welcome to al jazeera america. i'm rich rich. here are the stories we're following for you. with more than a thousand south sudanese dead, the un votes to keep peace-keeping troops there. and parents declining the vitamin k injection for their newborns. bethlehem's church of the nativity gets a facelift. and a space walk happening right now at the international space station. ♪

150 marines are now headed to south sudan. they are deplaying there from a base in spain to help protect and have beening -- evacuate american citizens. an estimated 40,000 refugees are trying to escape the deadly fighting. un investigators say they discovered a mass grave in the unity state which has most of the country's oil. south sudan's army says it is investigating. >> some criminals targeted some people, people have died, but they are still in command. they have taken control of the town, and the command is investigating into anybody th thatted -- that had been targeted or killed based on his ethnicity. so they will be happy for those

who have the information to help us in the investigation. that is a crime. south sudan belong to all of us. we're a national army. we'll not allow tribalism to be exercised mixed with politics. now the latest from the capitol city of juba. >> reporter: sending in more troops will really help the situation here. there are still diplomatic efforts to try to get the sides to sit down and talk to peace talks. we are hearing that both sides say they are willing to talk but there are conditions. the former vice president has said he wants these talks to take place in ethiopia, because he think that would be a more neutral venue. this is the morning headlines

here. the president saying that he is not sure about the people in his go. he is not sure about who he can trust. here is one quote he states, some people are sitting here in government with us in this house. they are deeply involved in the coup. we aren't erasing them because we don't know who they are. so it remains to be seen whether this mistrust or the other issues will delay these peace talks that many people are hoping will happen. if the two sides agree to talk perhaps the violence will end. >> reporter: a powerful blast tore through egypt today. peter reports. >> reporter: this was the biggest car bomb that egypt has seen since the revolution of january 2011. a massive blast that tore through the five-story police headquarters. it went off shortly after midnight, around the time that senior police officers were

inside. among them the city's security chief. it seems likely that they were the targets. so whoever set the bomb may have had inside knowledge of the meeting to discuss security for next month's referendum. the interior minister inspected the scene earlier on tuesday. he called it a terrorist attack and disrupting a vote on the constitution. >> translator: all of these incidents are an attempt to create a diversion. but i want to reensure the people entirely that there are a plan in place to protect all of the election centers. >> reporter: casualties overwhelmed the hospital. medical officials appealed for blood donors. outside demonstrators filled the streets in solidarity with the

police, although no group has claimed responsibility, the protesters blame the muslim brotherhood. >> translator: everyone knows that it's a terrorist group, and security forces have to work harder. today they tacked here, and god knows where tomorrow. >> reporter: both the muslim brotherhood and egypt's anti-coup alliance have condemned the attack. new statement in the london office, the brotherhood said it considers this the act as a direct attack on the unity of the egyptian people and demands an inquiry forthwith. regardless of who was behind the bombing, it will raise the heat in a country already bitterly divided over a new constitution and its political direction. two people including a young girl were killed in air strikes on the gaza strip carried out by israel. this happened after an israeli

citizen was shot on the border. no one has claimed responsibility for killing the man. edward snowden says mission accomplished. his leaks explosions details of nsa's massive surveillance program. an ice storm shuts down power to more than 370,000 homes and businesses in the northeast this morning. this effects 100,000 customers in maine alone. streets of ice covered homes and power lines. power workers are doing their best to restore electricity to the region. the storm is responsible for at least 11 deaths. on christmas eef we take a closer look at the church where jesus is believed to have been born. it's facing a facelift for the first time in 600 years. al jazeera nick is in bethlehem

on these renovations. hi, nick. >> reporter: hi, richelle, the renovations are underway, the festivities are underway. behind me is manager square, and behind that is the church of the nativity. thousands of people waiting for the local archbishop to arrive. he is now inside. and for the first time mass will take place with new renovations. walk through the door of humility, walk inside one of christianity's most sacred shrines. you see a construction site. >> the church really needed to be renovated, especially the roof and the brainage system. this is water. >> all wart dama-- water damage. >> yeah. yeah. >> reporter: parts of this

church are 1500 years old, but the building has been neglected. >> when it starts raining, water comes down throughout the walls and mosaics and -- all over. >> reporter: repairs will begin on the roof's wooden beams. they were last restored in 1498. >> reporter: it is okay. but it needs to be protected for another 500 years from now on, and this is our -- our determination to protect site of the church for the coming generations. these are the frescos. >> reporter: these are the originals? >> yes. >> reporter: workers will then restore the frescos and mosaics. does it fill you with pride? >> we're proud to manage and run and start the renovation of one of the holiest places in the

world. >> reporter: he is christian, his family has lived here for as long as anyone can remember, he jokes that one of his ancestors witnessed jesus's birth. >> we are not coming from abroad. we are deep rooted here. >> reporter: thousands line up to see the grotto, the spot where many believe jesus was born. >> in order to have the best tourism, the best economy, the best atmosphere for -- for developing and also protecting our -- our history and our heritage, is to end occupation. >> reporter: this church is now an endangered world heritage site. the renovation will take four to five years, and by then he hopes the holy land has peace. >> it's our aim to live in peace

and dignity. >> reporter: it's a christmas wish despite all of the politics outside, inside this holy church, construction offers hope. one of the reasons it took 600 years is monks disagreed. apparently there are stories where they are actually fighting inside the church, but they came together for the renovations. they are going to come together for midnight mass tonight and to wish everyone a merry christmas. >> nick great story. thank you so much. pope francis is preparing to celebrate his first christmas as pope of the catholic church. claudia is in rome and looks back at the pontiff's pretty eventful year. >> reporter: it may look like any other christmas here. the faithful are queueing, but there is a growing sense of

participation, because to proside over it -- all there is one special pope. he went from being a little-known archbishop from argentina to time magazine's person of the year. everyone recognized his chosen name as pope, francis. from day one he proved to be just as humble as his namesake. he became known as the people's pope. he dodged security to be with his flock, and was especially interested in the well-being of the displaced, disabled and children. on his first trip back to south america, he received a hero's welcome. 3 million people came to see him, turning coca cabana into a

catholic wood stock. francis became a word wide icon, but an accessible one. he spoke freely to reporters, answering tough questions on homosexuality and the role of women in the church. many catholics around the world will look back as 2013 as an dramatic your when a church marred by scandal was rejuvenated by pope francis. urgent space station repairs at the hands of two astronauts. a live picture is there. ♪

welcome back. today marks the second christmas eve space walk in nasa history. right now, astronauts are doing repairs. you are watching live.

let's listen in for just a second. >> all of these have a little bit of play in them. >> okay. >> the shot that you are seeing is helmet cam shot from mike hopkins. they started this work on saturday. they hope to finish today. the coolant system is what has been giving them problems on the international space station. this is something they have got to get repaired. they are working on one of the lines right now. we'll keep you posted. ♪ wall street staying in a buying mood this christmas eve. the dow is up right now, 56 points, on track for its first straight record. the stock market closes early today 1:00 pm eastern time and it is closed tomorrow because of christmas. the government reports business has stepped up their spending on orders for long-lasting goods in

november. the rise gives a boost to the manufacturing industry. holiday sales are pointing to a bah humbug season for retailers. shoppers in brick and mortar stores sold 3% compared to last year. retailers are struggling despite big discounts and longer hours. for decades it has been standard medical practice to give vitamin k injections to newborns. but now parents are declining the shots. jonathan martin reports. >> reporter: as a first time mother amber had lots of questions about her newborn. including whether her daughter needed a vitamin k shot. >> our [ inaudible ] told us the options and we felt it was the

best decision not to get it. >> reporter: doctors in the u.s. have been giving vitamin, can shots to newborns since the 1960s after medical research showed it could eliminate a bleeding disorder now called late vitamin k deficiency. earlier this year multiple cases emerged in the tennessee. between february and september 4th babies here in nashville were diagnosed with late vitamin k deficiency. this doctor says the parents in each case declined the vitamin k shot adding the reasons range from desire for natural childbirth to outdated information that remains online, mainly a disproven study from england linking the injections

to leukemia. >> so that scared a lot of patients. but unfortunately the first study that showed that there was a possible link continues to exist on the internet and is widely used in different parent blogs. >> reporter: the doctor who treated all of the infants who had the bleeding disorder said a specific group of parents reject the shot. >> these tend to be parents that are well educated, but, again, people need to understand what the risks are associated when you decline the vitamin k shot. >> reporter: the cdc reports the risks for developing the bleeding disorder is nearly 80 times greater among newborns who did not receive the injection. so, 28% of parents were declining the shot. while the four infants survived, doctors say the three who suffered bleeding in the brain

may face developmental problems. when we return using celebrities to help the united nations outreach programs. >> the stream. next on al jazeera america and join the conversation online @ajamstream.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey, here are your headlines. 150 u.s. marines are ceded to south sudan. the growing violence in the country has claimed hundreds of lives over the past week. an estimated 40,000 refugees are trying to escape the deadly fieinging. second marks the second space walk in nasa's history. what they are doing is making repairs on a coolant system, hoping to finish up everything today. on christmas eve the church of the nativity in bethlehem is

getting a facelift. it will be the first major renovation in 600 years. survivors in the philippines are trying to find some normalcy after typhoon haiyan tore the country apart. the typhoon was the strongest storm ever recorded. about 100,000 people will spend christmas in shelters. >> reporter: pedro holds the most pressure process he has left, the ring he gave his wife 32 years ago. >> translator: we were still courting when i gave it to her. here is my name, peter, and she never took it off. >> reporter: she died along with 21 other members of his family, four of his children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, and cousins. he is the only one left together

with his son. most of his family members were found here washed away, hundreds of meters from their home. and still, the search for the missing continues. there's six more family members left, he says, and he will not stop until they are buried. the number of bodies in this mass grave keeps growing by the day. in many cases nobody knows who they are. his story is a story that is repeated a hundred times over, but the most difficult questions now, where do they go from here, and how can they rebuild their lives back again. over 6,000 people were killed when typhoon haiyan struck the region. millions of homes have been destroyed. the lives of the people here will never be the same again. the philippine government says efforts to rehabilitate

destroyed communities are well underway, but not for the hundreds of people here. [ singing ] >> reporter: these are communities shattered by an unprecedented loss, and one month on, the grieving has not eased. >> the most important thing is sense of direction. why we are still here? no? we have been given another chance. no? all of us can testify that we have been given another chance. no? so god must be telling us something. no? so don't waste this life again. >> reporter: it is a future that is hard for many here to envision. life must go on, they are told, however bleak it may seem. accepting that a loved one has passed on is difficult. for many there can be no closure when they don't even have a body

to bury. let's talk about weather here in the united states. once again will we have a white christmas? dave warren is here with the details. >> you have to look at what is a white christmas, the national weather services you have to have one inch of snow on the ground, so it could be falling or already on the ground. here is the snow cover. areas that are blue having at least one inch of snow on the ground as of yesterday. really not going anywhere any time soon. these areas in blue look like they could be setting up for a whys christmas. not much snow coming down, maybe a little more accumulation from this light snow moving through north and south dakota, and the lake effect snow setting up here. seeing the snow coming down now comes with a price, 6 degrees in

chicago. right at the freezing mark in memphis, and 47 in houston. when you factor in the wind, it will feel like well below zero. these are the actual wind chills, what it feels like on your skin. the temperatures will stay cold both tomorrow with some light snow in chicago, and then 20 on thursday, 29 on friday, and finally above freezing in chicago by this weekend. here is this lake-effect snow setting up accumulations in western new york and pennsylvania. today as tomorrow, seeing some ak a couple -- accumulation here. it will finally start to warm back up to about 40 by this weekend, until then just bitter cold air in is moving in. richelle. >> dave thank you. katy perry has been named the unicef's new goodwill

ambassador. >> reporter: out there its exist importance, the unhas been trying to help the most needy people in the world and constantly looking for way s to highlight their plight. 60 years ago it tried a novel approach. danny kay became the first ever goodwill ambassador for unicef. his path was followed by many others over the years. stars from hollywood. singers and sports stars, acting as celebrity ambassadors, messengers of goodwill, and even one special agent. >> my name is moore, roger moore, and i'm a goodwill ambassador for unicef. >> the corridors here at the united nations have been packed with top politicians and

diplomats, but many celebrities have also come here to visit. the latest goodwill ambassador to be announced by unicef, the pop star katy perry. so why did she take the job? >> i have a lot of attention and spotlight, and it would be so easy and lazy for me to put that spotlight on something that is kind of, you know, material or funny or not really meaningful, but what i do want to do is i want to take all of the extra attention and put it on something that needs that illumination, that needs that light. ♪ >> reporter: some may question her incite on the issues facing children around the world, but not her impact. and it's here that the idea of celebrity ambassadors is getting a new boost. katy perry has 49 million followers on twitter, 60 million

likes on her facebook page. >> when she tweets show -- she'll get something like 5 to 6,000 engagements. her following tends to skew younger than think traditional following. >> yay! [ applause ] >> reporter: so in this new age of communication, the celebrities social media reach gives the un a big boost. just compare katy perry's followerings on twitter, with old media, 60 million people is almost 5 times more than the print circulation of the best-selling newspaper in the world. james bhais, al jazeera, united nations. >> reporter: thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm richelle carey "the stream" is up next. and check on our website for all

of the latest through the day, that is aljazeera.com. thank you for your time and keep it here. ali. you're on the stream. you hear about local police durng into little brother. -- turning into little brother. lisa fletcher is out, but we've got omar, as digital producer. >> i.t. has really lit up. we put out the question of