we have made already significant process -- progress in two and a half months, but we also acknowledge there is a lot more work yet to be done. ♪ the u.s.-lead coalition against isil tries to put together a unified strategy. ♪ you are watching al jazeera dive from doha, i'm david foster. also coming up, the iranian's ambassador's residence is targeted in yemen. a bomb leaving at least one person dead. israel to hold early

elections in march of next year, after the ruling coalition collapses. trial of kenya's president in doubt with the international criminal court giving the prosecution just one more week to get its case together. ♪ coalition of nations fighting isil says progress has been made against the group in iraq and syria. foreign ministers of 60 count thinks are meeting at nato's headquarters in brussels, and a joint statements that air strikes are forcing isil fighters to quote proceed with caution. here is u.s. secretary of state john kerry had to say. >> we have made already, significant process -- progress in two and a half months, but we also acknowledge there is a lot more work yet to be done. daesh is still perpetrating

terrible crimes, but there was a consensuses that the momentum, which it had -- exhibited two and a half months ago has been halted, that it has been forced to modify its tactics, and some of those modifications severely hampering their ability to operate in the way that they were certainly. >> and tim friend joining us live from brussels. tim he also said there were other reasons he believed that progress was being made. >> reporter: yes, he did, and he spoke about the propaganda war. he said the perception of isil around the world was one that meant that most people in his view were of the opinion that isil needed to be eradicated and stopped in its tracks. it advances slowed down and

terminated, and he also spoke about stopping the recruitment of recruits, young men, to isil. he said progress was being made in that direction. he also spoke about stopping funds reaching them, and also ensuring that they weren't using oil on the black market of course in iraq to try to get money as well for their cause. so there were many areas that he spoke about, but as we were hearing in that clip, we also admitted there was a long way to go. it was a multifaceted approach, and it was also, he believed the strength of the coalition, that although people would have nuanced ideas about how things would proceed, that there were so many people now on board as it were, for the ultimate aim of the coalition. in his press conference, inevitably he was asked about these reports, that iran has carried out a bombing mission

against isil over iraq. now the iranians have denied that themselves, because they may share a common enemy with the united states, but of course, they still have huge differences with the united states itself and certainly don't want it to appear that they are in any kind of coalition with the united states against isil, but this is what john kerry had to say about all of that. >> i'm not going to make any announcements or confirm or deny the reported military action of another country in iraq. it's up to them or up to the iraqis to do that, if it indeed took place. we are obviously flying our missions over iraq, and we coordinate those missions with the iraqi government. and we rely on the iraqi government to de-conflict whatever control of their air space may in fact need de-conflict shun.

so nothing has changed in our fundamental policy of not coordinating our military activity or other activities at this moment with iranians. we're not doing that. and we are not -- not only coordinating militarily right now, but there are no plans at this time to coordinate militarily. i think it's self-evident that if iran is taking on isil in some particular place and it is confined to take on isil and has an impact, it is going to be -- the net effect is positive. but that's not something that we're chord nateding. the iraqis have the overall responsibility for their own ground and air operations, and what they choose to do is up to them. >> we heard from the iraqi prime minister and john kerry said he was very pleased to hear what he had to say. do you get a sense that the iraqis want something more

concrete, perhaps on the ground rather than just air strikes? >> reporter: i think certainly there are people in iraq who probably feel that, and i'm interested in another question during the press conference was about help for iraq if and when this whole coalition mission succeeds, because inevitably there will be damage -- infrastructure will be damaged in the process, and there was a question to john kerry about aid money to help rebuild areas that might have suffered, and he, of course, indicated there would be, but not in a terribly precise way, and i suppose that's fair enough, because that's probably some way down the line, but i think certainly across this coalition, there are people who would like to see more being done. there are others who are offering words of caution about the consequences of moving too

quickly or perhaps moving too swiftly and then moving in the wrong direction. there are many points of view in this coalition, but certainly as you were asking, i think there are people who would like to see, perhaps, a more concerted effort, but that's something that will have to be arrived at. now they have formed a coalition by this 60 or so member countries, and that's not easy. >> tim we thank you. tim friend in brussels. in yemen a bomb has gone off near the home of the iranian ambassador in sana'a. al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula said it was responsible. >> reporter: this is the hole created after a bomb blast. al-qaeda claimed responsibility saying it detonated the car bomb

remotely. >> translator: the explosion was terrible. it shook the entire neighborhood. most of the houses have broken windows. >> reporter: government officials say diplomats are among the victims. >> translator: the government condemns the criminal attack that happened today in sana'a, against the iranian's ambassador's residence. one was killed and 17 others were injured according to initial findings. >> reporter: a source tells al jazeera, the iranian ambassador wasn't home at the time of the attack. he was only appointed to his post earlier this week. >> the new ambassador is known to have good linking with the houthis. so this could have been al-qaeda linked. >> reporter: one ambassador was killed this year as he tried to

fengd off a kidnapping. iran is believed to be backing the shia rebel houthis. the group seized control of sana'a in september. it forced the president to form a new government with greater cooperation among groups. the houthis have now expanded. along their way there has been fierce resistance from both sunni tribesman and members of al-qaeda. israeli police say a palestinian man has been shot after stabbing two israelis in a settlement. the attack was in the occupied west bank. it is said that the two israelis have been hurt, and the palestinian is in a serious medical condition. tension has been high in the last few weeks in particular. israe israeli's governing coalition is too divided to go on, and have agreed for new elections in

march. the prime minister sacked two of his ministers, accusing them of plotting a coup. >> reporter: a vote in favor of dissolving the israeli [ inaudible ] and a date for early election. this comes one day after prime minister benjamin netenyahu, sacked his economy minister and justice minister. march 17th is when israelis will head to the polls, and right-wing political partied are expected to win more seats according to a fresh opinion poll. >> translator: i think the next government will be more homogeneous. unlike this government. the prime minister will know how to give priority to those parties that have been loyal to him. instead of those who are hostile. >> reporter: and netenyahu says he is tired of what he describes as threats and ultimatums. he was hoping to become the

future prime minister of a government in agreement with his policies, as opposed to one that keeps challenging him. this may mean joining forces with jewish party that aren't part of the current coalition. some say netenyahu intentionally put it on the table because he knew some ministers would reject it. but some of the opposition members believe this is a bill he'll keep pursuing. >> i think that he was -- he believes this is the right bill to introduce, and we believe just the opposite, that this is the wrong bill, and this creates a certain breach in israeli society between jews and arabs. >> reporter: jewish settlers are keeping a close eye on the political development. their hope is that the next government will be even more supportive of settlement

expansion. >> translator: not good. elections are not good. it's a waste of a lot of money, but it's good for netenyahu, who will have a stronger government, more right-wing, and more religious. >> reporter: it could give netenyahu more domestic leeway-to-pursue a larger settlement policy. al-shabab has attacked the united states convoy year mogadishu's airport. it's not the first time the u.n. has been a target in somalia. >> reporter: traveling in an armored convoy with your own private security may seem a safer way to get about the streets of mogadishu, but this has become a dangerous city. four u.n. cars were near the airport when a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into the convoy. if the aim had been to kill u.n.

staff, it failed. they were all unharmed. >> translator: some people died including a security officer, and many others were wounded, and we are still investigating. >> reporter: al-shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack. the group was forced out of mogadishu three years ago, however, it still controls parts of the countryside. and from time to time, they are active in the capitol. there have been other attacks on u.n. and government convoys, al-shabab carried out a brazen assault on the u.n. base. the gun blast lasted more than an hour. the al-shabab fighters were eventually killed. this week the mayhem has been in neighboring kenya as well. gunmen killed 36 non-muslim workers. this happened close to an area where a bus was hijacked and 28 people were killed in november.

al-shabab has claimed responsibility for most of the violence. three years ago kenya sent its troops to try to defeat al-shabab in somalia. since then it has become one of the group's largest targets. the president of kenya is charged with planning the violence that took place after the 2007 presidential election. now the international criminal court trial against him could fall apart. they have given prosecutors just another week to get their case together. >> translator: this is a big blow to the prosecution. the chief prosecutor has said many times that her case is struggling. witnesses have been withdrawing at what she calls an unprecedented rate. she said the government has refused to cooperate with the prosecution in a question to provide personal documents of

the president. the government through their attorney general told the court that it had provided all documents it needed to. the trial chamber has given prosecution a week to say if it will withdraw the charges or carry on with the trial. withdrawing the case will be seen as a failure to the prosecution, so will carrying on with a weak case. it will be interesting to see how all of this plays out in the coming weeks. coming up on this program, life about to get even harder for these syrian refugees in lebanon as the u.n. is running out of money to feed them. we have the report on that, and find out why japan is sending this rocket into space on a six-year mission to hunt for an asteroid. ♪

al jazeera america gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere. more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america. >> a dirty deal. struck at the heart of government. >> egypt mismanaged its gas industry. >> taking the country to the brink of economic ruin. >> it's obvious that egypt was being ripped off. it's basically saying to the israelis, "look if you want to screw us, here's a tool you can

use to screw us". >> al jazeera exposes those who made a fortune betraying an entire nation. >> you don't feel that you owe an explanation to the egyptian people? >> no... no... >> al jazeera investigates. egypt's lost power. december 17th. 10:00 eastern. on aljazeera america. the headline stories here on al jazeera. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry says the fight against isil is working, but it isn't done yet. he was speaking after a meeting of rep senttives of 60 countries in this brussels. a bomb targeted the residence of the newly appointed iranian ambassador to yemen. he was not there, but at least one person was killed. al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula has claimed responsibility. israeli police say a palestinian teenager has been shot after stabbing two israelis. the attack happened at the

israeli settlement in the west bank. it is simply being reported that the two israelis have beening wounded and the palestinian is in a serious medical condition. more than 1 million syrian refugees in lebanon are getting ready for the possibility of a terrible winter. their preparation has been made even harder by the u.n. world food program announcing they can no longer provide assistance to them. >> reporter: it's hard to believe life could get tougher for these syrian refugees. but a shortfall in u.n. funding means all food assistance to them has been canceled for december. 900,000 syrians rely on cash from the u.n. each month to buy food. this woman needs it. she is a single mother to seven children, and her tiny makeshift kitchen is nearly empty.

>> translator: we only have god. what can we do? with these few dollars and work here and there, we try to live. i only have the united nations. this is what we live on. >> reporter: many in the valley pick crops for a few dollars a day. but in the winter that work becomes rare. winter is the worst time of the year or syrian refugees living in lebanon. they have been living through a lot of rain, but soon snow will fall on these children where they live in these very makeshift rudimentary homes. now they have been told they will have less food. the u.n. says it warned about a shortfall in october, and cannot say when assistance will return. >> we don't know. like right now, this is a hand to mouth operation.

we declare whenever we have information about whether we have the funding to continue assisting or not. we don't have accurate or confirmed information about the situation of the funding in january. >> reporter: next month will be the start of another year for these children. in camps where nothing in life is guaranteed. not even the assurance of something to eat. jane ferguson, al jazeera, lebanon. al jazeera continues to demand the release of its three journalists who have been held in prison in egypt for 343 days. they are held on charges of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. they are appealing against the convictions. swedish politicians have rejected the minority government's budget tear proposals. the prime minister says he will

call new elections. sweden's split electorate has exposed fears of an economic breakdown in that country. jonah this isn't just about a budget, is it? >> reporter: no, david. sweden hasn't seen political drama like this in many many years. the parliament this afternoon, the center left minority coalition government's budget for 2015 was dpeeted in a vote, essentially because of opposition by the an anti immigration party. and then the prime minister in a press conference didn't resign as many people thought he might, but instead gave the assurance that he would call snap elections at the end of this month, with a date to be held in march next year. i'm joined by a political

commentator in sweden. quite stunning, really. >> yes, it's very dramatic. normally our politics is very calm. this is the most dramatic event we have had for many many years, except the assassinations of the foreign minister and prime minister, this is the most dramatic thing we have had. >> let's talk about the nub of what has gone on here. the introduction into swedish politics of this far-right party, and their anti-immigration policies. immigration is something held up as a sort of national ideal here. how difficult is it for the country to deal with the fact that this is firmly at the heart of the debate? >> it is very difficult. it is the only party -- out of the eight parties we have in

parliament who are talking about cutting down immigration at all. >> reporter: this is now a huge force in politics, the third biggest party. it may even get bigger in weeks to come. >> yes, we don't know what will happen after the elections on the 22nd of march. but we have a very positive view of immigrants in this country, and it will be very, very painful for us to have a major political party held by this party. >> reporter: all right. thank you have much. david back to you. >> thank you jonah hull there in stockholm. three of the founders of the occupy movement in hong kong have given themselves up to police. they were then released without charge. but does the event mark a turning point in the pro democracy campaign with many students refusing to take the

founder's lead. sarah clark reports. >> reporter: the founders arrived clearly emotional, but insisting this was not defeat. their address their supporters, then it was time. the short walk into the police station opposite to face whatever consequences await. >> they don't do anything wrong. they just tell the truth to the world, to the truth to though government, and they now need to -- i'm sorry. >> reporter: fellow protesters joined the surrender, declaring their role in the occupation. >> i think it's a very brave and courageous and responsible for them to take this -- the very last step of the civil disobedience. >> reporter: hailing abuse from the sidelines, antioch pie groups hailed the event a victory. >> this is time for them to leave completely and go back

home. you know? it's enough. for all of the citizens in hong kong we suffer a lot in the past two months. >> reporter: the founders say they are fulfilling a promise to face the consequences of their actions, but many students say their commitment remains on the streets. the protest leaders may be wrangling over the next move, but they all agree on the goal, greater voting rights in the 2017 elections. they are demanding free elections rather than the vote of prescreened candidates this beijing says it would be allow. >> the movement remains united in the sense that we all share the mission of fighting fordemocracy, and we all understand this is going to be a very long determine political struggle. >> the whole hong kong is different from two years ago. >> reporter: but with china refusing to negotiate, for now

the pro-democracy campaign looks to be trapped in an occupation that is going nowhere. 30 years after the worst industrial accident ever took place in the indian city, victims are still fighting for justice, they say. here we see hundreds of protesters out on the streets demanding an increase in the compensation they have received. thousands of people died in their sleep when toxic gas leaded from the union carbide pesticide factory. thousands more died after suffering long-term circumstancenesses. japanese spacecraft is now on its way to hunt for asteroids. it aims to fire something like a bullet into one, and hopes the dust cloud will reveal clues to how the whole solar system started.

>> reporter: after days of delays due to poor weather, a successful launch from the space center in southern japan. the h 2a rocket, carrying the hopes of the japanese aerospace exploration agency and an advanced spacecraft. about the size of a frig, it is setting out on a six-year asteroid hunt in deep space. the $260 million spacecraft uses ion engines, a system which uses electricity to accelerate gas particles. >> it goes about 30 to 40 kilometers per second. the mass of the gas is very, very low, but produces a push in a very efficient way, and it's enough to steer the spacecraft. >> reporter: it has a long way to go.

more than 5 billion kilometers. 2.5 years into the mission, the craft is expected to catch up with the asteroid. and once the craft arrives, it will spend 18 months studying the asteroid. experiments include dropping tiny rover robots into think surface. the most ambitious part involving firing a high-speed explosive bullet into the asteroid's crust. >> it is going to produce a crater, and powerful cloud of material that can project the material out into space, which is going to be collected by these instruments, and part of that cloud is going to be brought back. >> reporter: scientists say the rock will be less weathered by the space environment and by heat, and more likely to answer fundamental questions about the universe and what gave rise to life on earth. a previous japanese mission managed to bring rock fragments

from another asteroid back to earth in 2010, that mission had some problems, but if this launch is completed as planned it will bring samples to earth in late 2020. our website provides background and the headlines to all of the global top stories, aljazeera.com. >> just an hours drive from kabul, is charkh district, afghanistan. as the us and nato prepares to pull out most of their forces later this year, i travelled here to try to see what life is like in areas of afghanistan under the rule of the taliban.