earlier the israeli army accused the mass of firing 2 rockets towards southern israel. 30 candidates have made their final pitches to vote is ahead of elections. the polls are historic and set the course for the 1st peaceful transition of power admitted research reports from the capital and the army on how africa's 2nd grant of virus wave is 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 of the leading candidates a confident but the right message is of been passed to the protests former fording and interior minister who 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 the main rivals 3 time presidential candidate and former prime minister senor mario 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 in the trees al-jazeera. beijing is reportedly considering

a major overhaul of the election committee that decides hong kong's chief executive and legislative council local media has reported that china's top legislative body is examining whether to scrap or $117.00 seats likely to be controlled by opposition district councilors it's seen as yet another attempt to curb the opposition's influence in the territories 2022 leadership race u.s. president elect joe biden often talks about his working class roots in pennsylvania but his political career was made representing the time the state of delaware his election to the highest office makes him the 1st president from delaware the 1st state to ratify the u.s. constitution al-jazeera is kristen salumi takes a closer look at the place the next president calls home. 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 and more tours i think that 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 them are 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 that. 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 he's just show it 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 new castle delaware. a bet in brussels over the post brags that trade deal is finally been agreed with the u.k. parliament some both sides need to ratify the agreement that will the couple of britain from decades of membership. reports 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 all 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 and 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 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 the voted almost exclusively to remain in the european union there's a sense of quiet and reluctant acceptance. 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's 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 thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes on the portuguese island of madeira after a severe flooding roads were completely submerged rockslides damage property and at least one house was destroyed no injuries have been reported. thousands of refugees and migrants are spending christmas in shelters along mexico's northern border with the u.s. many have been waiting for months for their asylum cases to be processed after they were further delayed by the pandemic john heilemann reports. he's the line separating the u.s. from mexico it's been

a slow train coming for those who want to cross it legally and the pandemic has made things worse with u.s. immigration courts closed for months. there are thousands of migrants stuck in mexico to meet them open to process their asylum requests the u.s. has put them in a plan called m.p.p. which means they have to way in mexico where there are silent process plays out even though they're from other countries. get out all fled brazil he says because of the threat of violence erupt in border city what is 10 months ago this still waiting for his 1st court date. a major thematic it was for march 14th of this year but that was changed because of the pandemic to the simper 15 now it's part the 10th i'm a of next year. you're geraldo his son and his wife is spending christmas in a shelter many of the 10s of thousands of people that been ordered to wait in mexico in the n.p.p. program will be doing the same. some migration lawyers are worried that they could

miss the one the deadline to start the asylum process all together news stories hopes that's not the case but she's concerned about the well being of those she's trying to help those eskimo or knesset bussy and it's a complicated situation for the hay from basic needs it's really unsaid saying what's going to happen to them and that generics and sightsee just being here waiting not knowing how to follow up with the proceeds. go to host church is one of many along the border which have been turned into shelters he's seen hope among those now under his care that a new u.s. administration could help them in a 2nd sample from. i don't know who is happier about biden's victory the americans or those stuck here in the asylum process because it means for them and then to their stay in mexico so that they can follow their dreams. president elect joe biden had promised to end the m.p.p. program on his 1st day in office now his incoming administration has signaled it will take more time and there are questions about what will then happen to those

spending this christmas in shelters john heilemann al-jazeera. iraq has produced some of the most celebrated and respected rises in the arab world conflicts sectarianism and political oppression forced many to flee and right from abroad now a new generation is determined to keep iraq's literary heritage alive charles strafford reports. 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 there are writers to without freedom to write how can of this learn i feel have little effect on people's thoughts the bookshops along element to not be 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 in the street is 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 that 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 book seen her shot by new young iraqi writers we're trying to wake people up from the hibernation for too long iraqis have accepted what we were told so as young writers we try to simulate minds without religion or focus on ethnicity instead we look at a reduced humanity we're not afraid because we have seen so much of course i sometimes worry about my family but we have to re stimulate ideas of civilized things 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 the good that will. 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 back that. this is al-jazeera and i had lines now 3 u.n. peacekeepers have been killed in central african republic rebels are advancing ahead of sunday's election the council.