Arabic Video News in English

When Barack Obama was elected US president, many of his spuporters had high hopes he would bring a new era of reform to Washington.

He ran on a platform of idealism, touting "change" as his central motto.

But now after nearly a year in office, some are becoming increasingly disappointed.

From the watered-down climate deal in Copenhagen to a weakening stance on health care, critics argue the idealistic president is becoming too pragmatic.

Al Jazeera’s Sebastian Walker reports.

Somalia’s president may have escaped a mortar attack near Mogdaishu’s airport on Thursday, but many other civiliasn were not so fortunate.

The Islamist group Al-Shabab is blamed for the attack near the Bakara market that ended with dozens of people being taken to hospital with serious wounds.

African Union troops at the airport responded to the assault with artillery fire in the heaviest fighting the capital has seen for weeks.

Stephanie Dekker reports on the ordinary people left to clear up the destruction of a seemignly endless conflict.

Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai’s main challenger, has called for a run-off in Afghanistan’s presidential election.

Abdullah insists the poll held two months earlier, in which he came a distant second according to unofficial results, was massively rigged in favour of Karzai.

Amid the controversy, Afghanistan is yet to elect a new president and there is still no clear indication about whether there will be a run-off.

Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull reprots frmo Kabul.

US President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Price for what the awards committee in Oslo called his efforts to promote internatinoal peace and his attempt to help create a world free of nuclear weapons.

Critics of the Nobel panel’s decision say that Obama has not done enoguh to warrant the prize. But the US president has said that he does not view the award as a recognition of his accomplishments, and that he instead sees it as a call to action.

Nick Spicer reports from Washington DC.

As supporters of Manuel Zelaya, the deposed Honduran presidetn, continue to clash with police in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, both the Brazilian and Venezuelan presidents have called for international action for his reinstatement.

The Honduran interim leader, Roberto Micheletti, has said he is willing to talk to Zelaya to try and resolve the political crisis in the country.

But Micheletti siad he will not negotiate over presidential elections set for the end of November, and Zelaya has his own conditions.

Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez reports from Tegucigalpa.