protesting against proposed sanctions, yemenese rally in support of former president, ali abdullah saleh. hello i'm darren jordan with the world news from al jazeera. also ahead, pushing out isil. we follow iraqi troops who are trying to force back the group. a heightened security depreciation at the al-aqsa compound. and a tunnel of light, a major land festival illuminates

south korea. ♪ thousands of people in yemen have protested in support of former president saleh. the u.n. will meet later on friday to consider imposing sanctions because of the continuing unrest. >> reporter: this is the biggest show of support for ali abdullah saleh since the uprising forced him to leave office almost three years ago. these people came here to protest against u.s. proposed sanctions against their deposed president. if the sanctions come into effect saleh won't be able to travel abroad, and his assets will be frozen. >> translator: the u.s. sanctions are baseless. doesn'tn't the ambassador know

that saleh is backed by millions of people? >> reporter: the cleric who lead the prayer said the u.s. is aligning with a sunni group tody destroy the country. >> translator: i am here to sew sal darety with our leader. and denounce western intervention. we made it clear we are opposed to the sanctions. >> reporter: these loyalists will wearing heading bands that say we are ready to die for saleh. these tribesmen are chanting that saleh must be reinstated , and that the current president must go. many people, including the president accuse saleh of being responsible for the houthi

takeover of the capitol in september. the deposed president is seen by as opponents as a mayor obstacle to yemen's transition to democracy. they are worried that he will be able to exert his political influence for many years to come. palestinian protesters fought with israeli security forces in east jerusalem and the occupied west bank on friday. palestinians say israel wants to change the rules on who can worship at the al-aqsa mosque. the come pound is also the most important site to jews. >> reporter: well that huge israeli security presence right around the old city ahead of friday prayer and during friday prayers has now filters away into palestinian neighborhoods right across occupied east

jerusalem. security forces bracing themselves for another evening of protests. the scene of major protests now for some time. however, in the backdrop of all of that, we are now hearing comments from senior israeli officials including benjamin netenyahu appealing for calm. we have also heard from the chief rabbi here in jerusalem, also appealing for calm. but the fact of the matter is, is that although it's now become clear that the israeli leadership is becoming very concerned about what has been going on in the occupied east with the protests with the violence, there is still a huge security presence, and that certainly isn't helping calm things down. and indeed we are expecting more protests. this issue which has been brewing here in the occupied east of jerusalem is very quickly becoming an international concern. we have heard jordan raise

concerns to the u.n. security council, we have the e.u. foreign minister here, and the white house has also expressed concerns. so there's a lot of pressure now on israel to calm things down here, and the measures they have been using heavy security forces and policing ak -- tactics doesn't seem to be doing the trick and one would imagine that's why we're hearing these appeals for calm. >> the increase in so security comes after an israeli man died. a palestinian man had driven his car into a crowd on wednesday and was then shot dead by israeli police. three people have been killed in the latest anti-government protests in egypt. a teenager died and three policemen were injured during

fighting. a second person was killed during a scuffle in cairo. a third died when gunmen opened fire near a check point. al jazeera continues to demand the immediate release of its journalist. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed are falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their prison sentences. the divisions in libya appear to be continuing after the ruling that parliament is is up constitutional. natasha ghoneim reports on the many questions posed by the ruling. >> reporter: the scene outside the court vemabled a football game with cheering, chanthing, and flag waiving. in this political battle, the wip -- winners are the militia

backed government in triply. but a spokesman didn't gloat. >> translator: the most important thing right now is dialogue, and national reconciliation between all libyans. >> reporter: but that may be' lous i, the supreme court's ruling means votes of libyans are now null and void. only a few months after being elected, the government was forced to move from the capitol of tripoli to tobruk. where they established a parallel parliament. a spokesman says the will of the people overrules the court's decision. >> translator: it is up to the libyan people only to decide not a court under siege by the rogue militias. we're here and we will be working with the libyan army and the people one hand to liberate the city of benghazi and all of

libya. >> reporter: the u.n. mission in libya had been looking for a way to find political consensus. a spokesman is urging that the parties involved put the countries interests above all else to avoid even greater division. >> the mission said that it remained committed to working with all parties to help libya overcome the current political and security crisis. >> reporter: the power struggle between the two factions has taken its toll. in the last few weeks alone, hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced. the court ruling, which critics say was issued at gunpoint has raised fears that more bloodshed may be ahead. people in a town in southern iraq are slowly returning to their homes after fighters from isil were driven out. it was recaptured by an alliance of iraqi soldiers, shia militias

and iranian advisors. >> reporter: the town has been cleared of isil fighters. now phase two of the operation begins, that means sweeping through the town and villages to check for explosive devises and booby trapped buildings. >> translator: this is the main entrance. you can see clearly the destroyed vehicle that isil used for their offensive on the town. they used stolen humvees and other army vehicles, but we managed to clear the main road that was entirely booby trapped. >> reporter: this was an operation that was carried out without air strikes. a number of militias cooperated along with iranians advisors to retake the town. it's being celebrated as the

quickest feet of isil so far. the prime minister visited here after the operation, and the leader of the iranian force reportedly directed the forces himself. this is a gateway to the south and the key religious cities which are very important to shia muslims. now the iranians have long maintained that those cities are a red line; that if they come under isil pressure, the iranians will have no choice but to send in ground troops. isil's defeat is being seen as an important victory, but in some ways it was relatively easy. it was the weak esz links in isil easterer to and one the group was having trouble defending. critics have accused the shia militias of committing human rights violations.

but many feel the iraqy and iranian coalition is something that should be developed in other areas. the international criminal court has approved a temporary release of a serb leader accused of war crimes. he is allowed to receive cancer treatment in serbia. a regional governor in japan has given the go ahead to restarter a nuclear power plant. all of the plants were shut down after the fukushima meltdown disaster three years ago. twin reactors are expected to be switched back on early in the new year. the first since the introduction of new safety rules snfrmths. three transgender muslims have won the right to cross dress in malaysia. they overturned an islamic law which bans men from wearing women's clothes. the landmark ruling is expected

to trigger similar challenges from other people with gender identity issues. the united nations human rights office has accused sri lanka of trying to sabotage its war crimes inquiry. the u.n. team is looking into whether both the government and tlebls committed war crimes during the final stages of the civil war. the ambassador to the u.n. said the allegations are misplaced. >> sri lanka has done more in the last five years to address the very issues being raised now than any other country coming from similar circumstances. we also feel that this inquiry is unnecessarily intrusive, and is a challenge to the sovereignty of my country, which is doing all it can to address many of these ideations. we are doing what is necessary, and it is only five years since

the end of the conflict. we have done much more than any other country coming out of similar circumstances. we need time and space to get on with the reconciliation process that we have embarked upon. and the u.n. itself has acknowledged that in the resolution adopted last year, it has requested us to continue with the internal processes, and let us get on with it. we need the time and the space to do it. we're a small country, a developing country, and we can't do everything that others want us to do other night. still to come here own al jazeera -- >> i'm jennifer glasse a dam here where work is underway to complete this power station that was started 40 years ago >> the tunnel of lights in south korea, plus a whole lot more as a major lantern festival comes to town. more on that. stay with us. ♪

>> tomorrow on tech know. a brutal killing. a thorough investigation. >> we're pushing the envelope. >> but this is no ordinary c.s.i. >> what went on right before that animal died? >> hunting the hunter. >> we're gonna take down the bad guys. >> solving the crime. >> we can save species. >> tech know's team of experts show you how the miracles of science. >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> tech know, where technology meets humanity. tomorrow at 7:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

♪ welcome back. the top stories here on al jazeera. supporters of yemen's former president have been protesting proposed sanctions by the united states. he is accused of helping houthi fighters keez control of the capitol. fighting flared at the palestinian access to jerusalem's holiest site. the stit sins of detroit will soon learn whether their city has escaped from the largest municipal bankruptcy in

u.s. history. a judge's ruling on whether more than $7 billion of debt can be written off. john hendren reports. >> reporter: living in detroit means doing a lot of things by yourself since the city closed the local police station in a round of budget cuts in 2005, this man and his neighbors have been policing their own streets. >> crime just started creeping up. the criminals started getting more and more brazen, so we decided we were going to have to do something, so we started patrolling myself and a couple of other guys and now, you know, we started catching a few crooks. before we knew it, crime was way down. >> reporter: the neighborhood is now one of the safest in the motor city, but this is still detroit as katherine king was reminded when a brick smashed through her window. >> there was shattered glass everywhere. this is the ninth incident.

it's very painful and frightening, and it's not the direction that detroit has been going in with great, great assent. >> reporter: the city's assent is likely to improve on friday when a federal judge is expected to accept a bankruptcy plan. it in part writes off $7 billion to creditors and cutting pension plans by 4.5%. even if it works, detroit will have to stop overspending. >> this gives the city an opportunity to turn itself around, but it's not a guarantee. in order for services to improve, which is everyone's hope, the city is going to have to save a lot of money from a lot of different sources, and it hasn't been able to do that in the past. >> reporter: detroit's neighborhoods remain blighted and largely empty. but downtown there are now signs

of hope. detroit might be coping with a the largest bankruptcy in u.s. history, but the city is undergoing a mini construction boom. buildings are being erected downtown, and here a new light rail system is being built with millions of dollars in private money. there are signs that new investment is reaching residential neighborhoods like this neighborhood where a new police station is being built. john hendren, al jazeera, detroit. president obama's security advisor says the u.s. is not engaged in any military coordination with iran. susan rice's comments came after the wall street journal reported that obama wrote a letter to iran's supreme leader.

we spoke to a professor at tehran university. >> i think that the iranians would obviously like to see a deal, but the iranians also have their red lines that basically are linked to iran's sovereignty. they recognize that the united states globally is in a much weaker position than before, the united states through its conflict with russia, the chinese over the south china sea, and also the general decline in the economy in europe and the united states makes it more difficult for the united states to sustain its hed hedgeonmy that it had before. and now the iranians unz that the americans need a deal, but the iranians say that the litmus test comes at the nuclear

negotiations. the united states has to recognize iran's sovereign rights if the americans act on that fact front then i think the iranians will believe the americans are serious and they can move gradually forward. engineers are planning an upgrade of the biggest hydro electric plant in afghanistan. it was supposed to be a priority for nato and the u.s. government, but work stalled six years ago. now afghans are taking control as jennifer glasse reports. >> reporter: afghanistan's biggest hydro electric plant could soon be generating even more electricity. this man has kept the power plant running for the past 36 years. he knows every piece of equipment in this plant designed and built by american engineers in the 1970s. he is looking forward to the upgrade. >> this is analog everything. now analog is gone. now we will replace by digital. >> reporter: the equipment is so

old there are no spare parts. the system requires constant monitoring. >> for us where is the problem, which line is charred, which point is spared -- >> reporter: an electrical sort 52 kilometers south trips an alarm here. it's where government forces and the taliban are fighting. the dam is here, and this whole valley here is controlled by the taliban, but they are not likely to try to interrupt the progress here because they want the power too. the taliban takes about half of the 30 megawatts of power the plant generates. >> they are taking this power and taking it from the people. >> reporter: the plant could generate an additional 18 megawatts of power when turbine two is installed. 4,000 nato soldiers moved the components through taliban-held

areas in 2008. since then, the enormous parts sit rusting near the plant. the project now managed directly by the afghan government rather than through the united states aid program, installation is expected soon. local leaders say the upgrade could improve the security situation in the area. >> reporter: installing this turbine would be bad for al-qaeda terrorists, but it would be good for our government and the usa, it would show them they are working in afghanistan. >> reporter: this turbine shaft was stored improverly and may need to be replaced. but he is convinced the upgrade will happen. and he will be learning to maintain modern equipment. jennifer glasse, al jazeera. somali is confident it can emerge from long-running and bitter conflicts over the next

24 months. speaking to al jazeera, the somali interior minister explained how the country wants to move forward ahead of elections in 2016. >> we don't want to talk about deadlines, but we are preparing ourselves. lately we have been meeting in london and [ inaudible ] and we -- we're trying to address that issue. the cure is to build our army. and -- and train our army. and -- and equip our army. that's -- that's the -- the answer. and we addressing these issues at this moment. our hope is that we could do whatever it takes within the 12 months maximum 24 months. we are working hard. the legal framework now is almost complete. then we are going to build the institutions that are going to deliver the elections, and we need to capacitate those

institutions, and then support the elections, proper elections, the first one being referendum, and then nol low -- followed by general election by september. fishermen in the philippines are being forced into dangerous waters because of typhoon haiyan. >> reporter: haiyan survivor still puts his life on the line every day. like thousands of fishermen he lost all he had in the storm, the strongest ever on record. and he's only able to head back out to sea because of a donated wooden boat. as grateful as he is for it, he says it has brought him little reward. >> translator: main thing we are fighting over now is the dwindling supply of fish. nets get destroyed and fishermen

go where they are not supposed to. >> reporter: hundreds made their life from this bay before haiyan. the storm left tons of hazardous waste that has yet to be cleared. everything from petro-filled vehicles to ammunition from nearby military bases, and residents say there are still unrecovered human remains. they say they have no other choice but to head further away from shore. in small boats they are ill equipped for such long journeys. they often anger fishermen in other municipality's waters. this woman knows to well of a fishermen gone too far. her husband was shot and killed while at sea just a few weeks ago, by other fishermen. >> translator: he never thought he would be in that kind of

danger. he was just earning a living like he has always done. >> reporter: boats lie idol on the shore a sign of how bad cleanup has been. the locals now call these boats solar boats because they do little but sit out in the sun all day. many of these fishing communities were moved further inland by the government, making it hard for them to earn a living. >> that's not the focus really. i mean we have to teach them alternative sources of livelihood like be a tricycle driver, give them livelihoods such as those, and we're working on that. >> reporter: empty words for many of the fishing men and women. they are frustrated and angry, but say they will keep trying to find ways to get back on their feet. now if you like looking at

lanterns then south korea is apparently the place to be. the capitol seoul has been transformed into a collide scope of color. >> reporter: it's now the sixth year this event has been staged becoming more elaborate every year. it's a way for seoul to promote itself both here in korea and also internationally. the organizers are expecting some 2.5 to 3 million visitors, and this being the career of course, the practice of stealthy photo taking very much in evidence. the theme of this year's event is world cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. all the way from new york to the process of making kimchi, a traditional dish of korea.

>> translator: people will learn the importance of korean culture. >> reporter: this is also a celebration of the district of seoul, this open public space that runs for some 11 kilometers through the downtown area of the city, which is about to mark its tenth anniversary. this is a highly controversial project. this used to be a stream that had become a sewer that was concreted over with an elevated highway built on top. the city took the radical decision to restore it to this public open space that the people of seoul could enjoy. it was controversial and very expensive, but you would have to say on a night like tonight, the people are getting their money's worth. now before we go a quick

reminder, you can keep up to date with all of the news on our website, all of the latest on those u.n. proposed sanctions against the former president of yemen. aljazeera.com, of course aljazeera.com. ♪ >> 13 million filipinos were affected by typhoon haiyan's wrath. today a third of survivors are homeless in the catastrophic aftermath. we're flying to leyte- the hardest hit island where towns were torn up and reduced to rubble -