it won't mean an end to the protest or political crisis >> i'm veronica pedrosa, instructions to the ballot means there won't be enough mps to legally elect a new prime minister. >> $4 billion needed to help up to 4 million syrian refugees. the task facing several countries meeting in italy. >> back from sick leave - ukraine's president returns to work to tackle those trying to force him out. plus... >> the bullies and bureaucrats of this country want to destroy everything. >> one man against the military. the 85-year-old canadian farmer fighting a social media campaign to keep the army off his land. >> well, it was an election called to try to establish once and for all who was in charge of the country. it appears the vote on sunday in thailand is unlikely to make anyone happy. protesters have been campaigning to force out the government for three months. no matter what is called, they are incomplete. this report from scott heidler u >> one day after national elections there are few answers on who will lead thailand or how it will be governeded. what is known is the number of people

veronica pedrosa is in the pro-government area. let's cross to veronica pedrosa. what are people there, in the pro-government area telling you? do they want the vote at all? >> just at this moment, as a matter of fact, elizabeth, about 20km from here, you are seeing a playing out of the essentials across the whole thai political landscape. at the strict office of the electoral commission, anti-government protesters who don't want the elections to go ahead have been holding that office. there are police there. they are spiriting them from hundreds of from government supporters, pro-election support who want to vote on sunday. those hundred of protesters are carrying fix. we are looking at the situation where police are negotiating with those pro-government or pro-election demonstrators, and asking them to please stand their ground and hold the positions. it is not clear of course how this will development. it gives you an idea of what this is about. this is not just about the election results as you see in other countries. this is about how thais want their country

. >> on the other side of the aisle veronica pedrosa is in a pro-government area of bangkok. >> we have been asking people why they are coming to vote given the danger from the violence and clashes that we've been seeing over the last few days, and the gunfight last night, and also because of the problems that you are hearing about the obstruction to voting stations and ballot papers, this election might, in the end, be declared null and void. why bother voting. what we are hearing is that people are at home watching the television, listening to the radio, following twitter, trying to find out what is happening. as the day goes on, in the last few hours that the ballots are open, there'll be a heavy i don't remember turn out of people that want to make a point about voting, that they can, indeed, vote. these elections were called a snap election to try to resolve a political divide. clearly that is not going to be solved any time soon, but this election is critical as a lit mass test for the rule of law, and also a litmus test for whether the thai ordinary citizens want to have an elect

veronica pedrosa is in bangkok with more on the elections and the protest. >> well, there are provisions made under thai law and constitution for any problems that may occur in the election process. what we are seeing, though, is that the anti-government protesters, with whom i am here, one of the main protest stages, they are continuing to reject the validity of the election. that is a huge problem beyond those who want to vote. what the election commissioner is going to do is set dates in the future for people who want to exercise their right to vote but were prevented from doing so. there's a lot of analysis going on, as you can imagine across classes in thailand over what this election meant, because it's significant on so many levels. >> that was veronica pedrosa reporting from bangkok. >> early results from el salvador. the current vice president is winning. we have more from the capital. >> we are watching the website. the fmlm votes are creeping towards the 50% vote. we only have over half the votes from el salvador. no one is calling the election. the opposition are trailing at

veronica pedrosa has the latest on the bitter political crisis. >> i think this is just a function or a simply tom of the -- symptom of the long-running political stalemate that we have here, such that every institution, including the police and the military are politiciz politicized. they are seen on one side or the other. the anti-government protests started because the government wanted to maintain amnesty on all sides of the political spectrum. it's not likely to see proper enforcement. i'm hearing of a special unit being brought up from special parts of the country. i think there'll be a renewed attempt to clear the area in the next few days. difficult to say when. >> al jazeera's veronica pedrosa reporting from bangkok. >> sectarian tensions are rising in iraq after a series of attacks. dozens were killed in baghdad when a blast from a parked car ripped through a bus satisfaction. in a separate attack three people were killed when a bomb exploded. 23 people were killed after a series of explosions targetting a shi'a neighbourhood. the face of opposition movement in venezuela res

let's turn to veronica pedrosa. she's in a pro-government neighbourhood. what are you seeing there? >> it's been calm here, actually. people have been trickling in to vote. not a heavy turn out. in the morning we are at about 11 o'clock. there are four - just a little under four hours, people continuing to vote, and the expectation is that people have been watching the television, living to the radio to find out what is going on. later on in the day, taking the initiative to come out. this is not a normal election as you can tell from what has been said. it is not just about who gets the most votes. it's about people wanting to exercise their right to vote for many people. there are analysts who say that is a question of the rule of law that what this election is really about is the rule of law. not just about which party wins. >> and so veronica do the get the impression that intimidation tactics were working and many were afraid to cast the ballots. >> you know, that is one reason why people may well be cautious about coming out to vote. yes, it is very worrying because you hear a

. >>> our veronica pedrosa, what are you seeing today? . >> well, actually i'm joining you jonathan from one of the main stages that the anti-government protestors are using to block main highways as it were, main roads through the city. this is the equivalent of let's say in new york 5th avenue. it is very important junction. this is land i happened in manys of ban kong. seven areas of bangkok. sunday which was supposed to resolve the political crisis are going to reduce the number of areas where they are going to obstruct traffic and go to a park which is the equivalent of central park in new york, the main park in the city. that is not to say that they are not going to continue their fight, they say they want to reform before the elections. they oppose the election. they try to block people from voting, they stop papers from being delivered and they will probably reject any results from the election. >> veronica, what else can the protestors do? what's left for them? >> the protestors will have been talking about the analysts i should

veronica pedrosa has more about the vote and what it means for its people. >> hours before snapelections are held in thailand polling stations like this one have been set up across the country. noticeboards have gone up to show people who the various candidates are. there are lists of registered voters and party lists as well. 49 million people across thailand are registered to vote. this will be interesting to see how many are actually able to vote because of the threat by anti-government protesters that have been escalating for months to obstruct the election process. the police have already said that they expect voting to go smoothly in the north and north-east central parts of thailand, but bangkok and the south may see real problems. >> this is an election that is not so much about which party wins the most votes. it's clear to everyone that the party that is currently running the government, led by prime minister - caretaker prime minister yingluck shinawatra is the most popular party. they won elections handily the last few ballots. what it's more about is how many thai people mak

let's go to veronica pedrosa. she's in the pro-government area. in a sense, while we focus on the protests, we have not seen much of the red shirts. they could be crucial in the next 24, 48 hours. >> they could. the red shirt far out number the yellow shirts. there has been changes in loyalties between the groups making up the loose coalitions of coloured shirts. they are not really relevant descriptions. people have been differentiating between pro-government and anti-government. at this point they are also differentiating between the two camps in terms of their support for the election to be held in a few hours from now. anti-election, those that want reform, before election protesters are or the red shirts, those that want elections to go ahead and exercise their right to vote. the election protest is being tested. 20km away a stapd -- standoff is developing between the anti-government protesters, trying to barricade the district election office. they are behind a rank of police. in front of them 100 of pro-government supporters armed with stic

veronica pedrosa joins us live from bangkok. what's the story, veronica? >> reporter: well, this isn't just the second attack to happen since friday at this site. it's all the second attack in less than 24 hours to be carried out against anti-government protesters. last night there was an attack in eastern thailand, and at least 35 people were injured, and a child was actually killed. so you're seeing this increasing frequency of such attacks, and that is increasing the tension and pressure on the prime minist minister, who the protesters here want to quit because she say she's corrupt. they want to replace her with an unelected government that would carry out reforms and then elections would be held. meanwhile, though, the situation for the protesters is that they want to keep on going. it seems a kind of spiraling situation of tension feeding violence. >> veronica, you've been covering this for several months now. do you see any change in the atmosphere? >> reporter: yes. i think that there is definitely a ratcheting up on the violence. there's pressure

veronica pedrosa is in bangkok at the center of the tuesday's clashes. >> what you see on the street, among the protesters, the clashes with police, with the army. you have to understand is part of the very specific make-up of politics here in thailand. the institutions are poll it sized. the police are seen as being proxies for the government, pro-government. the military are seen as anti-government. the fact that there was a clash yesterday has been red by some observers as a show of the breakdown of communications between the two sides. one side saying that the other let it down, and that is why they came and raided and were beaten back and we saw deaths on the streets. it seems inevitable that this is just going to happen again at this point. >> you are watching al jazeera. back after a break with more coverage of the explosion in beirut. local emergency services reporting two killed, 35 wounded. >> welcome back you are watching al jazeera. i'm steven cole. we are following breaking n

as al jazeera's veronica pedrosa reports, many are noticing something else. sexist remarks aimed at the leader p >> an attractive woman in a role normally played by men. she's at the center of a bitter fight to control the country. mass protests against bangkok tried to obstruct elections. as you can see, the crowds are nowhere near as big as they were. that doesn't mean the language and vitriol pored out at stages like this is getting weaker. in fact, women's right complained about the sexist language used against the prime minister. >> here, referring to a tv game show, the opposition said if there was a competition tore dumb lady, no one could complete. abusive and sexist language must by opponents. don't worry, you have time. you're not too old to be a pin up model, you have not reached menopause. >> some dislike the hate speech. >> translation: >> as a woman, it's harsh. it's the last straw to say such things. >> not just the last straw, but an omen of things to cox. >> we are seeing protesters calling enemies in the government as nonhuman. therefore the

veronica pedrosa has more. >> thailand is assessing the impact of the elections hold on sunday, 24 hours after the ball et cetera opened -- ballots opened. around 90% of polling stations were open. most people were able to vote. the problem is that the people who were not able to vote need to be given another opportunity to exercise their right to vote. so there'll be further elections held. the election commission says, on 23 february. it's not clear whether or not anti-government protesters will obstruct that. i am at a sight for the anti-government protesters at the moment. they are continuing their campaign to ouster the current government of caretaker prime minister yingluck shinawatra. they are regrouping and gathering in larger numbers at fewer places. it is not clear what strategy they are going to undertake. whatever happens as the aftermath of the election, which was supposed to resolve the political crisis continues, it seems apparent that the caretaker's prime minister's grip on power is likely to weaken. she will not be able to pass laws or get real work done while no parlia

it won't mean an end to the protest or political crisis >> i'm veronica pedrosa, instructions to the ballot means there won't be enough mps to legally elect a new prime minister. >> $4 billion needed to help up to

veronica pedrosa speaking to us from bangkok. >> it's time for sport. football in spanish. they have a new leader. real madrid are at the top of the table. we have more. >> days after being charged with tax fraud after the signing of neymar, the brazilian was one of six changes to the side that beat mexico city. they were 1-0 down after half an hour. the header deflecting in. barca equalized. messi scored their only shot on target of the first half. despite being level at half-time, the barca coach lost his cool. sent to the stand. barsa lost 3-2, it would be a painful night, and tom greeceman's 15th goal putting sociedad in front. before the defending champions regrouped, they conceded again. 3-1 the final score. barcelona have in the won since 2007. they are three points behind real madrid. real madrid's first in a 3-0 win over elche. the hosts were without the suspended cristiano ronaldo. in his absence, the world's expensive gareth bale proved his worth with a second. and isco rounded off the scoring in the closing stages. atletico madrid could join real at the top of t

veronica pedrosa, thank you for providing this report. now, a decade old law keeping new jersey getting the desperately needed salt for the weather we've been having. a boat-load of salt. 40,000 tonnes ready to sale to newark, but a 1920 law prevents the foreign registered vessel from stopping between u.s. ports. they are seeking a waiver from the federal government. kevin is tracking the dangerous weather >> we had one storm go through. what we'll watch is what is going to happen across the central plains. a different storm. as we get into february, march, we get into the severe weather events. it's this area here on wednesday that we'll watch. doesn't look like much. watch what happens as we go from wednesday to thursday, and how it developments. a lot of the moisture coming in from the golf. a cold front. tornados down here, towards the south, and gusty wind. this is the reem jog we are looking -- region we are looking at, winds, tornados. minneapolis town here. february sees tornados, 21 to 24 tornadoes towards the south. seeing the t

veronica pedrosa reports. >> an attractive woman in a role that up to now has been played by men. when yingluck shinawatra was elected prime minister, it was spun as a sign of protest. now she's at the center of a bitter fight to control the country. >> mass protests across bangkok and the government, even trying to obstruct elections. >> the crowds are nowhere near as big as they were at the beginning of the shutdown. >> that doesn't mean though that the language and vitriol has been pored out of stages like this one. income, women's rights groups complained about the sexist language used agipps the prime minister yingluck shinawatra >> referring to a tv game show called "smart lady", the top opposition leader said if there was a competition for dumb lady, no one could compete. much worse. sexist language has been used. >> translation: don't worry, you have time, you are not too old to become a pin-up model, as you have not yet reached men o pause. >> some dislike the hate speech. as a woman i think it's harsh. it must be the laf straw to say uch things. not just the last straw,

>> we are getting reports of a bomb blast in bangkok. 16 people are injured much let's go to veronica pedrosa for an update. the casualty toll has risen. we are hearing from the emergency medical services that 24 people have been injured and sent to hospital. some are injured, through are said to be children. the bomb exploded. this is a cross between a motorbike and a card. in this case it was a very violent threat because it had loaded on it an explosive device. this is a crowded area. it's shocking. it will raise the levels of nervousness. particularly as it happened less than 24 hours after the bomb and gun attack on anti-government protesters in another part of the country. an area where an 8-year-old was killed. we are seeing a worrying trend and bomb attack happening every day and more people being injured in areas that are supposed to be secure. now, at the scene where the bomb exploded we are seeing pictures of soldiers and police. >> this is al jazeera's veronica pedrosa joining us from bangkok. thank you for the update. in venezuela dualling protests. opponent and supporters of the

they seem to be prolonging it. >> that was veronica pedrosa reporting from bangkok. >> more than 100en killed in government raids. they dropped explosives on the rebel-held towns. >> most killed were civilians. over the past few weeks government troops fought their way into rebel-held towns. 413,000 people have decide since the civil war began. the conflict is spreading beyond its borders and a suicide bomber killed four people. a group named after a syrian al qaeda group is behind the bombing. that's why the country is seeing an increase in attacks. >> another car bomb hits the town near the border of syria. a suicide bomber blew himself up in a car on the main street. it happened near a petrol station, a school. >> it is a predominantly shi'a town and a route used by hezbollah to send fighters and advisor to aid president bashar al-assad, a member of the alawite minor city. >> this is affecting the lebanese citizens affected by hezbollah and syria. we have a direct effect on the security of every citizens. that's why we are acting to have hezbollah withdraw from the syrian fire. >>

veronica pedrosa reports from the site of tuesday's clashes. >> what you see on the streets, among the protesters, the clashes with police and the army, you have to understand is part of the specific make-up of politics in thailand. the institutions are politicized. the police are seen as a performy for the government and the military is seen as anti-government. the fact that there was a clash is read as a show of a break down of communication. one side saying that the other let it down, and that's why they raided and were beaten back on the street. it seems inevitable that this is just going to happen again at this point. >> al jazeera's veronica pedrosa reporting from fong far. >> the face of the opposition movement in venezuela resurfaced, but only briefly. >> popular opposition leader leopoldo lopez galvanised thousands of supporters. he told the crowd in caracas that he was ready to vepder to security forces. >> i have nothing to hide. >> this is a fight for the young people, for the students, for the oppressed and gaoled. this is a fight for all vepz. >> leopoldo lopez was arrest