The impeachment probe into the u. S. President all 1st a front up to questioning from republicans. A general strike is due to begin in lebanon in the coming hours as protesters step up the pressure on the government theres been a mass rally in the capital beirut demonstrators are calling for a complete overhaul the ruling elite and the political system which is split along sectarian lines already the protests forced the Prime Minister saad hariri to hand in his resignation theres also been rallies in support of the government was at the protests in beirut. Antipolitical establishment protesters are back to close roads they believe that this is the only way to maintain the pressure on the ruling elite to resign a few days ago they agreed to leave the streets. After the Prime Minister saad submitted his resignation but now people here believe those in power are progress that they should have by now created a technocrat government which will prepare for early elections but those that mans have not been met those in power theyve been in power for 30 years are unlikely to meet these demands because it means giving up the power that they have enjoyed over these years so back to closing roads but the Lebanese Army and the Security Forces are also in the streets but i can tell you people here are uncompromising and demanding demanding a new change in leadership but at the same time there is another street in the country the other street is defending those in power. They turned out in large numbers to send the message to those trying to topple the ruling elite supporters of president michel came from across the country and converged outside the president ial palace in beirut suburbs a show of force but also a call for cooperation. There are too many protests squares the situation must not turn against each other or protest against each other we do a road map with 3 points corruption the economy and a civic nation there your rights so thats why we need to communicate with you and agree and put efforts together people here say they too are asking for reforms and an end to corruption but unlike the antiestablishment protest movement they are defending their leaders the president s son in law foreign ministers. Gave no indication he is leaving office he is a divisive figure who has been accused of corruption overstepping his powers and exploiting lebannon secretary and structure for political gains. Let us not block the road in front of us with demands that are impossible to achieve today because you will speed up the financial collapse. The priority is to delay that collapse and maybe prevent it. Mainly sectarian parties still command support among 4000000 people but the street is divided and public squares and cities across the country antigovernment protesters are uncompromising lebanese from all sects have been coming together and the crowds chant the same slogan all of them means all of them they are rejecting the entire Political Class of lebanon socalled october revolution is now in its 3rd week the revolt against politicians who have been in power for 30 years has not lost momentum public pressure has reshuffled power the Prime Minister sato had d. D. Resigned last week but he could return to office as part of a deal politicians seem to be putting together and what they seem to be discussing are shares and divisions in the old practice and perhaps maybe just maybe thinking about do we give this socalled Civil Society 2 or 3 state seeds to come down the street but the problem is what you hear here when you talk to people is we want a coherent independent competent government the major reform these people want is proving difficult to achieve and no one knows how long the political standoff will last you know its a dangerous stalemate on the economy on the brink of collapse much needed economic forums reforms need to be enacted but you cant do that without a government and its not just that if the Ruling Coalition those in power decide to clamp down on this movement it will be very difficult because using Excessive Force would definitely be condemned by the International Community whos really their eyes have been on lebanon on western countries providing support to the Lebanese Army so the Lebanese Army the Ruling Coalition theyre in a bind they know what theyre up against a street which is uncompromising but at the same time its not clear if they are going to take escalatory measures them sell. In order to end this movement. Talks so much could be the worlds biggest trade partnership have been quote conclusive thailand says an announcement will be made in the coming hours there were last minute doubts about the deal at the summit after and to raise concerns on chinas involvement so lets get our scott high learn who is at the summit and bangkok scott what do we know about this last minute turn of events. We shall we know now this coming out from the commerce minister here in thailand he is obviously part of these negotiations these discussions here during the summit meetings now its a it could be the Worlds Largest free trading block 16 nations all 10 members of the association of Southeast Asian nations that are meeting now they are members of the negotiations have been going on as you said there were concerns going into these days of discussions 3 days of discussions from india they were concerned initially came out reports came out that theyre worried about chinese products cheap chinese products flooding the market in india that were the early indications it appears as though you know as the commerce minister here in thailand is saying conclusive announcement could be coming later today we dont know exactly what that means now this is a negotiation thats been going on for years now so its not something that can be you know kind of corrected really quickly so were not sure exactly what that means this the statement to be coming out later today we do know the the the members the 16 countries who are going to be part of this its called are 7 are going to be part of this trade pact have r. D. Had a scheduled meeting for later on today here on monday in bangkok so its not as though a quick meeting was called and then theyre going to make some kind of announcement but obviously were going to be tracking this very quote closely so this is got to talk about the environment the Global Economy now that the push to get big trading blocks like this formed and completed perhaps maybe whatever the pressure was to get this over the finish line. Yeah absolutely this is a trade agreement that it was fronted by china initially it was created to kind of counter what the United States under the Obama Administration was pushing forward Transpacific Partnership t p p this was chinas kind of answer to that this was their response to that but whats been interesting in the years since the t. T. P. Was kind of put forward by president obama almost one of the 1st actions that President Trump did once he started his term his 1st term was to scrap p. P. P. From the American Perspective so that obviously gave more initiative and wind in the sails of this agreement seat that so thats why we need weve seen things kind of step up over the last 18 months 2 years so again this is kind of be a big win for china if this does go through or through and forward you know when you look at how the Obama Administration looked at the free trade agreements and how the Trump Administration looks at through free trade agreements is a classic example much more staking a step back from the globalization of markets and more looking just at the United States were china is looking to expand its reach and expand this trade agreement 16 nations would be the largest ever that its been put together by any any bloc of nations or show all right with the latest in bangkok scott thank you. Pakistans Prime Minister has refused to he calls to resign after tens of thousands of protesters remain in islam abide demonstrators could then run con until midnight on sunday to step down and said the government is illegitimate and then propped up by the military the protests are led by the Prime Ministers longtime liable conservative clerics. Cmon. Schools are shut flights are being canceled and a public emergency has been declared as toxic small chokes indias capital on the air quality and x. A result of 500 as described as severe plus all the result for new delhi is double that experts say its like smoking up to 50 cigarettes a day people are complaining of sore eyes and sore throats. Dumble tries move it suffocating and we thought coffin we forded the law shall we make the weapon better and the pollution that will improve doesnt feel like it yet in the good even. Puffing breathing issues pollution is also putting us on the mental pressure thats not going to say stiffly no fog Walking Around we must zone it was for me as a distinguished senior fellow at Observer Research foundation has described the difficulties facing those living in new delhi i was in delhi yesterday and i was you know i walked in the streets and on a daily basis. I mean there are health has its there are opposing to people but i think its its frustrating. It is dangerous normal life this affected because schools are shut. And you know you cannot go about your day in a normal you when there is destruction in your normal way of life it is significant its a its not only a physical problem its also psychological it becomes a psychological problem and youre trying to find solutions around it and i think people are frustrated with the authorities about the politicize ational issue so there are all these factors and there is a resentment and i and i think at one level you know there are people that i personally know or runs who in the last 5 years a move away from delhi because of these kinds of this kind of this kind of an issue that simply is unsustainable and that wrecks stuck above Niagara Falls for more than a century is having closer to the edge because of bad weather the boat known as the iron skall had been wedged on rocks about 600 meters on the edge of the falls heavy rains and strong winds have pushed the wreck 50 meters downstream the iron clad vessel has now flipped on its side and could be at risk of going over the edge if there is more stormy weather. Still ahead on al jazeera anger over foreign interference iraq in protesters stormed the iranian consulate in karbala. And antigovernment protesters in chile say they want to go back to political basics and their fight against the president. Welcome back well that one storm system we saw pushing across the caspian is now going to be a really bring some rain showers up here towards the north but we are going to be seeing some rain as well as snow in coming days for parts of afghanistan it is going to be a little bit cloudier here for couple with a temperature few of 20 on monday but as you can see a little bit cooler by the time we get to tuesday in the Higher Elevations it is going to be snow particularly in the overnight hours down here towards crotchet though it is going to be some clouds as well as some rain we do have a system down here towards arabian sea that could potentially bring a feeder band or 2 across much of your area now that one system we are talking about is a tropical cycle in ma it is making its way to the north as well as then towards the northeast and we will be watching very carefully for possible interaction with india by the time we get to mid week abu dhabi not a bad day for you at 30 degrees from doha about 32 degrees as our forecast high here on tuesday across parts of cape town it is going to be quite nice with temperatures reaching to 26 but johannesburg a very warm day for you and plenty of sun in the forecast on monday at 29. 00 and durban we do expect to see more clouds in the forecast at 23. 00 degrees it is going to be quite a nice day up here towards kenya with harare seen plenty of sun in the forecast with a temperature of 30 degrees for you. As a sponsor. Every week a new cycle brings a series of breaking stories. For listening as we turn the cameras on the media when the Intelligence Services control much of a gyptian media it becomes an extension of the arm of the president and focus on how they would pollute on the stories that matter the most getting an accurate informative story out of there is ne they pose it too late we already have the information theyre listening post on aljazeera. Theyre watching aljazeera lets recap the top stories right now rival protests have been held across lebanon both for and against the government antigovernment protesters converged in beirut repeating their calls for a complete overhaul of the ruling elite hours after supporters of the president staged a big rally. Talks on what could be the worlds biggest trade partnership have been conclusive are announced that will be made in the coming hours or last minute doubts about the deal at the summit. Air pollution and that around indias capital new delhi is the worst so far this year experts say breathing the citys mayor is like smoking up to 50 cigarettes a day Health Emergency has been declared. Iraqs Prime Minister is calling for an end some bloodshed on both sides as the country continues to face antigovernment protests speaking for the 1st time since announcing his resignation. Demonstrators have achieved their goals and damaging the economy it may no further mention of stepping down on hes also met. Delegation from the u. S. Congress who say they are backing the iraqi governments efforts are protesters are not giving up hundreds trying to storm the iranian capital in karbala south of baghdad raise the iraqi flag on the gate of the building and set fires nearby Security Forces fired shots in the air in an attempt to disperse the crowds demonstrators have been calling for an end to what they say is iranian interference and iraqs politics and in baghdad demonstrators have walked major roads schools were closed in the capital and other cities as teachers went on strike to show their solidarity but antigovernment protesters are getting reports. Protesters set fires erected barricades and even lay down in the road at intersections in central and eastern baghdad as the work week began the roadblocks created traffic jams across the capital preventing people from getting to work some government offices and businesses were forced to close. By we have one which is employees joints it is just like cos they cant participate by staying at home we want all the government ministries to stop operating we can all unite we all want people here in Tahrir Square which has become the epicenter of the protests there were signs that people are settling in for the long haul this burned out skyscraper has been occupied since the 2nd wave of antigovernment protests began more than a week ago from the upper floors protesters can see the square and the bridge below leading to the green zone where Security Forces are positioned this was built during the Saddam Hussein era there was once a restaurant on top of one of its nickname it has been abandoned since 2003 when it was gone during the u. S. Led invasion now its become an iconic landmark of the other president in protests volunteers are trying to prevent this. Building from becoming a garbage dump we are here to clean the supplies and zacchaeus of where we know many people are killed here and you send people with no basis so this is a place to be a clear as a kind of holy place. The stuff im sally is a University Student and volunteer he says he knows being here is dangerous but this is a revolution what im going to do after what you asians theres no jobs so this is this golden age of skilling and like like this just in there. We are we are just like people zombies no one no one mill no one know that there is people here have dreams want to do things in their lives and other protesters say they feel proud for their role in what they regard as a historic moment theyre not following or answering to anyone in their eyes theyre all the donors natasha getting aljazeera back to. The whistleblower who prompted an impeachment probe into the u. S. President says hell answer questions from House Republicans has repeatedly call for the unnamed official to reveal themselves and prays to to begin public hearings this month after several weeks of closed for testimony trump is accused of threatening to withhold military aid to ukraine unless it investigated its democratic rival joe biden claims members of the media know who the whistleblower is and they must reveal his identity. The whistleblower gave a very inaccurate report about my phone call my phone call was perfect it was totally appropriate but he gave a report he or she but according to the newspaper existed he faked think they know they know who it is you know you just dont want to report it the whistleblower. Should be revealed because the whistleblower gave false stories some people would go the wrong i wont go that far but. When i read it closely i probably would only should add trump statement contradicts the white houses own notes of the phone call with the ukrainian president which largely cooperate the whistleblower account john hendren has more from washington d. C. In the impeachment inquiry into donald trump what is interesting is not necessarily who might testify in the coming week but who will not testify there are 3 officials from the White House Office of management and budget who have been asked by that inquiry to testify and reports are that they will not appear in this coming week that is apparently part of a coordinated campaign by the white house to prevent people from speaking to you know pietschmann require and in that case its significant because the allegation in the inspiring is that president dont trump withheld 400000000. 00 from the government of ukraine that is in military aid until he received a promise from the president of ukraine a lot of years olinsky that he would investigate joe biden the president s rival and that he would announce that he was doing so publicly so there is that end the fact that john bolton the president s former National Security adviser has said he will not testify without tina so bolton is significant because he has said that that deal the Pressure Campaign against ukraine was a socalled drug deal and members of Congress Want to know what he meant by that and whether he thought that meant that anything improper was being done by the president of the United States and there are new reports that that partisan warfare is driving up interest in the 2020 election is a wall street journal n. B. C. Poll that finds that 72 percent of americans say they are highly interested in the upcoming election those are the kind of numbers we usually dont see until about a month before election day and that suggests there could be very high turnout in 2020 whatever happens with the impeachment inquiry. Has threatened to withhold federal aid from california after its democratic governor criticize the u. S. President in Environmental Policies wildfires have been raging in this state for 2 weeks but all evacuation orders have now been lifted the firefighters are making progress containing these fires thousands of residents are returning to their homes 175 houses have been destroyed while another 35 have been damaged. Libyan opposition politicians are calling for a new election to resolve the ongoing unrest protests began in october when iran morale us won a 4th term as president opponents say that it was fraudulent and accuse the tora bora favoring moralities the president has rejected calls to resign and urged protesters to wait on the results of an Ongoing International election audit something the opposition rejects. We believe that the best solution to this crisis is a new election administered by an impartial International Electoral body under rigorous observation by the International Community as such we demand the resignation of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on the Departmental Authority courses and we announce that we will take legal steps for the. Calls for the drafting of a new constitution in chile are growing louder a comes after weeks of violent protests over a lack of funding for Public Services but some are expressing their anger and a different way and of course in the port city a. Small peaceful marches are taking place in dozens of neighborhoods in the chilean port city by far yes the mood here is quite festive its a stark contrast from the unrest thats gripped this community in recent weeks and these marches served to lighten the mood but they also had the effect of bringing neighbors out of their homes to discuss and debate the countrys ongoing social crisis. In many cases the meetings are highly organized and include working groups where people discuss different ways to change the countrys social agenda i meant that in the past we would see unrest in different Sectors Health education University Students workers women but today the demands from this groups had been unified because there is no solution within the Current System and within the constitution to address these problems and. These public gatherings are called there are sort of exercise in democracy building and theyre taking place all over. These debates are also widely seen as one of the most Viable Solutions to the countrys ongoing social crisis of the. Social new social contract. That embodies the new social contract sheilas former foreign minister. Says the countrys constitution is founded on economic policies that favor the rich over the well being of the people we have put all the efforts on universal rights and that i think is that right away we should be there should be our future. The idea of establishing a Constitutional Convention has become one of the loudest rallying cries among chilean protesters were going to tell. You we are going to get together and agree on creating a real society no more of these new a leaving our society. Was born here and you will die here. Apart from the desire for systemic change many chileans say they have a deep distrust of the countrys Political Class behind us is todays National Congress that was constructed during the final years of to lay a dictator i was the pinochet is rule much like the building itself the countrys constitution is seen by many as a remnant of the days of dictatorship. Its unclear how long the unrest in the country will continue but there is a hope among protesters that the outcome will result in a more inclusive democracy. But better. Relatives of women and girls murdered in mexico are demanding justice for their loved ones demonstrators marched in the capitol carrying purple crosses inscribed with the names of victims i want to highlight the higher rates of violence against women in mexico the u. N. Says on average 9 women or girls are murdered every day. Hundreds of protesters are marching for his capital demanding an end to both fighting activists have called fans entering the bullfighting ring in lima for its highest profile annual events attention boiled over outside the arena or testers argue the sport causes excessive suffering for animals as bulls fight to the death against matadors cattle and separatists have rallied outside the hotel where spanish King Philippe will be staying when he visits barcelona next week and his family are travelling to the cattle on regional capital after weeks of antigovernment and antiwar demonstrations his 14 year old daughter princess leonore is expected to make a speech on monday in an effort to win back support for the royals tension has flared since separatist leaders were given jail sentences last month for their role in the regions failed separatist big. The u. K. s parliament will be dissolved on wednesday so politicians can begin campaigning for a december snap election the poll could decide the future of bracks it many voters are confused about the different partys policies so undergo has more from london. Primed with sleeves rolled up as an election coming case its been forgotten the 3rd one in only 4 years some new faces. The choice not. Is about who we are as a country as well as more familiar ones thank you and good morning everybody pushing. It off to goals. At the start of the race its all slogan and little policy. And so this wednesday parliament will once again be dissolved m. P. s pounding the streets persuading people to vote for them and towering over this of course is brecks it with those wanting to stop it battling those who wanted to live it. And then there is the man that didnt make it happen i dont have to. Deep regret all we need to do is get on and do it despite a promise of do or die comment was made Prime MinisterBoris Johnson vowed he wouldnt ask for the extension of parliament and the courts made him request despite what the colorfully saying that hed rather be dead in a ditch. And the politicians snapping at his heels promising to take the u. K. Out without a deal the bricks at parties nigel farage campaigning on a sole issue he will not be standing but offered up the partys backing to johnson even though it was roundly rip off to go to the problems Boris Johnson was. On this question of hes flipped and flopped twice voted against Withdrawal Agreement he then voted for it so he showed his ability to change position and now mr johnson has the time drop the 3 lets get over the problems. And its not just the u. K. Breaking away from europe thats on the ballot in scotland where there is now 50 percent support for independents its also where the belonging to the u. K. Is a viable option if brics it goes ahead my friends. The much better dont turn it around our country is to take our future and our hearts and to become an independent country. The conservatives may be ahead in the polls but the party that sapped a number of its m. P. s their one Time Coalition partner the liberal democrats their anti bracks a vision has persuaded moderate pro e. U. Tories to back them instead. And what of the main Opposition Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbett its mixed messages over brecks it has left it significantly behind the governing conservatives will seek to make this election about issues such as the Health Service raising taxes on the rich anything to distract from the elephant in the room. But the prop of the hit the others will likely make much of his inability so far to come up with a clear vision about where the party stands on the matter which could leave it out of the cold in this december election. London. Take out the headlines right now on aljazeera a general strike is due to begin in lebanon in the coming hours as protesters step up the pressure on the government. Theres been mass rallies in the capital beirut demonstrators are calling for a complete overhaul the ruling elite and the political system which is split along sectarian lines thai Officials Say talks on what could be the worlds biggest trade partnership have been conclusive and an announcement will be made soon there were a last minute doubts about this deal at the summit after india raised concerns on chinas involvement well keep you posted on that announcement pakistans Prime Minister has refused to heed calls to resign as tens of thousands of protesters remain in islamic demonstrators gave them wrong on until midnight on sunday to step down i said the government is illegitimate and they propped up by the military air pollution in and around indias capital as the worst so far this year experts say breathing new delhis there is like smoking up to 50 cigarettes a day Health Emergency has been declared. It suffocates coffin we shall always will make the weapon better and the pollution that will improve it doesnt feel like it yet in the. Breathing issues pollution is also putting us on the mental pressure its not so stiffly no dog Walking Around with. Iraqs Prime Minister has called for an end to mass protests against the government he says the protesters have achieved their goals but are now hurting the economy some of them tried to storm the iranian consulate in karbala over what they say is tehrans interference in iraqs politics the whistleblower who prompted an impeachment probe into the u. S. President has offered to answer questions in the investigation will trump has again call for the unnamed official to reveal themselves and trump has threatened to withhold federal aid from california after its democratic governor criticized his Environmental Policies while fires have been raging in the state for 2 weeks now but all of accusation orders have been lifted because firefighters are making progress and containing these blazes thousands of residents are returning to their homes 175 houses have been destroyed while another 35 have been damaged as are the headlines keep it on aljazeera another bolton at the top of the hour in the meantime the listening post is up next. Theres. Nothing that i think. That looks to me. Alone Richard Geres bird and youre at the listening post here are some of the media stories were covering this week you can add to the list of countries dealing with political upheaval on the streets amongst the issues bias on the airwaves journalism from behind bars in prisons across the u. S. Inmates are reporting on a hidden world to ban or not to ban the issue is political advertising social media sites are grappling with it and the Washington Post botches an obituary headline and the internet is not going to let the pay