>> afghans prepare to vote for a new president. two foreign journalists shot by a police officer. president hamid karzai is urging people to defy the violence and make their vote count. >> you are watching al jazeera live from london. coming up. clashes in the west side fire tear gas at palestinians, protesting at the cancellation of a prisoner release. >> chad pulls peace-keeping troops out of central republic,

after being accused of killing civilians. >> emergency talks from ukraine as it looks for alternatives to russian gas. >> a huge security operation is underway in afghanistan on the eve of historic presidential electio elections. two foreign journalists were shot by policeman as they travelled through host. one was killed, the other injured. president hamid karzai is urging afghanistans to turn out and vote despite the threat of violence. >> a last-minute rush to register to vote in the saturday election. these people are involved in a process ending in a democratic transfer of power in the 500

year history. despite threats, there's widespread enthusiasm to vote. these people have been queueing to register towards dawn. the pressure is on the election commission to stop the wide-spread form. ballot box stuffing then was widespread. it should be different. really, everything has been there ared according to time -- delivered according to time line, both in regard to broad legislative provision and as the delivery of ballot papers, sensitive and nonsensitive material to the 6,000-odd voting centres. >> in kabul security has rarely been tightened. there are checkpoints every 10 metres. the taliban cast a long shadow over the election. the capital endured a series of

attacks. there are pockets of the country where there'll be no voting because of the taliban threat. does the threat of attack put you off? >> i'm enthusiastic about the candidate i want to vote for. you can't let the taliban dictate. if it's up to them, no elections. we want elections, we want someone to deal with the dal pan, resolve the issue and you have to come out and vote. >> turn out and a corruption-free vote to make this legitimate in the eyes of afghans. >> whoever wins will need plenty of that. the spokesman for the afghanistan interior ministry said the government and security so far forces are well prepared for the

vote. >> it is important for all of us. it is tomorrow, it's very close. the afghan security forces had enough time or good fortune to prepare for the election. we are prepared for the election. for the last two months there are many, many election rallies across the country and the african police force were able to protect the rallies in which thousands of people participated. that was a strong sign of people's commitment and people's determination and their welfare for political process for tomorrow. for tomorrow, in which thousands of afghan security forces will be on the street to show strength and confidence for afghan people to come out in big numbers and elect their future government. everyone is ready, there's a strong commitment, a willingness among the population, so we are

ready for tomorrow. >> with me is an afghan researcher for amnesty international. thank you for coming in to the study. historic elections. how are they being viewed by the people you met on your recent trip to afghanistan. >> afghanistans are excited. for the first time in a century there has been a peaceful transfer of power from one president to another. they are looking forward despite the threats from the taliban and other insurgent groups hanging over their head. >> how confident are you that the security forces can protect the voters, many of whom have been queueing for hours, getting ready to vote and cast their ballots. >> according to the ministry of interior and defence, there'll be more than 300,000 security personnel who maintained the security. unfortunately, we have been seeing a series of violence by

the taliban and other insurgent groups across the country. i doubt that they are able to protect good security during the elections, but often what the elizabeths are, there may be consequences for many of the voters as we have experienced in the previous elections of 2009 and 2010, when taliban cut the fingers of voters who tried to vote during the elections. >> the 2009 elections were marred by accusations of vote rigging and corruption. something like 2 million votes were disqualified because they were judged to be illegal. do you think things have improved and can afghans expect to be less corrupted? >> unfortunately not. they are doubting that there may be a level of corruption during the elections. the biggest fear is in secured

areas, where it's believed the government or other candidates may fail the boxes pre-elections and it may be sent to the polling centres or the center for the calculation, while in the previous elections there were similar accusations, and we believe that it may happen this time. this is why there's more than 300,000 electoral mon source deployed -- monitors deployed over the country by political and president candidates and parties. >> thank you, good to have you with us. thank you very much indeed. >> secretary of state john kerry says the united states is re-evaluating its role in the middle east peace process saying there's a limit the time washington will spend on trying to get israelis and palestinians to reach agreement. both are blaming the other for a deadlock in the talks. in the west bank 11 soldiers

were injured when israelies fired tear gas at them. following the cancellation of talks. stefanie dekker is outside of a prison in ramallah in the occupied west bank. >> israeli forces are sporadically firing tear gas outside a prison, a place where if the prisoners would have been released, they would have been processed here and let go. there's tens of protesters on top of the hill. they'll sporadically throw stones to the israelis, and they'll respond with tear gas. it's been going on for a couple of hours. the numbers were among the hundreds. people are not happy with the way the peace talks are going, they don't think they'll get anything out of it. palestinians in the occupied west bank believe israel is not a genuine partner of peace and don't thing the talks will lead to anything and the occupation will go on forever.

>> the talks are due to end at the end of this month unless an extension can be agreed. we look back at the peace process. >> when the u.s. secretary of state arrived in office he made reviving the middle east peace process his primary objective. this week he made his 11th visit to israel in almost as many months. it was a journey that took him nowhere. even so john kerry insists it's too soon to write-off the palestine-est raily negotiations -- palestine-israeli negotiations. they understand the choices and what the stakes are and understand the dynamics. so we are urging them to find the compromise that is critical to move forward. >> last july it was hopeful when israeli and palestine negotiators med u.s. mediators in washington.

the israelis agreed to release four groups of prisoners, the last yet to be released. the outcome of the talks was pegged to the fate of the remaining prisoners. the palestinians, for their part held off on asking for greater u.n. administration. they didn't sign up to the international criminal court, enabling them to prosecute israel for war crimes. in the end both failed to deliver in full what they pom illsed. john kerry -- promised. so kerry knew his plan was in jeopardy. his hosts failed to meet the deadline to release the final batch of palestine prisoners. in response mahmoud abbas from palestine signed international treaties and israel announce the prison deal was off. john kerry warned that the united states was considering whether to continue mediation, saying it's time for a reality

check. >> a draft law due to be signed by egypt's president could significantly define the term of terrorism. on friday there were more ain coup demonstrations across egypt. >> a small group of demonstrators turned violence on friday. here we see anti-government protesters fighting those in favour of the capital. a song to remember the people who died in early protests in cairo. this girl is one of many who turned up to protest with families in northern egypt. a large group of women demonstrated in a town

north-east, led by a group of men. in port saeed people held up banners of the banded muslim brotherhood. the government banned the group after a string of violent insists, calling it a terrorist organization. on wednesday three bombs exploded outside a cairo university, killing a police general. a little known group claimed responsibility. stricter laws have been proclaimed. >> amendments give authorities power to pursue the crimes, detect them and confront them. >> changes to the security law are meant to better protect citizens, says the government. some question what they call a loose definition of a terror. >> in egypt

>> translation: if you talk about it you need to know it is not well defined, and you cannot take the reason as only those that are approaching the government. you have to decide and define terrorism as an assault against society. >> the president has yet to approve the new law. it could be signed in as early as sunday. >> al jazeera is demanding the release of its journalists who have been in prison in egypt for 97 days. the trial of mohamed fadel fahmy, mohammed badr and peter greste has been adjourned. a fourth journal. >>, abdullah al-shami, from al jazeera arabic has been detained signs august. he's been on hunger strike.

>> al jazeera represents charges. >> violence in mombassa - they protest the killing of a third cleric in two years. >> a story out of this world - what scientists call an ocean of water on saturn's moon. >> the condition of f1 legend michael schumacher shows signs of improvement. we'll have details in sport. >> first, 42 people have been killed in the latest violence in iraq. five died when improvised bombs were set off in two baghdad neighbourhoods. one exploded in a busy marketplace. eight from killed in anbar provin province, deaths in ramadi, and the northern city of somalia.

>> an air strike in aleppo. 45 people have been killed in the attack. this video posted online shows what are said to be rebel attacks. the organization overseeing the destruction of syria's chemical weapons says damascus can meet an april 21st deadline. the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons says the deadline is still realistic. the syrian government plans to resume operations in the coming days. >> 2.5 million people fled the civil war in syria seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. syrian women have been reporting rape and abuse in refugee camps. this report from jordan.

these are among vulnerable women, facing violence in syria and in exile. they need a space to share experiences. this woman says this session is her only outlet, saying she became depressed and her marriage and family are suffering. >> translation: i no longer am able to communicate with my son or husband. i spent a lot of time teaching my son and playing with him. i stopped. if i have discussions with my husband, we fight. we are both stress. . >> the international rescue commission is providing support for thousands of distressed women. we can't ask what violence they were subjected to, that may affect that progress. they suffer violence and sexual abuse in the home. >> we here stories of exploitation, that means the

women have no choice and have sex for money to rent apartments, to buy food for the children. >> rape is under reported for social and cultural reasons. less than 3% of the beneficiaries reported rape. up to 40% of the women who come here are victims of domestic violence, it's not just counselling sessions that they need. a lot of women come here to regain confidence and rebuild social skills, especially with other women. >> meeting other refugees reps to reduce stress. making friends and feeling productive is comforting. and taking a lister assy class can boost low self-esteem. this woman was returned home from counselling. she started the session when arguments with her husband got out of hand.

poverty is triggering domestic violence among civilians. >> i feel better when i return from the sessions. i vent and say everything i feel in my heart. if i bottle them up, i have a horrible day. >> it's a matter of time before she remembers of her son. and feels sad. many women know how destructive the war is on syrians. >> to kenya - riot police fired tear gas to disperse people protesting about the killing of a muslim cleric. the crowd was warned about protesting of the death of the cleric. >> break the camera was the instruction from the dead sheikh's mosque. there was a moment of tension and rocks were thrown. not everyone wanted to fight. they were told to go home. and most listened.

for those that didn't, police fired tear gas. the united nations accused sheikh abu sharif akmed of recruding fighters for al-shabab. he denied it. he's the third sheikh shot dead. the son of a sheikh killed has been accused of recruiting for al-shab al-shabab, but says he's a chicken farmer. trmpingts it's a sign -- >> translation: it's a sign they are looking to eliminate someone. they accuse you of being an al-shabab recruiter. >> we asked the men in charge of security for the county if police were involved in any way. >> i think that is not true. we had non-muslims killed, quite a number. as a country we should condemn this criminal act.

>> the mounting pressure on the government to improve government safety. attacks have increased since kenya sent soldiers to somalia to fight al-shabab. 12 have been killed in a church shooting and explosion at a restaurant. there's a lack of trust. during a service the imam voiced concerns that the kenyan authorities are involved in the death of the sheikhs. >> now effort to prevent riots appear to have succeeded. people are seating and want to know who is killing their leader leaders. >> united nations are accusing chad of killing soldiers in the central african republic. they are now withdrawing 800 peacekeepers. they are part of mission aimed

at stabilizing the conflict. they are accused of supporting seleka muslims. we have more from chad's capital. >> the 6,000 troops on the ground now in central african republic have been unable to stop the killing. so losing more peacekeeping troops in central african republic is not what is needed. what is needed more. losing 800 troops is not a good thing. and in addition to that the european unions have been having difficulty finding funds and gaining interest to get the funds to have enough peace-keeping forces on the ground. the e.u. is barely able to get together 1,000. lozing forces on the ground is not what is needed. that's what people in shaked

feel. >> shod a feeling upset because they are accused of these things. they deny that they have been supporting seleka and feel that they are doing this as a protest. >> marli is the latest west african groundry to report ebola. eight patients are being treated in the guinea capital. 90 have decide. doctors without borders warn the outbreak could turn into an endeckic. >> an indian -- epidemic. >> an indian court sentence the three men to hang for the gank rape of a photo journalists the attack sparked protests in the city and questions about the attitude to women. the accused were sentenced to life imprisonment for a separate gang rape earlier. >> five men implicated in the rape of a photo journalist in

august 2013. three are repeat offenders, committing rape amonth earlier when they attacked a telephone operator in july. they have been handed down the death sentence, and this case, which has been fast-tracked there the court in seven months will prove to the public at large in changes in the law on attacks on women are actually working. such changes are brought about by the brutal gang reach of a medical student in 2012. the country was angry and we saw major demonstrations in the nation's capital. plirns woke up -- politicians woke up to the fact that civil society would not stand for this and hoped a deterrent would put men off attacking women. the issue of women's security was high and continued to be high on the political agenda as we drew closer to the start of

the general election. it starts monday. we expect it case and consequences to reverberate. it will be interesting to see how pol sirns react to it. the men indicted will appear in court. >> three men have been killed in a fighting at an orphan age. there were 100 in the orphanage. the men died when a stampede broke out. >> human rights are demanding police in malaysia explain how hundreds denied in custody. the malaysian government denied blocking investigations into torture and force. grieving families want answers. >> a man was beaten to death here. his mother and uncle are struggling to come to terms with their loss.

witnesses say policemen were part of the gang that killed the man. not one officer has been called to account. this woman rarely talks about her son's murder and thought about killing herself. >> translation: i don't know why my son was killed. i'm waiting for an answer. the police killed him. i can't accept my son is dead. i dealt eat for sleep. >> that man is waiting for answers too. two years ago his brother din esh was gunned down by a group of police. they say he was a gang member armed with a machete. the rising number of deaths and custody, or the results of police shootings alarmed human rights activists. over 200 deaths are occurred in custody. a lack of transparency in the

police is causing distrust. police officers responsible for abuses are almost never prosecuted. >> you do have a police force that is out of control. it is an indictment of a police culture of cover up, impunity that need to be dealt with by the highest political levels in malaysia. >> human rights watch says independent oversight is needed of the police to end cover ups, secrecy and obconstruction of investigation into -- obstruction of investigation into abuses. al jazeera asks for comments on the findings, we have received no response. >> part of the problem in malaysia is the relationship between police and a government in power for over 50 years. the accusation is while the police are there to maintain law and order, they are also acting to maintain things the way the

government wants things maintained. >> still ahead on this al jazeera newshour. petrol dollars. going green - how norway is looking to ramp uppize renewable energy. >> i'm john henry in dayton ohio, why chinese investors are setting up shop.

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♪ ♪ >> a reminder of the top stories. a foreign journalist has been culled and another critically injured after they were shot by policemen in afghanistan on the eve of presidential elections. israeli forces fired tear gas at palestine protesters. 11 were injured. it follows a decision to cancel the release of prisoners. chad is withdrawing peacekeeping troops from central african republic, following accusations that forces have been fighting with reckless. >> ukraine has started emergency talks on importing gas from the

west. kiev is looking for alternatives to russian gas after the price nearly doubled. ukraine relies on russia for 50% of its gas. president arseniy yatsenyuk described the price hike to $$485 cubic metres as critical. ukraine is a transit company piping gas. it is hoping to reverse gas from europe, hungary, poland among the countries. >> russia's foreign minister denied it had connection to snipers that opened fire on protesters in kiev in february. it was said that russian agents from in kiev when the protests turned violent. >> crimes were not conducted on our territory, but in ukraine.

we in no connection to the crimes and could not have a connection. we did not receive an appeal from those that used the event of february 20th to seize power. u.n. top diplomats say russia needs to show it's serious about diffusing the crisis by moving troops back from the boarder. catherine ashton has been speaking at a summit. the foreign secretary said they should continue to draw sanctions says the u.k. foreign minister. >> there's large numbers of russian forces on the eastern border of ukraine. any withdrawal of forces has been a token withdrawal so far. the position is as soars as before -- serious as before. we have not seen real deescalation. europe must not relax in

preparing a third tier of sanctions, making sure we continue to have a strong and united response. >> hundreds of russians continue to be turned away from the ukrainian border control. we have this report. >> 150 russians are mike turned away at border control posts like this into ukraine across eastern and southern ukraine. guards here are checking belongings, documents, passports and turning away anyone that could be planning provocations in ukraine. some turned away have been charged with knives or baseball bats. moscow has detained 25 ukrainians two have been released. and they were suspected of planning attacks there, separately. ukraine's deputy prime minister says that ukraine is suspending military cooperation with russia in terms of the production of

military equipment which is important, because of how intertwined the industries are from the soviet era. >> the ukraine prime minister has promised to regain trust of investors. the international monetary fund agreed to a bail out worth $18 billion. but ukraine must rid itself of the reputation for being corrupt. we have this report. >> planning to set up a business in ukraine - well, here is a step by step guide. first, get to grips with the mountain of permits you'll need to have issued and renew each year. then be prepared to sweat as you pay plenty of money to smooth the way. this is the experience of a gym owner and entrepreneur who told me it's the norm, and he preferred not to be identified. >> yes, i have paid bribes. sometimes i have to pay facilitation fees to speed up the protest of obtaining a

permit. otherwise they can take up to a year or two. >> in 2013 transparency international, the watchdog, described ukraine as the most corrupt country in europe, and ukrainians were shown what that means when former excessors were laid bare by their former leaders. >> apart from the astonishing extravagance, the private zoo, golf course, solid gold loaf of bread, paper work was discovered, known as viktor yanukovych's lacks. a top-down system of corruption deailed, unlike anything that ukraine has seen. >> this corrupt practices date back decades. so endemic in life that it could take more than a revolution and a new government to correct it. >> translation: obviously it was a shock for ukraine, and a lesson about how not to conduct your lich.

it's a good lesson for people in power, that if they lead their lives like viktor yanukovych did, they'll end up the same way. >> back at the gym, the strain of doing business showed. >> the amount that you have to pay for ridiculous documents constitutes a large part of expenses. sometimes you have to pay so much that a business is not profitable. >> correction. some people do make lots of money. generally at the expense of others. >> the french president and his former partner promised to keep things professional now they have been reunited in government. francis hollande has appointed him in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at rejuvenating the cabinet. >> france has a new prime minister mann very well vows, a man who is populist and popular.

he's built his reputation on being tu op security and-- tough on security. he's ambitious, has his eyes set on the presidency. he nonetheless an approval rating 60%, three times as high as the approval rating of president francis hollande. clearly mr vaus is a threat to the president, he's a political rival, but the fact that he's been brought into the deposit is a reflection of how desperate francis hollande is to revitalize his government, to increase its popularity at a time that it's done badly in local elections the other main change in the government is the arrival of segalin royale, the previous partner of francis hollande. she's been in the political wilderness, but is back as environment minister. it's a smaller government, 16 members now.

clearly the french authorities want to send a message to the electorate that they, too, are tightening their belts. >> anti-austerity protesters clashed with riot police, they fought back with water canon and pepper spray. two protesters and one police officers injured. it came after a peaceful march was staged through brussels. >> norway has amassed the largest soffen wealth fund -- sovereign wealth fund through oil and is looking to invest in renewable alternatives. >> one day it will run out, of course. for now norway can pump money from beneath its waters. oil or gas - the world wants it, norway has it. what it has is an ethical conundrum. >> who do we want to be in norway? do we want to be the

guys, oil in the arctic, the port of horizon, or do we want to be with the renewable solar, wind, bio, electrical cars. the answer is easy to that. >> the government listened to people like frederick. it's not met the call for 5% of the oil fund to be invested in green tech but at a press conference the finance minister up to $5.3 billion, almost 1% of the fund's total. >> i believe the fund is responsible in its investment. it's a global fund, investing all over the world in companies. with an ethical perspective in the investment strategy. we are in emerging markets, in green countries. the fund is very responsible. >> the portfolio, including shares in foreign mining and

coal and oil companies, is not as green as it could be. the deposit is looking into whether to dump such costs, but doesn't want to be accused of playing politics. >> 855 million is the value of the norway oil fund. $175,000 for every living nor weej jog. the fund -- norwegian. the fund owns 1% of the world's stocks, and invests in bonds and property. plans for the bank that manages the fund to take over the decision from an independent etedics council -- ethics council will be controversial ultimately that will make the fund less environmentally active not more say some. >> four weeks after the malaysia airlines went missing, the

search is under water. ships are trailing pinger locating jorls. >> it's no exaggeration to say time is running out. >> on best advice, the locator beacon will last about a month before it ceases its trance mugses. we are getting close to the time when it might expire. >> the batteries that power the locator signals last around 30 days. flight mh370 went missing 27 days ago. finding it in the time left will be tough. despite an international safe using 14 planes and nine ships, so far no trace of the missing malaysia airlines passenger jet has been found. >> you have nothing concrete. you cannot grieve for someone unless you have something

conkeet. they have been -- concrete. they have been looking in the remote section of the ocean off perth, in an area a bit smaller than romania. a british submarine will arrive to help. two ships toe nailing pinger locations will start at opposite end travelling at 2 to 9 k/hr. it's hoped the crews will pick up signals emitted by the black boxes. finding them will show what happened to flight mh370. they record conversation and hold data about what went on to the plane mechanically. without that information. it may not known what happened. >> two bodies of north korean sailors have been recovered in south korean waters.

a mongolian ship with north korean sailors sank. three were rescued. 11 are missing. >> north korea condemned the united states exercises on the korean peninsula, accusing the u.s. of aggravating tensions. >> the u.s. is intent on eliminating the dprk, isolating dprk economically and denying them milt airy. >> mid-western u.s. towns hit by economic decline are getting a boost from china. chinese companies are spending big companies as they unwittingly send money offshore. we travel to datan, where the investment is having an impact. >> for years this vacant factory

was a monument to the economic dysfunction. dayton and neighbouring towns were so dependent on u.s. automakers that when general motors pulled out, it was left with cracked asphalt, gates and 4,000 unemployed autoworkers. the language of economic cost in the american heartland is changing. chinese auto glass maker is reopening the aging high saw with $280 million, and 800 jobs. >> you can't not welcome foreign investment. if you want to grow your cities, communities right now, you have to be open to foreign investment. we were built on immigrants. if you are not open to immigrants now, where was your family 200 years ago. >> chinese conglomerates are the newest investors in the u.s. from toledos water front hotels

to a deal bringing a copper tubing factory to alabama. >> the ties go beyond business. the largest concern drawings -- conken tryings-- concentration is here at the university. it is hopes it both well. >> my dream is to make the world together, to do the business tootment people in china love america. it's hoped they can work well toot. >> this tiny town lured the chinese by offering what had it in excess supply - workers and factory place. >> we are advantageous because we have 400 square feet available and folks with a skill set. it's a great win. a lot of us see the opportunity to capitalize and attract more

foreign invest:. >> that tantalizing prospect has the towns hoping to open more padlocked gates like these. >> we'll take you to saturn, or one of its moons, encelad. >> s. scientists are excited about an o of water. measurements by a probe flying over the man suggest it could be home to a water body the size of lake superior in north america. it means that it's a potential place to look for signs of life. the water reservoirs believed to be sandwiched between surface ice and a rocky core. fran chess coe diego is a researcher in london and says it's amazing. >> it has a lot of craters. it's relatively old surface.

the south pole has a tiger strips, looks like this. this is where, a few years ago it was detected water jets, and then spraying into space. an amazing discovery. >> water we are talk, ice. >> not only water, salty water and dianes organ -- contains organic compounds. a scientist said it was like solar water with a puff of natural gas or something like that. that kind of material going out into space. we are talking of conditions which allow for liquid water to be in the ocean, and the chemistry, the basic chemistry for life. even though there is no sunlight, life thrives in dark conditions. some of the energy and liquid water - life and chemistry develops into life, a primitive

life, very, very primitive bacteria, microorganisms. it's exciting. >> still to come - how indonesia is giving its capital a facelift. plus... >>..i'm lee wellington. an unusual part of england where the tour de-france is starting this year. i'll explain where it is.

>> time to catch up with the latest sporting action. >> thank you so much. we start with cricket and india

booked a date with sri lanka in the royal t20 final by beating south africa in the semis. the south africa batted. du plessis scoring 58. jp dimminy rounded off the innings, smashing 45 runs to get south africa to 172/4. underia's opener -- india's opener got them off to a good start. 72 off 44 for one player, as india romped home to a 6-wicket win with five balls to spare. >> michael schumacher's manager says the formula 1 legend is showing encouraging signs of following his december ski accident. in a statement it was said that the 45-year-old is showing "moments of consciousness and awakening." the 7-time f1 athlete hit his

head and doctors began to waken him from a medically induced coma in january. >> it's a week out from the masters at augusta. and some golfers are having a hit out at the augusta. a 3-time champion pulled out of of the texas open, he is three behind charlie hoffmann and bill haas. >> the first major of the women's season is underway in california. world number one michelle lee with an unusual punting stance sunk an although on the 11th finishing at 67, behind a chinese player pleading 6-under. the round included 7 birdies.

>> defending stanley cup champions, the black hawks ended a 3-game losing streak in the n.f.l., playing without their captain, the black hawks beat their opponents. the one are coming in overtime. >> awe eyes on northern -- all ice on northern england when the tour de france. yorkshire will be the unlikely setting for the start of one of the biggest sporting event in the world. it's a tradition for the race to start outside of france. the opening stage sees the pele tonne race 190km from leeds to harrow gate. they start in yrk and race to sheffield, stage 3 starts in came bridge, finishing in london. the race will continue for 18 staunches for the finish -- stauges for the -- stages for

the finish in paris. >> in the english county of yorkshire the ent calls for bunting, small flags that line the streets. it's not an english event, but the tour de france. there's excitement and pride to host the ept. no longer surprise. >> there's a divide where people assume everything goes on down south. archer is a great county. a lot going on. >> yorkshire is the biggest county, up against edinburgh, flor eps and barcelona. the organizers have fallen in love with the scenario and expect those watching in july to appreciate it too. >> i think the landscape is magnificent. it's hilly and looks beautiful. >> for you willates appeal -- for all its appeal, it had to

offer something challenging. this is but ir tubs, the northern -- butter tubs, the northern most area that the tour de france will go through. it's the landscape that means many people are regarding the first two staples as the most difficult start to the tour de france in history. the boost to tourism and business will be significant. from city interests to homes, like this one on the outskirts of leeds owned by a cousin of the keen. harwood house is where the racing will start. >> there has been a universally positive response. i think now people realises -- not everyone realises how big it will be. snow not a culture >> not a culture clash, but two in tandem. it's been announced an elite race will fake part in york -- take part in york annually from

next year. >> it's hard to put a new spin on a sport as old as ten pin bowling. a man in illinois in the united states is trying. andrew is the world record holder at bowling backwards, at 280 points did is setting sites on 300. he adopted the technique to take stress off an injured need. >> i want to try that. >> the historic heart of indonesia's capital has been left to decay. restoration is underway for the dutch colonial district. >> this is where jakarta began. the dutch established the capital over 350 years ago. and called it potavia. over the years it's fallen on hard times. run down and neglected. some buildings are beyond

repair. this archeologist argues it's not too late to save others. the old city should be a symbol of pride. >> translation: at the beginning i was frustrated. now the government is serious, and i have hope that the dreams of everywhere who wants the down restored will come true. >> the local government started a restoration project and wants to clean up the area and attract tourists. it's spending over $12 million to help owners restore their homes and businesses. >> there's a team that will see whether the building is good enough to be repo vated. the government will give the owners incentives like tax breaks and will work together to maintain them. >> this man is one of them. his family had a shop here for 30 years. he says with government help they will renovate their hoax. >> yes, it's possible to

renovate this keer. there's few -- this area. there's a few examples like in singapore, where they re-renovate the downs and it looks good. >> even though it's in a terrible condition, there's a sense of history here. in the early 19th century the dutch government managed its trading empire from the old buildings. spices, cloth, tea and coffee were loaded onto ships and sent around the world. this old harbour will be restored. when it's done, it's hoped indonesians and visitors will be able to imagine what subcontract was like -- jakarta was like all those years ago. >> more on the stories on the website. aljazeera.com the usual address. more news still to come here with lauren taylor in a couple

of minutes. stay with us. bye-bye.

conversation def doch jake in the >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm michael lees with a look at the top stories. secretary of state john kerry says it's reality check time for the peace process between israelis and palestinians. john kerry suggested from more okay scro it's time to re-evaluate america's role in the process. >> regrettably in the last few days both sides have taken steps that are not helpful. that is evident to everybody. so we are going to evaluate carefully exactly where this is, and where it might possibly