we are on a suicide bomber blows herself up in a police station in istanbul's tourist district. ♪ hello, you are watching the al jazeera. i'm jane dutton is doha. a palestinian man convicted of the kidnap and murder of three israelis are sentenced to life in prison. the wife of a shamed mayor is charged with organized crime. and driving developments at the dakar rally. one car lays down the challenge

to make the race cleaner and greener. ♪ a suicide bomber has blown herself up inside of a police station in istanbul's hess hess -- historic district. let's go straight to bernard smith. what happened? >> reporter: jane we have been given a briefing by istanbul's governor who visited the scene. this happened at about half past 5:00 this afternoon this istanbul. this woman walked into a police station which serves mainly tourists in the district of istanbul one of the most touristy parts of the city and apparently she said in english that she has lost her wallet all there's no indication that she was british or english, but she said in english that she

lost her wallet. and then she detonated herself. and with her, she has also killed a police officer who was nearby and another one has been wounded. so we just have confirmation that a police officer has been killed in that attack. the area has been sealed off, although the tram that runs by there, that now seems to be running normally but immediately around that police building the area has been sealed off, jane. >> thank you. a palestinian man convicted of the kidnapping and murder of three young israelis in the occupied west bank has been sentenced by an israeli court. he has been given three life sentences over the killings in june. stephanie decker is in west jerusalem. >> reporter: upon reading the verdict the judges state that this was one of the worst cases of kidnapping and murder in israel's history, and it lead to

a great influence on the security situation here. now, of course he was accused, convicted of financing and planning the kidnapping of the three israeli tankers and murder. they were found buried in land that we owned. this lead to an arrest of all of hamas's leadership there, raiding many villages and homes, it caused incredible tension during the summer hamas increased its rocket fire and we saw the gaza war take place in july. so certainly a whole chain of events that escalated tensions on the ground here. now a verdict by the court, three life sentences. over 50 people have died in heavy fighting between isil and iraqi security forces. the armed group launched a series of attacks in the anbar province. isil controls about 70% of the

area. in tuesday's fighting a suicide car bomber attacked an army check point. seven soldiers were killed there. two suicide bombers and gunmen also attacked a mosque where 23 solders were killed. the town is two kilometers from one of the largest iraqi bases where the u.s. have advisors and trainersationed. this comes as iraqis celebrate army day. it was marked by the prime minister laying a wreath at the unknown soldier's monument in bagdad's fortify's green zone. it's the 94th anniversary and this year's celebrations are markedly more somber than in the past. the iraqi army has lost lives, territory territory in the past. >> reporter: 100 kilometers west

of the capitol, bagdad a bomb disposal unit is at work looking for eid devices left behind by isil forces. this equipment is what is making the difference. but the work is challenging in many ways. >> translator: as you know our advance is slow because of many land mines and ied's put by isil fighters. we are making some gains and gradually retaking territory from them but our capacity is limited as local policemen in terms of dismantling ied's. >> reporter: this is the capitol of the province. the region remains largely under isil's control. and now isil fighters are trying to take control over the area too. the police and army are trying to avoid that. their efforts to protect the city got a boost when a sunni

tribal leader joined the fight. here militia support police in patrolling the neighborhoods and districts. sunni militias fighting alongside the government forces are the exception and not the norm. and the government in bagdad is still unwilling to arm sunni militias who are willing to join the fight against isil. >> reporter: the government has not helped us so far. we have called for help many times before and asked for assistance from many ministers, but our calls seem to be falling on deaf ears so we stopped asking for help. >> reporter: sunni tribal leaders say they need weapons and air support. but their faith in getting help from bagdad has almost vanished. they are now seeking help directly from the united states. authorities in bagdad have grudgingly agreed to a sunni leader's visit to washington. there are growing concerns that

the country could descend into further chaos if it doesn't rebuild its military to replace the numerous groups operating here. and to do that we the iraqi government would need all of the help it can get. protesters have gathered outside a tunisian court which ordered a blogger back to prison off it adjourned his trial for two weeks. he was detained on december 24th when he returned from france where he lives. he allegedly demaimed tunisia's army in facebook posts. in mexico the wife of a former mayor linked to the disappearance of 43 students in september has been charged with organized crime and money laundering. she has been transferred to a high-security prison where she will be held until the start of her trial.

let's cross to monica live in mexico city. what was the response there, monica? >> reporter: well jane there's mixed reaction here. people were happy to see this woman behind bars finally, because she was feared and people said when i was in iing voila recently locals told me that everybody thought she was a member of a family with very, very close links to powerful drug cartels and used the influence of her husband to allegedly plan and organize crimes and launder money. the fact that she spent her first time in a maximum security prison some feel is good however, the familiar list of the students that were presumably killed say they wish she could have also been charged for this. however, the attorney general's office said there was no evidence yet to charge her on

that. she is only going to be charged for drug trafficking related charges jane. security is likely to be on the agenda when mexico's president's meets barack obama. he is in the white house where it is even whiter than usual. i suspect the two have a lot to talk about, patty. >> they do jane and the white house wants to put the emphasis on trade, trying to push that further along, but obviously the issue of human rights in mexico is going to come up. it followed the mexican government to the gate of the white house, protesters chanting that he needs to do more to stop the corruption and brutality. the white house says that issue always comes up when the two leaders meet. and he said they will talk about it. but human rights groups say that

is not enough. there is a special u.s. program that has appropriated more than $2 billion to mexico since 2008, and that money is spes -- specifically sent to enhance security. these groups have said the president needs to tie that money to improvement. the obama administration, though, has given no indication that they are going to take those steps. we're waiting to hear from the two leaders. reporters are gathered waiting to go in. they are scheduled to have lunch in about 40 minutes, so hopefully we'll hear from them soon. democratic and republican leaders in the u.s. have come together in new york city to pay their respects to former governor mario cuomo. the three-term democratic governor left a legacy of speaking out on behalf of marginalized groups.

he died just hours after his son was inaugurated as governor for a second term. global stocks have fallen for a second day in part driven by fears of oil prices. which are at the lowest since april 2009. new drilling techniques including frac-ing have helped drive down the price, and in the u.s. that is threatened the future of throws of so-called stripper wells. >> reporter: outside of the mcdonald's restaurant stands a century old relic of the oil industry's dawn. in an area where the world's first industrial well was drilled in 1859 this one is still pumping. and so are hundreds more scattered around the town. these so-called stripper wells can draw up to a couple of barrels a day from the huge pool of crude that lies beneath the surface. >> it will probably do this -- i mean it has been doing it since

1882. it will probably go another hundred years if we're allowed to do it. >> reporter: looking at them individually these wells don't seem very impressive but there are more than 400,000 of them operating in the u.s. and they account for 11% of u.s. total oil production. in 2012 by comparison these marginal wells matched all of opec member state qatar's output. the latest innovations in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing could extender their lives but as the price of oil has fallen nearly in half this year many are shutting down. >> at least at $100 oil, you know, there was some possibility of compliance, you know, with the regulations, but, you know, losing almost 50% of the price

of your product over a three-month period it just is stifling, suffocate. >> reporter: the steep price decline has always forced big companies to curtail their expansion plans. permit applications for new drilling in the u.s. dropped by almost 40% in just the month of november. bill cline who spent 70 years in the oil-drilling business says he doesn't know how much longer his town can stay active in the industry that first put it on the map. >> it is not ever going to be like it was, but we're keeping a refinery running and that's keeping bradford. if that refinery doesn't have enough oil to run god glass bradford because there won't be anything left. >> reporter: but if the price of crude doesn't rebound soon no amount of oil will be enough. jerusalem's christian

orthodox patriarch has arrived in bethlehem. jan 6th and 7th is known as old christmas day. christmas celebrations in greece are winding down. greek orthodox christians are marking the day of the epiphany symbolizing the baptism of christ, greece's opposition leader was in attendance. pipny day is the 12th day after christmas marking the end of the festive season. still to come on the program, 100 days in power, and still no government how afghanistan's political dead lock is affecting ordinary citizens. plus intense shelling in indian administered kashmir forces thousands to flee their homes. ♪

>> it's a chilling and draconian sentence... it simply cannot stand. >> its disgraceful... the only crime they really committed is journalism... >> they are truth seekers... >> all they really wanna do is find out what's happening, so they can tell people... >> governments around the world all united to condemn this... >> as you can see, it's still a very much volatile situation... >> the government is prepared to carry out mass array...

>> if you want free press in the new democracy let the journalists live. >> the stream, >> your digital community >> you pick the hot topics and express your thoughts the stream it's your chance to join the conversation only on al jazeera america ♪ so again, a reminder of the top stories, a suicide bomb attack in turkey has killed a police officer. and left a second injured. a female suicide bomber walked into a police station in the historic district and blew herself up. the palestinian man convicted of the kidnap and murder of three young israelis has been sentenced by an israeli court. hussam qawasmeh has been given three life sentences over the

killings in june. in mexico the wife of a former mayor linked to the disappearance of 43 students has been charged with organized crime and money laundering. it comes as the mexican president travels to washington, d.c. for his first official visit to the white house. it has been 100 days since afghan president took office but he still hasn't formed a government. the taliban has repeatedly mocked him over the delabel. jennifer glasse has more from kabul. >> reporter: outside most of afghanistanian's ministries afghans are forced to stand in long lines. this man helps afghans fill out forms for nearby government offices. >> translator: there is some work going on in government offices, but not like it used to be. it is so slow because ministers have not been appointed, so other government officials can't do their jobs. >> reporter: when papers are

signed it's by acting ministers and often no one will enforce them. this man can't solve family dispute. he blames the president. >> translator: i voted for ashraf ghani as president so he could uncover corruption but now he covers up corruption. i made a big mistake voting for us a traitor. >> reporter: gani is ruling with abdullah abdullah some site the unprecedented alliance for the delay. >> we did not solve all of our problems in the last 100 days but now it's time to act upon those problems. >> reporter: this afghan tv station has been following the government's progress with a nightly program called 100 days. >> i think the afghan people expect more. i think the afghan people understood that it was a change

and they wish the change for better. but there have been certain shortcomings which have undermined the whole government initiative for the past 100 days. >> reporter: the government has made some progress signing a security deal with the u.s. and nato and reopening the investigation into the country's largest bank scandal. afghans are also following the progress on the internet. here afghans work on the 100 days website, where the afghan public can report and comment on whether the government is keeping its campaign promises. >> we thought that the people should have the tools to make the government accountable, and to foster democracy. >> reporter: their 100-day report card shows the administration has achieved four of the 110 promises and made progress on 23. on day 99, some afghans couldn't wait any longer.

they named their own symbolic cabinet, and say if there isn't a new government this week they plan to take to the streets. pakistan's general assembly has passed a bill to set up special military courts to try terrorist suspects. it comes on the wake of a terror attack on a school that killed 148 people. they have a conviction rate of only 3% in terrorism-related cases. the bill will now go to the upper house, and if passed there, the president will sign it. thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes and move to safer areas after intense artillery shelling between india and pakistan. at least a dozen have been killed in the latest fighting. natasha ghoneim reports. >> reporter: the young, the old, and even the cattle in this farming village in indian

administered kashmir, have been caught in the cross fire and the cycle of violence once again. >> translator: the government should give us safe shelter, homes where we can stay. we are struggling to live each day. >> reporter: thousands of people have abandoned their homes. some have found safety in these shelters but farmers still had to leave something precious behind putting their livelihoods at risk. >> translator: our domestic animals are back at home and they are dying either due to hunger or the fighting. >> reporter: in the last few months there has been renewed tension along the 200 kilometers of kashmir that's in dispute. the recent fighting between india and pakistan began almost a week ago. four people have been killed. in october, nine indians and nine pakistani -- civilians were

killed. >> translator: we don't know why it's happening. >> reporter: there has been a shift on the indian administered side. a record number of people voted in state elections last year with no party getting a majority there are efforts to form a coalition government if that happens, some think this could be a step towards more stability. >> there is an attempt today to start up the party, to keep the problem international, rather than make it a national problem. things are slowly getting more and more tense between the two countries, and one hopes that you know at certain levels the violence will stop. >> reporter: if history is a guide, the violence eventually subsides but what many people living in this region say they want is for the time to come when the fighting stops for good. natasha ghoneim, al jazeera. >> reporter: the new congress is convening in the united states

it's happening right now. vice president joe biden has sworn in senators for their 114th session. republicans now control both houses of congress and republicans in the senate are expected to push forward legislation on the keystone xl oil pipeline which failed to pass the senate in november. the u.n. health agency says the ebola outbreak sweeping west africa has now killed 8,153 people. once of the worst affected countries is liberia, where the government has decided to allow safe burials and stop cremations. more than a million children remain at of school. and their parents are worried. >> reporter: these men dig dozens of graves each day. their work has increased sinces the liberian government ended the policy of cremation for victims of ebola. it was unpopular among christians and muslims who

prefer to bury their dead. health workers say unsafe burials continue to be a significant source of infection, but people have resorted to secretly burying the dead. the increase in number of new infections slowed down but with over 20,000 reported cases, people are still dying. the world health organization latest statstistics show more than 8,000 people have died since the outbreak. in liberia, which has been one of the worst-affected countries, more than 3,000 people have been killed. and it's not just the dead and

sick. every other aspect of life in the liberian capitol is affected. educators are warning that being out of school will impact children's learning, self-esteem and social interaction. >> all of the time they are not in school we will not have the time to make up for them. >> reporter: more than a million children will miss school and parents are worried too. some have joined efforts to home school their children. charity workers are trying to reach thousands of childrens. and parents are happy to get any happy they can. and each act of kindness brings back some hope in a country where ebola continues to kill.

stage 3 of the dakar rally is underway. it takes competitors over rocky 657 kilometers from san juan. this is the man to beat right now, qatar's driver. the mini driver who was stripped of his opening stage win powered to victory in the second stage to take the overall lead he was 7:42 ahead of his nearest rival from south africa. this year's event has seen a zero emission all electric rally car competing for the first time. the car cost more than a million dollars to develop, and it has been turning a few heads. >> reporter: rally fans have no idea that one of the two cars they are watching is battery powered. they get a clue from what they hear not what they see.

more than three decades of tradition and the dakar rally has never seen anything like it. the first all electric entry. preparing before the start, a nervous service team and a driver who says it's a crazy but brave venture, there's 9,000 kilometers of desert and mountain terrain ahead. it's hardly what you would expect of a rally car, a whirring sound no roar of an engine or smell of racing oil, but zero emissions. it's been designed and built by a spanish civil engineering company, powered by four batteries that have to be replaced ever 350 kilometers. >> we feel that we are little bit crazy, you know? because during the most difficult race in the world, like this, it seems crazy. but all of the people who make things new in the world in the

history are thought to be crazy until they tried. >> reporter: the codriver's biggest challenge is rationing energy levels. >> for me it's -- it's a dream because i [ inaudible ] of electric technology. >> reporter: on average each car burns 2,200 liters of fuel. this one consumes nothing. it may have a long way to go with more development, but it has already laid down a new challenge for this rally to go cleaner and greener. andrew simmons, al jazeera. video footage as emerged showing a firework's explosion in columbia that left two people injured and 17 homes damaged. take a look at this. [ explosion ]

>> the warehouse is owned by a family that has put on shows for years. local authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion. we have got more news coming up. as far as headlines are concerned the website, aljazeera.com. hi, i'm lisa fletcher and you are many the stream. what if instead of proeffect thing civilians they are protecting each other over crimes as serious as murder. >> what happened to tease guys. why are all all okay with this team. >> we will talk about the kiln team, that may inhibit soldiers about speaking out against injustice. plus millions of dollars spent on anti-bullying programs with little to no evidence that they work. why it m