rom. >> this is al jazeera. >> welcome to the al jazeera news hour, i'm folly bah thibault. is. >> i'm fe felicity barr in lond. flash points in kiev. and how president putin is tightening his grip on the

russian media. >> to cell phone calls to video games. the scandal, the tech world has had enough. >> we begin with the central african republic where there could be soon more support to bring back civility. likely offer logistical support to the 1600 strong french force already on the ground. nazreen muchari reporting. >> we understand this group of men had guns and grenades inside their vehicles. tide them up and kept them here. now, the french are telling us, these men are the same people

responsible for an exchange of fire earlier in the day, close to the airport. now, this all comes as news is developing of the arrest of a top are sellica commander, very close to michelle dosadir, in french custody. the french are not only disarming, but these people confident in us just to come out and watch what is going on. but there are still tens of thousands much people in the city who are preferring to stay at home or in churches, or under protection of french and african forces at the airport. >> now to ukraine where antigovernment protestors are being urged to stand their ground. as police started barricading. more from felicity.

>> yes, folly, vitale klichko, party of the jailed opposition leader says its headquarters have been raided by masked men who took a computer server. situation in kiev remains tense as police surround the protestors, angry at their president's decision to reject the eu trade deal. despite snow and plummeting temperatures they continue to blockade government buildings. they also blocked off independence square which has been at the very heart of the protests. well meanwhile, president viktor yanukovych has given his first indication he might be willing to listen to protestors. square prison cell.

live now to al jazeera's tim friend in kiev, overlooking the protests. what more do we know about what happened then? >> well, felicity, i think this marks a pretty significant escalation of the situation here. i'm pretty sure that no party headquarters has been raided in this way before. it follows an announcement, interestingly, at the weekend, when the government said its security services were investigating the possibility of opposition figures trying to illegally as they put it overthrow the government. now, there were no further details. but following that, as you were describing, on monday, police of some sort, although the kiev police say they were not

involved, but certainly security people of some sort, went to temeshenko's headquarters and took away this computer server. hshe is currently in jail on wht western powers regard as politically inspired charges. so that does mark quite a change of pace. and earlier, we had the riot police moving into strategic positions around this square in central kiev. and it really went to show that the protestors hold on this square is tenuous, if their supplies are cut off then they really will have problems. >> interestingly, on the political front, we know of course that the eu foreign policy chief, katherine ashton

is due to arrive on tuesday. what doo does this signify? >> authorities show their strength on monday. but it is ahead of the possibility at least of further negotiation. and coincidentally, we heard the president yanukovych who, of course, these protestors want out and new elections taking place, has offered the possibility of talks. the opposition initially have said, we're not prepared to talk. when we're hemmed in by your riot police. but i think with katherine ashton's arrival, there is a possibility, at least account, that the -- at least, that the warg factions in this dispute might move towards talking to each other. that will certainly be her aim. and it's also, i think, although one can never be sure about these things, that while she is

here, perhaps the authorities will not move against the protestors who are still camped out here, as we were saying, and also occupying city hall. >> they are camped out in what are freezing conditions. it's been snowing there for most of the day, as far as we can see. how long can they keep this going bearing in mind they have the threat of people moving in and the freezing conditions to deal with? >> well, it's extraordinary. some of these people have been here for more than two weeks. they're living in tents. and they don't have the latest polar standard equipment. they're using any blankets, sleeping bags they can find. they're wrapped up against the cold. they've been playing football in the square down blow, skidding all over the place, probably in an attempt to keep warm. i sense that from the weekend, obviously, it was a big

demonstration, there was calls for people to come from outside the capital, there were masses of people. the numbers have gone down since then. but perhaps one senses that there is a slight reduction in the number of people in the square. so this is really one of their biggest enemies as far as they are concerned, just the weather. >> tim friend reporting on what is a tense situation in kiev. thanks tim. we'll have a little more later including the u.k. gets its first social supermarket which sells cheap food but only to local people on welfare benefits. >> thank you very much, felicity. let's move on to syria where government forces are claiming a major victory. rebel fighters have been driven out of a town in the west, means the government controls one of

the only supply routes connecting northern juniors to the south. andrew simmons reports. >> they had to defend the town but the rebels had to withdraw in the heaviest fighting in ten days. used to belong to opposition forces, but that's changing now. and with it, heavy losses on both sides. along with an unknown number of civilian deaths. over the last three weeks, a series of rebel held towns have fallen. first kara then dar atier, with nabak taken, major supply routes between damascus is now retain. with nabak fallen, the rebels are surrounded. opposition forces are being led by forces linked to al qaeda, also include the free syrian army. on the other side, assad's

forces, critical in shifting the balance of power here to the assad forces. on sunday a heb hezbollah commar was killed with three fighters, about but civilian deaths, feu imagefewimages alongside. she found this on sunday. >> we came into the basement finding this entire family dead, executed by guns. >> one town now under the control of assad forces. gaining full control of the region hasn't been achieved. now, with the mountainous territory under the icy grip of winter, this battle isn't over yet.

andrew simmons, al jazeera, beirut. >> assad forces may have won a strategic battle but how would that affect the broader war? the city of a aleppo, islamist rebels have made notable gains and the capital damascus is under government control but the suburbs and surrounding country side remain in dispute. joining us now is elias hannah. thank you very much for being on al jazeera. when you look at the map of syria right now and which side controls what areas, who would you say is winning this war right now? >> i think we are in a state

made situation. you have four parts of syria now. in the north you have turkey as a dominant power, and you have jordan, and this highway that divides syria into east and west, most important strategic highway, is dividing syria into two parts. the interior, the east where you have the rebels around the western side of you know this highway where you have the majority of the population, where the palamon is waging now. so this is the situation in syria. in tell us about the strategic importance of nabak which the government forces have managed to regain, the kalamun region, do you think it will be all over for the region if they are able to regain the entire region? >> i don't think so. the corridor between lebanon between this highway and the lebanese border is highly

important. i think it's the wish of what happened last year in el kosai, if you control this area you secure the backyard of the regime and then the border with lebanon. so it's going to be highly important strategically. moreover, you could use it to take the chemical weapons out of syria today and this situation the regime is in win win situation. delivers for the international community as well as he controls an area not used to be under his control. but this is difficult terrain, this is a difficult place. >> tactically, tell us how it is bashar al-assad's forces managed to recover so much ground? has their strategy changed over the last few months? >> the area, the kalamun area is very rough terrain, mountainous terrain, rough terrain.

the regime followed compartments, dealing with each part apart or looking for the center of gravity of the rebels, and then pounding them because he has the upper hand as far as the fire power. and then go into the urban area, they become you know the help of hezbollah where ali bazi was killed as you mentioned in your report. >> what about the rebels? what do they need to do strategically to regain the territory they have lost in several months, if they were able to capture damascus itself from the government, that would be a big victory wouldn't it? >> i think the rebels having a strategic problem. there is no unity of command, no back from outside. and the corridor is the area between the hammer and the anvil. regime from the east and hezbollah from the west. the regime is having this momentum and trying to

consolidate his gains. the rebels need different kinds of approaches but this area as much as i can say is militarily weak and is going to go, you know. >> general hanna, thank you, for your insight. elias hanna joining us from beirut. still ahead on the al jazeera news hour, they got what they wanted. they are still not going home. details coming up. plus students in egypt have been demonstrating for months and now the government is running amok. and the short list for footballer of the year. robin will have news coming up later in the news hour. >> a mass funeral has been held for more than 50 people killed in an attack on the yemeni

government. al qaeda has said it was behind the attack. it says the ministry has been targeted because u.s. forces have been operated from there. from yemen after that attack, seven filipinos have been killed. about 70 philippine nationals were working in the military hospital. about 10 million filipinos work overseas mostly in the middle east. more than 140 students have been arrested in egypt during a protest university in cairo. one student is in intensive care after being shot. a student said al assad university, protest oorgs several police cars were set on fires. well, the students have been demonstrating for months now against a military takeover in july. they're also calling for the release of dozens of students

who have been arrested and jailed without charge. fighting with security forces last month. bernard smith has more from cairo. >> former center of islamic education in egypt has been one of the focal points for people, students protesting the coup that deposed mohamed morsi back in september. there's fighting still ongoing despite the arrests, between students and security forces all day. in fact it seems to have stepped up over the past few days, protests pretty much all the time but yesterday we had a group of women students just outside the university beaten up by local residents and by security forces, we are told. earlier last month we had 21 students facing trial for previous protests at al assad university and we have another 12 students who have been jailed

for 17 years for protesting again at that same university. so a considerable crack down by the security forces against the students and at al assad university and they are continuing to protest and they seem to be gathering in intensity. >> thailand will hold its parliamentary plekses o election january 2nd, after yin luck shinawatra has, run the country. wayne hay reports from bangkok. >> the leader of the 18th government movement call for one last are topple of governments. long list of protestors, called this their final battle and said their objective was clear.

>> to be the winner. >> the protest started a month ago with the stated aim of returning power to the people. and as they began their long march the prime minister made a concession. >> translator: brothers and sisters of thailand. i am young luck shinawatra, the prime minister of thailand. i'd like to notify everyone after listening to opinions from all sides that i have decided to request a royal decree to dissolve parliament this year. >> but the goals of the protestors have changed. as they arrived to the office of the prime minister, it became clear that a new election wasn't enough. >> translator: dissolving parliament doesn't matter. we have come here because we want to restore the monarchy and the nation. the parliament doesn't solve the problems. >> the opposition democrat party which has failed to win the last

five elections, a trend that's likely to continue in the next vote. now the people here say they want to eradicate the former regime of thaksin shinawatra, the form he priermts. the brother-in-law of thaiksin shinawatra. he delivered another fiery speech among tens of thousands of supporters and repeated his call for a reform committee to run the country. this means that from now on the people will appoint a people's prime minister and a people's government. from now on we will have the people's counsel doing the

legislating. >> the protestors ago seem like they're settling in for another long fight even though this was supposed to be their last day. wayne hay, bangkok. trip is intended to repair regulations between the two countries. but as zintai thai records from islamabad, this was mired in controversy. >> this is the first time, u.s. secretary of defense chuck hagel came for talks with noa sharif. including the u.s. raid in which osama bin laden was captured and killed. >> this is not a one off trip. this is part of a series of high level meetings between washington and islamabad, secretary kerry was here previously and the fact that these high level officials are going and coming means that both

countries give this relationship a great deal of importance. >> that's clearly the case. but equally clear is how the u.s.'s drone program remains a divisive issue. in a statement from sharif's office, what h he considered the program counterproductive to efforts to combat terrorism and extremism. hagel's visit takes place during protests of antidrone activists. 92nd cargo leaving afghanistan through pakistan. sharif's government opposes the drone program. >> they create a lot of anger and therefore put a lot of pressure on the government which in turn puts pressure on washington. >> hagel is the first high ranking u.s. official to meet

general ruhil sharif. discussing the defense relationship between the two countries while the u.s. attempts to end its combat role in afghanistan. declined to meet with afghan president hamid karzai. ties on this side of the border may be improving but ties on other side of the fence continue to be tense. al jazeera, islamabad. in neighboring afghanistan, president hamid karzai is still refusing to sign a security pact with the united states. it would seem some security forces past 2014 in exchange of billions of dollars of international aid. as dates have come and gonl

afghans have gotten nervous. >> foreign aid and investment poured into the economy and a afghans making money, it's busier than ever because of increasing are anxiety because of the local currency of afghanis. billions of dollars in aid would also remain. without that, the economy is expected to collapse. that delay is causing fear in the business community. >> if it is not signed, then people will be panicked and it will affect the economy of the country. people are running away. people are disappointed and our businessmen are not investing. money dealers are worried because they cannot work confidently.

>> as afghans panic and exchange their money for u.s. dollars the afngafghani is being devalued. prices are going up. it's in markets like this where regular afghans come to spend their money buying food. price he have gone up significantly in in the past few days, that's because those selling the food buy it in wholesale in dollars, they find the don't bias much food that the exchange rate has never been so bad. >> in a few short weeks the price of these sacks of flour has risen 10% traders say. >> the prices have become so my before we could buy when it is cheaper price but now it's expensive and there's less money. people are so poor they can't afford to buy anything. >> few afghans have the wealth to worry about money matters or

business investments. but as the country hangs over the u.s. diplomatic relationships with the u.s., simply putting food on the table. jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. ahead on the news hour, in somalia cozies up to bl al al s. and still ahead in sports, with robin, find out why this shot from zack johnson left tiger woods, we'll be back with the story.

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logistical support, the 1600 strong french force on the ground. police in the ukraine have seized computers from the opposition computers in kiev. protestors in the capitol ordering them to leave. and syrian government forces are painting a major victory in the west. rebel forces have been driven out of the the town of nabak. forced to pay armed groups who work the in the country two years ago. charged $10,000 by al shabaab to register. more than 250,000 people died in drought-affected regions in somalia, until 2012 half of them children. ashley jackson, research

fellow at the overseas research institute, ashley, thank you for being with us on al jazeera. tell us the extent to which these aid agencies were willing to compromise with al shabaab to gain access to areas affected by the famine? >> well, it was an impossible dilemma for aid agencies as you just said. over a quarter million people died on the famine in the time of weeks and months. it was either negotiate with al shabaab in the hopes you could reach somalis or withdraw. >> is this pattern of intimidation and extortion that exists in somalia evident in other places of world or does this just happen in somalia, if you will? >> absolutely it does. somalia is an extreme example but it is by far not the only one. in syria and yemen and pakistan

and afghanistan you find similar patterns of armed groups seeking to exploit aid agencies. we did research with the taliban in afghanistan last year and we found a similar system of registering and surveilling. not having female staff or not doing girls education. and it was a really difficult thing for aid agencies in afghanistan just as it is in somalia. >> but having to pay money i imagine is even more difficult. and it's a fine line that these aid groups have to walk seeking access to areas, often means having to negotiate with al shabaab, a group that is considered a terrorist organization by countries like the united states. and so therefore, that puts these aid groups in violation of international laws. how do they deal then with that aspect? >> it's extremely difficult. the laws are murky but they're far-reaching and some aid agencies we talked to felt they

could be put in jail simply for talking to al shabaab. you can't work in al shabaab areas without their permission, that's the honest truth, they won't allow it, they will attack you, they will expel you. so these aid agencies had to walk a very fine line. >> what do you recommending they could these aid agencies or recommendations of the governments of these countries like somalia? >> well, i think the problem is that aid agencies are up against the wall. they're hit from all sides. there's counter-terror legislate whiclegislation which you just mentioned. to reach civilians affected by war, to create humanitarian exemption. having an honest and transparent discussion about what aid agencies are actually doing, how much they're paying, what the pressures are is really important. and these pressures, this

criminalization of humanitarian engagement gets in the aware of that. there is a lot western states can do but i think it's important to remember it's the armed groups themselves who are the main obstacle and it's their attitudes, their coercion, their violence towards aid workers that is indeed the problem. >> thank you very much for speaking to us. that's ashley jackson from the international aid group joining us, thanks for your time. venezuela's president nicholas maduro, united socialist party had 49% of the votes compared to the opposition party's 43%. this was considered a test of the government, a reaction from president maduro and his opponents. >> translator: today without a doubt this great victory we have achieved without a doubt the people of venezuela have told the world that the bolivarian

revolution continues. >> translator: the results according to the national electoral council are that the psuv got 44% and the democratic round table got 40%. this means this is a divided country. do we want a divided venezuela? no, we want a united venezuela. technology companies are demanding, surveillance, written have written an open letter to president barack obama and the congress saying we understand government has a duty to protect their citizens but this summer's revelations, highlighted the need to release government surveillance worldwide. they went on to add the balance has slipped on the way to the state and away from the individual, this undermines the freedomfreedoms we all cherish.

and it's also emerged that some of those same companies and their customers have been infiltrated by intelligence agencies. microsoft's x box live network was one of them. under cover officers allegedly used games like world of war craft and second life to scout out potential informants. checked communications between millions of x box gamers. shi has more. >> the more we learn about the scale of the national security agency stages, the less likely we're to trust them. they are calling for the end of bulk data collection, after hoovering up of our international usage, around also more transparency and accountability in the process of surveillance. and it's not just e-mails and general web data but is being

surveyed according to the latest observation from edward snowden, game players are being targeted. x box live a virtual gaming network, is being infiltrated by spies, so many spies that huge procedures are worked out to prevent spice from spying on each other. russia's president has issued a surprise decree shutting down the country's main states news agency. let's go back to felicity in london for more. >> yes, folly, vladimir putin is opening a new news agency, headed by the ultraconservative news executive. peter sharp has more from moscow.

>> this isn't any ordinary news organization, this is one of the biggest news agencies in the world. it's got bureaus in more than 30 countries. it's one of the main sponsors for the winter olympics in sochi, was formed in 1941, just when the germans were invading the soviet union. in recent years it has not necessarily followed the party line and also one of its chief editors has had an uneasy relationship with one of vladimir putin's senior press officers at the kremlin. was this expected? not according to local journalists at the organization. first they knew was when the news came on the kremlin's website. and the man chosen to run the are organization, that's dimitri kasiliof, well-known anchor, talk show host, venomous comments, very antigay, very antiopposition, very

antiamerican. his appointment will be seen basically i think as a further example of putin and the kremlin putting pressure on a very already heavily regulated media. >> the charismatic new leader of italy has dismissed suggestions he might vote against the current government. 38-year-old mateo renzi has criticized the form he government for not pushing forward with economic reforms early enough but will have a confidence vote on wednesday. primary on sunday. an italian coast guard official has testified that hundreds of people were still on board the costa concordia when its captain abandoned the ship. ordered frances coe scatino to get back on board.

he is on trial for abandoning ship. 32 people died when the ship sank. cutting jobs over the next five years. the layoffs will affect workers in germany france spain and britain. better news though for the civilian aircraft division of e ads, airbus, kuwaiti airlines have signed to buy a total of $4.4 billion worth of airplanes. cheapest food store, of britain with prices up to 70% lower than other shops. tried and tested in spain and greece, provides the communities most in need with surplus food from big chain supermarkets. from south yorkshire, reporting.

>> the poor are getting poorer but this community supermarket hopes to help those in need. some of whom have been relying on handouts and emergency food tbarchtion osurvive. 500 locals have been offered exclusive access, along with key cards to access the store. >> it's about using surplus food for social good and the people that benefit the most from that are those on the cusp of food poverty. >> the stores are from country's supermarkets, for some reason or another may have been thrown away, misshapen or mislabeled. but this is more than just low cost food, but forcing people back into mainstream society. >> it's been opened. people don't have a lot of money

so. >> more than a thousand similar stores have opened in spain and greece during the global recession, 20 more are planned for u.k. next year. nigel green is also set to benefit from the new supermarket. he manages spiraling costs by growing miss own food. >> prices in supermarket and touch are really high. it's really high. as morrison and all them. >> as many this winter, nigel has been forced to choose between eating and heating his home. >> we spend 15 pound a week on electric and gas. you have to make a choice on what you want. >> the u.k. is the world's 6th largest economy but one in five

live below the state poverty line. hard times now call for creative solutions. cleecleve barker, al jazeera, london. >> did not suffer engine or gear box failure. the chopper came down on the busy pub in glas gow. the rotors were not turning when it came down. no reason for that. already celebrating christmas with a record breaking cake. the traditional stollne weighs in at a massive 4246 kilos, created to celebrate the dresden

markets, took three and a half weeks to make, contained more than 16 million calories. sadly women are only supposed to have around 2500 a day. folly. >> thanks felicity. coming up next, robin has sports including detailers how a footballer has been arrested in the fixing scandal. do stay with us. >> and now a techknow minute...

>> welcome back.

preparations are underway in south africa for the state funeral of nelson mandela. more than 90 heads of state will fly in for the event of the f and b stadium in suweto. president obama is on his way with his first lady michelle and bill clinton and george bush are on their way. mandela believed education was the foundation of a new south africa. but the legacy of apartheid is proving hard to overcome. al jazeera's feda gresse has the story. >> nelson mandela enjoying his favorite date, supporting and encouraging children in school. from the start of his career as an antiapartheid activist the statesman put education at the

top of the schedule. to educate the nation's once depressed youth. in 1996, the suweto, then the language of oppression. linda molefe was one of those young students who rioted. he is now the principal of a secondary school one of suweto's most successful. he keeps eye over the classes acutely aware of the country's lessons. >> we are throwing without, knowing exactly. but later because of these little meetings or little held at night or in some corners they were trying to educate us to begin to understand why the boycott, why the situation, why the uprising. >> here as nelson mandela did,

to give them both purpose and hope. the since then the anc has really struggled to fulfill nelson mandela's idealistic mission. overcrowding is rife. schools on the bleak south side capetown are more typical the system is troubled with. >> information technology. >> activists argue, there is a dangerous gap between the promise of education and what it actually delivers. schools boast a 70% pass rate but to graduate students only need 30% of on their exams. a third of them won't be literate by the time they leave. >> about 50% of those young people have fallen out of the system. so irt also has to do with the curriculum. it also has to do with the kind of training that our teachers

had during the end today. >> so schools are still struggling with the legacy of apartheid, this generation is bearing the scars of the system much longer than nelson mandela ever imagined. peti gresta, al jazeera, cape town. >> the short list of the world football, surprises el madrid and bril brilliant in 2013, spog 16 goals for club and country. barcelona's are star has won this crown but argentina has been troubled by injury this year. midfielder, won the champions league as well as the

bundesliga, on january the 13th. former the english footballer, d.j. campbell one of six people regarding spot fixing in british football. 32-year-old currently place for blackmond dover, told an undercover reporter that he could fix premier league and world matches. for over $100,000. lee welling, says the arrest of campbell will concern england's football authorities. >> there were arrests and charges last month at english nonleague level which underlined how often the fix is, from singh and elsewhere. they'll target lower leagues,

they're more vulnerable but yes, they are involving portsmouth, who are in league 1 now in league 2, familiar level, that's the league we're talk there. now the championship, just been played with d.j. campbell just being arrested, it is a huge worry, they have all come out, everyone around the game is concerned about this and of course it is not just england, it's happening everywhere and it is because of the ability to manipulate an individual instant. this is not match fixing this is about spot fixing rather like the pakistan cricket scandal at lords in 2010. the ability to take charge of the game target that and make money. that's what these allegations are all about. that means that all sport is vulnerable. >> there's been serious crowd trouble at a football match in brazil, are vasco de gama, few

minutes, one seriously injured fan had to be air lifted to hospital and the match did resume with 160 riot police, the players were visibly upset. vascal ended up losing and being relegated security concern, world cup security. asher series against england completed a comfortable 218, adelaide resuming on 247 for 6 england soon lost, ended up taking four wic wickets. australian, soon ended up mitchell johnson was named man of the match. >> these two wins are satisfying because of the work we're

bringing over a long period of time. in our opinion, two test matches it's hard work that we put in in the u.k. and we thought we were so close but we didn't get over the line and were disappointed not to get that success in england so we as a team believe the work had been put in for a long period of time and now we're seeing some results which is very pleasing. >> you have to be honest with ourselves, we haven't played well enough in this game. no one cels change it for us. we can't sit there moapg around about it. it's hurting like hell but we are the only guys that can change it. >> tiger woods blew a four shot lead at his poa own tournament n california. >> tiger woods came close but not close enough. woods was paired with the fellow

former masters champion zack johnson, 18 hole battle after johnson closed birdies on 16 and 17. zack johnson appeared to be finished after he put his approach shot in the water. but having taken a drop, johnson produced this moment of magic. tiger needed par on the final hole. but he placed his second shot in the bunker. woods recovered to save par to force a one-hole playoff. woods and johnson would play 18 again. and tiger found himself back in the same bunker. after zack johnson two-putted for par, tiger needed to sink his par putt to force a second playoff hole. but with the miss johnson completed the come back.

finishing four under on sunday and 13 under overall for the tournament. >> it's nice. especially when it's my last tournament of the year, and you know i mean -- tiger played great. a couple putts here, couple putts there, ones i made he missed, tip of the cap. he's the host. >> what did he on 16, 17 and 18, you know he got me. >> the world challenge was johnson's first victory of the new season and his final appearance of 2013. zamir karim al jazeera. >> one of the floyd mayweather versuversus manny pacao, brendan rios, should he push for the fight and mayweather refuses he

risks being stripped of the title. would love to know your thoughts how you're getting to act on facebook, twitter, aljazeera.com/sports. >> thank you very much robin thanks a lot. now an olympic gold medal won by jessie owens, has broken records at auction. al jazeera has the story. >> this is one gold medal with a very colorful history. won by jesse owens, has been snapped up for nearly $1.5 million. the highest paid for an olympic medal and it's not just a symbol of sporting try ux. owens, a black american athlete was competing at games that hitler used to display at nazi

germany. as hitler watched on, are owens shattered those notions, and he didn't do it just once. in fact owens captured the 100 meter, 200 meter, the 400 meter and the long jump. he was the world record holder of the long jump a distinction he held for 25 years. yet the olympic glory did not guarantee an easy life. owens returned to a segregated america, faced financial troubles declaring himself bankrupt at one point, he eventually became a successful public speaker. but it's that moment in 1936 that's continued to shine in the life of jesse owens. his historic victory over prejudice. >> we'll leave you now with pictures over johannesburg, south africa, where tributes continue to gather for former

president nelson mandela. stay here with us on al jazeera.

>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters, these are the stories we're doing for you. world leaders are making their way to south africa, honoring nelson mandela. troops on the ground in the central african republic, there to stop the violence that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. the clock is once again ticking for congress for lawmakers it is the final week of the year. both houses in washington at the same time, and both houses facing a