participation president candidate abdullah abdullah supporters released a video which shows that a top official committed fraud. opposition says it's a fake. abdullah abdullah withdrew saying the outcome of the vote would be illegal. jennifer glasse is in kabul and joints us live. what can you tell us about the tapes? >> well, we don't know whether the tape is real. we spoke to the election commission in the last hour. they are trying to verify, figure out whether the tape is what dr abdullah abdullah's party says it is. this is the secret yacht and the organization that does the logistics. whether it is this man on the tape - he denies the claims of fraud. now, this is not the first time that dr abdullah accused the man of fraud. he wanted the man to step down. abdullah abdullah said he will not cooperate with the condition. this is a serious setback for the election process. the commission is saying they are trying to verify whether the tape is real, whether the voice is what abdullah abdullah's campaign says it is. it is sophisticated technology to verify whether it's true. they are working on it. a statement today or tomorrow. >> jennifer glass

abdullah of winning are slender. not only d abdullah abdullah receive a higher portion of the vote he's been more visible and received self high-profile endorsements. ashraf ghani told al jazeera he is certain he'll win. >> reporter: are you hopeful for saturday's elections? >> yes. >> reporter: what are you hopeful for? the momentum? >> we built up momentum, we are confident of victory and serving the people. >> reporter: victory will be decided by voters, and that is far from assured. >>> what does this mean moving forward, a fellow at new america think tank and author of "no good man", a book on the african war. good to see you. 60% sa decent turn out. what do the men offer. do they have different platforms? >> they don't. they are remarkably similar to one another. they have pledged to sign the bilateral security agreement with u.s. forces. they have not offered specifics in terms of how to chart a path forward. they are both in an afghan government na is not strong, constrained and surrounded by war lords. >> will ethnic divisions play a fa

afghan presidential candidate abdullah abdullah supporters have released an audio tape which they allege proved a top election official committed fraud. it's a fake. abdullah abdullah's people have been holding protests in several cities. last week the outcome of the june 14th vote was said to be ig. jennifer glasse has this report from kaboom. >> the election commission says it's trying to verify if the tape is what dr abdullah abdullah's party says it is, that it illustrates that the top official of the electoral secretariat, the organization that handles the logistics, was trying to order a ballot. it's not the first allegation, there has been 500 complaints, but abdullah abdullah said he does not want to follow the commission any more, he does not trust the commission. president hamid karzai asked for the u.n. to mediate. the u.n. is saying it's an afghan-led process, it is watching and wants to see transparency. it's a serious setback in a run-off election, which would mean that the first peaceful transition of power in afghanistan's modern history. this has thrown a rench in the works over the weekend we were supposed to see results. they have been d

. >> officials say six people were killed in the attack, but abdullah abdullah escaped unharmed. >> the blast went off as abdullahbdullah's convoy was leaving a campaign event in western kabul. they were strong enough to destroy nearby shops and smashed windows. >> there were two big explosions back to back. when it came out of my house, i saw a lot of victims being taken to my hospital. >> in the aftermath, emergency services scramble to treat the wounded. residents looked on in shock. no group immediately claimed responsibility, but the taliban has threatened to target the election. after the attack, at the low went on to another rally, urging supporters not to be put off by the violence. >> the response to today's attack should be to go to the ballot boxes. >> we will continue our election campaign as normal. >> cedillo got the most votes in afghanistan's presidential election, but not enough to avoid a runoff poll -- abdullah got the most votes. if he does win the presidency, he will be faced with the formidable task of bringing security to afghanistan. >> italy has rescued more than 2000 migrants at sea. mos

abdullah abdullah and ashraf ghani will have to wait until july to find out who won the vote. >> reporter: in the air and on the campaign trail with abdullah abdullah. the presidential hopeful has led a busy campaign across the country, travelling to several provinces in a single day. wherever he goes, he's greeted by large crowds. he told supporters he's confident he'll win. >> translation: most of the afghan people voted for my team in the first round. they'll vote for us in the second. we'll be in your service, we know your demand and promise to help you. whether it's electricity or water we'll help. >> reporter: last week a suicide attacker attacked the convoy he was travelling in, killing such. that has not deterred abdullah abdullah. he kept to his schedule. this is not his first attempt at the presidency. in 2009 he challenged president hamid karzai as an independent candidate after he resigned as his foreign minister three years earlier. he same second and has been an outspoken critic of his former boss. >> this time around his bid for afghanistan's top job is better than expected. >> as far as the campaign is concerned. apart from

former foreign minister abdullah abdullah said former finance minister ashraf ghani was leading by nearly a million votes showed a fraud was under way. an abdullah abdullah senior campaign aid suggested that hamid karzai may be involved. ashraf ghani's campaign is making fraud claims of its own, a suggestion that abdullah abdullah may not accept defeat was a violation of the constitution, electoral laws and the fundamental rules of election for more on what is shaping up to be a mess i'm joined by ambassador peter gobray, as a special representative for afghanistan, he helped to uncover massive voting fraud in the 2009 election. always good to see you. both candidates have agreed to sign the agreement with the united states. they seemed to be better partners about the u.s. than hamid karzai. both candidates reframe from premature judgments and criticisms not supported with clear evidence. they don't seem to advice? >> first, i know both men and either would be a better partner than hamid karzai. they both are intelligent, stable, good head on their shoulders, and better partner than the erratic hamid karzai. the problem in afghanistan is it does

>> well, i would argue that abdullah abdullah has harnessed anti-taliban views, and still does. in my mind it would be hard for abdullahbdullah to sit across from the table from the very people he has been fighting with. >> i appreciate your time. appreciate your time. a program coordinator of of the international fund joining us. >>> a boat capsized where 61 people survived. tens of thousands of indonesians work illegally in malaysia, and they go back and forth using poorly made boats. >>> army helicopters attacked a camp near the jordan border. many were killed in the strike. most of the camps refugees are said to have originally been. parliament has banned the possession of child pornography for the officers time. previous laws made it illegal to create or distribute child porn but not to own it ♪ >> saturday afternoon in tokyo in a scene that is depressingly easy to find. dressed up, made up children chatting up men up a within meters of the police. japan has long had a reputation for permissivenesser when it comes to the sexual exploitcation of children. the images were only outlawed 15 years ago and enforcement w

baher mohamed. >>> meanwhile al jazeera correspondent abdullah al-shami also imprisoned in egypt had his detention extended for another 45 days. abdullah al-shami has been held without charge since last august and has been on a hunger strike. he insists he would not break his fast. >>> demonstrators in the united states are rallying for tougher control laws. around 1,000 protesters marched across the brooklyn bridge where they held a demonstration. among a group of victims attached. costa rica was the toast of the world cup. >> they were one of the greatest shocks. they lead in a goal difference. sara has this report. >> reporter: italy went into this clash without captain and goal keeper, out with injury. despite the setback, they took the lead. two minutes later england were levelled. italy had the last word, thanks to mario balotelli's second-half header, giving them a 2-1 win. the shock of the day came when uruguay were beaten by costa rica, also in group d. the costa rykans coming from behind claiming a 3-1 victory. in group c columbia proved they could cope just fine, with a comfortable win. saturday's game saw drama as the ivory

as though it was a clear and direct attempt to get to abdullah abdullah himself, just describe exactly what happened. >> reporter: indeed, mr. abdullahy, a very popular presidential candidate. he was on his way to another election rally, his convoy was targeted according to kabul police. a suicide bomber targeted the convoy, very close to abdullah's vehicle. it was described how powerful the explosions were. we were being told that a bomb was attached to one of the vehicles. these are bombs that the insurgents have been using to target afghan officials in the last several months. now we understand at least six people have been killed, 23 of them injured. among those killed is a body guard of mr. abdullah, most of those people who were kill were bystanders who come to look at mr. abdullah. perhaps they were supporters. they were leaving the rally. so was mr. abdullah. he appeared on t vx live, reassured that he was fine. we have to remember he's someone whovenled a fighter all of his life. his supporters say he expected something like this to come at any moment. >> thank you very much on that update from kabul. it's a story we'll keep

abdullah has survived an attack in kabul. there were several casualties when two blasts hit a site of a rally. mr. abdullah says some of his body guards were among the injured. the election is due to take place just next week so that is a significant moment. no group having yet said it has carried out the attack. what more can you tell us of this? obviously, it's a deeply disturbing moment. >> reporter: absolutely. this is the first serious attack on abdullahg directly targeted. there have been other attacks before in different parts of the country. this is the first time that he himself narrowly escaped this bomb attacks. there are some major conflicts about the nature of the attack itself. one police source says it could have been a suicide bomb attack. looking at the extent of the damage to his car, it seems just a couple of bombs wouldn't make that damage unless it was a big explosion. 14 people dead and many injured. there are a lot of crowds gathering outside of the hospital and that's where mainly the injured people are brought in and as i say this is just over the week to the run-off elections. so the security will be a big issue for the candidates and the abdullah's rival was also very quick to condemn the attack, saying it was the work of the enemies of afghanistan and say that it has been to disrupt the elections. nothing will kind of attacks will prevent them from carrying out further election rallies. >> by the sound of the ex

presidential run off pits abdullah abdullah, an anti-taliban fighter against ashraf ghani, an ex-world bank economist. >>> let's look at the background of the two candidates in afghanistan. abdullah abdullah is an afghan statesman. and a trained eye surgeon. he built his reputation in the 1980s, when aligning with the ain taliban northern alliance and became advisor to the leader. after international forces ousted the taliban, he served as afghanistan's foreign minister from 2002 to 2005 and ran as an independent in the 2009 presidential elections, but lost to hamid karzai. the vote then, he said, was frewed u lant. ashraf ghani was educated in the u.s. he worked in the field of economics, including at the world bank. he pledged to sign a bihateral security agreement with the united states. joining me from kabul is helena malikia, an afghan historian. thank you for joining us life. the first democratic change from one president to another, it's historic, this vote. >> it is historic for afghanistan, and what is more exciting is that this time around the people of afghanistan seem to have a much awareness. democratic process and the right to vote and use the vote. >>> the people w

abdullah abdullah, and ashraf ghani. wein them on the campaign trail. >> reporter: young and old, ashraf ghani is looking for broad support at this campaign rally in cabal. he urged ethnics to cast a ballot for him as the next president. >> translation: a head of state is not a slave master. his role is not to serve the people, but a servant of the nation. i answer to all the people. if you vote for me, you can question me. >> the former world bang economist is seen as a techknow accurate. he was an advisor. at the end of 2006, he was tipped as a successor to kofi januarian as u.n. secretary generate. the presidency has been his goal. in 2009 he gave up his u.s. citizenship to run, but received 3% of the vote. this year he fared better, in partly aligning himself with warlords and the message of economic growth securing a third the vote. >> garn has some support. with the momentum building behind his rival, chances of winning are small. >> not only did abdullah abdullah receive a higher proportion of the vote, he's more visible in the build up to the run off, receiving several high-profile endorsements. he told al jazeera that he's certain he'll win. >> are you hope for for the elections? >> yes. what for. >> we built a momentum. we are confident in serving our people. >> reporter: any victory will be decided by the voters scparks that is unsure. >> hassan rouhani is in turkey on a state visit. the two countries had strained relations due to differences in neighbouring syria. we have this report from ankara. >> iranian leaders visited turkey over the years. this is the first time in two decades that a head of state was received in a presidential palace in appingara. both country attached importance to hassan rouhani's visit to the turkish capital. iran and turkey are putting aside political dipses on syria, focussing on what brings them together - business and trade. . >> translation: the rain yap president came with many members. the agreem

the presidential candidate abdullah abdullah is calling for vote counting to be suspended because of fraud. this is the run-off between abdullahbdullah and its rival ashraf ghani. jennifer glasse joins us from kabul. another twist in the afghan election. what is abdullah abdullah saying? >> the president and the election commission - there has been no answer from them, he has no choice but to call on voting to be stopped and his observers to leave the election observers officers. he called for a senior election official to step down, saying there's no trust at this point in the election commission. this is a big twist in the election process here, after a fairly successful second round. dozens were killed in violence. there was a lot more concern. the turn out - those turp out numbers are not close. they have been exaggerated, especially in the rural areas, and so this, of course, throws the whole election result into doubt. we are waiting now to see what the election commission has to say. >> thank you for that. jennifer glasse in kabul. >> coming up on this news hour. forced into underage sex. we'll speak to a malawian teena

abdullah. in the first round the afghan security forces stepped up and took control for security and elections went off very well. we have another round of voting coming up this week. abdullah, abdullah is one of the two candidates in that election. what we've said is that these groups are a concern. but when it comes to making a determination about guantanamo transfers, the standard we use is whether we can substantially mitigate the risk that they will return to the fight and threaten directly united states national security interests. we believe the government has an agreement that will help us do that. we have eyes on these guys. if they return to the fight you better believe we will go after them and try to recapture them or of course bring them to justice in other ways. >> we'll have to leave it there. marie harf, thank you very much. >> joining me now is richard engel. what about the fact that these groups and their affiliates continue these terror attacks and how confident can we be that these five who were commanders and now have access on the internet and by phone, will be not returning to a command in control role? >> it's possible that they will eventually turn into some

here but with the momentum building behind his on its behalf, abdullah abdullah, his chances of winning aren't promising. >> not only did abdullah receive a much higher proportion of the vote in the first round, he has been far more visible in the buildup to the run-off and has received several high-profile endorsements. but gani told al jazeera that he is certain he will win. >> are you hopeful for soug saturday's election. >> yes. >> tell me about what are you hopeful for? >> we have built wapitiastic momentum. and we are serving our people. >> any victory will be decided by voters and that outcome is far from assured. >> joining from me washington, d.c. is mark jacobson, senior advisor to the truman security project and former advisor to general mccrystal. good to have you with us. >> thank you, thomas. >> i think it's safe to say whoever wins the election will have little time to savor victory. >> i think that's right. you have had two successful elections the first round and it looked like the second round has gone well despite violence but i think that from the outset, you are going to have the new president who is going t

abdullah abdullah walked away from the car bombing, but six were killed. >>> more than 50 people have been killed in flooding that destroyed four villages. four people in the district of bazlam province were forced to leave their home. dozens more people are still missing. >>> we can get the very latest from our correspondent who is in kabul. tell us about the region where these floods have occurred. >> well, this province is in the east of the country. this is very rare that this flash flooding occurred in this region of the province. there has been a large human toll, but there has been infrastructure damage well. roads have been washed away. bridges are washed away. there is so much water. so much mud that it's impossible for helicopters to reach the area as well. when it comes to aid, first responders, emergency response from the provincial government and central government it will be difficult to help these people in this flooding because the area is remote and cut off. 50 people have been killed. many more displaced, and frankly, a dire situation in this area of afghanistan. >> and afghanistan itself has been battered, hasn't it, of late by natural disasters. >> reporter: certainly. this time of year afghanistan experiences flooding, but this year in particular has been quite bad. just last month in the area o north of the country there was a huge landslide which effectively swallowed up a village killing hundreds of people and displacing thousands more. we were there at that disaster and it just really under scores how many challenges there are here in afghanistan. of course, at a time in this country it will be going to the polls in a week from now to vote for a new president. there has been attempted assassination--rather, an assassination attempt on one of the leading candidate, but many afghans have been telling us that they're determined to go to the polls. not only do they want a leader who can help with the violence in the country. someone who can improve the economy, but also a leader who can take the direction forward when it comes to helping people in these areas which is consistently badly effected by bad weather. >> in kiev, thank you. >> now the south africa president has been admitted to hospital. accord to the officing to the hospital, the president was taken in for tests. it was announced that the president would take a few days off from public appearances. doctors are satisfied with his condition, but they're keeping an eye on that story for you. >>> now campaign for people to openly carry guns in public is gaining strength across the united states. a group called open carry texas have been carrying military rifles into shops and restaurant. >> reporter: he believes the answer to gun violence in america is more guns. out in the open where everyone can see them. >> if someone sees a pistol on my hip they're not going to do anything to begin with. instead of reacting to crime it's better to prevent it to begin with. >> reporter: in bistros and bars across the u.s. americans are carrying guns and unnerving their neighbors. here in texas guns are just part of the cowboy culture, but even here carrying them openly in restaurants and bars is still a little too much. even in the state gun convention in pistol-packing texas. go. >> for me to walk into a place and to see several people with their guns out, it boo be a little intimidating. the first question that goes through my mind, are they the good guys or bad guys? >> open carry has become so popular in the u.s. some restaurant have asked their customers to leave their weapons at home. even the nra called it count productive and weird. the nra later apologized. >> if i were to open carry my handgun i would be considered a felon. >> you got a holster. >> i got a holster. as you can see it's yes, ma'am. >> had 4 o. >> 44 of the 50 u.s. states allow americans to carry guns openly. texas is not one of them. this is a firearm. pistols are not. many people are trying to change the law,. >> when i enter a gun-free zone i don't feel safe. i feel safe when i can protect myself life and my family's life. >> the only institutio solution to a bad guy with a gun-- >> is a good guy with an up. >> a good shot at liberalizing the state's gun laws even more. >> more to come on al jazeera. including the promise of miracles in exchange for money. a controversial church in ghana. >>> urban planners under pressure to keep cities from pressure to keep cities from turning into clone towns. the performance review. pressure to keep cities from turning into clone towns. that corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. and yet, there's someone around the office who hasn't had a performance review in a while. someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization. i'm looking at you phone company dsl. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business built for business. >> let's take a look at the top stories here in al jazeera. gunmen in iraq have freed several hostages in are a m ramadi. and samarra fight verse taken over. >>> president vladimir putin has ordered the borders to be tightened. >>> in afghanistan presidential frontrunner said he'll continue campaigning after two bomb attacks. abdullah abdullah walked away unharmed but six people from killed. >>> month protes--more protests are expected a few hours from now against the spanish monarchy. we have reports from the capitol in madrid. >> reporter: spain's ruling party insists that the economy is on the road to recovery. try telling that to these women. they're carrying home food handouts from a local charity. they live in an abandoned block. >> ththe kingour kids have no food while the king goes on safari in africa. >> this made king juan carlos very unpopular, ultimately forcing him to step down. the timing of his application is also political. an election next year could usher more republicans in parliament. for now a center right government said it will quickly pass the succession law. >> they can't be silenced by a small noisy minority. >> reporter: this is one of the leaders that have growing minority. in just four months this young university professor has turned his movement into spain's fourth largest political f

abdullah abdul la has asked that they stop counting votes. he claims there is fraud and accuses the commission of interfering with the vote. but officials say the vote will not be stopped. >> abdullah abdullah in a live press conference calling for the vote counting to be stopped. he said he has no confidence in the election here and said he has no choice. he has pulled observers out of election offices and said that accounting has to be stopped. he has called on senior election officials to be stepped down. he said that the voting system hats been systematically rigged against him and that the numbers, the turn out numbers came out with after that second round of voting on saturday were exaggerated including the numbers in the rural areas. now this, we're waiting for the election commission has to say but this could throw into doubt the presidential election whole process here. we're expecting results in late july and a new president was posed to be inaugurated in early august. >> thousands of people have been displaced as fighting intensifies between the military and answered government fighters in northwest pakistan. these picks show residents fleeing from their homes. many are now livin

abdullah abdullah. >> absolutely. the continuation of the talks to the taliban of keeping the door open for negotiations with the taliban with a clear parameter and clear goals, it's important. >> and here's ashraf ghani. >> the taliban or afghans first must make a choice, and we hope that they will make that choice to sit down and discuss all key issues. >> both candidates are also less anti-american, decidedly so than their predecessor. abdullah refutes karzai's claim that american forces have wantonly and deliberately destroyed afghan villages. >> there is no way that that could be the case. >> ghani, a u.s. citizen until he gave up his passport to run for the afghan presidency in 2009, largely agrees. >> the overwhelming majority of the american troops in afghanistan are not going to be in combat roles. end with this new context and a definition of the civilian casualties and related incidences that will convey an unfortunate byproduct of the large number of troops engaged and combat would disappear. >> of course, it remains to be seen what the eventual victor does when he gets into office, but it all sounds promising and very different from iraq. >> good afternoon, everybody. >> so obama's announcement and the candidates' willingness to sign the agreement to keep american troops there means that afghanistan has a two-year head start. afghanistan has two years to develop a viable plan to engage in diplomacy with its neighbo

abdullah and his body guard piled on me. there was another attack when we were about to get up. >> reporter: at another campaign rally shortly after the attack. the intended target of the bombers, abdullah abdullah himself had not been harmed, but that his security guards had been a think month th among the. >> thvictims. >> translator: the enemies of afghanistan failed in their plot today but unfortunate there we have lost a number of our country men. three of my companions, three of our countrymen were martyred in today's attack. i express my sincere condolence to his their families and may god rest their souls in piece. >> reporter: doctor abdullah is the front runner for the second round presidential vote on june the 14th. having won 45% of the first round ballots. the first round of the afghan elections was praised as an unexpected success. after the taliban failed to cause major trouble. but the security picture looks far more challenging ahead of the second round run off. paul brennan, al jazerra. >>> three people have been killed in egypt after police tried to disburse a protest. in alexandria, at least a dozen protesters were hurt when police fired tear gas at an anti coup rally. hundre

palestinian leadership and bring about piece to the israelis and to the palestinians as well. >> abdullah abdullahtalking to us live from ramallah. thank you very much. >>> iraqi soldiers appear to be holding back an add vance by sunni muslim fighters north of baghdad. government soldiers are reporting to have retaken two tongues from the rebels. but the fighters still control the important cities, tikrit and months mosul. >> after a call to arms from the most senior shiia cleric. referral fighters have taken a number of towns and cities. sunni fighters continue their offensive, this video allegedly shows them celebrating the capture of mosul. iraq's second largest city was taken on tuesday. this is rioters news agency reporting that rebels were also seen in the northern city of bigi setting fire to the courthouse and police station after freeing prisoners. u.s. the u.s. is beefing up naval presence in the gulf because of the rebellion in new york. the uss george h.w. bush which carries dozens of fighter jets is moving there from the north arabian sea along with two naval vessels that are equipped

presidential runoff elections held last week earlier front runner and former foreign minister abdullah abdullah said he would refuse to recognize poll results he also promised to appeal to the united nations to deal with the case the move has been supported by the current president karzai. one time i bet a prison is once again at the epicenter of a scandal is authorities there are a key of a cover up in june two thousand and six three detainees both found hanged in the cells in the pound suicide but the latest reports suggest they died while being cheated in prison authorities say using special wooding to make it difficult to find the truth while in two thousand and two the us department of defense stopped reporting suicide attempts categorizing them as acts of self harm the wood has been replaced with and hans interrogation techniques and when it comes to in the tories practice of waterboarding hunger strikes and i. know i'm really just fast some force feeding is called medical management a prison is with white loss we've talked to professor mark denbeaux who's probe into the two thousand and

abdullah abdullah said he lost trust in the independent election commission, raising the possibility of a political crisis as the country undergoes its first democratic transition of power. why is abdullahs? he's worried about losing? >> reporter: well, the 7 million voter turnout figure on the election day is an artificial figure. he said he had asked for the removal of a senior election commission official who is accused of fraud. also accused president karzai of not being neutral and he said the entire system was used in the favor of one candidate -- >> i'm so sorry. we have obviously lost that. it is a crucial election because there are two front-runners and everyone very much awaiting the outcome of that result. well, our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in afghanistan. why is the country engulfed by violence when the final allied combat troops leave at the end of 2014. >> reporter: many around the world are now asking, afghans are asking whether what is happening in iraq could happen in afghanistan. >> never. not at all. >> reporter: what makes you confident? >> i'm confident about the afghan people, yes. we do need international support. where we don't have the me

officials are counting vote in the runoff between former foreign minister abdullah abdullah and former finance minister ash raf ghani. abdullah accused a commission of widespread vote rigging. he said members should suspend the account. he demanded the head of their secretariat step down. he announced his resignation. >> translator: i want the national institutions to remain national. in the interests of my people i submit my resignation to the independent election commission. i officially resign my post. >> he rejected abdullah's charge of vote-rigging. he said he quit for the sake of confidence-building. abdullah says he'll meet election officials and discuss how to respond. he has not withdrawn his accusation. nearly 10,000 u.s. troops are scheduled to stay in afghanistan next year to train local security forces. the delay in the vote count could affect that plan because the afghan president has to sign an agreement. >>> a nominee for prime minister of south korea has backed out. muntanguk withdrew his candidacy over his comments on the country's history with japan. analysts say it is the latest political setback for presi

afghan presidential candidate abdullah ab d am /* abdullah demanded a halt to vote counting, saying he has no confidence in the election organizers. a run-off vote was held on saturday. ukraine's president has proposed a unilateral ceasefire by his troops in order for pro-russian separatists to lay down their weapons. this follows a phone conversation with the russian president in which a potential ceasefire was discussed let's go back to the top story of the day. of course, the ongoing crisis in iraq, one battle front is the oil-rich province of kirkuk. now, kurd tissue troops managed to hold off fighters from the islamic state of iraq in the lavant trying to get into kirkuk. the kurds took control after iraqi stations stationed there deserted their posts last thursday. thousands of people ahave been heading to the kurdish region to try to get away from the violence in other parts of the country. hoda hamid reports. >> reporter: it's not difficult to spot them these days. waiting for permission to get into the kurdish region. with the widening conflict, more and more people are headin

abdullah abdullah. he aligned himself with the northern alliance, and became advisor to its leader. after the fall of the taliban he served as afghanistan's foreign minister from 2002 to 2005 and ran as an independent candidate in the 2009 election and lost to hamid karzai. the vote was fraudulent. his opponent is ashraf ghani. he's an independent candidate. he worked for the past two decades, including the world bank. he went on to work as finance minister and chief advisor to hamid karzai. and has pledged to sign a bilateral agreement with the united states. we go live to kabul. a few hours to go before the polls close. there has been sporadic violence across the country and in the capital. what is the situation like now? >> that's right. in fact, before polls open, there's a rocket attack here in kabul. shortly afterwards there were rocket attacks on polling stations in provinces like gazny. we have been seeing about ongoing fighting in the provinces of patika and koona. this is concerning to the authorities who hope that this would be a peaceful vote. there are around 160,000 security personnel deployed across the country to ensure that it is. although we have seen violence, elsewhere it's been relatively secure. in saying that we are hearing allegations of voter fraud at the polling stations. some allegations of supporters of ashraf ghani have been committing fraud and supporters of abdullah abdullah committing fraud as well. this run-off, which is historic, it is hopefully going to see the first ever democratic transition of power in afghanistan through the ballot box. we are seeing quite a few challenges. >> if we are looking at the challenges of violence and voter fraud. that could turn out to be a problem with voter turn out. that could be problematic in the time result as well. >> absolutely. in fact, we were at a polling station not very long ago here in kabul, and frankly there weren't a lot of people here. at several points in the hour or so that we were there, there were no voters at all. we have been hearing reports from all over the country that voter turn out has been low. election officials said that the reason there's not a large crowd of voters outside polling stations like in the first round of the election in april is because the voting process is streamlined. there's two candidates to choot from. i think there's a bit more to it than that. it's a run-off

abdullah elshamy was released last week after being imprisoned since august. abdullah elshamy had been on a hunger strike. the newly elected president al sisi has promised to tackle the many issues of egypt. this raises serious questions about egypt's freedom of the media. >> she has condemned egypt for crushing the media. secretary of a state john kerry said that this is chilling and draconian. >> when i heard the verdict today i was concerned about it and disappointed in it i immediately picked up the telephone and folk with the foreign minister of egypt and registered our serious displeasure of this kind of verdict under the circumstances of circumstances of where we find ourselves today. this is a chilling and draconian sentence, and it's deeply disturbing to see egypt in the midst of its transition. it simply cannot stand if egypt is going to move forward in a way that egypt needs to move forward in order to respond to the extraordinary aspirations of those young people who twice came in to tahrir square in order to demand the response of government. so the success of egypt going forward would depend on protection of universal human rights, and it will dependent on a real commitment to embrace the hopes of the people there that they're going to see a judicial system that is responsive and modern and not one trapped in ideology or in this kind of extreme decision. >> the international criticism is being dismissed by egypt's foreign ministry, statel: stating: >> mohammed fahmy has dual citizenship. he is both egyptian and canadian. we're joined on the line from montreal, thank you for talking to us. i presume you are fairly critical of the way the egyptian government has handled the case of mohammed fahmy. >> yes, we do. we find it outrageous that mr. fahmy, as you point out has dual citizenship has been sentenced to search years based on little evidence that he has done anything wrong. it is absolutely critical that egypt understand the importance as it has in its own constitution the freedom of the press and independent judiciary that works on the basis of proven evidence. >> what do you think the canadian government of steven harper should have done that it didn't do. >> well, to make a comment about this, i understand that it is about to do so. the canadian government has tried through its consular capability in cairo to maintain contact with mr. fahmy and make sure that his living conditions while in prison are as acceptable as possible, and that he have contact with family members. now the other aspect of it is to put diplomatic pressure on egypt, make sure it understand what is i what it has done and that it is sent the wrong message and to make sure that it's judiciary works within the rule of law and based on blessed i'm sure there are many people who would agree with you, including those in the canadian government. >> it's not a question of political capital. it is a question of--we have relations with egypt. we would like to have strong relations with egypt. it's an important country in the region. that should not prevent us from speaking truth to these issues, and in this case the absence of a proper trial for mr. fahmy, the absence of any evidence that he was doing anything wrong. no, the fact that mr. familiar my was doing his job as a journalist and it is critical that it is recognize recognize the freedom of the press and to speak the truth. >> live from montreal. thank you. let's turn to syria because it's handed over the last of its acknowledged weapons stock pile. the prohibition of chemical weapons are concerned that there is undeclared chemical weapons. the final of the stock pile has been loaded on danish and norwegian ships. >> in terms of the declaration and media speculation or member states suggesting that they have doubts or concerns we're currently working with the authorities in damascus through what we call a declaration assessment to make sure that it is complete. it is always the party's responsibility to be as complete as possible. we'll work on that with the authorities to make sure that completeness is the name of the game. >> still to come here with al jazeera, flash point in pakistan a controversial cleric flies home vowing a revolt against the government. >> now inroducing, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for suvivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now consider this. the news of the day plus so much more. answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. when you run a business, you can't settle for slow. that's why i always choose the fastest intern. the fastest printer. the fastest lunch. turkey club. the fastest pencil sharpener. the fastest elevator. the fastest speed dial. the fastest office plant. so why wouldn't i choose the fastest wifi? i would. switch to comcast business internet and get the fastest wifi included. comcast business. built for business. could help your business didavoid hours of delaynd test caused by slow internet from the phone company? that's enough time to record a memo. idea for sales giveaway. return a call. sign a contract. pick a tie. take a break with mr. duck. practice up for the business trip. fly to florida. win an award. close a deal. hire an intern. and still have time to spare. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business. built for business. >> hello again. here are our top stories on al jazeera. >> today's conviction is pa chilling and draconian sentence. >> u.s. secretary of state condemn the sentence of seven and ten years in prison. mohamed fahmy, bader mohammed, and peter greste are accused of collaborating with the banned muslim brotherhood. >>> well, the u.s. secretary of state was visiting baghdad when he made those comments. also there he urged iraq's shia muslim leaders to form a more inclusive government. he met with nouri al-maliki and said that this is a critical moment for iraq's future. >> isil's campaign of terror, their grotesque acts of violence and repressive ideology pose a grave danger to iraq's future. isil is not as it claims fighting on behalf of sunnies. isil is not fighting for a stronger iraq. quite the contrary. isil is fighting to divide iraq and to destroy iraq. so this is a critical moment for iraq's future. it is a moment of decision for iraq's leaders, and it is a moment of great urgency. >> okay, we can talk a little bit more about the secretary of state's visit to iraq. some tough words there, roz for isil fighters, and he's keeping the pressure on the al maliki government as well. >> that's right, martine. the u.s. government has been very critical of the way nouri al-maliki has led his two previous terms as prime minister, now as he begins his third term as prime minister they essentially say that they have cut out iraqry citizens from the governing process. they have been quite distressed by this to understand score the point. so the u.s.' view is that it is no surprise that isil fighters and other sunni rebels have been able to reap the kind of havoc they've been able to reap in northern and western iraq. the pressure is on the al maliki government which is in the process of forming it's new government to be much more inclusive. not just in terms of appointing this minister or that minister, but in terms of promulgating and then enforcing policies that benefit all iraqis regardless of their religious affiliation. the u.s. is also very concerned that al maliki in his previous two terms of prime minister has taken actions that could be construed as totalitarian, too much power over the a spies which he has influence rather than sharing power over the broad swath of iraqi. it may be impossible for the iraqi people to stand up against the sunni rebellion. >> where does this leave the consideration taking place in washington, we understand, of president obama mulling over the possibility of air support, fighter jets and drones in order to prop up the government in baghdad? >> well, this is a situation when it comes to any sort of military assistance that the u.s. is providing. the u.s. does consider isil a security threat to u.s. interests. at this moment they're standing up the first up to 300 military advisers from people who are already stationed at the embassy in baghdad. they're going to be working with the iraqi military to improve their intelligence gathering and analysis capacity, and that essentially would help the iraqi military do a better job of finding these rebels and in fact, just getting rid of them. however, other military advisers are not going into the country yet because as we understand from officials at the pentagon the u.s. and iraq are still working out the legal contract that will allow these military advisers to be in country. now presumably that would include legal immunity while they're there on this issuing assignment. as for anything such as airstrikes, that is back on the back burn for the time being. the u.s. does not have good insight into just how capable of iraqi military is, and it says that it needs to figure out exactly what the iraqi military is capable of doing itself before the u.s. tries to offer any more assistance to baghdad. >> thank you. >>> now controversial cleric in pakistan where he's promising to lead a revolt against the country. he flew in from canada because police have been confronts his supporters. we have the story. >> a tense moment. about 2,000 supporters clash with the police after the leader's plane was not allowed to land in islamabad. >> the police broke our way to the airport. they used unethical tacticked. they fired on us and used tear gas but failed to stop the supporters. >> hundreds of supporters gathered to greet their leader. many were killed in a confrontation with police last week. in january of 2013 when he led mass rallies against the government. supporters say they want a government that will enforce reform, and improved accountability. >> staying in pakistan, the government has wanted to prevent the former president from leaving the country. a lower court lifted a travel ban. musharraf is facing a string of charges. he returned to pakistan last year after four years of self-imposed exile. we have more now from islamabad. >> reporter: the airlines aircraft that was carrying musharraf was not allowed to land in islamabad. orders were given that it should land at the airport. and musharraf refused to come out of the aircraft. the police commandos trying to escort him to the helicopter so that he could be flown to his residence. however, he refused to lunge where he said the plane should go back to islamabad. they said that they would not move from that airport, and there was a sentence stand off continuing, demanding that the military should provide him the security and military on the other hand trying to stay out of this political mess. >> in sudan a woman sentenced to death for converting to christianity has been released from prison. it has caused outrage in many countries. she was demanded to denounce her christian faith and revert back to islam. she was also charged for adultery for marrying a christian man. >>> accused of fraud in a potential run off vote has resigned. he said he's stepping down in the face of national interest. abdullah abdullah accused him of ballot box stuffing. the south korean military has captured the soldier who is accused of killing five soldiers. >>> our south korean correspondent has more. >> reporter: after 4 hour stand off it has all ended in dramatic fashion. this man, a 22-year-old conscript serving his mandatory service just short of his discharge shot himself. he is now in hospital somewhere down the coast, the same hospital in which some of the soldiers that he shot and judged are still being injured. that shooting took place on saturday night at an outpost very close to the demilitarized zone between south and north korea. five fellow soldiers killed. seven injured in that immediate attack. and then he was on the run overnight and into the next day shooting another soldier at a checkpoint. it was at that point that he was surrounded. they tried to get him to come quietly. they had been talking to him since 8:20 this morning. he spoke to his father on the telephone. he had requested t

abdullah abdullah walked away unharmed. three of his bodyguards were killed. he faces the world bank economists a is sharafkhani. helena malika said this violence is unlikely to stop people from the country voting in the run-off election. >> i think a lot of people have become even more determined to defy the taliban and go to the polls, especially in the urban areas where it will be more possible to do it. but there are some rural areas some villages where the taliban have already settled and i am sure they will make an effort to not to allow people to go to the polls. so we will probably have a mixed reaction but as far as the term nation of the people is concerned, i think people have become sort of very defiant and it has become almost a civic resistance to defy taliban threats so i think we will see a lot of people going to the polls. >> lots more to come here at al jazeera including his rain in spain is over. now, the king's abdication is leading some to question the need for a monarchy. . >> the u.s. gun campaign is wanting to extend the right to bear arms. >> read, be curious your brain is your ultimate weapon >> hope for the future >> the only thing that can transform my continent is girl's education >> talk to aljazeera only on al jazeera america >> now inroducing, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for suvivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera just real reporting. the new al jazeera the performance review. just real reporting. the new al jazeera that corporate trial by fire when every slacker gets his due. and yet, there's someone around the office who hasn't had a performance review in a while. someone whose poor performance is slowing down the entire organization. i'm looking at you phone company dsl. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business built for business. let's catch up with the new stories. careen's new president has vowed to maintain the unity of his country. poroshenko offered an amnesty deal to pro-russia fighters in the east. in iraq we have heard a unusual of people at a university in ramadi have now been released. afghanistan's presidential frontrunner is promising to continue with his campaign after two bomb attacks targeted his motor kade. abdullah abdullah walked away unharmed, but six people were killed. now, in spain, more protests are expected in a few hours' time against the monarchy. there have been calls for a referendum on the future of the institution after the king decided to abdicate last week. a report now from the spanish capital, madrid. >> reporter: spain's ruling party insists the economy is on the road to recovery. try telling that to these women. they are carrying home food handouts from a local charity. they live in an abandoned apartment block with other single mothers. there is no electricity, and the women here feel disconnected from the monarchy and spain's political elite. >> the king survives off public money. we don't. our kids have no food while the kid goes off on safari in africa. it is that kind of extravagance that made the king so unpopular, ultimately forcing him to step down. the timing of his abdication is also political. an election next year could usher in more republicans to parliament. for

the contest pitted former minister abdullah abdullah against minister of shrub ghani. killed in were taliban attacks on election day. pakistan's army says it has launched an offensive against taliban militants in response to attacks on the main airport in karachi. almost 80 militants were killed in government airstrikes that hit hideouts. families in tribal areas have fled their homes to escape the fighting. tensions between ukraine and russia continue to escalate after the downing of ukrainian military plane by pro-show -- row russian separatists. 49 people died in that incident and kiev has vowed to retell or eight -- retaliate. her testers have been venting anger outside the ukrainian embassy and the ukrainian foreign minister has been trading insults with moscow. meanwhile allegations that russia is providing arms to bearatist fighters seem to verified by satellite images for nato, but moscow family denies these claims. >> they are blaming moscow. hundreds of ukrainian demonstrators attacked the russian embassy in kiev saturday, saying russia was behind the shootin

abdullah abdullah claims fraud and demanded the process be stopped. there was an exaggerated number of turnout announced by the commission. we all know the turnout was not as high as it was said. election commission refused to stop counting the votes. abdullah's powerbase is with the tajik majority. his opponent is a passion. -- is a pashtun. >> a seriously injured cave researcher was arrested on thursday after being trapped in germany's deepest cave for two weeks. 700 strong team managed to haul the 52 year old out of the cave. he was more than one kilometer underground when he suffered a serious head injury from falling rocks. five days later, rescuers began to bring him to the surface through the cave's tunnels. >> it was a huge job. but our team's professionalism made it possible. we had a total of 202 rescuers in the cave who really worked hard down there. it was a great achievement. later, the day man's condition was reported to be good despite a fractured skull. he thanked his rescuers and a video from the hospital. vi took the oaths of office as head of state of spain on thursday. queeng andw stepped out on the balcony of the royal palace. thousands turned out to catch a glimpse of the new royal family. carloss father juan abdicated a

the runoff is between abdullah abdullah and his main rival.y go head-to-head in an effort to succeed hamid karzai. karen allen has been following all the preparations for this critical vote. >> donkeys under armed guard. proceed in elections the mountainous northeast of the country. election materials are being delivered by any means possible. happy to haves been hired for this important job, but with rough tracks, the only way people can exercise their right in this historic runoff. working for one day. ready to solve these problems and have good plans. like a sceneook from medieval times, but many hope these will put the country on a firm footing for generations to come. about a quarter of all provinces in afghanistan rely on donkeys to get ballot materials into the right places. they have hired 300 donkeys and are moving under heavily armed escort. as much touns, here protect against ambush as to protect against election fraud. after three decades of war, this is considered one of the safer parts of afghanistan, though it has not been immun

. >> presidential hopeful abdullah abdullah praised the courage of those who went to the poll. he called on the commission to respect the popular vote. >> it is responsibility to act in accordance with the law and fairly. that will help institutionalize democracy in this country and the foundation of the country and will lead afghanistan to take a step forward. >> abdula and his opponent both have repeated raised accusations of fraud in the run-up to the poll. observers feared that if the results are too close, various political groups may resort violence. >> our correspondent has been monitoring the elections in afghanistan. we asked about his impressions of the way the day had gone given the taliban threats to disrupt the poll. >> well, i'm reporting here from the capital, from cabual, it was calm all day long during the election day today. it was totally different in the provinces as far as i know. there were at least 250 taliban attacks on places where the people went to vote. here in cabual, we only had two or three or four bombs, nobody knows. still it is very unclear wha

abdullah abdullah was the first modern minister. he's considered the frontrunner after finishing 45% of the vote in the first round. >> today is your day. today is our day. today is afghan's day. and better future is waiting for them. >> this man has pledged a bright future if he wins. the financial expert works for the world bank before returning to afghan as finance minister and government security advisor. >> these fingers were used to fire a rifle. today, we're using them to vote. >> candidates say they want u.s. troops to remain in the country for another two years to help improve security and defeat the taliban. >> for further analysis, i spoke to our correspondent. she's in the afghan capital abeautiful. i asked her -- aball. i asked her what the voter turnout has been so far. >> the day started out very violent to be honest. the taliban has threatened the elections again after the first round went quite well. there were many -- there were a few explosions in the city. the voters still turned out and came out to cast their vo

protesters rallied for abdullah abdullah. he said he's dropping out of the race and demands that the voting be stopped. he wants the united nations involved in the vote counting process. >>> in afghanistan one person has died, a suicide attack target against a peace council official. he survived the blast. the american inventor behind the bulletproof fabric known and kevlar has died. we look at the woman who has saved lives. >> she was all right a rarity. she was a working woman, and an industrialist at that. she developed a liquid solution that became the basis of a super strong fabric known today as kevlar. it was five times stronger than steel and fire resistence. as first kevlar was meant to replace the steel in tires but it revolutionized body armor a in bulletproof vests and helmets. it has saved and protected thousands of people. >> once the excitement of invention and creativity when i fight back, i find my career, i am inspired by the fact that i was able to do something that was a benefit to mankind. >> today kevlar

abdullah abdullah says the initial results speak volumes. he says there was massive fraud in favor of his opponent in the runoff. he blames outgoing president hamid karzai. >> there's no doubt that the leadership of afghanistan and the president of afghanistan were not impartial in the process. from the moment candidates entered the presidential race. >> the former foreign minister was a clear winner in the first round with 45% of the vote. his opponent got 31.6%. this time, the former finance minister and karzai adviser is in the lead in a suspiciously high turnout. he also spoke of fraud after the polls closed, but he said he was confident of victory. the election commission is the boring abdullah's demand that it stopped counting the votes. >> this is an independent election commission decision. >> observers fear a fierce struggle for power and warned of new violence. abdullah abdulla's powerbase is with the ethnic tragic majority. a bloody conflict between the groups would mark a bloody setback for afghanistan. >> officials say the explorer stuck inside germany's deepest cave could be brought to the surface sooner than later. >> rescuers are inching their way out with the researcher on a stretcher. the last step will mean raising him by hand up and almost vertical ascent. the 52-year-old suffered severe injuries and a rockfall that was nearly two weeks ago. our correspondent on the spot here -- this is just an amazing story we have been following over these past few days. now we know that the rescuers are on standby. do they know already when he will be brought up to light? >> it is amazing, as you say. it is true. this is the first time they have given out a timeframe, at leas

abdullah abdullah who survived an assassination attempt is expected to defeat his opponent. there are coninspectors that increase -- concerns that increase in attacks could affect voter turn out. we have more center a strong hold in central afghanistan. >> the only way in or out of maydan, the capital city here, is through check points like this one. operated by the afghan national police, vehicles are searched and so to are the passengers. it's part of security against the run off. they have promised to attack polling stations. it's less than an hour from kabul. the armed group has brought in armed groups. ouren my's plan is -- our enemy's plan is clear. all of our security forces are on high alert and the people will be protected. >> with over 22,000 polling stations to secure across the country it will not be an easy job. afghan security forces fared well. there were no major attacks. orders came out in record numbers. in the past few weeks there has been a sharp increase. and that has many concerned the run off will work different of the the taliban launched a spring offensive last month. since then there has been a series of attacks, including an assassination attempt. food vendor says the threat of violence will not stop him voting. he noticed fewer people on the streets in the days leading to the run off. he wants to cast a ballot for change. >> translation: the security situation is not very good. i'm voting. i want peace, not war. god willing the new government will bring afghanistan peace. >> reporter: with polling stations showing evidence of fighting, peace by afghans may feel a long way off, even with a new president. >> an egyptian court extended al jazeera abdullah al-shami's detention for another 45 days. his lawyer requested release on medical grounds. he's been held without charge since august and has been on a hunger strike for more than four months. he insists he will not break his fast until he's released. >> three al jazeera journalists falsely accused of supporting the muslim brotherhood have been held for 167 days. last week egyptian prosecutors demanded the maximum penalty, wanting 7 years for peter greste, and 15 for baher mohamed, and mohamed fadel fahmy. al jazeera continues to demand the release of all of its journalists detained in egypt. >>> china and vietnam have taken their maritime dispute over territory in the south china sea to the united nations. the latest standoff is over an oil rig which the chinese moved into waters near the islands. they have accused each other of aggression. china, vietnam, brunei, malaysia have fears, claiming ownership over a group of islands in the south. the spratly and parasell islands are though

this, a suicide bomb attack in afghanistan yesterday, it was an attack on a convoy carrying abdullah abdullah who survived. six other people were killed. the taliban iseved to have been behind that. but it is a reminder of how bold and how violent that group still is. and it does make a lot of people worried that the five here in qatar when their year of loose house arrest is over may go back to the battlefield. of course, a lot of that depends on whether or not they get used to the good life here. it's a very safe place. a lot of people have pointed that out to me. and you don't see security that you do in many countries and other parts of the regions with metal detectors before you go into hotels. that is an interesting aspect to all this. while there are all these taliban around here, many of whom have come to be involved in peace negotiations with afghanistan that haven't really happened, they are pretty much keeping it very low key here. >> thanks a lot for that report. >>> a fox news alert, the ntsb now investigating the fatal highway crash that left comedian tracy morgan in critical co

abdullah abdullah is unharmed after twin explosions target the man tipped to be afghanistan's next president. good evening to you. we begin in the north of france. commemorations have been held today on the beaches of normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of the d-day landings. it was the biggest amphibious invasion in history, and more than a dozen heads of state were drawn by veterans to honor the troops and civilians who lost their lives in this decisive phase of the second world war. we speak now with a professor from the american university of paris. thank you very much indeed for speaking to us. 70 years might have passed, but judging from the scale of those events, clearly, this is a hugely important moment for france and her allies. >> it is important both in terms of memory, it is important in terms of his symbolic significance, and it's also important to teach generations of students and people what the meaning of history is. kinds of conflicts that occurred in the past. there is a loss of sense of history right now among people in europe and the united states, and i think it is useful to have these commemorations for that. on a geopolitical level, i think what is significant is we are facing a situation right now in which europe is going through a serious political crisis. it is divided over how to deal, thealso it is divided on geopolitical to sin the ukraine. across the atlantic, there was not one single vision of how to deal with that. i think it is important this event might drink to get the leaders in such a way as to at least begin to smooth out some of the major differences that have arisen between russia and the west. russia and europe on the one hand and russia and the united states on the other. this is a first step. it does not guarantee success, but at least it is a first step in the right direction. >> a hugely powerful reminder of the horrors of war, really, but let's talk more about franco-u.s. relations. you are, after all, from the american university of paris. how would you characterize the state of relations between paris and washington? there have been ups and downs over the years. where would you say we are now? >> you have to look at the structural dimensions of the relationship and then what happens on a day-to-day basis. structurally speaking, franklin american political and strategic relations are quite strong. france reintegrated the nato military command. it has participated along with the united states in military interventions. whether they're successful and not is another issue. along with the united states, i libya andcipated in provided support in france's sub-saharan africa intervention, so there is very tight collaboration at a military level. there is tight collaboration also add an intelligence level. there are all kinds of disputes, on the other hand, over transatlantic trade, the coming transatlantic trade treaty, the paribasssue of the bnp bank, the way to deal with the ukrainian crisis. all kinds of differing perceptions between the capitals. more fundamentally perhaps is the fact that the united states is no longer looking to the atlantic -- not only france, but also germany, england, and the united kingdom -- as the core of its foreign-policy outlook. the united states is increasingly looking towards east asia, china in particular, southeast asia, japan, and china , as the area where the future of the world will unfold and where the united states has to give its greatest attention to. shift away from the atlantic towards the pacific, and i think perhaps in that way, curiously enough, paradoxically enough, these d-day ceremonies thesymbolize the end of atlantic relationship is the core relationship for the united states. >> thank you very much. let's head to the heart of paris now to the nsa presidential palace where a dinner is under way being hosted by president francois hollande -- to the elysees presidential palace. you can see queen elizabeth arriving a short time ago with her husband, holding a dinner after what has been a long day of commemorations on the north coast of france in normandy, marking 70 years that have the normandy d-day landing. you can see the queen now live at the palace, giving a speech alongside the french president. atlantic aress the also commemorating this historic day. we go now to fort bragg in north carolina where philip has been talking to soldiers who served in the 82nd airborne division, a military unit which played a vital role in many conflicts across the globe, including the d-day invasion. >> this image from 1944, the concept has not changed much. the parachutes are now square and can handle better equipped .nd heavier soldiers these members of the 82nd airborne division train all the time to be ready just in case. >> the global situation has changed a lot so that the environments we would be jumping into had changed, but the job itself has not. we are still paratroopers. >> and i have been here, deployed to haiti after the was assignedhen i to second brigade 82nd, and then . deployed to iraq >> every soldier in training here must be able to parachute into in any territory and sees it, even if their day job on base might be that of a lawyer or a technician. all our paratroopers and have to know these moves by heart. the 82nd airborne nowadays has a grand total of 19,000 paratroopers, including three brigade combat teams like this one right here. specialty, their pride, even, is that they can be deployed anywhere in the world within the space of 96 hours from the moment the order is given. >> orders in the past have sent the soldiers from this division ii normandy, but also to vietnam, panama, and coso though. >> every major conflict the united states has been involved in, the 82nd has been america's response force. we have operations for iraqi freedom, and we are still involved in operation enduring freedom today. >> enduring freedom is afghanistan. inether with a rat, the -- normandy, over 5000 paratroopers were killed or wounded. >> speaking in normandy earlier on today, the french president the courage of the german people, who he said were .lso victims of nazis he said they were led into a war which was never theirs, which should never have been there'ir. tell us just what germany's role was in those commemorations today in normandy. >> of course, the presence of a german chancellor at such a landmark d-day commemoration is hugely symbolic. symbolic of the progress europe has made since the end of the second world war and the reconciliation that has been achieved. attendance 10 years ago was seen as a hugely important message to germany just back then, a message that it was once again the scene as a trusted and respected nation again with europe, and that still resonates again today with the presidents -- the presence of angela merkel attending the ceremony today in normandy. alongside angela merkel, read german second world war veterans were also invited to attend, and their stories really act as a reminder to us that many of horrorsung men, the were much the same. one of the men who was just 18 at the time spoke of how he really did not want to go to war at all. he did not even want to join the army, and he spoke of the horrors of entering battle and losing many of his friends. both sides,hat on there is many senseless blood shedding. >> how have those commemorations in normandy been viewed where you are? what is the feeling about the way things were conducted? >> d-day, of course, not formally commemorated, but very much a day of reflection in germany. the media has been full of the events that have been happening in normandy as well as reminding german citizens of the history of the time. german people are very happy that germany was represented in today's ceremony despite the fact that it was still to some people at least considered controversial. a former french president said today that if it had been up to him, he would not have invited germany, angela merkel, to the ceremony, saying that it was a time to commemorate those who ."e "on our side the german media today taking a different town, reflecting very much the tone of postwar generations, especially younger ,ostwar generations in germany that german citizens have a right to be grateful to the allied forces for ending the regime andthe nazi the atrocities of the second something thatot young german people feel they should have to apologize for, but rather something that the whole of humanity should constantly remember and try and learn from. >> thank you very much indeed. the sidelines of those commemorations in normandy, russian president vladimir putin held a brief meeting with ukrainian president-elect, petro poroshenko. both men have expressed their wish that the hostilities in the east of ukraine come to an end. obama also held talks with putin today and urged russia to work with and not against the new ukrainian government. minuteeeting image of 15 encounter, but a ray of hope resolving the ukrainian crisis. vladimir putin meeting petro poroshenko for the first time of the sidelines of a french town. franÇois hollande chancellor angela merkel brought the men together. putin poroshenko shook hands and agreed to hold talks on a cease-fire in the coming days. away from the cameras inside the normandy chÂteau, another unexpected meeting. putin speaking to barack obama for the first time since russia annexed the crimean peninsula in march. according to diplomatic officials, the two leaders spoke of the need to end violence as quickly as possible. putin claiming he could have a certain but not total influence over events in ukraine's east. against a backdrop of tension, thisay began with seemingly avoiding each other. they attended separate dinners in paris to keep believers apart, but on friday, a hint as to renewed relations made television screens -- clinton and obama sharing a smile at the commemoration ceremony in obamady -- putin and sharing a smile at the commemoration ceremony in on the. >> the man tapped to be the next president of afghanistan narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. at least six people were killed in the attack, but abdullahas unharmed. serious attack on a presidential candidate since the campaign began. afghan security forces are surveying the damage after two bombs exploded outside the venue of a presidential rally in kabul . the suicide rally was targeted directly at the car of the presidential candidate abdulla abdulla. by ae convoys was attacked suicide bomber, and fortunately, they were not harmed. theveryone from presidential front runner's entourage was unharmed, but avril passersby were killed, and dozens were wounded. the blast destroyed cars and nearby shop fronts, leaving the streets littered with last and other rubble. >> there were two big back-to-back explosions. when i came out of my house, i saw a lot of wounded victims, and they were taken to the hospital by other people. of the afghanound elections was praised as an unexpected success after the taliban failed to cause major trouble. the security picture, however, looks more challenging ahead of the final runoff, set to take place on jun

abdullah abdullah is expected to defeat his opponent, ash rad gatti. though are worried that the recent increase in taliban attacks could effect voter timeout. >> the only way in or out is through checkpoints like this one. operated by the afghan national police. all vehicles are searched, and so too are the passengers. it's partly of the security for the runoff. for voting day, it's particularly at risk. though it's less than an hour from kabul, the group has brought in here. they are in charge of being responsible for keeping voters safe, and he's confident that it will be held without incident. >> they want to create insecurity and disrupt the election, but we're prepared for it. we're on high alert and the people will be protected. >> but with 22,000 polling stations to secure in the country, it won't be an easy job. the security forces did well in the first round. and there were no major attacks. the voteters came out in record number, but in the past few weeks, there has been a sharp increase in taliban violence, and they are afraid that the runoff will be very different. they have launched their so-called spring offensive, and since then, there have been a number of attacks in the country, including an assassination attempt against one of the presidential candidates. but this food vendor said that it won't stop him from voting. he wants to cast his ballot for change. >> the security situation here isn't very good. but i'm definitely voting. i want peace, i don't want war anymore. god willing, the government will bring afghanistan peace. >> but with polling stations like this one showing evidence of the recent fighting, peace for many afghans may be a long way off, even with a new president. aljazeera, central afghanistan. >> china and vietnam are taking their maritime dispute over territory in the south china sea to the united nations. the latest stand off is over an oil rig in the parcel islands. both sides accused other side of aggression. >> we're on patrol in the sea, a dispute that has been inflamed with the introduction of a chinese oil rig in the area a month ago. it has led to confrontationing from both sides, and active patrolling like this, heading to the zone where the oil rig is. with us, other vessels from the vietnamese coast guard, and they're expected to come into contact with chinese vessels that will protect them from getting any closer to the oil rig. that happening, a number of clashes in the coming weeks. accusing the chinese of ramming their vessels, and they have shown us documented evidence, of such events taking place, and the chinese saying that they have been rammed countless times by vietnamese in the same dispute. there's lots of shipping in these waters at the moment. and both the vietnamese and chinese are trying to assert their territorial rights here. >> thousands of migrants leaving thailand. they have a huge migrant workforce, many who don't have proper documents to work there. most come from cambodia and myanmar, where the wages are lower. it came after the military imposed martial law three weeks ago. >>> thousands of children are fleeing guatemala, el salvador and tedding to the u.s. many who make the journey believe they will be able to stay in the united states indefinitely. >> a towering wall of rusted metal straits nogales, mexico from its neighboring city. this is a major crossing point for migrants entering the united states, and it's where we met lydia and her seven-year-old son, lester. they just arrived from honduras. lydia was too afraid to let us see their faces. >> the worst thing is wakin wakp and hearing your children and for something to eat and not giving them anything. that's what make makes you want to come here. >> migrants are spreading the war about a provision of u.s. law that they believe will allow them to stay indefinitely. minors and women from central america are usually not deported but instead they are allowed to stay in the u.s. while their cases are reviewed in u.s. courts, and that process can take months or years. the counsel in arizona said that rumors have been deliberately planted. human smugglers are leading people to believe that just by being here, it will be not for them to have the possibility of getting an immigration benefit. 47,000 child migrants have entered the u.s. since october, overloading the system to process them. human rights groups allege that some have been abused by border patrol officers, and conditions in holding centers are deplorable. >> the department of justice and immigration judges for faster removal proceedings, and in addition to all of this, we know we must do something to stem this tied. >> lydia has had enough of hunger, violence and poverty. >> i'm thinking of how i can cross to the other side and get caught by immigration so they can give me a permit. they give you a permit and say you can stay and you just have to show up at court. >> a mother willing to risk everything to give her child a different future. aljazeera, nogales, mexico. >> turning trash into treasure in kenya. coming up on aljazeera america, how women are taking discarding objects and making works of art. >> the headlines at this hour, in iraq, two more towns fell overnight from the rebels in iraq. combating the militants, and the united nations said hundreds of civilians have been killed in summary executions. >> . >> bowe bergdahl has returned to the united states. he arrived in san antonio, texas this morning. he was freed by the taliban two weeks ago after five years in captivity. >>> and in actual after, ahead of saturday's election, abdul abdullah is expected to defeat his opponent. >>> flipflops are one of the most common pollutants in the indian ocean. every day they wash up on the kenyan beaches. women are picking them up and turning the trash into treasures. >> it's not an ordinary job for these women. every morning, when the waters of the indian ocean recede, the women from the tiny village walk to the shoreline to collect garbage that the ocean left behind. sally leads the group, whose daily struggle is to get a meal on the table for their families. >> we decided to do this because our ocean and beaches are very dirty and what can we do to make this better? we collect the flipflops and make ornaments to sell. and it's not just that, garbage ends up on many parts of the coastline. when the tide is high, the water comes all the way here, and it leaves behind piles of garbage from countries that share the indian ocean. we found bottles from tanzania and from other countries, and then there are all of these flipflops, lots so

it pits abdullah abdullah against former finance minister and ex-world bank official.eliminary results are not expected for several weeks. the election was marred by a series of small attacks, that the associated press says left nearly 50 people dead. >>> three jewish teenagers are missing in the west bank. and today as israeli security forces ramped up the search for them. the prime minister said they were kidnapped by a terror group. one of the boys, a 16-year-old, is an american citizen. the teens were reportedly hitch hiking from a jewish settlement in the west bank. israel's defense minister says he assumes the boys are still alive. >>> from washington, word that potentially sensitive e-mails sought by congressional investigators by a top irs fibl -- official are missing. they're thought to shed light on the irs's intense scrutiny of applications for tax-exempt status by tea party and other groups. a justice department investigate has been called for. >> the irs said the e-mails were lost in a computer cross in -- computer crash in 2011. it said the missing emails

taliban had issued further threats to disrupt polling last saturday presidential front runner abdullah abdullah escaped an assassination attempt when a suicide bomber attacked his convoy in the capital kabul the united nations is appealing to neighbors of the central african republic to keep their borders open for the refugees who are fleeing sectarian violence earlier this week over twenty people were killed in fresh fighting between muslim and christian militias there's been more it's been more than a year of deadly ethnic and religious ballance that's killed thousands in this place nearly a million people. militants linked to the islamic state of iraq and syria say they kidnapped three teenagers in the west bank claiming it's in retaliation for the israeli defense forces killing of three of the group's members the youngsters including an american citizen who went missing on thursday night after leaving a religious college israel is also investigating whether any palestinians are linked to the abduction. now or only a couple of dates in the world cup in brazil but it's already thrown up a few

presidential runoff elections held last week earlier front runner and former foreign minister abdullah abdullah said he would refuse to recognize poll results he also promised to appeal to the united nations to deal with the case move has been supported by the current president karzai. to the u.s. now where surplus military equipment from foreign war zones is being handed out to the police the government has been stuffing local stations with an arsenal of heavy equipment including armored vehicles aircraft and machine guns artesian report i find out why. well as a very good news winding down its longest streak of war soldiers are returning home and so is their military arsenal a used armored vehicle that will be used during swat calls and other emergency situations nine foot tall mine resistant trucks specifically designed to survive roadside bomb attacks are parked all throughout the u.s. local and state police departments have acquired more than four hundred m. wraps and silencers and tens of thousands of m. sixteen machine guns and night vision equipment the new paradigm is it's the military

taliban had issued further threats to disrupt polling last saturday presidential front runner abdullah abdullah escaped an assassination attempt when a suicide bomber attacked his convoy in a couple of ball. iran's president says the country has reached agreement with international mediators for it to restart enriching uranium and that the west will lift some sanctions imposed over the country's nuclear program the deal is expected to be finalized before the twenty eighth of june last november world powers and iran reached a temporary you green mint under which around uranium enrichment program was limited in exchange for a partially of sanctions. militants linked to the islamic state of iraq and syria say they kidnapped three teenagers in the west bank it's claiming it's in retaliation the israeli defense forces killing over three of the group's members youngsters including an american citizen or went missing on thursday night after leaving a religious college israel is also investigating whether any palestinians are linked to the abduction. most of us can't afford to hang an original monterey

way away hundreds of afghans have rallied in kabul in the support of a presidential candidate abdullah abdullah who pulled out of the elections accusing the government of rigging the vote they are calling on president karzai to step down and are demanding officials react to allegations of ballot stuffing this comes as a suicide bomber set off a bomb in the capital killing one civilian and injuring several more. now some other stories making headlines around the world flash flooding and mudslides on both garry's black sea coast have left twelve people dead many others are still thought to be missing the raging waters brought down power lines and flooded roads in the resort city of the downpour is part of a storm system that has been churning across southern europe causing tornados in italy and greece. european countries were not the only ones to face natural disaster at least twenty two people have become victims of rain storms in china heavy downpours head south provinces affecting three million people and forcing thousands to evacuate the country's economy is now counting huge losses had tears

taliban had issued further threats to disrupt polling last saturday presidential front runner abdullah abdullah escaped an assassination attempt when a suicide bomber attacked his convoy in the capital kabul the global summit to end sexual violence in london saw one controversy a method which could otherwise have proved uncomfortable for the british hosts the use of rape as a weapon in sri lanka hasn't been addressed by the organizers which are the u.k.'s foreign secretary and the un special envoy angelina jolie britain's been selling millions of dollars worth of weapons to sri lanka which has long been on the radar of human rights organizations the civil war there ended in two thousand and nine which the sri lankan government accuses of war crimes but even now rape and extrajudicial killings continue returns he discussed this with human rights advocate bianca jagger on artie's going underground which you can watch online in some research and they found reports about how the u.k. send weapons that probably were used in the mass killing of the tamil at the end of the war and even before and he d