>> on the stream >> csi environment we talk with scientists who helping to pinpoint pollution culprits by creating a way to fingerprint fracking waste water

>> the stream only on al jazeera america inequality. and wage inequality and things, and we can focus on ferguson, >> mohammed thank you very much indeed. andrew simmons our man in jerusalem. israel will know very clearly that a growing number of countries are recognizing palestine as a state. is it appearing to feel any kind of external pressure? >> i think it probably is, but whether it will admit to being in this any way wobbled by it is unlikely. the prime has reeveryon reeveryonreeveryone reeveryoned -- preempted this. the previous none binding votes from the u.k., ireland, and also spain prompted suggestion that

this would affect the possibility of successful peace talks unilaterally going along like this, but then many are asking, well, what option is there right now for the palestinians when the u.s.-brokered peace talks back in april collapsed and there seems to be no real desire on the part of israeli politicians to push part or certainly the government at the very least to push hard to get this going again. this is a procession going in the coalition and the likelihood of the dissolution of parliament on wednesday and early elections, which will cause something of a vacuum here at a crucial time when there's so much insecurity and uncertainty about the situation. but as far as response going, it's likely to be muted and

unlikely to be profound as it was when sweden went for an official recognition. then israel withdrew his ambassador, and the u.s. protested as well. there is, however, privately a concern about the sno -- snowball effect, and there is an awareness that diplomatic work when it's more efficient can be quite dangerous. so therefore, there is gradually a recognition that a european dynamic if it grows more serious could become a relevant factor. >> indeed andrew. we're going to take a look at the scenes in the french national assembly. these are scenes coming to us just of the vote recognizing palestine as a state.

151 against doing so -- well, overwhelmingly in support of doing so. it's not likely to affect france's diplomatic response, but growing impatience with the stalled peace process. what i would like to do is wrap up this segment by asking you how the palestinian authorities intend to use this to their advantage to get the peace process moving. >> well, i think that's a very good question, because this emotion is coming at a very important and sensitive time, while the palestinians are trying to get a resolution to end the israeli occupation. at the french have been working very closely with the palestinians on drafting such a

resolution. the french initiative, they are working together with the germans and brits, these would be multi-lateral talks that would involve many countries and set a deadline for the occupation. so it appears the french and palestinians have been seeing eye to eye on a resolution. the palestinians also want to talk about a state on the 1967 lines and east jerusalem as a capitol. we know that france has also supported that. now the palestinian authority can say it has a strong european partner on its side that supports the creation of a palestinian state on the internationally recognized parameters. >> okay. we will leave it there for now. thank you very much indeed. also our correspondent in jerusalem and in paris. more on that a little bit later. now news out of kenya, the country's president has sacked

his interior minister and says he is declaring war on al-shabab and they killed 36 people in the north of the country. the attack was at a quarry in the same area where dozens of bus passengers were killed just over a week ago. erica wood reports. >> reporter: bodies lined up on the road. the grizzly scene after al shabab entered the quarry in the middle of the night. the workers were sleeping in their tent after gunmen ordered them out and told to recite prayers. there were a few survivors. they cowarded and hid in a trench. it's the third attack in the northeastern region of kenya. ten days ago al-shabab also said it was behind the attack on a

bus that left 28 people dead. and gunmen entired a nightclub, one was killed and more than a dozen others were injured. the government is facing increasing criticism over its ability to secure the country. they say it must do more. >> we need a clear actionable plan for counter terrorism, and a clear program for training, operations, border security, and corruption programs in targeting terrorists financing. the country is crying for policies to trim extremism. >> reporter: it has been struggling to stop increasing attacks by al-shabab fighters since 2011 when kenya sent in troops to fight them in somalia. the group has promised it will keep up its attacks until kenyan troops pull out of somalia.

meanwhile non-muslims and others who feel unsafe are now heading to a nearby military base to seek safety. the president is saying it is a war everybody must fight. >> my government has invested heavily in terms of increasing the recruitment of security personnel, improving their welfare, providing vehicles for our security services, equipping them with the hardware and technology needed to keep kenyans safe. we will continue to increase investment in this sector, until your country and our citizens are secure. despite this progress, we also acknowledge some weakness in our security architecture. in light of this, last week i directed my government security actors to engage with members of

the relevant committees of the legislature, with a view to rectify administrative and legal hurdles that limit our ability to deal with this very real and existential threat that we face. on thursday this week, i expect the final report of their deliberations, and recommendations for my consideration and further action. >> the president there of kenya, condemning al-shabab. this is what its spokemen had to say. >> translator: the war between us and them is an idealogical war. it's a war between two systems. we are not fighting individuals. we are fighting their way of politics which is based on dehuman nicing muslims, and

occupying muslim lands. the fight will continue even if he resigns. if kenya doesn't change its way, the war between us will continue. the tell the kenyan people they should not be satisfied with resignations. if they want real peace, they should leave our muslim land and us alone. so long as they are on this wrong political system it won't make any difference who they appoint or elect. iraq has agreed to a deal with the kurdish region. the will supply the kurdish government with 250,000 barrels a day, and will be allowed to sell 300,000 barrels a day to turkey. the money was stopped after the

kurds began transporting oil to turkey against bagdad's wishes. and the iraqi government will give another $1 billion to pay for kurdish peshmerga forces salaries and equipment. the iraqi oil minister reckons all of this will benefit the whole of his country. >> translator: the two delegations held serious and candid meetings, and conducted buy log based on their faith of one country that yielded thank god a deal between the federal government and the government of the region on the pend issues on the budget and on the issue of oil. the kurdish region will provide the federal government with 250,000 barrels of oil per day, and expert 300,000 barrels a day to turkey through the trans-kurdistan pipeline.

now news out of america, or at least the report of the possibility of news. the u.s. president, barack obama, has picked ashton carter as it new secretary. so nobody from obama's own party, but somebody from the republicans, a senior person admittedly saying that ashton carter will replace chuck hagel who quit in the last two weeks. we'll bring you more news on that a little bit later on. still ahead on this program, the battle for aleppo, we examine how the fight for syria's biggest city may be a turning point in the war. and japan launches a shuttle that will look for clues about the birth of the solar system. stay with us.

>> i'm joie chen, i'm the host of america tonight, we're revolutionary because we're going back to doing best of storytelling. we have an ouportunity to really reach out and really talk to voices that we haven't heard before... i think al jazeera america is a watershed moment for

american journalism inequality. and wage inequality and things, ♪ time in the program to run through the top stories. kenya's president sacked his interior minister, and says he will declare war on al shabab, and the group killed 36 people in the north of kenya. the police chief also quit. the attack was in the same area where dozens of bus passengers were killed over a week ago. french parliament has voted to recognize palestine as a state. non-binding vote, but symbolic. it follows a similar resolution in britain and spain. and iraq's government has

agreed to end an oil dispute with the semiautonomous kurdish region. the kurds will get about $7 billion a year helping in the fight against isil. the wife and leader of the islamic state of iraq and the levant have been detained in lebanon. they are being questioned with the ministry of defens defense. taken about ten days ago is the background to this. only now has the news come up. let's hear from jane ferguson. >> the lebanese military say the woman and child were picked up ten days ago. she is the wife according to the lebanese military. the child she was traveling with, 9 years old. they said they did dna testing on the child and it is his

child. we knew the woman was released from syrian government custody back in march in return for the release of 13 syrian nuns being held by isil at the time. we have to see this in the context of the lebanese government who are under pressure to get the release of 26 soldiers still being held on the border by isil. >> that's jane ferguson reporting on events in lebanon associated with syria quite directly. let's talk now about the syrian rebels in the country's biggest city, aleppo, putting up fierce resistance against the government. the forces are trying to cut off the rebel supply line. >> reporter: there is a fierce battle on the northern edges of aleppo city. the government has turned its forces on syria's largest city.

it is hoping to cut off supply lines. this is a fight the opposition cannot lose. the fight for aleppo is now in its third year. government forces control the west. the opposition controls the east. the roads connecting the east of the city to turkey are now contested and that is why the rebels opened a new front in the northwest, to try open another supply line. they are coming under high fire, these two villages are government strong holds. they are also surrounded by rebel-held territories. but the predominantly shia villages lie along a highway running from the city of aleppo to turkey. >> translator: government forces have been advancing north of aleppo city, and they are trying to reach [ inaudible ]. they are ten kilometers away, but we are fighting back, and hopefully we will be able to liberate the vailages from

government troops. >> reporter: for now pro-government forces are preventing a rebel advance into their areas, and government forces are helping from the skies. planes and helicopters have been dropping bombs in opposition areas. the united nations was hoping to stop the fighting in aleppo's many front lines, but the initiative proposed last month never came to anything. the government and rebels may have reached ceasefire deals in other areas, but if they give up here it could be a devastating blow. al jazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists who have been held in jail in egypt. jailed for charges of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against their convictions. we're going to go back to

that iraqi government oil deal with the kurdish region. joining me is the director of the house of iraqi expertise foundation, and with such a title, i hope you are going to be able to explain to our viewers what the deal is, and why it took so long to get through. >> well, first of all let's talk seriously about the whole package of this agreement. i think it's -- it's one of the biggest agreements happen until now, because it's not only exporting oil and getting the money for the central government. it's also changing the course of the pipeline from the areas that occupied by isis, and -- and turn it to the area that in the kurdistan ash air -- area, which means that kurdistan will take money for some things. the central government will pay

the 17 percent of the total budget from total iraqi budget for the kurdistan, and also paying $1 billion for the peshmerga, the salaries of the peshmerga, and also arming the peshmerga. also there is another thick, which is very important thing, paying the salaries for the employees of kurdistan, which is the responsibility of the central government also, at the end there is a clear-cut that all of the sanctions that happened during these last three or four years by maliki's government will be removed, and the connections and the relations between the central government and kurdistan government will be as soon as possible. >> okay. help me with this one, because we need to put this into some kind of context. the kurds are going to get money from central government. that should go towards training their fighters taking on isil. this is because the iraqi

government and the kurds have come up with some kind of deal. in this deal, the kurds can sell oil to turkey, but the reason why the money was stopped in the first place is because the iraqis didn't want them to sell oil to turkey. so what has changed? >> there is no change -- actually there is no real change in this agreement, or let's say in the talks between the two sides. the main thing is that the need -- the financial crisis now in iraq is very -- is very big, and everybody knows that the -- the prime minister knows that very well if he cannot connect the relations or make the right connections with the kurds, there will be another financial problem, because they are already exporting oil for -- from their territories. that's why reaching such a package will be very useful. the main question is that [ inaudible ] was the head of the financial committee inside

of the parliament, so he is the one that -- he made the sanctions by himself at that time. this is first. secondly, even all talks about the corruptions in iraq, 50,000 goes soldiers, and so on, it all came from the iraqi budget, which also mr. [ inaudible ] was responsible for signing and accept the budget that it was made by the maliki's government because he was the head of the financial commission, the financial -- committee inside the iraqi parliament. so all of these issues, at the end it will affect mr. la bahdy personally. that's why he is trying to make so many deals to just want to manage, he is the prime, and he wants to be succeeded as the threat -- the main threat in this existence, which is the isis. >> thank you very much.

ukraine's military and pro-russia separatists forces have agreed to a new ceasefire which should start on december 5th, they say. it applies to rebel-held luhansk. military representatives will have talked with the rebels on tuesday talking about withdraw of heavy weapons. more than 4,300 people have been killed since a rebellion started in april. european foreign ministers are meeting in brussels for a summit. and they will focus on the threat of isis, and georgia's break away attempts. the secretary general was critical of how russia is threatening stability, he believes in the region. >> we strongly condemn russia's

continued deliberate destabilization of ukraine. we also condemn russia's actions, which are undermining the security of ukraine, and have serious implications for the stability and the security of the entire area. >> now the russian economy getting pretty close to recession, many say. the russian ruble taking a hammering because of the fallen oil prices and sanctions over what is happening in ukraine. the rubble hit a record low against the u.s. dollar on monday, down 37% this year, down 5% in fact this day alone. russia's central bank no longer defending the currency. it has spent $90 billion this year, over sanctions were slapped by the west over what is happening in ukraine. oil prices down almost 40%.

russia is one of the world's biggest producers, so a massive amount of finance lost there. the finance minister assuming that oil prices would stabilize at $98 a barrel. the reality round about $60 a barrel forecast. it is estimated that russia is going to lose $100 billion next year, because of the falling oil prices. in the first nine months of this year, investors have pulled $85 billion out of the country. it is a bleak picture. >> the outlook is looking very bleak for the russian economy at the moment. i think we is estimate around 1% in terms of economic inflection

in 2013 all of these negative factors including sanctions and drop in oil prices are having an impact on the russian economy. and now the crucial factor is russians, will start converting savings from rubles into dollars, that would create additional pressure on the very weak domestic currency. crucial what the central bank is going to do next week. they are going to hold last meeting this year. and apart from large scale interventions, i think they may have to use interest rates and raise them rather aggressively, to send a very strong signal and to stabilize the ruble in order to prevent a fuel-scale financial crisis. protesters in hong kong are

urging fellow protesters to end demonstrations. they are concerned about people's safety. >> reporter: it was a very emotional address made by the three founders of the occupied hong kong movement which started this campaign around 64 days ago. they announced they would surrender to police tomorrow around 3:00 local time, and have appealed to students here to retreat. and the reason they said is the concern for their safety in the wake of the violent clashes we saw on sunday and monday night. they said this site here is now considered a dangerous place, and the police action was out of control. having said that, they have also asked for the government to continue, but they want to transform that movement and get it off of the streets and keep it peaceful, but they are also saying they want the campaign to be one of peace and a community

campaign. but they have also said they would respect the student's decision if they decide to stay. >> and you can of course keep up to date -- not of course -- i'm pointing you in the right direction, on our website, aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. this is tech know, a show about innovations that can save lives. we are going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity and we are doing it through unique ways. this is a show about science by scientists. let's check out our team of hardcore nerds. i am phil torres, an entymologist. from base can camp, we are on the scene after raging wildfire. the scientists who go directly

in the path of a firestorm. their kairmz camera's actually consumed by flames. what they are learning could save lives. then dr. shimmy somara is a mechanical engineer. her undersea interview with david grandfather. >> marina davidson is a biologist specializing in e coming and evolution. >> that's our team. now, let's do some science. welcome to techknow. guys, i've got some stats for you. california is currently having the driest year in 90 years. over 60% of the west is in a drought. now, when it's that dry, there is one danger that really comes to mind. >> that's: wildfires.

as common as these are, it has not with been until recent years that scientists understood how they move and how to save fight them. . >> california's governor declared a state of emergency wildfire. >> i want to make sure that the researchers are deployed. >> summer, 2014, in america's west is under fire. making national t.v. headlines for both the size and ferocity of the burns. >> fire world emerging from the parched hillside. >> the end of fire season is nowhere in sight. >> we are seeing near unprecedented drought. so what that means is we have seen the beginning of fire season much earlier. some even say that last fire season truly never ended. and we are going to probably see this fire season extend much longer than normal. >> this is the first day that we are on the scene.

the crews are six days into the battle. fire command at the july conflicts post. this is fire camp where tactical decisions are made and fire fighters rest before returning to the fire line. when i arrive, new resources are being called in to fight four major wildfires in the area. >> what's at stake here? >> numerous homes as the fire comes down into the front country. there is approximately 360 homes out there. there is also the infrastructure of power lines. there is agricultural land with livestock and so, there is numerous things. at the northwest edge of the fire, most residents are trying to get away from the flames. but a team of wildfire researchers here are actually trying to get ahead of its path. dan jimenez is the team leader. he and his crew have been

chasing fires as new blazes break out. >> the team has been to six or scenario fires. how many have you gotten data from? >> we have gathered data on three incidents. >> so not every one you go to is a win? >> absolutely not. >> on this deployment, dan's team is gathering field data to help improve fire fighters' safety zones. it's an area where personnel can safely position themselves and environment. >> how important is a fire safety zone? >> critical. >> in 2013, 19 fire fighters died battling an arizona wildfire. investigators think when the fire made a quick run towards them, the hotshot team was cut off from an escape route making it impossible to get to the

safety zone. >> to set a safety zone, the general rule of thumb is, find the highest flame height and four. >> that's the minimum distance a fire fighter needs to be from the flames to be in a save zone. veteran fire fighters are quick to attest, there are more environmental factors than need to be considered. >> that's why command posts have a meteorologist and a fire analyst on site working side-by-side to predict the unpredictable, what a fire is about to do. >> so when you are out there on the line, how does it all work? is there any actual calculation done, or is it looking at these various variables and kind of eyeballing it? >> they don't really necessarily do a calculation. they are just going off of gut instinct. there are a few other variables that are at play. this footage from the

texas wildlife shows. up to 100 miles per hour. good progress. pretty solid. >> day 2 of our mission begins with the daily 6:00 a.m. briefing. this includes the important weather forecast. the winds are going to remain relatively light. >> so as crews lead camp setting out for the fire line, all of this information will have to remain at the forefront of the mines as they fight to contain burning lands while keeping themselves and each other safe. do you think the creation of fire safety zones is good enough right now? >> i think there is room for improvement. any time we are talking about safety. there is never enough that can be done. we can always try to create a safer environment for fire fighters to work. it's inherently a dangerous activity.

anything we can do to minimize . >> coming up on it. echknow, we are following the research team into the log fire. what happens when the research team gets their gear exactly where they want it? in the path of a raging wildfire. we want to hear what you think about these stories. join the conversation by following us on twitter and at aljazeera.com.

♪. >> guys, welcome back to "techs know." you are going -- you got to do an interesting interview under the sea? >> yeah. i got to interview the grandson of jack costeau 60 feet underneath water.

let's take a look. >> jack costeau, the legendary master of see exploration gave the world a glimpse into human possibilities under water. he once said the best way to observe a fish is to become a fish. his grandson took that advice to heart. he and a small team of divers called the undersea laboratory home for 31 days. i got a chance to talk to him about his latest research in a cuellar ius. the location in florida keys, is that crucial to the scientific research you are collecting? >> crucial for several reasonses. first of all the sub tropical environment conducive to working long hours but also, it's in the cross hairs of some of the major issues both on the level that we are only

nine nautical miles offshore where there is a lot of human. >> that is incredible. what is the focus of the aquarous? >> looking at both climate change and pollution-related issues. so climate issues. having a good time out there? >> what are they doing? >> looking at sponges and corral and sending up some of our high-end equipment to monitor in both micro scopic and macro scopic fashion some of the science and data we are collecting from the sponges and corral to be able to bring back a better image of what's happening on the mroouks run-off issues that we are having all around the world especially here the problems among occurs that

are affecting our corral reef as far as other critters with by 0 diversity in these undersea cities full. >> what is the major obstacles of studying the deep sea are short dive times. in a cuellar ius, fabbien has the luxury of living on the resurface. >> out there diving as much as you can in a day t allows us to the ability to dive six, eight, 10, 12 hours a day: we are at three atmospheres, subject to three tons of pressure that you are on land and that gives us the ability to go out into the water as long as we need to. >> the research opportunities at this depth are fantastic. the actual living facilities on aquarous are a little craft, as fabian showed united states. ryan and mark, our habitat technicians. behind mark is our bunk room.

>> that's where the six of us sleep with the world's best view at the end. we generate our own air supply from the surface that comes down here. we have three days of air supply as well as battery power. right here, we've got our galley, which is where we cook. hot water and microwave only. as partial pressure of oxygen down here would exacerbate any kind of fire. this is the kind of food that we eat. it's in these freeze-dried packets. basically, they pre-prepared foods that you add hot water to and have a immediately. here is a lab full of equipment right now and the wet porch is the place where we get in and out of the has been at that time. basically, our front door to the ocean world. >> the opportunity to learn on aquarous still harkin back to jack

costeau's callipso. >> the days of callipso, my grandfather's ship was the staging ground and the character, i guess, for 50 years of ocean exploration and a lot of the vision that he had of things to come has come to fruition, and we are using those things today. >> fab yen stresses the fact there is an urgent need for more ocean research insisting less explored. >> as a matter of fact, aquaro aquarous's has been at that time is the station that the nasa astronauts use to train before they go into outer space because it's so similar to the conditions that they are going to be subject to. space exploration and inner space exploration are of paramount importance to be able to further our knowledge of all of those acknowledges and those things

that ail us. >> it adjusting back to a land atmosphere setting a new record for the longest stationary research mission understand water. fabbien continues his calling to bring more awareness to the importance of ocean research. assumptions. >> people have a passion for the occasions. again, i hate to default back to my grandfather but since we have been talking about him a lot, he used to say protect what you love and how can they protect what they don't understand? hopefully we let a few more understand why this is magical. so mysterious and so fragile and lives. >> i love seeing this ledge endsary family name is carrying on such an inspiring way.

>> it is amazing how this curiosity for deep sea is just ingrained in their dna. everyone in the family seems to be involved in under water exploration. with that many family members. it has been max did out really. >>s it's really important. the sea, the ocean is pretty much the final frontier in terms of understanding how the planet works from at least from an eke logical perspective. it's important and difficult work. but i am glad they are doing it. >> why i find it so important where fab yen actually does throw himself into the he is permanent and become almost like a guinea pig. i think it adds weight to the research that he is doing. >> you worked a lot in conservation, a big e co system analyses. how important are theosis? >> think about it. the occasions cover two-thirds

of our planet. they are important in terms of regulating ebb vinement, sources of protein for people to eat. i mean the list goes on and on. so doing this research is important. >> it's a bit similar to space research. a lot of people don't often appreciate just how much science we get from doing research in space. it's the same as with aquanautics. >> there are so many final front ears here on earth that we have yet to explore. i feel like we covered both ends of science today from fighting fires above to discovering the oceans below. it was a fun episode. tune in next time here on "techs know." dive deep into these stories and go behind the scenes at aljazeera.com/techs

know. for the us on twitter, facebook, google+ and more.

♪ >> israel's sacks six ministers, and announces plans to call early elections. ♪ you are watching al jazeera, good to have your company. i'm david foster. also coming up in the next 30 minutes. the french parliament votes to urge its government to recognize palestine as a state. [ cheers ] some signs of unity in iraq. the bagdad government and ku kurdish north agree to a crucial oil deal.