the district is home to the museum and istanbul's iconic blue mosque. this is the latest blast to hit turkey. in october at least 102 people died in a double suicide attack on a peace rally in the capitol ankara. the violence copies with a back drop of ongoing operations in the southeast of turkey and almost five-year civil war along the southern border with syria. and the district has been locked down and its people left be w d wildered. >>> we heard from correspondent rena and is live at the scene of where that explosion took place and any more news for us? >> let me talk about the square right now and we have police helicopters circling above us and also have searches being conducted by the police outside the court and this is in case there could be, if the reports we are hearing of a potential suicide bomber attack are true the police tells us in case there could be a second person so at the moment searches are being conducted around us of pretty much everyone outside the perimeter, apart from that no claim of responsibility just yet. the authoritie

and i arrive in istanbul at the moment of a critical election. the question on everyone's mind is whether the current president and his ruling party will win a large enough majority to change the constitution, potentially allowing him to stay in power indefinitely. these have been good times for some. particularly in the construction and development business. and fearful ones for others. they are particularly concerned about what happens next, for instance, in the kurdish parts of town. ♪ >> our polls are opening. turkey's voters choose a new parliament which could lead to big changes in the country's political system. >> the ruling justice and development party expected to take most of the seats. >> but how much power the president actually has will be determined by the success or failure of the kurdish party. >> the hdp, originally a kurdish political party, has sought to unite the disparate voices calling for change in response to 13 years of what has essentially been one-party rule by the akp. so history, whatever it might be, is about to h

he came all the way to istanbul. he even i.d.ed himself on arrival here giving a fingerprint and that's the reason why it would seem that there has been such a speedy recognition of this man. now, i have to say he wasn't on any terror lists, and he was simply a person who came, possibly a refugees, they thought, came to istanbul. this gives you an idea of just the massive problem the security forces have now in trying to contain in problem. this is the third attack that the turkish government is pinning on isil this year. by no means is it the biggest. biggest was in october when more than 100 people were killed in ankara, the double suicide bomb attack. but this has shaken the heart of this old city and it's going to have a massive impact, even bigger impact on the tourist industry of turkey following on from russia advising all of its tourists no the to come here after turkey downed a russian jet on the border. so the situation right now is really difficult. and to give you an idea of just how the fear is here, the

al jazeera is in istanbul. from there we have this report. >> moments after the explosion at the flood of the oblisk, and on the ground bodies of german tourists. they came to marvel the city's square, that is before a man wearing a suicide vest approached. his bomb heard four kilometers away. one eyewitness said that it shook the ground. another thought it was thunder on a clear day. >> 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. they were upset, but at the same time they were trying to evacuate the area because they said a second bomb could go off. >> a peruvian tourist was also killed, and 15 others wounded including norwegians and a south korean. the authorities confirmed the bomber and said he had crossed from syria illegally as a refugee with others. he then went to a police station in istanbul to register his refugee status on january 5th, when his finger tips was taken. that's how his identity w

jasper mortimer reporting from istanbul. have beenn marines released after being briefly detained in iran. they were held overnight after their two naval ships drifted into iranian waters. tehran originally accused the agreedf snooping, but with american authorities later that they drifted in after mechanical problems. >> they were asking the u.s. to apologize for crossing more than a mile into iranian waters and grazing near an island where a military base is situated. sailors were released only after the apology was made. even so, there has been no confirmation yet from washington. media has also given the pictures of the crew while in custody. nine men and one woman can be seen sitting on lying on the floor on traditional carpet, apparently calm but tired. overall the impression this picture gives support american claims that the vote had gone extensive -- that's the boat had gone extensively into iranian waters. genie: this comes at a delicate time for relations between the u.s. and iran. why is that? it comes before the

people are very scared. >> benjamin gilbert, reporting from istanbul. turn to myto international affairs editor. the country has certainly been experiencing a high security alert in the wake of a number of suicide bombings, in the southeast of the country last year and also those horrific bombings in ankara. >> yes, of course. this is the largest death toll in an attack since that bombing in ankara in october. what one wonders is how the turkish government is going to respond in terms of security. on the after the bombing turkey-syrian border last july, repostedsh government against islamic state group, but it also intensified attacks on the pkk after the bombing. it intensified its war on both fronts, even though the pkk was not blamed for the bombings. it looks like something similar may happen this time, because i have been listening to president erdogan a speech to turkish ambassadors around the world, which he is giving now in ankara. person ofed this syrian origin who carried out the attack in istanbul but then moved on to the pkk, and much of his

it is having an impact on daily life in istanbul without a

groups come freely into istanbul. they travel by bus, not planes. there is a man responsible for managing for hotel bookings, and transport. >> reporter: 68 isil suspects have been detained across turkey since the istanbul attack. >> translator: a week before the attacks 220 suspected isil members were detained. since the conflict began in syria, 847 were arrested. >> reporter: sealing the border completely is a tall order for turkey. it's the first port of call for syrians trying to escape the humanitarian disaster of the civil war. if the istanbul attack is a sign of an increase of attacks on turkish soil, then the turkish government may have to consider closing the door completely. >> there is a lot of concern that those fighters can go across and back again. do you think the government will change its plans on protecting that porous border? >> reporter: well, we have already seen that turkey is installing new security, if you would like? they are digging trenches, putting in higher walls. there are concrete blocks and barbed wire on top of those

>> 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

for more on this, let's go to our correspondent live in istanbul. i understand the german interior minister are arriving in turkey. >> that's right. lots of movement right now. a german interior minister arriving here, having a joint conference with the turkish interior ministry, and also akmed, the permit, is likely to be making a public statement. he'll be seeing the survivors in hospital, and also getting briefed by security chiefs at the governor's residence. it's a situation here right now where the security pushed us back at short notice. we were at the scene of the bombing a short time looking. but they are clearing the whole area now. it's thought that may be a senior politician will be visiting here to lay a wreath or flowers. there are flowers around the egyptian senna taf where mainly the german group gathered. it's a surreal situation there, looking at it, because you wouldn't guess it was the scene of carnage 24 hours ago. the only indicator that it was a site was signs of ball bearings flying through the area. it's an open area. there'

terrorist strikes of the heart of istanbul. at least 10 are dead, many more injured. most of the victims are german. chancellor angela merkel tells the victims' families, we are with you. in madaya,'s starvation being used as a weapon of war? and u.s. president barack obama prepares to get his final state of the union address. we will look at a president seeking to guide his legacy. i'm sarah kelly. good evening. welcome to the program. germany and turkey are coping with what appears to be the latest attack from islamic state. berlin has confirmed eight of its nationals are among those killed during a suicide bombing in the istanbul tourist district. the bomber was syrian and a member of the so-called islamic state. we begin with this report. reporter: the bomb attacked at the historic tourist district before noon. >> it was a suicide bomb. i went to be scene. it was chaos. people were running everywhere. the police is actuated area because they said there was a possibility a second bomb could go off. reporter: this is one of turkey's largest tourist attractions withi

the district is home to the museum and istanbul's iconic blue mosque. this is the latest blast to hit turkey. in october at least 102 people died in a double suicide attack in a peace rally at the capitol ankara and violence has a back drop of operations in the southeast of turkey and almost five-year civil war along its southern border with syria. and the district has been locked down and its people left bewildered a blast has torn through the beloved and historic city, al jazeera. >>> oil prices hit a new low plummeting less than $31 a barrel, the lowest level in more than a decade, industry experts say it could plunge further and at the peak in july 2008 a barrel of oil cost more than $147 and it has fallen to $30 a barrel and great news for people filling up their cars or the cost of heating their home but bad news for oil producing countries and none of these countries are getting enough oil to cover cast and some are devaluing currency and others on the brink of defaulting on the debt and from the capitol abuja and nigeria highly depends on the pr

the party was supposed to go from istanbul to the gulf, dubai and abu dhabi. psychological counseling and emotional cage is being provided to those involved. we heard from the justice minister, from the interior minister of germany talking about the barbaric act of terror that has taken place. that was a sentiment echoed by the german chancellor angela merkel and by the foreign minister, who said it was a barbaric cowardly act. certain the government of germany has been quick to express its condolences, but also to say that it is definitely shoulder to shoulder with the turkish government and we know also that bolt governments say they will share information rewarding this incident in terms of evidence and whatever detective work needs to be done. >> also of note was the fact that the germans have dismissed suggestion that they were deliberately targeted as a nationality and they haven't advised germans not to go to turkey. >> well certainly that was one of the questions, why was it that the german victims were involved in this blast, was it specifically germa

dozens of isil suspects are held in raids in turkey as police make one arrest in connection with the istanbul blast. >>> plans to evict as many as 2,000 refugees from a camp in calais. >>> i'll be here with all of the sport, including, the countdown to arsenals premiere league match at liverpool as they look to keep their lead at the top of the table. ♪ >>> the u.s. secretary of state has expressed his gratitude to iran for releasing ten sailors it held overnight, but there was no expression of regret. john kerry said diplomacy played a critical role in securing their release. iran said it freed the u.s. navy personnel after determining they entered the waters by mistake. the incident involved two u.s. fast patrol boats. the u.s. vessels had been heading for bahrain. iran said they had navigation problems. kerry also said implementation day for iran's nuclear plan will take place soon. >> these are always situations which as everybody here knows have been ability if not properly guided to get out of control. and i'm appreciative for the quick and appropriate response of the iranian authorit

it is having an impact on daily life in istanbul without a doubt >>> thank you for that. we will stay with these latest pictures and we will try and get you right up to speed with what you think is going on. we know there are a number of casualties after a big explosion rocked central istanbul's square, a major tourist attraction. the blast occurred at about 10.20/10.30 local time this morning. you can see there the pictures of the ambulances going to and from the scene as they're shuttling the injured to the local big hospitals. it is close to an area called the blue mosque and another building which is a big tourist attraction. at that time the area would have been quiet. it's winter time, it's chilly, it's not summer time. it wasn't going to be packed. we were talking as well to an analyst in and he was making two points. he was 4 kilometers away and he heard the blast and he heard it very distinctly and clearly. the entire area has been cordoned off. obviously, the security forces, the police, the government, they are worried that there may be a second examples plough

al jazeera, in istanbul, turkey. >> al jazeera is in istanbul. sue, what are we hearing about the suspect behind this attack? >> well, the authorities have just confirmed in the last few minutes the name, the name that has been widely used in turkey and his name i--he was born in saudi arabia, the reason why they were quite quick to find out who the bomber was because he entered turkey across the border as a refugee illegally. but we're told by the authorities that he went to a police station in a region in istanbul to register as a refugee. when he registered there he gave them his fingerprints, and they were table oh eyes him from the body parts after he blew himself up. he's a man of syrian origin. a man who crossed illegally from syria, entered turkey, and who claimed he was a refugee. >> this is not the first high profile attack. there must be concerns about security in istanbul, particularly about right now? >> yes, i think there is. turkey knows that they have to tighten up security. i think they also have to show that they're tightening u

on the explosion in istanbul. we'll see you tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. >>> a syrian suicide bomber suspected of setting off an explosion in the heart of turkey says biggest city. hello, welcome to al jazeera, we're live from doha. also to come on the program, food and medicine finally arrive for people suffering in some of syria's besieged towns. >>> on him prices continue to fall. crude is now below $31 a barrel, the lowest in more than 12 years. >>> the first arabic language song to top the israeli charts. >>> the turkish government said a young syrian suicide bombers was behind an attack in the historic district of istanbul. ten are dead, among them german tourists. turkey's government will share details of the attack with berlin. we have this report. >> it's the heart of istanbul and one of its most popular tourist spots. this is the square, less than an hour after an explosion, the site cordoned off and security tight. schwa it was a suicide bomb. i saw it. it was chaos, everyone was running around. police didn't

and how has all of this effected the rest of istanbul? >> reporter: well, i think there is a sense -- the sight -- the sight of the blast is 40 meters behind me. it is one of the squares -- you could call it an adjacent square on the side of the blue mosque. things are calm now. earlier we saw ministers come and very quickly have a look and leave. but cleaning staff, municipality staff has now entered the site, and there is a sense of normalcy now with trams functioning, and the security cordoned now having been eased slightly. >> thank you, reporting live from istanbul. let's go to berlin to speak to dominic kane. dominic it would appear that germany has suffered some significant casualties in this attack? >> reporter: that's right. we expect a statement from the chancellor, angela merkel within an hour and a half about istanbul and the events that have taken place there. so far at least the german government has refrained from confirming what has been speculated and reported upon in the media in turkey and elsewhere, that germans may we

al jazeera, istanbul. south korea's president has called for tougher sanctions against north korea after its nuclear test. ] urging china, the only regional ally to support the measures. last week, north korea claimed to have successful tested a hydrogen bomb. it was condemned by its nabors and the international community. >>> the chinese government will not act in a way that would aggravate the situation on the korean peninsula and it has been communicating with us in regards to the north korean issue. the best pefr is the one who holds hand. i believe that china will play aness role in the future as a permanent member of the u.n. security council. >> live in seoul. tell us more about south korea is hoping will happen. >> certainly when you cover these nuclear tests as i have a few of them now, there is a familiarity to the kind of response that comes after. there is the usual kind of condemnation from here in south korea and around the world, efforts to try to get stricter sanctions through the u.s. secu

catherine: jasper mortimer reporting from istanbul. today's attack comes as turkey continues to battle kurdish asitants in its southeast, well as islamic state group fighters just across the southern border in syria. more on these campaigns and the risks they pose to turkey's security. reporter: there has been no claim of responsibility for the blast. just like many other attacks on turkish soil this past year. every time authorities investigate three main suspects -- the islamic state group, the kurdish pkk, and for leftist militants. in january, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station, killing one officer and wounding another. the attack was initially claimed by the far left is revolutionary people's liberation party front, group seeking a socialist state, considered a terrorist group by turkey, the u.s., and the eu. they later tonight it, saying the attack was perpetrated by a woman with suspected islamist militant links. in july, suicide bomber killed 32 people in southeastern turkey. young kurdish activists the

. >> 68 isil prospects have been detained across turkey since the istanbul attack. the interior minister said that turkey is committed to tracking down isil sympathizers as part of the government's anti-tropical storm operation. >> 220 suspected isil wins the operation began. a significant in the are foreign fighters. >> sealing the border completely is a tall order for turkey. it's the first port of call for syrians trying to escape the humanitarian disaster of the civil war. the istanbul attack is a sign of attacks on turkish soil, and they may now have to consider closing the door completely. al jazeera, istanbul. >> well, after 2,000 refugees living in a huge makeshift camp in the french coastal town of calais are to be evicted, and then the camp will be bull dosed. 300 women and children will be part those evicted. jacky rowland has more. >> the jungle refugee camp in calais is a pretty terrible place to be at any time of the year. in january it's particularly grim. it's cold, wet, and there is mud to wade through. i'm coming to the high point above the camp to

istanbul has bolstered security, but it is still a haven for smugglers. sue has this exclusive report. >> reporter: a student in northern syria films his journey towards a turkish border crossing. a journey he has made several times. it is possible to leave legally with the correct documents or illegally for the right amount of money. going the other way appears to be open too. al jazeera's secretly spoke to a man at one boarder crossing who said he is a smuggler. >> translator: if you want to go the illegal way it will be 75 to 100 turkish lira, from here we take 150, he'll walk next to the trucks. he gives a thousand lira to the syrian drive and he'll pick him up. >> reporter: the turkish police say the istanbul bomber crossed the border illegally. this man says he is a former isil smuggler who provides weapons. he says the turkish border into isil-held territory is the only way in and out for fighters. >> translator: it's like daesh is sitting in a room with no windows but one door. even if turkey closes a little daesh won't break down the door, becaus

there has been an explosion in istanbul's major tourist area. tom: what is the one at the bottom western mark --? francine: it's the turkish index. tom: ok. you come up with the coolest things. there it is. really, oil is front and center. francine: every day that goes by, he sits further away from me. let's stick with oil. moving parts of oil. tom: you did burberry yesterday. francine: yesterday was great. it's something that a lot of designers want. they had some great music. let's talk about oil. do we have a chart? tom: we will have a chart up in a minute. francine: we're joined by andrew sheets. thank you so much for joining us. is in consensus that we have not hit bottom. oil will continue dropping. we might see 20. what happens after that? >> i think we have to think about this as a question between short and long-term issues. little waythere is to physically prevented from falling further. we believe 30 or 40 is not a sustainable clearing price. when we think further out, we think the price will be significantly higher two or three years

al jazeera in istanbul, thank you for the moment. let's take you from there to berlin, speaking to al jazeera dominic cane. we knew that many of the people caught up in this apack were in germany, and uh no we have has the big pick juries concerned. >> that's right. it was somber angel merkel whose brief report a short time ago, effectively confirming that eight german citizens were killed by this explosion, and that nine more were wounded. she expressed her condolences on behalf of the german nation to the victims and marry relatives, and she expressed also the stead fadness of the government in the fight against terror, that is something she has repeated on many occasions most recently on new year's eve, and her new year's eve address. we heard from her colleague, who said that this was a barbaric act of terrorism. we know that the turkish government has said that it will share all the information that it can clean, in it's investigation into who carries out this attack, and the motives behind the attack, which is taken so many liv

leftplosion in istanbul several people dead. turkish geeking out investigating whether it was caused by a suicide bomber. you can follow me on twitter. ♪ china steps up intervention. shortselling currency is destined to fail. oil extends losses. stockpiles are increasing as iran boost production. police are investigating an explosion in istanbul. several people are dead. this is bloomberg surveillance. i know we have to talk about china. this is the first that we

the tourists in istanbul targeted. who did this? if you analyze the attack through the criteria of the locates of the attack, people being targeted, the attack time and the delays in the government revealing and the attempts to stop the attack, i can say isis comes to the stage. as you have noted very well, the turkish prime minister has said a couple of minutes ago, syria is the prime suspect for the attack but did not mention about his or her affiliation. as we know, turkey has been going turf against them for eight months, 2015, isis suicide bombers attacked five times in turkey. let me remind you, the first of all of these attacks, suicide attacks, was in january, 2015. >> before we lose your signal, i wanted to ask you why you believe that it is isil and not pkk. >> yes. to ae-chief like that. it has been alleged there are three and 20 different sleeping cells intie right now. regarding to nationalities of those. germany in the fight against isis both in europe and in syria. with all probability, as you have mentioned before, t

talking to us live from istanbul there. >>> the u.s. humanitarian chief says 400 people need to be brought out of madaya for life-saving treatment. he made the call as food and medicine finally got there, reaching three besieged towns. under a deal, an aid convoy arrived from damascus on monday. supplies have also been delivered to the pro-government villages. opposition groups are surrounding those villages, but there are many areas not included in this deal including in the east around 176,000 are said to be in urgent need of help. 9,000 people are trapped in a damascus suburb. and the u.n. says isil fighters have cut off 200,000 people. james bayes reports from u.n. headquarters in new york. >> reporter: trucks finally arrive in madaya. a town of more than 40,000 people. where they have been eating their pets, and then survived on a diet of soup made from grass. >> translator: people killed cats to eat them. others and it grass. i saw people sitting on garbage and eating it. we need to break the siege. >> reporter: as approximate --

in that sense it's the same as istanbul earlier this week. if you had to name the organization that you thought would claim responsibility for this, who might it be? >> i am going to refrain from speculating at this point because the tack is still ongoing. that said, there are several plausible suspects. notably the affiliated groups with the islamic state. such as the [ inaudible ] are although they are not be bubble to mound a successful attack in a major city since their form also. there are also equally viable candidates in a regrouped [ inaudible ] or its affiliate, such as the j.a. it. or j.a. s. and other groupings like such. >> out of those groups you are talking about. which one is the most vicious? because we are talking about nail bombs and/or has an ability to coordinate such a well coordinated attack? >> the jihaddist note works in indonesia are extension i the j.i. and its a fai affiliates he been around for the last 30 year old or soy. they may have the capacity to pull this off. alternatively. the access to weapons and particu

this is istanbul at its most majestic. and it was here on sultanahmet square that a suicide bomber killed 10 tourists on january 12, allegedly sent by the is terror organisation. the streets and alleys around sultanahmet square , usually full of people, are now eerily quiet. the hotels are empty. mustafa ceyik runs a hostel right behind the blue mosque. the attack left him shocked and sad -- but he is also angry with the turkish government. >> our intelligence services obviously failed. although you can't completely prevent such attacks. the victims were tourists, but i think the suicide bomber was out to harm turkey. so we were his target. reporter: journalist ezgi basaran says that represents a turn-around. she accuses the turkish government of having supported jihadist groups in syria. for years she has warned of the dangers of silently tolerating the i.s. >> turkey turned a blind eye to the activities of these groups. we found out that there was a taxi service for jihadis in the border town of kilis. it allowed fighter

al jazeera. >> we are joined live from the site of the bombing in istanbul. what has the international reaction been to the attack? >> shortly after the attack, we heard from the u.s. ambassador to turkey, john brass, saying that they were closely monitoring reports of the explosion that was shortly after the explosion. we haven't heard from the u.s. embassy since then. however, in the following hours, we've just heard from the european union foreign policy chief who strongly condemned the attack and said that the e.u. stands with turkey in the face of terror. the strongest criticism has comf support has come from germany, angela merkel saying they strongly condemn the attack in the strongest way. there is a report that the majority if not all those who lost their lives were game machine citizens. these are unconfirmed reports but angela merkel keeping a very close eye on things following a phone conversation with turkey's prime minister who gave her the assurances that those injured were being given the best care possible in turkish hospitals. >> isil has ha

turkey's interior minister says he'll koch rate with germany over a blast to istanbul. he made the comments, all the 10 killed were german tourists >>> a bomb blast in south-west pakistan killed 14 people close to a polio investigation center. security forces were targeted. and were on the way to guard the facility >>> rests have been made in pakistan following an attack on an air base in india. members of the group, linked to al qaeda are being questioned and the officers shut. pakistan wants to send investigators to the court where 13 were killed. >>> coordinated attacks killed seven. two gunmen who barricaded themselves inside a government guest house were killed in a shoot-out. an accomplice blew themselves up near the consulate. >> the south korean military fired warning shots after spotting an unknown north korean object close to its border. south korea urged china from the latest nuclear test. faust receiver with more from seoul. >> reporter: on the day jacob paquette made an annual address to her people. shots fired over the demilitarized zone between north kore

tonight were learning more about who was behind that suicide blast in istanbul. two german tourists were killed in the attack. turkey said the attacker had entered the country as a migrant from syria. the tragedy is getting the attention from political leaders here in germany. here is more. >> the german interior minister came to the popular tourist hub in istanbul where 10 germans lost their lives on tuesday. at a news conference with the turkish interior minister he tried to reassure german travelers that they are not a specific target. he said there is no reason for germans to cancel trips to turkey. but the investigation suggests so far is that there is no proof that the object of the attack was to kill germans. so there is no direct connection with germany's contribution in the fight against international terrorism. he also visited a hospital where survivors of the attack are being treated. authorities have meanwhile released video material said to show the 28-year-old syrian just before he detonated his bomb. authorities have arrested one person said to be

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 that an asteroid will hit the earth. >> creating a new office of planetary defense to protect against falling as steroids. president obama will deliver his last state of the union address tonight, appearing for the last time before that joint sex of congress mes expected to look ahead from gun control, and immigration, to keeping america safe. al jazeera is live in bashed, and courtney, tell us about the domestic issues the president is expecting to actress. >> kim davis, the clerk that refused to sign, certificates has been invited in the audience. which is tweeting and confirming that she will be an attendance, now those are not -- that issue same-sex marriag

reporter: in the evening, hale packs her bag for the trip to istanbul. there, the children will attend a circus and hip hop workshop. the boys are already warming up. the volunteer who supervises them says art and culture are just as important for poor children as financial support. >> here they get a bit of the self-confidence they will need to create the life they want for themselves later on. culture should help children understand the world around them, that ultimately people need more than just food and work. reporter: it's finally time to leave. for hale and many of the other children, it'll be their first flight on an airplane. it's also the first time she's been away from her parents for two whole days. she's really excited. two days later in istanbul, the city on the bosphorus. hale's been busy with the workshop. germany's goethe institut has brought the syrian circus performers together with underprivileged young people from istanbul. this is their final rehearsal with the turkish-german rap group. take your fate in your own hands, the young pe

all these dogs were once abandoned on the streets of istanbul . after seeing the conditions of the shelters she dedicated her life to saving domesticated animals. 3 "i left the, the shelter crying then i went again then i went again then i cried and i said crying is not enough someone has to do something. then i started to volunteer in shelters. " so far "adopt a golden atlanta" has taken in 123 golden retrievers from istanbul... they call them turkey dogs. 3 3 3 3 singer chris brown is making headlines this morning. the reason police are now inveveigating him after a night out. 3 3 3 time for this mornings see it, shoot it, send it picture. this photo comes to us from nancy zell. beautiful shot of looking glass falls. you can video too. just log on to w-l-o-s dot com. or e-mail them to pics at w-l-o-s dot com. 3 3 the time is now 3 4:xx. at only 11 years old... her music mesmorizes a crowd. you can catch the clip... 3 it's time for this morning's viral video... she was just 11 years old in this video... and has been playing the harp since she was

and as i say that one other that was detained here in istanbul. >> sue, thank you very much. now to dominic kane who is in berlin. dominic, more details emerging about the victims who were exclusively german. >> that's right, martine, the details have begun emerging about who the individuals were who were killed in this explosion. we know there were several married couples amongst the victims, they are all in their 50s, 60s, and early 70s. we have heard from the interior minister, you heard speaking about the barbaric act of terrorism, and the tourism company that these victims were traveling to germany through, they say they have sent psychological counselors, and emotional counselors, they have offered counseling support to the victims and relatives of the victims. and this company, they had arranged for a party of 33 germans to travel to istanbul, and then to carry on to the gulf to abu dhabi and dubai. we have also heard more from the foreign office, and the foreign minister said this was a barbaric act of terrorism, and the german government stood shoulder to shoulder wi

an explosion in istanbul. it's being investigated but local media are reported it's likely carried out by a suicide bomber, area popular for tourist, turkey borders syria. check this out. this is cool. this new video has been emerging over the last few hours of the raid that caught joaquÍn el chapo guzmÁn. mexican authority releasing footage of the drug king's hideout. another group that is in hiding right now, investors of twitter, hitting an all-time closing low yesterday after falling nearly 2%. shares down 25% from the ipo just two years ago. okay, so we closed 20 for the first time on friday and yesterday, low was 1926, the stock has been really under pressure and jack dorsey don't seem to be shaking the boat. >> dagen: do you think it goes out of business? >> michael: i'm not sure how they make money. everyone loves the product in terms of business users. we were talking about the youth crowd is really tie today instagram, snapchat until something else comes along. the way is we saw facebook. they figu

nbc's richard engel reports from istanbul istanbul. >> reporter: there is not a tourist in the world who has been to istanbul who does not know this spot. this is the heart of touristic istanbul between the mosque and eye of sophia. a witness told us around 10:30 a.m. he came out of the mosque and heard an explosion, rushed over, saw bodies on the ground. people were screaming. the tour groups that were here, the school groups that were here began to leave the scene. the tourists went back to their hotels, sheltered inside the restaurants in this area, they closed their doors. people inside as police came and tried search the area. >> it was a suicide bomb, yes. i went there and saw it. came back to the hotel there was chaos. everybody was -- [lost audio ] >>> today at 12:30 p.m. the mother of "affluenza" teen ethan couch was released from prison after she posted bond. tonya couch's bond was reduced from $1 million to $75,000. she is charged with hindering the apprehension of his 18-year-old son ethan. both escaped to mexico after a judge sentenced to ethan ten years probation for ki

a deadly explosion in istanbul, turkey. the governor of the province announced ten people have been killed at this point by the blast. at least 15 people wounded. this is new information coming in to us. let's get the latest from cnn's arwa damon live on the phone from istanbul. arwa, what are you learning? >> reporter: john, the explosion happened at 10:15 a.m. i heard it and a massive plume of white smoke emerging from what really is the heart of istanbul's historic tourist district. security forces moving in very quickly along with ambulances and fire trucks. we do not yet know the nationalities of the injured or fatalities. all those wounded have been moved to various hospitals. no clear statement on what caused the explosion, but a lot of speculation that this could be some sort of terrorist attack. turkey is in a precarious situation at this stage. battling isis on one hand, but also having the fight that is taking place with what turkey is dealing with the terrorist organization. and if you look at what has happened

istanbul has bolstered security but it's still a haven for smugglers. this is our exclusive report. >> a student in northern syria films a journal towards a border crossing, a journey he has made many times. it is possible to leave legally with the correct documents or illegally without for the right amount of money. >> going the other way appears to be open, too. al jazeera secretly spoke to a man at one border crossing who said he is a smuggler. >> if you want to go the illegal way it's 75 lira. just jump over the border. he walks over to the trucks. he gives 1,000 lira to the syrian driver and he picks him up. >> the turkish police say that the bomber crossed the border illegally. this man said that he is a former isil smuggler who provided weapons in syria for fighters from chechnya, and he said that it is the only way in and out for fighters. >> it is like daesh is sitting in the room with no windows and one door. when turkey closes the door a little bit, they won't break down the door because they hope in a few days turkey will open the door fully

istanbul who does not know this spot. this is the heart of touristic istanbul, between the blue mosque and hagia sophia. a wons toitness told us he camef the mosque, saw bodies on the ground. the school groups began to leave the scene. tourists went back to their hotel sheltered inside restaurants closed their door as police came and tried to search the area, set up a cordon. >> translator: it was a suicide bomb, yes. i went there and saw it and came back to the hotel, there was chaos. everybody was running somewhere. >> no official claim of responsibility yet. there are many suspects but the president of turkey says that it is believed at this stage that a syrian suicide bomber was responsible for attack. richard engel, nbc news, istanbul. >>> meanwhile, pope francis is releasing his first book today called the name of god is mercy and is a restatement of the themes of france's papacy told in simple language. it's in the form of free-wheeling conversation with a veteran ieal january journalist. the pope received the firs

. >>> and turkey says one person is now in custody in connection with tuesday's attack in istanbul. at least ten people died most of them germans, now ankara is trying to reassure its people. >> translator: turkey is exerting a lot of effort to fight terrorism and turkey is adopting a decisive stance against terrorism, and terrorists. during the recent attack and even one week before this attack, we have stopped 220 persons being affiliated to isil. >> despite the assurances, this is a look live at a memorial, a makeshift memorial that has been built around the square that was attacked in istanbul. our correspondent has more on the person who carried it out. >> reporter: we're not hearing a lot of detail, but it seems they are directly connected according to the turkish authorities with the suicide bomber and the attack was made here in istanbul. it's one of what we believe so far -- 68 people to be detained across seven provinces that have been involved in these raids. we're hearing there are also three russians amongst that figure. we have been told by a turkish news agency here t

this is the heart of touristic istanbul between the blue mos e mosque. around 10:30 this morning, a witness came out of the mosque, heard an explosion, rushed over and saw bodies on the ground. people were screaming. school groups here left the scene, tourists went back inside, restaurants closed their doors. people inside as police came and tried to search the area. >> translato >> translator: it was a suicide bomb, yes. i went there, there was chaos. everybody was running somewhere. >> reporter: no official claim of responsibility yet. there are many suspects but the president of turkey says it is believed at this stage that is a syrian suicide bomber was responsible for this attack. richard engel, nbc news, istanbul. >>> now we turn to india and a heartbreaking scene here. more than 80 whales stranded off the country's southern coast. officials here say the whales started washing up on the beaches last night. at least 36 of them were rescued and taken back to sea, several got disoriented and ended up back on that beach. short-finned pilot whales trave

richard engel, nbc news, istanbul." this week, democratic presidential candidate, bernie sanders will be back in the midlands, launching a tour of historically black colleges and universities. on thursday, sanders will be at arts center at sc state. it's one of eight stops on sanders' itinerary. doors open at 6:30 and the event starts at 7. it is free to the public. the republican presidential debate on in seven candidates on the prime-time stage. two candidates will be noticeably absent. carly fiorina and senator rand paul did not qualify for the main debate. senator paul has now vowed to event. fiorina will join mike huckabee santor in the so-called undercard debaba earlier donald trump, ted cruz, marco rubio, ben carson, chris christie, jeb bush and john kasich will take the main stage. clear and cold this morning as we start out in the upper 20s . look for another day with lots of sunshine however, a cold front will be moving through the state by tonight, northwest wind, it will feel chilly much of the day. the uppe

first here is the report from istanbul been. >> and square is in the heart of istanbul, millions of tourists gave him wonder of the blue mosque many the museum. >> it was the suicide bomb, yeah, i went there and saw it and came back to the hotel in chaos. everyone was running around. police didn't see this coming they were upset but at the same time they were trying to evacuate the area, because they said a second bomb can go off. >> the person traitors othis attack will be unveiled and they will get the punishment they deserve. i call on all humanity, we need to stand in vol darety, we need to stand should tore shoulder in the face of install bruin, lyle we did in the attack in paris. >> some in turkey have been expected attacks on turkish soil, since the armed forces launched their offensive against isil fighters. >> in october, at least 102 people were killed and a double suicide is blast on a peace rally. this latest bombing was again aimed at what would be regarded as a soft target, and by thatting foreign tourists it was designed to draw international attention. >> today it was istanbu

that blast in istanbul, turkey. the governor of the province announcing ten confirmed dead. 15 wounded. no official cause for the explosion in the heart of the central square. that is istanbul's main tourist hub. again, ten dead. at least 15 injured in the explosion that rocked the main touri tourist hub in istanbul. >>> and boys between the ages of 14 and 17 assaulted a girl in the brooklyn playground. the suspects say no rape occurred and whatever happened was consensual. over the weekend, police released the video of the suspects in the store not far from where the attack took place. >>> a legal setback for jesse matthew in the death of university student hannah graham in 2014. a police dog detected her scent in matthew's car and apartment. prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for jesse matthew. >>> lawyers for bill cosby are asking the pennsylvania judge to dismiss the charges against him. charges were filed against the comedian weeks before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. the lawyers claim the

it comes after tuesday's suicide attack in istanbul which killed ten tourists. early morning raids and 59 fighters have been detained. more from our correspondent. >> reporter: moments after the explosion at the foot of the obelisk an eary silence and then the medics arrive. on the ground the bodies of german tourists. they come to marvel at the city's salt sultanahmet-- sultanahmet square. one eyewitness says it shook the ground add another thought it was then der >> translation: it was a suicide bomb, yes. everyone was running around. police didn't see this coming. they were trying to evacuate the area because they said a second bomb could go off >> reporter: a peruvian tourist was killed as well as many injuries. the bomber is nabil fadli. he crossed from syria illegally as a refugee with others. he went to a police station in istanbul to register his refugee status on january 5 when his fingerprints were taken. that's how his identity was confirmed. prime minister said the investigation would track any accomplices and called on the world to support turkey af