minister in the current government the current leading contenders well let's get more now from bennett smith he's live for us in colombo bennett a violent start to polling day is a sly case to affect the poll. on the study this is the center for monitoring election voters where they are they're keeping an eye on those reports of the coming in basically a high of activity here were tables representing different provinces in sri lanka represented on the ground calling in here although it's all tallied up where they're having the reports coming in that major war was not attack on the bus no injuries reported and we understand that people were able to go and carry on and cast their vote the have been around 75 reports of intimidation from around the country and that is where these guys are keeping an eye on what's going on i'm joined by one jeweler. who's been here and i don't want to know as you can. actually experience in free and fair elections this moment or we can be proud because we had very violent elections previously but. the election is free but not in due to some factors. there are ma

values that enabled his peaceful election as the 7th president of sri lanka for more let's bring in bennett smith he's live for us in columbia bennett a return of the rajapaksa political plan to power. yeah the rajapaksa brothers are back in the stars and it's not without controversy these were men the right to rajapaksa was sensationally kicked out of power in the last presidential elections in 2015 and that was when got to by rajapaksa today was defense minister it was in the dying weeks and months of the civil war against the tamil tigers but got a pyre oversaw brutal crackdown on tamil tight tiger fighters the un estimates some 40000 people died in that crackdown in the dying months of the civil war so a controversial winner of this election but they lost in 2015 because the voters it appeared had enough of allegations of corruption concerns over that crackdown they made no mistakes this time they got out the vote from the sinner buddhist majority about 75 percent of this island is similar buddhist and most of them it seemed voted for the rajapaksa. burn and after the easter sunday bombings a

the sinhala community and we'll be reporting from there on monday back to you my well and that's bennett smith for us in the sri lankan capital colombo thank you ban it. influential iraqi cleric worked out how saddam has called for a nationwide strike on sunday a store and baghdad has also caught fire witnesses say it was a result of clashes between security forces and protesters demonstrations started back in october against a lack of jobs and public services but have since grown into calls for regime change more than 320 people have now been killed in the demonstrations and tosh i'm going to name has the name from baghdad. other roads were quite car coming into tahrir square we're seeing a lot of students in the numbers do seem to be bigger than we would typically see this time of day on a sunday if you look behind me you can see pretty significant plume of black smoke you mentioned that the prominent shiite cleric sautter called for an issue not wide strike in iraq it's probably because his followers comprise the largest bloc in parliament they are the primary opposition and they are united

democratic institutions and values that enabled his peaceful election as the 7th president of sri lanka bennett smith has more now from sri lanka's capital colombo the rajapaksa family is back in power in sri lanka in 2015 min the rajapaksa lost the presidential election seemingly kicked out of power by an electorate that had had enough of allegations of corruption and concerns of human rights rights violations towards the end of his country's civil war and that's when the winner of today's election got a pirate attacks was defense minister but this time the rajapaksa is have successfully corralled it seems the majority of the sinhalese buddhist vote 75 percent of his population is sinhalese poorest and most of them have cast votes for the rajapaksa is the main opposition candidates premadasa he needed to get enough minority votes from turmel's muslims to try and stop rajapaksa crossing the 50 percent threshold he didn't quite manage it he has handed over conceded that he has lost this election and offered his congratulations to go to buyer rajapaksa. now police stuff and hong kong have been hit by m

the deal to be extended but ties between the 2 countries have become increasingly strained as bennett smith reports. that there may be a peace agreement between jordan and israel but it's under considerable strain so these are some of the last israeli tourists to walk across the border without passports to visit jordanian sovereign territory that's been owned and farmed by jews for almost 100 years jordan is not renewing a 25 year deal that granted privileged access and a lot of us will lose some of our income that we could puts makes a living from these lands and we've got a deep emotional attachment to the area. israel got vital security cooperation along its longest land border when it signed the peace treaty in 1994 our viewers to see this very become the very of peace jordan's king hussein and his people were promised political and economic benefits but they've not materialized i think it's true that if there'd been progress on the palestinian issue it would have helped with a way to tional jordan i think jordan is also disappointed with the economic benefits that it hoped to gain from

large stretches of jordanian territory that area runs along the border between the 2 countries as bennett smith reports it's another sign the relationship is under strain over israel's treatment of the palestinians. there may be a peace agreement between jordan and israel but it's under considerable strain. so these are some of the last israeli tourists to walk across the border without passports to visit jordanian sovereign territory has been owned and farmed by jews for almost 100 years jordan is not renewing a 25 year deal that granted privileged access and i. will lose some of our income of a kibbutz makes a living from these lands we've got a deep emotional attachment to the area. israel got vital security cooperation along its longest land border when it signed the peace treaty in 1994 out of the room is to see this valley become the valley of peace jordan's king hussein and his people were promised political and economic benefits but they've not materialized i think it's true that if there'd been progress on the palestinian issue it would have helped with a way to tional jordan i think j

bennett, nbc news, the capitol. >>> with less than two weeks until the next democratic debate, nbc's harry smith is asking democratic voters what's most important to them in taking their questions directly to the candidates tonight, it's senator cory booker in what matters. >> we're inside cory booker's kitchen in newark, new jersey with this question. from a democratic voter. >> what's the check you have to write every week that drives you nuts >> i have a 4-year-old and 3 month old. i have to sent them to daycare. every week i write a check for $415.20. that's $22,000 a year. >> that's cash that's serious dough. >> it's outrageous in most states in america, daycare for children, child care for children is more expensive than the college tuition at your state university. >> booker's answer, using government funds to limit the cost of child care to 7% of parents' salaries. expanding tax credits to americans who stay home to take care of children or aging parents. so people who would be staying home, we'll pay them to stay home? is that -- i love your look but i want to get people when i was mayor, i had to do fierce

later, he had attended the house party hosted by marjorie smith and democratic state representative, and a supporter of senator bennett's campaign. >> should be going into this. let's go do it. do i have a check. hey how are you. [inaudible conversation] [background sounds] >> i am proofreading good work. >> use on your. you want to be mike. for michael. >> had i known i was going to talk, it would have been mike not michael but is okay. [background sounds] >> thank you very much. >> this is the notice that we sent out to the voters the get publicly posted in every community in the state. it's a remembrance of filing as a candidate to either the campaign slogan for something that they wish to see at the time. >> thank you. >> were going to go back now. so i am obviously delighted to be unified all my paperwork here your new hampshire and were really excited about this. the senator we were talking about the example of your heart and other colorado senator who was able to find traction in new hampshire actually win here. coming from far behind in the polls. i say we can do a similar thing in this race because i believe th

bennett, neutral squad sacramento against fresno state is what they are doing here. jordan ford, the little teardrop movie you lead with 24. malika with the graves forces the turnover. i had to peek smithncel with them. they are now three and one. and that is the sporting [ laughter ] >> how can he get that? >> the only way he is going to get this is keeping the sense of humor. realizing you have no clay, you have no steph curry. >> see you later, good night. (gasps) there is my favorite girl! i'm so excited about our spa weekend! oh, me too. if you think of it while you're there, i'm dangerously low on sunscreen powder. powder? you know, you won't be smirking 10 years from now when your face looks like an old apple. i just got my first perk as c.e.o. of pritchett's closets. i finished a big job for a spa, and as a thank-you, they sent me a free weekend for two. phil's too ticklish for massages, though. but i am not! i heard it's the place where all the stars go to get hot mud poured into their faces. i juoumakeup. (chuckles) you do, it will be the last thing that you will ever see. (chuckles) i remember my first big perk for a job well-done. i had upgraded some closets for guy who cre

bennett filed his official candidacy paperwork at the new hampshire statehouse, and met with potential primary with at a town hall employees and the public. house party ends a hosted by marjorie smith, a representative. >> should we go in and do this? it.s go do >> hi, how are you? very nice to see you ch. thank you. >> come on in. >> thank you. open for business. language ally has the right out of the constitution. i'm just proofreading. >> you sign here. you want to be michael, not mike? that's fine. had i known i was going into been cs, i would have mike, not michael. >> you can have mike. fine. that's >> yeah. here? here.ght much.ank you very >> this is a notice that we send voters that gets ublicly posted in every community in the state. it has sort of a remembrance of filing. we ask the candidates to either campaign slogan or they wish to say at the time. >> thank you. kids?ere are the >> yeah. well. back.'re going to go >> we'll come back. >> okay. >> we'll take the questions and come back. > so i'll just say i'm delighted to be here to file my paperwork in new hampshire. really excited about this. we were talking about the gary hart, another colorado senator, who was able t