this is the w. news line from counting the votes in pakistan after a violent election campaign it'll be only the second civilian transfer of power in the country seventy one year history voting in most areas was peaceful but at deadly suicide bombing casts a shadow over the day we'll bring you the latest from islamabad also on the program that if you almost love this story must not overwhelm us. because it is now time to fight to stand together the bright.

greece's prime minister process consoles a grieving nation after wildfires kill at least eighty people rescue workers are not going door to door searching for survivors from. time to emergency supplies down to right for people made homeless by the collapse of a dam in laos at least nineteen people known to have died. i'm phil gail welcome to the program vote counting has begun in pakistan's tense violent parliamentary elections results are not expected for several hours but the leading passes are said to be neck and neck the campaign so hundreds of people killed in suicide bombings and attacks at rallies and attack today in the city of quests that took the lives of thirty one people despite this polling stations across the country but mostly peaceful. this is the aftermath of

a bomb blast that killed dozens outside of a polling station in southwest pakistan. the so-called islamic state has taken responsibility for the alleged suicide attack that set a grim tone for today's elections across over eighty thousand voting stations pakistanis stream to the polls and what could be a historic election for the country and the stakes are high. this so many problems make basic problems day to city and walk to. get especially the poor people they don't even get clean water. main concern was stored for the right man against corruption against those people who are caught up during that period so i did want to warn you somebody who is on this. that's why it would be for the right person and these two candidates are vying for that position to become the right person imran khan has taken on

a populist stance against corruption and for an islamic well first state can said it was time to defeat parties which kept the country hostage for years his target and main opponent shahbaz sharif he is the brother of former prime minister nawaz sharif who was ousted from power last year and jailed for corruption sharif accuses khan of colluding with the military. pakistan seventy one year history has been flecked with a number of military coups the military has ruled pakistan for nearly half its history cricket star or sharif dynasty the election is expected to be close with results likely to come early on thursday. they don't need correspondent and he cannot is in pakistan's capital islamabad welcome now in which issues were most important to voters. yes

we've had a very long day we spent the day talking to voters the main concerns here are very much present issues. so there was a lot of talk about electricity there a lot of electricity and water shortages all across pakistan in some regions up to several hours a day and there's also a lot of talk about unemployment about poverty and corruption so very much the issues that voters experience day to day education health very much bread and butter issues and that's what voters who we talked to kept on richer rating that's the issues that they would like to see addressed and what of the two candidates promised in this tight race. well interestingly the candidates haven't really addressed these issues iran can give some grave vague statements about wanting to establish an islamist welfare state is also very much portrayed himself as an anti corruption candidate who's very tough on america tough on the west and he wants to make peace with the taliban now as sharif has portrayed

himself as the democratic candidates even though he himself is very corrupt sharif's his brother is in jail so these two candidates are pulling themselves as next as neck and neck in the race people to the breaking of just passed by maybe your head but. these so they've been more focused on the actual race between the two there on the issues that the voters careful and why these elections so important. yes they are incredibly important as we heard earlier this is only the second civilian transition that this country has experienced but they're also important in the sense that the dynastic parties pakistan has a history of having two parties run by denise deals that are passed on from family member to family member their power as a road we're seeing islam is parties gaining strength in the elections but we've also seen in one khan's party an outsider we could say use not part of this didn't

last stick tradition gaming strength and these elections are incredibly important for the region and pakistan is a nuclear power its stability is a very important india for afghanistan and the west will be watching these elections incredibly closely concerned that this but pakistan will end up with a government that is neither stable nor in control to address the many issues foreign and domestic that pakistan is dealing with so briefly polls are now closed all these elections likely to be signed off as having been free and fair. now i doubt it in the run up to the elections there's been a lot of meddling there's been a lot of intimidations and threats on the media although the polls themselves at least from the election observers i've talked to seem to be in at least in islamabad and around been fairly fair but i think if you look at the whole process i don't think we can say that these elections were free or fair now we can write in

the love of god thank you. and have a lot more in-depth coverage and analysis of pakistan's elections on our web site that's at the w dot com us. that greece has begun three days of national mourning for the victims of the country's worst fire disaster for a decade at least eighteen people have been confirmed dead a number that's expected to increase fires broke out on monday evening one near the town of connla around fifty kilometers west of athens and then another to the east of the city near the coastal village of matty place they swept through the areas in just minutes taking a grim toll. only a few days ago glic areas celebrated her son's wedding here now she finds herself standing amidst devastation her house her life as she knew it in just a few minutes fire destroyed it all it's only when she returned that the extent of the catastrophe became clear kariya her son in law and her grandson only survived

thanks to her son he warned her the fire was bearing down on them let me go my son called me from work and told me run quickly to the how about we ran to the happen that's why we survived there's a lot of towns need and a court fire and three awful people thought of being burned to death inside. the total death toll in march he still isn't known many people there are still missing many of those who escaped with their lives lost almost everything else. vasilis had been about to open his tavern but then it was destroyed within minutes he accuses the authorities of failing his town now he doesn't even know where he'll sleep. they tell us all the hotels are full and that we should apply for a place in a container in athens a disaster what should we do we pay back the bank when we are money and we are the taxpayers the government a must help us all. the greek government has declared

a state of emergency and has vowed to deliver aid fast. has also called for three days of national mourning. sorry must not overwhelm us. because it is now time to fight you know it is to stand together and be brave. and above all to show solidarity. other european countries have also sent planes and personnel to help local fire companies control a number of fires and prevent people from losing property or their lives. to some of the other stories making news around the world a team of international astronomers announced on wednesday that they've discovered a massive underground lake mosque it's the largest body of liquid water ever found on the red planet and raises the possibility that there may once have been life out there. what are you president. is in washington today is due to meet u.s.

president donald trump the talks aimed at reducing trade tensions united states has imposed tariffs on e.u. steel an element in imports brussels responded by raising duties on certain american interests. the two drivers in wasilla have taken to the streets to protest against. the ride sharing company had previously been forced out of spain but reappeared in barcelona on tuesday after regulations limiting its operation were lifted the strike was planned to last forty eight hours. at least nineteen people are now known to have died after hydroelectric dam collapsed on monday in laos following heavy rains the death toll is likely to rise as rescuers search the flooded areas for hundreds of missing villages thousands need shelter after floodwaters swept away their homes and submerged at least seven villages the dam was still under construction when it collapsed activists are calling for increased scrutiny of the government's plans for more hydroelectric power projects. while

journalist frederick's fall has been monitoring events from bangkok welcome frederick people are entering their second fole at night without food or clean water what's being done to help them. well now it's already even in here in southeast asia stock but the rescue efforts still need to go on that there are still thousands of people who need to be rescued there are still sitting on their roofs they are still on trees there are searched with boats and helicopters slowly international help arrives today is a type seem arrived three and arrived so helpless coming in but the scenes are still quite cathartic and there are rescuers still concentrate on finding survivors instead of identifying the the death britons. now a vet now seems to be a clear sort of sequence of events took us through what happened from sunday

evening when the dam was found to be damaged to where we are on the. yeah. actually that one company that was involved even says that some missed or some problems are acute on friday another company said that the damage appeared on sunday so the breach happened on monday that means that at least twenty four hours where between the first appearance of damages and the actual catastrophe so and that rates of course a lot of question why so many people are in struggle now and fighting put to survive or already dead because you would expect that they would be a lot of time to recreate them the company say that they want the villagers the authorities there also say they want the villages but. as you see now so many people are in deep trouble and it's a because it can rest for you so obviously something went wrong maybe they didn't want them early enough maybe not serious enough so these are the questions that

need to be answered in the next day but it will be tough to get the to get the truth out of it because the law says they're coming to seek regime there is no freedom of press people cannot raise their wice they have limited rights so it will be very difficult to find. a responsible person here and bring justice with that. and so how is this likely to affect the government's power strategy this desire to become the battery of asia. yeah well right now it doesn't seem that there would be a shift in that strategy and to be honest i mean it's that one the strategic target of the of the lao government from eight dollars the battery of eight years so there are so many projects planned right now they are around fifty down by twenty percent of the one hundred capacity is supposed to triple so all over the

country right now those dams are being built and it's kind of it's kind of understandable. those projects really need to be scrutinized now and even though they don't stop they need to be reviewed a good talking to photograph for babcock thank you so much today is a very special known to the world as the test tube baby was born by c. very inception in england on this day nine hundred seventy eight the mother had tried for years to become. a success with the breakthrough procedure of artificial insemination the luis's parents shied away from the public see her brought her family spent twenty fifth surrounded by thousands of other children who were also conceived through artificial insemination. this is dave w. news live from baghdad still to come thousands of passengers in europe forced to reset or even cancel the holidays as budgets and like i'm brian scalabrine cruz strike in small countries. as well how about for you and the president's updates in

just a moment i'll be back at the top of the hour the latest news from around the world have yourself a good day basis to dublin. with different languages we fight for different things that's fine but we all stick up for freedom freedom of speech and freedom of press. giving freedom for its global news that matters w made for mines. a museum's need to see what's going on see. so called.