hello and thank you for joining us. we will follow iraqi troops trying to force back isil. barack obama meets with congressional leaders for the first time since the midterm election. and a tunnel of light major

lantern festival illuminates south korea. we begin with some breaking news out of yemen where a new cabinet has just been announced there. a total of 36 ministerial pro forma s -- positions. including five women. this comes about with discussion of sanctions that the u.n. is about to discuss in a few hours against the former president. we'll go to the yemeni capitol. who is in the new cabinet?

>> reporter: absolutely, quite defining moment here in yemen, very interesting times here. the president has just announced the new government. now this is a government that many yemenese hope would put an end to weeks of instability and political bickering, but then we have to wait and see what will be the reaction of the houthis. the houthis made it quite clear from the beginning that they will only put an end to their protest movement pull out their fighters from here, from the capitol, once they are sure there is a government that is going to clamp down on corruption and work for the benefits of the poor people and the nation. we know the president has talked to many political parties about particularly the [ inaudible ] and we know that he has appointed the minister of defense. this is a top military commander from the south.

and he seems to be having the backing of many political factions. but it remains to see if the houthis are in agreement. the minister of interior and chief of intelligence, and now he is going to take over one of the most delicate ministries, which are the ministry of the interior. if there is a general consensus, yemen could move forward to tackle the problem -- the problem it faces particularly instability, the rise of violence, and poverty. >> but aren't many of those named members of the former government? how is this going to change

anything? >> reporter: well, the problem in a country like yemen to -- the transition to democracy needs -- this has been the view of the americans, the gcc countries, and the international community, to be able to moforward you have to include members from the old regime, people from the opposition, particularly from the sunni party. now they have to be more inclusive reaching out to minorities, reaching out to the houthis should be able to garner a national consensus about this government. because this is a government that faces the most delicate tasks. first of all you have al-qaeda, which is expanding in the south of the country. you have the houthis who have been expanding from their turf south, and they threaten that if this government does not answer

their demands, they will set up a parallel government. you have a declining economy. this is a country which is cash strapped and needs financial support from the international community. you have a region which could be further destabilized if yemen collapses, so for this government to move forward, it has to have huge popular support, and that is the same of the president, but still we have to wait and see whether this is a sentiment shared by all political factions. >> one important group that we're waiting for reaction from are supporters of the former president. they have been protesting, haven't they because of these sanctions that the u.n. is considering imposing against the former president. just explain why they are thinking about doing this. >> reporter: well, you know, ali abdullah saleh has always been of the view that he is paying

the price of a plot that has been made by different factions with the collaboration of the international community. and that when he was ousted his own people were still represented in the government, but then he was concerned that the powerful sunni party is taking over and having more influence on political life in yemen. now ali abdullah saleh is saying enough is enough. the arab spring has been producing more radical islamists in this part of the arab world, and i have to return. my own people have to be given more political representation. it was interesting to hear one of the top aids saying the arab spring is over, and sana'a is coming up to its terms, and ali abdullah saleh will be reinstated. people here were saying ali abdullah saleh is the legitimate heard of yemen. this is obviously a view not

shared by the international community. they are of the view that his era is over and a national unity government has to take over to be able to move forward and solve the pressing concerns of the yemeni people. so is he going to move forward? his own people are saying tomorrow they might take to the streets and make major decisions about the future of yemen. we'll have to wait and see. >> we'll be watching closely. thank you for bringing us up to speed. a new cabinet has just been announced in yemen. we're waiting for reaction to that. palestinian protesters have fought with israeli security forces in the occupied east bank in jerusalem. palestinians say israel wants to change the rules on who can

worship at the al-aqsa mosque. we have the latest from occupied east jerusalem. >> reporter: 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 of course bracing themselves for another evening of protests in east jerusalem, the scene of mayor protests now for some time. however, in the backdrop of all of that, we are now hearing comments from senior israeli officials, including the prime minister benjamin netenyahu appealing for calm. we have also heard from the chief rabbi here in east jerusalem also appealing for calm. and now that the israeli leadership is becoming concerned

about what is going on, there is still a huge security presence, and that certainly isn't helping calm things down. and indeed we are expecting more protests. whatever the case, 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.'s foreign minister here discussing the issue with the israeli foreign minister, and the white house has also expressed concerns, so there is a lot of pressure now on israel to calm things down here, and the measures they have been using, heavy security forces and indeed heavy policing tactics doesn't seem to be doing the trick, if you will, so one would imagine that is why we're hearing these comments and appeals for calm by the israeli government. three people have been killed in the latest anti-government protests in

egypt. a teenager died and three policemen were injured during fights between residents and anti-government protesters. a second person was killed during scuffles in cairo. a third died when gunmen opened fire near a check point. well al jazeera continues to demand the immediate release of our journalists who have now been detained in egypt for 314 days. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed are falsely accused of helping the out lawed muslim brotherhood. and they are appealing against their sentences. people in the 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 muslim militias, and iranian advisors. >> reporter: after a 72-hour

long battle, the town has been cleared of isil fighters. now phase two of the operation begins. that means sweeping through the town as well as villages in the area to check for improvised explosive devices and booby trapped buildings. >> translator: this is the mainmain entran entrance. they used stolen humvees and other army vehicles, but we have swept them from the other side and managed to clear the main road that was entirely booby trapped. >> reporter: this was an operation that was carried out without coalition air strikes. instead a number of shia militias cooperated with iraqi soldiers and iranian advisors to drive isil fighters out of town. in iraq the battlefield victory is being celebrated as the quickest defeat of isil so far. the prime minister visited and the leader of the iranian force

reportedly directed military operations himself. it is a crucial city, because it's 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 read line, that if they come under isil pressure, the iranians will have no choice but to end in thissing ground troops. isil's defeat is being seen as an important victory for the iraqis and iranians, but in some ways it was relatively easy. the town was the weakest link in isil easterer to, and one the group was finding difficult to defend. critics of the operation have ak cued shia militias of committing human rights violations. despite that many in iraq feel the iranian and iraqi cooperation is something that should be further developed in other areas. imran khan, al jazeera, bagdad. for the first time since the

republicans sweeping victory in the u.s. midterm elections, pat has met with the congressional leaders. on the agenda, boosting the u.s. economy, job creation, and education. the house speaker john boehner has said republicans intend to repeal obama's healthcare law. patty culhane is in washington, d.c. is this the start of a new era of bipartisanship between the democrats and republicans? anything concrete out of this meeting? >> well, that's definitely the message both sides are trying to send. we're waiting to find out how it went. we'll see if they come out to awaiting cameras after lunch. the president spoke to reporters before the meeting, and it was all the talk about what we want to get accomplished. the president saying the vote was a reflection on the fact

that the american people want congress to work. but all of this could just be talk depending on what happens with immigration reform. the president has said for months now that he is going to act on his own if congress doesn't. and that could include decreasing deportations. the republicans have come up with alling kinds of metaphors why that would be a bad idea. the republican senator saying that's like waving a red flag in front of an angry bull. the white house says the president is going to take those steps even before the republicans take control. >> there are any areas of potential agreement? >> reporter: well it really depends on who is right if the president takes these immigration steps. the republicans are saying that is it. the president's people are saying they are angry more because they don't want to do something on immigration, they will have to continue to work with us.

if the white house is right, they talk about a couple of areas. tax reforms. that's one of the things that both sides say needs to be done. one of the things they talk about is potentially infrastructure, although that seems more like a long shot. but they do agree they would like to see more trade deals from overseas. so that's just a couple of areas, but if the republicans are right, then what we could likely see over the next two years is a whole lot of gridlock and a lot of meetings on capitol hill and it could be fairly ugly. >> patty thank you very much. still to come in this program, we're live in the u.s. city which went bust 16 months ago. is detroit now motoring back from bankruptcy. i'm in afghanistan where work is underway to complete this power station that was started 40 years ago. ♪

doris payne

>> a deadly attack that shocked the nation. >> the front part of the ship was just red with blood. >> was there a cover-up? now an in-depth investigation reveals shocking new evidence. what really happened? the day israel attacked america. tonight, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. ♪ hello again welcome back. the top stories right now here on al jazeera. a new cabinet has been announced in yemen. this as supporters of yemen's former president have been protesting proposed sanctions by the united states. ali abdullah saleh is accused of helping houthi fighters seize control of parts of the capitol. palestinian protesters have fought with israeli security forces in east jerusalem.

fighting flared up over palestinian's access to jerusalem's holiest site. the biggest municipal bankruptcy case in the history of the united states is over. a judge has approved a bankruptcy exit plan for detroit. the plan will erase $7 billion worth of debt and invest nearly $2 billion in improving services. john hendren is live for us in detroit. hi there, john. please tell us more about this magic plan that will erase all of those billions of debt for detroit. >> reporter: well, the judge wasted no time at all, about a minute into the courtroom, he announced he was approving the entire bankruptcy plan for the city of detroit, the largest municipal bankruptcy in u.s. history as you mentioned, and that involves not just wiping out about $7 million in debt to unsecured creditor, the city is about 18 to $20 billion in debt, so they have done a number of

things. they have cut pensioners income to about 95% of what it is -- they are cutting it by 4.5%. the judge said in looking over this plan, that was not just reasonable but borders on the miraculous. so all of the various groups had agreed to what they are calling a grand bargain. that includes saving the detroit institute of art. there was talk about selling off the city's treasures, and they came up with an agreement that avoids doing that. there will in fact be new money spent as part of the plan for blight removal. there are thousands and thousands of homes here in detroit that have just been abandoned as the population dropped from 2 million to $700,000. and there will be more money for police and fire as well. but the big deal is getting those creditors to give up on some of the money that the city owed them. >> hey, john this is plan guaranteed to get detroit out of

bankruptcy? what happens if the plan fails? >> reporter: well, here's -- here's the problem, now detroit is going to have toing find some sustainable way to go forward. and they have got a city that is built for 2 million, so they have a water system that is very inefficient, and therefore have some of the highest rates in the country here, and they have lost many of those jobs that drove the auto industry here. the auto industry is smaller and far more automated now. so detroit is trying to diversify and look for jobs for many of those people, low skilled and unskilled people who previously worked in the auto industry. so detroit is going to have to find a new model, and that model will have to be for a much smaller city. >> john thank you very much indeed. while the international criminal court has approved the temporary release of a serb nationalist

leader who is accused of war crimes. he is being allowed to receive cancer treatment in serbia. he has been detention awaiting a verdict for more than a decade. a governor in japan has given the permission to restart a nuclear power plant despite concerns of safety. they are expected to switched back on early in the new year. united nations human rights efforts has accused sri lanka of trying to sab -- sabotage its inquiry. they are looking into whether both the government and rebels committed war crimes. the ambassador to the united nations say the allegations are

misplaced. >> sri lanka has done more in the last five years since the end of the conflict 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 -- is a challenge to the sovereignty of my country, which is doing all it can to address many of these ideas. 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 are a small developing

country, and we can't do everything that others want us to do overnight. evening -- engineers are planning a long-awaited upgrade in a hydroelectric power plant in afghanistan. 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. >> this is analog, anything. now analog is done, gone. now we will replace by digital. >> reporter: the equipment is so old there are no spare parts. he shows me where they have had to impro vice. the system requires constant

monitoring. >> where is the problem, which line is charred, which point is spared. >> reporter: an electrical shortened piece of equipment 25 kilometers south trips an alarm here. it's in areas where government forces and the taliban are fighting. we're very close to the front lines here, and this whole valley is controlled by the taliban, but they are not likely to try to interrupt the progress here. the taliban takes about half of the power the plant generates. >> they are taking this -- this power, and taking the [ inaudible ] from the people. >> reporter: the plant could create an additional 18 kilowatts of power when turbine two is installed. 4,000 nato soldiers moved the components through in 2008 in a convoy 4 kilometers long. since then the enormous parts sit rusting near the plant.

with a project managed directly through the afghan government now, installation is expected soon. local leaders say the upgrade could improve the security situation in the area. >> translator: in stalling this turbine would be bad for al-qaeda terrorists, but good for our government and the usa. it would show them they are working in afghanistan. >> reporter: there are still many obstacles to overcome. this shaft was stored improperly and may need to be replaced. but he is convinced the upgrade will happen, and that this time next year, he'll be learning to maintain modern equipment, in this power plant built at the height of the cold war. somalia is confident over the next 24 months it can emerge from long-running and bitter conflicts with the armed group

al-shab al-shabab. the interior minister experienced how the country wanted to move forward ahead of elections in 2016. >> we don't want to talk about deadlines, but we are preparing ourselves. lately we had a meeting in london and [ inaudible ], and we're trying to address that issue. the cure is to build our army. and train our army. and -- and equip our army. that's -- that's the answer. and we are addressing these issues 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 being the referendum

of the constitution, and then followed by general election in 2016, by september. now if you like lanterns, then south korea is the place to be right now. their capital has been transformed into a kaleidoscope of color. >> reporter: it's now the sixth year that this event has been staged becoming more elaborate with more lantern exhibits 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 million to 3 million visitors and this being korea the practice of selfie photo taking very much in evidence. the theme is world cultural heritage. all the way from new york's statue of liberty. so the process of making the

traditional kimchi dish of korea. the organizers are hoping it will offer an incite into the rich culture of korea. >> translator: watching this lantern festival, people will learn the importance of korea culture, and also that korea has time honored records and traditions. >> reporter: this is also a celebration of 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. it used to be a treatment that effectively 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 also very expensive, but you would

have to say on a night like tonight, the people are getting their money's worth. do remember you can always go to our website for all of the latest news, programs, and lots more. the address for that, aljazeera.com. a show about innovations that can change lives. the science of fighting a humanity and we are doing it in a unique way. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check the team of hardcore nerds. specialising in ecology and revolution. tonight the green game.