>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello, and welcome to the news hour from our news centers in doha and london. the man tasked are ending syria's war says the u.s. is blocking iran's participation in the peace talks next month. tens of thousands of people are forced out of their homes in south sudan as the fighting spreads. hello there, i'm julie mcdonald in london.

the russian businessman mikhail khodorkovsky is released from jail. and this canadian team has struggled with a stutter all his life. >> i -- i -- it's my -- it's my way to co come -- come -- communicate. >> but you'll see what happens when he gets behind a mic. ♪ the lists of countries that will attend peace talks on syria has been unveiled. the un special envoy says 26 countries including saudi arabia has been invited but iran remains the sticking point. let's go to james bays who joins

us live from geneva. james this is the list, but it's not the final list, i understand. >> no, there is still discussion taking place. we had the meeting taking place here inning geneva, the last preparatory meeting. they are insisting that the peace talks are taking place on january 22nd. there is no stopping them, but most of the unresolved issues were not sorted out at this meeting. as you say they announced a list of 26 countries, but there is one country that is still under debate. this is what the ambassador had to say. >> translator: we were about to agree on one party, and i think you know what party, with iran. we didn't reach an agreement with iran. of course it's known that we at the united nations welcome participation with iran but the

united states disagrees. >> but it is still under discussion, of course that is not the only issue that needs to be resolved. another important part is who is coming from syria. who is coming from the syrian government side, and who is coming from the opposition. they had hoped they would actually have a list of names. but we were told that so far the syrian government has said yes, we're coming. yes, we have our list of names, but the un has not yet been given a list of names. on the opposition side it was suggested that it would be good to come up the names by the 27th of december, but we're told they

are going to need longer than that. he admitted that it is going to be extremely hard to be fully representative. and you know many fighting on the ground have already said they don't support this conference at all. >> if the opposition is represented completely, does that mean they have given up their condition that bashar al-assad be removed from power before taking part in these talks? >> yes, i think there are some members of the opposition who will attend, who will not have that as a precondition. but are pretty convinced that if they follow what they say they are going to follow, which is the words of geneva one, the conference held here over a year ago, that it means assad cannot be in power. because the whole idea that came

out of geneva one is you have to have both sides sitting down, and they have to come up with a transitional government with full executive power that both sides agree on. an opposition is never going to agree to assad being in a transitional government. >> all right. james thank you very much. our diplomatic editor reports live from geneva. britain has become the latest country to offer to help to destroy syrian's chemical weapons. the us, russia, china, denmark, norway, and finland have already confirmed their commitment. the war in syria has kills tens of thousands of peoples and millions have been displaced. it has always stopped many children from going to school. but some students are determined to get a basic education.

>> reporter: it is bitterly cold but these children are determined to go to school, so they trek through muddy roads. this is what is left of their school. but this child like many others want to learn. >> translator: we feel very cold, but we came here for an education. >> reporter: jamal is in a similar situation. >> translator: i have not been to school for two years because of the rockets and shelling. >> reporter: the war in syria is not only killing people, it is eliminating education that is needed. >> translator: the education process suffers many difficulties. there is no official support. in all levels we have so many problems. we need support and we need to rebuild the destroyed and bomb

schools. >> reporter: students were among the first to take part in anti-government process. there is ongoing violence and bombardment, but it's their future that hangs in the ambulance. the united nations says at least 20 people have been killed after rm articled men attacked a un base in south sudan. the un has just released its preliminary account of what happened. let's talk to kat turner. we're starting to get a clearer picture of what exactly happened. >> yes, clearer and more increasingly disturbing as well. as you mentioned we have been hearing a little bit more about what has been coming out. some fairly blunt language coming from the french

ambassador who is also the spokesperson for the secretary general about what hand and where to now. what is really worrying about the civilians. the french ambassador simply said we don't know what happened to them. there were 36 who thought refuge there, they fear that at least 20 have been killed. so it certainly suggests they have some intelligence resources. but they simply don't know what has happened. certainly very concerning information there. they have talked about really this number of 2,000 youth surrounding the un base, completely out numbering the 90 or so staff inside the base and completely overrunning it. the base is now empty. the un has extracted everyone from it.

it was only a temporary one at the start. the french ambassador has spoken very plainly about what happened there, but he is clear that he still believes the security council, and it is still a political situation but here is what he had to say earlier. >> it's a political crisis within the leadership, but as i said, you have a political crisis, and you have a prouder keg, which is the ethnic question. so the political crisis could lead to a civil war if we don't solve very quickly the political crisis through dialogue. >> so the french ambassador says this is a political crisis, but if the situation were to worsen, and we to see another civil war in south sudan, what would the

un do then to prevent an attack like that from happening at other un bases across south sudan. >> exactly. that is where a lot of the attention on the secretary general and the ambassador. what can you do now? the french ambassador said this situation has changed dramatically overnight. it is a totally new situation and new threat, and they have to adjust their system. he said there are about 4,000 un soldiers in south sudan but they are scattered. but the officials are basically saying this is not our job -- we try to protect civilians, but we can't do it when we are outnumbered. they are still talking through what they can possibly do next to keep their mandate and protect these civilians in south sudan. >> all right. thank you very much. let's get an update on the

situation on the ground in south sudan, and join harrah in juba. juba of course was where it all started before the fighting spread. tell us about the situation there now. >> well, a nighttime curfew is in place, and people are taking the necessary precautions. you don't go out on the streets unless you have to, because there are lots of soldiers patrolling the area. families that can afford it are staying in hotels in case there is fighting overnight. on friday morning we heard gunfire near the u.s. embassy compound. it wasn't for long, but it freaked out a few people. at hospitals we saw people who were injured during the last few days of fighting. hospital officials say they mainly were shot in the back while running away. we're still seeing soldiers bringing dead bodies to the

morgue. >> and what about on the political front? any progress there to try to get the rival parties -- vice president riek machaar who is accused, of course, of trying to make a coup in south sudan and that of the president, salva kiir. is there any sign they could be talking about trying to resolve this political crisis? >> well, foreign ministers are in juba. we saw them today in the government compounds. and they seem optimistic. they came out saying they are happy with the discussions they have had with government officials. but the former vice president, riek machaar has come out and said he is not willing to engage in dialogue until certain conditions are met. one of them is that the president, salva kiir has to

resign, and those arrested for the so-called coup plot must be released from prison. so it's unclear when these negotiations will start if they do at all. >> thank you very much. and we want to direct you to our website to get the latest there on the situation in south sudan, and the former vice president, riek machaar, spoke to al jazeera from a secret location. you can get more on that interview, and everything that is happening in south sudan on our website, aljazeera.com. in other world news, 85 people have been arrested in egypt after another friday of protests across the country. protests organized by supporters of the ousted president mohammed morsi. there have also been protests in giza and suez where security

forces have used tear gas to try to disburse the protesters. >> reporter: we have seen those reports and pictures of the protester from across the country, and everywhere the pattern has been pretty much the same. the protesters have been on the streets, and the police have responded with tear gases to disburse the protests. so far we don't have any reports of fatalities, although that could change. but it seems to be routine on friday. i think it would be too much to say these demonstrations represent a ground swell of opposition to the government. but they do represent a very hard core of opponents who are absolutely steadfast in their

opposition to what they have called the coup. they have launched their campaign under the new slogan, the 2012 constitution is our contusion. and this is to go against the new constitution which has just been completed. the anti-coup alliance are due to announce their official position on the draft constitution on sunday, but i think it will be pretty much a restatement of what they said all along, and that is to boycott those. so between now and then i think we can see a continuation of these daily protests. a brazen attack on a government official in the philippines, why police suspect this airport shooting was politically motivated. and the bill that would criminallize homosexuality in uganda, and how just knowing someone who is gay might land people behind bars.

and in sports, find out why this man has been kicking off an argument with his employers. the former russian oil tycoon, mikhail khodorkovsky is enjoying his first days of freedom. >> thank you. khodorkovsky was freed after spending more than ten years in jail. he issued a statement thanking all of those who supported him during his imprisonment. and a special thanks to the german governor who was instrumental in his release. >> reporter: 24 hours ago he was a prisoner, on friday he was a free man on foreign soil. the pardon of president vladimir putin was signed in the

morning. an hour later, mikhail khodorkovsky left the prison and blue to berlin and had this message for those who had supported him. >> he was sent to the penile colony in 2003. khodorkovsky was named as prisoner of conscious by amnesty international. he was one the richest man in russia. business company was broken up and sold off mostly to state oil

company after his arrest on fraud and tax evasion charges. his surprise release seen by russian commentators as an attempt by the president to brush up his image. >> at a time when he is referred to as -- as bad, as an evil leader, he is suddenly attracts the whole world to himself as a merciful leader who can pardon. >> reporter: on thursday at a marathon four-hour news conference, the president announced an amnesty that would free 25,000 people including the punk group pussy riot, and the arctic 30. this shows how serious he is about trying to silence his critics in the west over his record at a time when russia will be under microscopic

examination as they arrive for the winter olympics in just six week's time. >> a very welcome to the studio. how surprised are you at his release and seeking of a pardon? >> i'm surprised but not shocked. i think this was coming. i had a good campaign behind him in terms of -- to release him. i think also putin has shown signs of being slightly more flexible, and signs that he wants to attract a better image for himself, particularly with the winter olympics coming up next year. and by his standards he has shown signs of making concessions than he normally would. >> and do you think sochi is key to this timing? >> yeah, i don't think it is a coincidence that we're only six

weeks away from the winter olympics, and putin sees the lichices as a real showcase for his presidency, and he has taken a lot of time to build up the olympics, a lot of money has been invested. oll olliegogs have donates lots of money. and putin is a huge sportsman. >> khodorkovsky was painted as a political prisoner, but there were charges against him. how serious were those charges? >> khodorkovsky was not really a political prisoner. he was funding opposition political parties and presenting a case against putin in 2003. but the reality is he was not a prisoner of conscious, in the extent that he was to a large

extent guilty of a lot of the charges against him. he was russia's richest man. he acquired a vast fortune, at least $10 billion based on manipulating the system of privatization in the 1990s, where we acquired assets worth billions and billions. >> how powerful of an individual is he now? >> khodorkovsky is potentially still very powerful in this that i believe that he has still got a lot of money stashed away in offshore bank accounts and trusts and companies. only a small number of people know how to access that money. but i think he could use that money to run political campaigns from abroad. i think we'll spending time in germany, and go to america, and reinvent himself. but in 2003 he thought he was so wealthy, he could take on the

kremlin and the russian state, and at the time that was a gross error of judgment. at this time it's hard to know what he is going to do, but i think he is not going to make that same mistake, and i can't see him really being a real genuine political opponent to putin. >> thanks for joining us with your thoughts and analysis. that's all for the moment from london. we'll be back with more news from europe a little later on. >> thank you very much. rwanda's government says it is sending soldiers to the central african republic. there has been a surge of attacks in muslim neighborhoods in the capitol. a christian militia is reportedly behind the violence. >> reporter: this is a strong hold for the christian militia.

there have been a number of arrests already, and there has been a period of absolute tension on friday. that followed attacks on thursday. you can see one of the placards. one of the many parts of a demonstration that is being quite concerted in the capitol. and over there you get an idea of how political this has become. demands for the president to resign. all over the city there is tension. all over the city there is a change in the dimension of this, in that the anti-ballca movement concerted to take on the peace coopers. this force was attacked in only a few hours of the handover. gunmen in the philippines have filled four people including a municipality mayor.

his wife and baby were also gunned down at the airport >> reporter: philippine police describe it as one of the most brazen attacks on a government official this year. the mayor was shot dead friday afternoon. also killed was his wife, 18-month-old baby, and a relative. airport officials admit there are no security cameras in the arrival area. >> translator: we're scared. we were scared to go on our vacation. if my flight wasn't scheduled today, i wouldn't have travelled here. i would have canceled my flights because i'm scared. until now i seem to be shaking. >> translator: it's worrisome because this could mean that security is weak in the airport. so i think they should do something about this. it's scary. >> reporter: police believe this could be politically motivated.

the mayor has survived several assassination attempts this year. this is what is left of the crime scene now. just several hours later, airport operations are well underway again. that along with many others is part of a long list of extra judicial killings that have long been committed in this country. an historic decision has been made in canada. a supreme court has struck down all current restrictions on prostitution. the sweeping 9-0 decision will take effect in many one year. there is plenty more ahead. we'll be in madagascar where people are choosing a new president in a runoff vote.

and con -- the religious controversy over one of turkey's greatest monuments. stay with us. >> al jazeera america is the only news channel that brings you live news at the top of every hour. >> here are the headlines at this hour. >> only on al jazeera america.

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♪ welcome back. you are watching the news hour on al jazeera. a reminder now of our top stories. 26 countries have been invited to at tend the syrian peace talks. the u.s. is blocking iran's attendance. the united nations say at least 20 men were killed when the un base was attacked in sudan. and khodorkovsky was freed after spending ten years behind bars in a russian prison. kenya's attorney general has welcomed a decision by the international criminal court to

delay its case from its former president. the case against him appears to be falling apart. some victims are wondering if they will ever see anyone ever held accountable. >> translator: it's almost six years since nancy was raped during kenya's post election violence, but still comes to this community center to help her move on. >> i'm not good. >> reporter: the mother of three says she is not happy the international criminal courts case against the president appears to be falling apart. >> all i want is justice. i don't want anybody's money. i want justice. because i lost everything. everything. everything. >> reporter: the trial was initially due to start in february. he is accused of orchestrating weeks of violence which followed the 2007 presidential election.

he was not president at the time. 1200 people died. but they asked for the case to be adjourned saying one witness was no longer willing to testify, while another confessed to lying. she has previously spoken of a campaign against witnesses. this will be seen as quite a blow to the icc. this will also be seen as a victory for kenyan's african yuanianal -- allies. they have accepted up attacks against the country in the mall tragedy.

other trials started earlier this year. it's not clear if thursday's decision will have an effect on ruutu's trial. >> it must be prosecution, because you have 90% good evidence, so i would not feel obliged to prosecute. i would be obliged to do justice. >> reporter: the prosecutor says she remains committed to kenyan's victims, indicating she is not ready to withdrawal charges against the president just yet. yuganda's parliament has passed a bill that out laws homosexuals. and rights activists tell al jazeera they will try to block the law in court.

>> the bill has gotten a lot of support you uganda citizens. right now because it was very quick for the bill to be passed through our parliament it is very unclear what the president is likely to do with this legislation, but we are going to work as hard as possible to make sure the president looks into this quickly before he signs anything. and i think also the bill has put so many clauses that criminalize same-sex-sex acts, and also abuse human rights of minority people. and also stops a lot of work, including work with hiv aids, and support coming into uganda, support that is aimed at

supporting any kind of minorities or lgbt rights. so for me i see this as the worst ever legislation to be passed. the people of madagascar have within voting for a new president. from the capitol, here is al jazeera's tanya paige. >> reporter: this is one of the presidential hopefuls. he won the first round in october. he has been endorsed by the former president who was deposed in 2009. >> translator: this is a turning point for our country and for the development of our nation. i want to remind madagascar people that this election must unite us. >> reporter: madagascar was already poor before the coup, but the economy was growing when the outgoing president seized

power, international donors fled. now most madagascar people survive on less than $2 a day. >> translator: we want a change and more jobs. >> translator: whoever wins the election, the priority must be the economy. we have to get back to normal. >> translator: we expect change, but if they don't respect the law, it will be difficult and what good will come of it? >> reporter: the outgoing president backs the other candidate for the top job. a return to democracy, stability, and economic growth will depend on whether the military stays in its barracks and the looser accepts the results. >> this is shortly after the death of mandela, this country

can emulate that spirit now. so the election is the first important political milestone. >> reporter: madagascar is about the size of france. if there are any delays in counting and collating the results, then suspicions of fraud will be raised. even if the election wasn't perfect, it has to satisfy the international commune and millions of madagascmadagascara. when the british soldier was killed there were fears that there would be a religious outbreak. >> thank you. people worried about religious violence breaking out across

britain. but the dignity with which the muslims dealt with the backlash averted the danger. >> reporter: there had been nothing like ever before. the moment the harshest military elements and harshest elements of muslim were brought about. the police genuinely thought what happened here could tip things over. it was a sort of perfect storm they feared on the one hand anti-british muslims and on the other equally hard core disenfranchised working class men. how would british muslim leaders react? and the second question is how many whites would sign up but instead the muslim community came under sustained assault. but as acts of provocation, they

failed. >> dozens of terrorist plots since 9/11 actually. so that has all added to the experience. but it wasn't a tactical matter only. >> reporter: it became the view of the political elite that this widespread dignity by the muslim community stopped the would be violence. >> they responded by saying yes, there is a grip. we know what has happened. we appreciate that these two men are really off the wall. they represent no up surge of feeling of lidge massey in our country, and we're not going to allow them to destroy that really important social cohesion that holds us together. >> reporter: the defense league came under growing pressure to follow the example of the

britishish muslim leaders. now the leader remains under repentant that islam needs to reform. but he also said the attackers completely failed to understand the movement. >> i had a conversation and they said you do support your troops? and i do support them wholeheartedly. they are sent to war by the elected queen for oil or for their own things. but we as a public are disgusted. >> reporter: al jazeera obtained this footage of in meeting, of which the talk is of the need for the law of sharia law in

the uk. a libyan politician's attempt to sue britain's intelligence services has been prevented by the high court in london. they were on abducted in malaysia. britain provided support to the cia officers. he was an exiled opponent of gadhafi is is now a leading poll situation in libya. thank you for being with us. it seems when we read through this case that he was on the very wrong end of some rough treatment. why did the action fail? >> well, the judge has said because the u.s. was involved in the operation and we have acknowledged it was a joint operation between the british and the u.s. and the libyans, that because of this involvement in particular of the u.s., the

british courts can't deal with those central allegations of the case. >> now the judge said he felt unfortable about having to make that decision, why? >> the judge himself recognizes that he was very uncomfortable with the decision. he has hesitation about it. because he felt it was a potentially well-founded case. we have all seen the evidence coming to the public domain, and that he recognized by making this ruling, he was preventing these clients having access to a court. >> does that mean that these organizations have pretty much free rein to do as they choose? >> well, the ironic outcome is if they were acting alobe, then the courts could look at their conduct and accountability.

but if they start colluding, then the court has said this is off limits. >> does this happen a lot that they work together? >> we have all seen over the last decade the evidence has come out. over the last decade there were a lot situations like this. >> can this case go to appeal? >> certainly. we're seeking permission to appeal. we soon will get that. and it is likely to go all the way up to the supreme court. >> are there other cases like this? >> this is -- this is unique in terms of the evidence. this case and together with the case of [ inaudible ] and his family in that there was such concrete evidence that came to light during the fall of tripoli.

we don't know how many other countless cases there are with this much central involvement of the government. but certainly the guantanamo case where there was evidence of british involvement in those. >> thank you very much for joining us. investigators are trying to establish the cause of a ceiling collapse at a london theater. theater companies have been busy reassuring audiences that the aging venues are still safe. >> reporter: emergency services arrived at the famous old theater within minutes of the accident. a ceiling has collapsed in the middle of a sell-out show. there were hundreds of people in the audience. >> we have taken loads of people to the hospital who has

low-threat injuries. >> reporter: some in the audience said that water started falling, and then bits of plaster started falling. >> there was no warning, there was just a sudden collapse of plaster and some beams from the roof of the auditorium, which was at some height. >> reporter: like many theaters in london, the building is more than 100 years old. the app -- the apollo attracts so many visitors to this theater. authorities are saying this is very much a one off, and theaters in this city are perfectly safe by and large. the west end is proud of its history, but theaters need to

reassure people that buildings are not only full of character, but also well maintained. that's it from london for now. back to doha. still ahead on the news hour, rapping for relief. ♪ >> how one stuttering teen uses rhymes to find his voice, and in sports, find out why europe's golf captain was looking so glum. stay with us.

now first it was a cathedral, then a mosque then a museum, now muslim groups in turkey are working to turn it back into a mosque. >> reporter: it is one of the wonders of antiques. it remains renowned for its size and beauty. it was the seat of the eastern orthodox church for nearly 1,000 years. much of the decoration has been

left intact, and it was turned into a mosque. so it remains for almost 500 years until the new republic of turkey in 1934 turned it into a museum, and banneded all overt worship, christian and muslim. >> that was enough for him to imagine it as belonging to none of those faiths, but to the entire world. to the citizens of istanbul and to the visitors. >> reporter: after a modernizing secular state free from the dictates of religion. but this group has staged many protests calling for it to be reopened as a place of worship but only as a mosque >> translator: more than 90% of

turks are muslims. it's out of the question to use it as a church. it should not be politicized because it is not just significant for turks. it's important to muslims around the world. >> reporter: and they have political support. the deputy prime minister in recent weeks has said he is hopeful about a change in designation. turkey is still exploring the relationship between mosque, church, and state. decades of secular rule did not defend human rights enough. but more human rights also mean the freedom to be much more religious. there is no doubt about the symbolic significance of what is being proposed. if it became a mosque once more it would be one of the top five in the world, but others argue a message of peaceful coexistent

is more important. does a museum achieve that? that is the debate. time now for sports. liverpool has confirmed that suarez has signed a few contract. he had looked to leave the club before. it started when arsenal made a $65 million bid for him. but he was made captain the last game and is now the premier league's top scorer. >> i love the city. and the support is so nice for me. they help me. and i think this is a difficult time, but they held me for the come back to play, and i think -- and i think when -- when the supporter help you outside the pitch, you -- you try the -- the best. liverpool can go top of the

league with a victory on saturday with a welsh club in a rare state of confusion. the manager was told to resign or face being fired. he has had a series of run ins despite guiding them back into the top league for the first time in more than 50 years. he is expected to be in charge for the liverpool game, but he was absent from the press conference where his assistant refused to discuss his future. >> [ inaudible ] prepared, training sessions that we do, plans have been just as normal as if nothing has gone -- anything different. >> [ inaudible ] has launched an attack saying that the argentinian doesn't deserve a better contract.

in response he said he hasn't even asked for a new contract. the media is now trying to give the club a bad image. >> translator: there is a media mechanism now aimed at bringing a negative image of us, the whole team. we should push in the same direction the way we did in past years. either we do that, or i have the feeling things will be bad. >> india is in control in cricket thanks to a big century. there is a lead of 320 runs.

l.a. laker star kobe bryant has suffered another setback. he fractured his left game on tuesday's game against memphis. he returned in december after eight months out with an attorney akeel lees. the lakers are left with only one starting point guard. good opening day for asia's golfers in china. they have taken a 3-1 lead. pretty grim day for the european camp. asia are the defending champions after winning in a sudden death playoff last year. europe's one point coming from the this pair. the teams will play again on saturday. norwegian skier has won the

super cup in italy. he completed a flawless run to clench his third career victory on this course. and increased his overall lead in the world cup standings to 125 points. and former indycar driver has given his first interview since his career-ending crash. he has decided to retire after doctors told him his head injury would make it too dangerous for him to make any sort of return to the tracks. >> i spent two days thinking how can i get around this. i have done it before, you know, in 2003 i drove with a broken back in one race until the doctor found out and got really upset with me. i have driven with a lot of broken body parts over the

years, and i thought there has to be some sort of negotiation here, and there wasn't. >> andy thank you very much. now a canadian teenager who struggles with a severe stutter has turned into an unlikely hip-hop star. ♪ >> reporter: laying down the beats, recording the rhymes. it's the latest song by little jakes as he calls himself. he has been rapping since he was 10 in the likes of buster rhymes, lil' wayne, and toronto's own drake love his work. words flow effortlessly at the

micropho microphone, but talking for him is a huge challenge. >> it's my - my -- my -- way -- way -- tocom -- com -- com communicate and express myself. >> reporter: ever since it was a toddler, jake had a severe stutter. once bullied for his speech, now people stop him on the street to get an autograph or photograph. >> i can't wait until people get to see what i see in the first day i met him. he is actually really talented. >> reporter: jake's parents share his ambitions and those of his 16-year-old brother cole who want toss play major league baseball one day. taking the boys to the studio and ball diamond consumes all of the time that isn't spent on

school, family life or occasi occasional vacation, but this is more than just a reward, it is a family past time. >> he has the support of not just us, but his extended family of his grandparents and uncles and aunts and that is huge too. we has a huge support network thatment comes to his concerts and shows. at one point somebody said you have a really big entourage for a 14-year-old child. >> a first label recording deal and a hit single are the next items on lil' jake's list of things to do this year. this young man has courage, determination, and real talent. really amazing. that's it for this news hour on al jazeera.

thanks for watching. ♪ hearing this i'm sure from patients. does big pharma impact the doctors in their decision to not offer alternatives to the pill here? >> i think that there is evidence that if you have interactions with pharmaceutical companies, it does impact -- and there's actually pretty good studies based -- that have looked at physician prescribing patterns and interactions with big pharma. i think one of the luxuries i have is i'm in academic medicine, and we have a policy that we don't interact with pharmaceutical companies. so i hope that gives me a better perspective. and i think a lot of these doctors aren't having these conversations with their patients because i have

countless patients who come to me and said they have never heard of iud's. so i think there is some impact of that. we know there's an impact of that. and it makes it challenging, you know, to -- to have a completely unbiased view even though we as doctors like to think we have an unbiased view, there has been evidence that shows that they do impact us in some ways. so i think it's important for us to go out and educate our providers too. there is no one size fits all birth control, and there are a lot of options that work for women. >> we want to take a closer look, are there unique challenges facing women in minority communities when

welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. the year in review, president obama set to speak shortly. we'll carry his comments lye when the president takes to this podium. the senate getting ready to wrap things up as well. we'll talk about some loose ends they have to wrap up. and robot games a challenge to create some helpful androids. ♪ for the white house it has been a very long year from gay rights to