against haftar in the past.ery critical. the government in libya, the internationally—recognised government in libya, has now declared that haftar is indeed the enemy and needs to be repelled for a democratic libya and indeed for libya to become stable. ahmed sewehli an activist for a democratic libya, speaking to me earlier. now to orion which is trying to cope with some of the worst flooding in decades. a number of towns and villages are urgently being evacuated —— iran emergency services are struggling to cope. at least so many people have lost their lives. one of the worst affected areas is khuzestan province, in the south—west. and now neighbouring iraq has closed one of its border crossings with iran due to the flooding. adam hancock reports. after three weeks of unprecedented rainfall and, with more bad weather forecast, six more towns and cities are being evacuated in the south—west of iran. people living alongside the swollen karkheh river are currently most at risk. and those forced from their homes wi

however, general haftar does have the backing of the uae and egypt.ing has flared near tripoli. fighting is also said to have taken place at the disused airport in tripoli, and it is unclear whether there are any casualties. since 2011 and the fall of colonel gaddafi, libya has experienced violence and division as various groups tried to take control of the oil—rich country. based in tripoli is the national unity government led by prime minister fayez al—sarraj, who has condemned general haftar‘s advance. translation: we have extended our hand in peace, but the attack took place from the forces of haftar, and his declaration of war on our cities and capital, and his declaration of a coup d'etat to the presidential council will be met with strength and power. general haftar and his self—styled libyan national army are based in the eastern city of benghazi. they now control the oilfields. the international community, led by the un and its secretary general, antonio gutierrez, has tried to intervene, but have ultimately failed in stopping the crisis. it

haftar's punching back and was almost going to agree to a deal to allow haftar to take control of theibyan national army to a court the international recognition that has been acquired from the u.n. the past couple of years. that deal went wrong. last month during a visit by the chief of the u.n. when haftar launched an offensive in tripoli two weeks ago. and since then, the fighting has been catastrophic. factions.wo those who believe in creating a civilian backed government, democratic one, adhere to the ideals of the revolution. many of the libyans came around to support and defend against the return of mililitary rule. and you haveve haftar who is, in some way, trying to re-create that ruled that had gone on for 42 years and trying to benend te will of those that exist live in the most densely populated part it is been a very nasty couple of years but this is just one chapter in a very long series of chapters in libya civil war. juan: could you talk about the role of france? france is -- has been babacking haftar. why is france backing him? >> for many states, i mean, many states

so, khalifa haftar has gotten consistent international support, first of all, from egypt.e backing the offensive on counter—terrorism grounds, and the need to preserve stability over libya's oil resources. in addition, he's gotten financial support from the united arab emirates, which is a major investor in eastern libya, which is the predominant base of his territory, and russia has provided him with some covert support. so, in the united nations, they blocked a resolution that would have labelled him as a unilateral aggressor in the conflict, and they've also deployed private military contractors to libya in order to shore up his military position, and haftar visited moscow last year, perhaps asking for more military assistance. france has been — not backing him with material resources, but they've been in the european union having the same role as russia, blocking criticism of his government and his move towards tripoli. saudi arabia too, has been engaging as well. so, i would say those five powers. egypt, uk, russia materially, and france and saudi arabia diplomaticall

is egypt the biggest supporter of haftar? reporter: egypt is a strong supporter of haftar.here's also the united arab emirates backing him in the past few years with money and military equipment. there are also european supporters of haftar like france. they want haftar to come to an agreement with the u.n. backed government. there should be elections. there should have been elections in 20 already but it didn't work out. now they are trying to hold elections again in 2019. after these developments in the last few days, this scenario of brokering a peace deal and holding elections is becoming more and more improbable. brent: listening to what you say, it sounds like the international community has little kate -- little credibility and little chance of i guess restoring the state in libya. reporter: i think most of the states, neighboring states and european states, are trying to keep away from libya. they are seeing the intervention in 2011 and since then, thihis country is still unstable. there were -- they were heavily criticized for intervening and toppling the regime of

khalifa haftar's forces are fighting who?he recognized government, which is recognized by the united states. it is supported by the united states. -- those whohand are being bombarded by khalifa haftar's on the outskirts of tripoli, the unrecognized government forces. big part of them are from the city that defeated isil in 2016. many people here are wondering if president trump, is his judgment with khalifa haftar is built on credible information on the ground? they doubt that. is fighting forces from the unrecognized government. he has been killing innocent civilians. he is now losing ground and momentum. mary ann: thank you for joining us. for more on this story, we speak to the former secretary-general for political affairs at the united nations. he joins us live from washington. thank you for the time. the white house has revealed that this conversation has taken place between u.s. president donald trump and khalifa after -- khalifa haftar are we entering a more dangerous phase in the libyan conflict to receive this kind

general haftar launched his offensive on thursday.rmali has more there've been heavy clashes on the way towards tripoli with forces supporting the internationally recognised government. they are on the move with a purpose, to stop general khalifa haftar and his self—styled libyan national army from taking tripoli, home to the government who they are fighting for. these troops have come from misurata, a city still loyal to the internationally recognised administration, and the foreign loyalists are not at all happy with the administration. translation: i believe that the people of libya have had enough of the violence, which has been going on for several years. they want us to find a political way forward. the proof of this is the great number of libyans who are registered to vote. they want the political process to win out over military rivalries, and it is important for the international community to support this approach. however, general haftar does have the backing of the uae and egypt. fresh fighting has flared near tripoli. figh

well, general haftar first announced a coup back in february 2014 on television.ed, he did not succeed. he went east, he secured foreign sponsors and foreign money, counterfeits dinars from russia. he used it to build patronage networks and cobbled together what he calls libya's national army. it had important successes in fighting terrorism, it also engaged in military rule in several cities. he wants to run libya the way colonel gadhafi did, with a mix of conquest and propaganda. that is what he is trying to do. in november 2016 as military advisor and two sons told me he would capture tripoli by december 2016. he has been working to do that now four years. now he has decided to make his move. he is letting loose the dogs of war and a lot of people are going to die as a result. how serious do you think his chances are of overall success? well, it is one thing to take libya, it is another thing to hold it. this is a country of fiercely independent people. they don't want foreigners telling them what to do and they don't even want other libyans telling them what t

he had been meeting khalifa haftar in the city of benghazi, in an attempt to avoid what he called a bloodyonfrontation. but general haftar reportedly told him that his advance on the capital city of tripoli, where the internationally—recognised government is based, would continue until — he said — "terrorism had been defeated." i still hope it will be possible to avoid a bloodied confrontation in and around tripoli. whatever happens, the un will remain committed, and i will remain committed, and i will remain committed, to support the libyan people. libyans committed, to support the libyan people. libya ns deserve committed, to support the libyan people. libyans deserve peace, security, prosperity and the respect of their human rights.

condemned the advance of general khalifa haftar.k which took place from the forces of khalifa haftar and his declaration of waron our khalifa haftar and his declaration of war on our city and capital and his declaration of a coup d'etat, will be met with strength and power. general khalifa haftar and his self—styled libyan national army are based in the eastern city of benghazi. they now control the oil fields. the international community led by the - secretary—general has antonioni antonio gutierrez, has tried to intervene but ultimately failed in stopping the current crisis. it insists that a conference and possible new elections will still go ahead. however, un troops puzzle have been placed on high alert. palestinians have reacted with fury to a threat from the israeli prime minister to annex settlements. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said he will annex jewish settlements in the occupied west bank if he is re—elected. israelis go to the polls on tuesday and mr netanyahu is competing for votes with right—wing part

should general haftar succeed in taking libya? department have made clear that they support a peaceful resolution of this conflict, and an end to the aggression, the attack on tripoli, by general haftar. a withdrawal, and political talks. i do not know what the president conveyed to general haftar, besides the statement about a shared vision for a democratic and sta ble a shared vision for a democratic and stable libya. i am hoping this devolves into talks quickly and the complex stops. we have already seen a couple of hundred libyans die over the last few weeks of the current conflict. i would like to see a stop to the bloodletting, and give libya a chance of working out its problems through talks rather than through wall. i am interested to find out your thoughts about general have to himself. —— general haftar. but his attentions are, what his leadership might be like. you know him? he was quite clear. he views libya is not ready for democracy. he told me that all the politicians in the country we re all the politicians in the

among the crowd, a woman born and bred in leeds, now living in tripoli. >> haftar is a war cl.is the spitting image of muammar gaddafi. he says he is going to free tripoli. and that everything is going to be fine and it is going to be safe. he is just going to be muammar gaddafi. orla: do you feel disappointed by the british government? >> i think theresa may is more concerned with brexit than anything in the world at the moment. if brexit was in the air, maybe. -- was in here, maybe. orla: many here feel abandoned by the international community, but insisted they will stand together against the. >> i would like to say two words to haftar -- these men here, we will break you! there is no way you will take tripoli! there is no way! there is no way! he will never take it while we're alive! freedom! freedom! orla: the general presen himself as the face of stability here, the man to crush islam extremists. many libyans don't buy it, but he has support from regional powers.he on ttreet, protesters fear he could lead the fragile country to all-out war and damage any hope of democracy

he accuses the rebel leader khalifa haftar of betraying him.es of the fighting have emerged, but these are pictures of pro—government forces in misrata. they appear to be deploying pick—up trucks with heavy weaponry mounted on the back. so far, misrata remains under their control. let's take a look now at how the rebels, led by khalifa haftar, are trying to over—run the capital — with jalel harchaoui — from the think—tank — the clingendael institute. it is not who won the war today. there are several areas of skirmishes. it seems that marshal haftar is approaching the capital from various access points, including one directly from the south which seems to be the most promising right now. he has had some troubles on the west, but it seems that he is concentrating more and more resources on this task of attempting to take the capital and is creating this goal, and personally, ithink he might succeed. how do you rate his chances of success how do you rate his chances of success in taking tripoli?” how do you rate his chances of success in taking t

i would like to say two words to haftar. haftar, these men here, we will break you!ke tripoli. ! there is no way! he will never take it while we are alive! freedom! the general presents himself as the face of stability here. the man to crush islamic extremists. many libyans don't crush islamic extremists. many libya ns don't buy crush islamic extremists. many libyans don't buy it but he has support from regional powers. on the streets, protesters fear he could lead to theirfragile streets, protesters fear he could lead to their fragile country to all—out war and damage any hope of democracy. orla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. conservative grassroots campaigners have signalled their dissatisfaction with the prime minister, as mps prepare to return to westminster after the easter break. more than 70 local chairmen, angry at the government's handling of brexit, have called for an extraordinary general meeting to discuss theresa may's leadership. our political correspondent ben wright is in westminster tonight. you and i haven't used the word brexit for about a week. i don'

i think the real question is what did they do if general haftar comes in and you provoke a war which on fortunately he probably would win what if what then and you know you go back to the fact this was a nato operation but they walked away too quickly i mean it's comparatively easy as the united states has found out to overthrow a government the real problem is to stay until you can get a stable government after that and i think hopefully that's the lesson that they learned it would be great if the un mediator can you know broker a ceasefire but the fact of the matter is you've got to back up your words when some threat of auction united states house of representatives has approved a resolution to end all u.s. involvement in the saudi u.a.e. led war in yemen thursday's vote marks the first time both chambers of congress have supported the war powers resolution that there will not which president don't trump you announced last month that he plans to veto it she have a tendency has more now from capitol hill. the passing of this resolution both in the house and the senate is significan

currently forces from the self—styled libyan national army under general haftar are advancing on theovernment in the capital. ramzan karmali reports. he was meant to find a solution to an escalating problem, but the un secretary general‘s mission to tripoli appears to have failed for now. the united nations remain available to facilitate any political solution able to unify the libyan institutions. libyans deserve peace, security, prosperity and the respect of the human rights. he was therefore talks with general khalifa haftar from the salt styled libyan national army, but they broke down. —— self—styled. khalifa haftar‘s trips are under orders to get to tripoli in order to overthrow the internationally recognised government. in fact, there were some reports they had moved further north coming as close as a0 kilometres from tripoli, by taking the village of suq al—khamis. since 2011 and the fall of colonel gadhafi, libya has experienced violence and division, as various groups try to take control of the oil—rich country. based in tripoli is the national unity government, led by the

i would like to say two words to haftar. haftar, these men here, we will break you!ake it while we are alive! freedom! the general presents himself as the face of stability here, the man to crush extremists. many here don't buy it but he has support from regional powers. 0n the streets, protesters fear he could lead the fragile country to all—out war and damage any hope of democracy. 0rla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. researchers in canada have developed a treatment that has restored movement in patients with chronic parkinson's disease. a quarter of patients experience difficulty walking as the disease wears on — often freezing and falling over. but researchers have found electrical stimulation to the spine has enabled some to walk more freely. pallab ghosh reports. this parkinson's patient was barely able to walk for several years. now take a look at the same man a few months later. he's had an electrical implant fitted to the back of his spine. walking involves the brain sending instructions to the legs. the researchers believe that parkinson's disease reduces the si

haftar has support from egypt. they said they would back them and preserve stability.rom the united arab emirates, which is the predominant base of his territory, and russia has provided him with some support. in the un, they block the —— resolution for the conflict and deploy private military contract does to libya. after i visited moscow last year, they asked him for more military assistance. france has not backed him, but they have had the same role as russia, blocking criticism of his government. saudi arabia has engaged as well. we have those five hours. -- five powers. what is confusing about this is there is a un backed government separate to general haftar in libya. is the international community no longer supporting this government thatis longer supporting this government that is fighting the general this point? the accord which was established in libya has been losing territory over the past year, has lost control over lots of libya's oil reserves and is shrinking. it still needs the staunch support of the overwhelming countries in the un, but in practice, it

haftar was close to caddell fee. he was a military commander way back.ent into exile. he came backin work, he went into exile. he came back in 2011 as the revolution was under way. he was one of the lives of the military in that revolution. he became the commander of the military under the previously internationally recognised governments, which was forced out to the east, and is now seen as a rival governments to the one that the un, the national unity government put in place. he took benghazi under the banner of driving the jihadists, the images miss —— islamists out. he has taken the south. it is strategically located. he is in the moments controlled... he is a very powerful figure. he has been spoken as a strong man, as a warlord, and he has some backers from the outside, notably the united arab emirates, egypt, russia, the russia today is saying it is absolutely against any military solution to what is going on. and he has been seen as a serious figure, someone who needs to be included in however this chaos in libya is sorted out stuff i think the s

we were talking about libya, they all agreed to send haftar the message, don't do this.negotiations, find ways of compromising, ways to create inclusion. libya needs to be one country, one government, that is inclusive, in which every group in the country has a stake in libya's future and libya's wealth. that is what needs to happen. conflict will not end well. as far as i can tell from what you are saying, you are absolutely convinced that conflict will happen before anything else? some conflict will happen. so far libya has not been syria. libya has not looked like syria, we have not seen millions of refugees, we have not seen massive bloodshed. i am concerned about both, i am concerned about resurgence in terrorism as people go underground to fight general haftar. he is putting everything at risk. and it is very dangerous. when i was in myjob i talked to governments throughout the region, including some of the governments that have provided him with support, and they agreed it would be reckless, dangerous and destructive, including self—destructive, for him to try to

you interviewed general haftar in 2014. forces tried to ta ke believe, as he and his forces tried to take tripoli? i think he's underestimated the opposition that he's encountered. much of his appeal is negotiated. he negotiates pacts and alliances with local militias, local tribes, often through cash, and he's got a very skilful propaganda apparatus. this move into tripoli was a huge gamble. in the past, in the east, he's relied on air power, in the western part of libya his lines of supply are stretched, so his lines of supply are stretched, soi his lines of supply are stretched, so i think we are really seeing the wea knesses so i think we are really seeing the weaknesses of his forces become apparent. if he were to succeed, what impact would it have on wide olivia? -- wider libya? he's a person who rejects political opposition. he is stated very clearly in the past he's not ready for democracy. he's talked about or even worse, killing off his political opponents, including islamists, so this style of authoritarian rule

ters here are telling us that the nearest of general haftar's men are less than a mile away. men are fighting for the internationally recognized government. aey tell us it is not jus battle for control of tripoli, it is a fight for the future of libya. a short distance away, a sea of flags and a chorus of protest. among the crowd, a woman born and bred in leeds, now l tripoli. >> haftar is a war criminal. he is the spitting image of ammar gaddafi. he says he is going to free tripoli. and that everything is going to befine and it is going to safe he is just going to be another muammar gaddafi. orla: do y feel disappointed by the british government? >> i think theresa may is more concerned with brexit than anything in the world at the moment. if brexit was in the air, maybe. -- was in here, maybe. orla: many here feel abandoned by the international community, but sisted they will stand together against the enemy. >> i would like to say two words to haftar -- these men here, we will bre you! there is no way you will take tripoli! there is no way! there is no way! he will never t

the un security council has urged the libyan warlord khalifa haftar to hold his advance.pretty mild weekend across most parts of the uk, but, as i'll show you in a moment, sunshine amounts will vary. now, the last few days have been characterised by heavy downpours, areas of cloud circulating around an area of low pressure, but as we start the weekend, that low is retreating southwards, taking a lot of the rain with it and leaving us with easterly winds. where you are exposed to that easterly wind, parts of eastern england, a good part of scotland, we will have cloud and patchy rain at times. the further west you are with some shelter from the easterly wind, that is where we will see the driest of the weather and the best of the sunshine. the rain associated with that low pressure continues to pull away south—westwards through the early part of saturday. more patchy rain pushing into the north—east of scotland. in between some clear spells, most temperatures holding above freezing, but some areas starting with a touch of frost. through the day there will be some spells of

closing in on the libyan capital tripoli to halt their advance but the troops commanded by khalifa haftar a warlord in the east of the country have also suffered some losses inflicted by fighters for the un backed government there are now fears of a renewed civil war in libya which has been riven by violence and division since longtime ruler muammar gaddafi was overthrown in two thousand and eleven. general have toes troops advancing towards the capital tripoli a bold thrust against libya's internationally recognized government commanders of have to self-styled libyan national army say their forces have reached the city limits. of this is great progress it means we're technically inside tripoli we still have a few checkpoints to secure but the battle will be on the outskirts of the city. ranged against have to as brigades forces loyal to the government the struggle for power and control of libya's oil began with the fall of the dictator moammar gadhafi nearly eight years ago and remains unresolved. the united nations in new york is calling for an end to the war mongering the members of th

is signing this statement and they are the country that militarily has been backing general haftar the most so strong statements on the word from diplomats is that they are angry they are somewhat surprised that general have to made his move at a time when the u.n. secretary general was visiting libya they are concerned about the situation and the highlighting the arrogance of this move at this time answered the professor of politics at the university of texas and san antonio he says khalifa have taurus moment to play should not be seen as a surprise. the man has been saying it all the last two years it's a number of people. and he has been building his is trying to do that ultimately has the has he has the the hardware he has the will and it to use us and has communicated to his intentions a long time ago so why his surprise today they're going to they can make as many speeches and deliberation experience but it is a little of both i mean the timing seems to be quite right for him so this is all because he was bypassed together he was not given the important role to play in any of thi

closing in on the libyan capital tripoli to halt their advance but the troops commanded by khalifa haftar a warlord in the east of the country have also suffered some losses inflicted by troops from the un backed government there are now fears of a renewed civil war in libya which has been riven by violence and division since long time ruler moammar gadhafi was overthrown in two thousand and eleven. the road to tripoli. this is general have toes self-styled militia it's substantial and it's moving west in a bid to take the capital. general have to who is now on the move controls the south and the east of the country he set his sights on the libyan capital the united nations' backed government base in tripoli is supported by a range of militias. in order to defend the city militias that support the un backed government deploying their own troops to fend off general have taught us offensive. but half the who ordered his troops to take the capital on thursday is determined by your loved. heroes the time has come. it is time to advance. as you have always done. with a firm step towards tripol

on the capital tripoli raising the prospect of a large scale confrontation field-marshal khalifa haftar gave a speech to his forces which was also posted online. by you a lot of us our heroes the time has come only as your weapons against those who have decided to fight those who have chosen bloodshed but those who lay down their arms must be spared and it is your responsibility to protect the citizens institutions and interests of the capital. of the country has been torn apart by warring factions since the fall of the gadhafi government eight years ago since then two rival governments have emerged one backed by the u.n. and based in tripoli the other in the eastern city of tobruk which is controlled by a highly for hafta his announcement comes days before a u.n. brokered peace conference which is supposed to pave the way for new elections and joint statement has been issued by the u.s. france italy the u.k. and arab emirates they're calling on all sides to avoid military posturing and show restraint and stressed that there is no military solution to the libya conflict or cross live no

rebel cocommander r khala haftar contntinues his offensive to see if the capital, tripoli. time now f for a l look at tod's business news wiwith brianan qu. you are starting in japan, , ere nissssan held its firstt shareholder meeting since the arrest of the former chairman, carlos ghosn, in november. brian: nissan shareheholders hae officiallyly removeded ghosn frm the board d of directors. the newwenault chairman voted onto thehe boardrd as the e coms seek to maintatain their allian. with shares down 10% since the manyy investorsrs arare unhappy with the m managet of the crisis. reporter: nissan has cut i final ties to carlos ghosn. in the firsteneral meeeeting since his november arrest, company shshareholders are votig to remove the former chairman from the b board of directctors, with ghosn facing accusations of financncial misconduct spendndig years. the ceo apolologized forhe scandadal. >> we e have experienced unprecedented executive misconductct. given the longng history of thts , , it is very hard to comome to a result. reporter: many shareholders exexpressed anger

allied troops loyal to libyan war khalifa haftar are edging closer to the capital and that's drawn a response from forces supporting the un back up they've been deployed to defend tripoli as have to our vows in his words to liberate the city here's how close have tossed troops are there within seventy kilometers of tripoli right now after taking control of the town of kerry at the u.n. security council has called an emergency meeting for friday but it is uncertain how it can stop what may turn out to be a major confrontation with underwear had reports a display of military strength from fighters loyal to the world lord have turned they've posted this video online which appears to show a large convoy of heavily armored vehicles moving us to or does the capital in an audio message have to the cold in his forces to move on tripoli. our courageous heroes the time has come to advance towards tripoli go forward confidently those who want peace will not be harmed as we don't come as conquerors only use force on those that fire on you those that stay home are safe and those that raise the wh

is signing this statement and they are the country that militarily has been backing general haftar the most so strong statements on the word from diplomats is that they are angry they are somewhat surprised that general haftar made his move at a time when the u.n. secretary general was visiting libya they are concerned about the situation and the highlighting the arrogance of this move at this time more unless it's bring in jason pak on skype from new jersey and the united states he is founder of libya now says thank you so much for your time so what about james bay it's just sad that this particular this move by cliff is can be seen as being arrogant here great with that. well that's a bold statement it's a form of kooky feeder because it's not like this actual fighting going on in the ground now the key thing to understand is after said that he was going to take over the country five years ago he had a fake who in february of twenty fourteen that a quote unquote real coup in may he didn't take over the country for twenty years they fought in the trenches in benghazi and he kept on an

i would like to say two words to haftar. haftar, these men here, we will break you!ipoli. there is no way!! he will never take it while we are alive! freedom! the general presents himself as the face of stability here, the man to crush islamic extremists. many libyans don't buy it but he has support from regional powers. on the streets, protesters fear he could lead their fragile country to all—out war and damage any hope of democracy. orla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. let's return to sharanjit in the sri lankan capital, colombo we have been reporting about this extensively as our top story. sri lanka's easter sunday bombings were the deadliest violence the country has witnessed since the end of its civil war in 2009. but were experts shocked that the attacks happened? i've been speaking to angela mancini from the global risk consultancy control risks. she's an expert on security in emerging markets. i think most people were very surprised by what has happened. as we know, the country had a terrible civil war, but that ended now almost ten yea rs civil war, but that en

haftar clearly believes that there's a military solution to this conflict.li, he doesn't have to negotiate politically. but this is a big gamble, and it's certainly unclear whether it's going to be successful. at the moment, it's in the balance, but it looks like it's unlikely for his forces to succeed. some countries are now acting to protect their nationals. these unverified pictures appear to show the united states evacuating some of its forces by hovercraft. eu foreign ministers will discuss the crisis in brussels tomorrow, but few expect the fighting to end soon. james landale, bbc news. in a week that indians go to the polls, pakistan has warned its neighbour not to launch any new attack, after saying it had reliable intelligence that one was being planned. india has denied the accusation. in the meantime, pakistan says it has released 100 indian prisoners. most of them are fishermen convicted of straying into pakistani waters. ramzan karmali reports. the day has finally come for these fishermen. they are going home. pakistan released 100 indian fisher

i would like to say two words to haftar. haftar, these men here, we will break you!ake tripoli. there is no way!! he will never take it while we are alive! freedom! the general presents himself as the face of stability here, the man to crush extremists. many libyans don't buy it but he has support from regional powers. 0n the streets, protesters fear he could lead their fragile country to all—out war and damage any hope of democracy. 0rla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. let's return to sharanjit in the sri lankan capital, colombo. thanks. sri lanka's easter sunday bombings were the deadliest violence the country has witnessed since the end of its civil war in 2009. joining me now from singapore is nicholas fang, director, security and global affairs at the singapore institute of international affairs joins me now from singapore. just how different were these attacks on sunday from what has happened in sri lanka before?” think there were some interesting new features of this particular attack which surprised many people. historically, the protest violence we have seen in s

is signing this statement and they are the country that militarily has been backing general haftar the most so strong statements on the words from diplomats is that they are angry they are somewhat surprised that general have to made his move at a time when the u.n. secretary general was visiting libya they are concerned about the situation and the highlighting the arrogance of this move at this time just stacy is a former senior official with the u.s. state department he says the international community should have made efforts to engage with after earlier. it seems that at least with regard to the trump administration he has his interests elsewhere he's taken his eye off of this secretary of state pompei who has done the same and you have a country like france that should be doing the right thing on the right side of history has actually been supportive to a degree of hof tar which is extraordinary so the french bear some responsibility in this and then you have the u.a.e. and others egypt and russia in particular that have supported how far have supported the way this day was coming

is signing this statement and they are the country that militarily has been backing general haftar the most so strong statements on the word from diplomats is that they are angry they are somewhat surprised that general haftar made his move at a time when the u.n. secretary general was visiting libya they are concerned about the situation and the highlighting the arrogance of this move at this time and only now from washington d.c. is known as call was a former u.s. assistant secretary of defense who we now know that the u.n. security council is holding a crisis meeting on an emergency meeting on the on the crisis in libya on friday tomorrow giving him in concrete will come out of it to follow up on james bays is lines there about what they're worried about. well i think the real question is what did they do if general have to comes in and you provoke a war which unfortunately he probably would when what what then and you know you go back to the fact this was a nato operation but they walked away too quickly i mean it's comparatively easy as the united states has found out to overthrow

i would like to say two words to haftar. haftar, these men here, we will break you!no way!! he will never take it while we are alive! freedom! the general presents himself as the face of stability here, the man to crush extremists. many libyans don't buy it but he has support from regional powers. 0n the streets, protesters fear he could lead their fragile country to all—out war and damage any hope of democracy. 0rla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. the murder rate in mexico has risen by almost 10% over the first three months of 2019. 8,493 were killed in this period according to official figures. these numbers were released on the same day as mourners gathered at funerals for the thirteen victims from friday's shooting in veracruz state. ramzan karmali reports. they have come to mourn a local baseball coach and his infant son, just two victims in a mass shooting. they were at a family party when the attacker struck. it is left to community shattered. translation:- event of this magnitude cannotjust happen. it concerns us all. we are very upset, sad, destroyed because a ba

more than 200 people have died since general haftar began his attempt to capture tripoli two weeks agohas the story. this is south of tripoli on saturday as forces loyal to the internationally recognised administration tried to push back against general haftar‘s troops. it followed days of fighting in which neither side made significant advances and in which more than 200 people were killed. as the counter—attack was under way, a fighter loyal to the government spoke of their defiance. translation: today, we advance from different axis. the moral of fighters is really good and, god willing, we will advance and reach haftar‘s home. the prime minister, fayez al—sarraj, has condemned the muted international response. russia, egypt and the united arab emirates are all supporting general haftar, who also appeared to receive the backing of donald trump in a phone call earlier this week. many foreign powers think he has the potential to stabilise libya from its post—revolution chaos. some libyan people feel the same, but others think he's just another warlord determined to win power by force.

congratulated khalifa haftar on protecting libyan oil resources now the tripoli government see him as having seized these oil resources rather than protecting them but the fact that president trump specified these particular resources would indicate that this may well have played a role in this sudden decision to express support for the have to forces given as i said this is not been u.s. policy at all it's suddenly just emerging with a singles written statement from the white house while the president's on a golfing holiday very interesting thank you mike hanna in washington d.c. now twenty four hours after the release of the mother report and democrats have issued a subpoena for the full uncensored version as they consider how to move forward reactions come thick and fast from all sides the russian government says there's nothing that warrants its attention president trump the call that the crazy male reporter labeled the whole thing a hoax donald trump is in florida at the moment that's where rob reynolds as well. in west palm beach take us through some of this well it's still with

however, general haftar has the backing of the united arab emirates and egypt.ashes taking place in three suburbs to the south of the city. fighting is also said to have taken place near the disused airport in tripoli. it is unclear if there are any casualties. since 2011 and the fall of colonel gaddafi, libya has experienced violence and division as various groups try to take control of the oil—rich company. —— country. the national unity government in tripoli has condemned the general‘s advance. translation: we have extended our hand to peace but the attack that took place from the forces of the general and his declaration of war and a coup d'etat will be met with strength and power. general haftar and his self—styled libyan national army are based in the eastern city of benghazi, they now control the oil fields. international community led by the un secretary general antonio gutierrez has tried to intervene but ultimately failed. it consists of a planned conference on possible new elections will still go ahead, however un troops too have been placed on high a

is signing this statement and they are the country that militarily has been backing general haftar the most so strong statements and the word from diplomats is that they are angry they are somewhat surprised that general haftar made his move at a time when the u.n. secretary general was visiting libya they are concerned about the situation and the highlighting the arrogance of this move at this time and so are a professor of politics a universe in texas and antonio who joins us from benghazi in libya where he is currently conducting research and thank you for joining us should this have been anticipated. yes the man has been seven years old the last two years you say number one it will be true and he will be believe his is trying to do that ultimately has the as he has the the hardware it has the will and it to use that's called quick and has communicated to his intentions a long time ago so why his surprise so they can make as many speeches into action experience but it is a little bit ago that ok what why is he doing it now what do you make of the timing well you know the president t

tell us just how exactly is supporting general haftar his campaign's take tripoli and why. well first of all of thank you for having me but if you're me on al-jazeera i'll send. it out he was overthrown until the union did on an eleven a number of governments of support a general haftar islam or a national army including egypt or. the air or look it is the air her much una are you know never. france and russia to a certain degree as well as others on the other side people supporting. the government national court which is farms in twenty fourteen twenty fifteen twenty sixty. that support is largely found from cutter and turkey so you have all number of foreign governments involved in those rather chaotic situation will last five years. nothing new to learn egypt has been supporting in general afternoon sounds in now move north towards tripoli. so the only thing i think that's really new yorkers authority is that general have to match what the saudi government the king solomon the end of last month in riyadh and reported he received not all mia. support in terms of moral sup

which has struggled to assert control, or the rebel libyan national army, led by general khalifa haftarnce thursday, it has advanced on the capital, tripoli. our diplomatic correspondent james landale has more. this is a battle fought largely by pick—up truck, makeshift armoured vehicles jamming the routes in and out of tripoli. these belong to militias loyal to the government of national accord, that's backed by the united nations. and they're rushing to defend the capital. a government spokesman insisted they had slowed the advance of rebel forces. translation: on this day, the libyan armed forces declare the launch of the operation, volcano of anger, to purge all libyan cities of aggressor and illegitimate forces.

general haftar's forces today saying they carried out air strikes on the outskirts of tripoli.just one day after the internationally recognized government said it had carried out air strikes as well. this is extremely concerning for residents who are caught in the middle of this fight. we spoke to a local journalist earlier today who had spent time in a red crescent operations room. they were receiving dozens of calls from terrified families saying they needed to be evacuated, that they were pinned down in fighting. some reporting wounded that needed immediate medical attention. the influx of distress calls led the united nations to call for a two-hour temporary truce in those southern districts to allow for the evacuation of civilians. the government of national accord, for its part, said it would abide by that truce, but with so many different militias on the ground, it is difficult to guarantee safety. u.n. talks scheduled. the united nations said it will continue as planned, but it's very difficult to imagine what progress they could make with these two rivals literally poi

libyan capital tripoli to halt their advance the militias commanded by a walled old called khalifa haftar have started to lose men in clashes with fighters for the un backed government libya has been riven by violence and division since i'm dictates of was of its turn into an eleven. general have told troops advancing towards the capital tripoli a bold thrust against libya's internationally recognized government commanders of have told self-styled libyan national army say their forces have reached the city limits. of the this is great progress it means we're technically inside tripoli we still have a few checkpoints to secure but the battle will be on the outskirts of the city. ranged against have tolls brigades forces loyal to the government the struggle for power and control of libya's oil began with the fall of the dictator moammar gadhafi nearly eight years ago and remains unresolved. the g. seven countries which met in france over the weekend are concerned because a lot if we spoke about in particular those responsible for the situation in libya in particular about general khalifa ha