iraq's top shia leader has called for early elections and soon as possible grand ayatollah ali al sistani delivered the message through a spokesman pictured here last friday he said forming a new government is the only way out of the country's current crisis they've been more protests against the government after political leaders filed to choose a new prime minister mass demonstrations forced to step down last month al-jazeera dorsett is in baghdad she says this statement isn't telling from just any religious cleric the highest religious authority the grand ayatollah ali sistani him self issued a statement saying that the country must go to early elections in order to avoid chaos and uncertainty that is looming here this is all because the president has not been able to come up with a nominee for a replacement for the prime minister's post since he resigned on december the 1st that's because the constitution is not very clear about what needs to happen for the replacement to be nominated there is a constitutional crisis going on right now in this country and that's because the parliament

just heard a statement being released from the office of a grand ayatollah ali sistani who is the highest religious authority shia religious authority in iraq and he condemned these attacks on quote iraqi forces which is of course a very important statement because he's basically saying that the type hezbollah being part of the p.f. should be considered a state force and he called on the u.s. to respect iraq's sovereignty and not to further add to the burden on the government which is of course already dealing with 3 months of anti-government protests now we've also heard news coming from al fatah which is the iranian black back bloc in parliament now of course the p m f has not only arm close but it also has its political wings and. is the biggest party in parliament which also forms the biggest block and they basically called upon political parties to rally together and to basically support expelling foreign troops including the u.s. troops from iraq now technically according to the constitution it's only the executive who can propose such legislation sort of parliament cannot really do

get involved in politics and for more on that here is our report from niger on the role of ayatollah ali al sistani in iraqi politics. as iraq slips deeper into political crisis the one man iraq is look to for guidance is silent grand ayatollah ali al sistani is friday's sermon delivered through his representative usually includes comments on political matters closely watched in streets and halls of government alike this week the cleric announced he'd no longer speak on political issues and he passed a cryptic message to iraq's politicians explaining why. if you read history you'll find that the problem is not with the people who have wisdom and intellect but with those who don't listen to those who have wisdom and intellect. clerics close to stanley say his silence is a show of dismay that iraq's politicians are not heeding his advice to start his reclusion comes at a critical time on thursday president barham saleh said he would rather resign than appoint the nominee for prime minister danny seen as representing the status quo. what is the point of talking on political issues we are repeating the

the highest religious authority the grand ayatollah ali sistani him self issued a statement saying that the country must go to early elections in order to avoid chaos and uncertainty that is looming here this is all because the president has not been able to come up with a nominee for a replacement for the prime minister's post since he resigned on december the 1st that's because the constitution is not very clear about what needs to happen for the replacement to be nominated there is a constitutional crisis going on right now in this country and that's because the parliament has not been able to come up with a nominee for the position of the prime minister any names that have been floated around over the past 1516 days have all been rejected by the protesters on the streets they say that they want a change to the whole entire electoral system and of course that's not something that is likely to happen overnight and this call by the grand ayatollah only adds an urgency to the matters saying that there really must be a broader solution to try and end this deadlock because as long as this

they have been anti-government protests since october calling for political reform grand ayatollah ali al sistani the country's highest shia religious leader has been critical of politicians the not heeding the protestors demands but this week he declared he'll no longer get involved in politics some reports from not jeff and shia stronghold in southern iraq. as iraq slips deeper into political crisis the one man iraq has looked to for guidance is silent grand ayatollah ali al sistani is friday sermon the liver through his representative usually includes comments on political matters closely watched in streets and halls of government alike this week the cleric an announced he'd no longer speak on political issues and he passed a cryptic message to iraq's politicians explaining why. if you read history you'll find that the problem is not with the people who have wisdom and intellect but with those who don't listen to those who have wisdom and intellect. clerics close to stanley say his silence is a show of dismay that iraq's politicians are not heeding his advice to start his reclusion comes at a

storage cleric in iraq has also called for ayatollah grand ayatollah ali sistani during friday sermons last week his representative in karbala said that there must be early elections held so this is all happening in an effort to make that a possibility the president has now left baghdad we've heard from various sources that he's back in his home town until the parliament decides what to do next but for now they have to decide whether or not to accept his position and that is that he will not accept this candidate who is the governor of basra because there is such opposition to him and his record because basra is one of the poorest provinces in. iraq while it is actually home to 70 percent of iraq's oil reserves so there's a lot of allegations against this governor and that is why this candidate has not been accepted by anybody specifically the president himself so he's now put himself in a position where he says it's really not up to me anymore it is up to parliament to decide what to do next turkey's president says he plans to send troops to libya with the tripoli based administration

as they're here square on thursday carrying pictures of iraq's leading shiite cleric grand ayatollah ali sistani during friday prayers says danny's representatives read a letter from the highest shia cleric in iraq calling on iraqi security to protect the peaceful protests and he stressed the need to form a new government without foreign interference more than 400 iraqis have been killed and thousands injured in the past 2 months demonstrators in cities across the country have been demanding more jobs less corruption and sectarianism changes in the electoral laws and an overhaul of the entire political system prime minister he resigned last week but remains as a carrot taker his replacement is yet. to be announced as tensions increase here protesters keep asking the same question where other government forces which are supposed to protect them a question that is becoming increasingly difficult to answer as the political and sectarian allegiances continue to create further division between iraqis or such a party al-jazeera backed out while similar fulton is lifeless now in baghdad so now what can

president iraq's top cheer leader has called for early elections as soon as possible grand ayatollah ali al sistani said forming a new government is the only way out of the country's current crisis protests against the government started back in october. well those are the headlines do stay with us here on al-jazeera the news will continue after inside story. catastrophic bushfires in australia reignited the debate over climate change with the government accused of not doing enough why was 20191 of the worst years on record globally for wives phys ed is there the political will to find a solution this is inside story. hello and welcome to the program back to people bushfire is a common during the summer in australia but firefighters are calling this year's conditions catastrophic at least 8 people have been killed since september including 2 firefighters who died on thursday when their truck was hit by a falling tree with a more than 105.

iraq's top leader has called for early elections then as soon as possible grand ayatollah ali al sistani said forming a new government is the only way out and that. the country's current crisis protests against the government started back in october after political leaders failed to choose a new prime minister demonstrations forced to step down last month. in baghdad and she says the statement isn't coming from just any religious cleric the highest religious authority the grand ayatollah ali sistani self issued a statement saying that the country must go to early elections in order to avoid chaos and uncertainty that is looming here this is all because the president has not been able to come up with a nominee for a replacement for the prime minister's post since he resigned on december the 1st that's because the constitution is not very clear about what needs to happen for the replacement to be nominated there is a constitutional crisis going on right now in this country and that's because the parliament has not been able to come up with a nominee for the position of the prime minister a

parliament and try to hold early elections that is something that we've also heard from the grand ayatollah ali sistani who is the leading shia cleric in the country and very powerful one at that last week during friday sermon his representative in kerbala said that early elections must be called the soonest possible because the will of the people is not being respected so they need to have a part in the political process we also had a new sweeping electro legislation that has the parliament on tuesday evening a legislation which sees a change in the way this country is going to go to the votes next time because people will be able to vote for independent candidates and not based on parties or alliances that are formed anyone who is an iraqi citizen who doesn't have a criminal record is of 30 years of age will be able to run in their country's parliamentary elections next time around and that is really what is needed at this point many analysts believe that there is really no candidate suitable to become the country's next prime minister that will please all sides including the protesters that have bee

the highest religious authority the grand ayatollah ali sistani self issued a statement saying that the country must go to early elections in order to avoid chaos and uncertainty that is looming here this is all because the president has not been able to come up with a nominee for a replacement for the prime minister's post since he resigned on december the 1st that's because the constitution is not very clear about what needs to happen for the replacement to be nominated there is a constitutional crisis going on right now in this country and that's because the parliament has not been able to come up with a nominee for the position of the prime minister any names that have been floated around over the past 1516 days have all been rejected by the protesters on the streets they say that they want a change to the whole entire electoral system and of course that's not something that is likely to happen overnight and this call by the grand ayatollah only adds an urgency to the matters saying that there really must be a broader solution to try and end this deadlock because as long as this dea

'd cola supplements the spokesperson for grand ayatollah ali sistani during last week's friday prayers in karbala said that there must be elections held immediately so that's what the country really lose at this point but the issue is the iraqi parliament and the electoral commission in the country has said that they need at least between 6 months to one year to be able to hold elections in the country for logistical and security reasons so they're not equipped to. go to the polls in a month or anything to that effect so it's very very unclear what will happen next and we know that. going prime minister abdullah the next me is still in office who's the caretaker prime minister he is still holding his weekly cabinet session still conducting his job because there hasn't been a replacement for him so this resignation of the president just makes things much much more unclear and of course the issue all of what happens next is perhaps the big question this is a new ground a new route a new reality that the iraqi political establishment and the public at large never experience before you tou

as they're here square on thursday carrying pictures of iraq's leading shiite cleric grand ayatollah ali sistani during friday prayers says danny's representatives read a letter from the highest shia cleric in iraq calling on iraqi security to protect the peaceful protests and he stressed the need to form a new government without foreign interference more than 400 iraqis have been killed and thousands injured in the past 2 months. demonstrators in cities across the country have been demanding more jobs less corruption and sectarianism changes in the electoral laws and an overhaul of the entire political system prime minister up till monday resigned last week but remains as a character taker and his replacement is yet to be announced as tensions increase here protesters keep asking the same question where other government forces which are supposed to protect them a question that is becoming increasingly difficult to answer as the political and sectarian allegiances continue to create further division between iraqis dorsetshire pari al jazeera backed out the us president donald trump has flown to

the highest religious authority the grand ayatollah ali sistani him self issued a statement saying that the country must go to early elections in order to avoid chaos and uncertainty that is looming here this is all because the president has not been able to come up with a nominee for a replacement for the prime minister's post since he resigned on december the 1st that's because the constitution is not very clear about what needs to happen for the replacement to be nominated there is a constitutional crisis going on right now in this country and that's because the parliament has not been able to come up with a nominee for the position of the prime minister any names that have been floated around over the past 1516 days have all been rejected by the protesters on the streets they say that they want a change to the whole entire electoral system and of course that's not something that is likely to happen overnight and this call by the grand ayatollah only adds an urgency to the matters saying that there really must be a broader solution to try and end this deadlock. in syria thousands of

just heard a statement being released from the office of a grand ayatollah ali sistani who is the highest religious authority shia religious authority in iraq and he condemned these attacks on quote iraqi forces which is of course a very important statement because he's basically saying that the type hezbollah being part of the p.f. should be considered a state force and he called on the u.s. to respect iraq's sovereignty and not to further add to the burden on the government which is of course already dealing with 3 months of anti-government protests now we've also heard news coming from al fatah which is the iranian black back bloc in parliament now of course the p.m.s. has not only arm course but it also has its political wings and fatah is the biggest party in parliament which also forms the biggest block and they basically called upon political parties to rally together and to basically support expelling foreign troops including the u.s. troops from iraq now technically according to the constitution it's only the executive who can propose such legislation sort of parliament cannot re

rocky city of najaf is home to the grand ayatollah ali al sistani the highest shia religious authority in the country since anti-government protests began in october he has delivered some sharp criticism of the government's handling of the crisis during his weekly friday sermons but this week he decided to no longer get involved in iraq ie politics his somalia fault and again reporting from natural gas. as iraq slips deeper into political crisis the one man iraq has looked to for guidance is silent grand ayatollah ali al sistani is friday's sermon delivered through his representative usually includes comments on political matters closely watched in streets and halls of government alike this week the cleric announced he'd no longer speak on political issues and he passed a cryptic message to iraq's politicians explaining why. if you read history you'll find that the problem is not with the people who have wisdom and intellect but with those who don't listen to those who have wisdom and intellect. clerics close to stanley say his silence is a show of dismay that iraq's politicians are no

as they're here square on thursday carrying pictures of iraq's leading shiite cleric grand ayatollah ali sistani during friday prayers sistan his representatives read a letter from the highest shia cleric in iraq calling on iraqi security to protect the peaceful protests and he stressed the need to form a new government without foreign interference more than 400 iraqis have been killed and thousands injured in the past 2 months demonstrators in cities across the country have been demanding more jobs less corruption and sectarianism changes in the electoral laws and an overhaul of the entire political system prime minister he resigned last week but remains as a carrot taker his replacement. it is yet to be announced as tensions increase here protesters keep asking the same question where other government forces which are supposed to protect them a question that is becoming increasingly difficult to answer as the political and sectarian allegiances continue to create further division between iraqis dorsetshire pari al-jazeera backed out. when i get some more on this with someone of the corresponde

deeper into political crisis the one man iraq has looked to for guidance is silent grand ayatollah ali al sistani is friday's sermon delivered through his representative usually includes comments on political matters closely watched in streets and halls of government alike this week the cleric announced he'd no longer speak on political issues and he passed a cryptic message to iraq's politicians explaining why. if you read history you'll find that the problem is not with the people who have wisdom and intellect but with those who don't listen to those who have wisdom and intellect. clerics close to stanley say his silence is a show of dismay that iraq's politicians are not heeding his advice to start his reclusion comes at a critical time on thursday president barham saleh said he would rather resign than appoint the nominee for prime minister danny seen as representing the status quo. what is the point of talking on political issues we are repeating the same points over and over again if they want to get advice they'll find in previous speeches. it's not the 1st time sistan has done this he sto

cleric in iraq has also called for ayatollah grand ayatollah ali sistani during friday sermons last week his representative in karbala said that there must be early elections held so this is all happening in an effort to make that a possibility the president has now left baghdad we've heard from various sources that he's back in his home town until the parliament decides what to do next but for now they have to decide whether or not to accept his position and that is that he will not accept this candidate who is the governor of basra because there is such opposition to him and his record because basra is one of the poorest provinces in. iraq while it is actually home to 70 percent of iraq's oil reserves so there's a lot of allegations against this governor and that is why this candidate has not been accepted by anybody specifically the president himself so he's now put himself in a position where he says it's really not up to me anymore it is up to parliament to decide what to do next we're not sure who say me is the director of the center for middle east studies at the university of den

also the clerical establishment that is the establishment that is prominent and that of grand ayatollah ali sistani will have a tremendous amount of power and influence in iraq have said that they support the people and that is what needs to be done more and that the politicians need to listen to the demands of the iraqi people before anything else we've also heard from bloc that is the bloc coalition in parliament that belongs to the influential shia cleric other say that they will not be accepting the president's resignation in parliament. this causes a real problem for the caretaker prime minister as well who was the prime minister himself but where does this leave sort of people watching events unfold because while they say they don't want politicians who are tainted or have corruption allegations against them they look to an unknown figure in iraq e society that they think can deliver the what they are looking for but who would that individual be and where would they come from. well that is the $1000000.00 question and that is why this process has been so difficult. the prime minister. submitt

president iraq's top cheer leader has called for early elections as soon as possible grand ayatollah ali al sistani said forming a new government is the only way out of the country's current crisis protests against the government started back in october. well those are the headlines do stay with us here on al-jazeera the news will continue after inside story. catastrophic bushfires in australia reignited the debate over climate change with the government accused of not doing enough why was 20191 of the worst years on record globally for why spies it is said the political will to find a solution this is inside story. hello and welcome to the program back to people bushfire is a common during the summer in australia but firefighters are calling this year's conditions catastrophic at least 8 people have been killed since september including 2 firefighters who died on thursday when their truck was hit by a falling tree with the more than 100 fires burning the government in the most populous state of new south wales has declared a state of emergency a heat wave and strong winds are making things worse a

some of the stories making news around the world a spokesman for iraq's top shiite cleric ayatollah ali al sistani says an early election is the only way to quell the under arrest gripping the country hundreds of people have been killed in months of protests against government corruption and poverty. is a highly influential cleric in iraq and his views are closely watched. the region of macau has marched 20 years since its transfer to chinese rule at a ceremony to celebrate the anniversary chinese president xi jinping sent china would not allow foreign interference in macau or hong kong both regions with the one country 2 systems model she's being also sworn in because new probe aging government. hundreds of thousands of people have marched in cities across the van to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the after rising that toppled former president omar al bashir the campaign as promised to continue their push for political reform and for charges being brought in against the killing of civilians during the uprising. turning out to australia where prime minister scott morrison has apologised for goin

a spokesman for iraq's top shia cleric ayatollah ali al sistani says an early election is the only way to quell the unrest gripping the country hundreds of people have been killed the cheering months of protests against government corruption and poverty the system is highly influential in iraq and his views are closely watched. least 8 people have been killed during demonstrations against india's new citizenship law which critics have denounced as anti muslim thousands of people have been arrested during nationwide protests that have continued for more than a week despite being banned the controversial new law office an easier path to indian citizenship for mike insist gaping religious persecution in neighboring countries but excludes muslims in his home minister has called a crisis meeting to discuss the unrest. let's go to india's largest city afore the latest washington post a reporter i have that joins us from mumbai welcome rana we're seeing reports that anywhere between 8 and 14 people have been killed in this unrest how is the government reacting to this death toll. well the gov

thousands and to hear square carrying pictures of the country's top shiite cleric grand ayatollah ali al sistani. the hashed initially backed iraq's government against the protests but switched to supporting the rallies after an intervention by grand ayatollah sistani. just hours before the shootings the united states imposed sanctions on 3 leaders that xabi which is backed by iran. we're not meddling in iraq in politics we support iraqi sovereignty and part of this is a demonstration or support for rock solid during friday prayers just on his representative read a letter from the highest shia cleric in iraq calling on iraqi security to protect the peaceful protests and he stressed the need to form a new government without foreign interference amid the chaos after the shooting this protester asked where are the tribal elders or the religious authority to stop this madness many here in iraq continue to ask when or if they will be able to rely on their leaders to restore calm. for over 2 months demonstrators in cities across the country have been demanding for a change in the country's electoral l

the chance refer to grand ayatollah ali al sistani the shia leader would lead to the government and security forces for the deaths demonstrators. protesters t.v. areas so far back but their message is the same as others who come here every day i don't know gardner. we demand an end to the system we don't want to see still there's a nation of the prime minister is not enough we want to resignation of all of the. mark if i live in another we won they straightened to step down we don't want any promises from any of these political blocs at least 430 rocky's have been chilled in the 9 weeks of anti-government protests among the demands of protesters for jobs this corruption year of action and changes cities like troll boston and the constitution there were votes against the government forces prime minister i don't often use one side is now urging the parliament to fulfill its duty. no. where in the middle of an unprecedented situation but i think the legal and constitutional understanding of the situation is clear we understand the problems of our country and we hope that the political powers wi

leader of the revolution they made their way to tell me of square i a chance refer to grand ayatollah ali al sistani this shia leader who blames the government and security forces for the deaths of demonstrators the protesters keep from various other parts of baghdad but their message is the same as others who come here every day i don't know. we demand an end to the system we don't want to see still committed a nation of the prime minister is not enough we want to resignation of all of. the by live. we want the straighted to step down we don't want any promises from any of these political blocs at least 430 iraqis have been killed in 9 weeks of anti-government protests among the demands of protesters more jobs less corruption you elections and changes to the electoral laws and the constitution there overall took into the government force prime minister i don't often make these who resigned is now urging the parliament to fulfill its duties ronaldo from. the moment we're in the middle of an unprecedented situation but i think the legal and constitutional understanding of the situation is clear we un

iraq's top shia leader has called for elections as soon as possible grand ayatollah ali al sistani says forming a new government is the only way out of a process protests have resume as iraq's political leaders failed to reach their deadline to nominating a new prime minister at a government demonstrations began in october of corruption unemployment and poor public services. protesters have returned to the streets of chile's capital angry about the lies in negotiating a new constitution police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse demonstrators in santiago it's the lightest in the months long demonstrations of the social inequality on thursday congress approved a referendum on changing the constitution which dates back to the country's military dictatorship like the america it is or the scene of a big protest is in santiago. masses of demonstrators are trying to gather near some tablets main protest area in italian but in a change of strategy the riot police have cordoned off the whole area and are using large amounts of tea or gas and water cannons to the spurstow crowd. all day t

warrants against demonstrators following the killing of a teenager in baghdad top shia cleric ayatollah ali al sistani is calling it a heinous crime on the capital similar fulton reports. it was a gruesome development in iraq's mostly peaceful anti-government protests a mob killed 17 year old nathan ali then hung his body from a traffic light in baghdad as hundreds of people as well as security forces stood by the circumstances of thursday's killing remain unclear demonstrators accuse the teenager of shooting at them but a military spokesman said he didn't harm anyone neighbors say he simply wanted to protect his house from encroaching crowds. have agreed. he is the son of the neighborhood i've known him since childhood when i heard his name i was surprised he's just a child how can they accuse him of. some protesters blame the killing on infiltrators refusing to accept the possibility that other demonstrators could be capable of such violence as that i mean i think. it has affected us it has brought a bad reputation upon us we went to protest peacefully we would never kill and slaughter anyone like t

been put forward and whether they will defy this additional pressure put forth by grand ayatollah ali al sistani well we'll continue to monitor events through the day with u.s. manifolds in the forests in iraq. saying in the region israel's leader and even you know who has fended off a leadership challenge from within his own party rival is getting insall hope to convince the could members that it was time for change but they stuck with netanyahu despite his indictment for corruption and such a going to his will from west jerusalem. for the 1st time in 5 years likud members had the chance to elect someone other than benjamin netanyahu as their leader on thursday they chose him again solidifying his nickname as the magician because of his ability to pull off victory after victory netanyahu campaigned heavily to beat his challenger former interior and education minister gideon sar i know who are going to be brought about great things to the country and in order for us to continue bringing about great things to the country we need to go boat for me for you. even though netanyahu is the 1st sitting