♪ >> 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. and now the russian economy

is suffering because of sanctions and low oil prices. ♪ well, we begin in israel, where the prime minister, benjamin netenyahu has fired his finance and justice ministers. he has also said he will dissolve parliament and call snap elections. andrew simmons start with the beginning with this one. why the elections? >> reporter: well, the election has been a buzz -- the election fever has been sweeping right through israel over the past 48 hours, because simply, according to netenyahu, it's gone too far. he says that it's effectively like having an opposition within the cabinet. there are five separate parties represented in this coalition. they have never got on, and now just over halfway through its

four-year term this government is coming to an end. there will be dissolution of parliament on wednesday. the issue has been brought to a head by a number of bills, legislation particularly nationalistic legislation, one in particular, which relates to the jewish state, which will effectively enshrine the jewish state in the law. it was very controversial not only here in israel, but internationally, in which the suggestion was made that palestinian citizens will effectively become second class citizens. further other measures he was taking, particularly right-wing in nature opposed by coalition partners, in particular the justice minister who was fired and the finance minister. i'm looking here now at five demands netenyahu made on monday

night to his finance minister, which included supporting netenyahu on this issue of the jewish nationality bill, and scrapping zero rated tax for first time house buyers, and he was trying to demand that the finance minister rearrange cuts in what he was promising to be defense spending increases. so the whole budget has not been signed off. it is a bit of a mess it has to be said, although now things will be spelled out in detail by netenyahu. we're expecting in the next couple of hours. >> we'll leave it for now, thank you, andrew similar mons there in jerusalem. the french parliament has voteded to recognize palestine as a state. it was a non-binding vote, but symbolic.

339 in favor 151 against. here is more on what this vote means to the palestinians. >> reporter: although the motion is non-binding it is still very highly significant for the palestinians, because france is a permanent member of the united nations security council where they are trying to seek to end the israeli occupation within two years and create a palestinian state. we have heard palestinian officials say over and over again say if countries are serious about a two-state solution, they must start to recognize palestine as a state before israel destroys it completely. we also know the french are working very closely with the palestinians on a draft resolution at the u.n. security council, and we know they are working with the germans and brits on relaunching negotiations that will set a

deadline for the end of the occupation. so we have seen for a while the palestinians and french see eye-to-eye when it comes to an end of the conflict. the palestinians are pushing for a resolution that sets a timetable for the end of the occupation. and palestinians say they will only go to resolution again if they are about the creation of a palestinian state, and the french have supported that as well, so now the palestinians can say that they have a strong european partner on their side that supports a palestinian state on the internationally recognized parameters. and the hope here is that france, which is a major political player in europe would lead more european countries to follow suit, and we would see a wave of recognition of the palestinian state from european countries. kenyan's president has sacked his interior minister and

declared war on al-shabab after an attack at a quarry in the same area where dozens of bus passengers were killed just over a week. erika wood reports. >> reporter: bodies lined up on the road. the grizzly scene after gunmen entered the quarry in the middle of the night. quarry workers were sleeping in their tent when around 20 armed men ordered them out and to recite islamic prayer. the men were shot dead. all has come from other areas of kenya to find work. it's the third recent attack in the northeastern region of kenya. al-shabab also said it was behind a bus about 15 kilometers

away that left 28 people dead. and late on monday gunmen entered a nightclub. one person 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 to make sure the public is safe. >> we need clear actionable plan for counter terrorism, and a clear program for training, operations, border security, and the corruption programs in targeting terrorists financing. the country is crying for policies to trim extremism. the government is pursuing across the country has proved to be counterproductive. >> reporter: it has been struggling to stop the increasing attacks by al-shabab attacks since 2011. the group has promised it will keep up its attack until kenyan troops pull out of somalia.

it says it has a boarder that is porous and remote. meanwhile non-muslims and others are heading to a nearby military base to seek safety. according to the kenyan president, everybody must fight this war. >> 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 hardware and technology needed to keep kenyans safe. we will continue to increase investment in this sector, until our 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 a 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. well this is al shabab's reaction. >> translator: the threats do not bring anything new. we told them they will not achieve anything from going to war with us. we told them in they know nothing when it comes to war. today they see with their own eyes what war tastes like. we are ready for them. we are waiting for them. they have nothing new to show us. they are not sleep in peace as

long as they are occupying muslim land. the government in iraq has agreed to end an oil dispute with the semiautonomous kurdish region. kurds have promised to supply central government with a quarter of a million barrels of oil a day, and will be allowed to sell 300,000 barrels to turkey. in turn the government will unlock 17% of the national budget allocated foe the curds a share which should be around $12 billion. this was stopped, the money that is, after kurds began transporting oil to turkey against bagdad's wishes. the iraq government will give another $1 billion to pay for kurdish -- peshmerga forces.

>> translator: we conducted dialogue on the base of the faith of one country that yielded thank god a deal between the federal government and the government of the region on the ebb pending issue of the budget and oil. the kurdish region will provide the medical government with 250,000 barrels of oil per day, and export 300,000 barrels of oil per day to turkey through the pipeline. the wife and son of the leader of isil have been detained in lebanon. the pair were trying to cross from syria. the pair is being questioned at the ministry of defense. jane ferguson reports. >> reporter: the lebanese military say the women and child were picked up ten days ago, and have been in their custody since being questioned. she was traveling on false

passports apparently. the child was nine years old. they say they did dna testing on the child, and it is his child. 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 in the context of the lebanese government who are under pressure to get the release of 26 lebanese soldiers still being held on the border by isil. still ahead on this program, it looks as if it is all over in hong kong as protest leaders urge an end to the sit-ins. and japan's ambitious mission to hunt for clues about the birth of our solar system. ♪

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>> 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 ♪ a round up of the top stories. israel's prime minister benjamin netenyahu has fired his finance and justice ministers. he has said he will dissolve parliament and call elections. this is to get around contentious differences within his own coalition. the parliament in france has voted to recognize palestine as a state. the non-binding, but highly symbolic vote follows a similar resolution by the brits and spanish. kenya's president has sacked

his interior minister and declared war on al shabab, after 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. more on our top story out of israel. the current coalition government consists of a diverse array of parties. they include the prosettler jewish home party which was elected on a platform pushing peace with palestinians, and but the coalition partners have failed to agree on several important issues. one the jewish nation state bill which netenyahu says will cement israel's jewish state.

and the budget, one party supports the zero vat bill, but netenyahu is against. he wants extra money for defense. the centrist parties have criticized netenyahu with what they see as increased tension with the u.s. they say the government's policies harm's israeli's foreign relations. it's seldom the case that a prime minister says he is going to resign unless he is convinced that he would win the next election. so if netenyahu gets to form a new government, how much will his policies change? >> probably not at all. if anything what is clear is that the block of rightest

parties in israel have every possibility of winning the next elections. and amongst them netenyahu scores highest, almost 35% among the israeli publish as who will lead israel next. so he is secure in this his seat, and with the russian dominated party clearly he will be leading the next vote. the question is whether his new coalition will be more right-wing than his previous one, there are signs that the jewish homeland will probably get even more votes than before. so in a sense i think we will be with netenyahu for some time to come. and indeed from the palestinian point of view any hope of restarting peace talks with more rightist parties involved, it will seem to be even more distant. >> and a good number of the ministers themselves live in the occupied west bank settlements.

two, the main point as you mentioned earlier is the law about the jewish state. the most important part of that has nothing to do with the arabs in israel. what is the most important part is it will block any negotiations over the palestinian refugees right of return. because this is the state of the jewish people where only the jewish people have the right of determination. so the idea of any palestinian going back or talking about it will be a no starter. >> so what are the chances within a year, perhaps of its being in place if he wins and gets more rightest? >> clearly in israel since '77, with the exception of 1992 to 1996, israel has been governed by right-wing parties. mostly that has been the case.

and it has continually moved from centrist to extreme. there is something about the occupation that radicallizes people. >> we will talk later about the french vote. thank you very much indeed. >> thank you. >> ukraine's military and pro-russian separatists forces have agreed on a new ceasefire supposed to start on december 5th. it applies to the rebel-held luhansk region in eastern ukraine. military rep -- representatives will hold talks. european foreign ministers are meeting in brussels for a nato summit.

nato is working on forming a rapid reaction force to deal with security challenges in europe and elsewhere. the secretary general critical of how russia in his opinion is threatening stability in that region. >> we strongly condemn russia's continued deliberate destabilization of ukraine, including the provisional advance of weapons and military personnel, and we also condemn russia's actions, which are undermining the security of ukraine, and have serious implications for the stability and security of the entire area. now the economy in russia is in serious trouble. it would appear the rubble is taking a hammering because of a fall in oil prices, and those sanctions over the war in ukraine. the rebel a record low on monday against the u.s. dollar. it has fallen 37% this year, and

indeed in the last 24 hours has gone down by another 5%. the country's central bank has already spent $90 billion this year after sanctions were imposed by the west, and oil prices down almost 40% this year, it's one of the biggest producers anywhere, and oil accounts for half of the entire budget. russia's finance minister thought that oil prices would be about $98 a barrel now it is working on procasts of $60 a barrel. it is estimated russia will loss $100 billion because of the falling oil prices. and investors have pulled $85 billion out of russia. currently strategists tell us what he thinks this means. >> the outlook is looking very bleak for the russian economy at

the moment. the only question is how much the economy is going to contract the next year, and i think we can estimate it is going to be around 1% in terms of economic inflection in 2015. all of those negative factors including sanctions and drop in oil prices, having negative impact on the russian economy. and now the crucial factor is whether russians, specifically those russians with savings in rubles, will start converting those savings from rubles into dollars, that will create additional pressure. crucial is what the central bank is going to do next week. they are going to hold last meeting this year, and i think that apart from large-scale ethics interventions, unannounced interventions, i think they may have to use interest rates and raise them

aggressively to send a strong signal and to stabilize the ruble in order to also prevent a full-scale financial crisis. >> it's 30 years since the world's worst industrial accident in india, where a leak of deadly gas from a pesticide factory killed thousands of people. >> reporter: for 30 years this woman has struggled to do basic chores like cooking. she didn't breathe properly, and suffering from debilitating headaches because of toxic fumes she inhaled. she says this precious box of medicines keeps her alive. >> translator: as we were running from the gas, i gathered my children into my arms, as i did, the gas hit them. my three year old died then in my arms, my five year old after him, then their father died. i lost all of them within three months, and when i couldn't open my eyes because of gas burns, i

gave birth to my fourth child. >> reporter: hundreds of women like her who lost their husbands in the gas leak moved into the community. here every door leads to a story of loss, poor health, and struggle. many say they have been able to recover from the disaster, but 30 years on most can see things are unlikely to get better. earning a living as within one of the biggest challenges for the widows. for years this plant has tried to empower them with skills. >> translator: women look after needs of children and families, so they have had to deal hardest with this loss. with the loss of their husbands, with the loss of their children. with the loss of their brothers. >> reporter: many thousands of people died when poisonous gas leaked from this pesticide factory into low-lying areas on

december 3rd, 1984, only a handful of indian executives of union carbide, an american company have been prosecuted for the accident. and while compensation has been paid to the victims, the authorities have often been blamed for not doing enough before, during or after the leak. >> the problem is such that we might not have reached the person at the exact time or the precise time that it was needed. we [ inaudible ] for 30 years. >> reporter: these words don't mean much to this woman. her granddaughter was born years after the accident. she is a begone of hope for a woman who's life has long been cloaked in darkness. protest leaders in hong kong are urging fellow protesters to end their sit-ins and say they will surrender to police.

>> reporter: it certainly was a very emotional address made by the three founders of the occupy hong kong movement which started this campaign around 64 days ago. they announced they would surrender to police tomorrow aurngd 3:00 local time, and have appealed to students here at this site to retreat, and the reason they said is their 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. they say the police action was out of control. having said that, they have also asked for the movement to continue, but they want to transform the 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, and something that was maintained on the streets here in the central part of hong kong, they also said they will respect the student's decision

if they decide to say. pretty soon japan's space agency is going to launch an ambitious mission. here is our science editor. >> reporter: about the size of a fringe, it is setting out on a six-year asteroid hunt in deep space. the craft uses novel ion engines, a system which uses electricity to accelerate gas park calls. >> that makes a jet which goes treejsly fast, about 30, 40 kilometers per second, although the mass is very, very low, but produce a little bit for push, in a very efficient way, and that's enough to steer the spacecraft along the orbit. >> reporter: it has a long way to go, more than 5 billion kilometers. 2.5 years into the mission the krft is expected to catch up

with this asteroid, and once the craft arrives it will spend 18 months studying the asteroid. experiments include dropping tiny robots on to the surface. the most ambitious part involves firing a high-speed explosive bullet into the astac astacio -- asteroid's crust. >> it projects material out into space which is going to be collected by the instruments. >> reporter: scientists say the rock from inside the asteroid will be less weathered by environment and heat, and more likely to answer fundamental questions about the universe. a previous japanese mission managed to bring rock fragments back to earth in 2010. that mission had some problems,

but if it works as planned it will return pristine samples to earth in late 2020. >> you'll find that story in some detail on our website, aljazeera.com. and of course, all of the other global headlines, aljazeera.com. hi, i am lisa fletcher and you are in the pinpointing pollution culprits plus, as america searches for new sources of energy, fracking operations are expanding. hear why some are urging the industry to rethink where they set up shop. >> if we unite together as one, one people, one voice, we can do it. >> and a group of teens take their case all the way to the supreme court, to argue for laws that protect the