the long term president of the democratic republic of congo joseph kabila say sunday's election really go ahead despite polling being suspended in parts of the country that official reason for this delay is concern over an outbreak but could be does opponents say the move is politically motivated but he's different protests as in the east of the country by firing live ammunition and tear gas the presidential election is taking place after a delay of two yes we'll go live to can chelsea in just a moment but first this report. makeshift barricades burned in protest a bad omen for sunday's already contentious presidential election in a country that hasn't held a peaceful one since independence from belgium in one nine hundred sixty now residents in and around benny a city in northeastern democratic republic of the congo may not cast their votes until march the country's electoral commission says that's due to the severe ebola outbreak and rebel fighting that's plagued the area more than one million of forty million registered voters could be affected by the delay protesters however see th

a crucial ally the united states is said to abandon them coming up again since rise of the democratic republic of congo ahead of sunday's gilead presidential election opposition candidate scored for a general strike after a call to suspend voting in some of the key strongholds. and indonesian struggle to get back to daily life often last weekend's devastating tsunami warning that made a living from the sea but now the tourists are dorsets bourses fish are gone. hello and welcome i'm under thought she the syrian army says it's entered the kurdish health of mom bij returned he has threatened and a friend since the flashpoint town in the northern syrian region has been under kurdish control since they captured it from the so-called islamic state in two thousand and sixteen when turkish backed syrian rebel forces started massing their mom bitch earlier this week the kurdish a y p g militia there urged damascus to intervene turkey views the wife e.g. as terrorists and as threatened to attack the town. i spoke to our correspondent in beirut earlier and asked her for more on the syrian army's presenc

i'm rebecca races thanks for joining us we start in the democratic republic of congo where voters have been casting their ballots for a new president the window will take over from strongman joseph kabila who should have stepped down two years ago but instead postponed the election several times the d.l.c. has seen years of conflict and a recent outbreak of ebola pope francis on sunday price of peace during the election roughly half of the deal population is catholic. three young. liberals prayed together for those in the democratic republic of congo who suffer from violence and ebola. oh speak here to to seem great i hope everyone is committed to maintaining a peaceful climate that allows for regular and peaceful conduct of the elections. and polls were shuttled to close some hours ago but many are still open so people can cast their ballots were also reports of glitches at some polling stations but for the most part forces were simply happy to finally have this day. they waited for two years to cost a vote what difference will a few more hours in the pouring rain make. after eighteen

confusion and anger in the democratic republic of congo.he election‘s postponed again in some areas. the outgoing president tells the bbc the delay is due to ebola. on the day that people were supposed to vote, you don't have this epidemic spreading like wildfire. a huge hunt is launched in austria after five monks are attacked during a robbery at a vienna church. and as rescuers race to save 15 miners trapped in india, we report on the deadly conditions in the country's illegal mines. hello. welcome to bbc news. the us senate and house of representatives have adjourned without taking steps to resolve a damaging shutdown of parts of the government, which is now in its sixth day. both chambers convened for only a few minutes. this was the scene in the senate. in my capacity as a senator from kansas, there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the senate stands adjourned until 10am on monday, december 31. at the heart of the disagreement is the $5 bllion that president trump

crucial ally of the united states is set to abandon them also coming up tensions rise in the democratic republic of congo ahead of sunday's delayed presidential election opposition candidates gore for a general strike off to a car to suspend voting in some of their key strongholds. and internees in struggle to get back to daily life often last weekend's devastating tsunami we never meet the fisherman whose boat has gone and so have the tourists who used to buy his fish . plus a look back at one of the hardest hitting stories of two thousand and eighteen beneath the egyptian women confounding stereotypes and fighting for respect in the boxing ring. hello and welcome i'm on the thought she the syrian army says it's and to have the kurdish head town of mom bridge where turkey has threatened an offensive the flashpoint town in northern syria has been under kurdish control since they captured it from the so-called is. mixtape in two thousand and sixteen when turkish backed syrian rebel forces started massing yemen which only of the three the kurdish why p.g. militia of their own wish to mask is to in

berlin national elections in two countries wait democracy houses struggle to take root in the democratic republic of congo a presidential election that could herald the country's first peaceful transfer of power but it hasn't been easy officials have started counting votes in some areas while in others the barges are still waiting to mark their ballot. and in bangladesh prime minister shake you see you know wins a third term in office says her ruling awami league sweeps to a landslide victory in column entry elections but the opposition accuses it team intimidation and vote tampering and wants a new election. night. plus a rough thing for democracy in thailand as we look back at one of our favorite date of news stories of the past year. i'm rebecca riches thanks for joining us we start in the democratic republic of congo where voters cast their ballots for a new president with strongman joseph come below stepping down the d.l.c. could soon have its first peaceful transition of power but the election it was plagued with problems facing voter lists and ballots and broken machines hours after pollin

president joseph kabila of the democratic republic of congress and you are due to step down in twenty six the elections were due to be held that they've been postponed ever since first please explain what's going on in two thousand and sixteen elections indeed it was supposed to take place the month of november or december. unfortunately due to. situations that there isn't. in twenty two thousand and twelve thirteen fourteen those elections did not take place. dialogue was organized and subsequently it was decided that elections take place this year after a concerted. process and of course a government that was put in place with the sole mission or primary mission to organize these elections so actions taking place now that a lot of people are very skeptical about that in the skeptical particularly about the recent delays in the recent exclusion the catholic said that they doubted the motives of the electoral commission majority of according to opinion polls don't trust the electoral commission and a lot of people particularly among opposition supporters think that this was all a deli

president joseph kabila came to power in the democratic republic of congo in two thousand and one taking over from his father long kabila he was assassinated by one of his own child soldier bodyguards joseph kabila was initially credited with bringing relative peace reviving the mining of the country's vast mineral was the. conflicts persist and tens of millions of congolese people remain trapped in extreme poverty i mean widespread allegations of corruption. second and final constitutional mandate ended two years ago but he stayed in power since i made growing protests and calls for him to step aside. congolese are finally due to head to the polls on sunday to choose a new leader joseph kabila president of the democratic republic of congo talks to al-jazeera. president joseph kabila of the democratic republic of congo you were due to step down in twenty six the elections were due to be held then they been postponed ever since first please explain what's going on in two thousand and sixteen. election indeed it was supposed to take. the month of november or december. unfortunately due to.

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

i'm rebecca races thanks for joining us we start in the democratic republic of congo where voters cast their ballots for a new president with strongman joseph come below stepping down the deal say it could soon have its first peaceful transition of power but the election was plagued with problems facing voter lists and and ballots. broken machines hours after polling stations were supposed to close many remained open with long lines of people waiting their turn to vote in other areas officials were already counting votes reports say four people were killed in election violence at one polling station in the country's east some twenty one candidates are running for the president say. they waited for two years to cost their vote what difference will a few more hours in the pouring rain make. after eighteen years of the same man in charge of voters in kinshasa wages eagerly for that chance to select a new president. they have a choice between three main candidates two from the opposition and a former interior minister favored by outgoing president joseph kabila. the election means to me th

malcolm webb al-jazeera kinshasa in the democratic republic of congo. the u.s. president has blamed the democratic party for the death of to quote a modern children in u.s. custody this month eight year old philippe gomez along is own seven year old jacqueline col mckeon both died after being detained by border authorities donald trump criticize what he called the pathetic immigration policies of the democrats saying the flow of asylum seekers north from central america would stop of his proposed border wall gets the green light russia has rejected calls by the leaders of france and germany to release ukrainian sailors captured near crimea last month twenty four members of the crimean navy were detained after russian forces opened fire on them in the coach strait which links the black sea with the eyes of sea ukraine insist the sailors must be treated as prisoners of war meaning they won't stand trial but the kremlin says they'll be tried for border violation offenses well they've been violent protests in the french city of no one says so-called yellow vest demon

also coming up voting is underway in the democratic republic of congo with reports of long lines and delays as the country chooses a new president for the first time in nearly two decades. and we take a look back at a dreadful dear for germany's football team a shock early world cup exit the loop clinging to his job will twenty nineteen bring good news for the team. i'm calling last month thanks for joining us polls are now closed in bangladesh in the country's parliamentary election but authorities say they're investigating nationwide allegations of vote rigging and as a result several opposition candidates say they're pulling out of the vote it was also marred by deadly violence despite a heavy security presence we're expecting first projections soon but the outcome is largely seen as a foregone conclusion prime minister shake us ina is expected to be returned to power. it's an election that's been tainted by violence and vote rigging allegations turnout was low and security was high authorities limited internet access claiming rumors could spread unrest rights groups have spoken o

web al-jazeera kinshasa the democratic republic of congo. joins us now live from the capital kinshasa so katherine bring us up to speed on what's been happening there are people still waiting to vote. yes they are housed but let me just fast give you some information that we're getting from an area called zero south cuba and democratic republic of congo right at the border with uganda so some people have been killed in a polling station so this is what happened there was an election commission official who was helping people use this electronic voting machines some suspected that he was made misleading the elderly and other voters who could not use the machine process the wrap said of.

presidential election, candidates fail to agree over how to avoid polling day violence in the democratic republicf congo. with more than 200 people arriving in the past two months, the uk government defends it's handling of the increase in migrants crossing the channel. after the christmas chaos at gatwick, sussex police say some of the drones seen over the british airport may have belonged to their own force. the actress damejune whitfield, best known for her roles in the british sitcoms terry and june and absolutely fabulous, has died at the age of 93. yemen's houthi rebels say they have begun to withdraw from the key stretegic port of hodeidah as part of a ceasefire to allow in urgently needed food aid. the houthis control most districts of hodeidah, including the port, through which most food and humanitarian aid enters yemen. a un team arrived in the city last week to oversee the ceasefire. here's our arab affairs editor sebastian usher with more. it isa it is a small sign of hope in yemen. the apparent implementation of the first stage of a hard—won deal on hodeida, agreed to let un sponsor

and tensions rise in the democratic republic of congo ahead of sunday's delayed presidential election opposition candidates call for a general strike after authorities pushed back voting even further in one of their key strongholds. hello i'm terry martin good to have you with us thailand is preparing to see in the new year with a groundbreaking change to its laws on same sex relationships under legislation set to be approved early next year it could become the first asian country to legalize same sex unions that would be a big step forward for the country's gay community but some say the law does. go far enough in meeting their demand for sexual equality with heterosexual couples. that these two want to be in perfect union not only in a workout routine. and. more than just training bodies to pay for their love twelve years ago and they've been together ever since. three times a week they start their day with a workout i say it helps their bodies and their relationships stay in shape. i mean my partner. on the go all the time working. i could be only time that we actually get to spend

supporters of opposition parties in the democratic republic of congo say voting must go ahead as planned commission has postponed the presidential election and three known opposition strongholds until march and says that's because of fears of violence and in poland. to ousted egyptian president have appeared in the same courtroom hosni mubarak has testified in the retrial of egypt's first democratically elected leader mohamed morsi over a jailbreak during the revolution that toppled mubarak seven years ago and a whole has more. egypt's revolution may seem like a long time ago but its consequences are still unfolding. and man who wanted the whole ability the information i'm requested to provide here is related to the trial and what happened before it such information was delivered to me because i was the president and supreme leader of the military forces in a car oh courtroom an extraordinary scene two former presidents adversaries in the events of early two thousand and eleven now appearing on opposite sides of the law the long time ruler hosni mubarak many called him a military dictato

and people in the democratic republic of congo await the outcome of sunday's netball presidential election as the ballots are counted tensions remain high following allegations of widespread voting irregularities. i'm christine one go welcome to the program. people in new zealand are ringing in the new year these are live pictures from oakland the first major city in the world to welcome twenty nine thousand. i. thought. i'd next to welcome the new year is new zealand's neighbor all straight we'll be bringing you pictures from sydney and new year's updates from around the globe as people say goodbye sweet eighteen and hello twenty ninety. abunimah dishes prime minister shake has seen a has secured a third term in office ofter a landslide victory in the country's divisive national elections the electoral commission says the scene this coalition won two hundred eighty eight out of three hundred seats in parliament but opposition members have rejected the results as richt amid widespread allegations of voting irregularities. to some she's a humanitarian to others she's an autocrat shaikh hasi

the democratic republic of congo elect a successor for joseph kabila on sunday, as the government bans campaigning in the capital. courtoming up, a japanese rejects a request by prosecutors to extend a detention, paving the way for his possible release. more on that in business news. ♪ thank you for watching live from paris. it has been dubbed the big amble. donald trump ordered withdrawal of over 2000 u.s. troops in syria, while declaring victory over the islamic state group. critics have cited several concerns, including a revival of the militants. on syrianree turn policy as trump announced plans to withdraraw troops from the coununtry. have been president for almost two years and we have stepped it up. against isis. we have beaten them and beaten them badly. we have taken back the land. it is time for our troops to come home. >> the decision will affect about 2000 troops mostly supporting the syrian democratic forces, an alliance of kurdish and allied fighters. his tweet contradicts the military department, which wants to ensure the islamic state group does not rebuild. as recently

is preparing to leave the region also coming up tensions rise in the democratic republic of congo ahead of sunday's delayed presidential election opposition candidate school for a general strike off storage was suspended voted to end some of the a key strongholds. and the indonesians struggle to get back to daily life evolved in last weekend's devastating tsunami we meet the fisherman abuse program has gone and so does the tourist who used to find his carriage. and. i'm going to home free glad you could join me another twist in the syrian civil war as government forces office a port to the codes at their request now the deployment of the syrian army to the town of mt man the beach comes ahead of a threatened turkish assault there and while russia welcomes the move and turkey decries it ankara is sending its defense of foreign ministers to moscow for talks on the shifting situation following the announced u.s. withdrawal of its troops from the region. u.s. forces still patrol the flashpoint town of men beach but after last week's white house announcement it's not clear for how long. what

web al-jazeera concern in the democratic republic of congo. hundreds of people have protested in lebanon's capital and anger at the political stalemate and western economy there was some violence in beirut as riot police tried to stop the protesters from reaching government buildings the demonstrators are calling for lower food prices and tax cuts as well as free medical care they also want a new unity government to be formed seven months on from the general election apostle u.s. government shutdown is likely to stretch into the new year after democrats refused to back funding of over five billion dollars the president trumps border war with mexico the political stalemates means numerous government departments no longer have any funding around eight hundred thousand federal workers have been left unpaid over the christmas holiday senate approval is needed for any deal to break the deadlock that's been adjourned. mexico's new president is facing a backlash for delivering on a campaign promise some workers have launched a legal challenge after.

voters in the democratic republic of congo are casting ballots for a new president for the first time in nearly two decades the winner will take over from strongman joseph kabila who's been in power for eighteen years there's been long long lines in reports of glitches of polling stations but for the most part voters are simply happy to finally have their say. they waited for two years to cast their vote what difference will a few more hours in the pouring rain make. after eighteen years of the same man in charge voters in kinshasa waited eagerly for their chance to select a new president they have a choice between three main candidates two from the opposition and a former interior minister favored by outgoing president joseph kabila. but if you give me a city going to i feel liberated and happy we completed my civic duty to deal with and have just voted in a historic election for nor would be to refuse to it's. historic indeed the democratic republic of congo has never experienced a peaceful transition of power since gaining independence from belgium in one nine hundred sixty many ar

the democratic republic of congo's the election is already two years a vigil. and the electoral commission has announced the second postponement in a week in three areas this election will do that the elections the beni pretend to be initially planned for december thirtieth a new program from march twenty ninth and will be subject to a specific calender. the electoral commission said the three areas would have delayed parliamentary polls and provincial elections in march that means that we can think excluded from the presidential poll that's meant to happen on sunday the electoral commission said the reason was conflicts and then a polar outbreak all three areas a key opposition strongholds. and this is one of the reasons why hundreds of civilians have been killed in a series of massacres around the town of benny in the last four years it's not clear who is behind them the government blames a rebel group called the a.t.f. . or outbreak started in august and spread to the area around benny more than three hundred people have died. campaign rallies were allowed t

protesters clash with police in the east of the democratic republic of congo, as the election is postponedgain in parts of the country. the outgoing president tells the bbc the delay is because of an ebola outbreak. on the day that people were supposed to vote we do not want this academic spreading like wildfire. —— epidemic. as rescuers race to save 15 miners trapped in north east india, we report on the deadly conditions in the country's illegal mines. hello and welcome to bbc news. the us senate and house of representatives have adjourned without taking steps to resolve a damaging shutdown of parts of the government which is now into its sixth day. both chambers convened for only a few minutes. this is what was said in thursday's session in the senate. in my capacity as a senator from kansas if there is no further business before the senate i ask that it stand adjourned. the senate stands adjourned until 10am on monday, december 31. at the heart of the disagreement is the $5 billion which donald trump wants to be added to the federal budget, to pay for a wall along the us border with me

web al-jazeera kinshasa a democratic republic of congo. all right still ahead here on al-jazeera uncovering isos grim legacy another mass grave is found in northern iraq. the u.s. state of california takes the lead with tough anti gun laws and you get tougher and then you get. however we're seeing some really heavy rain stormy weather across southern parts of the u.s. more of that where where that came from asked a lot of clout being pumped up from the gulf of mexico lighting over towards the eastern seaboard mother little area a cloud that's just spilling its way out of the rockies nat'l sink further southwards and east was fair bit of snow there into colorado into new mexico into i was i'd rather for colder states have the desert southwest fair bit of snow to up towards miss year ie illinois indiana and some really heavy rain arkansas for example pushing down towards that eastern side of texas louisiana big downpours coming in here we are allowed to see some flood in new york not so bad so you make our way into where new year's eve we se

malcolm webb al-jazeera kinshasa in the democratic republic of congo. so i had hair and al-jazeera security stepped up ahead of bangladesh's general election campaign mobbed by violence. and israel's prime minister travels to south america to find a new ally. i once again while our tropical depression has made an impact zone in the philippines huge massive cloud now pushing across those central areas likely known as a man this but title that for a rightful title twenty four hours six hundred and twenty millimeters of freight coming down here this is what it looks like when you see that kind of amount of rainfall that has been widespread flooding into central air was a system is now making its way further west was but still quite a legacy of showers coming through that sunday's pichot go on into monday less wait yes but the shadow is still never too far away so painful weather where that came from eventually it will dive its way down towards the gap between borneo and the southern parts of the some more heavy showers that system may well intensify in the

also marred the coach just find a heavy security also coming up a historic election in the democratic republic of congo with reports of long lines and delays as the country chooses a new president for the first time in nearly as you decades. i'm called aspen thanks for joining us. votes are being counted and bangladesh's parliamentary election authorities say they're investigating allegations of vote rigging from around the country and as a result several opposition candidates have for jetted the results and the party is calling for a fresh election was also marred by deadly violence despite a heavy security presence the first projections are coming in and it looks as if prime minister shaikh sina overturned to power in a landslide where. it was an election tainted by violence and vote rigging allegations head of the poll authorities limited internet access claiming rumors could spread unrest they also banned motorcycles a common form of transportation one independent news stations and they were taken off air dozens of opposition candidates have now withdrawn from the race at polling stations

also coming out tensions rise in the democratic republic of congo ahead of sunday's delayed presidential elections opposition candidates called for a general strike after authorities pushed back voting even further in one of their key strongholds. plus a look back at one of our hardest hitting stories of twenty eighteen we meet the egyptian woman confounding stereotypes and fighting for respect in the boxing ring . hello i'm terry martin good to have you with us thailand is preparing to see in the new year with a groundbreaking change to its laws on same sex relationships under legislation set to be approved early in two thousand and nineteen it could become the first asian country to legalize same sex unions that would be a big step forward for. the country's gay community but some say the law does not go far enough in meeting their demand for equality with heterosexual couples. these two want to be in perfect union and not only in a workout routine would emerge into chinda. more than just training bodies the pair fell in love twelve years ago and have been together ever since. three ti

and tensions rise in the democratic republic of congo ahead of sunday's delayed presidential election opposition candidate school for a general strike called off forty suspended voting in some of their key strongholds . i'm at home free thanks for joining me the syrian army says it has entered the kurdish held town of man turkey house threatened and offensive now the flashpoint town in northern syria has been on the kurdish control since they captured it from the so-called islamic state in twenty. sixteen when turkish backed syrian rebel forces started gathering new man bed earlier this week the kurdish y p g militia there damascus to intervene turkey views the wife e.g. as terrorists him has threatened to attack the town. when earlier we spoke to our correspondent in beirut about the presence of the syrian army in man bitch but it's very clear the syrian soldiers are on the ground right now they're poised at a city and flag it is not yet nor how many of them are there yet but it's also to a certain extent it's relevant because on this side of the border which is in syria the two majo

opposition candidates in the democratic republic of congo have refused to sign a peace pact as the country prepares to vote in sunday's divisive and long delayed presidential election the pledge was aimed at diverting post-election violence after weeks of political unrest head of the vote to choose a successor to president joseph kabila. opposition parties are accusing the congolese government of grave human rights abuse welcome what has more. mangas told us how her brother rossi was killed it was earlier this year he was at a protest calling for the already read you elections please stop the march that's normal here on the streets of kinshasa the capital of the democratic republic of congo and rossi was shot he died in hospital after all that. but marie says his ideas live on. we will not shut up because it's our country they have guns and they can kill but he said they can kill all eighty million of us they can even kill me but can they kill all congolese. reraise neighborhood clean most people of four and it's a similar story throughout most of hungary meanwhile on the home full of peop

want to zero kinshasa or the democratic republic of congo. so he joins us now live from the capital kinshasa so katherine bring us up to speed on what's been happening there are people still waiting to vote. yes they are housed but let me just give you some information that we're getting from an area called zero south cuba and democratic republic of congo right at the border with uganda so some people have been killed in a polling station so this is what happened there was a lection commission official who was helping people use this electronic voting machine some suspected that he was leading the elderly and other voters who could not use the machine process the wrap said police outside of fired live or let one. of both was in the queue the process hand on the police and they to mop till he died as well now coming back to can shock. in one of the. opposition areas it's been very tense all day with a lot of problems including some polling stations where there were no voices raised voices registers in this in this polling station the gate is s

and the polls are still open in the democratic republic of congo for a presidential election that could result in a historic transfer of power after nearly two decades of the strong man who. must meet take a look back at the dreadful year for germany's football team a shock early world cup exit but koshi will conclude clinging to his job for the twenty nineteen brings some good news for the team. i'm calling aspen thanks for joining us we start in bangladesh where early returns in the country's parliamentary election show prime minister sheikh hasina racing towards a landslide win but the opposition is calling foul dozens of candidates have pulled out of their racism allegations of vote tampering and intimidation and the leader of the opposition alliance has rejected the results islands has also marred the voting. it's an election that has been tainted by violence and vote rigging allegations. the head of the paul authorities limited internet access claiming online rumors could spread on rest. they also restricted the use of motor vehicles as a security precaution. about one hundred fou

lucy: let's hear from the outgoing president of the democratic republic of congo, joph kabila. he took power in 2001 after the assassination of his father. he has twice been elected president, in 2006 a1, but elections to replace him to be held in 2016 we delayed until now. he has been speaking from bbc aafrica in kinsh and began by explaining why the poll was delayed in some areas. pres. kabila: the idea was that ebola is an epidemic which we have been managing to control two months after it was declared. this time around, it takes much longer than that. and as we speak right now it is still spreadin so we have to contend hose two major issues. of course, the choice is to save asany lives as possible. reporter: with all that has happened, do you have faith in the electoracommission to deliver a free and fair election? pres. kabila: thelectoral commission is an independent commission. an independent electoral commission. we still have faith in the sicomm, and at the end of this year, elections will be organized. porter: but with 1.2 million voters being delayed in those j areas

tensions in the democratic republic of congo after the government postponed the presidential election by one week after a fire destroyed voting materials. the opposition coined the move unacceptptable. drones buzz the tarmac of gatwick airport and bring flights to a standstill and stranding passengers in the lead up to christmas. jim mattis resigned, saying his views were no longer in line with president trump's. have a right to a secrcretary of denense whose vis are better aligned with yours, adding allies needed to be treated with more respect. there are reports trump has decided to pull out a significant number of american troops from afghanistan. >> after trump's decision to withdraw support from syria, another partner. jim mattis submitted his resignation, citing policy disagreements. in an orderdvance that is conducive to our values and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances. you have a right to have a secretary of defense whose views are more in line with you. >> he previously warned an early withdrawal would be a strategic blunder. praised theve

and the polls are closing in the democratic republic of congo for a presidential election that could result in a historic transfer of power after nearly two decades of strongman rule. monday. night. plus wrapping for democracy in thailand we look back at one of our favorite the words of the past year. i'm calling to ask then thanks for joining us we start in bangladesh where prime minister sheikh is racing towards a landslide win in the country's parliamentary election but the opposition is calling foul dozens of opposition candidates hold out of the races amid allegations of vote tampering and intimidation and the leader of the opposition alliance has rejected the results violence has also marred the voting. it's an election that has been tainted by violence and vote rigging allegations ahead of the. authorities limited internet access claiming online rumors could spread on rest. they also restricted the use of motor vehicles as a security precaution. about one hundred four million people were eligible to cast a ballot but the process didn't go smoothly for everyone. but i wasn't al

there's been more unrest in eastern democratic republic of congo over the exclusion of three areas from sunday's election two people were killed during a workers' strike in the city of beni on friday and police fired tear gas to disperse opposition supporters in goma one presidential candidate has filed a case of the supreme court seeking to reverse the election commission's decision to delay voting until march catherine sawyer has more from kinshasa. preparations for the election are still going on the electoral commission saying they think the stand for. but the country is going to go to the full eighty will get. even today with the materials being to get to different polling stations across the country this is a logistical nightmare in a country that has very poor infrastructure and it's the rainy season as well and it's compounded by the fact that people do not trust the electoral. electoral process at all spoken to many of them say they do not trust the election commission they feel that this election is not going to be credible one presidential candidate or. filed a petition a wee

the democratic republic of congo is finally heading to the polls off the road to yet delay it will be announced the winner of the already controversial presidential election join us for special coverage of the aussies election on al-jazeera. we understand the differences. and the similarities of cultures across the world so no matter how you take it al-jazeera will bring you the news and current affairs that. al-jazeera until now the coverage of latin america and most of the world was a cover included todd's tragedies. and that was it but not sure how capable feel how they look how they think and that's what we do we go anyway five and a half months of demanding it the fornication system that was introduced. in latin america as europe has come to fill a void that needed to be filled. zero . zero zero am fully back to go this is a news hour live for my headquarters in doha coming up in the next sixty minutes another voting delay throws new dollars over elections in the democratic republic of congo. doctors joined protests against the dons president has denounced the movement against hi

in the democratic republic of congo awaits the outcome of sunday's not presidential election of votes of being counted in tensions a high following allegations of widespread voting to make and. i forgot a welcome to the program. australia is ringing in the new year these live pictures from sydney's a famous a fireworks display at the opera house and they harbor and estimated one of the half million spectators are currently down on the waterfront. japan will welcome the arrival of twenty nineteen in two hours away we'll bring you those pictures up by tokyo and new year's updates from around the globe as the world says goodbye to twenty eight and hello. bangladesh's prime minister has been declared the winner of sunday's national elections the electoral commission says the shaikh has seen its alliance won two hundred eighty eight out of three hundred parliamentary seats but a victory has been overshadowed by allegations of vote rigging the opposition members demanding fresh elections. to some she's a humanitarian to others she's an autocrat shaikh has seen a daughter of the founder of b

alastair leithead, bbc news, in the democratic republic of the congo., here's olly foster at the bbc sport centre. good evening. there was just the one game in the premier league today but it was the highest scoring so far this season. match of the day has the highlights after the news and sportscene has details of today's scottish premiership match. but if you want the results now, then here they come. tottenham beat everton 6—2 at goodison park despite going 1—0 down. harry kane and son heung—min both scored twice. spurs remain third, six points behind the leaders liverpool. rangers came from behind to beat stjohnstone 2—1 at mcdiarmid park. alfredo morelos scored both their goals, the winner coming in the 88th minute. rangers are one point behind leaders celtic, who they play next weekend. 1a years after their relegation from the premier league, could leeds united be on the way back? exactly halfway through the championship season, they're top of the table, after a thrilling comeback to beat aston villa. here's our sports correspondent andy swiss. tw

simmering discontent democratic republic of congo after some opposition strongholds are excluded from voting in sunday's presidential election. plus a health care meltdown how a shortage of staff and medical equipment is crippling greece's health care system . has visited american troops and germany on his way home from an announce trip to iraq and the u.s. president's stop at ramstein air space air base follows growing criticism of his failure to visit troops deployed overseas i'm staying for about three hours in iraq thanking a group of soldiers and defending his decision to pull out of syria however he didn't need anyone from the iraqi leadership robber and all supports from washington d.c. . president donald trump got a warm welcome from u.s. troops during his brief visit to iraq. we came to our lucia to share our eternal gratitude for everything you do to keep america safe strong and free. accompanied by first lady maloney a trump the president shook hands with service members at an air base one. anderton sixty kilometers from baghdad he posed for selfies and signed autographs in

malcolm webb al-jazeera kinshasa the democratic republic of congo. caffein story joins us live now from a polling station in an opposition stronghold of the capital haven't you been witnessing hell this balance thing going all day in case one of you saying. well so let me just start by saying look this is a situation here polls close but many people still in line a lot of frustration many of them asked to put their names in the voters' list and they're telling us that they cannot find their names but they're also saying that with the stay here until something they're also frustrated because this saying that . has been very very slow. to an election observer who was here said that perhaps part of the reason why this process is slow is because many people don't know how to use these electronic voting machines they taking thinking a while for them to actually understand the machine and then vote some of them taking up to ten minutes in other parts. of the polling stations that we've visited still in this area same story a lot of frustration a lot of han