mr trump came after mr modi. argue about the chronologies, in terms of the spirit of a man, let's remember donald trump's phrase, he was going to go to washington and drain the swamp. you are suggesting that for you that is what the last three years have been about. that is only one part of it. a change of the elites. not really a dispossession, but a relative marginalisation of some of those who had hitherto occupied preeminent positions. but that is only one aspect of it. i think what is really important about mr modi is that after 25 years, india got a government with a full majority. that meant a prime minister did not have to look over his shoulder when taking decisions. and mr modi came with a track record of being decisive, of being firm, of having a clear mind of what he wants to do. he is controversial. i would say he is polarising. and that's not necessarily a pejorative term. well, we'll get to the polarising when it comes to some of the sectarian and communal issues in india injust a moment, but i wan

gujarat have seen a modi's home state of gujarat have seena dip modi's home state of gujarat have seenip in his majority. the optimism which brought him to power is beginning to fade. the indian economy is beginning to slow due to de monetisation and the imposition of taxes. we spoke to our top guru and author who thinks the country will regain its glow in 2018.” think india will go back to 80%. india needs to grow between eight or 996 if it india needs to grow between eight or 9% if it wants to enjoy the demographic dividend —— go back to 8%. demographic dividend —— go back to 896. it doesn't help when you see headlines that they are going to try and recapitalise state banks that have been failing for years. 0verlent, and now having to deal with non—performing loans. why are they still propping up unproductive industries? this is where i have fought with their finance minister. personally i think that no country should have 70% of its assets controlled by the public sector. nonetheless, we have seen a series of what many economists globally are calling errors, the move to de monetise,

now, this is a state election but it has been very keenly contested and mr modi himself has been hereies. many believe this is actually going to be a verdict on his popularity and it will be significant looking ahead to the 2019 general elections. for the opposition congress party, which has been losing elections ever since mr modi came to power, this election will be quite significant. the party now has a new president in mr rahul gandhi, heir of the gandhi family, and these may well be the first points he puts in his scorecard. gujarat has been a highly industrialised state of india and has historically had a high rate of growth, but in the run—up to this election, youth have raised the issues of unemployment, poverty and jobless growth, making it a true test for modi's brand of economics, called "modinomics". divya arya, bbc news, ahmedabad, gujarat. the conservative billionaire sebastian pinera has won chile's presidential election, securing his return to power after campaigning on a promise to boost the economy. he secured nearly 55% of the votes, defeating the left—wing senator

it is a personal challenge for both narendra modi and for raul gandhi from there under modi he was the chief minister of the state for thirteen years before he became prime minister and he tatted the governance of the state and what he's done economically in this state as a model for the rest of the country and this is the heart of his campaign to win over india and become prime minister so loss here would be a loss of face for him and also many say would show a lack of confidence in his current policies as for raul gandhi he was just recently in the past few days crowned the leader of the congress party a win here would validate his position here and make him a credit credible opponent for the twenty one thousand elections national elections which many say will pick gandhi against modi on the world stage or in a larger stage no one is more surprised than the b j p themselves that they have such a strong challenge against congress and this came and became particularly apparent last week in the first phase of these elections on december ninth when the turnout among the b.j. peace commit

looks set to retain prime minister narendra modi's home states all over. a challenge from the main opposition party after early push showings the b j p moved ahead in the election which was seen as a test for modi he's been the chief minister of gujarat for three terms and the party has ruled the state for twenty two years and attack is under way the military training center in kabul gunmen stormed a partially constructed building near an intelligence training center in the west of the city explosions and gunfire have been heard but it is believed several attackers are inside the building then a government spokesman says afghan security forces are firing back and reinforcements have been sent witnesses in the area say they can hear the battle. the autobiographical at first a few explosions took place in the area and now there is heavy gunfire going on the u.n. security council voted late on monday on a draft resolution regarding the status of jerusalem as follows a u.s. decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital the move has sparked almost two wee

to fight on home turf why the indian prime minister narendra modi has been forced to play the lead role in a regional election campaign. could have you with us welcome to al-jazeera muslim leaders have rejected u.s. president donald trump's recognition of jerusalem as israel's capital and called on countries around the world to do the same the fifty seven member organization of islamic cooperation did nouns the american action as dangerous and a violation of international law how many reports of the hastily convened meting of the organization of islamic cooperation is tumble members of a compromise the palestinian state with occupied east jerusalem as its capital there was strong condemnation as to for both the u.s. and israel. the palestinian president mahmoud abbas declared the palestinian school no longer accept the u.s. as a mediator in the middle east peace process in his strongest statement yet since donald trump's announcement abbas called the move a crime and added the u. and to take over the peace process there in the united states chose to lose its role in eligibility as a med

know pull off an upset it will change the dynamics there is a little bit of resentment against mr modi with two specific moves one is the note that he did last year and an implementation of a new tax to him this year so it's all going to be has a window but the question is can he actually capitalise on that when he entered into politics a little over a decade ago and he came with great promise a lot of hope what happened since then. so you know in the earlier days he didn't come across as a national politician he for people to connect and therefore he was the norm at what was the more the in the twenty forty in the election and you know since then he hasn't had much luck in the provincial elections either inside bottom and he's he's he's attempted to make an impact but it's not been consistent of but now there is you know he's tried to transform himself in recent months and particularly with what's happening and in particular with the good up elections so you know can he deliver i think we still got shot in a sense will be the litmus death ok editor of course india thanks for your insi

he was prime ministerfor 14 gujarat, narendra modi's home state.er for 14 years and credited with building a lot of projects like this one. the boat has been keenly contested and mr modi has been here to conduct more than two d oze n has been here to conduct more than two dozen speeches. it will be significant looking ahead to the 2019 general election. for the opposition, which has been losing election ever since mr modi came to power, this election will be significant. the party has a new president, head of the gundy family. gujarat has been a highly industrialised states of india and has had a high rate of growth but in the run—up to this election, use have raised the issue of unemploymentjobs have raised the issue of unemployment jobs and poverty. have raised the issue of unemploymentjobs and poverty. —— youth. conservative billionaire sebastian pinera is to become president of chile. in breaking news, he has won the election. he has promised to visit the economy. he has been congratulated on the phone by the incumbent. michelle bachelet, his c

the result there will be closely watched by modi's government ahead of general elections that are due in twenty eight nineteen difficult hollande has more from the largest city in goods. the b j p has been in charge of this state for over two decades uninterrupted so many thought a win for them would be a foregone conclusion but analysts say they got a wake up call in the first face of these elections on december ninth when turnout among the b j p's committed voters was less than expected over the past year there have been rumblings of discontent particularly amongst the rural areas which make up half of the voting bloc many here say that the congress party has managed to launch a campaign that's resonated amongst those who feel like they've been marginalized by the government and its economic policies we spoke to some of the voters to find out what issues will be influencing the way they vote. as a businessman economic conditions are very important. looking for the market condition that i know it's a very slow. this is my first world so i am definitely excited and those issues that l

to india now where the ruling looks set to retain prime minister narendra modi's home state of cruiser on overcoming a challenge from the main opposition party after early poor showings that the j.p. surged ahead in the election which was seen as a test for the prime minister narendra modi he has been the chief minister of iraq for three terms and the party has ruled the state for twenty two years. and the last latin american country to shift to the political right by electing conservative billionaire sebastian pinera as president and easily overcame a center left opponent in the runoff vote it's the second time he's been elected a lot america or lasy a new man of course from santiago. chile is billionaire president elect to got what he wanted another crack at the presidency for the second time in twenty seven years chile has swung from the center left to the center right both times the civil stamping it out the markets favorite the former president a successful businessman promises better times ahead as he extends an olive branch to the uk if he does what are you committed to old chil

and now about election in the indian state of has wrought has seen prime minister narendra modi's party hold on to power despite a stronger than usual challenge from the opposition congress party a loss has been a major embarrassment for both the modi and the beach a plea which has ruled the western region for two decades it is also the prime minister's home state if you go paul in his life for us and largest city at about so the reaction still coming into to this vote tell us more. certain result of this by the fact that it's still the status quo and the b j p r in power for another term a sixth time the conversation is still all about those elections those elections that gave the b j p a scare now if i take you through some of the headlines most of them are quite flattering for modi says modi rules homan hails basically talks about how they managed to gain a foothold in certain areas both in rural and urban areas but it still also talks about the good care which was exactly what happened in may the b j p the ruling party very nervous these elections and so it says that they will have

had been losing ground over the past three years after being defeated by prime minister narendra modi's b j p in national polls but in the past few months can these stoke talk of a political revival with an aggressive campaign in regional elections in modi's home state home gandy is part of narrow gandhi used in the city his father grandmother and great grandfather have been prime ministers a six point five magnitude earthquake in indonesia is most populous island of java has killed at least two people and caused damage in several towns and cities staff at one hospital forced to evacuate patients after part of the ceiling collapsed java is home to all those two hundred fifty million people it sits in the ring of fire where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur it's witnessed next. i asked jamal for the french translation of the title of my film. africa is correct here a prize. is an exercise. that relates to childhood. initially it's empty and then you feel. yes jim all right feel instead of film. i came across the exercise book in january two thousand and eight. in a dusty back

too indian prime minister narendra modi has spent weeks campaigning in his home state for a regional election this state has been controlled by moody's party could be j.p. for twenty two years it is facing the surprisingly strong challenge from the opposition congress party led by rahul gandhi and it's great not to deviate apart and he joins us live from metal but this is really very much a part really else a referendum on modi himself isn't it. indeed this is seen as a test of his policies and his popularity now one thing it's worth remembering is that this as you mention has been a b j b state for more than two decades that rules the state uninterrupted this was supposed to be an easy win for him for them and analysts now say no one is more surprised than the b j p themselves that they have such a strong challenge against congress and this came and became particularly apparent last week in the first phase of these elections on december ninth when the turnout among the b.j. peace committed voters was less than expected they're hoping that today which is the final phase of voting in

that is ruling to retain a prime minister narendra modi's home state of gujarat overcoming a challenge from the main opposition party early hiccups that he surged ahead in the election which was seen as a staged battle for prime minister narendra modi he's been the chief minister of iraq for three terms and the party has ruled state for twenty two years paul in this live in largest city. so what are the expectations ahead of the results. well the expectation seems to be that the ruling party will retain its seat in government. not the atmosphere has changed quite a bit over the past couple of hours just last couple of hours ago the two parties seem neck and neck now this it stage is clearly divided along political lines there t.j. people are your team congress and the long ago it's. how to chance to overtake the b j p and form a new government now that is falling by the wayside and as you can see behind me a lot of b j p supporters have gathered outside of this vote counting station to receive the ministers they say have one in their constituency so it's very much a possibility of the

well the counting of votes is on the way in the home state of the indian prime minister narendra modi the ruling party the b j p has controlled the western region of iraq for twenty two years but it's facing a tough challenge from the opposition congress party with allegations of corruption against local b j p leaders the congress also campaigned on economic issues such as the new goods and services tax but exit polls just to win the modem's party let's get more from difficult pollen she joins us live from good droughts largest city amid about the divot what's the mood like ahead of the results and what people are expecting. there in the atmosphere here is charged people watching this so closely primarily for the main reason that people are either on team congress or team b. j.p. the one thing about this state is that it's very clearly divided along these political lines and so people now see congress as having a chance for the first time in decades to either win a large number of seats if not win a majority which would mean that they could govern the state next and so everyone is mor

a nail biting election in the indian state of gujarat has seen prime minister narendra modi hold on to power despite a stronger than usual challenge from the opposition congress party a loss would have been a major embarrassment for both modi and his ruling. party which has ruled the state for two decades period awful and has more from good europe's largest city amid the bad. people here say it was one of the most exciting elections the state of gujarat has seen in decades. there have been celebrations in the city center along with relief that the ruling party agenda third party managed to retain power but it was a close race for the first time in twenty two years the opposition indian national congress rather campaign that threatened the ruling party. the p.d.p. had campaigned on the issue of economic development and people voted for their. no doubt the communities opposing the party have affected some seats at the. people who voted for development and reelected the big pay. the rest of the country has been watching this political race closely prime minister narendra modi was chief mi

who spent weeks campaigning in the home state good geralt has been controlled by modi's party the b.g. he for twenty two years is facing a surprisingly strong challenge from the opposition congress party led by raul gandhi difficult parliament has more from adamant about. the b j p has been in charge of this state for over two decades uninterrupted so many thought a win for them would be a foregone conclusion but analysts say they got a wake up call in the first face of these elections on december ninth when turnout among the b j p's committed voters was less than expected over the past year there have been rumblings of discontent particularly amongst the rural areas which make up half of the voting bloc many here say that the congress party has managed to launch a campaign that's resonated among those who feel like they've been marginalized by the government and its economic policies this phase of voting today will be for hoth of the hundred eighty two seats in the legislative assembly we spoke to some of the voters to find out what issues will be influencing the way they vote. as a

clear victory in two state elections including a closely fought race in his home state of narendra modi thanked voters for their trust in the ruling be j.p. on twitter the party also managed to snatch power from the opposition congress party in him a child pradesh to figure pollen as more from largest city matter but. the b j p may have retained power but this race was watched so closely as it's being called the political fight of the century in the state of the congress has for the first time launched a campaign that's made the b j p nervous and made many believe that congress could actually win over the states but alas they fell short of seats although they have taken away seats from the b j p this also has been watched closely by the rest of the country as the country's prime minister narendra modi had a personal stake in the goods or rather his home state he came here personally to campaign on behalf of the b j p a loss for him would have been a loss of faith and a lack of confidence in his policies now what these elections have done is raise certain issues in the state particularly

coming up, in india, is the narendra modi magic failing?t in years, we assess the political implications for economic reforms in india. ♪ cannot live without it. so if you can't live without it... why aren't you using this guy? it makes your wifi awesomely fast. no... still nope. now we're talking! it gets you wifi here, here, and here. it even lets you take a time out. no! no! yes! yes, indeed. amazing speed, coverage and control. all with an xfi gateway. find your awesome, and change the way you wifi. ♪ rishaad: it is 10:29 here in hong kong, 1:29 is sydney in the afternoon. here is a check at the headlines. a late addition to that ripped public and tax bill -- the republican tax bill. cap is trying to take advantage of any text break and observers they that its beneficiaries include the president who has claimed the bill will not help them financially. vice president mike pence delaying his middle east trip in case his tie-breaking vote is needed. ae united states has vetoed un security council resolution saying that it was an insult tha

to sever ties is a prestige battle for indian prime minister narendra modi as voters in his home state of gujarat cast ballots in the second phase of polling the regional election is taking place in a state where modi's party the b.g.p. has been in power for twenty two years but the opposition congress and its leader raul gandhi have mounted a surprisingly strong challenge now the u.n. is warning more than four hundred thousand children under five in the democratic republic of congo could die within months without an emergency intervention eighteen months of violence under displacement of one point four million people of the cosign region is that this is the shortages. members of yemen's former president ali abdullah saleh is party of held talks with a senior who the leader in the capital sanaa it's sort of who these are trying to make a new alliance with sellers generals people's congress after their fighters killed him last week. they could all vice president george glass has been sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty in the. corruption scandal prosecutors say gla

surged ahead of the election which was seen as a test for prime minister narendra modi he's been the chief minister for three terms and the party as well the state for twenty two years if you go on is live for us and it's largest city i'm out of my understand this bit noisy behind me but hopefully you can hear me and to tell us what the mood is like there at the head of these results. richelle forgive the traffic and the noise behind me this road has just opened up this very minute as luck would have it we're standing in front of one of the counting stations where seven seats up the legislative assembly will be announced what you have behind me is also a large number b j p supporters who say that their party is well on their way to ruling the states once again. tell us a little bit more about the perspective of this why the rest of the state of the country rather is paying such close attention to this. one of the main reasons is that the prime minister in the render mode the who was chief minister of the state for thirteen years as personally very good in the south into the campaign

too close for comfort, this election victory, but a tense moment for the narendra modi government. we will be live in mumbai next. this is bloomberg. ♪

a nail biting election in the indian state of gujarat as seen prime minister narendra modi hold on to power despite a stronger than usual challenge from the opposition congress party a loss would have been a major embarrassment for both modi and his ruling the heritage general to a party which has ruled the state for two decades j.v. ago pollen has more from the city comment about. people here say it was one of the most exciting elections the state of gujarat has seen in decades. there have been celebrations in the city center along with relief that the ruling party agenda third party managed to retain power. but it was a close race. for the first time in twenty two years the opposition indian national congress radek campaign that threatened the ruling party why didn't. the p.d.p. had campaigned on the issue of economic development. and people voted for them. no doubt the communities opposing the party have affected some seats against the people who voted for development and reelected the big pay. the rest of the country has been watching this political race closely prime minister nar

also on this program cruz imprisoned former leader better for he modi is granted a pardon on medical grounds but protesters called the move an insult to those killed during his decade in power. and is this the most expensive plastic christmas tree in the world some people in serbia certainly think so we find out why it's branched out into political control the city. of a spring a good to have you with us in rome pope francis has used his christmas eve mass to issue a strong defense of immigrants saying that religious faith obliges believers to welcome my quince addressing a huge audience at some peter's basilica he described the desperation. by those who flee their own land and compared their plight to that of the biblical figures of mary and joseph. was already known as an outspoken reformer the pope had a clear message he compared mary and joseph journey to bethlehem with the mass migration seen today. the holy couple had arrived he said at a place where there was no room for them to stay. many other footsteps hidden in the steps of joseph and mary. we see the tracks of entire fami

also on the program fresh clashes break out in peru over the pardon granted to former leader to forty modi protesters accusing current president had little public could. save his own korea. and from the outside world in austria a massive rockslide has blocked access to over one hundred people in a remote valley. hello and welcome my name is christopher spring a good to have you with us supporters old russian president vladimir putin are expected to nominate him as presidential candidate later today unlike previous elections he'll be campaigning as an independent in next year's ballot instead of running for his united russia party putin's domination comes just a day also his main critic opposition leader alexei not only was barred from joining the presidential race of all he says officials are trying to stifle any possible challenge to putin. the election commission's vote was a setback for no vaal me twelve of the thirteen members supported the motion to bar him from running in next year's election with one member abstaining earlier the commission argued the opposition leader was in eligib

negotiations even more complicated and tough fight on home turf why indian prime minister narendra modi's been forced to play the lead role in a regional election campaign. thank you for joining as the organization of islamic cooperation has declared east jerusalem as the capital of palestine and is asking all countries to follow suit their leaders and represent system fifty seven muslim countries condemned president donald trump's official recognition of jerusalem as israel's capital after a meeting in turkey but while the summit was full of strong statements it fell short of any actions against the united states for its unilateral decision saudi arabia's king didn't attend the meeting but he addressed the issue in riyadh calling for a political solution and backing the rights of palestinians over easter will see them activists get the protests going on the streets in the occupied palestinian territories at least one hundred twenty people were wounded across the west bank what is really forces fired tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets into the crowds are. reports on the oh i see mee

the indian prime minister, narendra modi, is in the southern state of kerala to meet the families of which struck there two weeks ago. nearly seventy people died when cyclone 0khi hit the south—west indian coast, and some 500 fishermen are still missing at sea. from kerala, here's our india correspondent sanjoy majumder. they are mourning the dead, and others may never come back. special services are being held in churches across kerala for hundreds of fishermen, missing since the cyclone hit the coast more than two weeks ago. a tragedy that has devastated communities all along this coast. at this fishing village, a vigil right by the beach. translation: they left early in the morning, 16 of them, ends three votes. —— in three boats. this woman's husband and brother we re this woman's husband and brother were among them but with every passing day she is losing hope of finding them alive. now, i know they will not come back. they must be dead. ijust will not come back. they must be dead. i just want their bodies. will not come back. they must be dead. ijust want their bodies. i just w

the rest of the country has been watching this political race closely prime minister narendra modi was chief minister of good drugs for thirteen years before taking over the top job . his support included visits to his home state to campaign on behalf of the b j p and to cost his vote mr moody would personally be greatly relieved by this victory but this is a victory which will not give great joy and happiness to the party worker this is going to be a victory which the cannot walton celebrate it's going to be very similar to the way that the congress is not been able to win the elections but their workers are going to walk out and celebrate at least the revival of the party the congress party has increased its influence now holds more constituencies than before. the congress party managed to unite several political groups disenfranchised with the state's economy and who feel left out of its development there may not have been a change in government but many say this election has put a spotlight. on this day that in all its unemployment inflation and the fact that the benefits of good d

i'm seema mody in for sara eisen. >> i'm dominic chu in for wilfred frost. lot of christmas music throughout the course of today's show if you like it, you'll love it if not, bear with us >> even though i'm not a fan, this is a classic. >> it is a great song. we have quite a few things that could be driving the trading action looking at the u.s. futures picture, we're seeing stable markets. we've seen this theme developing, we have not seen major moves in the premarket futures at least ahead of the opening bell right now the s&p 500 looking like it will open up by 4 points the dow up by 19 the nasdaq up by 5 as for the treasury yield side of thing, the ten-year note yield is falling a bit we saw that 2 1/2 mark yesterday. about 2.48% there. the run up in yields is pulling back just a bit in this early friday trade >> let's look at asia and how stocks closed there for the week the japanese nikkei did end the week higher. hang seng higher by 0.7% shanghai composite slightly lower. the kospi ening the week with a gain of almost a half percent. in europe we're s

the state of which parky a result of the huge political vacuum that was left in the state after mr modi moved to center and become the prime minister in his absence the state has the be a party that we g.o.p. has floundered in the state of gujarat and has not been able to manage the situation that is what has resulted in a huge amount of uprising from various sections of people various social groups have been agitating for the blast almost two and a half years what was supposed to have been a very routine simple election for mr moody to win has suddenly turned on his head and it's opposing probably the biggest challenge in three and a half years since he became the prime minister of india i think it's really going to go down to the wire this is an election which pollsters are finding it extremely difficult to call because of what shares of the two parties the b.g.p. and the congress are almost at a part of it each other the final assessment is that in the last three days mr modi has entered into a highly personalized discrete campaign where he's first really spending about thirty to for

the rest of the country has been watching this political race closely prime minister narendra modi was chief minister of good drugs for thirteen years before taking over the top job. his support included visits to his home state to campaign on behalf of the b j p and to cast his vote mr moody would personally be greatly relieved by this victory but this is a victory which will not give great joy and happiness to the party workers this is going to be a victory which the cannot walton celebrate it's going to be very similar to the way that the congress is not been able to win the elections but their workers are going to walk out and celebrate at least the revival of the party the congress party has increased its influence and now holds more constituencies than before. the congress party managed to unite several political groups disenfranchised with the state's economy and who feel left out of its development there may not have been a change in government but many say this election has put a spotlight. on this day that in all its unemployment inflation and the fact that the benefits of go

looks set to retain prime minister narendra modi's home state of his rod overcoming a child. and for the main opposition party after early poor showings the p.g. paper moved ahead in the election which was seen as a test for modi he's been the chief minister of chris rock for three terms and the party has ruled the state for twenty two years in his life largest city amid a pot so. what's what's the work coming from the beach a.p.'s sense of relief perhaps that they seem to pull this out. that's right official results haven't come in yet but what is clear is that they have a majority of the legislative assembly yes huge amount of relieved this is b j p state it's been a b j peace day for the past twenty two years and in fact it's the prime minister's state and he's a b j p is part of the b j p of course and he was here personally to come and campaign personally here flew in from new delhi to cost his vote so a loss for the b j p would have been a humiliating not only for the party but for the leader of the country but what's also interesting is that congress has managed to mak

months gandhi's talk of a political revival with an aggressive campaign in regional elections in modi's home state of holland has more. you could say politics isn't as blood it's great grandfather jawaharlal nehru was india's first prime minister it's grandmother in their gandhi was india's first and only female prime minister and when she was assassinated in one thousand nine hundred four his father rajiv gandhi became the country's youngest ever leader now raul gandhi is hoping to follow in their footsteps first succeeding his mother sagna as president of the congress party i think the choice of the party is in a sense coming out of her sort of composing because within the congress party itself. many leaders we accepted by all sections within the party so the whole was the only person around the entire party as well but rather than these dynastic journey into politics has been an uneasy one and it was general secretary of the congress party ten years ago and he pushed for revamp and more transparency but it was often hard to pin down his political leanings he was accused of flitting f

well the counting of votes is underway in the home state of indian prime minister narendra modi the ruling party the b j p has controlled the western region of greece about for twenty two years but it's facing a tough challenge from the opposition congress party with allegations of corruption against local b j p leaders the congress will succumb paint on economic issues such as the new goods and services tax but exit polls suggest a win for moody's let's get more now from to become paul and she joins us live from good surats largest city amid about what's the mood like ahead of the polls davila people expecting. hi daryn well daryn that miss fear here i would say is charge social media has been abuzz with people saying they consummate for monday which is unusual from their sunday weekend holiday people are watching this race very closely because for the first time in decades congress is putting up enough of a challenge to gather more seats or capture enough seats possibly to govern this state now many people here are divided by geographical locations rural areas are said to be voting more

vote counting is about to begin in the home state of the indian prime minister narendra modi moody's ruling b.g.p. has controlled the western region of goods that are out for twenty two years but many analysts say that this time around it's faced a tough challenge from the opposition congress party congress has highlighted allegations of corruption against local b.g.p. leaders it also campaigned on economic issues such as the introduction of a new goods and services tax but exit polls conducted just after the election still suggest a win for mr modi's party sagarika ghose is a journalist and also she joins us now from the capital new delhi on skype why has the decibel level in the campaign been so high and at times vitriolic. well you know this is a very important christine's battle this is a gender setting election it's a direction setting election it's a dawn setting election in just the state election but it's a highly silly and election this is the prime minister night and all of these homes it was chief minister here for three times he's a highly popular good rocky leader so for

issues on the minds of voters the vote is seen as a test of popularity for prime minister narendra modi who spent weeks campaigning in his home state has been controlled by modi is party the b j p for twenty two years is facing a surprisingly strong challenge from the opposition congress party led by the whole gandee parliament has more from ahmedabad. the b j p has been in charge of this state for over two decades on interrupted so many thought a win for them would be a foregone conclusion but analysts say they got a wake up call in the first phase of these elections on december ninth when turned out amongst the b j p's committed voters was less than expected over the past year there have been rumblings of discontent particularly amongst the rural areas which make up half of the voting bloc many here say that the congress party has managed to launch a campaign that's resonated amongst those who feel like they've been marginalized by the government and its economic policies this phase of voting today will be for hoth of the hundred eighty two seats in the legislative assembly we spoke t

narendra modi?e elections viewed telecoms scandal as one of his most important weapons to say the ruling congress is corrupt. how tried to remind people this government is corrupt come and now the courts are saying it wasn't really a scam and no charges are proved against those accused, including the minister. it ruined the credibility of his anti-corruption crusade. about the court? what did they actually say about these allegations? they seemed to be fairly robust. doesn't that limit the chances of a government appeal? >> the court came out clearly , andg there was no scam also came down heavily on the prosecution come and sing the prosecution has miserably failed in proving any of the charges, corruption or conspiracy to chief the government -- to chief the government. -- cheat the government. it said none of those charges were proved. there is deathly a chance of an appeal. move toecutors will appeal. enforcement that prosecutes accuse for money laundering gave a statement yesterday saying they

still to come on the al-jazeera news hour indian prime minister in iran draw modi on issues to cling to power in his home state of gujarat but not without a strong challenge from the opposition. we'll tell you about the billionaire conservative now in charge of chile. and more silverware for football icon leo messi find out what he's in for with out and support. the palestinian government has described us on acceptable the u.s. decision to veto a u.n. draft resolution that would have required president donald trump to rescind his recognition of jerusalem as the israeli capital all of the other fourteen members of the security council voted in favor of the resolution describing the vote as an insult on an embarrassment to the u.n. u.s. ambassador nikki haley said america would not be told by anyone where it can put its embassy what we witnessed here today in the security council is an insult it won't be forgotten it's one more example of the united nations doing more harm than good in addressing the israeli palestinian conflict today for the simple act of deciding where to put our emb

i'm wilfred frost. >> i'm seema mody.ood morning to you, too. >> let's check global markets. another record setting day for the dow, s&p and the nasdaq. the dow transports index hitting a new all-time high. we could be in for another set of gains with premarket trade indicating a higher open the dow up by 65 points. nasdaq by 7, s&p by 4. the house votes today and tomorrow the senate on tax reform it is the overhaul of the tax code sending stocks higher the question is how much higher can the market go. looking at the ten-year, where the yield has been 2.4%. let's see where it is at now 2.39% on the ten-year yield. >> mostly positive session in asia, but not resoundingly we have a bit of a decline for the nikkei hong kong and shanghai are higher in terms of european trade, significant gains yesterday. both germany and france up more than 1%. today, sort of mixed session, not too resounding in either direction. >> as for the broader markets, let's start with oil there hovering around 58, $57 a barrel wti crude, 57.42 ice b

party can wrestle power from the ruling by the party in the home states of prime minister narendra modifew would doubt gandhi is worthy of wearing the crown of the congress party many say it's fitting that are all gandhi's first big test as congress leader isn't good its grandfather was from here and good roth was a congress governed state when his father rajiv gandhi and his grandmother in their gandhi were prime ministers of india give a go pollen are just there a good drug. scene ahead on al-jazeera moving forwards breck said negotiations enter a new stage will tell you what's next the national criminal court orders a warlord from the democratic republic of congo to pay reparations to former child soldiers and gold phase set to is set for an important vote change that effectively excludes t.v. viewers at home peta will tell you what it's all about in sports to stay focused. by the springtime flowers of a mountain lake. to the first snowfall on a winter's day. hello it's getting colder in the northeast monsoons attacking you you don't really want cloud to get it just feels great unple

it says: bjp wins, but the opposition congress party doesn't lose, after prime minister narendra modi'srrower margin than last time. to the philippines‘ daily inquirer has an update on the aftermath of tropical storm kai tak. it has this arresting photograph of the damage and says rescuers are still looking for 46 missing villagers. the japan times has news of a new celebrity who has taken up residence in tokyo. xiang xiang, the first baby panda in the city's ueno zoo in twenty nine years, was unveiled to the media before her first public appearance on tuesday. now babita, some extreme tourism. take a look at these pictures of a chinese passenger aircraft apparently landing in antarctica have been creating a bit of a stir online. the 22 people on board are reported to be the first chinese tourists to make a direct flight to the frozen continent. they started in south africa, before briefly touching down on an ice—runway, and then taking off again for another six hour trip to the south pole. and you can see more of that video at bbc.com/news it's christmas — a time for family, friends, a

i'm seema mody alongside dominic c chu. time for our must-reads.y pick is titled populism is failing, but it is too soon to cheer. many expected 2017 to be the year when the populous swept away before them in the event they were mostly held at the gates. the nativist wilders failed in the netherlands, and marine la pen w le pen was beaten by emanuel macron in the presidential poll, when the glass is half full, is it worth saying so do you think populism, the risk is largely dissipated? >> it doesn't look like it i think it's here for a while. the globe is rife with people kind of unhappy. it's here. >> still something to watch in 2018 >> my pick is in the "new york times. away in a manger or under a palm tree this is a turkish scholar. jesus of nazareth must rather have been an amazing man who captured the hearts and minds of not just his contemporaries but many more to come. his legacy is so great two of the world's greatest religions, christianity and islam sing his praises, even if they disagree on his theological nature or his exact birthplace

ballots in the second phase of polling now the regional election is taking place in a state where modi's party b j p has been in power for the past twenty two years but the opposition congress and its leader are a whole dandy have mounted a surprisingly strong challenge those were the headlines here on al-jazeera i'll be back with more news in thirty minutes and next we have the stream to stay with us. fear is a very important source of information for many people around the world when all the cameras are gone i'm still here go into areas that nobody else is going talk to people that nobody else is talking to and bringing that story to the forefront. i'm for me ok and i really could be hurricanes say emery are long gone but the past of destruction they carved through the caribbean left indelible marks on the region and its people three miles off to a record breaking hurricane season first up ended their lives we speak to a few of the thousands working to pick up the pieces and with their homes that's today on the street where live on al-jazeera. a sociology student. in the street. one af