this is bbc world news today. i'm lucy, ourtop stories... 2 protesters clash with police in the east of the democratic republic of congo, as the election is postponed again in parts of the country. drc‘s outgoing president, joseph kabila, tells the bbc — the delay is because of an ebola outbreak. on the day that we were supposed to bolt, you have this epidemic spreading like wildfire. —— vote. indonesia re—routes all flights around anak krakatow, as the volcano continues to spew ash, days after triggering a deadly tsunami. but do relaxed attitudes to sex in france encourage predatory behaviour? we have a special report on how attitudes may be changing. and in sport, inter milan will play their next two home league matches behind closed doors as punishment for racist chanting against napoli. hello, and welcome

to world news today. there have been protests in the democratic republic of congo at yet another delay in the presidential elections in some parts of the country. the polls were meant to take place on sunday. authorities in the capital, kinshasa, are blaming security concerns and an outbreak of ebola in the east of the country. the government says it is listening to the advice of the electoral commission. the worst clashes took place in the eastern cities of beni and goma. both are areas which are seen as being strongly supportive of the opposition. this footage was filmed in beni. police fired into the air and used tear gas against the demonstrators. voting there was postponed — with opposition parties saying it was a ploy to stop their supporters from influencing the vote. and these pictures are from goma, where police had to clear barricades set up by angry crowds.

opposition parties have cried foul, and called for a general strike on friday in protest. translation: the lamuka coalition demands for the electoral commission, immediately withdrawing its unjustifiable position and organised election across the whole of the democratic republic of congo without any discrimination. the congolese people have already been very patient, who have already accepted three postponements and even accepted a two—year week are now saying enough. the electoral commission has just crossed a red line. let's get the latest now from two of the areas which have seen the most unrest. in a moment, we'll hear from our reporter in goma — but first, here's louise dewast in kinshasa reporting on events in beni. there was a number of protests that today i think most of them are over by now as it is one hour ahead so the day is really over now.

the protests were in the city of goma but in beni, one of the cities that was affected by earlier, a transit centre was ransacked and where cases wait for results, the health ministry says that 21 people fled from the transit centre. angry mob was demonstrating today there followed by the decision by the commission to postpone the vote this city and in three other locations across the country. in goma — the main city in eastern drc and also an opposition stronghold, crowds blocked a road in the majengo neighbourhood and around the university. the bbc‘s gaius kowene is there and has this report. the tension is high in this street of in goma, where masses of people came out on the streets to protest against a new delay of elections by the

electoral commission. this morning, people came in the streets, they use stones and express their anger and frustration. most voters i talk to here say they are upset that this town is removed and the city is a tactic to cling onto power. however, we are still monitoring the situation to see how it goes. let's hear now from the outgoing president of the democratic republic of congo, joseph kabila. he took power in 2001 after the assassination of his father, laurent. he's twice been elected president — in 2006 and 2011 - but elections to replace him which were meant to be held in 2016 were delayed until now. he's been speaking to salim kikeke from bbc africa in kinshasa — and he began by explaining why the poll had been delayed in some areas. you have to ebola epidemic,

which is spreading. the intention of the electoral commission and indeed, the intention yes, they have been there for quite a long time, but the idea was that ebola is an epidemic, which will manage or we have been managing to control two months after it was declared. this time around, it has taken much longer than that, and as we speak right now, it is still spreading. we have to contend with those two major issues, and of course, the choice is to save as many lives as possible. with all that has happened, do have faith in the electoral commission to deliver a free and fair action? the electoral commission is an independent electoral commission. and we still have faith in the commission, and come into the share, meaning the 30th, elections will be reorganised. but with

1.2 million voters being delayed in those areas which is mentioned, how can you declare a new president with some places that have not voted? do not worry. the law has been created for such issues. so the electoral commission has as far as i am concerned, been doing everything according to the book. i do not think there will be any major issues. as far as though one, what is it you're talking about. a senior indonesian government minister has called for an early warning system to protect against natural disasters like the tsunami triggered by the anak krakatoa volcano. planes are being routed away from the area due to the large amount of ash being thrown into the air. but the tourism minister says there is a potentialfor disaster in any part of his country,

and new precautions need to be put in place. and times of disasters, i think disasters can happen anywhere will stop —— can happen anywhere in indonesia. that is why we need what you call an early warning system. we needed as instructed by our president, we have to provide an early warning system, especially in tourist destinations. early warning system, especially in tourist destinations. so, five days after the disaster, let's just recap on what we know. at least 400 people were killed when a collapsed crater on the anak krakatow volcano sent a five—metre high wave onto the coasts of java and sumatra, without warning. officials have declared an exclusion zone, stretching five kilometres around the volcanic islands near the sunda strait, which separates java and sumatra. at least 16,000 people are still displaced — rescue workers are struggling to reach the more remote areas affected. with thousands of people currently existing in temporary shelters, the state of emergency will stay in place until 4january. our indonesia correspondent

rebecca hensche has this update from jakarta. the volcano that rises out of the sea has been rumbling for months. its increasing volcanic activity has authorities worried. they have been monitoring the tremors that has been coming from the volcano, and they say it is getting stronger. they are also seeing these clouds of ash coming up meters into the air, and also rock and lava has been thrown from the crater. authorities are worried that this increased volcanic activity could trigger a second tsunami. so they are warning people on either side of the strait in sumatra and java to stay well away from the beaches. there is also now a five km exclusion zone where people are told not to go. we believe no one is inside the danger area, but people living on nearby islands are being evacuated by helicopters.

they are worried that this volcanic activity like it did on saturday could trigger a second tsunami, those huge waves that hit the shore and killed more than 400 people and left thousands more homeless. those people are gathering in evacuation centres that have been set up along the coastline. while sleeping in mosques or townhalls, people there are understandably very frightened, they can hear the ongoing rumblings of the volcano. in this camp, a trauma healing workshop for children, just laughing and playing to forget about the things they have experienced and seen in recent days. further down the coast is a world heritage national pod. ——park. there is the only place in the world than you can still find java rhinoceroses.

rangers are worried what will happen to them if the tsunami hits. they have also been helping sea turtles return to the ocean, the beaches down there littered with thick debris. they have to help the turtles return to the sea. rebecca henschke, bbc news. let's take a look now at some of the other stories making the news... three british tourists, including a child, have died after their vehicle crashed while crossing a bridge in iceland. 4 other people in the 4—wheel drive have been taken to hospital with critical injuries. the car crashed through a barrier on a single—lane bridge and then fell 8 metres onto a river bank. the former deputy head of china's spy agency has been sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes, insider trading and threatening behaviour. the court said ma jian and his family had amassed more than twenty million dollars after teaming up with a wealthy property developer, who's since fled china. king salman of saudi arabia has replaced his foreign minister, adel al—jubeir, as part of a cabinet reshuffle. former finance minister ibrahim

al—assaf has now been appointed to the post. the reshuffle comes as the saudi authorities are trying to deal with intense international pressure over the murder ofjournalist jamal khashoggi in october. in the run up to the close the us stock market has finished slightly up on the day — by 1.14%. but it's been another roller coaster of trading — at one stage the index was down by 2.5% on wednesday's closing figure. in other markets london's ftse has closed with a fall of 1.5% and germany's dax fell by over 2 percent. this was against a background of surging us markets on wednesday — jumping over a thousand points for the first time ever in a day. and that followed the worst weekly falls in a decade in the week running up to christmas. our business reporter samira hussain has the latest from new york.

if you're suffering from whiplash looking at financial markets from the last week, you're not alone. what is fuelling this volatility? investors like certainty and right 110w investors like certainty and right now there is not a lot of it around. some of the uncertainty is coming from washington. we have a partial shutdown of us government, the continuing trade tensions between the united states and china, and us president donald trump's continued criticism of the federal reserve, that america's central bank. investors were happy to see that holiday sales were really strong, and that the price of crude oil side big job. there are still some concerns about america's overall economic growth. the economy is growing, but the pace of that growth, wealth as expected to slow down in the upcoming months. thursday, a report showed that americans were becoming more pessimistic about the economy. what

does all of this meme going forward? hold on tight. it may be a bumpy ride. it may be a bumpy ride. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come. it's yoga like you've never seen it before, as we spend more and more time looking at digital devices, can eye yoga help cure our tired vision? this is bbc world news today. i'm lucy. the latest headlines... protesters have clashed with police in the east of the democratic republic of congo, as the presidential election is postponed again. ash erupting from the krakatau volcano in indonesia forces flights to be rerouted, days after it triggered a deadly tsunami. the exclusion zone around the volcano has been extended to five kilometres. in the past year, a new law tightening controls over sexual behaviour was passed in france, but only after plans to introduce

a legal age of consent were dropped. sex with someone under 15 is technically illegal, but a child's consent will still carry weight in court. there have been several high—profile cases, leading some to argue that french culture encourages predatory sexual behaviour. lucy williamson reports from paris. desire looks much the same at any age, and every park, and every bench. sex with someone under 15 is illegal in france, unlike in britain, there is no age of consent. last year, britain, there is no age of consent. last yea r, state britain, there is no age of consent. last year, state prosecutors refused to charge a 20—year—old man who had sex with an 11—year—old girl, arguing to scroll‘s consent pointed toa arguing to scroll‘s consent pointed to a less serious charge of sexual assaults. another man was cleared of rain after having sex with an 11—year—old girl he met in the park, she then became pregnant. the court

ruled that she consented as well. there was a long running sexual relationship with her pe teacher. earlier this year, she would —— he received a six—month jail sentence. he's unlikely to serve any time behind bars. i thought it was outrageous. that teacher described it and it was rather revolting. to hear the same thing as a prosecutor and to be assisted by the judges, that was more scandalous. the trial was a miscarriage ofjustice. cases like this has sparked demands of justice. increasing the maximum penalty injail. justice. increasing the maximum penalty in jail. labelling sex with someone penalty in jail. labelling sex with someone under 16 with the value to

human relationships. our president and his wife met when he was very young. we have a duty to respect the love that might contradict our model ofa love that might contradict our model of a typical relationship. a lot of jobs for people for different ages together, but people of different ages together. these ages of the fabric of our society. it is wonderful. we are not going to be the same and married people who are the same and married people who are the same and married people who are the same age as us. the story how the same age as us. the story how the french president hangs —— the french president met his wife is on debate. the story of how he won her heart against all odds is to some a sign of french openness to love, to others, and exception that normalizes things. the love is to be

dominic a —year—old from the meat to movement, the goal of the new generation here is not to guarantee more freedom on pregnancy for sexual seduction, it is for equality, protection, and respect. on to all the sport... (pres) the us government shutdown is to continue until at least monday —— after the senate was ajourned until new year's eve. the deadlock can't be broken without the agreement of the senate. if you're in the uk, listen to bbc radio 455. this man has been charged with taking a bottle that had a fan on boxing day. the fan says that it

constitutes to improper conduct. apologise immediately and again four times. and explained what happened. i kicked the bottle not for the support centre, i kicked for me, it was going at the supports are. i said my apologies. and the communication. i said said my apologies. and the communication. isaid my said my apologies. and the communication. i said my apologies, but i kicked the bottle because it was near me but not with this intention. order to play two matches behind closed doors was racially abused yesterday during a match. the clu b abused yesterday during a match. the club is considering to appeal and has since apologised, good abuse a disgrace. the culture of guilt that they try to have the game suspended. back three times for the match to

stop, due to the chanting. they said the player was on edge by the crowd's behaviour. with the one — zero defeat. the state of mind of one player was affected by racism. that is very bad. we are doing a campaign on this. i think everyone is involved. we would like to know how many times we will have the complaint before a match will be halted. next time, they will not a nswer halted. next time, they will not answer us, we halted. next time, they will not answer us, we will stop the match ourselves. but once a cricket dominic heading to date three in the coming hours. 215- to two. maintain their control of the match. they took the five wickets out to lunch before declaring... made eight runs

with that last four match series currently time —— tied at one on. still game on. put them under a lot of pressure, i think there is absolutely dominic i think at all three result is still on the table. india, australia, and a draw. it is so india, australia, and a draw. it is so hard to say after two days but we are very confident that we can combat very well. in first innings in the pudding on the pressure again. serena williams, a former world number one is playing a competitive match after she lost a controversial match back in september. this is part of the 37—year—old build—up. went away with

the elder sibling take the match for — six, 6—8, ten, —— ten —— eight. eight minutes remaining and you get everything on the bbc sports website of course. thank you very much. the us government shutdown is to continue until at least monday —— after the senate was ajourned until new year's eve. asked that it stands adjourned the previous order. stays adjourned until monday the sum of 31st. —— december 31. we're spending more and more time in front of our mobile devices.

eye yoga is claimed to help relax and strengthen our digitally—strained eyes. but does it really work? sodaba hay—dare—ee has been to an eye yoga class to see for herself. this is one of the many i yoga exercises, rubbing your hands vigorously to generate energy. it's a block the light coming through helps ease eye strain. eye yoga has existed for centuries. it began as an ancient practise in india and mostly taught in front of other forms of yoga. he said he yoga in southern india, i came to his class today, as a journalist, i spend lots time in front of a screen. i wanted to see if i could relax digitally tired eyes. others like me are here to ta ke tired eyes. others like me are here to take a much—needed screen break.

i think my vision is very clear, and then after the practise, everything seemed more focused. it is notjust my eyes, it is a form of relaxation and my upper shoulders. it seems to be quite tense because i spent a lot of time in front of the laptop. is predicted that half of the world's publisher will need glasses by 2050 because of screens. can i yoga really help —— can't eye yoga help with my problems? far-sighted, anything like this, these things can be corrected. according to regular science, once be corrected. according to regular science, once you be corrected. according to regular science, once you get these kind of issues, you cannot reverse them. and they yoga system, they say you can reverse them. he asked the students that if yoga helps thy sight, there is no scientific effort that says

that this is proven. i'm going to talk to someone about eye yoga for medical review. they cannot correct eye problems like for reading and for seeing distance, you cannot anatomically change the shape of the function of the eye by performing an exercise. if i yoga is it alternative to correcting eye problems, doctors will have to look elsewhere for a career. why eye yoga does not do that, it certainly helps your eyes feel more relaxed. that is all for me for now. thank you very much for watching. the weather hasn't done anything particularly dramatic today but there has been a mix, some sunshine and some cloud

and if few got stuck with fog. parts of southern england under the fog did not get above 5 degrees. through tonight it stays dry but often cloudy and there will be patchy fog but this is a satellite from earlier today. you can see big areas of cloud and also a few patches of fog towards the south and we keep this mishmash of cloudy weather as we head through this evening and tonight. patches of low cloud and mist tina stowell with the hills ——over the hills and dense fog patches across southern england and perhaps yorkshire, they could cause issues with travelling. temperatures generally holding up between four and 7 degrees, colder if it stays clear for any length of time. some rain for northern ireland which slides across scotland for the first part of tomorrow, and we start that they cloudy and murky elsewhere, particularly southern england. it could be dense fog patches and on the south it is likely to stay cloudy but the further north you look, by the afternoon, there is a better chance

of seeing some sunshine. temperatures for the majority are into double digits. we head towards the weekend and high pressure keeps things settled on the south but frontal systems are passing close to the north of the uk suffer scotland there will be rain at times and this is a kind of weather setup that brings a west or south westerly wind and an occasionally brisk breeze over the weekend but that will feed milder air in our direction. on saturday, the morning could be wet across scotland but the rain scoots away with patchy rain left behind from northern england and northern ireland but generally a lot of drier weather, temps at 12 or 13 degrees. the far north of scotland could see patchy rain on sunday and elsewhere largely dry, cloudy with areas of fog and eastern scotland and eastern england look most favoured for the sunshine but those temperatures are up by another degree or so. the last day of the year, it is a familiar pattern, high pressure for the south but cloud and fog underneath that and we take those conditions

into the evening so if you're out celebrating at midnight, it should be mostly dry but there will be cloud and fog in places. the headlines... protesters have clashed with police in the eastern democratic republic of congo after the election was postponed in several areas. outgoing president joseph kabila told the bbc the ebola outbreak is one of the reasons for this delay. the us government shutdown is to continue until at least monday after the senate was adjourned until new year's eve. the deadlock cannot be broken without the agreement of the senate. it has been a volatile day for us shares, at one point the dowjones was down 2.596 at one point the dowjones was down 2.5% but it bounced back with an increase of more than 1%. and all flights around the volcano in indonesia have been re—routed as it continues to spew clouds of ash. last week it triggered a deadly

tsunami. those are the latest headlines. now on bbc news, one of the highlights of 2018 from our documentary series our world. more than two years ago, social media star kandeel baloch