the news continues live from london, next. ♪ a bomb in a tourist area of istanbul kills at least ten people, most are reported to be germans. ♪ hello there, i'm felicity barr. and this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. aid workers in the syrian town of madaya, say malnourished people there urgently need medical help. oil producers in crisis as crude slips to its lowest price in 12 years. and on the 40th anniversary of her death, a look at why agatha christy remains the

world's best-selling author. ♪ hello, ten people are now known to have died in a bomb blast in turkey's largest city, istanbul. the attack happened in the sultanahmet district. it is popular with tourists and officials say nine of the dead are german. shortly after the prime minister convened an emergency security meeting. he says the suspected bomber was a foreign member of the islamic state of iraq and the levant. the city was already on high alert after a series of attacks blamed on isil including a bombing in october that left more than a hundred people dead. >> reporter: it's the heart of istanbul, and one of its most popular tourist spots. this is the square less than an

hour after the explosion. the site cordoned off. >> translator: it was a suicide bomb, yes. i went there and saw it and came back to the hotel. it was chaos. everyone was running around. police didn't see this coming up in they were upset, but trying to evacuate the area, because they said a second bomb could go off. >> reporter: istanbul is turkey's biggest city. the square is a major attraction for tourists and turks alike. thousands visit every day. the district is also home to a museum and the blue mosque. some in turkey had been expecting attacks since turkish forces launched an offensive against isil as well as kurdish pkk fighters. [ explosion ] >> reporter: in october at least 102 people were killed in a double suicide blast on a peace rally in the capitol, ankara. >> translator: i strongly

condemn this attack. this apparent terrorist act caused by a suicide bomber. i would like to offer my condolences for those who lost their loved ones, and pray for those who lost their lives. this shows us how important it is to be united in the face of terrorism. >> reporter: the district is now locked down. it's people left bewildered that a suicide bomb blast has torn through their beloved and historic city. al jazeera's correspondent joins us live now from sultanahmet in istanbul. what more are the authorities saying about the suspect? >> reporter: well, we -- it is now 7:00 pm in istanbul, just about 7:00. we arrived around 11:00 am local when we heard there was a blast. soon after lunchtime, turkish officials confirmed that this

was in fact a suicide bomber. what we're hearing -- then what we heard afterwards was that this was a syrian national aged 26 year old syrian national. we're now hearing that this was in fact a saudi -- saudi born -- saudi citizen not the man who entered from syria as a refugee. it's unclear if we is a dual citizen. but we know he entered as a refugee from syria, and entered turkey in the last week or so. so just to reiterate, what we're hearing is that it's saudi born citizen who was behind the suicide attack here in sultanahmet. >> what is happening at the square now, and istanbul as a whole? >> reporter: well the square, a

sense of normalcy has somewhat returned to the square in the afternoon. we had recently -- i think you can see them to my right, a group of doctors and health officials have come and laid -- try to lay roses near the blast site. they were not allowed to go all the way through there, but the municipality workers have been conducting quite a lot of cleaning. they have entered the sites, and life is somewhat going back to normal. we have had throughout the day high ranking police officers and ministers visiting the site. >> thank you, live from istanbul. ♪ the world health organization has asked the syrian government to allow in mobile clinics and medical teams to assess the extent of malnutrition in madaya. the u.n. has described the

suffering there as the worst seen in the country so far. aid agencies are now negotiating to pull out hundreds of starving people from the town. on monday aid was successfully delivered to madaya and two other towns. the logistics officer for the world food program was part of that convoy. >> when we got in there quite late last night. it was dark. it was very cold, and it was quite miserable. the people in there are -- their first question to all of us, was do we have food? so there is obviously quite an issue with food. there are approximately, we estimate 40,000 people in there, and at the same time, simultaneously there was food and the same items that went into madaya going into two other towns. we took in, basically a ration -- wp ration that we give out to all of the people in syria who are in need of food

assistance. it has rice in there. it has pasta. it has paste. it is enough to keep a family going for one month, and -- and we will be going back again in a few days with wheat flour to also give to the families. if you look at syria itself, there are many other areas that are besieged, and in the same dire condition. i can't even compare what i saw yesterday with anywhere else in the world, because every situation is difficult -- different as you can imagine. but it was very bad conditions, desperate conditions, i would say, very similar conditions that we are seeing throughout syria at the moment in both areas. traveling around the country has become a challenge, getting transportation to go into these areas is a challenge. but we are getting there. we are making successes, and we

are actually finding ourselves in these places, so this is a good thing. this was a very big success yesterday. iraqi rescue workers have been searching through the rubble of a bombed kout shopping center in baghdad. 18 people were killed and 50 injured when a suicide bomber and gunmen tomorrowed the mall on monday. isil says it carried out the attack. u.n.-backed peace talks over the war in yemen have been delayed. they were to start on thursday, but will be delayed because the parties cannot agree on a location. >> reporter: houthi gunmen herd residents away from their check point at the western gate of ta'izz. >> translator: we are insulted and humiliated. they say we are not allowed to

leave the city. >> reporter: more than a quarter of a million people have no access to food in the city which used to be well-known for its coffee and agricultural products. ta'izz is under siege by houthi fighters. fighters loyal to president hadi control the main districts. >> translator: we hear explosions all around us. we cannot even sleep at night. >> reporter: the yemeni national army is trying to recapture ta'izz with air support from the saudi-lead coalition. the coalition is backing the president's nationally recognized government. >> translator: what do we do in where can we go? >> reporter: some in ta'izz are risking their lives to smuggle in food. 21 million yemenis are in dire need of help. the saudi-lead coalition backing the yemeni government began air strikes last march. since then more than 6,000 people have been killed and

2,000 civilians injured. the world health organization says hospitals in ta'izz have had to stop treating patients because hospitalings are overwhelmed. blockades and air strikes are preventing international agencies from delivering food, medical supplies and oxygen. >> translator: everything is getting worse day by day. they say they won't allow us to leave. >> reporter: as military and diplomatic efforts continue to fail. activists are turning to social media. they hope the hashtag end ta'izz's seize will pressure the forces to allow in humanitarian aid. they want to remind the world that syria is not the only place where people are dying from disease, and starvation. three palestinians have been shot dead in separate incidents

in the occupied west bank. israeli security forces say they were looking for an alleged attacker when fighting broke out. two other teenagers were shot dead near hebron. let's speak now to 'em tee ez tooiz. tell us more about these three separate attacks. >> reporter: that's right. there are three separate incidents in which three palestinians have been killed in altercations with the israeli military. it started early on tuesday, today, in which a 21-year-old palestinian man close to bethlehem was killed in an altercation with israeli forces. later in the day, a 17-year-old was killed by israeli forces

north of the city of hebron, which is the largest city in the occupied west bank. and then shortly after that a 23 year old was also killed also north of hebron. hebron is a place where we have seen frequent eruptions of violence between palestinians and israeli military forces. this city is very large, but has a settler community right in the middle of the city. this illegal settlement is home to around 800 israelis, but there are around 1600 soldiers protecting settlement. but we have seen violence since october, violence, which clearly isn't slowing down. >> indeed. thanks so much. still ahead on theprogram, barack obama promises to change the script in his final state of

the union address. ♪ republicans, and he's putting them where they have to respond. >> and after the address...

♪ hello again. and a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. the turkish president says a young foreign suicide bomber was behind an attack in the historic district of istanbul, which has killed at least ten people. the world health organization has asked the syrian government to allow in mobile clinics and medical teams to assess the extent of malnutrition in madaya. and three palestinians have been shot dead in separate

incidents in the occupied west bank in the latest wave of violence. the u.s. president will lay out his plans for his final year in office in his last-ever state of the union address later on tuesday. he has promised the speech won't follow the usual script. patty culhane has more. >> reporter: seven times now, u.s. president barack obama has done this, address a joint set of congress to detail how he sees the state of the union. this last time, it's all about legacy. he is expected to focus mostly on his past accomplishments. >> presidents are often in this sort of last year of their presidency, looking to set a narrative about who they were, what they did, and how historians and, really, the public should judge them for the rest of their lives. >> reporter: he'll be addressing members of congress, but we'll

really be taking to the american people watching at home. trying to get them excited for the coming election, a final public push to try to get his party back in power. the white house releasing this preview online. >> it is what i want to focus on, not just the remarkable progress we have made, not just what i want to get done in the year ahead, but what we all need to do together in the years to come, the big things. >> reporter: this is a president that has had a very difficult relationship with congress. in that was apparent at the beginning of his first term when he was heckled by a congressman. >> you lie! >> reporter: and in last year's address. >> i have no more campaigns to run. [ applause ] >> my only agenda -- [ laughter ] >> i know because i won both of them. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: white house officials acknowledge they are

unlikely to get congress to act on any big issues, but he will ask them to pass criminal justice reform and the trans-pacific partnership trade act, and we is expected to warn them if they don't act on issues like closing the prison on guantanamo bay, cuba, he might on his own. he is looking to define his legacy, looking for a few more accomplishments with or without congress's help. oil prices have hit a new low, plummeting to $31 a barrel. and experts say it could plunge further. at its peak it cost $147 a barrel. it has fallen to around $30 a barrel. that's great news for people filling up their cars or heating their homes. but it's bad news for

oil-producing countries. none of these countries are getting enough for their oil to cover their costs. that downward trajectory is also having major impact in venezuela. virginia lopez joins us now. how vulnerable is venezuela to this drop in the price of oil? >> reporter: it is probably the most vulnerable of all oil-producing countries. its budget was calculated at $60 at barrel, so the fact that it is now trading at 30, means that the economy here is hurting even more so than it was last year. venezuela is also a country that relies heavily on imports so the fact that there is no cash has added to the growing problem of shortages that the country is suffering. also politically, the fact that -- a government that used

to rely heavily on social spending for its popularity is also having a huge impact. this is probably the most evident in the results of the december parliamentary elections where the opposition has a landslide victory over the government. clearly, this seems to be the result of the fact that oil prices are an all-time low. the other impact that these oil -- that these prices trading so low is having, like you said, is that venezuela is confronted with an even greater risk of defaulting on its loans. this was certainly not the case last year, but more and more analysts, including banc of america, just recently are predicting that this could be happening in 2016. so yes, so it's a terrible situation here. >> apologies for interrupting your final sentence. but we'll leave it there. thanks for much for joining us. on the political front,

venezuela's supreme court has ruled that all actions carried out by the national assembly are void until three banned politicians are removed. they all belong to the med coalition, which defeated the ruling socialist party after 17 years in power. if the disputed politicians are unseated the coalition would lose its super majority. the party has claimed there were voting irregularities during last month's election. mexico says it could take a year to extradite the drug lord guzman to the united states. the country's most wanted man was recaptured last week. six months after escaping from prison. helmet camera footage show the dramatic fire fight which lead to his arrest. from mexico city, adam raney reports. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: a deadly raid caught on video by mexican marines. gunfire from both sides as

marines look for mexico's most wanted man. at one point a man is down. a marine's voice can be heard saying we have an injured man. grenades a barrage of bullets, five people killed in the raid. el chapo, though, wasn't to be found. these marines call out, where is he? as they ask the woman where he is, she says i don't know. he slipped into the suers and crawled for a few hundred meters before emerging and stealing a car from a woman nearby. he is now at the same prison he escaped from in july. mexican officials say it could take at least a year to extradite him to the u.s. where he faces charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder. his lawyers will file as many motions as they can to delay the process. they are keen to get him into

the hands of u.s. authorities as soon as they can. a dramatic turn around from 2014 from when they refused to extradite him. adam raney, al jazeera, mexico city. an appeal against a military pact between the philippines and the u.s. has been thrown out by the supreme court. demonstrators were unhappy with the agreement to let the u.s. boost its military presence. the deal was challenged by lawmakers who said it was unconstitutional and forced the philippines to give up its sovereignty. boosted ties between the two are soon as important because of escalating regional tensions over disputed eye lanks in the south china sea. an indonesian cleric jailed on terror charges has appealed for his conviction to be overturned. he is serving a 15 year sentence for funding a terrorist training camp. >> reporter: supporters of the

cleric are representing their anger at the district court in a town in central java near the island where he is imprisoned. security is tight. he is a the spiritual leader, of an internationally recognized as a hardline islamist organization. he insists that his donations to the camp were meant for humanitarian purposes. >> translator: my role in this group is unimportant. but i received the heaviest punishment. so it is clear this is a conspiracy nch >> reporter: he used his rare public appearance as an opportunity to lash out at police, prosecutors and judges. >> translator: the name is never mentioned in the primary allegation at the beginning of the hearing. he is not involved in the

mentioned terrorist act, but why does he become a terrorist? in the following hearings. the verdict is a mistake. >> reporter: hundreds of supporters have traveled for many hours to show their anger over the conviction. demanding his eminent release. it is now up to the supreme court to decide if evidence presented five years after his conviction will be enough to release him. from prison he pledged his alliance to isil. his son says he has since withdrawn his support. >> translator: i believe he doesn't support them anymore. he has changed his mind. the problems are not like what he thought before. >> reporter: dhoert is expected to hear five witnesses two weeks from now. in february the supreme court is due to decide if their testimonies about his role are enough to release the 77 year old from prison. steph fasten, al jazeera,

central java. i want to make you back to our main story this hour, that ten people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in turkey. we reporting earlier the majority of the victims are believed to be german. dominic kane is in berlin and joins us live. and i believe you have an update on the casualty list. >> reporter: that's right, felicity. the german foreign minister has been speaking in the last few minutes and as confirmed that eight germans were amongst those killed in this attack, and that nine more were wounded, some of them severely in the attack in us -- istanbul earlier today. we understand, we believe that angela merkel, the german chancellor will be speaks about the situation.

we can -- we can expect her to express her condolences. we know the turkish prime minister's office has said that there was a phone call between the foreign minister and mrs. merkel earlier on today in which he expressed his condolences to the german chancellor. turkey is a favorite venue for german tourists. all through the year they go to turkey. it's one of the biggest venues for german tourists in europe. so certainly we can expect the german chancellor to express her condolen condolences, and that will chime both which what has been expressed by the turkish prime minister and the turkish president we heard earlier on. >> many thanks for that. myanmar's prodemocracy leader has met rebel leaders for the first time. their talks are aimed attending decades of fighting. but not all rebel leaders were

there. >> reporter: this is one of the final acts of the out going military-backed government, the capitol of myanmar is posting the peace conference. >> translator: the holding of union peace conference an indication that political transition is moving ahead in a systematic and stable manner. >> reporter: the eight groups are the same that signed the nation wise ceasefire deal. it was anything but nationwide. they were unhappy that a few of the smaller rebel armies weren't invited to sign the deal, and that fighting is continuing in some areas. for decades armed groups such as the independence army in the north have been battling for independence or greater autonomy.

the talks are aimed at developing a federal road map. the leader of the party will oversee the peace process in the near future, but won't necessarily control it. they won the election last november and is forming the next government. >> translator: in this time based on the mandate it's right to do what people want us to do. we are ready to take the responsibility of building forever peace. i hope everybody will help us. >> reporter: the group she really needs help from is the army. they will remain a powerful political force. there is a deep mistrust of the military in the rebel-held areas, and they may be keen to exert their influence and power for sometime yet. wayne haye, al jazeera. and just time to remind you, you can always find out much more on many of the stories we're covering on our website. you'll find in-depth report and analysis from our correspondent.

there you can see the front page leading on that suicide bomb blast killing tourists in istanbul. we believe at least ten people dying in that explosion. the address to click on to fiepgd out more is aljazeera.com. aljazeera.com. signaling who to expect in tickerrish prime minister blaming isil in the tourist area. bo berghdal back in court, put a popular pod cast can change how the case is handles. >> it is 100% guaranteed