>> you know what they say, it's the most wonderful press conference of the year. >> the last hurdle before vacation. president obama closes out the year with a final give and take with reporters, dominated by health care missteps and controversy over n.s.a. surveillance. >> in south sudan where the violence is getting works the obama administration has dispatched an envoy to mediate the ethnic conflict. >> in canada prostitution has a boost. the supreme court saying prostitution laws are unconstitutional and infringe on

prostitute's rights. >> and today 100 years old. >> good morning everybody. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster, live in new york. president obama is officially on vacation, home for the holidays. he and the first family touched down in hawaii a little more than an hour ago. on friday the president said a vacation with the relaxation that comes with it will help him to prepare for the year ahead. >> before leaving washington mr obama held a news conference and took questions about successes and failures of 2013. mike viqueira has the story. >> good afternoon everybody. >> with calls for reform president obama defended the collection of millions of phone records from the n.s.a. but left the door open to changes.

>> whatever benefits the configuration of this program may have, maybe outweighed by the scoerns that he had on his potential abuse. if that's the case there may be another way to skin the cat. >> asked if a plea deal could be struck with edward snowden in exchange for a stop to the leaks, president obama chose his words carefully. >> it's important to keep in mind this has done unnecessary damage to u.s. intelligence capabilities and u.s. diplomacy. >> on iran, the president came out against the push for new sanctions. leading democrats defied the white house, joining republicans in a call to tighten the screws. mr obama insisted on giving his bill as chance. >> in light of that, what i have said is there's no need for new sanctions legislation. not yet. >> the session with reporters

was an effort to end 2013 on a positive note. in some measures, it was a rough year for the president. approval rating sinking to 40%, before rebounding slightly. >> since i'm in charge, we screwed it up. >> yet the president sees hope for his agenda and chided rorps for writing him off. >> i think this room probably recorded 15 near death experiences. >> at the top of the agenda immigration reform. after g.o.p. voters ignored the newly past budget president obama sees more deals. >> hopefully we have learned a lesson in terms of brinksmanship. >> this was probably the president's last official appearance until next year. for the first time in his presidency there's no fight with

congress to keep him in washington. me boarded marine one, at the end of the day, bound for 17 days in hawaii. >> the president has reason to be optimistic about the year ahead. the economy is doing better than it has in years. despite the problems with the health care website more than 1 million americans signed up for coverage. president obama faced a string of tough questions about the n.s.a. surveillance program the same day there were revelations about the targets of eavesdropping. documents though is spied on 1,000 people in 2008 and 2011. among them an israeli prime minister, directors and other foreign leaders. information was based on a trove of documents respected by ex-n.s.a. contractor edward snowden. >> this has been a violent weekend in iraq. 15 people have been killed after

they were ambushed in anbar. the attack was conducted by the islamic state of iraq, as the officers were about to raid a hideout in the valley. >> the pressure is ramping up on the leaders of south sudan to ease ethnic fighting in that country. the obama administration announced plans to send an envoy. president obama called on leaders to rein in armed groups. hundreds died in the week-long fighting. the recent attack targeted the united nations base in akabo. a dozen people died. u.n. officials urge the president and ousted vice president to reconcile, saying the only solution to the crisis is a political one. >> it's a political crisis. basically a critical crisis within the leadership of the splm. as i said, you have a political

crisis and a powder keg, which is the ethnic question. so the political crisis could lead to a general, political civil war if we don't solve the political crisis for dialogue. >> some 35,000 south sudanese took refuge in u.n. bases fearing for their lives. after friday's attack many civilians don't know if a safe haven can be provided. >> we need to make sure we have enough protection in the locations where we are housing thousands of civilians and reinforcing those as we spoke, to make sure we are able to protect. we are trying now to make sure that in those locations we have the force and the fire power necessary. >> as the world's youngest country deals with ethnic strife

u.n. workers hope to ensure the safety of civilians. we have more from juba. >> this woman is angry because the food she's been given is not enough. there are too many people who need help. >> translation: they told us there would be food. that is not true. they said we would get help. i'm angry, frustrated and hungry. >> the catholic church estimates there are 5,000 people living here, families who are too scared and traumatised to go back home. james is the country's current vice president. he's visiting families living in camps, telling them to go home, saying juba is safe. he replaced riek machar in august, the man president salva kiir accuses of planning a coup. >> it come back to normal. only some places are under his control. it's a matter of time and we'll

flush him out. >> the united nations paints a different picture. it says at least 35,000 people are hiding out in places in six of the country's 10 dates. riek machar denies trying to take over the country. juba is relatively quiet. some of those injured during days of fighting are recovering in hospital. officials say they are battling to cope. now things are under control. >> the nation of the combat is different from shots at night and day. at night the shots are at the back, meaning people were running. they were surprised. possibly it was at the back. in the morning they were all in the front legs, thighs, chests, which mean they were combat. most were the chest and the head >> locals in juba say if the crisis escalates they have

nowhere to run to. >> the president of south sudan met with foreign ministers from neighbouring countries, including kenya and ethiopia, and they were in juba to help calm tensions. >> 30 people were killed in central african republic after days of calm. human rights groups say the fighting between muslims and christians raged out of control. the obama administration is pledging $100 million to support military efforts there. al jazeera has a reporter on the ground and we'll bring you a live report from the country later in this news cast. >> egypt's deposed president mohamed morsi will stand trial for the murder of military officers during the uprising against hosni mubarak. he is charged with breaking out of prison during that period. 132 defendants will be tried

including members of the moody analytics, hamas and hezbollah. it fuelled riots between mohamed morsi's supporters and the current military government. >> one of russia's leading criti critics is free after being pardoned by louis vuitton. mikhail khordorkovsky, a multimillion air flew to ber line germany. supporters long maintained the charges against him in russia were bogus. >> john terrett has the story. >> mikhail khordorkovsky, a rich man, has been in gaol for corruption charges. on thursday, who has turned from olly gashing to political prisoner is in germany. he applied to vladimir putin for release and was granted it. in a written statement mikhail khordorkovsky said:

>> president putin did not stop with mikhail khordorkovsky. in a surprise announcement he pardoned 20,000 prisoners, including two members of the pussy riot punk rock band and detained greenpeace activists. the pussy riot members were sentenced to two years in prison in 2012 amid an outcry after staging a saucy anti-putin protest in the church. members of greenpeace were taken into custody. what is behind vladimir putin's decision to let the prisoners go. kremlin watcher mark hollingworth said putin has an eye on the winter olympics and the bad publicity he's been receiving over russia's attitude towards gay athletes. >> i don't think it's a

coincidence that we are six weeks away from the olympics. the olympics is a show case. >> vladimir putin didn't concede much. mikhail khordorkovsky and pussy riot were slated for release in if a couple of months. mikhail khordorkovsky still has money and power. >> he can use the money to run political campaigns from abroad. but i don't think he would be as naive as in 2003 when he took on vladimir putin and thought he was to wealthy he could take on the kremlin and the russian state. >> whatever the reason for the putin change of hart, it garnered him positive headlines around the world. weeks from the start of the olympics when the eyes of the world will be focused on socchi. >> utah's attorney-general is appealing a court ruling on same-sex marriages. on friday a federal judge ruled a ban on same-sex marriages was

unconstitutional. current laws deny citizens a fundamental right to marry. in doing so means a dignity of same self couples. the court finds that these laws are unconstitutional. salt lake county has begun to issue marriage licences to gay couples. the highest court in capital weighed in on constitution laws. sex for hire had some restrictions. the court is changing the rules. >> this was not a ruling on the legality of prostitution. it was a ruling on whether the restrictions imposed by parliament on prostitution, which is legal in canada is endangering sex workers. justices found they are. they struck down the prohibition on keeping a brothel. making a living. the plaintiff's argued that means they'll be able to take

the security precautions need the. >> this is the first time in canadian history that sex workers are truly persons. we are truly citizens of this country. and now we can work in our legal occupation in a legal manner. >> the laws remain in case for now. the justices have given parliament a year to draft new laws to impose limits on the community disruption of prostitution without endangering sex workers. but what should replace the laws. one group argued the parliament should follow the nordic model. >> we need to prevent us being vulnerable to pimps, brothels and engaging the menace brothel keepers, pimps and advertisers are responsible for exploitation

of women's inequality. >> that is not the position of some sex worker groups. >> it means for someone trying to run their business is trying to do so with clients running scared from the law. there are fewer clients and clients that may lose and are willing to take bigger risks. they are finding them more likely to be dangerous. >> the chief justice admits that sex workers will be at risk in canada. good saturday morning, i'm meteorologist eboni deon. lots of active weather. there'll be plenty of problem areas for those of you hitting the roadways. starting with the rain, stretching from texas to the ohio valley. there's a lot of heavy rain fall expected in the next 36-48 hours, with flooding concerns.

iciness on the backside of the storm. it could lead to power outages. from western mississippi back to little rock and even texas, that's where we expect the threat of tornados. we are expecting strong damming winds and isolated pockets of hills with stronger storms and the heavy rain threat. that's the biggest and widespread issue. here is a look at the warnings out as we go through the day to day. there's winter storm warnings on the northern side, on the back side of the system. it's very cold. temperatures down to the 20s. as we go through the day they'll continue to stay chilly. on the front side temperatures mild, leading to lots of heavy rain fall. >> if you are not working this weekend, we know a couple of

people who are. two n.a.s.a. astronauts will venture outside the international space station in an hour to try to fix a giant pump, the broken cooling pump is the size of a refrigerator. the 3-part repair takes place today, monday and wps. >> taking to the streets to protest fare increases to ride the bus. [ chants ] >> brazilians say every day citizens should take priority before spending on the world cup. >> smart cards, secure credit cards and why more are not in the wallets of americans. finding care and comfort. military personal get a soft landing in many airports.

>> good morning everybody. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster in new york. brazilians are hitting the streets to protest higher bus

fares. to that in a second. first, let's look at the temperatures we'll see across the nation. meteorologist eboni deon is here. what are we looking at? >> in some places temperatures are feeling a little more spring like. we are certainly above average what we would see for the daily high temperatures. we are watching the storm system. behind it the cold air is in place. it's 14 in minneapolis, 16 in chicago. here is a look at cold air. fargo is minus 4. into the north-east. it's 44 degrees. we'll see temperatures. above average. here across the south central u.s. 38 in dallas, behind the storm system. 74 in houston. >> positively balmy in the north-east. you have to love it. >> brazil is hosting the world cup in the summer of 2014.

brazilians love soccer and are upset that money is being spent to build stadiums, and not services. rachel levin has more. >> several hundred people showed up today here downtown after an announcement by the mayor to increase bus fares by over 10% starting in the new year. people are chanting, saying, "money should be spent not on the world cup, but for education and health care." they are saying that public transportation should be free. now, these protests caught a lot of attention over the summer when they started in sao paulo and spread throughout the country - rio and other major cities. what the people promised to do is continue the fight until public transportation is solved. the world will be watching.

the protesters promised to keep up the fight. it's something they promised to see in the weeks and months ahead. >> more than 2 million participated in protests across brazil. the united nations says it has received a notification from india to register an indian diplomat as a member of the mission to the united nations. the diplomat is at the center of a dispute between u.s. and india. protesters gathered outside the indian consular. they had signs saying, "justice and overworked", showing support for the housekeeper. the u.n. will process the request according to standard procedures. >> the government of south korea wants to create jobs for its peop people. one way of achieving that was to legit mice some jobs not

previously thought good enough to warrant being called a job. wayne hay reports. >> what type of water would you like with your meal. in south korean restaurants a water somelier is expert in drinking water and how to sell them. >> what matters is providing fun for the customers. the only way to do that is select water to enhance the taste of the dishes. >> under a government plan to increase employment figures some jobs considered part-time like a water expert and server will be legitimised as a job. >> on the face of it the plan looks like a way to increase people in legitimate employment, simply to make the numbers look healthier. the government hopes by widening the scope of jobs available it will encourage smaller industries to grow. by adding 100 jobs to the

official list. the government hopes to increase the employment rate from 64% to 70 by 2017. the newcomers will be allowed their own training facilities, such as one to teach manicures and pedicures or nail art as it's known in south korea >> translation: at the moment there's not a national institute for gaol licence. now it is a legitimate job. the unemployment is 3%. it's hoped the new job plan can reduce it further through diversifying the market. >> we have to experiment that kind of new market creating, and new potential creating, jobs and industry in other areas. >> if they do, those specialising in pouring water

will be given the respect they heard. >> back here in the united states targets ceo is trying to win back customers after a security breach compromised credit and debit cards for 40 million shoppers. three credit monitoring -- free credit monitoring services has been announced for anyone that shopped in the store from september 17th to december. the u.s. justice department says 40% of financial fraud in the united states stems from credit cards. the biggest reason from the u.s. shows that u.s. is using a credit card system dating back to 8-track tapes. randall johnson reports. >> news that 40 million shoppers was at the behest of identity

theft. >> the large-scale security failures are turning into regular occurrences. they suffered a breach more than twice the size of targets. bonds nobles was hit last year. adding to all the uneasiness is the fact that credit card fraum is prevalent. one analyst says the low-tech card technology the u.s. relies on results in an increase in high-tech fraud. >> the magnetic stripe in the existing credit card based in the u.s. is old school. it's antiquated, the data is in plain text and can be easily compromised. >> this makes american shoppers vulnerable, according to nielsen accompanying the payment systems. 47% of global credit card fraud. the u.s. uses swipe technology on credit cards and other countries suffered card

technology. >> in europe, asia, canada, mexico and other place, they are using chip and pen, an advance form of credit card that requires a chip, meaning it's a small little chip, like a smart chip and requires a pin. it's not easily read and has a lot more security. >> here is how it works. when you use a chip. it is scrambled cryptographically. dozens of pieces are exchanged. on a magnetic swipe card information is always there and can be copied with a cheap card-reading device. hackers pay a premium for the swiped data and create gift cards and convert them back to cash. the chip technology is the strongest defense against counterfeit cards. why is chip technology used in

less than 1% of cards? for one, it costs more to adopt the system. some companies would rather wait for newer technology relying on fingerprints. >> the justice department says that 10% of all american adults have been victims of credit card fraud. the state with the highest rate - nevada. >> renewed fighting in the central african republic. after a lull the violence erupts again. plus, i'm in southern england with a puzzle for you. what have this place, the "the daily telegraph," the humble commonwealth and world war ii got in common. that's coming up later. >> i'm john henry smith, if you think lebron james looks larger than life, imagine how he looked with ben mcilmore last night. i'll explain, ahead in sport.

are >> welcome back in good morning everybody. i'm david shuster, and these are the top stories at this hour: president obama is now in hawaii where he and his family will spend the next 17 days on vacation. before leaving he held a press conference and took questions on a range of issues including the heath care problems and the controversies over n.s.a. spying >> gay couples in utah are celebrating a federal judge's decision to overturn a ban on gaye marriage. some couples rushed to tie the knot. the state government said it will appeal the court's conditions. >> ramping up pressure on the

leaders in the central african republic region. hundreds died in the week-lopping fighting. the latest attack targetting a u.n. base, killing more than a dozen people including u.n. peacekeepers. >> after calm the violence is returning to the central african republic. 30 people were killed in fighting on friday. u.s. officials visited the region, calling on leaders to ease the fighting. the united states pledged $100 million to equip and train peacekeeping forces. andrew simmons has the story. >> this is not the time or the place for dignity after sudden death. the body of a teenage boy pushed along on a hand cart. he went out to by phone credit. >> translation: the shooting was intensive. you couldn't walk in it. that's how my son was hit. he died of my wounds. >> in bangui hospital, another

civilian caught up in violence. if this was a normal city, she'd be in intensive care. but she's in a tent, comforted by her elder sister, with head injuri injuries. here three children are also in hospital. >> we live in poverty, we don't have the money to take care of her. >> here a patrol from the peacekeeping forces tried to wrest control from seleka. three were killed. a u.n. delegation in a convoy headed to the airport came close to clashes when christian demonstrators tried to attack peacekeepers escorting muslims out of the country. a u.n. delegation had been travelling to bossongoa, where many are under attack after former seleka forces killed

christians. >> we need more troops, troops with the capacity, logistics to protect the population. >> back in bangui the french army deployed heavily, trying to suppress flare-ups. here a christian militia suspect is questioned. the militia and those supporting it attacked people and poverty. this was a mosque. now look at it. it's destroyed by a mob, using sticks and their bare hands to bring it down. this says, "no" to chadian troops. >> chadians make up part of the peacekeeping force and former seleka. both are targeted by the christian militia. no one knows the numbers of dead or injured. but the fully eequipped hospitals of the city are overflowing. >> and andrew simmons joins us

now live from bangui, and andrew what is fuelling this latest surge in violence? >> well, david, many theories, but the one that seems to be accurate is the whole dilemma of the peacekeeping force of trying to disarm both sides gets more difficult by the day and it looks as if the attempt to disarm former seleka members started a wave of reprisals and there was a situation whereby the christian militia, the anti-balaka started to attack two muslim districts. that got into a situation whereby it was almost out of control. however, the french forces came in very hefly and deployed in a big way in the christian and muslim areas and things were

contained. >> a u.n. official said they needed more troops. are they going to get them? >> well, yes there are more troops coming. rwanda is a county providing troops. france and the united nations delegates here want more troops than this force is going to get. 6,000 in all, but we don't reach that figure until the end of january. some looking at providing a mission, but that is not going to be decided upon until late january. time is of the essence. humanitarian people, all parties to the conflict of the warning that action is needed now. there has to be disarmament if we don't see this violence getting out of control, it could become uncontrollable in a short

space of time. >> andrew simmons live from bangui. thank you for that update. we appreciate it. >> fbi director james covey met in the united states with the family of a contractor bob levinson. he went missing seven years ago on a mission in iraq. the family wanted to meet with the fbi since he took office in september and the family also wanted meetings with secretary of state john kerry and president obama. it's been two years since the family saw photos or videos of him. the united states has not abandoned bob levinson. >> many military service personal will travel the season in an ongoing veteran's voices series focussing on those that serve on the front line, and this time it's about those finding care and comfort when

they travel. >> it may not be as fancy as a first-class lounge. it's a place of comfort for travellers. the freedom area is where military personnel and their families can rest before and between flights. there's free food and wi-fi, and beds. >> army specialist is on her way home for the holidays. >> i was toying with a hotel. but it doesn't make sense. >> my flight was pushed back two hours. it's nice relax and get something to eat. >> christmas did not become a national holiday until after the u.s. civil war. in part to reunite a decided nation with a messageful peace and goodwill. it's a holiday homecoming for american soldiers and sailors, a time to reunite with families.

>> i saw them and it was for a weekend, and everybody is pretty excited to see them. >> some, sadly are headed in the other direction. sergeant maxine montoya is heading to kuwait after attending his father's funeral. >> i lost my dad. it was hard. now i have to leave before the holidays. >> air force veteran and delta airline pilot ken pratt and two colleagues opened the lounge. >> we evolved into a crossroads of air travel. there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of military personnel transiting the airport. >> more than 80,000 visited the freedom center. >> a place like this is great for moral. i haven't slept for a couple of days, it's nice to come back, kick back and relamb. >> that's what this place is for, to provide rest or

relaxation for men or women who served their country. >> undocumented students living in new jersey are getting a break on college tuition. governor chris christy signed a bill allowing students in the country illegally to pay the in-student tuition rate. they must be in high school or have a g.d.e. new jersey joins a number of other states that c enacted that law. undocumented students are not eligible for state financial aid. >> it was a big night in the n.b.a. john henry smith is here with more on that in sport. >> talk about a big night. big for lebron james. even though he hasn't participated in the dunk contest. i don't think anyone will begrudge him his place as an exciting dunker. new coach mike malone won't. ben michael more had the best

seat in the house. he was on his seat when lebron james slammed it down with extreme prejudice. don't try to crown mack ill more. what do you want him to do, tackle the man. sometimes there's nothing you can do. this is one of the those times. allen throws one down. for good measure chris bosch commits hand on rim violence for two of the team's 25 points. the heat scoring a season high 122 to a 122-103 win. losers of two straight the pacers took on the rockets. wrong place and time to wear red. it was the paul george show. there's a reason this guy is an mvp candidate. he's a 41 shooter on triple tries. you guard him, he gets close. do i mention he shoots 41% from

3-point land. the rockets didn't guard him. the pacers blow out to win. >> battle of teams, denver versus phoenix. a 3-volter nailed. chandler with 15 points. one of six nuggets. landy was another. a loose ball. popping three bombs of his own. the nuggets build a 21 point lead. the morris brothers scored 14 of the sun's first 16. the suns outscoring denver, winning 103-99. >> the kobe bryant-less lakers taking on minnesota. ever wondered why a city not known for lakes has a team called lakers. before playing in la they place for minnesota. a city of thousands of lakes.

the lakers will not have koby, they still have others. a triple try and the lakers win without koby. >> to the n.f.l., a testament to the packers, that green bay is only a game out of the league. the packers are relevant despite being without aaron rodgers as he nursed a broken collarbone. the packers will have to go without him again for the seventh straight time. matt flan, you remember him. 37-36, major comeback win in tal as. you'll have to continue to run things as the packsers face the pittsburg steelers. the coach addressed the issue on friday. >> aaron rodgers is out for the game, as we do every week. a lot of conversations about erin. everybody involved as an

organization, we feel that we are ready to play. that's with we are. >> reporter: has he been medically cleared? >> he's not medically cleared. that's the case. >> we put in a game plan and everybody here that is active on game blah will try to complete it to the best of their abilities. we are confident. >> we had a feel for it throughout the week. we did not know for sure if he'd play. i don't think anyone is surprised. what we have - we'll play well and hopefully get a third-straight win. >> in baseball news the new york yankees introduced their newest addition. the manager spoke about the importance of having former all-star and go-clough winner beltran on the team. >> we'll add a switch hitter to the middle of the order. we talked about it.

at times we had trouble scoring runs. we got deeper. guys hit the ball out of the ballpark and ground out in advance. we know that success that carlos had, and success in the post season, i'm looking forward to october with the new player carlos beltran. >> having the opportunity to come back again to yankee means a lot to me. i grew up a yankee fan, grew up being a bernie william fan. >> and that is sports for this hour. back to you. [ ♪ music ] >> the most interesting information comes from children. that's a quote from mark twain. we can learn a lot from kids and ourselves and the world, and that's why we are bringing you a series called "being 8", experiences, struggles and insights through innocent ice.

a young ball reena plans to take the stage for a holiday tradition. >> kendall is eight years old and 4 foot 5. there are not a lot of ballet roles for her out there. numbers, of course, it's christmas time. [ ♪ music ] >> into this "nutcracker" performed by the pasadena dance theatre is kendall's first shot at dancing in a professional production. >> i'm in the scene where mother ginger comes out and lifts up the dress and we come out and dance all around her. >> let's back up a bit. it's about four hours before curt in time and kendall is home. >> i feel excited and nervous at the statement. >> she started ballet at anal 3, following in the dance steps of her older sister. >> whenever i see her do something, i want to do it too. >> kendall had to audition and the dance company rarely accepts

eight-year-olds. but she was accepted and found a set of role models. >> what do you think of the people who had the leads? >> it was amazing. he kept lifting her and she was on point. >> on point and oh, those leaps. >> it feels like you are flying when you jump up in the air like that. i always wanted to do that. and then the audience can see me do that floating up in the air. >> it's two hours until curtain time, her hair is in braids, ballet bag in hand and she's off. she and the other girls are herded backstage where they must wait for their appearance. >> on stage the nutcracker is in full swing. backstage the girls head to make-up where they are transformed into little french clowns or poly chennells. >> i picture myself on stage

like this. >> the wait, which seems interminable has given kendall a case of stage freight. >> i feel like i'll mess up. >> intermission is over. she is rushed into wardrobe. kendall feels transformed. do you feel different, like you are no longer kendall? >> yes, i feel like a professional ballet >> at last she is in the wings ready to take wings. mother ginger's giant skirt is lowered over the girls for their entrance. >> for kendall this is the moment they are waiting for. >> when mother ginger lifts up the skirt there's lights and a big audience out there, it's like, "wow." >> wow indeed. kendall has really fallen under the spell of the music, the dance, the applause, and even as

she takes her bow with the cast, she is dreaming of the future. >> when i grow up in "nutcracker", i want to be the real of clara. >> the lead role? >> yes. >> 4 foot 5, eight years old and ready to fly. >> what's in a word - well, we are celebrating the puzzle that has been stumping people for a century.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. let's get a look at where the snow and rain may fall across the county, meteorologist eboni deon is here. >> we have a lot of moisture streaming up from the south and south-west. that is aiding all the thunder storms that we are seeing this morning across the southern plains. we'll watch the general area around the lower mississippi valley for the threat of strong to severe storms on the backside of it. where it's colder we have freezing rain across much of harrison okene. icing will be a big issue. travel will be slow.

leave yourself time, across the mid west dry, but the rain is heading in your direction. >> movie director is known for films like "the sixth sense", and is out with a book called "i got school", and talks about closing the education gap between inner city and white suburban schools. >> everyone says america is behind in education. technically we are behind poland and ahead of lip ten design. that is where we land in the list. that's not the truth. the truth is black and white. which is if you pulled out the inner city schools, pull out the inner city low income schools out of the united states and put them to the side and took every other public school in the united states, we lead the world in public school education by a

lot. and what is interesting is we always think about finland. finland is white kids, and they teach them well. we teach ours better. we beat everyone. our white kids are daughter the best publicity for education on the planet. those are the facts. >> ali velshi's full interview airs on "talk to al jazeera" on sunday. >> 17 human i had robots are competing for $2 million in an event put on by the pentagon. the single hardest task is drive a car. the hope is that robots like these will go into disaster zones like the fukushima nuclear site and perform critical tasks. we'll talk with the head of n.a.s.a.'s robotic team participating in the

competition. >> before smartphones and social media, there was another way to pass the time. crossword puzzles. we have the clues to its cryptic history and tells us why after 100 years, it's here to stay. >> languages may differ but the black and white boxes, you know what it means. >> what is that? >> it's a crossword. >> keeping us from work, confusing us over coffee. it has been causing headation for 100 years. that was the first of one, published in the u.s. its author did not copyright it. it was a 15 across or major fail. >> you need to just about be able to solve it. >> phil does his with a cup of tea. he's a crossword editor. when is comes to tough clues, he wrote the book. >> the aim is the penny drop

moment is the absolute goal of any cip tick -- cip tick crossword clue. the moment you get it. >> here is one, 58 letters, see how you fare. giggling troll follows glancy, larry billy and clansy. wrongly disturbing a place in wales. have a think. the answer is coming in a moment. here is a hint. it's a place. speaking of places - this place has a unique place with the crossword. it's blechly park and drag world war ii behind the windows and doors the biggest brains worked on the ultimate puzzle - cracking german codes. finding suitable people was a task. candidates were given a copy of the "the daily telegraph" newspaper and its notoriously difficult crossword. the goal was to complete it in under 12 minutes.

crossword people were good at filling in the gaps, recognising that five of these letters form part of a word and the rest form the word. >> mark would have been snapped up, "times" crossword on the run. he can get not one or two, but three in half an hour. a tip from the pro. >> look at the clues. if you are familiar with devices used, you can play with the word in the clue and figure it out. speaking of figuring it out. here is the answer. guessing it is one thing, pronouning is is another. after all, it doesn't matter, it's just for fun, and has been for 100 years. phil lavelle with a massive headache. >> cross words got a boost when a publishing company agreed to sell a book.

that became a run away best seller, and the publishing company was one of the most successful in the 20th century was called simon&shuster. no relation, unfortunately. >> at the end of the first hour, here is what we are covering, president obama holds his last press conference of the year, focussing on health care and n.s.a. spying. secretary of state john kerry is sending an envoy trying to encourage peace talks. violence spirals out of control. there has been a major legal victory. a utah judge rules the state's ban on same-sex marriage was deemed unconstitutional. al jazeera america conditions in 2.5 minutes.

you >> these are tough problems that i am glad to have the privilege of tackling. >> president obama addressed the health care roll out and other challenges from the year in his last scheduled news conference of 2013. taking to the square in the ukraine - demonstrations and pro-government supporters prepare to square off >> and 25 years later remembering the victims of han am flight 103, the deadly plane crash over lockheed martin scotland. >> welcome to winter, ice storms, flash floods and rain are scheduled for the united

states. >> welcome to al jazeera america, i'm david shuster, live in new york. >> president obama is now officially on vacation and home for the holidays. he and the first family touched down in hawaii. they are slated to stay there until the first week of january. the president is optimistic about the prospects of 2014. before taking off for his availabling ace he gave a final news conference addressing the roll out of the health care exchange program and admitted that his team screwed it up and spoke about the controversial government surveillance program, iran, immigration reform and the economy. patty culhane has more from washington. >> the president is leaving town after a tough week when it comes to the n.s.a. spying program, a federal judge ruling that the mass collection is unconstitutional. his review panel came out contradicting what the president said.

the president said it stopped 50 terrorist plots and the panel said it hasn't stopped anything. the president was asked about the contradiction and he didn't give an answer. when asked about something he said to the american public he had looked at the programs six months although. they scrubbed them, found the right balance between privacy and security. what has changed now that the president indicated that he may change the program. we'll listen to the president's explanation. >> what i also said though is in light of the disclosures that have taken place, it is clear that whatever benefits the configuration of this program may have, may be outweighed by the concerns that people have on its potential abuse. if that's the case, there may be another way of skinning the cat. >> the president will announce in january if he will make any changes to the n.s.a. spying programs, he was asked if edward

snowden would be given amnesty international, and he couldn't answer because it was a court case, but didn't say that he shouldn't. >> there are revelations about eavesdropping. the n.s.a. spied on more than 1,000 people between 2008 and 2011. among them an israeli prime minister, united nations doctors, and other foreign leaders. the information was based on the trove of documents leaked by e-n.s.a. contractor. federal bureau of investigation director james met friday with the family of missing contractor bob levinson. he went missing seven years ago on a mission in iran. his family wanted to meed with the directors since he took office. the family requested meetings with secretary of state john kerry and president obama. it's been two years since the family received photos or

videos. secretary of state john kerry said the u.s. has not abandoned lef son. >> there has been more violence out of iraq. 15 officers, including a 7th army killed after being killed in the western province of anbar. the attack happened in iraq, the military wing of al qaeda, as the officers were about to raid a hideout. >> the pressure is ramping up on south sudan to ease fighting. the obama administration announced plans to send a special envoy. secretary of state john kerry has been tasked with reining in the troops. a base in akobo was targeted. u.n. officials urged theed south korean president to reconcile saying the only solution to the crisis is a political one.

>> it's a political crisis. first a political crisis within the leadership of the spln. as i said, you have the political crisis and a powder keg which is a unique question. >> the political crisis could lead to a civil war if we don't solve quickly the political crisis for dialogue. >> some 35 thousand in u.n. bases feared for their lives. after friday's attack civilians don't know if the u.n. wan provide a safe haven. unofficials say they need backup. >> what we need to do is make sure we have enough protection in the locations where housing thousands and thousands of civilians and are reinforcing those. we need to make sure we are able to protect. we are trying to make sure that

in those locations we have the force and firepower necessary. >> as the world's largest country deal with ethnic strife they are trying to ensure the safety in their care. >> this woman is angry. the food she has been gip is not enough. >> there's too many people that need help. >> they told us there would be food. they said they would get help. i am angry frustrated and hungry. >> the church estimates there are 5,000 people living here. families too scared and traumatised to go home. the country's current vice president is living in camp. juba is safe. re replaced him in august. the man accused of planning a

coup. >> only some places are under his control. time will tell, and we'll flush him out. >> the united nations paints a different picture, saying 35,000 people are hiding out at its bases in six of the country's 10 states. riek machar denies trying to take over the country. juba is quiet, but some injured during days of fighting are recovering in hospital. officials say they battle to cope. things seem under control. >> because of the nation, it is different from shots at night and shots during the day. at night they were at the back, meaning people were running. a lot were at the back. in the morning they were in the front, legs, thighs, chest. it means these will be

combatted. most injuries were the chest and the head. >> locals in juba say if the crisis escalates there's nowhere to run too. >> the president of soouth sudan met with foreign ministers from kenya and ethiopia. they were in juba to try to help calm tensions. >> war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in the central african republic. both human rights watch and amnesty international say the fighting between muslims and christians raged out of the control. the ambassador of the united nations visited the war-torn country. the united states will provide $100 million for the african union to support its military efforts the the united states has received a notification from india to register an indian diplomat as a member of the permanent mission of india to the u.n. the diplomat is at the center of

a diplomatic dispute between the united states and india. meanwhile protesters gather outside the indian consulate holding signs reading, ""justic" and "overwork", in support of the how's maid. >> a war of words erupted between north and south korea. via a fax machine. north korea threatened a strike on the south without notice in response to pyongyang rallies held on the death of kim jong-il's's, the father of kim jong un. activists burned effigies of kim jong un and his late father. north korea vowed to act sternly to provocation. >> remains of a philippine mayor killed in an ambush have been returned home to zamboanga. the mayor and two other family

members and a child were killed when a gunman opened fire. five others were injured. police believe the mayor was the target of the attack. local media say he survived two previous attempts on his life. >> anti-government protesters in ukraine continue to occupy independent square after days of relative calm. there are reports of pro government supporters coming to remove the barricade and this has caused tensions to escalate in the capital. hundreds of demonstrators camped out in freezing textures on independent square since last month. the protests sparked after president viktor yanukovych decided not to intergrate into the european union. >> what brought about the rise in interpretations this morning? >> apparently, david, for the

last few day, it was peaceful and calm here in kiev in ukraine. there was a lot of political activities from both opposition and the ruling side. today everybody expected, because everybody learned that few hundred pro-government protesters will go and try to remove one of the barricades which is actually surrounding european square. it is something what is right behind me. it is the place where for almost for weeks anti-government protests take place, and those people there are of course aing for the government to resign and asking for ukrainian president, viktor yanukovych, to sign a deal of closer relations with the e.u., and he refused that because he wants closer ties to russia. this morning i went to the

barricade where it was expected that pro-government protesters should arrive. and i seen maybe medieval scales, a huge barricade, three metres high, a lot of obstacles, and it was 200 people, all men wearing helmets, some military, some cross, and preparing and waiting for pro-government protesters to arrive. apparently they didn't. >> well, it sounds like everybody, though, is preparing for possible clashes. how nervous are people in the streets of kiev today? >> well, tensions are running high and according to sources on the ground, russian orthodox church supported a second rally of pro-government people and

started a march somewhere around noon local and it was 4km away. they are marching towards the square. it's unknown if they are close to the square and what will their aim be. it is the first time for the russian orthodox church which is significant and strong, that they apparently is taking sides in this ukrainian squabble. let's be honest, the ukrainian orthodox church, and they expressed support to these protests, anti-government, and which are right behind me. back to you, david. >> thank you so much for that report. if >> back in the united states this is the official first day of winter and foul weather is in the forecast. storms could cause headaches. slow commuters, parts of ohio are preparing for flooding this

weekend. for more, let's bring in the meteorologist eboni deon. >> we have a little bit of everything this weekend. unfortunately it's a busy weekend, a lot of people will hit the roadways. give yourself plenty of time. and into the ohio valley. that's where you have a developing storm system. the thought of wintry weather and the warmer side of the system. it's bringing in rain. some heavy at times. we are watching across texas and arkansas river. on the wintry side, here are the warnings. we have storm warnings stretching from michigan to kansas - not kansas, but missouri. further south we have the cold air in place. freezing rain coming down. that's when it may cause icy conditions on the roadways and the powerlines.

up wards of a quarter of an inch. an ice storm warning. as we look at parts of the midwest, all the green where we see flooding rains. we see two to five inches of rain fall. it's a wet sloppy mass. with the severe weather threat no watches for warnings posted at this hour. we could see washes placed this morning, especially here to louisiana and western mississippi. that will shift east of jackson. we have a lot of moisture in place. warm moist air and the instability. we'll deal with the threat of strong damaging winds, tornados, and dealing with small hail as well as a threat. tornado mist into western areas of kentucky.

we'll see that from the golf coast. to the north-east it will be a main event. where the colder air is in place. mainly in upstate areas, that will change to freezing rain. significant icing could be expected. here is a look at it together. the warm side of the system. >> thank you very much. meteorologist eboni deon we appreciate it. >> far above any of the weather on planet earth. there's a fascinating mission underway. avt receivers from the -- astronaut from the international space station have begun a space walk to try to repair a pump, the size of a refrigerator. this is a 3-part effort that they have started this morning. we'll keep you posted on how they do. >> syria's war coming up, dozens of representatives from a

variety of nations will head to geneva hoping to find an end to the 2-year conflict. we'll tell you why everyone at the table - getting to everyone at the table was a challenge. >> and canada's supreme court made a ruling on the safety of sex workers, plus 95 million. that's a big number today. we'll tell you why for the fifth year in a row this fm is getting bigger and bigger.

>> now to today's big number. 95 million. that's how many people are expected to travel for the holiday week with days to go before christmas, new year's is around the corner and schools are out for winter break. travellers are heading out to the holidays. triple a is expecting seasonal travel to go up. road trips estimated to increase by 1%. air travel is expected to decline. the holiday travel period runs

from december 21st to new year's. welcome back. you're watching al jazeera america. just ahead the latest on international efforts to bring peace to syria. first a look at the weather across the united states with meteorologist eboni deon. >> we have warm air in place. temperatures will soar. above-average numbers for many, especially across the south-east and the north-east. this is a look at where we stand at this hour. 73 in houston, 36 in memphis, contrasted to 18 in mminneapol. >> we'll warm up on sunday the south-westerly flow coming up to 73. we'll deal with wet weather with the warm temperatures.

>> thank you very much eboni deon. >> target ceo is trying to win back customers after a security breach compromised the debit and credit cards of 40 million shoppers. they offered free monitoring services for anyone that shopped in the store from september to december 15th. they are giving a 10% discount for anyone that shops there this weekend. >> a federal judge ruled on friday that the state's ban in utah on same-sex marriage was unconstitution. u.s. judge robert shelby wrote: >> salt lake country has begun to issue marriage licences to gay couples. >> we got a text message from a

friend who is an attorney and he said judge robert shelby flicked the amendment. we didn't understand the details of what happened. we went, and figured it out when we got there and realised holy moly. >> at the time the couple got married they say hundreds of others were waiting to get their licences. some critical new antigay legislation in uganda the worst measure of its kind in the world. the proposal in uganda calls for life sentences for people convicted of gaye sex for someone h.i.v. positive or a minor or offenses against consending adults. when introduced four years ago it carried the death penalty. the legislation will not become law until it is signed. >> hundreds took to the streets of spain to oppose abortion law,

allowing it only in the case of rape or if there was a serious halted risk to the foetus or the mother. spain only legalized abortion three years ago. >> cana's court ruled in favour of sex workers saying restrictions are unfair or unsafe. keeping a brother, making a living from sex and soliciting on the street - the ruling will help them maintain a working environment. the judges stayed the changes so parliament could construct laws to regulate prostitution that passed legal muster. >> hopes are high for achieving an agreement at a u.n.-sponsored peace conference in syria. a meeting between syria and government leaders aims to bridge an end to a the conflict. getting all the sides to the table is a change. >> a rush in the un delegation

came here. what was billed as a final meeting before peace talks, a meeting with key issues to resolve. >> does that look like you are on track for 22nd january. >> no answer. after spending hours in intense negotiations led by special representatives, they insisted yes, everything was on track, the talks will take place on january the 22nd. but later lakhdar brahimi told reporters that although 26 countries will attend, the presence of another nation was a major sticking point. >> on iran we haven't agreed. it's no secret that we in theiation s welcomed the participation of iran. our partners in the united states are still not convinced. >> ambassador lakhdar brahimi said he was dismayed that

violence in syria was intensifies. he revealed that neither the syrian government nor the opposition had given a list of participants. he's aware that many of those fighting against the regime are oposed to the idea. >> as it stands, whoever is in the opposition is not going to represent the vast majority fighting on the ground against the bashar al-assad regime. >> there's no way the people who come to geneva will be fully represented or fully representative. we know that. this is a process. i hope that it will be as representative as possible. >> it's clear the unresolved issues were not sorted at the meeting. will iran be allowed to go to the talks, who will be in the

two syrian delegations. there's a lot of work to do before january 22nd. >> education is one of the casualties of syria's ongoing conflicts. al jazeera's correspondent reports on a school struggling to stay open. >> it is bitterly cold. the children are determined to go to school so they trek through muddy roads. this is what is left of their school. windows are blown out. there is no electricity water or heating. but like many others in syria, they want to learn. >> we feel very cold. we came here for education. jamal is in a similar situation. >> translation: i have not been to school for two years, because of the rockets and shelling. >> the war in syria is not only killing people, it's depriving many of the education they need.

many fear illiteracy will increase. being a teacher could pose a threat. many lack the means to do their job properly. >> translation: the education process suffers difficulties, there's no support. there's so many problems. we need to rebuild the destroyed and bombed schools. >> this is the birthplace of a revolt against president bashar al-assad's rule. the students were among the first to take part in anti-government protests. >> there is ongoing violence and bombardment. it's their future in the ambulance. >> some of the largest syrian refugee camps set up classrooms so the children can try to learn. some children are forced to work in order to support families, and in lebanon, some have run

out of space. >> this will be a day of remembrance for victims much pan am flight 123. it was 20 years ago that the plane was shot out of the sky. it was suspected that libya was behind the bombing. eric holder and others are expected to speak at a mem yore val service at arlington national cemetery. >> robot contest. a competition with a $2 million pay out. and state quarterback derek carr has the game of his life, but it was the journey to get to this point that proved to be the hardest.

>> good morning everybody. welcome back. you are watching al jazeera america. i'm david shuster, here are the top stories. president obama is in hawaii, where he and his family will spend the next 17 days on vacation. before leaving washington the president held a final press conference. president obama took questions on a range of issues from the health care issues with the website and the controversies of the n.s.a. spy scandal. anti-government protesters in kiev ukraine occupy independence square after days of calm. pro-government protesters came to try to remove the barr kates. it caused tensions to escalate. >> the u.n. defense department wanted to build a network that could survive a nuclear explosion. they wound up with the internet. the development division is holding a robotic competition

that could change the world. developers have been asked to build a robot that could perform tasks in a manmade disaster zone. these six received $3 million because they have the best chance of winning. let's have a look. this is valcry, the latest from n.a.s.a. a long-line of space-bearing robots. japan has the front runner, by a company just brought by google, that has new motors to make it faster and stronger. jacob ward has for. >> this weekend robots are coming to save you or at least they are going to try. they are driving vehicles, climbing ladders and cutting through walls as part of a robot olympics held by a government agencies called darpa.

it's so that some day a machine like these can rescue you and me. big industrial disasters result in a situation where humans need to charge in and fix things. we are doing so -- but where doing so is suicide. the fukushima disaster is an example the the idea is to send robots, that can use the same vehicles, doorways and tools that human rescuers might. the robots will try to complete eight tasks. it's the first time most teams attempted to build a robot so complex. they have been given a long time, a full half hour to achieve each task. think of these robots as toddlers, slowly reaching for the staring wheel, trying to keep the balance. darpa is a futuristic agency, in charge of insane research projects. the most insane one, once upon a time was the concept of a

computer network that could survive a nuclear attack. that idea was the internet. in 2007 they hosted a competition for military vehicles and we ended up with googles driverless car. >> the top finishers in this year's competition will receive millions in darpa funding and a year from now the teams will try it again. at that point the technology may be ready to serve food, assist the elderly and build houses. just because the robots are intended for a human environment doesn't mean it has to look human. i'm here with the rob so the simeon team. >> it's a generalised system. the idea is unlike humans with a

specific form and function. this robot can be adopted to whatever the situation calls for. >> in the end the devices look complex, but are in their infancy. we are seeing primitive ancestors of rob other rescuers that you and i could depend on in the future. >> joining us now is robert ambrokers the -- robert ambrose. the head of n.a.s.a. what are the biggest challenges as a robotics engineer in addressing some of the complicated tasks that these tips are asked to fulfil? >> good morning. we are seeing a lot of good changes at the robotics change. we are trying to combine the mobility, the ability to get into a tough location and the

capability to do the work. once people are there, they can work with the hands, combining mobility and manipulation. >> the competition involves performing eight different tasks. the graphic that we show underscores driving and exiting a utility vehicle. walking across terrain, removing debris, opening a series of doors, climbing an industrial ladder, cutting through a wall, carrying and connecting fire hose and locating and closing leaking valves. tell us about why the specific tasks are apparent to these robotics? >> so these asks are a typical day in the life of a first responder stepping on to the scene of a disaster. imagine what you might find if you came into a large chemical

facility or nuclear reactor that went bad. it would be built with machines, like forklifts. bulldozers. wouldn't it be great if it could command ear the machines. even though the scene may be mess the up because of a disaster, it was built for people. it will have all the interfaces we take for granted. door which, gates, lockers and hatches. covers built for human hands to reach out and interface. likewise tools that humans use will be throughout the work site. drills, saws, things that people take for granted. we have seen today, baby's first steps. >> in some disasters there's a lot of debris. are the robots capable of getting around a debris or

moving. >> increasingly so, what we see is robots ambulating over rough terrain. piles of sindher blocks. slopes. it's exciting soee the first steps. >> do you have a robot there with you. >> we do. i have 17 in the competition. my team brought a new machine that is a derivative of a robonaut that is on the space station. we have been working in robotition for decades at n.a.s.a. we see a lot of overlap with what we do in space, and the needs we have on the ground. they are called terrestrial application. n.a.s.a. sees benefit in working with the agencies on earth. >> thank you very much. robert is head of robotics at n.a.s.a., joining us from a

fascinating competition in florida. >> again, you are looking at live pictures. speaking of n.a.s.a., live pictures from the international space station, where they continue to try to begin the task we've been telling you about this morning to fix a pump. this is a cooling pump the size of a refrigerator. this is the first of three space walks that two astronauts are undertaking over the next three days to try to fix the pump. >> speaking of pumps or something like that, the college football ball season starts. and forest know state quarterback has a story. john henry smith has the latest. >> he has a serious arm, david carr. i'm trying to go with the analogy. football season, college bowl season starts today as u.f.c.

faces forest know state, featuring derrick carr. in the running to be in the n.f.l. draft. he's proving he can handle controversy on and off the field >> at 6 foot 3, with a sling shot for an arm-derrick carr was labelled a can't-miss prospect when he followed his brother dazed to fresno state. he set 25 different all time marks to the record book. accomplishments overshadowed by leading the bulldogs to the mountain west championship. >> i'm a team guy. to see the joy on my team's place, having the field celebrate with us, there's nothing like that. >> as fulfilling as it was, it pales in comparison to when his

wife gave birth to their daughter dallas. it gave way to fear after dallas's intestines were definited into knots. he was rushed to another hospital and he underwent many surgeries. >> that was the hardest thing. i thought when i go through great times and be thankful, when i go through the hard times i need to be thankful. during the hard time with my sn in icu, having 23 surgeries, it was the hardest time in my life. at the time i had to prepare for together. >> how did you separate that or in the classroom. >> in the classroom tore the meeting room it was the hardest part. on the football field it was easy. >> it's the hardest thing. it was the hardest part. i wanted to be there with my son, my wife, at the hospital.

it was the hardest thing to balance it. but i tried my best and that's all i can do. >> carr's best was more nan enough, leading the nation in eight categories, including fingerprints, passing yards and touchdowns. a performance carr believes was a by-product of the fight for his life. >> when it comes to football, it wasn't that big. i went out on the football field and i enjoyed it. it wasn't stressful. i could play, have fun and it turned out the way it did. >> it's been said it's not the adversity that defined us, but how we respond to the adversity. carr believes his son's ordeal was a revealing moment for him and his ston -- his son. >> life will never be perfect. i learnt about myself, how tough

mentally i an be, and spiritually because it took a toll on me physically. my son was tougher than i was, taking needles and surgery. it's not about what happens to you, but when it does, how you spon and how you fight back. i learnt that i could fight through anything. we didn't know if he would be alive. >> not only is carr a stand-out on the field. he's one in the classroom, achieving a gpa of 3.47, earning him national recognition when he was a finalist for the william v campbell trophy. or the academic heisman trophy. >> i'll be back later with headlines. his gpa is almost as high as yours. >> and i didn't have to deal with football practice and what

he went through with his family. that's amazing. >> it was a busy beak at guantanamo bay. >> 41-year-old was accused of provided logistical support for the attackers. he called the military commission judge a war criminal saying there was a secret c.i.a. prison that no one knows about and accused guards of torturing him through sleep depravation, by making vibations and large noises in the cell. prosecutors said there was no evidence that guards tried to keep him awake. the judge ordered that he must be examined to see if he's mentally fit to stand trial. a psychiatrist determined that his client was not mentally ill. this is an an attorney and

professor at the miami school of law. >> it's encouraging that these very important words like torture and secret c.i.a. prisons were being played for the public. >> the military could have prevent anyone from outside the court room from hearing the outburst. that's 40 second delay. >> it's an act of transparency. the person that has his finger on the moot button is trying to let as much out for the public as possible. >> as part of the obama administration pla t guantanamo prison, this week four men were travelled to saudi arabia and sudan. 80 are still awaiting transfer to other countries. >> torture was at the forefront. the judge ruled that the government could not deem

experiences and observations by defendants while in c.i.a. custody as classified. the meaning of the ruling is not clear. being able to use the testimony about claims of torture is key. >> it's an argument against the death penalty and it is important. as the court awaits the results, it could take months before the pre-trial hearings resumed. >> tourists are flocking to a city in the amazon hoping to get their hands on a special plant. >> and this young wrapper from canada is getting international attention as he finds his voice.

>> we are going to be dealing with active weather all weekend long across the southern plains

and eastern u.s. lots of deep moisture pulling up from the south and south-west fuelling the thunder storms. already ongoing storms blowing up across texas into louisiana and arkansas on the back side of the system. where we have the colder air in place, it's freezing rain crass oklahoma city, where we expect to see upwards of a quarter of an inch of ice, leading to power outages. to the upper midwest there's rain and it's chilly at that. >> in peru local shaimans have been practicing traditional medicine. now they are sought out by tourists looking for natural cures. we travel to learn about plants used for spiritual hearing. >> in search for a cure. they are about to start a night-long journey in the heart

of the amazon jungle. they guided through a recession, a revered planned turn understood a hall usino genic drink. it was considered sacred. when the night is over heel be a better person. >> for me it's medicine. not because it cleans the parts, but the negative energy in our body. >> they say the drink made out of the bark of this jungle vine will pump the body and spirit. the patient is guide through a spiritual journey >> translation: my husband and i cure people. they go back well. >> for thousands of years indigenous amzonians used plants

to cure maloddies. >> the use of plants to cure illnesses was a common practice among the poor people, who don't have the means to go to a doctor. medicinal plans are found in markets like this and cure everything. >> this man can't afford a doctor. he says he doesn't need one. >> translation: i learnt from my parents and grandparents. we all use plants to get cured of illnesses. >> scientists say some plants can cure depression, addiction and physical illness. a number of tourists are coming to take the plants. many medicinal plants could be deadly. >> the problem with traditional medicine comes when people take the practice out of the natural context. >> many tourists take offers

from officials through the internet without knowing their guide could be a charl tan putting lives at risk. it's not the first time this man has taken the plant, saying the ritual requires an experienced cheman to achieve a successful experience. he trusted antonio and his wife. at daybreak he says he feels clean, bright and peaceful. >> you see that guy. even though lebron james has never participated in the n.b.a.'s dunk context, i do not think anyone will begrug him his place as an exciting dunker. new coach mike malone and the sacramento kings went. mack ill more had the best seat in the house, when i say best

seat, mack ill more was on his seat. don't clown on mackel more. what do you want him to do, tackle the man. sometimes there's nothing you can do. this is one of those times. it's a dunk fest when woodie allen throws one down. for good measure chris bosch commits more hand on rim violence. it was on the back of bron. they score a 122 to 104 win. >> losers of two straight. the pacers were mad focused. paul george was the man. he's an mpv candidate. he's a 21% shooter. he battles, scores. >> did you mention he shoots 41%. the rockets didn't see fit to

guard him. >> to the n.f.l., a testament to the packers. green bay is a half game out of the leadful they are relevant, despite being without star quarterback aaron rogers as he nurses a broken collarbone. the packers will be without him again. matt flynn, leading the packers will continue to run things. that is the sports report at this hour. >> john henry smith, thank you. >> teen years are hard enough for most of the for one who stutters it can be brutal. a canadian tenuoen uses music t find his voice. [ singing ]

>> laying down the beat, recording the lines, it's the latest song by jake, little jakes. he's been wrapping since he was done. buster wines, lille wane and drake love his work. >> words flow effortlessly at the microphone. talking is a challenge for him. >> it's my second way to communicate. and express myself through music. to be who i am. >> ever since he was a toddler jake had a severe stutter. discovering at summer camp that he wan wrap fluently changed his life. once bullied. people stop him on the street to take a picture and get an autograph. >> maybe he gets a lot of media because people pay attention because of his speech.

i can't wait until people m see what i see the first day it met him. i think that will blow people away. >> jake's parents share his ambitions and those of six-year-old brother paul. who wants to play major league baseball. they spend all their time not sent on school, family life or a vacation. >> watching a boy blossom into a confident wrapper is more than a reward, it's a family pastime. >> he has the support of his immediate family, extended family, uncles and aunts. that is huge too. there's a huge support network. at one point somebody said he has a big entourage for a

14-year-ol 14-year-old. >> a recording deal and a hit single is on the list of things to do. there's to denying that this young man has courage, determination and talent. >> at the end of a second hour, here is what we are following. president obama is in hawaii, where he and his family spend the next 17 days on vacation, before leaving he held a press conference. >> in ukraine, there's a protest in independence square, they are calling for the viktor yanukovych said to stand down. >> and this is the remembrance of the lockerbie bombing.

>> you know what they say, it's the most wonderful press conference. year. >> because there won't be any more in 2013. president obama closes out the i don't remember with a final give and take with reporters. dominated by questions about health care midstep in n.s.a. surveillance. in south sudan, the obama administration has dispatched on envoy to mediate ethnic conflict. >> celebrating the crossword puzzle today - it is 100 years old.

>> good morning and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. president obama is now home for the holidays, he and the first family touched down in hawaii. the president said on friday that a vacation with the rest and realisation that it usually entails will help him prepare for the year ahead. before leaving washington, president obama held a news conference about successes and failures of 2013. mike viqueira gives us a recap. >> good afternoon everybody. >> with calls for reforms coming from the corp and some advisors, president obama defended the n.s.a.'s collection of millions of phone record but left the door open for changes. >> whatever benefits the configuration of this program may have may be outweighed by the concerns that people have on its potential abuse. if that's the case there may be another which of skinning the cat. >> asked if a plea deal could be

struck with edward snowden in exchange for a stop to the leaks, president obama chose his words carefully. >> it is important to keep in mind this has done unnecessary damage to u.s. intelligence capabilities and u.s. diplomacy. >> on iran, the pat came out against a push for actions. >> mr obama insists on giving his deal with iran a chance. >> in light of that, what i said to members of congress is there's no need for sanctions legislation. not yet. >> the session with reporters was an end of 2013. he is approval rating sung to 40% in december before rebounding slightly. the n.s.a. controversy to blame in the botched health care roll

out for which obama committed blame. >> since i'm in charge, we screwed it up. >> the president saw hope for this agenda and chided reporters. >> i think this room recorded at least 15 year death experiences. >> at the top - immigration reform. the president sees hope for more deals in the coming year. >> hopefully folks learn their lesson if terms of brinksmanship coming out of the government shutdown. >> this was probably the president's last official appearance until next year. for the first time in his presidency, there's no fights with congress to keep him in washington. he boarded marine one, bound for 17 days in hawaii. >> that was mike viqueira reporting. the president has reason to be optimistic about the year ahead. as noted the economy is doing

better than it has in years. despite the problems, more than a million men's signed up for coverage. the president faced a string of tough questions. the same day there were renewed revelations about the target. documents from the security agency show it spied on more than 1,000 people in 2008 and 2011. among them a prime minister, directors and foreign leaders. that came from a trove of documents leaked by ex-n.s.a. contractor edward snowden. another violent weekend in iraq leaves 15 dead, including a high ranking iraqi officer. the military wing of al-qaeda ambushed a group of officers what were about to carry out a raid. >> pressure is ramping up on leaders to ease ethnic fighting in that country.

john kerry on friday called on the leaders in south sudan to rein in armed groups. hundreds of people died in the week-long fighting. the recent attack targeted the i takeses base in akobo. u.n. officials are urging the south sudan president and vice president to reconcile saying the only solution is a political one. . >> it's a political crisis within the leadership of sblm. you have a political crisis and a powder keg. it's the ethnic question. the political crisis could lead to a civil war if we don't solve the political crisis for

dialogue. >> it's not known if a safe haven can be provided. u.n. officials say they need backup. >> we need to ensure we have enough protection. we are reinforcing those as we speak to make sure we can protect civilness elsewhere. >> we are ensuring in those locations we have the force and fireparty necessary. >> the youngest country deals with strikes and u.n. workers are hoping to ensure the safety of civilians in their care. now for more from juba. >> this woman is angry because the food she has given is not enough. too many need help. >> they told us there would be food. that is not true. they said we'd gethelp.

i'm angry, frust ated and hungry. >> it's estimated 5,000 are living here. families that are too squared to go home. this is the current vice president. he's visiting families in camps, telling them to go home, saying juba is safe. he replaced riek machar in august, the man accused of starting the coup. >> only some places are under his control. it's a matter of time. we'll flush him out. >> the united nations paints a slightly different picture. it says at least 35,000 people are hiding out in places in six of the country's 10 states. nazanine moshiri denies trying to take over the country. some of those incidents during the days of fighting are recovering. the battle to cope at first.

now things are under control. >> almost all were shot wounds. because of the nature of the combat, it differs from shots at night and during the day. at night the shots were at the back. they were surprising. most were at the back. in the morning they were in the front legs, thighs, chests and others on the head which means these are combat. most of those will be on the head. >> locals in dube say if the crisis escalates they have nowhere to run to. >> and the president met with foreign ministers from neighbouring country, including kenya and ethiopia. they were in juba to quell the violence. >> we'll go live to our correspondent later in the news cast. >> 30 people were killed in central african republic on

friday after days of relative calm. human rights groups say the fighting between muslims and christians raged out of control. the president obama group is ledging $100 million to the african group. al jazeera has a reporter on the ground. we'll bring you a live report later in the news cast. >> egypt's deposed president mohamed morsi will stand trial for the deaths of officers during the uprising against hosni mubarak. 132 defendants will be tried, including members of the moody analytics, hamas in hezbollah. the news fuelled riots between mohamed morsi supporters and those of the current military government. >> former russian oil tycoon mikhail khordorkovsky is innocentlying 24 hours of freedom. he was reunited with family

members. earlier vladimir putin signed papers to pardon him on fraud. supporters maintained that the charges were bogus. >> for more than 10 years mikhail khordorkovsky, a political aspiree and one of the richest men in russia has been in gaol. his case turned him from olly gashing to political dissident. he is a freeman in berlin. he applied for release and was granted it. in a written statement he said: >> president vladimir putin didn't stop with mikhail khordorkovsky, he pardoned 20,000 members. including two members of pussy

riot and detained greenpeace activists. pussy riot members were sent to 2 years imprisonment amid an outcry after an anti-putin outcry in church. the members of green piece were taken into custody after protesting on an oil rig. >> what is behind the decision to let the prisoners go >> kremlin watcher mark hollingsworth says vladimir putin has an eye on the olympics and the bad publicity russia is receiving. >> i don't think it's a coin deps that we are six weeks away from the olympics. vladimir putin sees the olympics as a show case. >> he said vladimir putin didn't concede much but pusey riot and others were slated for release in a couple of months. mikhail khordorkovsky has money and power. >> heap could use it to run

political campaigns from abroad. i don't think he would be as naive and he thought because he was wealthy he could take on the kremlin and the russian state. >> whatever the reason, it has garnered him the eyes of the world. >> that was john terrett reporting. >> utah's attorney general is appealing a ruling for same-sex marriages ruling a ban was unconstitutional. district court judge robert shelby wrote this: >> salt lake city has begun to issue marriage licences to gaye

couples. >> we got a text message from a friend who is an attorney and said robert shelby did an amendmentment get to the county court's office. we didn't understand all the details of what happened. but we went. and figured it out and realised holy moly. >> at the time that couple got married they said hundreds more were waiting for licence. >> the highest court in canada weighed in on prostitution laws. sex for hire has some restrictions, but the court is changing the rules. >> this was not a ruling on the legality of prostitutionful it was a ruling on whether the restrictions imposed by parliament on prostitution which is legal in canada is endangering sex worsers. justices found they are. they struck down the prohibition on keeping a brothel, making a

living. plaintiffs argued it means they'll take security forces needed for a safeworking environment. >> this is the first time in canadian history that sex workers are truly perps, citizens of this country. now we can work in a legal occupation in a legal manner. >> but the laws remain in place for now. >> the justices have given parliament a year to draft new laws to impose limits on the community disruption of prostitution without endangering sex workers. what should replace the laws. one group argues parliament should follow the nordic model. >> the government should prevent women being vulnerable to the brothel keepers, pimps and engage the men who engage in

profit tags as brothel keepers, pimps, johns are responsible for exploitation of women inequality. >> that's not the case with some groups. >> it means someone running their business is doing so with client running scared from the law. so there's fewer clients and clients that are willing to take risks, so they are finding they are more likely to be dangerous. >> the chief justice admitted that sex workers will be at risk in canada. >> many european countries are having similar dae baits. a bill was passed saying it was illegal to pay for the s. the law to aimed at the john, rather than the sex workers. >> good saturday morning. i'm meteorologist eboni deon taking a look at the radar,

where you can see plenty of active weather. we are expecting heavy rain and on the back side of the storm system freezing rain is in place. when we put it together, this is it what we are dealing with, not only showers and storms, with y withway -- with mild air in place we'll see storms. mainly western areas of mississippi. this it will switch overnight. we'll have to be on guard and keep a close watch to what is going down on the day. it's pulling from the forth. we'll deal with freezing rain for a good portion of the rain. travel plans there - be careful. probably a better idea to wait the storm system out. we are talking strong damaging

winds anywhere from the lower miss sippy valley. a large swath will be affected by the strong winds. the tornado may impact the lower mississippi valley. that will extend to the overnight hours. it's something to think about as you plan your day. a number of warnings and watchers. there's an ice storm warning for oklahoma. >> all right. taking to the streets to protest fare increases to ride the bus. >> brazilians say that every day services could take priority before spending on the world cup. >> tajikistan is building the world's third-largest mosque. why is the government placing restrictions on how and where people can practice their faith?

>> a major retailer the target of a massive security breach wants to make amends with millions of customers put at risk.

>> good morning welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey, the president's rear-end review with split cos rebecca sindhabrand. >> first, meteorologist eboni deon is with us. >> we have a cold front across the southern plains to the north-east. on the backside it is much colder. teens and 20s all the way down to the northern section. panhandle of texas. on the front side the air is warm, south-westerly wind allows temperatures to sore. we are sitting into the '60s.

temperatures this weekend 15 upwards to 20 degrees warmer. now we are at 32 degrees. we have the freezing rain, storms. 73 degrees for you. >> president obama is on vacation and hawaii for the next 17 days. before leaving washington friday he reflected on the past year in a news conference talking about everything from afghanistan to the budget. president obama in his weekly address is looking forward to 2014 in a spirit of bipartisanship. >> after a year of showdowns and obstructions that held down the economy. we broke the log jam a bit over the last few weeks. it's a sign that hopefully we can end the cycle of short-sighted decision making and work together to get things down. >> joined together a deputy white house editor for

"politico." thanks for joining us. how would you characterise the p's press conference? >> you could tell the president was feeling a little relaxed, not in peak energy form, someone who was looking forward to vacation and getting out of up to and looking forward to an end to 2014, which has not been the highlight year of to 13. >> did he seem to have strategy? >> there's white house strategy for 2014. what they talked about doesn't sound different to the strategy of 2013. there's a number of items on the agenda. we'll hear about a new approach to n.s.a. surveillance. we'll hear from him some more about foreign policies and the vision about the last few years of his administration. the interesting thing was

yesterday the president called several times for bold action. 2014, not usually a time for bold bipartisan action. >> is that to shake things up from what the past year has been. how would you characterise the fifth year of his presidency compared to fifth year of other presidents. >> it's about par. he's hit road bumps, and this is what happens to presidents in the second term. a series of disappointments in areas where he thought there would be bipartisan cooperation. for instance, in changes on gun control policy in the wake of newtown, and changes in immigration reform in the wake of 2012 elections. there has been a series of disappointments. the president yesterday pointed to the budget which in a rare

highlight for congress passed before they left town. that is something that he is saying maybe is a good time for the future, but remains to be seen. >> the bar is so, so low. >> let's talk about health care. the president's signature achievement. the way he sees it, everyone doesn't see it that way. he dealt with it front and center and took blame for how poorly things have gone so far. let's listen to that. >> the fact is it didn't happen in the first month, first six weeks in a way that was at all acceptable. since i'm in charge, we obviously screwed it up. >> is this the kind of thing that if things continue to get better, if we get numbers and more enrolling, that that's what the white house needs. >> you know, clearly that's what they hope. we heard those numbers from the

president. it he pointed to 1 million people getting health care. it's a huge improvement for the early weeks. the question remains whether theive can be shifted. the longer things continue, the greater the mass of individuals signing up, that's one aspect of it. that can change. the memories of the roll up. looking ahead to 2014, we can expect hearings and inquiries and a focus on the problems and there continues to be problems. >> it's a good way to sum it up. time will tell. >> thank you so much this morning. >> thanks. >> the united nations says that it's received notification from

india to register an indian diplomat as a member of the permanent mission to india. the diplomat is at the center of a dispute between the u.s. and india. protesters gathered, showing signs. a show of support. >> he'll process the request according to standard procedures. >> brazilians may love their soccer, but not for needed services. the street is predicting a hike in bus fairs. >> several hundreds showed up here and in downtown. an announcement by the mayor to increase bus fair starting in the new year by 10%. people are chanting saying money should be spent not on the world cup, but for education, health care.

public transportation should be free. the profests caught a lot of attention when they started in sao paulo and spread in other major cities. what they are promising to do is continuing the fight. the world will watch as we get closer to the world cup. the protesters followed to keep up the fights and we'll see how it development in the weeks and month ahead. >> brazil is hosting the olympics in 2015. the first time in south america. situation in south sudan is getting worse. escalating tensions making things difficult. there are forces on the ground. >> i'm in southern england with a puzzle for you. what has this place, the "the daily telegraph," the humm ble crossword and world war ii got

in common. fancy a clue - that's coming up later. >> i'm john henry smith, we are 47 days away from the olympics. in sport we turn our minds to the last line of defense in the women's hockey team.

>> welcome back, i'm richelle carey. we begin with breaking news. four u.s. service members are treated after their aircraft came under fire. they were participating in evacuating citizens. they were forced to divert to an airfield outside the country and abort the mission. for the latest al jazeera's correspondent is in south sudan. what can you - do we have you?

there we go. what can you tell us about the latest situation there, about the four u.s. soldiers injured? >> well, we know they were going to try to evacuate city in the town where they saw fighting and becoming. the plain was shot at, several were injured. the situation is tense. not just there. an army commander from division four in south sudan told people on the local radio, "i'm joining the rebellion to overthrow president salva kiir", people are panicking and trying to get out of the country. of course, when they hear a flight was shot at they are wondering is it safe to fly out, maybe they should dry. >> the security situation seems to be deteriorating quickly.

>> yes, it is. there are efforts to try to find the political solution to this crisis. we have foreign ministers and the u.s. special envoy is on its way here. they did try to stop a civil war. politicians say there is time to do that so long as you can get the two fighters to talk and compromise. the president is willing to speak to his rival, the former vice president accused of planning the coup. for that to happen the president has to resign, and all those arrested for the planned coup have to be released from prison and flown to ethiopia for safety. it's looking unlikely that the two sides are willing to compromise. >> there's optimism, a little, going into this meeting, but it seems that some of these

expectations may be a little high. keep us posted. a special envoy will head to the region shortly. live from south sudan. thank you. >> moving to the next story, former russian oil tycoon mikhail khordorkovsky is enjoying freedom after being pardoned by vladimir putin. mikhail khordorkovsky was russia's richest man with an estimated $15 billion before being convicted on fraud charges. this is to provide insight into his release, is a professor of global affairs at the n.y.u. center. >> thank you for coming in. >> so, vladimir putin said that a condition of his release was not that he was going to be forced into exile, but he could come back to russia whenever he wants. do you think that's accurate? >> it is, but hanging over him

is a third criminal case. there's a sense of we'll let you go, but if you come back, become an inconvenience we can knock on your door once more. >> there is word that his mother is back in russia. how do you think that factors into all the political things that went on behind the scenes. >> we don't know where she is. it is clear that moscow is taking a gamble and are hedging their bets, making sure they have many possible alternative strands to tug on, to remind him not to go too far. why the gamble and the pardons. what is going on. >> it's an appreciation of the fact that russia is not looking good with the various issues and crackdown on the l.g.b.t. community and socchi is coming. there's a bit of a charm offensive.

it's more generally that mikhail khordorkovsky was an embarrassment. he was in prison and was more or less an iconic political prisoner. there's a sense of let's clear out the inconveniences, let's not bother wasting political capitol. next year is a tough year. we don't want to waste our time with secondary issues when we may have to deal with cuble on the streets. >> looets take people back to 2002. this is what time magazine said about mikhail khordorkovsky. at 39 he amanufactureded a $7 billion portion and a year later he was imprisoned. do you think that actually being in prison changed his image a bit? >> i think that's changed his image and him a lot. absolutely. the olly gashings who rose in

the 1990s, every russian is convinced they were crooks and embezlers, he may have been one of the cleanest one. spending 10 years in prison may have cleansed his image. it suggests from his rightings that he may be a leftist. when you say candidate, what is his future. >> there's to doubt in one way or the other he wants to get back into shaping russia's future. from his point of view, he can go one of two ways, stay in the west and follow encouragement and money, but he looks like an embittered russian imgrate. or he takes the gamble, go back to russia, get involved in politics where he may make traction on the ground,

otherwise he'll put himself in harm's way. >> he has a lot of political capitol himself. >> absolutely. >> thank you professor from the n.y.u. center for global affairs. >> tajikistan has strict rules on how and where people can pray. the government says it's necessary to combat extremism. many feel the laws are an attempt to clamp down on political opposition. [ singing ] >> tajikistan is a secular country. remmageon plays a bike part in politics. meaning bringing students back from abroad. >> people that study religion institutions, they are citying elsewhere. the government decided to cut

through the procedure. >> like this 25-year-old, studying in a madrasa in iran. he attend classes at the tajikistanize islamic institution. >> all are approved by the government. >> translation: if their parents don't comply and bring the children back, they are complied, and there are enforcement agencies. >> women are banned from praying in mosques, and the parental responsibility act says that parents must prevent their children taking part in religious activity until they are 18 years old. >> dozens of mosques and venues have been shut across the country. a mosque that is set to be the

centre piece is being built. >> this is the site of the third-largest mosque. when completed it will hold 150,000 people. the government hopes it will draw people away from radical places of worship, but it is just another way to control how people practice their faith. >> human rights campaigners say the move is stemmed at the opposition. the moderate islamic rowano sans party is recognised. they claim they were unable to take part in elections due to intimidation of supporters. >> translation: these laws, in fact, have a reverse effect. it suppresses people and young men leave the country or migrate to russia.

>> tajikistan is the poorest of russia's states. poverty is widespread. many feel the government should focus on improving their lives, instead of monitoring their faith. >> religious groups who do not have a physical structure are not allowed to gather publicly for prayer. >> 25 years ago the pan am flight 123 was blown out of the skies and crashed in lockerbie. one of the bombs master minds was convicted. >> abdel baset al-megrahi died after beingersed from a prison on compassionate ground. fbi director met with the family of missing contractor bob levinson. he went missing season years ago

on a mission in iran. his family wanted to meet with the director. there has been requested meetings with secretary of state john kerry and president obama. it's been two years since his family received photos or videos. the u.s. has not abandoned lef son. >> the winter olympics are only 47 days away - who is counting? we all are. hoo is a nates contending team. >> gone. we all make mistakes. everyone goes to work and makes mistakes. present company excluded imagine going to your job snowing when you go to your job a light will flash. members of the national hockey team would not have it any other

way. >> these girls have been camp out with the national team prepping for the upcoming winter olympics in socchi russia. each brings something different to the table between the pipes. >> what makes jessie a good goalie? >> sometimes she gets the score done and she giggles through her mask. sometimes you can get frustrated in the net, and she's always giggling and is it immediately brings anybody out of a funk. . >> these players are on my team. they are good. way to go. glad you are on my team. >> bree has the widest butterfly. if you score, don't go down. >> she could be serious. she's like, "pay attention.". >> being a goalie i use the word forgetful, because you'll get

wouns bouncers against you. you score. the biggest thing it to forget it and make saves. >> of all the positions in hockey, you chose the one with an 80 minneapolis puck coming out your face. why? >> it goes back to the seven siblings and brothers. i say i was forced into that position. >> you want to play. the pads i am sure they are protective, they weren't. >> it shaped who we are. as the only girl in the baseball league, you get used to it. you work hard to prove you belong with the boys. >> you would think having three goalies in the same team fighting for the same position would create tension. for jessie, mali and bree, they say it's brought them closer. >> we are always together. put the goalies over there or

something. we are close. we went on a team vacation and the three of us kind of were always together on the beach or something like that. i don't know whether there was no one else wanting to hang out with us. that's when we started to be friends. >> the chemistry carries to the ice and will play a vital role at the olympics. >> usually the goalies are not close. you compete for the same spot. we have been together five years. we get along well, have fun and like asking out with each other. >> there's little doubt the road to soech -- socchi will go through canada. the rivalry between america and canada is incidence. >> you are training to be the best, and to be the best you have to beat the pest. >> we look forward to that opportunity. it's a dog fight.

and those are the games you want to win. last time out the americans had to settle for silver meaning venging the loss has been years in the making. >> it's hard winning silver. you losele game. there's a lot of disappointment. for me personally it took a couple of days. we flue back to the statements. people were waiting at the gate congratulating us. winning a silver medal, what an accomplishment. >> what would it mean to win cold? >> it means all our hard work paid off. we have different goals and successors that we can have throughout the process, but that would definitely be something special to be able to walk away with the gold medal. >> thanks a lot. now while we have to wait for olympic action, college bowl

season begins, the los angeles davis, featuring derek carr against number 25 trojans. in the n.b.a. the marr key match in san antonio: >> late tonight: >> that's sports at this hour. >> target's ceo is trying to win back customers after a security beach compromised credit and debit cards of 40 million customers. the company ceo offered free security checks for anyone shopping from september 15th to december 15 december 15th ith and is giving

customers a 10% discount this weekend. >> [ ♪ music ] >> we can learn a lot from children and about ourselves and the world, and that is why we are giving you this new series, bringing this to you call "being 8", it's about incredible experiences struggles and insight through innocent eyes. now a young ballerina poised to take the stage in a holiday tradition. >> kendall is eight years old and 4.5. so there aren't a lot of ballet roles, unless it's christmas time. [ ♪ music ] >> this "nutcracker" performed by the pasadena dance theatre is kendall's first shot at dancing in a production. >> i'm in a scene where mother ginger come out, lifts up her dress and we dance around here.

>> it's four hours before curtain time and kendall is home getting ready. >> i'm nervous and excited. >> she started lessons at age 3, following in the dance steps of her sister. >> when i see had doing something, i want to to. >> kendall had to audition and this company rarely accepts eight year olds but she was accepted. >> what did you think of people who are the leads? >> it was amazing. he kept lifting her. she was on point and oh those leaps. >> seems like you are flying when you jump up in the air. i always wanted to do that. and then the audience can see me do that, floating up in the air. >> it's two hours until curtain time. the hair is that braids, and

she's off to the theatre. she and the other girls are herded backstage where they must wait for their appearance in the second act. >> on stage the nutcracker is in full swing. >> back stage they are transformed into clowns. >> i can poj myself on stage looking like this. >> the wait has given kendall a case of stage fright. suddenly intermission is over and she's rushed into dress. do you feel different? >> yes, i feel like a professional ballet. >> she's waiting in the wings. mother ginger's giant skirt is lowered over the girls. for kendall this is the moment

she's been waiting for, the moment - but wait, we'll let her tell you. >> when mother ginger lifts the skirt there's lights and a big audience out there. it's like, "wow." >> wow indeed. kendall has fallen under the spell of the music, the dance and applause. when she takes her bow with the cast, she is dreaming of the future. >> when i grow up i want the role of clara. >> 4 foot 5, eight years old and ready to fly. >> talented and ambitious. what's in a word. we are celebrating the puzzle that has been stumping people for a century.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. let's take a look at where it might snow, rain and parts of the country today. meteorologist eboni deon has all of that. it may get dicey in places. >> it is, especially in lookout shelter mississippi valley. some of the storms could turn severe. take a look at the deep plume of

moisture stretching from texas to the ohio valley. that is fuelling what we see now. we have it all from plain liquid rain and thunderstorm activity to freezing rain causing icy conditions. watch the severe weather and the wintry side as well. >> thank you eboni deon. >> movie director is known for "the sifth sense", but is out with a book called "i got schooled", focussing on how to change the gap between kids. >> you know how everyone says america is behind in education. technically we are a little behind pole and and a little ahead of lip tenstein. that's is where we land in the list. that is not the truth. the truth is black and wight

literally. which is if you pull out the inner city low-income schools out of the united states, put them to the side and took every other public school, we lead the world in public school education by a lot. >> what is interesting is we think about finland. that is obviously mainly white kids and they teach the kids well. we teach our white kids better. we beat everyone. our white kids are thought the best public school education. those are the facts. >> provocative topic. >> ali velshi's full interview airs on "talk to al jazeera." >> there is another way to pass the time before social media. crossword puzzles. today marks the 100th birthday.

>> languages may differ, but the little black and white boxes has been causing us headaches for 100 years. this is the first ever. its author copyright it which was a 15 across or major fail. >> phil does his with a cup of tea every day. less problem-solving, more problem creating. he's a crossword editor. when it comes to tough clues, he broke the book. the penny drop moment is the goal of any cryptic crossword clue. the moment when you get it and you say, "yes, that's brilliant." >> here is one clue that had many a fan flum oxed over the years. 58 letters, see how you fare.

>> have a think the answer is coming in a moment. here is a hint. it's a place, and speaking of places - this place has its own unique relationship to the crossword. it's blechly park, and during world war ii behind those window and doors some of britain's biggest brains worked on the ultimate puzzle - cracking german codes. finding people suitable was a job in itself. candidates were given a copy of the "the daily telegraph" and the cross word. the goal complete it in 12 minutes. >> crossword puzzle people were good at filling in the gaps, recollectioning the rest of a word. mark would have been snapped up. times crossword exampchampion, n get through not one, not two,

but three. a tip from the pro. it's about technique. you can look at the clue if you are familiar with the devices used with key words that may come into the clue or play with it and figure it out. >> here is the answer to the earlier tough one. guessing it is one things, pronouncing it is another. not that it matters, after all it's just for fun, and has been for 100 years. phil lavelle, al jazeera - with a massive headache. >> in 1925 cross words got a major boost when a publishing company agreed to sell a small book. that come was simon and shuster. that is it for this edition and this hour. an update after the break.

>> hello, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey in new york. breaking news out of south sudan. four u.s. soldiers have been injured after their military aircraft came under attack. they were participating in a mission to evacuate american citizens from the war-torn country. it was forced to divert to nairobi kenya to treat the soldiers. >> president obama is on vacation in hawaii for the next 17 days, he held a conference talking about afghanistan to the budget. he said he's looking forward to 2014, and a spirit of bipartisanship. >> after a year