President go to buy rajapaksa gives his brother senior cabinet posts after naming one of them as Prime Minister. And hong kongs new police chief urges students inside a university to surrender and then the 6 day old siege. Israels Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu says criminal charges against him are part of an attempted coup the attorney general announced the charges on thursday that relate to 3 cases in which mr netanyahu is accused of bribery fraud and a breach of trust Harry Fawcett reports now from west jerusalem. Theres never been anything like it in israeli politics on the day the grinding stalemate over forming a new government and to the new unprecedented phase the attorney general was ready with his own historical 1st. Today i informed the representative of the Prime Minister mr Benjamin Netanyahu about my decision to try him under in jacmel excludes 3 charges a day in which the attorney general decided to serve an indictment against Prime Minister the serious crimes of corrupt governance is a heavy and sad day for the israeli public and for me personally. And i later shocked looking Benjamin Netanyahu began his battle to stay in office while indicted. Tonight we are witnessing an attempted coup against the Prime Minister using false accusation and a systematically tainted and vice investigation. Investigations began in december 26th seen into 3 separate cases case 1000. 00 involves gifts including cigars and champagne worth more than 200000. 00 received and often demanded by netanyahu and his wife sarah from billionaires. And james packer the charge and breach of trust the same charges apply in case 2000 in which newspaper magnate on mosers is alleged to have offered favorable coverage in return for his hampering the activities of a rival but it was case 4000. 00 involving show the main stakeholder in the countrys Biggest Telecom company that attracted the most serious charge bribery netanyahu and his wife accused of dictating precise elements of coverage on elevates his news site while or in return for regulator benefits worth 500000000. 00 a recurring theme runs through these indictments netanyahu is obsession with his Media Coverage and the alleged lengths to which he was prepared to go to try to control it that these charges were expected hasnt lessened their impact this is an explosive moment in israels political and legal history now the focus intensifies on netanyahu future. Was ahead of him a twin battle to head off any contest for the Party Leadership in the run up to a likely 3rd election next march and a potential Supreme Court case challenging his legal right to stay in office if he was a minister he would have to resign or be fired because hes the Prime Minister its not clear what is clear is that theres a moral problem right now because its not just that the attorney general recommended indicting him including for bribery these are things that happened while he was Prime Minister earlier israels president officially gave the parliament the job of finding a member with enough support to form a government and prevent another election unprecedented and in the view of most unlikely to succeed. So yeah these are harsh dark days in the annals of the state of israel he said there may be harsher and darker days to come for its longest serving Prime Minister ari force at aljazeera west jerusalem while the Palestinian Group hamas that runs garza says the charges against netanyahu bring israels political system into doubt. The events in past years so the leadership of the occupation is drowning in corruption and this is normal for an instinct that is based on stealing palestinian lands and expelling its people its also confirms the lies behind its claim that its a democratic country and his integrity. Ok lets get more on this developing story for you joining us here live on aljazeera is a kiva eldar hes a columnist for the news website monitor he joins us on skype from sydney akiva eldar what are the main potential scenarios here do you think for you going forward. Well hopefully even by betson. The majority of nestor will come up where is a good kid and a job it lays not anyhow we are in a very delicate junction in history of the israeli young democracy and the knesset has still got the chance 61. 00 members which is a joey he will decide that there is one of the 120. 00 members of knesset that can replace that danielle and save israel from i. E. Dont have any other definition then a democratic catastrophe the other scenario where i still hope will not happen is that. Oh will be the candidate of the likud and i hear that the polls are still in favor of him of delhi could and that in a few months we will see a candidate a politician that is indicted and maybe will even spend some time in court at the same time campaigning and heading to the. Party to get reelected if that doesnt happen and given that some analysts are saying he could actually manage perhaps to hang on for up to 2 years are we heading into another scenario potentially where hes handling affairs of state at a difficult time for israel as a compelling time in the relationship between jerusalem and washington while similar taney asli said tilling court appearances. Absolutely we are in the position that Benjamin Netanyahu. Is actually its important to remind if us that the tourney general decided. Was the cabinet secretary and one of his confidence its not the leftists its not you know the usual suspects from these really left all the. Chief of police that netanyahu d already smeared as a you know a member of the deep state this is the one of the closest people jonathan and netanyahu has now to florida so it is to declare war he has the fullest already dismantled all to relationship whereas the palestinians and a combination of thought and indicted right minister and american president his closest friend who is there now facing impeachment i think this combination is something that. Nobody could do write a script for a movie that a horror movie that. Is as good as this one. That in Sydney Australia many thanks mike. A former white house policy expert who said a fictional narrative was used to link ukraine to interference in the 2016 us president ial election fiona hill was speaking at the impeachment inquiry into accusations President Donald Trump pressured ukraine to investigate his political rival joe biden hi joe castro is in washington. Raise your right hand i will begin by swearing the days testimony began with a warning from the former white house policy expert on russia and ukraine some of you on this committee appear to believe that russia and its Security Services did not conduct a company against a country and the perhaps somehow for some reason you craned it this is a fictional not a sieve that has been perpetrated and propagated by the russian Security Services themselves the on a hill testified russia was watching the impeachment hearings and ultimately would benefit from republicans repeating the quote fictions that ukraine meddled in the 2016 elections with the help of democrats she said she had warned gordon sagal and the e. U. Ambassador the same when she realized he was carrying out the president s personal political agenda by requesting ukraine open investigations into trumps political rivals and i did said to him and gordon i think this is all going to blow up and here we are david homes of Foreign Service officer in the kiev embassy testified ukraine has been cleaning up corruption under its new president billowed amirs alinsky homesteads alinsky wanted an Oval Office Meeting with trump but it was made clear that the linsky would wouldnt get the meeting unless he announced on c. N. N. That ukraine was investigating joe biden this was a demand that president selenski personally commit on a cable news channel to a specific investigation of President Trumps political rival holmes testified he also had a clear impression that a hold on u. S. Military aid was likely intended by trump to pressure ukraine for the investigation home said he overheard a phone call between trump and ambassador some land discussing whether his alinsky would cooperate so you heard President Trump ask ambassador son when is he going to do the investigation yes or. What was ambassador sunless response he said oh yeah hes going to do it hell do anything you ask that earn homes and this rebuke from republican congressman mike turner your statements that your interests are protecting ukraine are very dubious when you embarrass president zelinsky by making those statements even have to make who cares that investor someone said who cares that question sums up a republican Defense Strategy to counter these 5 days of public testimony that democrats say showed trump at best misused his office and at worst committed bribery but is the to nuff to move the American Public the latest polls show that americans remain evenly divided on whether to impeach trump and remove him from office and the vast majority say that these hearings will not change their minds hi peter castro aljazeera washington. Well after thursdays hearing closed white house spokesman hogan gidley said the hearings were a sham and that unless they were ended President Trump wants to have an impeachment trial in the senate because its clearly the only chamber where he can expect fairness and receive due process under the constitution we would expect to finally hear from witnesses who actually witnessed and possibly participated in corruption like Adam Schiff Joe Biden hunted by the socalled whistle blower to name a few the President Trumps republican policy holds a majority in the senate and during those impeachment proceedings on thursday he met some of the posse senators at the white house is what one of them said afterwards. He talked about impeachment talk to perceiving selfrestraint he says that the tone of this inability to be able to fend for itself. But he didnt do well thats why we didnt take up the only b. S. Part of our conversation by any means. Sri lankas new president has appointed a cabinet with 2 of his own brothers holding top jobs go to buy a rajapaksa was elected president last week he was the defense minister in the final days of the civil war and led a crackdown on tamil tiger separatists hes picked his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa to be both Prime Minister and finance minister mahinda previously served as president himself for 10 years and the elder brother rajapaksa as being named minister of trade and to speak a tremendous time as president lets talk now to rajiv a widget in cinema hes a former leader of the liberal party of sri lanka he joins us on skype from colombo so just walk us through how this dynastic overtone to sri lankan politics kind of shifts the center of gravity if it does a toll. Yeah i must say im not thinking of but i think i got the impression the question was about the next steve and i think the president president has done a much got an interim cabinet going very sensibly you can find it to 15 people hes appointed mind rajapakse as Prime Minister which in the sense is understandable because its one of the recompensing minder ought to but if the colossal insult he suffered under the last government which is a pity i mean you may know that i was one of the people who opposed him in the 2014 election but i did try to get in the new government that they were they should respect him for what he did achieve instead of which there was a not too good think you should and i think if it. Is the scene on things it only hill i think indicates if that the new president everybody technocratic government he 1st appointment will a 2nd tree to the the institutions of the state to the british word the Foreign Ministry the Defense Ministry the treasury and of course they go and check a tree and these are on very much profession technocratic Civil Servants who i think will have to do a lot of work to get right guy going to make it to efficient and also restore confidence in the comedy. The eldest brother tom who would be counted not government has been appointed needs to vent because nan thought agriculture which i think its a good idea because he come from a Rural Community and i must admit ive been absolute carelessly regard to the culture in the last 5 years you know one of the ministers who was actually left and wrote the book his party spent all his time you know hiring expensive building to become not you and it seems making a lot of money. I cant comment on the cabinet as a tool but i looked at the unions are particularly interested me and i think we have a very very good that foreign minister in the form of the new issue of the whos a very senior minister which is in a just to interrupt you there for a 2nd if what youre saying is this that this is now a technocrat government and that is a big plus does that mean that your country is entering into a period of calm politics because going back to the east bomb attacks the past few months have not been settled and i guess the voters might say weve paid the price for that. Well i think the problem with the east to bomb attacks is seen in the last coming got a great many one intended absolutely nothing and you know we had if i may say ceramic. Defense which is part of in the last president brought mimsy change kept changing secretaries when we had doing the review of the constitution in mean much 2 dozen 15 i said you cannot be allowed to appoint we promise Good Governance you con just 10th authority and in fall of finding secretaries but would be in the Prime Minister laughed at me. What we have now which is very important is secretary who is a very professional military officer becomes a man of compassion when i was dealing with him in 2009 or the refugees in many from you know i kept telling him to release people who we could argue were not threats like brickman mothers and bush might effect from above and i think our own sake of responsible to keep people in custody he was very clever clipping them go as soon as possible but you need someone tough i think its a big sign that. I suppose the scene in muslim support telford the president has been applying to the government of the not to the west where we have a lot of problems who not to be approved attacks and i hope that or that there are still confidence i think the important thing for this government to do is to work with the time in the muslim people especially at Grassroots Level because i dont think back interested in separatism want to here is a more fundamental its a and to a blighted night the play that will cement and politicians who have been rent seeking with a vengeance from the life government and indeed from the rajah could not win before that it was a bullet dish and in particular i mean mr gans and they draw a conversation to a close that because i think were running out of time and willing to sri lanka thank you so much for joining us here on aljazeera. Still to come on this program body crane Takes Center Stage of the impeachment hearings in washington. Is mending fences with russia. Hello the march of winter is now taking place so the warmth that was in remained in ukraine is all being pushed out of the way now the temperature after max from now in kiev is going to be Something Like minus 2 this is the High Temperature of money even on friday book rest is lost is twentys went down to 7 this is more like when to should look like or late november shouldnt like the consequences everythings coming into the atlantic as well so the potential for flooding in portugal is there if not on friday that on friday or saturday that marches across spain the consequential weather in spain is pretty wintry 212 in madrid probably not much better than middle teens down the south coast as well and that rain marches into france its silly again theres more snow for the objects in the suns out here back in austria and germany but the temperatures are better than where they should be and its slightly will rain here if theres the minus 2 you should be seeing now of course whats happening in portugal slight have a play off in morocco the forecast on friday is a wet one these for the north of morocco that will come to trust our gerri in Northern Nigeria at least r. J. Is pretty wet on saturday and that rains friends a long way science and of course heads towards to see ahead of it still nice and warm but cloudy. Aljazeera is Investigative Unit goes undercover in the caribbean we dont know if they were bribed or defused a token of appreciation exposing trade and diplomatic passports today just to lock it down and let your heart than the price will go to one of them not involving some of the regions highest officials america b m o aljazeera investigations diplomats for sale. Welcome back youre watching aljazeera reminder of our top stories this hour the israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu says corruption charges against him are a coup attempt at turning general has charged the israeli leader in 3 cases hes accused of bribery fraud and a breach of trust. Trying because president has named his new cabinet and his 2 brothers will hold senior positions got