>> out of prison and free to speak his mind. russian billionaire mikhail khordorkovsky is taking aim at the kremlin. >> plus... ..the ruling government in south sudan is trying to regain control as hundreds of troops advance on the rebels and sthous onwards of refugees find sanctuary in a human compound >> in colorado the teenage girl shot by a classmate has died. family and community are devastated. >> a medical patient in france - a patient receives an artificial heart designed to tick for up to

five years. >> good morning everybody. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster in new york. former russian oil tycoon mikhail khordorkovsky in prison for 10 years is free and speaking out. in his first media interview since his release the high-profile critic said he is not planning to go into politics. his comments were made to reporters in berlin, where he is re-uniting with his family. putin pardoned mikhail khordorkovsky in a pr mood taking a lot of people by surprise. more from berlin. >> this is the moment days ago they must have thought was impossible. a family finally reunited. a day after mikhail khordorkovsky was released from gaol, he was back in the arms of

his parents. he gave more details about conditions in prison. >> because for a year and two months and 2.5 years, but during these years i had long meetings with relatives and all the other times i was on a prison regime and had no long visits. >> accused of tax evasion, mikhail khordorkovsky spent the last decade in detention. he'd been the richest man, a powerful group of oligarchs who had their wings clipped. >> vladimir putin's decision to pardon mikhail khordorkovsky on friday surprised many. >> it comes weeks before the start of the socchi olympics. >> translation: for western opinion it is an enormous event especially in the run-up to the olympics. it's a big step to soften attitudes towards vladimir

putin. i think that was the main motive. >> during his time in prison mikhail khordorkovsky's image was transformed from that of a ruthless businessman to political act vist. behind bars he was an outspoken critic of the kremlin. it's unclear how loud the voice will be now he's on the other side and out of russia. >> he was 10 years in different areas, and that means he has to learn what it means to live in among society. it's difficult. he needs time. >> the kremlin will watch every move that mikhail khordorkovsky makes. on sunday we expect him to come here and give details about his future and how it involves russia. >> mikhail khordorkovsky's release was part of a string of pardons by putin. the russian president gave

pardons to pussy riot and others. many believe it's part of the his efforts to soften his image. >> a special envoy to south sudan is expected to arrive in the war torn nation to diffuse the crisis. name earia is sending an envoy. factional fighting is claiming the lives of hundreds of people. world leaders are condemning the conflict when the aircraft attempted to evacuate americans. the pentagon said he's reviewing further operations. the united nations secretary-general is calling on south sudan's leaders to end hostilities. ban ki-moon spoke? a news commence in manila. >> i call on them to do everything in their power to

ensure their followers share a message loud and clear that continued violence, ethnic and others is completely unacceptable and poses a dangerous threat to the future of their young country. >> meantime the power struggle between the leaders of south sudan conditions. haru mutasa has the latest from juba. >> the crisis in south sudan is becoming more dangerous. the government is sending troops and tanks to jonglei state to take on the rebels. renegade soldiers have taken control of bor and are attacking people. gunfire has hit aircraft as they were about to land. four u.s. servicemen were injured. in the middle of all this are civilians looking for

protection. 35,000 are camped out at compounds. >> bor is a strategic location within south sudan and within the crisis both factions and the government forces were using it as a point that they want to dominate. how far, even the united nations became a target. it held a memorial service for two peacekeepers. it had been attacked by 2,000 armed youth from the nuer tribe. this attack happened like a frontal attack on the base itself. the two peacekeepers killed, they were killed in action in protecting and trying to prevent the entry into the camp. >> the fighting began with a power struggle between power factions within the army. it got worse when the president

accused the deputy of attempting a coup. >> they were suspected also to be involved in the attempted military coup. >> african foreign ministers met with south sudan's government to discuss the conflict. it has not solved anything. the worry is that the violence is turning into a civil war between different tribes. >> the danger of it moving to tribal and sectarian struggle is high. all political leaders in the sudan have supreme responsibility to make sure that it does not degenerate into tribal or sectarian conflict. if it does, nobody yet master on how to resolve such conflict. >> until they do, the fighting will go on. and the country will remain one of the most unstable. >> that was haru mutasa reporting from juba.

sudan was once the largest state in africa. it's been torn apart any 40 years of on and off still wars. in 2011 sudan became two countries. 99% in the south voted for independence. the north, called sudan is home to arabic people. in the south there's more ethnic groups and the tribes are dinka and nuer and are fighting for decades. most depend on oil. most of the reserves are in the south, but pipe lines carry the oil to markets in the forth. with oil south sudan is one of the poorest countries. when it split there was 68 miles of paveded robes in a country

larger than new mexico. >> the president of central african republic urged muslim fighters and christian militias to lay down their arms. the plea coming after escalating fighting took the lives of 30 people. fighting rebels brought the interim president to power. the fighting has caused the deaths of 37 more people. >> michel djotobia offered condolences for all the dead, called for national conciliation and made an appeal for humanitarian aid. and for the first time he assured. car that there would be justice for both sides. >> translation: whether it is those that heaped in our fight or spread chaos, as we have shown, justice will be done.

i'm disposed to talk to all who took up arms, rightly or wrongy, so we disarm. we need to disarmour hearts. >> the assurance of justice is under pressure from world leaders to come out and spell clearly that both sides will be treated equally in the courts. whether it is too late and whether it will be delivered is an open question. there's so many divisions, so much instability, but there will be free and fair elections. >> andrew simmons reporting from bangui in the central african republic. in kenya there has been a major train derailment in nairobi. dozens of people may be trapped in the wreckage and under debris. six people have been taken to a nairobi hospital. the train coming off the tracks

in a city slum, home to a carter million people. rawya rageh is there on the scene. what are you seeing now? >> what we are seeing is a slow rescue operational essentially slipping over the railway tracks and what the rescue workers are trying to do is fix the tracks in order to be able to bring in a crane to help spip over the data that has derailed. the police officer in charge - this is a team of cargo teams. he said it is very heavy cargo that they had two engines, one at the back pushing. what witnesses are telling them is the extent of the way it

worked and crushing to the point where the trin was and slipped off the tracks. it took over an hour for the workers to get to the scene and didn't know how difficult it was to access the area. this is a slum. you could see how close they are. you could see how that is complimenting. they may be able to ascertain what happened after they pulled over two wagons. >> it's a developing situation with 30 people trapped under the rebel. there's no reports of fatality, but an evolving situation in nairobi. we'll keep everybody posted as the news develops from there. >> police in bangladesh charged 13 people in connection with a

fire in a garment factory that killed 112 people. according to the charges the death toll was a result of poor safety standards. the couple that opened the factory are among those charged and could face life in prison if convicted of negligent whom site. >> 600 police officers in riot gear were called to striking railway workers in south korea today. more than 6,000 workers walked off the job two weeks ago to protest a government move to privatize the rail system. police used tear gas to farce their way into the headquarters of a mill tant labour group who fought back with water canons, 100 striking workers were taken into custody. in germany a demonstration turned violent on seat when

7,000 protested a leftist cultural center. some threw bottles, rocks and fireballs. 32 were injured and an unspecified number of protestors were also hurt. the colorado community is in mourning again. claire davis, the 17-year-old senior in a coma after being shot at arapahoe high school died on saturday, with her family by her side. claire davis was critically injured when student karl pierson entered the school building armed with a shotgun and molotov cocktails. his attack lasted 80 seconds. the davis family issued a statement saying:

>> at least two have been killed after a storm system swept across the south of the united states. wind gusts ripped off rooftops. 20,000 lost power in northern mississippi, and tens of thousands in louisana. the national weather service is trying to determine whether a tornado touched down in lousiana >> i'm meteorologist eboni deon. the tornado threat dimmin ired. we can't rule it out but it is less 2457b%. not likely to see a toronto. here is a look at what we were dealing with, showers blowing across the valley.

look at the wind damage that is indicated by the yellow dots. that line of storms pushing to the east. causing damage as far as strong winds. the tornado reports - there were only three reported, minimal. lots of dam done, lives lost. today it looks like the threat will be a strong wind threat as the system moves to the east. it's bringing rain on into parts of eastern coast as we go through the day. we have a severe thunderstorm watch in areas of pennsylvania, and northern areas of maryland as well as the d.c. area. that will remain in effect until 10 o'clock. watch out for the threat of heavy rain fall. that threat will be further south. we have an area of low pressure lifting northward. lots of warm air. we'll deal with record warmth in

parts of the north-east. with the warm air and instability, showers and thunder storms possible. the cold air in place. that's where we are dealing with items across northern areas of the state. windy and we know that ice creates dangerous travel conditions. the system pushes off the north-east coast as we get into late in the day on monday. >> thank you very much. meteorologist eboni deon. >> coming up on al jazeera, doctors in france carried out the world's most advance artificial heart transplant. plus... >> her strength, courage, humour. all she wants is carols - we can do that. >> thousands of people grant a dying girl's christmas wish by seren aiding her. ♪ all is calm

>> good morning everybody.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster in new york. a medical first in france as doctors implanted for the long term an artificial heart. artificial heart. first let's get a look at what temperatures we'll see across the nation. eboni deon is here with more. >> we are continuing to stay nice and warm along the east coast line, leaving for most locations. we have falling temperatures thanks to the cold front bringing severe weather. now the front is heading east ward and temperatures turning colder. 32 in chicago, at the freeding point. into houston, we were into the upper '60s. this morning still mild, feeling the cooler air sitting in. into the north-east a contrast. 18 in montreal. mild on monday. temperatures above average.

we make it into the "40s. we'll dry out and our temperatures will drop like a rock. 37 degrees, colder air on the way as the front heads off the east coast. >> it was thought a local rejection of boeing at washington plant meant a bidding war. a power play. the national machinist union was telling a local union to vote on the contract. tania moseley has the latest on seattle. this is the latest move in the battle between boeing and the union. the pacific production out into the north-west. the local union voted one offer down by a 2:1

margin, a later offer was rented out right. union headquarters is ordering a vote on the second offer. it would replace pensions with the 401 retirement plan, and require workers to pay more for health care. some union workers want another chance to trike a deal. >> i believe it will be different this time. people know that jobs are at risk, families and communities. a local union rep tells us they'll urge workers to vote know. >> that was tania moseley in seattle. the revote to the workers is scheduled for january the 3rd. >> rules for flying friendly skies, the carrier is putting in place guidelines, children will not be allowed to fly unaccompanied. united is charging $150 fee each

way for young people that travel alone. united is not the only airlineway policy. u.s. airlines and south-west have similar rules. >> monday, december the 23rd is the dead line to sign up on the healthcare.gov website. the obama administration said the roll out have been fixed and 2 million americans applied for coverage. at the last scheduled news conference, president obama face tough questions and the criticisms about the controversial data collection and surveillance programs. 2013 was a tough year for president obama, and in a remark that's starting to get attention from scholars and historians, the president gained insight. it's not that i don't engage in a lot of self-reflection, i

probably beat myself up more on any given day. but i have to wake up and make sure i do better the next day, and that we keep moving forward. history yorians know it's not unusual for presidents to be self-critical. it's rare for presidents like barack obama to talk about this side of their personae publicly. >> states running their own obamacare exchanges has increased sign ups. california, for example is averaging 15,000 enrolments a day. as many people have signed up in calvar over the last five days as signed up in calve your for november. the bad news is that the barack obama administration made a rule change and is adding to consumer

confusion. the administration announced that if you were one of the millions of people facing cancellation of health insurance you will now be allowed to buy catastrophic coverage that is only available to people younger than 30. and you'll be exempt from penalties if you go without insurance. you go with supercheap insurance, or you go without any insurance and not face penalty. the move comes days before the december 23rd deadline for people to sign up for coverage in friday news conference. a delay in the mandate ensures a smoother transition. >> this is essentially an additional net in case folks may have slipped through the cracks.

>> allies in congress believe the move clamps down on fall out. that's what harry reid believes. a republican is ripping the decision saying it bolsters their argument that the health care program is broken. >> thousands of people in pennsylvania have joined together to send christmas carols and grant a final wish to a dying girl. delaney brown, who turned eight years old has a rare form of leukaemia. doctors have given her a few more days to life. to lift her spirits carollers gathered outside her home in west redding and sang classic christmas songs. >> there has been posts showing her strength and humour. all she wants is carols - we can do that >> she also had a chance to talk

to taylor swift, made possible by the make a wish foundation. >> coming up on al jazeera. tensions are rising in thailand. protesters have taken to the streets to force the prime minister from office. and inflation - residents in pakistan feel the pinch as prices continue to rise. clean drinking water is a rare luxury in indonesia. >> i'm john henry smith, if you like games that matter the n.f.l. have what you are looking forward to. a big day in the n.f.l. coming up in sports.

>> welcome back everybody, i'm david shuster, these are the top stories at this hour. former russian oil tycoon

mikhail khordorkovsky released from 10 years in prison on friday says he will not enter toll ticks. those comments were made in berlin. the former billionaire, anoutspoken critic is expected to speak at a press conference in 30 minutes. the u.s. special envoy to south sudan is expected to arrive in the war torn nation to help diffuse the crisis. world leaders including president obama and ban ki-moon are calling to an end to hostilities. tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the fighting are pouring into refugee camps, fullying for their lives. un initials athey are -- u.n. officials are doing what they can to keep everyone safe. >> there has been scuffles outside the prime minister's residence in thailand. thousands of demonstrators are

marching in two different directions. they want yingluck shinawatra to resign and are wanting electoral retomorrows. the main opposition party plans to boycott the upcoming vote. >> it's a day of protests in bangkok. the democrat party, the official opposition party is hoping to gather between 2-3 million people. and march around the city in two directions for a total of a 10 mile walk. they want the ruling family, the shinawatras to be removed from public office. the second thing they want is what they call a people's congress. it's similar to britain's house of lords, which is supposed to be an unlected house of sober second thought. neither will be given by the ruling party before the

election. over the last six years 5,000 people have been killed or injured in political protests. in the last six years there has been 19 coups, nine of which are successful. the military and the police have taken a hand-off approach letting the protesters move across the city. there has been less of a presence. i think that they are hoping that the opposition party will run out of steam before violent clashes happen again. this is thailand. it has a history of violence in its politics. anything is possible. >> that report from bangkok. >> anti-government protesters in ukraine are vowing to stay on the streets as long as it takes. they are demanding president viktor yanukovych resign over his decision to snub a trade agreement in favour of closer ties with russia. the headers are staging rallies throughout the weekend. the president has rejected their

demands. instead he is supporting a deal with russia worth $15 million. pakistan's opposition leader is calling for anti-government protests against inflation. food and fuel costs rocketed into high levels in two years, blaming the prime minister. we have more from peshawar. >> the weekly shopping is not what it used to be. he's had to cut back on basics like cooking oil and rice, because prices have increased dramatically. the father of four tells us he isn't sure how he can feed his family if costs rise. it's hard to survive these days. prices keep going up day by day. i have electricity bills, school fees for the children and medical expenses i have no choice but to look after my family. >> inflation is on the rise

after austerity measures were implemented. they are aimed at satisfying the strip. the imf approved a 3-year loan package to stablilize the economy this year. in return it required the government to make deep budget cuts, inincrease tax revenue, privatize state revenue but some economists say the measures added to the sharp administration of rupee and the slashing of subsidies contributed to current inflation rate of 11%. seizing on the anger caused is politician imran khan. leader of the movement for justice party. he says the prime minister nawaz sharif is squarely to blame for the rise in prices. but political analysts questions

kahn's motives. the government of imran khan are detracting attention from real issues of unemployment, health issues and by taking out rallies and sit-in and protest demonstration. they want to detract the attention from the real issues. >> whatever the case, all he wants is for the rices to come down so he can provide for his family the way he used to. >> the opposition leader says he plans to introduce a new policy to help control pakistan's inflation. a warning to cuban entrepreneurs pushing for an overhaul of the economy. president raul castro said all reforms must happen with a sense of order. the government has been relaxing laws in relation to home

enterprises, but some closed after they were open. castro wants a better relationship with the united states, but is not willing to change cuba's economic policies to do so. >> egypt's poor economy is forcing kids out of the classroom. teenagers would rather work than go to school. bernard smith explains why. >> in the backstreet workshops of cairo working conditions are tough. this is life for thousands of teenage boys in the city, where learning a trade is seen as more important than going to school. >> translation: i'm working here because education is useless to me. i earn $15 per week, spent on living costs. >> egypt's stagnant post revolution is adding to the problem of child labour. 1.6 million children are in work. 13% of the workforce is

unemployed. and three-quarters of the unemployed are 15 to 29-year-olds. poor employment prospects. hardly a good advertisement for families that live hand to mouth. a project is trying to encourage families to get their children back into school. >> we provide the families with incentives that benefit the whole family. if you give them a 10 kilograms bag of rice. then after that you start working on changing the attitude behaviour. the 10 kilogram bag of rice or the one litre of oil. the whole family will benefit from. >> the harsh realities of life in cairo means the working children are envied by their peers. >> it's better for children instead of being thieves. once they work they can by

shirts, trousers and underpants instead of being homeless in the streets. being in the situation he has a wage to help his father. there's no shame in it. >> egypt has laws to ban child labour. reducing child labour depends on economic recovery and that depends on political stability, which is yet to return. >> activists say syrian rebels gained control of a strategic hospital of aleppo. the hospital has been under siege for a week by what rebels claim was a government-sponsored bombing campaign. explosives and fuel was dropped. the hospital was close to the central prison which rebels have been trying to capture for months. >> it is one of the riskiest operations to perform. surgeons in france designed a new artificial heart that could one day replace the real thing

and not just temporarily. barbara reports. >> >> this is a world's first, an artificial heart designed to stay in the body for five years. surgeons at a paris hospital implanted another in a male patient on wednesday. so far they say he's doing fine. >> the patient is doing very well. he's getting better every day. i saw him before coming to see you. talking to him, he's recovering, resting. we are correcting things little by little and we'll take away the dribs and drains necessary in this situation. >> doctors designed the heart to reduce side effects by using cow tissue to connect the high-tech device to the patient. >> as you understand the great advantage is the biological material used to minimise

clotting. another aspect which is important is all the assistance in this heart because it adopts in real time. >> thousands of people die every year while waiting for a heart donor. the artificial heart aims to change that, weighing a kilo, three times the averages of a healthy human heart. it runs lithium batteries. at a cost of $240,000, it's almost out of reach for most people. the implant gets 90% of men and only 20% of women. the company carnat is working on a smaller one for women. human trials must finish. three more terminal patients must receive the heart in coming months. >> in indonesia running water is a luxury for a lot of people. those that do get tap water often can't drink it. it's an agonising decision -

which to trust - water from taps or rivers or neither. more on why the country's water is undrinkable. >> something many take for granted. it's not a matter of turning on the tap. this mother of five struggles every day to find drinking water. after finding six gallons, she barely has enough for her daily consumption. >> we pay apparent $0.30. this means we pay around a quarter of our income to water. this is when water supplies are good. we have to cue the whole day and we are not sure we'll get it. >> it's an intention part of daily life and is important for good health. for many it is a luxury item. they pay a huge part of the daily income to buy it. even then it's too dirty to

drink straight away. >> this is the source of water and millions of others in jakarta. it reaches only 40% of households in the capital. it's undrinkable. the government and water companies admit that quit and facilities, polluted rivers and mismanagement is a reason there's no access to drinking water. if you talk about mismanagementment i don't want to comment. but we have lived up to our targets. we have doubled our customers in 15 years, but we do not have enough water sources. >> even indonesians with tap water complain about the water quality. it can't be used to wash clothe

or cook food, let alone drinking. >> the government admits something as crucial as water was never a priority. >> translation: if you ask me why it was not fixed, the water system should have been fixed 30 years ago. the problem is classic, coming down to a lack of budget allocation. the government came to supply clean drinking water by 2020. it doesn't mean he it can be consumed from the tap. they won't have to depend on sources like dirty rivers any more. >> only two weeks left in the n.f.l. season and the play-off is about as fuzzies as the - i don't know, the new york giant's defense. >> that's a call from you. you'd think you'd have better things to do >> john henry smith here with sport. with eight play-off spots unspoken for.

get ready for a high-stakes week 16. a whopping 14 of the 16 games with play-off implications. early games that stand out. two teams in the play-offs, looking for home field advantage. a win in carr scro linea. there's a play-off spot among the late game. green base dealt a below with a lose to pitts bird. sunday night the winners of bears versus eels put themselves in great shapes to secure the nse's play. a win over the cardinals, a team trying to stay alive. seahawks russell wilson says, "no pressure." >> yes, you know, our focus is obviously winning the football game like every game. every game in the whole thing we have been talking about is a

championship off-season. so that's why we are 12 and 2 now. it doesn't change for us. nothing change. the field is 100 yards, 53 in the third wide. for us. we want to play a great game. if we do win, there's a lot of great things that happen after that. you don't focus on that, you focus on the moment, on the now. that prepares the day first and we get to sunday and play a great football game. >> through to college hardwood. an 11-game win streak facing not re dame. the event - the black-rock classic. the venue maddison square garden. the issuish team in front biate. when the buck guys decided a full-court prers. lensel submitted lines up. lying it in within four.

40 seconds left to play. smith trying to shoot the three ball will get a chance to get three the hard way. smith makes all three free throws, cutting the lead to one. on the clock aaron craft beats to the line. ohio state hold on with a come from behind 64-61 one. a marr key match in san antonio texas, spurs hosting the oklahoma city thunder. second quarter simplying. backa with a high percentage shot. the spurs whittling the deficit away. spurs been three. okc didn't panic. jeremy lamb launches from within three. lamb does the dishing. thunder - their lead is six moments later.

at 22 and 4, steve with the best record in the west after beating the spurs 113 to 100. both teams are having great seasons. the brooklyn nets are having a horrible season. >> brook lopez broke his foot, missing the rest of the regular season. he's had ankle issues. lopez is spraining his ankle against the clippers. >> saturday's los angeles bowl was the final chance for a fresno state quarterback for derek carter to prove he's the best passer in the land. he led the bulldogs to an 11 and 1 record. ex-othering team-mates prior to the game. he has a rough win. a 6-yard tv cost. 25 and 54 for 217 yards. after that it was all trojan and

quarter backs. nelson, 40 yards later. up 14-6. 40 yards on this play as well. trojans role 45 to 20. that's a look at sport. >> fight on for u.s.c. >> thank you very much. >> some of brazil's protest poorest kids found a way to cope with chaos in life of the swans. they are chasing the waves on ipanema beach. we are introduced to a surfer in rio helping the kids get out of the neighbourhood to the surfboard. into this is where anderson feels at home, riding the waves at the iconic beaches. he's been surfing since he was four and he's already a champion. for some days getting into the water is tough. >> translation: when there would be shoot outs in the community between police and traffickers

it makes be bag. i knew i wouldn't make it to the beach. my bag would be searched by police. i would have to stay up on the hill. >> pichachu has lived with violence. it was his uncle who taught him to tackle the waves. when denilson started surfing the sport was for rich kids >> translation: when i started it was tough to get into surfing. the boards were expensive. to learn, i'd wait for the water to rise and someone's strap to snap so i could grab their board. he started a surf club as a way to help kids cope with the violence in their neighbourhood. >> this is one of the most expensive places to live in south america. it's 15 minutes away interest where the police live, it's another world. pichachu lives in a community

controlled by gang. police established a permanent presence here. for joyce surfing is an escape which help her focus on the future. it teaches her respect and discipline. >> i do think i'm a role model. many girls are pregnant as teenagers and get involved with drug traffickers. young girls she me and see a pretty girl o who surfs, a young girl with her own style. >> back on the beach, pichachu is determined to hang on to his title and travel the world chasing waves. >> with more than 4500 miles of coastline brazil is called the next great epicentre of global surf culture. an oscar winning film maker using the power of the big screen to shine a light - is

trying to shine a light on iran. the unusual challenges he faces under his country's strict laws. >> so many money stories are complicated. i'm here to take the fear out of finance. every night on my show i brake

>> welcome back to al jazeera. let's get a look at where snow and rain falls. >> a chunk of the u.s. getting wet. liquid precipitation. lots of moisture pulling up from the south. we are getting the golf of mexico moisture moving up, fuelling thunder activity that we'll see pushing east ward. this is a look at the water vapour industry. looking at the mid levels of the atmosphere. that is an area of low pressure that will compete northwards. we have the cold air in place and what little moisture will spell out more snow across the midsection. country to the great lakes as we get into 24 hours. more snow on the backside of it.

seven inches in milwaukee. >> it's not often that we get a look at the complex culture in society of iran. in 2011 iranian director took home the foreign language oscar for critically acclaimed film "a separation", now it's getting oscar budge. we have this interview. >> iran's best known directors has been circling the globe to promote his latest film. >> i think i can stay out of my country for a long time. >> it's set in paris. but like everything, the past is everything to do with his homeland. >> an iranian man returns to france to divorce his french wife. the drama is personal, not political, the relationship serves as a metaphor for

east-west relations. >> translation: there is a world of misunderstanding between them. perhaps we can't call it their differences. in the opening scene we see them placed on two sides of a class pain. they see each other and talk to each other. it seems they don't here each other. >> when the last film was released, the separation. the united states strain was making headlines. the movie made $7 million at american box office and earned a best foreign feature. it was celebrated on iranian state television despite iranian governments efforts to shut down the production. according to iranian film expert making the award winning film under iran's censorship codes is a miracle. >> he is adept in navigating

through the treacherous waters of iranian censorship codes. he manages to make socially critical films without sounding critical at all. >> has censorship eased under the new president in iran? >> it is still too soon to judge. this government has only been in office for a few months. before things were so bad that anything that happens now is good. >> with the past he avoided censors by shooting abroad. the film has been shown and well received in iran. in the united states, there's talk of another oscar. if the success of his films are any guide, the two countries have more in common than the governments led us to believe. >> iran reopened the house of

cinema after it was closed in 2012. at the end of our first hour, here is what we are following. the u.n. special envoy to south sudan will arrive today. mikhail khordorkovsky who was imprisoned for 10 years is now free and speaking out. the high-profile kremlin critic says he's not planning to go into politics. >> and the red cross in kenya say there are dozens that may be trapped after a train derailment in nairobi. >> back with you in 2.5 minutes when al jazeera america conditions.

>> a russian tycoon and top critic of vladimir putin freed after a decade in prison is now speaking out. >> plus... >> i'm greatly concerned about the security situation in south sudan. >> the u.n. secretary-general weighs in on a crisis in south sudan as government troops try to make a move to regain control. dozens of people in kenya's capital are feared trapped in the wreckage after a major train rerailment. >> in saria's civil war rebels take control of aleppo.

>> hello everybody, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster live in new york. former russian oil tycoon mikhail khordorkovsky who was imprisoned for 10 years is free and speaking out. in his first interview since his relief the high-profile rival said he is not planning to go into politics. you are looking at a live fact from germany where he has reunited with his family and expected to hold a press conference in a couple of minutes. >> vladimir putin pardoned mikhail khordorkovsky on friday, in a move taking a lot of people by surprise. we have more now from berlin. >> just days ago they must have thought it was impossible. a family finally reunited. a day after mikhail khordorkovsky was released from a russian gaol, he was back in

the arms of his parents. then in an interview he gave more details about conditions in prison. >> because for a year and two months and two and a half years, but during the years i had long meetings with relatives and all the other times i was on a prison regime with no long visits. >> accused of tax evasion mikhail khordorkovsky spent the last decade in detention. he'd been russia's richest man, one of the all-powerful group of oligarchs who eventually had their wings clipped. putin's decision to pardon mikhail khordorkovsky surprised many. it comes weeks before the start of the socchi olympics. >> for western public opinion, it's an enormous event. it's a big step to soften a

negative aspect. a civilized society. that was the main motive. >> during his time in prison mikhail khordorkovsky's image was transformed from that of a ruthless businessman to political act vi.. znd bars he was a critic of the creme -- kremlin. >> he was 10 years in different areas, and that means he has to learn what it means to live amongst society. it's very, very difficult. he needs time, first of all. >> the kremlin will watch every move that mikhail khordorkovsky makes. on some day we expect him to come and give details about the future and how it involves russia. >> mikhail khordorkovsky's release was part of a string of pardons by vladimir putin. the russian president gave

amnesty to two gaoled members of punk band-pusey riots. analysts believe it is part of an effort to soften his image before the world media arrives in russia for the winter olympics. >> the unspecial envy for south sudan is expected to arrive to diffuse that crisis. nigeria is sending its envoy. over the past week factional fighting claimed the lives of hundreds. world leaders, including balla are condemning the conflict. four u.s. service personnel were injured when their aircraft came under fire. the pentagon is reviewing further operations. the united nations secretary-general is calling on south sudan leaders to end hostilities. ban ki-moon spoke in a news conference. i call on them to do everything

in their power to ensure that their followers here the message that continued violence, ethnic and otherwise is completely unacceptable and poses a dangerous threat to the future of their young country. >> south sudan's foreign minister says the former vice president escaped to the royal village. we have the latest from juba. >> government officials are telling people in south sudan, that they shouldn't panic and they have things under control. they say it's a matter of time to take back the capital, and only a matter of time before they take back the unity state. there's no way the rebels will reach juba. that said a lot of people are worried that the violence could escalate. >> the crisis in south sudan is becoming more dangerous.

it the government is sending troops to jonglei state to take on the rebels. rehn gait soldiers have taken control of the state government artur boroc -- state government bor. gun fire hit helicopters as they were about to land and evacuate civilians. four u.s. personnel were injured. 35,000 are camped out at u.n. combounds. >> bor is a strategic location within south sudan, and therefore within this crisis both factions and the government forces are using it as a point that they want to dominate. however, even the united nations has become a target. on saturday it held a memorial

service for two indian peacekeeping personnel. >> this attack happened like a frontal attack on the base itself. the two peacekeepers killed, unfortunately, were killed in action in protecting and trying to prevent the entry into the camp. the fighting began with a power struggle. it was worse when the president accused former deputy riek machar, of attempting a coup. >> they were suspected also to be involved in the attempted military coup. >> african foreign ministers met with the government to discuss the conflict. it has not solved anything yet. the worry is that the violence is turning into a civil war between different trips. >> the danger of it moving into a sectarian struggle is high.

political leaders in the sudan have supreme responsibility to make sure that it does not degenerate into tribal osectarian conflict. if it does nobody master on how to resolve such conflict. >> until they do, the fighting will go on and the world's newest country will be one of the most unstable. there are diplomat efforts going on all over the world, trying to end the crisis in south sudan. the everything person is confused and worried about the future. there was so much hope and people are wondering what went wrong. a lot of people feel there's time to prevent a civil war. both sides need to be willing to meet and fine an ammicable solution. >> the president of the central african republic urged muslim

fighters supporting him and christian militias to lay down thash arms. fighting between the seleka rebels and christian civil defense groups led to the deaths of nearly 1,000 people. >> in ken ya there has been a major train derailment. dozens may be dropped in the reccage. at least six people have been taken to a nairobi hospital. the train came off its tracks in a city slum, home to a quarter million people. rawya rageh is there. are there confirmations yet of fatalities? >> not yet. essentially rescue workers are finding it difficult to assess the situation on the ground, given how close the tin roof tracks were to the line.

you could clearly see how the wagons when they derail crushed some of those shacks next to the railway line, but they can't tell whether people are trapped underneath unless they pull them out. that's what they have been painstakingly trying to do. this is an effort that is going to take a much longer time it be completed because they are trying to fix the track to bring in a crane to lift the ke railed wagons. >> are there clues as to how this happened in the first place? >> i'll finding it difficult to hear, can you repeat the question, please >> sure. was there any indication as to what caused the derailment in the first place? >> well, officials are telling us they don't want to make a final assessment just yet, but one of the officials from the company operating as a cargo

train told me the train was travelling at a slow speed, slower than it should have been crossing through this part of the slums, given the densely popular area, and because it was travelling slow, it caused it to wiggle given the extent or the weak of the cargo. that may be the initial assessment that officials are giving for now. >> rawya rageh, thank you for the report. as more information comes in from her and other resources we will keep everybody posted. >> antiriot police and protesters in thailand's capital of bangkok have scuffled outside the prime minister's residence. thousands of protesters travel in two different directions, wanting the president yingluck shinawatra to resign and are

asking for ek electoral reforms. the main opposition party plans to boycott the upcoming vote. a human rights group is accusing the syrian government of killing hundreds in aleppo. bashar al-assad's forces laur launched an offensive but the rebels fought back taking the hospital. >> two huge truckloads of explosives are detonated. within hours the rebel forces declared victory. their target a hospital in aleppo. this hops wag transferred into an out post. strategically located the top floors over look key roads leading to aleppo's country side

and another to the central prison, used as a base by the syrian army. >> this is just one of a series of attacks which will target the regime everywhere. we will not rest until we reach bashar al-assad's palace in damascus. >> as with most gains made by rebel fighters, the capture of the hospital is followed by government reprisals. barrels with explosives and other guns are dropped from the skies. as both sides prepare to see who will win the next round in the ongoing conflict, the fact that rebels want to save lives will leave many wondering what vuctry there could be for either side in this bloody war.

>> >> and for the latest weather let's go to eboni deon, our meteorologist. >> we had quite a bit of active weather yesterday and still are watching a potent storm system heading to the eastful we had rain and storms across the southern plains. we are watching out for that. it's a little further east, moving into parts of georgia and alabama. this was the scene when the storms ramped up across texas, on into the lookout shelter mississippi valley -- lower mississippi valley. surveys will be done to determine how many tornados there were. three reports so far and they were out of arkansas. this storm system stretching from the gulf state. as it moves to the east, that is what we were tracking. we have a lot of rain fall and

it caused a flood threat. that conditions across the mid west. the line of storms conditions to move to the east. not only was he dealing with the threat of wintry precipitation. these are areas where we could see ice accumulating upwards to half an inch or more, leading to more power outages. in main we are expecting to see the event. on the severe side no warning in place. we are watching for the storm. it dropped off across north central pennsylvania. winds have been gusting on the order of 30 miles per hour. that is the main threat, the threat of damaging winds. sustained winds. winds up to 26 miles per hour.

>> as the low pressure surged northwards. we are talking rain with the mild temperatures. the centennial colorado community is in mourning. claire davis, the 17-year-old senior died in hospital with family at her side. she was critically injured when karl pierson entered the school, apparently looking for his debate coach. karl pierson's attack lasted 80 seconds before he took his own life. the davis family issued a statement saying:

>> typhoon francis delivered his last sunday blessing before christmas. we'll bring you the message behind the pope's sermon this holiday season. >> protests in germany turned violent. $300 billion - what americans are shelling out, aside from holiday shopping. tñ

>> now to today's big number. $300 billion. that's how much analysts estimate will be donated this year to charities. 30% of that is expected to be donated in december alone. a sure sign that the winter holiday seen is the season of giving and more surprising 10% of the annual donations are $30

billion are expected to hit the coffers in the last 48 hours of 2013. >> welcome back everybody, you are watching al jazeera america. five of the biggest stories of the year, and the people caught up in making the headlines. first a look at what temperatures we'll see across the nation with meteorologist eboni deon. >> it will be a warm one across the east and south-east. we do have falling temperatures as a cold front moves through. the colder air spilling in behind, bringing a change across houston, where we are sitting in the "50s. yesterday at the time we were up into the upper '60s and 70s. not the place you expect though. n d.c. we are at 71 degrees, 67 in philadelphia. and in new york we have 50s and '60s in the south-east. upper 70s. it will stay chilly here.

>> thank you very much. >> pope francis launched an appeal for homeless families after praying with the faithful gathered in st peter's square a short time ago. the pope said the poor cannot wait and equated them to jesus born in a barn. the pope invited three homeless men to share breakfast with him on his birthday. >> 15,000 people rallied in the capital of ukraine to protest of the government's rejection of a pact with the european union today. the turn out was down sharply from previous weeks when hundreds of thousands took to the streets. they are demanding president viktor yanukovych resign over his decision to snub the european union in favour of closer ties with russia.

the president is supporting a deal with russia. protesters vowed to stay on the streets. is >> a protest turned violent after demonstrators began to throw bottles, rocks and other items at police officers. an unspecified number of proassessmenters were hurt. >> 600 police officers accused tear gas and -- used tear gas on workers. many walked off the job. police were trying to take into custody over 100 militant members of the labour group who

fought back with water canons. it took two hours for police to take the labour leaders into custody. >> nigeria saw a spate of attacks by boko haram. more than 1200 have died since may. we talk to a family that lost a loved one in this year's violence. >> 2013 has been a difficult year for this woman and her family. her husband was killed when boko haram attacked. several people were killed in the suicide bombing. regina remembers what happened as if it was yesterday. >> he mel fell in the church. they used the gun. the car was trying to enter.

police shoot the car. renaling eena lost the family home because they couldn't afford the rent. they spent most of 2013. it's not enough to live on. >> she has not paid the house rent. >> many families have been affected by boko haram. the group, which wants is a strict form of islamic law has been behind many bombings. hundreds have been killed in the attacks. thousands of soldiers have been fighting since may when a state of emergency was declared by the president. most victims have not received help from the authorities following the attacks. this year the church has been trying to get back on its feet. this is where the suicide attackers detonated ex-please ifs. you can see the impact of the

attack. despite what happens, and since the church reopened, regina still attends mass. regina shows off the wreckage of the vehicle used in the attack that killed her husband. >> renaling eena says she -- regina says she comes to pray and think. >> i feel that sometimes when i come to church... >> reg eena wants to put 2013 behind her and prays that 2014 will be a better year for her and her family and it will be the end of boko haram. >> the death toll in nigeria spiked in the north-east of the country. boko haram is based there. since the government declared a government emergency in the spring time.

>> millions of people in chad struggle with hunger and extreme poverty. eachier the government spends millions to celebrate the coup of 1990. the extravaganza sheds lying on the divide within the country. >> dust and jooub ligs on what the chadians call the day the democracy and freedom >> translation: i'm happy because the president came to bonkor. we have nothing. the president came to us and we are happy. >> every year chadians are expected to look and sound happy on this occasion. it's the anniversary of the coming to power of the chadian president. >> translation: we can congradualate ourselves for the progress that we have made.

>> like on all previous occasions they spoke on positive achievements, economic development and gave a rosy picture. many would tell you that that exists only in the minds of the political leaders of the country. what you see behind me is where the majority lives in abject poverty: >> chad has become an exporter of oil. revenues reaching 3.5 billion. >> many live in structures of stick and straw. and this is how they survive, wading in muddy ponds for food. >> in the words of the president. the country is plagued with reduction. according to some estimates tlt be anniversary, costing around

$3 billion. enough to supply hundreds of schools with water and electricity. in chad, as in other african countries support for leaders depends for other factors than leadership. >> with 2013 almost behind him president obama is now on his christmas vacation in hawaii. he had a news conference before he left where he talks about his biggest pitfall and how he plans to rebound. we'll plain. coming up, a hockey player and olympic hopeful who has gone from skating for his high school team to joining the u.s. national squad.

>> welcome back, you are watching al jazeera america, i'm david shuster in new york and here are the top stories. s >> in berlin, former russian tyco tycoon mikhail khordorkovsky is holding his first press conference since being released from prison. he said he will not enter politics. >> world leaders, including president obama, secretary-general ban ki-moon are calling for an end to violence in central african republic. >> a train crash in kenya's capital injured six people.

the kenyan red cross said dozens of others may be trapped in wreckage. the train came off its tracks in a city slum home to a quarter million people. >> this is day three of the christmas family vacation. before the president left for the sun and sand he faced tough quefkes in a news conference. al jazeera's correspondent has the story. >> president obama and the first family are hoping for an uninterrupted 17-day vacation in hawaii. it's the sixth time the president and his family returned for holidays. >> has this been the worst year of your presidency? >> i got tell you that's not how i think about it. >> the president went into damage control mode at the end

of the year press conference, highlighting the improving economy. >> i believe that 2014 can be a break through year for america. >> and touting the surge in health care. one million people signed up for private insurance, and half a million this month. the president admitted his worst mistake, the troubled heath care website. the president defended the decision to give millions of americans who got cancellation notes the options to by cheep bare bones policies. with approval ratings at the lowest point in his presidency some analysts say the second term could get rocky. everything is on the line for the president. until he gets it done, democrats will not want to put his eyes on anything else. with 2013 behind him, the

president is focused on the year ahead. >> we'll have better ideas after a couple of days of sleep and sun. the president will have regular briefings, a deadline comes on monday, when americans need to enrol. >> joining us to offer his thoughts on president obama's press conference is lenny mccallisters, is a former u.s. congressional candidate and he is in pittsburg, where he's about theling a cold. thank you for joining us. what was your impression of the president's press conference. >> he tried his best to play or put a spin on this. this was the worst year of his presidency, not because of legislative failures, but the fact that his credibility took a hit this a way that it's not going to be recovered. the truth of the matter is with barack obama care, if you like

your plan, you keep the plan because of that lie, that basically was not kept. over the next several years, americans were not going to trust him anywhere near as much as they did in 2009. >> i'm not so sure about that. a lot of americans want to see them. speaking of the economy the president noticed that the levels was the lowest in five years. here is what the president had to say. >> as we head into next year with an economy that's stronger, more americans are finding work and experiencing the pay check. businesses are positioned for new growths or jobs. >> doesn't the president deserve credit for economic progress. >> we had a good jobs report come out of november.

however, the unemployment rate has gone down. people vice-president leaving the workforce. numbers going up, unemployment down. if this continues through 2014, he deserves the credit and he can get momentum from there. throughout 2013 we hit employment ratios that saw their lowest rates since 1978. that's nothing for the president to brag upon. regarding the security agency, the president acknowledged that there may need to be changes. i wonder if somebody conservative like you would take the view that there shouldn't be changes, we should be doing the surveillance of the american people. >> i disagree. we'll be a free nation, or a surveillance state. i choose for us to be liberty, justice and freedom. >> lenny mcallister, good of you

to try to joins us with that masty cold. we appreciate you coming on. >> it is one of america's biggest charities, goodwill is facing criticism for paying disabled workers pennies an hour. tens of thousands sooned a petition demanding goodwill pay workers minimum wage. kaelyn forde has more. >> for six months last year mary went to work at hor local goodwill store. she has cerebral palsy. and lives on her own. she looked forward to the independence of a job. the reality at goodwill was different. >> they had me downstairs in the store, trying to hang clothes up on hangars, and to make a dollar i had to hang 100 pieces. if i was lucky i made $0.50 a penny per item of clothing.

i felt worthless. >> the biggest check was $18.18. the smallest was $3.27. >> mary asked us to conceal her identity. she feels she could lose her subsidised apartment. i could not live on a goodwill check. >> subminimum wages are legal under a 1938 labour law. the department of labor special minimum wage certificate allows employers to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage. some 7,500 goodwill employees are paid this way. disabilityies rights advocates delivered a position with 1,700. asking for employees to be paid

the federal wage. the organizers have not med with them, but they spoke to us. >> we believe work is an important part of the human experience and spirit. the speakerive kate allows us the opportunitiy to incorporate individuals into the workforce in a way we wouldn't necessarily be able to without the certificate. >> goodwill of greater new york, where mary worked reported assets of $38 million. tax returns showed the ceo earned $470,000 in examination. >> as a national organization we attempted to meet with goodwill on multiple occasions and they have been met with extreme resistance. when you hear someone on minimum wage you think not only - that that only happens in china. >> the national fair labor standards act made little progress.

it won't stack act visits continuing to push for equal pay. >> the national federation of the blind started an online petition asking goodwill to increase pay. it has gather more than 170,000 signatures so far. >> winter olympics in rush aaround the scorn and hockey is in the air. >> 46 days until opening ceremonies. before the women's national hockey team heads. coach katy stone has to cut four from the roster featuring 25 players, for rocky annie being on the team is surreal. tapp has more. >> before annie played her first collegiate game at the

university of wisconsin, she got big news, that she was named in the u.s. national team and could possibly compete for goal. >> what was it like when you heard you made the national team? ism it was a surreal moment, i didn't believe my name was call. i had to wait for a team-mate to hit me on the leg. >> she was the second player boasting players 16 to 31 years old, that's not the only thing that makes her stand ou. >> you grew up in california, not the hot bed for hockey. how did you take up the sport? >> dad grew up in new jersey and was a hockey fan. when he met mum they moved to california, and had my older brother. he played roller hockey. that was the thing to do. my sister and i grew up skatingment i had to have a jersey. i had a jersey with the same

team. i was pulled into the huddle, "you're not on the roster, who are you, do you want to play?" "yes, mum is here." >> the california girl has been in love with the girl since. >> it's so much fun, freeing. it feels like nothing else matters when you play. >> as she fights for a spot on the olympic team, she's not focused on not making it, she's focused on making it now. looking around the locker room i have a huge picture next to my locker. something that i wanted so badry and now it's here, it's surreal. >> making the u.s. national team was a dream come true. the team did not end with the 19-year-old. now she shares with the players she idolised.

>> does it occur to you that you are a player too? >> not yet. still watching. >> in bedford massachusetts. >> thanks a lot. coming up later in sports. we'll tell you how thest hockey team did. >> that is sports for is now. scrambling are the incredibly versatile egg. >> plus care givers of elderly patients are routinely poorly paid. we'll tell you about a fight for better wages. tñ

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. gusty winds and heavy rain are still a threat today in the

mid-atlantic and the north-east. let's bring in meteorologist eboni deon for more. do you want to join us and talk whether is this. >> sure, of course. we are going to deal with a lot of moisture, we have been seeing the storm system making its way east ward ever since yesterday. over the next 24 hours the rain will hang on. along the coastline we deal with a frontal boundary. in advance, lots of moisture that's been pulling in from the south-west and now from the gulf of mexico, we still dealing with a threat of rain fall. see the spin. that is across the great lakes and to the north-east. as it does, on the backside of it we'll deal with snow. some of which will be heavy at times, adding up to parts of wisconsin. >> we have a line of storms moving and it will be a floppy go along parts of i 20 and i 75.

>> thank you very much. appreciate it. san francisco city attorney ordered $800,000 in backpay be handed to dozens of care givers. many are domestic workers from the philippines. saddled with long work dates and not paid over time. >> 88-year-old ginny anderson gets through her day with the help of a care giver. >> i look forward to someone soming and saying good morning and how are you. >> chanda berania makes sure ginny anderson takes her medicine, gets her coffee and has someone to talk to. chanda berania earns above minimum wage. this week in san francisco, a rally, that some care givers are underpaid by employers. and dave of them are part of a

substantial settlement, recovering lost wages totalling around $800,000. >> the san francisco city attorney went after seven residential care facilities for wage theft. mimi luis was explaining that she was expected to work long hours without extra pay. >> 16, 17. there are days and nights i didn't sleep. >> linshao chin reported abuse when the workers alerted her office. >> it takes a lot of bravery to come forward and file a campaign, these are not only a place of employment, but where they are living. >> with baby boomers ageing, there'll be a greater demand than before for care givers, and

state and national laws aimed to ensure they'd be paid fairly. >> this fall the labour department announced rule changes extending minimum age. california passed a bill offering similar protection in the state. this week the labour department sent representatives to san francisco to discuss ways to revoke a licence if a facility is not complying with fair labour standards. >> sean charles who owns beacon home care who does pay proper wages. >> the family entrusts us with safe protection of the loved one. we want to make sure care givers are at their a game. >> ginny anderson feels in good hands, with a well-rested caregiver who is fairly paid.

>> >> college bowl season is underway, the seen of humility for awful us who are university of mich fan grads. >> you'll have to wait a while for me to tell you what happened in michigan's ball game, what about one they are in this year. >> starting in the big easy for new orlans. >> looking deep against and finding ryan, making a great catch. that leads to the second of new orleans's three touch downs. a moment in the third putting everyone's heart in their throat. a kick in the chin.

dennen walker paralyzed. he was okay. huge speak, throwing it up to grabs. shane tompson's goal, but award winning sicker in a position to die, missing from 48 yards. >> washington state leads colorado. powers into the end zone. making it a 2-point game. it's the statue of liberty play. dives to the sideline and gets there. >> a disastrous collapse. ball stripped. reoffering a loose ball.

game winning field goal attempt for csu. gerard roberts for the win, it is good 48 to 45. >> we ran a piece on the u.s. women's hockey team with a friendly match against canada, which was less than friendly. this was the final moments in the pre-olympic exhibition. fights break out over the u.s.nd of the ice. the two teams fought in october and during a game in 2010. there's a history of bad blood there. 2010 olympic downhill champion lindsay von got a scare when her surgically repaired knee gave way. she said, "i didn't hurt myself more that i'm already hurt", and says she'll continue to prepare for the 2014 games. >> that is a look at sports this

morning. >> i know you are a fan of eggs. who needs eggs when you can replace them with plants. jacob ward has that story. >> as any chef can tell you there's nothing like a good egg. >> a good egg is fresh with a rish coloured okay and tastes almost like chicken if you think about it. >> i made thousands of omlettes. soft on the outside. not crispy. custody on the inside. personally i don't see any reason i would need to replace an egg with anything but an egg. with $17 billion people and counting on the planet the demand for eggs is endless that a company called hamp tonne creek says it can make a

plant-based alternative that does as good, and costs less. >> we have 1.8 trillion eggs. 99% of the 1.8 trillion come from places that are not too good. where you have animals packed body to body, they consume a lot of resources. we think we can do better and it's not fit for a growing world. >> while other egg substitutes are egg whites or derivatives. hamp tonne creek is the first to look for plants. the companies first product is plant-based called just mail. >> it has the full ark of mayon ace, bright innocence. i feel sick at the end the way i'm supposed to. it's about the planned.

it has to - and the colour. it's the complexity of what a chicken egg will do. >> what is the market like for mayon ace. >> just 11.2 billion. >> the chemistry of eggs makes them useful, for binding things toot. and the company has isolated plants, which can replicate individual behaviours. the difficult part and the part we are working on is identifying the plant that can scramble up. we have a candidate. we found one. when you put them in a pan it scrambles. >> the company offered to let us taste the plant. we let our chef try it. straight out of the pan with salt on it, it was not bad. >> it tastes like eggful there's a little bit of a bitter for sour note.

to the thing itself. it tastes eggy. a plant-based substitute may not sound good to most people. if the company can produce a product costing less than a dossen eggs maybe there's room on the table. >> eggs. at the end of the second hour, here is what we are following. mikhail khordorkovsky says he will not enter toll ticks, the comment in berlin. the u.s. special envoy to south sudan is expected to arrive in the war-torn nation to diffuse that crisis. world leaders and u.n. secretary ban ki-moon calling for an end to hostilities. >> in kenya there has been a

train derailment. dozens of people may be trapped in the wreckage and under the debris. >> i'm john henry smith, if you like games that matter, the n.f.l. has what you are looking for, a preview of a big day in profootball, coming up in sports. >> it will be a slippery ride for travellers thanks to snow and ice. we monitor a storm bringing heavy rain and gusty winds. >> i'll have the details coming up. >> i stole eb ni's teas. it is all my fault. i sold her teas. >> richelle carey will pick it up after i get run out of the studio. richelle carey is here next on al jazeera america.

>> out of prison. free to speak his mind. doing so right now. live pictures of former russian billionaire mikhail khordorkovsky, and he's taking aim at the kremlin. >> the ruling government in south sudan tries to regain control as hundreds of troops advance on the rebels, thousands of refugees find sang turry at a compoun. >> in colorado the teenage girl shot by a class mate has died. family and her community are devastated. >> a patient in france receives an artificial heart designed to keep ticking for up to

five years. >> >> good morning, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. former russian oil tycoon mikhail khordorkovsky who was imprisoned for 10 years says heel do all he can do ensure the release of political prisoners in russia. he thank the angela merkel and the media from helping to secure his release. vladimir putin pardoned him this week. it was a move taking a lot of people by surprise. >> this is the moment just days ago they must have thought was impossible. a family finally reunited. a day after mikhail khordorkovsky was released from a russian gaol he was back in the arms of his parents. in an interview he gave mo

details about conditions in prin. >> translation: because for a year and two konths i was in one prison and 2.5 in segezha, during the years i had long meetings with relatives and the other times i was on a prison regime and had no long visits. >> accused of tax evasion, mikhail khordorkovsky spent the last decade in contention. he'd been russia's richest man, a powerful group of alley gashings who had their wings clipped. >> vladimir putin's decision to pardon mikhail khordorkovsky surprised many. it comes week before the start of the socchi olympics. the western public opinion, it's an enormous event, especially this the run-up to the olympics. it's a big step to soften a negative stood forwards vladimir putin's russia towards a civilized society. >> during his time in prison

mikhail khordorkovsky's image was transformed. from that of a ruthless businessman to political activist. behind bars he was an outspoken critic of the kremlin. it's unclear how loud the voice will be now he's on the other side and out of russia. >> he was 10 years in prison in different areas. he has to learn to live in a modern society. it's difficult. he needs time. >> the kremlin will watch every move that mikhail khordorkovsky makes. on sunday we expect him to come here and give more details about his future, and how it involves russia. >> in a press conference mikhail khordorkovsky had since his release it is wrapping up in berlin. he hopes ukraine's president will follow putin's example and free political disdents there.

>> the u.s. special envoy expect to arrive in the war torn nation. factional fighting claimed the lives of hundreds. world leaders, including president obama, are calling for an end to the conflict. the pentagon are reviewing military operations after u.s. troops came under fire. the united nations secretary-general urged south sudan's leaders to end the violence. >> i call on them to do everything in their power to ensure that their followers hear the message loud and clear. that continued violence, ethnic and otherwise is completely unacceptable. and poses a dangerous threat to the future of their young country. >> the u.n. is evacuating nonessential staff as the

violence escalates. the south sudan foreign minister says the vice president escaped to his village. we have the latest from jooub a. >> government officials told people in south sudan that they shouldn't panic. it will be a matter of time before they take back the state, and it will be a matter of time br they take back unity state. people should relax. there's no way the rebels should reach the capital city. a lot of people are worried that the violence could escalate. >> the crisis in south sudan is becoming more dangerous. >> the government is sending troops and damages to jonglei to take on the rebels. >> if there's renegade soldiers that have taken control and are attacking people. on saturday gunfire hits three u.s. aircraft as they were about to land and evacuate american

citizens. four u.s. servicemen were injured. in the midding of all this were civilians looking for protection. >> 35,000 are camped out at u.n. compounds. >> bor is a strategic location within south sudan. within the crisis both factions and the government forces are using it as a point that they want to dominate. >> however, even the united nations has become a factoring. on saturday it held a memorial service for two indian peacekeepers killed at a base. it had been attacked by 2,000 armed youth. ? >> this attack happens like a frontal attack on the base. the two peacekeepers were killed in access in protecting and trying to prevent the entry into the camp.

>> the fighting began with a power struggle. >> it got worse when the president salva kiir accused stormer deputy riek machar of attempting a coup. >> they were suspected to be involved in the military coup. >> african foreign ministers met to discuss the conflict. it had not solved anything yet. the worry is that the violence is turning into a civil war between different strikes. the daner of it moving into a sectarian struggle is high. old political leaders have supreme responsibility to make sure that it does not degenerate into tribal or sectarian conflict. if it does, nobody, yet master how to resolve such onflick. >> until they do, the fighting

will go on and the country will be one of the most unstable. >> there are diplomatic efforts going on trying to enthe crisis. the average certain is confused and worried about the future. people are wondering what went wrong. a lot of people feel there's time no prevent a smile war. oath sides need to meet and walk. >> now a little more context. sudan was a large state in africa. it's been torn apart by 40 years of on and off dispil wars. in 2011 sudan was two countries. 99% of people in the south voted for independence, making south sudan the newest nation. the north known as sudan is home

to huss limmuslims. in the south most are christian. the largest tribes are the dinka and nuer and have been fighting for decades, both countries depend on oil for income. most reserves are in the south. the pipeline carrying the markets to the north. south sudan is one of the poorest countries in the wol. when it split there was 68 miles of paved road in a country larger than new mexico put together. >> antiriot police. it scuffled outside the prime minister's residence in thailand. thousands are marching in two different directions in an aim to lock down the village. they are asking for the prime minister to resign. the main opposition party says it plans to boycott the vote.

>> hundreds of striking railway workers clashed with police officers and riot gear. the police used tear gas to force their wi into the headquarters of the mill tant labour group to take custody. >> more than 6,000 workers walked off the job to protest a plan to privatize the south korean rail system. >> demonstrators in germany turned violence. 7,000 gathered to protest. german police used water canons to quell the protesters, saying 22 officers were inscrurd and an unknown number of demonstrates were hurt. >> claire davis, the 17-year-old senior in a coma died saturday. claire davis was critically

injured when karl pierson entered arapahoe high school, armed with a shotgun and molotov cocktails, looking for his debate coach. his attack lasted 80 seconds before he took his life. the davis family issued this statement: >> a large storm system swept across parts of south and central u.s. leaving two people dead. wind gusts ripped off roov tops and pulled down power lines. the storm is moving east across the midwest during a time when families are shopping. the national weather service is trying to determine if tornados touched down in louisiana and in

arkansas. an intense weather situation happening across the country. >> good sunday morning. watching the storm system that brought tornados across arkansas. we had three reports and the survey will be continuing today across louisiana to see if a tornado touched down there. here is what we were dealing with. a line of storms blowing across the southern planes. the yellow dots indicate the wind damage reports. lots of wind damn. on the flip side is a lot of flooding reports. it will continue as we go through the day to day. we have a cold air on the back side of it. snow in the forecast for parts of the midwest. as we take you out. what we find is a lot of

moisture in place. ice storm warning in new hampshire and maine where the icing ech will continue. we are expecting possibly more than a half an inch of ice accumulating leading to power outages and tree limbs. be careful in the area. if you don't have to travel it is a better idea to stay put until things improve. in addition to the wet weather and precipitation, winds have been gusty. strong gusty windows. staened window around 20 miles per hour. in addition to that, we have the wet weather. we'll see the surge of moisture conditioning to lift. that's when all the rain on the southern side of the system. you'll need to wash out areas of

new england. snow showers from the great lakes through monday. >> thank you so much. >> a freight train crashed this kenya's capital nairobi injuring six people. the train came off its track and slammed into makeshift homes and a city slum. we are there at the scoon. what can you tell us. what is happening there? >> well, there's a blame game going on at the scene. on the one hand you have the train company officials saying ta the government had repeatedly warned people not so have these shacks close to the railway and being at risk essentially, risking their lives of being crushed to death if the wagon derailed. we have residents telling me

that this is the railway alining. when they see it, the trees coming through, they appear unstable. there's poor maintenance and repairs, and therefore that's what they are blaming. the blame state game going on as workers are essentially labouring here, trying to lift off the two wagons that slipped off to see if there are survivors or fatalities. >> dramatic pictures. we'll check this with you for more on the train derailment in nairobi. >> doctors in france carried out the most artificial heart transplant. >> her strength, courage, humour, all she wants is carols. we can do that. >> thousands of people grant a dying girl's final christmas wsh

by seran aiding her. ♪ all is calm

>> good morning. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey. a medical first in france as doctors implant for the long term an artificial heart. first, some temperatures and we'll see what is happening across the country. eboni deon, meteorologist has the details. >> we'll see numbers falling once we get behind a passing cold front. we are seeing the temperature difference down in houston. we were mild at this hour. not too bad. cooler than where we stood at this time yesterday. as we go through the day to day. not much of a warm up. take a look at indianapolis.

>> social interpretations in greece have been running high in the roma community after a high profile child abduction case. the roma are most by poor and segregated. roma and greece is trying to break down the barriers separating if from mainstream society and prosperity. >> this man wants his grandchildren to grow up middle class. they share the dream. one wants to be a policeman, the other a teacher. authorities figures in an area where roma are usually the wrong side of societiy. >> in a central greek town the roma live segregated. it begins in this elementary school, built to cope them out of site. more than 500 are enrolled only half that many fit inside. >> in may the european court of human right ruled that the greek

government discriminates against the roma by running this elementary school exclusively for them. through that lawsuit they won the right to transfer to mixed schools. only three have done so. >> that is because they have been deliberately held back. the authorityies latest defense against their assimilation. >> if you go to the mixed element ris, the roma are at their desks. no one is complaining. the government wants to place 500 students there. one non-roma to three roma. >> the elementary school is keen to change. not many make it to middle school. >> some roma girls are being married off. >> authorities and the media wrongly assumed in october that a blond child living in a roma camp must have been an abduct

werner. she was roma. the mayor can't sacrifice the non-roma house. >> the roma's didn't attend school until the 1990s. until that happened ghetto schools were set up. romas realised education was important to find work and get away from the lifestyle. >> they happy the court decision will lead to closure of the roma school. given such poverty the fight to enter the mainstream is unlikely to act there. >> it's a beautiful place. an estimated 10 million roma people across europe. >> this mont. december 23rd is the dad line to sign up on the website for insurance coverage. the administration says nearly all of the rollout glitches have

been fixed and 2 million men's have applied for coverage. >> president obama faced tough questions about problems and faced criticism about the national security agency's data collection and surveillance program. by most accounts 2013 was a tough year for president obama, and in a remark getting attention from scholars and historions, president obama gave insight into his own psyche. >> it's not that i don't gage in self reflection, i probably beat myself up worse than you or henry does on any given day. but i have to wake up in the morning and make sure i do better the next day. and that we keep moving forward. >> the story notes that it's not unusual for president's to be self critical, but it's rare for most of them to talk about this

side of their personality publicly. >> the news this weekend is mixed. states running their own obamacare exchanges are finding increasing sign ups. talking about california. they are averaging 15,000 enrolments a day. in other words as many signed up in california over the last five days as signed up for the month of november. the bad news is the administration made a recall change last week and is adding to confusion and could hurt insurance companies. the administration announced if you are one of millions of people facing the cancellation of health insurance because your policy didn't meet requirements, you can by catastrophic coverage usually available to people under 30 and you'll be exempt from penalties if you go without

penalties. in other words you can go with super cheep insurance or any. >> now, at a friday news conference the president said the delay in the insurance mandate will ensure a smoother coverage transition. >> this is essentially an additional net in case folks might have slipped through the cracks. >> now, the president's allies in congress believes the moves will clamp down on political fallout over new health care lou. republicans are saying it bolsters an argument that the program is broken. >> some of the riskiest operations to perform, but surgeons in france designed an artificial heart that could one day replace the real thing.

we have this report. >> this is the world's first. an artificial heart designed to stay in the body for five years. surgeons at a paris hospital implanted another in a male patient on wednesday. so far he's doing fine. >> translation: the patient is doing very well, getting better every day. i saw him before coming to see you. he's recovering and resting. we'll take away the drips and drains necessary in this type of situation. >> doctors designed the heart to reduce side effects by using cow tissue to connect a high-tech device to the patient. >> as you would have understood the great advantage was the biological material. that's the first aspect. another aspect which is important is all the

computerized assistance in the heart because it adapts real time. >> thousands die every year while waiting for a heart donor, the artificial heart aims to change that, weighing almost a kilo, three times the amount of an average human heart. it runs lithium batteries. at a cost v $240 million, it's out of reach. >> the implant fits 90% of mep and 20% of women. the company is working on a smaller one for women. human trials will finish. three terminal patients will receive the heart in coming months. >> the makers of the artificial heart say it could help up to 100,000 patients. the only problem is each one costs over 200,000. >> thousand gathered in north

carolina to join and sipping christmas carols to a dying girl. delaney brown who turned eight has a rare form of leukaemia. to lift her spirits carollers gathered outside her home. >> different storied posted. all she wants is carols - we can do that. >> delaney had a chance to talk to taylor swift by video chat on friday, a contact possible by the make a wish foundation. >> out of gaol and seeking out. kremlin critic. mikhail khordorkovsky faces the media two days after his release. a live report ahead. >> insulation nation. residents in pakistan face

rising prices. >> and one comodd di that is rare in indonesia, clean drinking water. >> this is an n.f.l. sunday rife with repercussions.

>> welcome back, i'm richelle carey. let's look at the top stories. the u.s. special envoy to south sudan arrived in the war-torn nation to meet with government officials to help bring an end to the conflict. president obama and u.n. secretary ban ki-moon are calling for political parties to come to the table. refugees are fleeing to u.n.

camps. >> claire davis, the 17-year-old who has been in a coma for eight days after being shot by a fellow student died saturday. she was insured when karl pierson wept into the school armed with a shotgun and molotov cocktails looking for his debate coach. >> former russian tycoon mikhail khordorkovsky held his press conference. he said he will not enter politics. for more on the press conference, as coach following the latest developments from berlin. tell us more about what came out of the press commarches. i imagine after being in prison for 10 years he has a lot to say. >> it was an extraordinary news conference. many people packed into the

building behind me to catch a drink of mikhail khordorkovsky when his personalities arrived. someone shouted bravo. when he entered the building, came down some stairs everyone was pushed back. people were trying to get the first photograph of him. he started by thanking those that helped to secure his release, making a special mention of the german chancellor. he was quick to say that he wanted to work to secure of the freedom of political prisoners in russia and gave a few more details about how he found out he would be freed. he said he only found out at 2 o'clock in the morning that he would be freed. a lot had happened in the 36 hours since then. >> it did seem to catch everyone by surprise and him as well. what next for him he says it's

not politics. what next? >> well, he said the political struggle was not for him, but he would be interested in public going on, and those things go hand in hand. nobody expects mikhail khordorkovsky to be a wall flower. the fact that everyone went to see him suggests that he has a lot of pulling power around the world. we have to wait and see. in the short term he is keen to spend a lot of time with his family. he has been able to see them over the last few years, but that is partly why he's been released because his mother is sick. we know that he has a year-long visa to stay in germany. it will be a case of watch this space over the next few weeks or months. thank you so much. >> antiriot police and protesters in thailand scuffled outside the prime minister's residence.

tens of thousands were marching in two different locations trying to lock down the city. they wanted the country's prime minister to resign and sh asking for reforms. the main opposition party says it mans to boycott the upcoming vote. >> and we will have that report shortly. >> 15,000 people rallied in the capital of ukraine to protest the government's rejection of a pact with the european movement. the turn out was down sharply, demonstrating that the president resign a deal with russia. he rejected their protests and signed a deal with russia words $15 billion. >> pakistan's opposition leader imran khan is calling for a

protest against inflation. food has sky rocketed to high levels. he blamed the prime minister. >> the weekly shopping here is not what it used to be. this man had to cut back on cooling oil and rice because prices increased dramatically in recent months. the father of four is not sure how he'll feed his family if costs keep rising. >> translation: it's hard to survive these days. prices go up day by day. i have electricity bills, school fees for my children and medical expenses. i have no choice but to look after my family. >> inflation is on the rise. austerity is implemented by the government, aimed at satisfies $6.5 million bailout by the international monetary fund. the imf approved a loan package to stablilize the economy.

in return it required the government to make deep budget cuts, inincrease tax revenues. privatize and reform energy sector. some economists say the measures added to the sharp depreciation and the slashing of subsidies contribute to the inflation rate of 11%. seizing on anger caused is politician imran khan, the leader of the movement for justice party. controlling the kaiber province. the prime minister nawaz sharif is to blame, he says. political analysts question kahn's motives. >> the pti government of imran khan are putting the real issues on the back burner and want to detract attention to the real issues of unemployment health issues, and by taking out

rallies and sit-in and protest demonstrations, wanting to detact issues. >> whatever the case, for people like this, all they want is for prices to come down so they can provide for their families in the way they used to. >> a warn to cuban entrepreneurs pushing for an overhaul to the economy. president raul castro says reforms must happen with a sense of order. the communist government is relaxing laws. some places have been closed after they were open. they wanted a better relationship with the u.s., but were not willing to change policies to do so. >> syrian rebels gained control of ha strategic hospital. it was under siege for a week for what the rebels claimed was a bombing campaign.

they were dropped with bombs. the hospital is close to a prison which rebels had been trying to capture for months. >> running water is a luxury for many. those that get tap water do not drink it. it is an advertising pos. which to trust - water from taps or rivers or neither. >> we go to indonesia for more on why the water is undrinkable. >> something many take for granted. for this woman it's not a matter of turning on the tap. the mother of five struggles to find drinking waters. she barely has enough for her daily consumption. we pay 30, 40 scents. this means we pay a quarter of our income to water, and only

when water supply is good otherwise it is more expensive. we have to queue the whole day and are not sure we'll get it. >> it's an essential part of daily life and important for good health. for many it's a luxe item. it's a huge part of the daily income to buy and and too dirty to drink. >> this is the source of the water. and millions of others in jakarta. after being processed it reaches 40% of households in the capital and still is undrinkable. the government and water companies d admit equipment and facilities polluted rivers and mismanagement are reasons indonesians have no access to drinking water. >> translation: if you talk about mismanagement i do not want to comment. i do want to say we have lived up to our targets, doubling our

customers in 15 years, but the government has not given enough useable water sources. indonesians and access to tap water conplain about the quality. >> despite paying one of the highest water tariffs in asia most are forced to by bottled water. something as crucial as water was never a priority. transfor instance if you ask me why it has not been fixed, the system should have been fixed 30 years ago. the problem is classic. it comes down to a lack of allocation. >> the government aims to supply clean drinking water by 2020. >> at least people are hopeful they don't have to depend on sources like dirty rivers any

more. >> pressure on sponsors on the olympic sponsors to draw attention to the antigay legislation. coca-cola is pushed to condemn russia's gay laws. anre banks is a gaye right activist who spearheaded in movement and is cofounder of all outs. thank you for coming in to early. as part of your movement and efforts, you hired trucks and went to atlanta, the home of coca-cola. what did you want to accomplish? how did it go? >> thousands of people paid for the billboards saying, "coke, don't stay bottled up, speak out

against antigay laws", they have a responsibility to make their voice heard m >> did they respond to you all? . >> we were in touch with coca-cola and they came out with a broader public statement saying it was too little too late. >> to that point i have a coat. they responded to human rights watch, releasing this letter and part of what they said was: >> they went on to say they would be involved with the issue. it seems they have a good l.g.b.t. record. >> they have a great lbgt ed in the united states. that's with we want them to bring it into the international conversation. when you look at what they have done with the olympics. this is the most expensive olympics.

coke has a major voice. if they spoke to vladimir putin and the international olympic committee they could make sure the laws are changed. >> you are not asking them to withdraw sponsorship, but to be vocal. ism we are asking them to say the same things they would stay in the united states on the international stage. and do it in support of gay and lesbian athletes. >> you launched a campaign principle 6, based on the seven principles on the international committee. it says - from the olympic km t charter. it says: >> tell us about the principle 6 campaign. >> it's all about celebrating the olympics. the principle against nondiscrimination and giving

coaches, athletes and fans a way to speak out against laws, before and during the olympics in socchi. >> how encouraged are you about the delegations. >> absolutely great. billy jean king is one of our supporters. there's no way you can see the delegation than in a cit eke of the law. >> thank you. keep us posted on your efforts. >> two weeks left in the n.f.l. season. the play-off season is fuzzy. john henry smith is here with sport. >> it will be a fun day in the n.f.l. eight spots unspoken for. get ready for a high stakes week 16. 14 of the 16 games at play-off implications. india and kansas city feature two teams in the play-off, looking for home-field advantages. seattle can keep play-offed

alive with a win. the patriots can cliftenl -- clinch the afce and the winners of bears versus eagles put them in great shape to secure the number three seed. >> an earlier game, nfc south with a win in carolina. the panthers, if they win can clinch a spot. the saints lost four of the last six road games. >> the only way i know to fix it is the process throughout the wok. the preparation in regards to knowing the game plan cold and executing it in practice and visualising success or yourself in the moment. wherever you are going, whatever the conditions will be. when you do that. you go out and play well and what you visualise is what's.

>> third ranged ohio brought in 11 winning streaks to new york city to face not re dame. the black rock martin class i, and the venue was maddison square carden. naith job stepped back. the irish in front by eight. smith lines up with a rocket. pulling ocu within four. smith - he'll try to shoot the three ball. getting through the hard way. smith made all three cutting the lead to one. 22 ticks. aaron clad drives. ohio state would hold on for the come from behind win. >> the marr key match up in the n.b.a. went down in san antonio texas. the san antonio spurs hosting

kevin durant. the match up of the conference teams. high personnel shot. thunder led by 11. the spurs whittling the deficit away. down low, reverse lay-in. they didn't panic. jeremy lamb launches from three. thunder, pumping a lead up to six. a couple of minutes later lam does the dishingful thunder leads moments later. 22 and four. now has the best record in the west. after beating the spurs 11 # to 100. both teams are having great seasons. the brooklyn nets are having a horrible season. brook lopez broke his foot against the 76ers. he'll miss the regular season. it's the third time he broke his book. lopez sprained his angle against

the skippers. >> ex-red fielders reached agreement with the texas rangers on a 7 year $136 million contract surpassing the angel's deal used to lure hamilton away. a 285, 171 scored last season. >> ball season is underway. las vegas was the final chaps for derek carter. 48 td passes, leading the bulldogs to an 11 and is is record. we have a rough go at it. here is a high point. 29 and 54 for 217. after that it was all trojan

quarter backs. here he goes up to nelson, 40 yards. kessler to marr key. that would go 40 yards. trojans role 45-20. that's a look at sports this morning. >> all right. some of brazil's kids have found a way to cope with chaos of life in the sun. they are chasing the waves on ipanema beach. we are introduced to a surfer helping kids get out of the neighbourhood and on to a surfboard. >> this is where anderson feels at home. riding the waves at the iconic beaches in rio de janeiro. he has been surfing since he was four. he's already a champion. some days getting in the water is tough. >> translation: when there would be shoot outs in the community. it made be sad.

i knew i wouldn't be able to make it to the police. we'd have to stay on the hill. >> pichachu, has he is known lived with violence. his father was a drug dealer, killed by a grenade during a place raid. his uncle taught him to tackle the waves. the sport was mainly for rich kids. >> when i started it was tough to get into surfing. boards were expensive and some couldn't afford them. for some i'd wait for the water to rise and a strap to snap and i'd grab the board. >> this is ipanema beach, one of the most expensive places to hive in all of south america. even though it's 15 minutes away from where the kids live, it's another world. >> pichachu and his friends live in this poor community of 70,000 people. it accused to be controlled by gangs until the police

established a permanent presence four years ago. >> for joyce surfing is an escape helping her focus on her future. she says the sport not only teaches her respect, but discipline. >> i do think i'm a role model. many girls here get pregnant when they are teenagers and get involved with drug traffickers. young girls see me and see a girl who surfed. and who travelled outside the community thanks to the sport. >> back on the beach. pichachu is determined to hang on to his title, and one day travel the world chasing wavesful >> an oscar winning film maker using the power of the big screen. the unusual challenges he faces to create art under his country's strict laws. >> you

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. let's get a look at where the snow and rain may be falling

cross the country. eboni deon has the high lights or low lights. >> we are enjoying the warmth. it's coming at a price across the north-east with all the rain. look at the moisture that is pulling up from the deep south. we are seeing it stretch from the north coast to the east. we are watching an area of low pressure bringing in the wet weather along with it. as the low tracks to the north, we'll see snow showers continuing on the backside of that system. so we'll keep the snowy weather around the great lakes over the next 24 hours. places like milwaukee could end up with four up wards of seven inches of the white stuff. >> it's not often that we look at the complex structure of society in iran. the 2011 iranian director took home the foreign language roster for his critically acclaimed

film "the separation", it is now getting oscar buzz. we have this interview. >> iran's best known director has been circling the globe to promote his latest film. >> i think i can stay out of my country for a long time. >> it's set in paris. the past is a product of his homeland. an iranian man played by an iranian actor returns to france to divorce his estranged french wife. the drama is personal, not political, the relationship is a metaphor for east-west relations. >> translation: there is a world of misunderstanding between. perhaps we can't call it differences. in the opening scene they are on two sides of a glass pane. they see and talk to each other,

but don't hear each other. >> when the last film "the separation" was released the strain in the relationship of iran to the united states was making headlines. the movie made more than $7 million at the box office and earned is best foreign feature. into it was featured on rainan state television despite efforts by the government to shut the film's pruk. according to iranian film expert making an aword winning film under censorship codes is nothing short of a miracle. >> he is adept in navigating through the waters of the censorship code. he manages to be making socially critical films without sounding critical at all. >> has censorship eased under

the new president? >> translation: it's hard to judge. he's only been in for a few months. anything that happens now is good, considering the past. >> in the past he avoided censors by shooting abroad. the film has been well received in iran. in united states there's talk of another oscar. if the success is a guide the two countries have more in common. >> that will do it for this edition of al jazeera. i'm richelle carey, thank you for watching us. an update after the break.