democrats claim election victory, but months of talks lie ahead. you're watching al jazeera live from london. a warning that hundreds of thousands of displaced afghans will need housing, food and clothing if they are to survive winter. an unfolding political crisis in sudan deepens between the military and civilians. more from the island of love, -- la palma continues destroy

homes. ♪ germany's social democrats claim election victory, narrowly beating outgoing chancellor merkel whose party has been a force for three decades. the winner says his party is ready to form a new coalition government with the greens and free democrats. the spd is predicted to win 25.7%, while the conservatives will likely take 24.1%. meanwhile, the greens have common at 14.8% and the liberals have taken 11.5%. we have more from berlin. reporter: with a spring in his

step, -- meets the media. he has no doubt who should lead the country forward. >> the voters have spoken very clearly. they have said who should form the next government. they have strengthened three parties. that is the clear mandate from the citizens of this country, that these three should be the next government. reporter: three party coalition has never been tried at the federal level, but with barely 1% of the vote separating the two main parties, now the attention is on the smaller parties. >> the two big parties have suffered heavy losses in recent years, and there needs to be a new push that comes into the government. it's good that all of the parties are talking to each other. reporter: the composition of the newly elected parliament is now clear. one of the things that is

perhaps why we are seeing this happening, the free democrats and greens are talking to each other, trying to iron out their differences cities -- because together they form a large block in parliament. although he led his party to his worst ever defeat, he insists it can govern despite coming second. >> it's not the case that either party is entitled to say which parties they will talk with, and they made clear yesterday they want to talk to each other first which i think is fine. reporter: not everyone in the party is putting on a brave face. two state prime ministers have suggested party leaders should take responsibility. no such thoughts over at social democratic orders.

this is their first win in almost 20 years, and they hope he will replace angela merkel as chancellor. anchor: turning to afghanistan, the prosecutor of the international, or says his office wants to resume a war crimes investigation focusing on the actions of the taliban and isis-k. they have spent 15 years looking into alleged war crimes, but the investigation was put on hold last year. meanwhile, the norwegian refugee council is warning about the impending humanitarian catastrophe that afghans are facing. the secretary-general is in kabul where he visited a camp for the displaced. he says hundreds of thousands of afghans will need housing, food and clothing if they are going to survive the winter ahead. >> the funding would go to goods and displaced men and women on

the brink of starvation, who are not going to survive this winter . the winter is seven weeks from now and it will be harsh. i have met people in recent days who are living in the open. some try to build houses from mode. they have nothing, here is an economic collapse and we need help. we are now scaling up for the winter by procuring a lot of winterization equipment in pakistan, we are going to pay anything. we are helping people. i met with the taliban today, and i brought up the need for

goods and cooperation, the need for female staff to be allowed back to start to work in all provinces and not only half of them. we are making progress. 70% of the private sector was funded by international aid. we have now gone to 0%. you cannot turn that off from one day to the other, it is the same teachers, doctors, nurses who are not being paid people are suffering. we need to bring livelihoods, we need to change things. but that is not today. i'm feeling a deep sense of urgency. need to engage on behalf of the girls and women who are here.

anchor: in sudan, tension is deepening between the military and civilian groups. the transitional government was created under a power-sharing deal. protesters say they want the administration dissolves, accusing the military of trying to seize power. the armed forces have accused the civilian politicians of failing to govern. the relationship has been strained since last week's attempted coup. >> we will defend our government, our people and the democratic transition until the last drop of blood, and if there is any threat, we will fill the streets and be at the forefront. anchor: we have more from -- reporter: after the attempted

coup, when the political parties came out and demanded the military be transparent, investigations with the officers allegedly responsible. the political parties have been saying for months that the military needs to be reformed, there needs to be a restructuring of the army. that is something the military has rejected. that includes the prime minister. he said the military should be reformed as part of steps to make sure sudan's transition to democracy is complete, and the country is not torn apart by the political parties, or the rift between the political parties in the military. that idea has been strongly rejected by the military, but that is something the political parties have been repeatedly talking about. we had seen statements from the military, saying that the army is responsible for the cohesion

and unity of the country and stability, and political parties and heads of those parties are focusing on positions of power and ignoring what the people want, which is better economic conditions. those did not help sweetened relationships. yesterday, the military withdrawing military security. any association or anything related to the regime of the former president. anchor: people on the eastern coast of la palma have in order to stay indoors as lava approaches the water and releases toxic gas. hundreds of buildings have been destroyed so far on the spanish island cynthia russian began eight days ago. nearly 7000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

reporter: awake again. it seems there is no stopping the volcano. earlier, the giant crater fell silent leaving and year eat, -- here he -- eerie calm. homes and memories of generations of families living on the foothill, chartered by the swelling lava, as it inches by the ocean. how to explain this to your grandchildren? >> everyone is losing their homes. it keeps me up at night. this is a shock to all of us. reporter: panicked villagers are fleeing, others are staying put despite the dangers. almost 7000 people are displaced. >> it is very unpredictable.

it is tense at the same time. this is not a speed race. we're going to work for weeks. reporter: experts fear what will happen when a lot of of 1000 degrees celsius reaches the atlantic ocean. a haze of toxic chemicals made of sulfur dioxide and volcanic acid will fill the air. this is likely to cause skin and i rotation, reading the fumes can be fatal. shipping vessels have been advised to steer clear of the area. there is no is being volcanic activity. look behind me. a cloud of ash. here, authorities have even

started recording seismic activity with tremors gaining intensity, putting at risk the small village on the edge of the close. the hotels have become shelters for the displaced. schools are shut, with authorities in the area calling on people to stay indoors. an unfolding tragedy. rattled by the powerful sound of nature. tonight, again, she will not sleep. anchor: still to come in this half-hour. massive cues and rationing as the u.k. fuel supply crisis continues, with many pointing the finger at the government. the bright lights of bangkok stars remain dim. we tell you why alcohol laws are preventing the industry from bouncing back. ♪

>> we are seeing swirls of clouds, area of low pressure. both are above average. that moisture. this is during wednesday, significant thunderstorms.

it will eventually be -- the end of the week it will reach japan. you have a couple of days off before that. significant rain. eventually drops the temperature back to near normal. >> opening a window. >> these are my babies. whenever i see them, it's like we are in second grade. >> epic struggles. >> sacrifices. witness inspiring documentaries

that change the world. on al jazeera. ♪ anchor: welcome back. here is a reminder. the party leader says he is ready for coalition talks. in our region refugee council's warning that afghans will need clothing to survive the winter ahead. tension is deepening between sudan's military and the

transitional government. protesters say they want it dissolves, accusing the military of trying to seize power. the u.k. government says it is working to ensure supply issues are resolved following days of long queues at petrol stations, many of them forced to close. the army has been put on standby to use pressure and deliver fuel where it is most needed. reporter: a new working week, this is not the normal london gridlock. the fuel station ran dry two days ago, has been waiting for this moment. tanker drivers are in short supply, not the fuel. the results the same. after a search in the area. >> i cried.

i feel so emotional. reporter: life disruptive, this driving instructor trying to get fuel to prepare learners for driving tests. >> i have five or six test coming up. i am terrified. i have been going around. nothing. reporter: an opinion poll suggests more than 60% of voters feel the government's mishandling the situation, and some of the messaging from ministers is not helping. >> the only reason we have an issue at the moment with some petrol stations is people are buying petrol they wouldn't, the most important thing everything -- everyone can do is get back to normal and fill their cars up

as they would. reporter: it would seem to be wishful thinking that the crisis is starting to go away. crisis? what crisis? now it is changing, because people don't like to be referred to as panicked buyers in a situation such as this. there is a tide of public dissent. the pressure is on the government as the tension increases. some companies have introduced rationing. competition measures have been stopped so few companies can cooperate. another move is to try backing up u.k. tanker drivers with foreigners no longer able to work because of praise it. short-term visas are available for 5000 farm truck drivers. it is not guaranteed to work. anchor: it is a critical week at the u.s. congress for president biden's agenda. at state, government been that will affect millions of government lots.

if congress fails to meet the deadline, it will be the third shut down in three years. for more on all of this, we cross live to our correspondent who joins us from capitol hill. this lines up to a busy week in congress. reporter: indeed. the clock is ticking. there is the debt ceiling. the u.s. could default on its

debts which economists could say will be thrown into recession across global markets. members of both parties do not want any of those scenarios, but the problem is they cannot agree to prevent that from happening. the bill the democrats drafted which has failed to advance in the senate saw to address both the debt ceiling and government shutdown in one bill. the problem is republicans have agreed to continue funding the government pass this week. however, they said they will not raise the debt ceiling leading to the failure of the bill to advance. >> a default means quite simply, the government cannot pay its bills. it means that suddenly the government is presented with unimaginable options. do they tell seniors they will get their social security checks?

veterans that one see their benefits? >> will not provide republican votes to raise the debt limit. democrats are assembling a multi trillion dollars spending spree. there is no chance republicans will help lift democrats credit limit so they can immediately steamroll through a socialist bill that will hurt families. reporter: what this means now is democrats must scramble in an increasingly narrow window to come up with another solution to avert the government shutdown. democrats are also bogged down in their own internal conflicts, namely overspending bills.

the infrastructure bill and a social programs bill from the biden administration that together total more than $4 trillion but would deliver on campaign promises. that includes expanding health care, education, as well as tackling climate change. those bills are able to advance without republican support, however there are moderate democrats who are blocking at the price tag and at the tax increases that these bills would require. president biden is projecting optimism, he said there is time to negotiate, avoid going over the fiscal cliff. this game of brinksmanship that both parties are engaged in is making many people very nervous. anchor: the latest from capitol hill. thank you.

staying in the u.s., the country has experienced its biggest annual increase in murders. new figures show a sharp increase in homicides during 2020, and some u.s. cities are reporting the highest murder numbers since records began. we have more from chicago. reporter: murders in the west increased by 30% last year, the largest year-over-year increase since the fbi began compiling a report in 1960. lower enforcement officials say there are many reasons for this. partly the economic and social stress of the pandemic, increase in purchases of firearms, possibly a pullback by police. those numbers remain well below the highs of the mid-1990's, but the trend continues for 2021. it is a national trend, not a regional trend. there have been record high

number of mergers -- murders in major cities, including milwaukee, wisconsin. in pennsylvania, we have seen 400 murders so far this year, the city is on pace to set a new record for 2021. here in chicago, 100 people were shot in 19 people were killed over the independence day weekend. when these numbers are reported, here and across the country, it's likely the total numbers will be higher. anchor: save the children is warning that babies born in the past year with a seven times the number of scorching heat waves in their lifetimes than their grandparents. the charity conducted the research and found that newborns will experience three times the number of river floods and crop failures. especially if they are born in middling countries.

they will also experience twice the number of wildfires and there is some hope. the coo of save the children international is urging governments around the world to act in the best interests of future generations. >> we clearly see the climate crisis for children with no responsibility, but are taking the biggest hit in the coming years. it's urgent to start to talk about the crisis and think about what the impact will be for the children of today and tomorrow.

what we want to say is it is not too late. if actors stand firm to the agreements that we have signed up to. this is the time to act because the future will be unbearable for children. anchor: it's famous nightlife as part of the reason bangkok has been a top tourist destination. as thailand's government works on bringing international tourist back after the pandemic, curfews are still in place and bars are still those. reporter: this network of alleys is usually vibrant.

the shutters were pulled down in the weeks after the first cases of covid-19 in thailand. and have stayed down for most of the 18 month of curfews. this is home to trendy bars. not only do bar owners view the government's handling as a deathblow, but alcohol control laws have also been working against them. >> these laws are supported by big business to maintain the monopoly. our voice is not loud like theirs. reporter: bar owners call the laws draconian. heavy taxes on imports and unable laws -- a ban on alcohol

advertising so strictly enforced, bars are fine for posting videos of cocktails. yet, large brewers avoid the band by advertising water and soda. here is an example. if i were to take a selfie in this bar and share it on social media, i've can be fined for indirectly advertising the brands of alcohol behind me. if i owned the bar, i can be fined up to $15,000 and possibly face a year in jail. alcohol control laws have been a contentious subject. historically, politically connected groups have worked to keep them straight. an opposition member of parliament is working g to chane the laws and save smaller bars. >> when we reopen --

[indiscernible] reporter: some who support the laws say it is safe -- about safety for visitors. >> safety should be a priority. alcohol control is necessary.