the u.s. military says an i.s.i.l. fighter linked to the paris attacks has been killed in air strikes in syria. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also ahead - forest fires that spark a haze over indonesia and a court verdict against a private firm is due loading up at the last minute, the rush to be ready to a long delayed election in the south african republic and keeping the home fires burning. how much it's creating a health

hazard for villages in india the u.s. says the coalition against i.s.i.l. killed 10 top leaders from i.s.i.l. in syria. including the key prospects in the french attacks. >> rosalind jordan reports from washington d.c. this man was linked to one of the paris bombers. he planned other attacks. the u.s. says it killed him in a drone strike on december 24th, one of 10 leaders targeted this month. >> hour ability to dismantle the facilitation networks, their ground command and control, our ability to take away some of

their enforcers, executioners, extortionists, that eats away at their ability to instill fear the obama administration long talked about the need to attack i.s.i.l. on many fronts. financially and through social media. but it's the military campaign that captured the most attention. indeed, the u.s. spend much of the past few days praising the iraqi military success in driving i.s.i.l. out of ramadi, a city iraqi troops fled in may. military leaders applauded the fight to retake baiji, hub of the iraqi oil industry and senn jar, home to minorities. >> translation: we'll chase them and go after them from one neighbourhood to the other. and raise the flag and purge the land of i.s.i.l. we tell the people we are coming to liberate you, and i.s.i.l.

will be defeated and flee analysts say the failure to mention the u.s. was not an oversight. what the perform is trying to say is it's iraqis taking control eff their destiny, if it looked like a u.s. operation, this, again, would fade into the narrative that the west is struggling with groups like i.s.i.s. while iraq and the u.s. is celebrating progress. there's a split on the way forward. haider al-abadi says 2016 is the year iraq kicks i.s.i.l. out of mosul. in the u.s.'s view, it may take longer belgium raised its security alert level after police arrested two people suspected of plotting in the new year's eve attack in brussels. military uniforms, i.s.i.l.

propaganda, material and computer hardware were recovered after raids across the country. belgium has been on high alerts after an attack killing 130 people u.s. accusing russia of undermining efforts, killing hundreds of civilians in air strikes. [ explosion ] this was the aftermath of heavy shelling, it's not clear if it was carried out by the russians or syrian government forces. the syrian observatory of human rights suspected that strikes killed people in northern aleppo hundreds of civilians were killed, including hit medical facilities, schools and markets. and led to the displacement of 130,000 syrians in the first half of november. we are deeply, deeply concerned about the reports of high civilian casualties, and we have seen a marked and troubling

increase in supports of the casualties since russia commencing its air campaign there hundreds of syrian dropped by fighting as part of a deal brokered by the u.n., iran and turkey. opposition fighters arrived in rebel-held territory in idlib. fighters supporting president bashar al-assad are in damascus. some have been moved to the lebanese capital beirut, where they are being treated for their injuries. saudi arabia and turkey decided to set up a military and trade ties. both share common goals in syria, and support rebels in the country against bashar al-assad. the turkish president met the foreign minister in riyadh on tuesday. >> it was a friendly meeting to set up a high level strategy

council between the two countries. >> the name of this consulate was to bring about a coalition in turkey and saudi arabia. it would serve the interests of the two countries and people. and create prosperity. >> reporter: in turkey there has been more fighting between the country and the kurdish armed troops. there were sounds of explosion and gunfire. the fighters have been demanding self rule in the kurdish south-eastern part of the country. turkish groups killed 200 fighters in the past few weeks, and the 2-year ceasefire fell apart, leading to ley knewed fighting a court in indonesia is expected to deliver a verdict in a company accused of contributing the shroud of smoke that blankets the region. a company linked to a palm oil plantation is accused of burning

thousands of hectares of forest to make room. >> crossing to florence mooney. joining us outside the courthouse. when do we expect the verdict. >> we have heard in the last couple of moonts that it was led up. the case was thrown up. it means there's not enough evidence. the ministry of environment and forestry that brought the action will not get them to pay, will not get the company to pay the fine and damage they were asking, in the region of 570 million. >> the verdict under scores how difficult it is to get anyone to take responsibility for the fires. >> environmentalists say it's

the huge companies that are starting illegal fires to clear land for agricultural youth. >> in indonesia, there's a practice of slash and burn, and traditional farming communities are allowed to do this, provided it's limited to 2 hectares of lane. such burning is done by plantation company. this involved fires that started in 2014. it was brought by the ministry of environment in february 2015. yet the people who have been research of course, gathering evidence for the case say that in november this year, they found there were hot spots, and the fires were started within the same area. it underscores how difficult it is to get the culprits. even though their actions are brought against them. it is difficult to hold them responsible. >> all right. florence louie, thank you for that update. now, columbia is on high alert over forest fires spreading

across the country, firefighters battling in various locations, withhold from military. it's believed strong winds fuelled by el nino are fuelling the fires polls in the central african republic, seen as crucial to restoring peace in a country starred by religious violence, beginning with the fall of the mostly christian government seleka. we have this report from the stronghold of seleka fighters these men traded war for work. they fought for the seleka which toppled the president in 2013. >> i'm happy he has gone. we need to help find its play. i put down the gun to work, and showed others it can be done. >> this is the heart of the seleka rebellion.

when the mostly muslim group was driven from power, revenge was taken on seleka and muslim civilians. hundreds fled their home. the country has been devastated. wednesday's election to replace the interim government has been delayed five times. preparations going down to the wire. it seems there was a technical problem with the printing of the ballot papers. candidates challenged the exclusion and won. they had to be re-elected. >> this election material arrived a day before the vote. some needs to get to polling stations 175 k/hr away. it's a huge challenge. >> this is one of the poorest parts of one of the poorest countries in africa. the government neglected the region, where the seleka tapped into feelings of discontent. only an elite few benefit.

they fund armed groups. investment and employment is needed. the country never knew good governance. the process has to start now, of constructing that, putting in place an accountable government. and that accountability is at the heart of getting this right. a sense that the government in bangui can't just do what it wants. >> the local pastor hopes the election is fair and peaceful. >> i tell people in church to leave the past in the past. we need to fined a new way for development. we have to demand this calmly, not with guns and macheteies. we are told that this is a fraction of what is out there. as the country tries to move forward, it has to start somewhere burkina faso's new president

has been sworn in, by the constitutional court in the capital following his election. he succeeds blaise compaore who ruled for 30 years, and was overthrown in an uprising in october 2014 a top aid to north korean leader kim jong un died in a car accident. he handled ties with south korea. he coordinated talks in august le leading to the end of a standoff between the two nations. still ahead - headed to prison. former israeli prime minister ehud olmert is sentence said for a bribery conviction and. >> i'm in saskatchewan, and this is a lake called the dead sea of canada. the waters are extremely salty. i'll report on research showing

how salt lakes like this can help the county cope with climate change.

the top stories on al jazeera - the u.s. says its coalition against i.s.i.l. killed 10 top leaders of the armed group iraq and syria. among them are key suspects of the paris attacks, with one having links to the alleged mastermind. a court in indonesia threw out a case against the company accused of contributing to the annual haze caused by forest fires.

the private firm said to illegally burn thousands of acres of for efforts for its crops voters see it as crucial to restore police to a country scarred by violence. >> ehud olmert has been told he'll be gaoled for taking bribes. the supreme court threw out other restrictions. his 7-year legal battle left his career in tatters, along with efforts to negotiate with palestinians. we have this report from west jerusalem the hearing was brief. but the ruling was clear. ehud olmert will be the first prime minister to serve 18 months in prison for bribery, starting in february. he had initially been sentenced to six years in gaol by a lower

court, after convicted in 2014. the case revolves around the holy land development projects in west jerusalem, the deal was controversial, and approved for construction, while olmert served as mayor of jerusalem. the supreme court found he was not involved in the bribery aspirations in the case. speaking to the media after the ruling olmert welcomed the verdict a large weight was lifted from my heart when the supreme court decided to acquit me of the main charge in the holy land affair. >> reporter: olmert is going to gaol for accepting a bribe of $15,000 for a separate real sit project approved when he was mayor of jerusalem. despite accepting the sentence. he maintained his innocence. >> translation: no bribe was offered to me, i never accepted one, i repeat this today. naturally in line with my beliefs and way of life, i

respect the verdict of the supreme court judges. >> olmert served as the prime minister from 2006 to 2009. >> he was a popular leader. as the case worked through the legal system. there were demands by the public that he serve time in gaol, saying israeli politicians are tweeted too leniently by the courts. >> this is not the end of his legal troubles, he facesate months in prison over allegations of fraud and making illegal payments to american businessmen. while the supreme court has yet to rule on that case, you hued olmert's -- ehud olmert's legacy as the first prime minister to be handed a prison sentence is cemented in pakistan, 26 have been killed and 42 injured in an explosion targetting a government office in the

north-west. a suicide bomber targeted those issues i.d. cards. >> reporter: the attack was timed to cause maximum devastation. there was chaos inform the moments after the bomb was exploded. many were killed and injured. >> around 20 were martyred. >> translation: i was offering my prayers in my house when the blast occurred. it was a huge blastment when they came running, there were dead bodies. the attack happened in a tribal area. a group that waslinged to the pakistani taliban claimed responsibility, but the pakistani taliban said it had nothing to do with the attack. attacks by fighters declined over the past year, in part because it of the increase in military operations and the

pakistani government's efforts to slut the armed group's source of funding. pakistan adds army was in kabul, trying to restart talks with the taliban. >> what pakistan is trying to do is persuade them to talk instead of fighting. the focus today is there should be a political settlement before the government and the taliban. >> reporter: although both governments have been adopting a new approach, it appears there's many fighters committed to continuing the chaos. >> rain and flooding to inundate missouri, with some expected to exceed high levels on record. >> the governor calling in the

national guard to deal with the weather. the rain moved on, rivers are rising well an estimated 150,000 have been displace said by flooding in argentina, paraguay and uruguay. >> reporter: this woman is hoping to go home soon. she's been living in the tent for days, since her house was dried by the floods. the rain is complicating her situation. >> i have nothing left. my children have no shoes, no clothes. i'm not sure how long i will live like this. we are told it will be weeks before the water goes down. if it rains, it will get worse. >> this is one of the thousands of argentinians forced out of their homes because of flooding. it's happening in concordia, in the province.

the river is not far away from here. that is why authorities built the wall over a decade ago, to prevent the flooding of the area. the problem is this time the rain and water coming from paraguay and brazil was so intense that it flooded other parts of the city. authorities are monitoring the barricades built over the city, trying to prevent the situation getting worse. they are getting organized in case the water goes up. >> the current situation could continue until march. we need to be ready. that doesn't mean everything will be under water until then. we hope not. the weather is changing. we are seeing a lot of rain everywhere. >> reporter: the city is trying to cope with thousands of evacuees. they are scattered among different shelters in the city. many here have lost it all. they are facing heat, humidity. bugs and disease.

the local government is trying to distribute food, water and mattresses. it's not an easy task. there are thousands within need. >> this is not something that happens all the time. we are receiving help from around the county, trying to help those that need it the most. we have to learn from this. >> reporter: for now, they are trying to get by through the next few days. they know it could be months before they make it back home. rescuers continuing a drying operation aimed at industrying trapped minors. they are trying to send food, water and emergency supplies to the men, 220 meters under ground. they are drilling through the rubble in a collapse said shaft to bring them out china promised to supply nepal with $1.5 million worth of

the fuel as it struggles with shortages. supplies from india stopped after a new constitution was introduced in september. trucks have been lost coming in from india. india has been accused of imposing a blockade to punish nepal a new set of u.n. global goals comes in effect on january the 1st. one is to ensure healthy lives for everyone. this means tackling indoor air pollution, killing 4.3 million people in 2012. half a million of them were from india, where many relied on wood or charcoal for cooking and keeping warm life is simple here in the village, as is the cooking. today they begin by making food for the family.

>> they sit like this twice a day every day, it's not pleasant. >> i cough because of the smoke. the cough and smoke makes my eyes waters. >> reporter: it's a similar story in hundreds of thousands of villages across india, where cooking is done in or near the home. most use dirty fuels, getting inside the home and into the lungs. >> this is the only option in these homes. when there's an alternative, the preference is for these. in this village some have a natural gas stove in the corner of the home. it's rarely used, other than for making tea. >> tea doesn't cook quickly on the gas stove. we don't like the taste. this is better. >> reporter: researchers say that preference for the old ways is hurting their health. stones are placed in a courtyard or outside the home, but the

smoke travels into the nearby home, where it's breathed in by everyone in the family. >> burning carbon creates different sizes of particles, getting into the lungs much of all the appearance, the smaller the particle, the worse the health problems it causes. >> experts say switching to other stoves would have an inside and noticeable effect. >> the amount of smoke created and the time a person sits in front of it cooking affects them. >> if you use a back stove, there's little smoke created. the lesser the smoke, the lesser the health effect. >> changing habits is hard. charcoal or dung is available and costs less than a gas cylinder. campaigns by the government and n.g.o.s focused on finding cheap

alternatives. they are yet to reach the vast majority of the villages you can see the second part in our series on the u.n. global goals here on al jazeera. david mercer visits a town in rural guatemala, which is facing an uphill battle to cut poverty as carbon levels climb in the earth's atmosphere, scientists and government are looking for ways to reduce emissions. researchers in canada say they may have found a natural process to soak up the carbon from the air. damien lack reports from saskatchewan they call this the dead sea, it's so salty only some creatures can live in it. farmers knew not to plant crops. there is a spa, like the real dead sea, and has been here for

decades. >> in the 20s and 30s, people came from all over. they held themselves in the water. put the mud on themselves for ex-foaliants, and it was very much a health place. >> reporter: saltwater lakes are well-known. aside from that one, where tourism and taking the waters has been popular, they are seen as a nuisance. research shows a like lake this with saline waters may be performing a valuable service. researchers at the university of renaling ina said -- regina said such lakes restore carbon. restoring it in mud. more than a million tonnes a year, up to a third of the vast carbon dioxide output. it's a natural process. >> we don't have to do anything, other than make sure we don't drain them.

i think lakes have been under appreciated in the carbon budget, just because total surface area relative to ocean and forests are not huge. the rates at which they are processing carbon is far, far faster than the open ocean. snoop as oceans are more acidic, they slop up more carbon. these bodies are crucial, but not just here. the caspian sea, the largest lake, has similar chemistry. environmentalists say this is the science that should transform our approach to the world's carbon problem. >> we need good applied science to figure out how to achieve this. if we use it to set out what we need to achieve, to figure out the research. >> there's excitement building over how it might be applied, if

canada draws up a plan to deal with emissions and atmospheric carbon. the salt lakes could be a part of it. more news on the website. you'll find it all at aljazeera.com. on america tonight, hospital hoax. an incredible story of id theft and how it nearly ruined this young mother's life >> her meth addiction was in my records lisa fletcher with a story you won't believe. the serious questions about protecting your identity from risks you've never imagined. thanks for joining us. at that time of year when we've