sri lanka's parliament elections with results expected to be announced in next hour. has shown a wanton disregard for the safety of civilians. >>> let's take a closer look at sri lanka's elections. we are joined from new delhi. it's too early to call the result. but the former president already concedes defeat. if he doesn't win, is that the end of the road for him politically? >> i think even if he has conceded defeat, what we have to bear in mind, this has been an extremely close election. the support for him within the psa, the power of this con finiscontingent will he legger d will be quite decisive in terms of the future of sri lanka. in terms of powers and demilitarization. there are lot of issues that he could still be quite a crucial force to recon with. >> is it then at risk of getting messy? you have the current president determined not to see him return to any power. >> yes. on one level we have seen him say he is not going to be the prime minister. and that is quite clear to him. so in that sense, what role did he play as family who's commanding a substant

al jazeera, sri-lanka. >>> let's go live to the capitol columbo and the polls have closed, how did thego? >> according to the election department the polls ended successfully and no major incidents of violence or disruption of the parliamentary election essentially to the new parliament and essentially the poll that closed just over half an hour ago now and seeing the people as they opened this morning and there was a bit of a lull in the afternoon and the end of the polling day and early official indication talking about border turn out at 60-65% and obviously to hear on that and general the election has been pretty painful with no incidents and it's by monitors as well as election department. >> and the reason this is such a crucial election is they can see the come back of the former president of roger and just how decisive of a figure is he? >> laura, that depends on who you speak to and the former president voted out just seven months ago out of office after a decade in power of executive president of the country and has both supporters and critics and at both ends of the spectrum

sri lanka will vote for a new parliament ol monday.r pecht parksa is hoping to win a comeback and be one of the 225 members. he has been working hard to convince brokers. a report. . >> this is perhaps the hardest election campaign in the political career of mahinda, sri lanka's former cpresident can pull a crowd but what he needs is for these supporters to vote for him. >> i am disappointed when i see all of this. after the war ended, they left the country. now they are back. the investods are leaving. in the government is the telling lie did and they came to power with these lies. >> that's how they do politics. >> to make sure his message is heard beyond campaign rallies, roger parksa is turning to people such as a lieutenant in the army that he lost his legs during an ambush several years ago. his injuries are a permanent reminder of the final stages of a long civil war which the parksa is cretted with ending. >> that's what he says the he is a strong leader. >> that's why we like him. for him, em ready to sacrifice my life. >> par

people will reward [indiscernible] politics in sri lanka has been pretty challenging this year. affected the sri investorsnomy and the ' image of sri lanka? adrian: that was an unfortunate thing, the presidential time.ons coming at this that was an unfortunate incident. everybody was expecting, ok, we need the general election. after the general election, it will be more stable. i think economic stability will come. political stability and economic stability. after the 19th amendment, that brings more economic stability. shery: china has been investing heavily in sri lanka. what impact does the yuan devaluation have on the economy? adrian: we would have to evaluate the currency a bit to keep pace with china. be morelations will smooth after the general elections. they relations have been very good. they have been more balanced form policy. not one-sided or lopsided policy. shery: we have seen improved relations with china, especially under mahinda rajapaksa rule. how will this be after the vote? if he doesn't come the current government will continue that frame. they have insura

sri-lanka polls close after they return to the ballot box for the first time in seven months and voting in parliamentary election and former president who lost the presidential vote in january is trying to make a political come back. we have more. >> reporter: voters cued early to cast their ballots. in january they elected a new president and on monday they returned to vote for 225 members of parliament. >> it's my duty to cast my vote for a person who can guide the country and the people of this country. >> translator: this election is important for the country in every aspect. i think people have used their brains and they will vote wisely. >> reporter: voter identification in hand people across sri-lanka gathered at schools and temporals and security is tight at polling centers and this is as close as we have been able to get to gauge what is going on.

>> it's been sort of different priorities from different voters in sri lanka.ase for people corruption has been an issue, very much comment going the need to get a handle on corruption. the previous regime had allegations of widespread corruption leveled against them. one of the reason they saw the exit of former president rajipaxa. the need to atone for it, address the economy, sri lanka's economy has seen a lot of investment but a lot of investment was government spending and spending done after taking huge amounts of loans. so people also talking about the need to address the economy. these are some of the issues we heard from colombo, very the rajipaxa voter base. about selling their paddy, produce, and other priorities, that want rajipaxa back that created the journey he had started and safeguard this country as did he when he ended the war. however overall still sort of too early to say lauren. >> on mohinder rajipaxa's chances, what are they do you think? >> depends who you speak to. for those who say he is the only answer to sri lanka, the buddhist bloc

he relaxed many of sri lanka's restrictive media relations.ncluding opening the northern region to journalists, it's an area where separatists fought the government for years. they also allowed access to websites which were banned by his predecessor. sri lanka's new president has promised a more open government, but his decision to reinstate the press council has raised questions about how far he is willing to go when it comes to freedom of the press. unlike other monitoring bodies around the world, sri lanka's press council has legal powers and can send journalists to jail for up to two years. they appointed new council members in june. one of them told al jazeera the agency is necessary. >> translator: just because the press council has the powers of district court it doesn't mean it can grab a journalist and put him or her in jail. so far no one has been imprisoned. it's a blatant lie being spread. >> reporter: analysts say the decision to reappoint the press council goes against what he stands for. >> they should not have done that, becaus

. >> reporter: this woman is too familiar with happens when a journalist spacks out of turn in sri lanka. she says on 24 january 2010 her husband, a writer and cartoonist, was abducted by people loyal to the president. >> reporter: for the last five years i've been fighting for justice against sri lankan law. i've been struggling with protests here and internationally. >> reporter: this journalist has been doing the same. he's the editor of a senalese newspaper known for publishing stories that the governor would prefer left untold. he's been intimidated, and forced write anonymously. >> translation: to come out and be mo independent, and give out the right information, it's important to eliminate the fear factor. >> during the presidential election in january, a large number of journalists supported the candidate. they did so believing this his vision of politics, and the role of institutions like the press. after coming to power, they relaxed many of sri lanka's restrictive regulations, including opening the northern region to journalists, an area where separatist tamils fought the gov

coming up in the next half hour, sri lanka's former president is unlikely to lead the next government following the country's general election. the rebel leader signs a peace deal, but his rival says he needs more time. plus -- >> i'm reporting on the south korea, when it comes to crowd control, who can do it better. the question is when it becomes pressure and dissent. finance army chief says a bomb attack does not match tactics from the south. 20 people were killed. now, this is mobile phone footage that shows the moment the explosion happened. we will be getting the latest from wayne at the scene in just a moment. first, this report from veroni veronica. >> reporter: with the fire from the explosion still burning, there was a desperate race to reach survivors. as the emergency services moved, police tried to secure the area. a bomb had exploded minutes before. and closed circuits television shows the moment fear struck in the heart of bangkok with people running for their lives. the bomb went off close to the hindu shrine. debris was scattered across the street. several foreigners

we have started hearing the result of prefer she will board, the system here in sri lanka, you vote for the party and you have a preference vote that you cast for each candidate. those results, in terms of how many parties would have in the legislature we hope to be hearing fairly soon. >> this surely has to be the end of the political road for him. he was ousted, he couldn't win election as president. he can't win election as prime minister, it seems, either. has he said anything about his future? >> essentially in the early hours of this morning, when hardly, you know, a big proportion of results had come out, we did hear reports that he had accepted that he would not be forming a new government here in sri lanka. it is quoted that he is saying that his dreams of becoming the prime minister had faded. later on, there seemed to be backtracking by the camp because there was a certain amount of uncertainty rewarding the result, but generally speaking, it does seem after the second defeat that the fortunes of rajapaksa are beginning to take a tumble. >> let's talk about the people. it's p

. >> sri lanka will vote for a new president on monday. former president is hoping to be one of its 225 members. he's been working hard on the campaign trail to convince voters. liddy dutt reports. >> this is perhaps the hardest election campaign in the political career of mahinda rajabaxa. he can still pull a crowd but what he needs is for these voters to vote for him. >> translator: i'm disappointed when i see all of this. after, the investors are all leaving. this government is telling lies and they came to power with these lies. that's how they do politics. >> reporter: to maim sure his message is heard beyond campaign rallies, he is turning to people like a lieutenant in the sri lankan army. his injuries are a permanent reminder of the final stages of a long civil war which rajapaxa is credited with ending. >> he does what he says. he's a strong leader that's why we like him. for him i'm ready to sacrifice my life. >> rajapaxa's stronghold is deep in the country. volunteers campaigning for his reelection to parliament are finding symp

sri lanka makes arrests and implicates the army over the disappearance of a journalist five years ago. and twitter and the news business, it's a marriage both parties are still trying to figure out >>> journalist or unprivileged belligerent, a distinction the u.s. military wants to make and for war correspondents a category to be avoided. the pentagon believes the war manual, laying out rules for combat, including how to treat reporters covering wars. it tumps on journalistic issues and suggests spying accusations could be avoided if they gain permission to report from authorities, and deems reporters unprivileged belligerent, akin it spies or saboteurs should be be found guilty of working for the enemy. it's got another label, unlawful combantant. plied in iraq and afghanistan. according to the u.s. department of defense. they have been misunderstood by the press. the "new york times" and media groups called for the refigs, saying it's more dangerous the less accurate and authoritarian governments could take the approach and cut and paste it into rule books, and has implications beyo

. >> reporter: sri lanka's election commission recorded a voter turnout of between 65 and 70%. elow the record number of people who voted in january's presidential election. 15 million sri lankans were eligible. to make sure every ballot is counted sand representative to the right candidates, observers are watching. >> sri lanka's former president mahinda rajapaksa is hoping to come back from this constituency, he lost in january. >> it is my duty to cast my vote in favor of a person who can guide the country and the people of this country. >> the selection is important for the country in every aspect. i think people have used their brains and they'll vote wisely. >> reporter: the answer he are all here. not only will they determine the political futures of a few sri lankan politicsrisrilankan poli. >> liddy dutt, al jazeera, sri lanka. >> migrants were said to have suffocated in a fishing boat hull. and frontex rescue boat has rescued many. more than 2,000 have died this year trying to get to europe. >> 49 balloons were released for those who perished, during ceremonies to hono

. >>> counting is underway in sri lanka for millions of people voted in parliamentary elections. eight months ago sri lankans voted emphatically to elect a if you president liddy dutt has more. >> it was hard to open, bun unlocking, cs election election observers huddled over hand marked piece of paper which will determine which candidates will win a seat in parliament. classrooms were transformed into ballot sorting places. >> separately, the box we are getting separating for parties. >> reporter: sri lanka's election commission are recorded a voter turnout of 65 to 70%, well below the record number of people who voted in january's presidential election. 15 million sri lankans were eligible to vote on monday. every vote is counted and verified carefully and to make sure every ballot is accounted to and allotted to the right candidate, representatives are assigned. mahinda rajapaksa was voted out in january. >> it is my duty to vote. >> the selection is important for the country in every aspect. i think people have used their brains and they'll vote wisely. >> reporter: the answer

. >>> sri lanka's prime minister has been sworn in. his party won 106 seats in the parliamentary election. that was seven short of majori majority. >> reporter: taking orders, the prime minister of sri lanka and now the presidential secretary. he has his work cut out for him. he won the election with 106 of 225 seats. essentially that includes developing the economy, fighting corruption ensuring freedom for all as well as investing in infrastructure and education. but before getting on with that, the prime minister will have to stabilize government. he does have 106 seats, but needs the simple majority, the magic number of 113 in order to make sure his government is safe and stable. he does have the support. they have been bringing over his sri lanka freedom party and the united people's freedom alliance who agreed to create a national government to take this country forward for at least two years to start with. >>> haiti's elections are about to be reheld. during the first round on august dead. it will be held in late october. >>> ira

. >> reporter: voter identification in hand people across sri lanka gather at temples. this is as close as we have been able to get to engage what's going on. strict rules governing access to polling routes are to make sure these elections are free and fair. election observers say this constituency has drawn more attention this time around because sri lanka's former president, mohinder rajipaxa axs one of the candidates. >> apart from this we have seen any other election violence or violations of it. >> the results of this election are not only expected to determine the political futures of a few sri lankan politician he but also the direction of the country. liddy dutt, al jazeera, sri lanka. >> minel, some numbers are coming out from postal ballots, what do they show? we've lost minel, we'll try oget her back a little bit later. in the meantime, the bodies of thousands of mie migrants have n brought to the italian shore. hundreds of migrants have been rescued by the no norwegian frox rescue boat. the six month ceasefire in ukraine is looking shakier by the day. nine p

al jazeera, sri lanka. >> well, let's look at how accountings are going in colombo.ow has it been going there? >> mating from what we're hearing. counting centers like this from around the country there is a steady stream of activity. even here where one of two counting centers in the district we've seen party representatives coming each party can nominate representatives where the counts happen. each and every center, each party has reputation. it has been painstaking and time-consuming process. these are counted by hand, verified by those present in those counting rooms before they're officially declared the results of that particular area. so the account very much on the way. we're hearing possibly the initial trends are coming up when we hear the first results, which will be the result of the vote, votes that were cast earlier this month by people who are out of station who live away from home, that cast their ballot by force. so those are the first results that will come, and over the following arrests we'll start hearing results of individual districts before t

his future what he does next, but it is very clear that sri lankas have decided their fate. all parties have display add flagrant disregard for civilian lives. fighters on the ground of leaving a trail of destruction. which may amount to war crimes. hassell them, but civilian and houthis rebels have routinely launched attacks in densely populated residential areas. saudi led coalition air strikes have hit civilian areas where there's often no target nearby. a political and security analyst, based in saudi arabia says the amnesty report is biased against the kingdom. it is not enough, they cannot make these assessments in the united kingdom, and the coalition. and they work on this approval for the international community. there is no doubt that saudi arabia would work with the united states, would work with the amnesty to prove that the houthiss and the people are responsible. and the coalition party. >> this is one that the coalition for the amnesty. >> rescuers are now at the scene, and tiajuana they found the bodies of 54 people onboard. an investigation is underway into

plus sri lanka hopes the election will give the economy the boost it needs to grow. pore omore on that. stay with us. >> welcome back. a recap of the top stories on al jazeera. chemical experts are investigating the sites of two massive explosions in the chinese city of tianjin. at least 55 people have died and more than 700 injured. the u.s. is investigating reports of chemical weapon use by isil against kurdish forces in northern iraq. the incident is said to have happened on thursday. turkey may be facing a new election this autumn after political parties failed to form a coalition government. the prime minister asked parliament to call for a new vote as soon as possible. syria's main opposition group rejected a peace plan offered by russia. the leaders have met in moscow. the group wants president assad to step down before any peace talks can begin. but russia says fighting isil should be the priority. >>.even if a peace deal is agre, it's unlikely to work. >> i think the different sides view this as a zero sum gain. the syrian opposition, most of the syrian peop

. >> we've got more to come here on the al jazeera news hour, including sri lanka's new prime minister gets enough support to form a coalition government, but faces a tough challenge oh honor his campaign pledges. >> i'm in islamabad. we'll take a ride on the city's bus system to find whether it's helping the transit problems. >> i'm going to be cheering on my teammates. >> the sprinter ditchedding opinions ahead of the world athletic championships in beijing. find out more in sport. >> israel's army says it's killed four members of the armed group islamic jihad in an air strike in syria, a car reportedly targeted but said that five civilians were killed. it was the second straight day of israeli strikes inside syria. it carried out a series of attacks on thursday, after rockets from syria landed in northern israel. israel says they were fired by islamic jihad. the syrian army said one of its soldiers were killed in one of these israel strikes. >> in syria, 15 people have been killed in government areas over eastern aleppo. the planes targeted the town in the aleppo countryside. it's u

we take a look at how personalities, not policies, are getting the attention in sri lanka's campaign. the nra is not invincible. >> hello again. top stories eight people have died in a blast. more than 400 were injured. the bomb was hidden in a truck and detonated near an army compound. people are being urged to leave the delta regions. wide spread floods have killed more than 70 people. the top u.s. republicans contenders for president faced off in their first televised debate. there will be a second debate in september. >>> isil says it's responsible for thursday's bombing. it happened in the in the asid region. isil is becoming increasingly active in saudi arabia which is part of the u.s. led coalition fighting the armed group. >> reporter: this is where the attack took place. a suicide abover managed to get into this mosque, blowing himself up and killing police trainees. the governor visited the injured in a nearby hospital. fighters from the islamic state of iraq claimed responsibility for the attack. they included a targeting of two shia muslim mosques in the eastern province.

. >>> sri lanka's prime minister has been sworn in for a fourth time.hey saw the formation of a national coalition that govrnls with the majority informant government's parliament. we have the report. >> reporter: come back on friday and he took the oath of office as sri lanka's prime minister. it's full-time to serve in the position. the highest number of votes of any canadas candidate he sieved. he put together a coalition to bring on the former president, ending his bid for a third term as executive president in january and defeating his alliance in parliamentary elections held earlier in week. but in his first media statement, the prime minister stressed the importance of political cooperation. >> we discussed with the president the need to take this concept forward where we all build a consensus around national policies. this new approach, the literary approach as we call it, requires all parties to work together either in the garden or ministerially positions or parliament. >> reporter: they say it one 106 of the 225 parliamentary seats, seven sho

. ♪ i'm jane in doha and also coming up, in the program votes are being tallied in sri-lanka and results expected to be out in hours. south sudan's leader signs a peace deal but his rival says he needs more time. and we report from the poorest corner of the poorest state in the u.s. where there are hungry for healthy food. ♪ a small explosive device has been thrown from a bridge to a peer in bangkok a day after a huge bomb exploded in the city center. [explosion] at least 20 people are known to have died in monday's explosion which went off next to a popular shrine during rush hour and police released images of a man they suspect in connection with the bombing and the pictures were captured by closed circuit cameras in the area and we are live from bangkok and do we know anything more about the suspect, wayne? >> no, we don't. the prime minister of thailand did make a very brief statement several hours ago when he was asked about that footage. he said that the person in the footage appears to be the man but the quality is poor and requires further investigation and what he said at the ti

in one example 1992 the european union was facing a bigger refugee crisis from the kurds, sri lanka, former yugoslavia. but today because of the mediterranean, because of the situation of austerity mixed with those politics we have a worse situation. >> we've been talking some time about proper burden sharing. we can see that germany for lots of different reasons fakes in more migrants. do you think that we're looking at a place where they start to even those up a little bit? >> i chair the parliament committee. i think it's far too little too late for the member states of the european commission, the parliament are quite progressive, but the individual member states have assets to do something in the mediterranean, they have assets to do something to do something and report costs to have refugee resettlement relocation. they're not doing enough. they're not doing enough because they don't feel that they have a mandate from the people in those countries. people have sympathy, but they don't have enough sympathy to make things happen. i'll give you an example. you mentioned germany an

he has given sri lanka a lot to be proud of.s he has played with the national squad. timing he said is everything in cricket and he chooses to go out on top. >>> in tennis world number one serena williams is in good shape in the u.s. open and with a grand slam and 33-year-old easily defending her title in cincinnati beating them in straight sets in the final, if she can pull off the grand slam she will be the first player to do so since stephie-graph in 1998. >> i feel getting to the slam enables me to be able to relax and get to the grand slam and honestly i would like to win the open more than anything and if that means i win a grand slam that would be great but i would hate to lose the open even if there wasn't a grand slam attached. >>> beat yanukovych in cincinnati and he cannot win, the only atp masters he has not won, the second time federer won the title and the number two seed at u.s. open and won the title five times and the last win came back in the 2000s. tiger wood's hopes for a title in more than two years fell awa

going to the polls with a controversial former president hoping to make a political come back in slo sri lankaand displaced by civil war, we meet the south sudanese families praying for a peace deal at talks in ethiopia. ♪ ♪ >>> syrian opposition activists have called government airstrikes on a rebel-held suburb of damascus a massacre, more than 100 people died in the main market in douma. making it one of the bloodiest attacks by the military in syria's three-year warm. 300 were injured. more air strikes happened as people rushed to help the wounded. zeina khodr joins us now. we are hearing of yet more air strikes on this area this morning. >> reporter: yes. accord to this syrian observatory for human rights, there were three air strikes targeting douma early this morning. there is still no word on casualties. the syrian observatory also reporting that the government targeted other areas in this region. which is in the damascus countryside. targeting areas. now, this area really is a rebel strong hold. it has been a rebel strong hold for many years. and the government has not been able to rec

sri-lanka waits on official results from the country election. >>> i have all the day sport includingpanish football giant barcelona is 5-1 as they win their first title in three decades. ♪ the worst ever attack on thailand, that is how the country's prime minister described the blast at the shrine in the capitol bangkok which killed at least 20 people. police have released cctv footage of a man they say could be the bomber and pictured at the scene just minutes before the explosion. and in a moment we will be crossing live to wayne hay in bangkok where the situation remains tense and first let's hear from the prime minister. >> translator: in our country there are individuals or groups of individuals who are seeking to destroy the country. the ongoing attempt of destruction might be politically motivated targeting the economy, tourism or whatever reason and we will work to find the perpetrators and bring justice on networks involved as soon as possible. >> wayne is live from the capitol bangkok near that site of the blast yesterday. wayne, what is the very latest you are hearing ther

sri lanka votes in a poll could see a dramatic comeback for a former president.e will be live there when we return. ♪ angie: welcome back. you are watching "asia edge." voting is underway in sri lanka in an election that could see former president mahinda rajapaksa make a dramatic comeback to politics. aoomberg news editor -- bloomberg news editor joins us on the line from colombo. what are you expecting today? reporter: there are not many credible opinion polls, but the ones we have seen suggest that the president's allies will see a victory today and that it will be quite difficult for former president rajapaksa to come back to power in any way. these are parliamentary polls. the best he can do is become prime minister, but to do that he needs to be appointed by the president and the president has said he wouldn't do that. even so, if the former president's party does see a strong showing, then that could lead to policy clashes down the line. lost lastn rajapaksa year, it was a resounding surprise, really. it really shook up the stage for a lot of foreign inves

sri lanka's captain says it will be hard to say good-bye. >> he just wants to score 100 tomorrow.ed extremely hard and he's so determined to do that, and i truly wish and hope that he does that. but, yeah, i mean it's going to be an emotional game for him as well, because he has been with us for so long, and he has been with the national team for so long, and as i always say, he has been the backbone of sri lanka cricket over the past 18 years. >>> a softball team made up of 11 and 12-year-old girls has been accused of match fixing. the team from washington state had advanced to the next round and benched their best players. the accusation is they lost deliberately. the little league forced them into a tiebreaker with iowa, which they also lost. >>> a massive drawl broke out between two nfl seams. the rams jeff fisher later said there was no excuse for their bad behavior. >> don't have rival teams train together. simple. >> yeah, easy solution. >> thank you jo. we're all done. felicity farr is up next from london. ♪ >>> gunmen attack one of istanbul's top tourist attractions, as e

lanka --dent of sri former president of sri lanka is trying to return to the political spotlight.cal uncertainty. galaxy entertainment is out with earnings on wednesday after opening its first new casino in three years. they say business has been softer than expected. gambling revenue in the macau has fallen. don't link, you might miss them. this is the world's -- you might miss him. this is the world's fastest man in beijing. the eight-day meet is the at the sporting events bird's nest national stadium since the 2008 olympics. japanese game producers have become the best in the world at making money from free hat. let's head to tokyo. millions of people around the globe are familiar with andy crash and clash of plans. and -- candyh crush and clash of clans. >> i think it might be mystifying for people not familiar with smart on games as to help you -- how this company can make money. they're on the cutting edge of monetization techniques. psychology, big data, and art. the company employs teams of game veterans as well as data analysts to continuously turn out content and the ter

. >> they dodged the rain in the sri lanka elections. the country government called ahead of schedule, hoping voters -- when the prime minister arrived to cast his vote, he took the opportunity of how important the elections were. >> -- reporter: a are trying to make a clean break with the sri lanka's troubled past, and critics accuse this man of war crimes, something he denies. >> we have a system. there was no evidence at all. reporter: now he is that of becoming prime minister. he is looking to silence critical media outlets. her husband was a tamil tiger fighter. thousands of people are still trying to account for lost loved ones, and he is collecting -- she is collecting missing persons cases. we never wanted to take up arms. we were forced into it. there was a solution. that would be an agreement we could accept. he exudes confidence. the government is just as confident that he will win. it was hard to decide whether he is a man of the past or the man who would shape their future. anchor: for thousands of migrants, there is a greek

. >> they dodged the rain in the sri lanka elections. the country government called ahead of schedule, hoping voters -- when the prime minister arrived to cast his vote, he took the opportunity of how important the elections were. >> -- reporter: a are trying to make a clean break with the sri lanka's troubled past, and critics accuse this man of war crimes, something he denies. >> we have a system. there was no evidence at all. reporter: now he is that of becoming prime minister. he is looking to silence critical media outlets. her husband was a tamil tiger fighter. thousands of people are still trying to account for lost loved ones, and he is collecting -- she is collecting missing persons cases. we never wanted to take up arms. we were forced into it. there was a solution. that would be an agreement we could accept. he exudes confidence. the government is just as confident that he will win. it was hard to decide whether he is a man of the past or the man who would shape their future. anchor: for thousands of migrants, there is a greek

al jazeera, sri lanka. >> more coming up on al jazeera. including we're live in the thai capital of bangkok where a bomb blast has killed at least 12 people. it wasn't science at all. >> there's a lot of lives at stake, a lot of innocent people. >> how many are still locked up? >> the integrity of the criminal justice system is at stake, plain and simple. >> "faultlines". >> what do we want? >> al jazeera america's hard-hitting... >> today the will be arrested. >> ground-breaking... >> they're firing canisters of gas at us. >> emmy award-winning, investigative series. >> we have to get out of here. >> the top stories on al jazeera and now breaking news. a motorcycle bomb has gone off at a major intersection in the center of the bangkok capital. it occurred at a hindi shrine. we understand that there is also a second bomb. what do we know about this, veronica? >> we haven't had any further word. rescue workers were telling us that a second bomb has been discovered in the shrine itself, and the bomb disposal unit is disfusing it. we pushed f

. >>> a group of separatist fighters will compete for seats in sri lanka's elections. they want to help people in the north. >> reporter: the symbol has changed, much like the fighters who use it. he was part of the armed group, the tigers, who fought a 30 year civil war for independence in the north and east. today he's one of nine former fighters vying for seats in sri lanka's parliament. >> translator: we couldn't continue watching people suffering hardship. we fought for them. but the arms struggle was defeated. they are only looking at their own gains, not the people. >> reporter: the only non-fighter in the group is a former and determined outspoken newspaper. he says the people still have a lot of respect for the former fighters, for their commitment and their sacrifice. >> the commitment is there. but the struggle has changed. >> a track this group appears to have accepted as the only option. >> after the war ended in 2009 there was no option of a non-struggle. the only way to protect our people now is to get elected as representatives. >> his party is contesti

we never have seen this kind of situation earlier. >> reporter: sri-lanka will have two more weeks ofigning before making their choices, al jazeera, columbo. >>> much more to come on the al jazeera news hour including the obama administration gets into trouble over its human trafficking report. we will tell you why critics say it has been watered down. plus it was one of the world's largest ever art thefts but they may have the key to unlock a 25-year-old cold case and breaking down footballing barriers and gaza welcomes a west bank team for the first time in more than a decade. ♪ ♪ the top stories on the al jazeera news hour, eight people have been killed in a suicide attack in afghanistan's capitol kabul and more than 400 injured. police say the bomb was hidden in a truck and detonated near an army compound. myanmar's president urging people to evacuate the low-lying southern delta regions where swollen rivers are still rising and widespread flood already killed 74 people. the top ten contenders faced off in the first television debate and donald trump reenforced his reputation for

al jazeera, sri-lanka. >>> let's go live in the capitol columbo for us and polls are about to polls,e we seen a good turn out for this pretty significant election? >> there has been good voter turnout and the morning was quite busy when doors opened at 7:00 in the morning. there was somewhat a dip in voters coming into the polls behind me. however, overall indications are that voter numbers of turnout is going to be in the region of 60, 65% or there about so this is sort of average voter turn out, not as high as the presidential election in january. however a large number. >> many thanks for that update from sri-lanka as polls close in parliamentary elections in a few minutes time. plenty more still to come here on this al jazeera news hour including displaced by civil war we meet a south sudan family praying for a peace deal with talks in ethiopia plus. >> stephanie decker on the indonesia island and i'll be telling you why this island is being destroyed and why these men are risking their lives and guess what it's our obsession of gadgets like these that has something to do with it

mental, sri lanka has been voting in parliamentary elections. that could see the former president make a political come back. >> voters queued early to cast their ballots. in january they elected a new president, and on monday they returned to vote for 225 members of parliament. >> it is my duty to cast my vote for the person who can guide the country and the people. >> this election is important for the country in every aspect. i think people have used their brains and they'll vote wisely. >> people across sri lanka gather at schools and temples. security has tightened around polling centers. this as close we can get to gauge what is going on. >> election observers say this constituency has drawn more attention this time around because sri lanka's former president is one of its candidates. they've been watching proceedings closely. >> not far from here offices of all political parties are still open. apart from this we have not seen any other election violence or violations so far. >> the results of this election are not only expected to determ

. >> sri lanka's president still can pull a crowd. what he really needs is for supporters to vote for him. >> i'm disappointed when i see all of this. after the war ended, investors are leaving. this government is telling lies and it came to power with these lies. that's how they do politics. >> to make sure his message is heard beyond campaign rallies, he's turning to a lieutenant who lost his legs seven years ago. his injuries are a permanent reminder of the final stages of a long civil war. >> he does what he says. he's a strong leader. that's why we like him. for him i'm ready to sacrifice my life. >> after losing the presidential election in january, he's moved to the northwestern district. >> volunteers campaigning for his election are finding sympathetic ears here because most people belong to the senalese community, many have relatives who are serving in the military have or have done. but not all military personnel that he once led are convinced of his political come back. >> retired flight sergeant admires the former preside

sri lanka's new prime minister has been sworn in.s made a deal with the faction of an opposition group in order to build a coalition. >> reporter: taking orders as prime minister in the building behind me. he has his work cut out for him. he's alliance that won the election with 106 of the 225 seats in parliament are putting forward a five-point plan. all of that includes developing the economy, fighting corruption, ensuring freedom for all, as well as investing in infrastructure and improving education. but before getting on with that, the prime minister will have to stabilize the government. he does have 106 seats, but needs the simple majority, the magic number of 113 in order to make sure his government is safe and stable. he does have the support of the president, and he has been pivotal and instrumental in bringing over his sri lanka freedom party and the united people's freedom alliance of the former president, who have agreed to create a national government to take this country forward for at least two years to start with. >>

why are these elections so important for sri lanka? >> reporter: crucial for this country because it will decide a way forward in terms of the direction it goes in the next few years. now, the current government that was pointed by the new president has promised change. in the first six months that they have been in power, they have introduced change, they brought constitutional amendments. essentially what they are asking is for a mandate to continue this change, a change essentially the way things have been done in sri lanka. that is crucial for the new government. they need essentially control and essentially power in the building behind me, the parliament, 225 seats in this election. it's very much about his political survival, having lost the presidency in january. a shock result. he's trying to make it back into the political mainstream through this election. very much after such a long time, major issues facing the country after the end of a war, but personalitiesties dominating the election. let's take a look. parliamentary ele

we look at how personalities not policies, are getting the attention in sri lanka's campaign. >> what was that total bill from start to now? >> almost like 10 million dollars. >> enough people have decided that the gun lobby has too much power for too long. the nra is not invincible. >> you are watching al jazeera. the top stories eight people have died in a suicide attack in afghanistan's capital of kabul and more than 400 injured. the bomb was hidden in a truck and detonated near an army compound. families of chinese passengers missing on board mh 370 have scuffled with police. the families are demanding answers after a meeting was canceled. people are urged to leave the low lying delta regions. floods have killed more than 70 people. taiwan is preparing for the strongest typhoon in three years to hit the island. it's due to make landfall saturday. flights and schools are canceled. the storm has taken two lives and one person is missing in choppy coastal waters. >> reporter: this is a city under red alert. the remaining hours before the typhoon makes landfall. this market is busy wi

. >>> and still to come on this news hour from london, prepares to say good-bye we'll hear from sri lankahow they plan to send off one of their most successful batsman. >> reporter: i'm here where the festival has taken over the city and every available inch of space has become a stage. ♪ ♪ >>> welcome back. time for all of your latest sports news how with sunna. >> thank you very much felicity. britain's double olympian champion has been elected as the head of the governing body, following claims it has turned a blind eye to rampant doping. adrian brown reports. >> reporter: it was a secret vote for a very public role. an election to choose a president for a sport in crisis. [ applause ] >> reporter: and the front runner triumphs. >> this for me is the pinnacle. it is my sport, the passion, the thing i have always want doed. >> reporter: he faced only one contender. coe one by 23%. allegations that it failed to act on evidence of wide-spread blood doping between 2001 and 2012. coe has been a president since 2007. >> there is a zero tolerance to the abuse of doping in my sport, and i will

then to separate list the box currently we are getting and separating for the parties. >> sri lanka's election commission recorded a turnout of between 65 an 70%, well under the record of january elections. every vote is counted and verified carefully and to make sure every ballot is accounted for and allotted to the right candidate representatives from the political parties are watching the process. in this district voters ceud earl to cast theicuedqueuedearl. mahinda rajapaksa was on the ballot. >> it is my duty the guide the country and the people of this country. >> the selection is important for the cub in every aspect. i think people have used their brains and they will vote wisely. >> chances are all not only will they determine the political futures of a few sri lankan politicians but also the country's direction. liddy dutt, al jazeera, sri lanka. >>> bodies of dozens of migrants have been brought to the italian port of catania, they are said to have such caited in the hold of a fishing boat trying to cross the mediterranean sea. the norwegian frontex rescue boat in multiple

he could become the president but the rivalry between city and roger has created a split in the sri-lanka and timing of elections is report and the war in the north is due for release soon after the vote. and we are in the city in the center of the island and explains what the big issues are. >> voting got off to a brisk start in sri-lanka's northwest including the rural areas of the district and people are lining up at the polling booths to take advantage of the election day holiday. how much access we had to cover, the polling centers has been relatively limited and there is tight security and told by one election officer in a polling boost the media has to be 500 meters away and makes observing what is going on and what we see of voters is particularly challenging and heard of reporters being detained in the south trying to cover proceedings at a voting booth there. the big issue in the districts here is what is the voter turn outgoing to be and that could potentially determine the result of former president who is trying to make a political come back as well as the balance of power in

>> reporter: laura, we are about two-thirds in the tote vote being day here in sri lanka. parliamentary elections the vote -- the polls opened with a fairly steady stream. quite a few people stepping out in the early hours of the morning. as soon as polls open. in to the middle day there is a lull which is traditional as afternoon comes and lunchtime there is a bit of a dip in voting. overall, we are hearing from sort of unofficial results that voter turn out is somewhat low, particularly when you compare it with the suppress hal elect that his we had in january, we had huge voter turn out as high as 80%. local never seen in this country in recent years , when you compareed with that. i suppose anything would seem low. but here we are yet to reach those thos numbers. laura. >> you have talked to some have have turned out what have they been telling new. >> reporter: it depends on who you spoke to. we are hearing a lot of young people talking about the economy. the he need for development, many people are talking about corruption, the need to get a handle on corruption. so

sri-lanka ruling party victory in parliamentary elections and still waiting for an official result plus>>> i'm tonya page reporting from south africa on how difficult it is for a disabled child to get an education. ♪ the worst ever attack on thailand that is how the country's prime minister described the blast at the shrine in the capitol bangkok that killed at least 20 people and cctv footage of a man that could be the bomber and pictures minutes before the explosion. and in a moment we will be crossing to wayne hay in bangkok where the situation remains tense but first this report from veronica. >> reporter: picking up the pieces, this is a shopping district in bangkok that has seen dramatic political conflict several times before but nothing like this. dozens of people were killed here on monday, among them victims from malaysia, china, hong kong and singapore. many more were injured. it was an attack apparently designed to kill as many people as possible at a high profile target, the shrine. the government acting urgently to restore a sense of security for the public and millions of