Inside Story

Turkish authorities started 2017 the way much of 2016 had played out...with a manhunt. 39 people were killed in the nightclub massacre in Istanbul. The bells had not long finished chiming to herald in the New Year when they were replaced by the sound of gunfire. Turkey was targeted in dozens of attacks last year. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL, said it was behind most of them, and now claims responsibility for the first of 2017. How can Ankara deal with what is a huge security challenge? Presenter: Peter Dobbie Guests: Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the Ankara Office for the German Marshall Fund of the United States Galip Dalay, research director at Al Sharq Forum Dogu Eroglu, reporter with Daily Birgun newspaper - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

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For months now, tens of millions of Indians have been scrambling to exchange their old bank notes. That's after the government of Narendra Modi, suddenly banned the 1,000 and 500 rupee notes back in November. It says the decision will help tackle corruption and stop what it calls 'black money', or cash gained through illicit means. In a new year's message, Prime Minister Modi defended his decision and offered incentives. But the opposition says the entire campaign has been a failure. So, what's behind Modi's plan and will it help the economy? Presenter: Richelle Carey Guests: Sanjay Hedge - Senior Advocate of India's Supreme Court Sreeram Chaulia - Dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs. He is also the author of " Modi Doctrine" Reetika Khera - Development Economist at the Indian Institute of Technology. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been on the brink of violence over the past two weeks. President Joseph Kabila's two-term and final mandate ended in mid-December, but he had announced he would stay in office and postponed elections. That led to violent confrontations between security forces and anti-government protesters and at least 40 people were killed in the unrest. But after weeks of tense talks with the opposition, Kabila has agreed to step down by the end of 2017, under a last-minute deal. If this deal, which is being backed by the country's influential Catholic church, holds, it will be the first peaceful transfer of power since DRC's independence in 1960. So will a further crisis be averted in Democratic Republic of Congo? Presenter: Richelle Carey Guests: Michael Amoah - Centre of African Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies Matlotleng Matlou - Executive Director of Excelsior Afrika Consulting Marie-Roger Biloa - Editor of Africa International - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

Barack Obama on Thursday slapped sanctions on Russia and gave 35 Russian diplomats just 72 hours to leave the US over alleged Russian interference in the US election. Russia's foreign minister recommended Moscow does the same, but Russian President Vladimir Putin decided ruled it out. Putin wants to know where President-elect Donald Trump stands on the issue. US intelligence agencies accuse Russia of cyber attacks in the recent election aimed at helping Trump defeat Hillary Clinton for the presidency. Trump has praised Putin's leadership in the past. So will his first move in the White House be to lift the sanctions? Presenter: Richelle Carey Guests: Thomas Pickering - Former US ambassador to Russia and the UN. Mark Sleboda - International relations and security analyst. Lilit Gevorgyan - Russia economic analyst at the think tank IHS Markit. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

When the 24-year-old woman jumped to her death in December last year, she left a note for her mother. "Why do things have to be so hard?" she asked. She had been working about 100 extra hours a month. Her company - advertising group Dentsu - is under pressure to reduce the amount of overtime its employees do. In November, it was raided by labour regulators. The government ruled the woman's death was due to overwork. About 2,000 Japanese people a year take their own lives for the same reason. Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, is pushing to reform Japan's employment laws, which could include tighter overtime regulation for companies. But will the culture change, and what happens in other countries? Presenter: Sohail Rahman Guests: Seijiro Takeshita - professor in the School of Management and Information at the University of Shizuoka Anne-Elisabeth Moutet - columnist for The Telegraph newspaper in the UK Daniel Bernmar - city councillor for Gothenburg, Sweden - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

Months of the biggest protests ever seen there, then parliament voting for the first time ever to impeach the president. The corruption scandal surrounding her now ensnares the head of the state-run pension fund - who is also a former health minister. He's detained for questioning by fraud investigators trying to track the movement of huge amounts of money - and whether massive bribes were paid. The expanding probe into the corruption scandal is splitting the Saenuri Party of President Park Guen-hye. 29 party members have defected to form a new conservative party which will campaign for reform. The Saenuri party has been demoted to the second-largest in parliament. What are the other political implications? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: B.J. Kim, Adjunct Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Aidan Foster Carter, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology and Modern Korea at Leeds University Jean Lee, Global Fellow at the Korea Center, Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington DC - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

The President of Nigeria promised to defeat Boko Haram before 2017. With the new year just a few days away, Muhammadu Buhari says he's delivered. Army commanders announced fighters have been forced from all their strongholds. It isn't the first time the government has claimed to defeat Boko Haram. Fighters who are waging war against what they consider western influence - and trying to impose their version of Islam - still control large parts of the rural north east. Boko Haram fighters who have fled Nigeria have reportedly regrouped in neighbouring countries. What does that mean for Nigeria and its neighbours? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: Shehu Sani, Nigerian senator who has led negotiations with Boko Haram since 2011. Martin Ewi, Senior Researcher, International Crime in Africa Programme, the Institute for Security Studies. Makmid Kamara, Nigeria Country Director for Amnesty International. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

For years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to walk a thin line. Hardline conservatives within the country, and even within the governing coalition, want Netanyahu to dismiss the idea of a Palestinian state altogether. But much of the international community continues to push for a two-state solution. Now, after last week's United Nations vote, the pressure is ramping up on both ends, and Netanyahu's political tightrope is now even thinner. The Security Council resolution calls for Israel to immediately stop building new settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Most significantly, the United States refused to use its veto. Netanyahu has condemned the resolution and is already taking action against some countries who supported it. He's also blamed US President Barack Obama specifically for allowing the vote to pass. So what now for the Israeli Prime Minister and his fragile government? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: Yossi Beilin, former Israeli Minister of Justice. Oded Revivi, chief foreign envoy for the YESHA Council, an organization which oversees settlements. Yossi Mekelberg, professor of international relations at Regent's University. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

On the 17th of October, at two in the morning local time, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al Abbadi went on television to announce the battle for Mosul had begun. More than 100,000 troops were ready to push ISIL out of the area. The Iraqi army, Shia militias, Sunni tribal fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga - all united against a common enemy. In the first two weeks, they made significant advances. Outlying towns and villages were captured. But by November progress slowed. ISIL had planted explosives and booby traps. Troops were targetted by snipers and suicide bombers. Now, more than two months on, Iraqi forces are hardly making any gains. So, is the strategy to defeat ISIL working and for how long can the battle continue? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: Mouayad Al windawi, director of foreign relations at the Iraqi Centre for Strategic Studies. Ali Al-Dabbagh, a former spokesman for the Iraqi government. Saad Jawad, professor of political science at the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

The Syrian government celebrates the retaking of Aleppo, but what of other areas it has lost. Presenter: Hazem Sika Guests: Louay Safi - chairman of the Syrian American Council and a former spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition Pavel Felgenhauer - Russian military and defence specialist Michael Horowitz - director of intelligence at the geopolitical consultancy, Prime Source - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

Cairo comes under pressure from US president-elect Donald Trump and Israel to withdraw resolution. Presenter: Sohail Rahman Guests: Mustafa Barghouti - Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative Timothy Kaldas - Non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy Oded Revivi - Chief Foreign Envoy for the YESHA Council, a group representing Israeli settlements - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

There has been no shortage of evidence of crimes carried out in Syria during the five years of conflict - both by the government and opposition fighters. In no other conflict have so many atrocities been so widely seen and shared on television and social media. More than half the population have been driven out of their homes, and close to 400,000 people killed. Residents have remained under siege and heavy bombardment for months at a time. Children have starved after being denied food aid and health workers have struggled to treat victims of chemical weapon attacks. But despite the world watching, the atrocities have continued with seeming impunity. So will the UN be able to hold those responsible to account and will anyone be convicted under international law? Presenter: Richelle Carey Guests: Rodney Dixon - An international lawyer with experience in several international criminal courts. Ole Solvang - Deputy Director of the Emergencies Division at Human Rights Watch. Sharif Nashashibi - Award-winning journalist and Middle East analyst. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

Germany's Christmas markets are world-renowned. But an attack in Berlin on Monday changed one from a scene of holiday cheer, to one of death and destruction. The truck rammed into crowds and stalls. 12 people were killed, and 48 injured. And police scrambled to find the person responsible. They arrested a Pakistani refugee, but released him through lack of evidence. Then they began to search for a Tunisian man whose ID was found in the truck. ISIL has claimed the attack, but its role remains unclear and unverified. So what are the political and security ramifications from this latest atrocity? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: John Duke Anthony, founding president of the National Council on US-Arab Relations Raphael Bossong, research associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs Imad Khchifati, a Syrian refugee who was granted asylum in Austria - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/

They're on opposing sides of the war in Syria and have had a rocky relationship. Relations between Russia and Turkey seemed to be improving recently. The shooting of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey is again endangering relations. The gunman was an off-duty Turkish policeman who said he was angry about alleged war crimes by Russia in Syria. Both the Russian and Turkish Presidents say they won't let the assassination affect relations. But what are the long-term implications? And how does the death of the diplomat affect the war in Syria? Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault Guests: Mustafa Akyol, Turkish journalist and author. William Patey, Former British Ambassador. Mark Sleboda, International relations & security analyst. - Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/