Except. Mali and soldiers speak of getting things back to normal after a coup that isolates the country from its neighbors. Flooding in southwestern china forces hundreds of thousands from their homes some laps at the base of a unesco World Heritage site. And in sports and byron munich are taking on the all for a place in the Champions League final the winners will play p. S. G. For the biggest title in European Club football. Ok lets get going the European Union says it rejects the results of the disputed elections in belarus that have kept the president Alexander Lukashenko in power and after an emergency Virtual Summit today the e. U. Also announced targeted sanctions against those it deems responsible for brutally suppressing protests against a landslide victory. Today here we gave them 3 clear messages. Firstly we stand by the people of belarus who won fundamental freedoms and democracy. Secondly we will sanction all those responsible for violence repression and falsification of the results of the election and thirdly we are ready to accompany peaceful democratic transition of power in belarus. Well earlier svetlana to going to sky who challenge look in the election will she reached out to leaders asking them to support the quotes a weakening of below groups his longtime allies in moscow say they see no reason for mediation to solve the crisis but even the Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says the election could have been run better and despite mounting International Pressure president bush is defiant ordering a new crackdown on demonstrators and issuing a warning to critics abroad would since it is up on the gusa list if someone thinks that the power is staggering in shaking youre wrong i want to say that the power has someone to rely on so we will not waiver we will go our way and we should those who today especially abroad and this is clearly visible are plotting against us will get a serious rebuff. Live to aljazeera as correspondents that garson whos in Independence Square there in minsk so step is there a sense of expectation almost that somethings going to happen but they cant possibly predict what it might be. Yes indeed the situation is definitely unpredictable looked only here in the day very chance no protests riot police was back on the streets look at shanker threatening with another Police Crackdown so people got really worried and scared again but look at this square now hundreds have showed up again defying anything that the president has been threatening they are calling for him to be they say youre fired look at shankar and they want him to be brought to justice so the mood has actually not changed at all after all so the threats have been hollowed it was also a lot of speculation earlier in the day that moscow was getting involved because there was a plane from moscow that had right here in minsk that was also some talk about russian professionals working now at the state television but so far police have been absent again from the streets here and people are free to protest again to see maybe see when you talk about moscow their step as mr lucas saying kmita you see Vladimir Putin as more of a friend of his compared to how mr putin sees his close friendship with mr lucas. That could very well be the relationship between look at shanghai and putin has not been good at all in the last couple of years and look at shankar when he felt really desperate in the last couple of weeks when these protests were getting bigger he started threatening people here and bellows with russian invasion russian interference so basically as a threat to his own people not making sure how much put in was willing to get involved d but these threats of course might have had some impact at least today people were really concerned that there was a change of heart in moscow because until now there was a strong belief that putin would not be willing to get involved here especially also because the relationship with look at shank is this bad but on the other hand of course. Putting is very worried about a pro democratic government here and in minsk and thats why the opposition has been very clear to point out that theyre need a pro european nor pro russian that they want to fight for their own country an independent ballerinas those demonstrators all the people just that you were talking to earlier on the streets today start to they feel empowered and emboldened because of what the European UnionForeign Ministers agreed to do so. They probably feel that way but theyre not saying at them public i just went to this Opposition Council press conference they had this very 1st meeting our 7 people have now been chosen to sort of lead this council that has to sort of prepare a Transitional Government and they were asked this question about the european sanctions and the european language and they were very diplomatic about it again because they dont want to show that theyre choosing one side what they really dont want to give a flood of new put in an excuse to get involved here in ballot was they want to show that they want to have a dialogue with everyone including with russia would look at the whole Civil Society ok well leave it there many thanks that person correspondent there at the heart of the story in minsk. The military who staged a coup in mali have our Civil Servants to go back to work the repeal followed the African Union announcing the suspension of malis membership the west African Regional bloc of course and the United States also condemned the take over the coup on tuesday force the president. To resign you know he says it will help the transition to a new government and organize what commanders call credible elections. In the coming hours the u. N. Security council is meeting to discuss the political crisis has charles stratford. Soldiers gone the residents of malis president Ibrahim Babangida kato in the capital bamako. Prime minister booboo say see we detained here and choose day as rumors of a coup spread president cater appeared on state television announcing his resignation this would. Lead to this bill to keep me in power and thats why i would like to think a 1000000 people for their warmth i am telling you now it that im resigning from my position as the president and all my other positions and i announced the dissolution of the assembly and the governor. Sanford to block and who wants responded forcefully to the coup isolating malise from border closures suspending financial flows and called for sanctions against coup organizers and their supporters. Speaking on state television coup leaders say they are acting in the countrys best interest money. People of mali we are not holding on to power but we are holding on to the stability of the country which will allow us to organize within an agreed reasonable timeframe general elections to equip mali with strong institutions which are able to better manage our everyday lives and restore confidence between the government and the government. Many millions welcomed the coup crowds frustrated with the president and his government spurred the soldiers on some ransacked and burned government offices. We have come out today to call for the total resignation of president cater because we heard there were shots fired by the military and we come up to help our soldiers get rid of the president. We are tired the country is paralyzed and i do not want this government. Of the soldiers began their new to me or to base on the outskirts of bamako the same base that sword 2012 uprising would open the way to cater his presidency heavily armed troops to siena schools in a vehicle believed to be carrying the president. Were very happy because this is a liberation for the people of mali all of these people were waiting for this day all of these people waiting for the president and his men to allow us to breathe. Ok to his face weeks of opposition protests calling for his departure of the disputed parliamentary elections earlier this year much of the country is already outside the control of the government struggled to contain an armed insurgency thats claimed thousands of lives. While mali has struggled for stability since it got independence from france in 1960 when it became a one Party Socialist state under president but he was ousted in a coup within 8 years by left tenant. Who himself was pushed from power by the military in 1990. 1 multiparty polls were held one year later making alpha mollies 1st democratically elected president but the elections in 2002 won by amadou Toumani Toure they were marred by allegations of widespread fraud he was forced out in a coup in 2012 that same year to our 8 rebels seize control of northern mali and declared their own states with other groups a French Military intervention in 2013 helped to recapture major towns but ongoing violence and instability would eventually be a major factor in the coup against the most recent president abraham kita so education is a member of the Strategic Committee of the Opposition Coalition is known as the m 5 r. F. P. He says coup leaders will have to honor their promises to hold an election at this point so i dont think theyre happy choice you know its probably not a movement that started a few months ago and for about 3 months now you know obviously 2 weeks out for the president who is on many of the regime and so it would time out there are tens of thousands of people on the streets im not sure of me to the people who run us on this thing in your city in there. Invite us to join join them whether that means you know we have our own ideas about things its too early for us to sit with it there was not but i can go to you that we might just like what we just make sure that were t. V. And bad governance would be a pinkertons sure ok lets get more on that developing story Alex Thurston is assistant professor of Political Science at the university of cincinnati he writes the sawhill blog politics and religion in this region he joins us from oxford in the u. S. State of ohio Alex Thurston welcome to the news hour key question when will we see an election in mali. First of all thank you for having me i think the answer to that is no idea i mean the constitution stipulates that if a president resigns that an election should follow within 21 to 40 days but makers have not set any time mark that ive seen so far was this can something spontaneous or was it weeks or even perhaps months in the planning. It seems from the reports that have come out that it was spontaneous that it did it as related from a mutiny into a coup but this is a key question that a lot of people are asking the who beaters seem to come from multiple different branches of the armed forces there all at the colonel or even general level you know there theres a question about whether there was any quarter nation between the protest movements that you just discussed before i came armin and who makers so theres just a lot thats unclear about the planning and or spontaneity of who is there essentially a unique quality or perhaps even a floor to something in mali seems to me whos in mali are almost episodic you know 8910 years goes by theres another coup. You know in a regional context its not completely average or or surprising there were there have been a number of coups in neighboring the share and in neighboring more town you know and there have been coups in aso as well. I think mali has maybe been more unstable than those countries in recent years particularly more unstable than more attorney out and i think that you know mali has just the confluence of some of the most severe problems that you could imagine i mean rebellion arent your heart is the violence hootin security. You know corruption and so forth and so its very very difficult to be a successful president of mali but it was whats next not just for the president or the Prime Minister theyve decided enough is enough theyve been told enoughs enough but for all the Political Classes all members of the Political Class in mali if they end up Going Forward to a you know free and Fair Election process they might be accused of being not part of the solution but part of the problem. This is going to complain during the protests this summer and you know for years in malis the Political Class is stagnant but the same people who have been on the scene the 1990 s. Or the 1980 s. Just keep coming back as cabinet ministers as president as Prime Minister. That figures drift in and out of of the majority or the opposition and even the opposition a lot of the time its not really an opposition but its more a kind of an opportunistic positioning by the same members of the Political Class on the other hand when and when and if there are elections its going to be difficult to exclude those politicians its also going to be difficult for anybody fundamentally different from not plaster to really break in so this is one key danger for mali is that. When the dust settles there may be a relatively familiar face taking up the presidency there are 3 sort of contingency of external players on the ground as were talking now in mali youve got the south health force youve got the french on the ground and youve got the United Nations on the ground where does this all leave them i would be very surprised if any of them you know leaves the country over over this but i think in the medium term theyre going to have a lot to figure out about the legalities of their presence about their relationship with the coup makers about and about their strategies overall about you know all those forces are supposed to be there to stabilize the country and clearly their presence has not at all stabilized the country so that i think there will be or there should be a lot of soul searching about about what to do next and whether a different approach is needed ok alex listen good to talk to you thanks so much for coming on Alex Thurston there in oxford ohio thank you so much for having me. Still to come here on the aljazeera news no money left for un sons the alarm about a critical funding shortfall for its operations in yemen. Also ahead how the u. S. Vice president ial candidate heresies heritage is becoming a strength for her campaign and a target for her opponents. And in sport the 4 time Tour De France champion who wont be getting the chance to win the title this year far as that story in 30 minutes. From mali to nigeria where the armed group has launched an attack on coup car what in borno states we have reports of kidnapping looting and asked me to dress as more now from the nigerian capital. The attackers came in more than 20 vehicles according to witnesses they launched the attack targeted specifically the government buildings and a few homes belonging to People Associated with government they looted mainly for stuff and animals cattle and sheep and goats before retreating some reports suggest that locals are talking about abductions as many as. More than 12 people have been kidnapped by the boko haram fighters many of them women of course before they left town although this information has neither been confirmed by the military authorities or the civilian authorities but. It was recently repopulated by residents who for you many years have been living in internally displaced persons camps in borno state in my degree and other towns that were considered safe until their return some weeks ago now this is a coming at a time when the government in borno state is trying to move more and more internally displaced persons back to their communities to start rebuilding their lives and to start to take advantage of the rains to start agriculture restart agricultural production. At least 45. 00 refugees and migrants including 5 children who died in what the u. N. Says is the deadliest shipwreck of the coast of libya this puts engine exploded off the port of the water on monday nearly 40 other people on board were rescued by local fisherman and later detained. The libyan wall or salif after has lifted an oil blockade patni a blockade on Oil Production it will allow the e. U. s recognized government to resume exports for the 1st time in several months from Misrata Malik traina explains. On tuesday night the head of the Petroleum Facility guards under half their forces said that they will reopen the oil the oil closures will have to forces have been carried out since january according to the National Oil Corporation here in libya that has resulted in a financial loss of over 8000000000. 00 to the government now oil is the is the primary source of income to the government here thats how they pay the salaries for Government Employees and thats how they subsidize goods so its really important to the libyan economy also the oil closures that have have caused a lot of a lack of electricity or a lack of supply to the power stations of the National Oil Corporation says that the power because our result of the lack of gas and diesel go. Feeding the power stations so so whether or not this is a permanent reopening of the oil is yet to be seen house or forces have in the past opened the oil but then again soon after close they put