>> . >> this is al jazeera america, live from new york city. i'm rachelle kerry. on the've of christmas. one of the most sake rett shrines in christianity. reenforced troops are poised to enter the region as the u. n. boasts to increase troops leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. as two astronauts make a critical space walk to fix the space station.

>> and right now, you are looking at a christmas eve mass at the vatican. the first for pope francis. yes, we are just a few hours from christmas. for some palestinian christians the sacred day has been overshadowed. occupations is a big part of life in the region, but there's a comfort for more that want to see the historic birthplace brought back to live. in bethlehem, nick, tell me what you see there? i know what i see behind you is beautiful. >> it is beautiful, rachelle. and the atmosphere is really electric here on christmas eve. we are only about an hour from midnight mass. you can see in the church nativity, and the tree earlier today, thousands line the roads waiting for the average bishop to arrive. preparing for his sermon, and of course on christmas eve, and christmas here, there's a lot of talk of peace,

even if some days that seems far off. >> this is her view. the israeli barrier that separates the west bank is 30 feet tall, and clair's house is surrounded on three sides. dream says the wall keeps it safe. >> in manger square, clair marks the arrival of the local average bishop. and on this christmas eve, he is particularly proud because just a few feet away, in one of kris januaryty's most sacred shrines. >> this is the renovation, i see. >> yes. >> he is overseen the first facelift in 600 years. >> parts of this church

are 1500 years old. >> we are all above the situation of the church. watt err somes down, throughout the walls and this is all over. >> repairs will begin on the roof's wooden beams. they were last restored in 1498. >> it is okay, but it needs to be protected for another 500 years. and this is our termination, to protect this church for the coming generations. >> he is christian, his family has lived here for as long as anyone can remember. he jokes that one of his ancestors witnessed jesus' birth. >> we are not comin comingm abroad, we are not coming from anywhere else. >> thousands line-up to see the got toe, the spot where he is believed to have been born.

the palestinians believe they can't bring it to the full splendor throughout the occupation. >> the best tourism, the best atmosphere for twoing and also protecting our history and our. >> heritage. >> is to end occupation. >> this church is now in dangered world heritage site, the renovation will take four to five years and by then, he hopes the holy land has peace. >> our history, our dignitary, our future. it is our amatols in peace and in dignity. >> the christmas wish shared by clair, whether at manger square or in her home. clair has lived in that house for ten years, she told me, every time every christmas she comes here,

and she says a prayer for peace, even if that peace seems far off let's talk more about midnight mass, what is expected? what is really interesting about this, of course, it is a celebration of jesus' birth, but it also will be a political mass, the arch bishop who is from jordan, he has come here, and he is expected to criticize israel. he is expected to say that israel is pushing settlements in the palestinian west bank, when it's agreed not to, israel says it has the right to do that, but the arch bishop will say in this time of peace, let's try and create peace, and try to take the negotiations between the palestinians and the israelis that are going on now, stop these settlements and finally come to terms with the motion of a palestine and an israel living side by side. >> live in bethlehem,

nick, thank you very much. >> a short time ago approve add plan to send more troops to south sudan. 150 u.s. marines were headed to the region to help evacuate u.s. citizens, the growing violence has claimed hundreds of lives. for the important step it has taken today. but even with the on going support, the strengthening of our protection capabilities we will not happen overnight. and even with additional capabilities, we will not be able to protect every civilian in need in south sudan. the parties are responsible for ending the conflict. >> thousands of people have been displaced in the country many have been injuried in the fighting. exclusive access to the

capitol. >> most injuries in this hospital are from gunshot wounds. the city is now quiet, but treating some of these is still a charge. >> the charges -- things are closing. most of them are incident up -- and they left everything behind. >> the rebels in the town may also somewhere been caught underprepared. the president says government soldiers have now recaptures the town. but there are still pocketing of fighting, it is not known how many soldiers and civilians have died or been injured. >> most people were shot here, but there are a few others from elsewhere. and it isn't just soldiers there are women and children too. >> there are reports that mass graves have been found in the town, and

the capitol. >> they have found a mass grave, then we will be ready to go out and investigate. i have not heard about it, some criminal targeted some people, some people have died. >> more u.n. soldiers could help aid workers reach the vulnerable faster, especially children. >> hopefully if they give office room, and access to women and children that we cannot reach now. >> tens of thousands are still hiding around the country. many hope leaders find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, so they can go home. to discuss the power struggle, she is the senior association, and co director of the simpson center future of peace operations program.

thank you so much for joining us. you know this situation, has obviously deinvolved very quickly. those are planted sometime ehing, was it almost inevitable that something like this was going to happen? >> i don't think that it was inevitable, but we certainly have been seeing these tensions evolve for some time. we need to look far back, not just to july when the president backed the other political opposition, that are now challenging them, but back to the second civil war between sudan and south sudan, where there was a number of armed aikidos that were fighting each other, including one group and the other which was the escalade which is now preliminarily led this year.

>> right now, though, the president and the former vice president has said, they will agree to peace talks. what is holding this up? is it a matter of a power struggle. >> i believe it is. a tremendous amount of antagonism between these two. at this time, likely trying to jockey for power. the international community is looking for what is the best way to mediate. who is going to be most trusted i think there is good news that the u.s. and more ways who have a lot of influence over the actors in south sudan, because of the way that they were involved in previous peace agreements and the amount of money they had invested in south sudan, as well as ethiopia, neighboring countries have all come to try and mediate this dispute. but it is also important that they bring in some

of the domestic actors that can really help with the mediation. >> in just the last ten days this conflict has gone from being one inside to now having spread to five or six of the ten states of south pseudodang. as i was mentioned these are long and deep, it's not just ethnic affiliations. we have already seen many high level representatives including the u.n. high submissioner of human rights talk about mass

graves, war crimes and crimes against humanity. so we shouldn't wait until we get to a town where we are arguing over the number said, or this is the again side. we are a phase now of life atrocities and it is good to see international communities has agreed to send additional troops. >> alison, thank you so much on your insight. we enterer proit. a powerful blast tore through a police headquarters today killing at least 14 people, and injuries 130. it happened in the nile delta city. al jazeera reports. >> this because the biggest car bomb that israel has seen since 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 security chief. it seems likely 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 independented the scene earlier on tuesday, he called it a terrorist attack, and disrupted the vote on the constitution. >> there were these incidents on an attempt to create a diversion to terrorize people. but i want to reassure the people entirely that there is a plan in place, in cooperation with the armed forces to protect all of the election centers at the highest level. >> casualties overwhelm the hospital. doctors spoke of horrific injuries with people losing limbs. >> outside, demonstrators filled the streets in solidarity with the police. although no group has claimed responsibility and none has been formally accused of the attack, the protestors blame the muslim brotherhood. >> everyone knows that it is a terrorist group, and

security forces have to work harder today they attacked here, and god knows are tomorrow. >> both the muslim brotherhood and egypt's anti-cowher alliance have condemned the attack, in a statement from the belong done office, the brotherhood said it considers this act as a direct attack on the junety of the egyptian people, and demands an inquiry, so that the perpetrators may be brought to justice. regardless of who was behind the bombing, it will raise the heat in a country already builterly divided over new constitution, and it's political direction. al jazeera, cairo. >> a young girl was killed in air strikes on the gaza strip, carried out by israel. three others were injured this happened after israeli civilian was shot dead on the border. no one has claimed responsible for killing the man that was the first to die on the gaza frontier on more than a year. edward snowden is making his first television appearance. he has recorded a

christmas message that will air on channel four in the u. can remember top. in this video, he called for an end so the nsa's massive surveillance program, the details of which he leaked to the media six months ago. an ice storm slammed into the northeast, shutting down power to more than 370,000 homes and businesses this morning. the outage effected about 100,000 customers in maine alone. sheets of ice cover the streets, homes, and of course, power lines. power crews are working around the clock to restore electricity to the region, the storm is responsible for at least 11 deaths across the country. okay, tomorrow is christmas, people like to wake up to a white christmas, dave warren is going to tell us the f that will happen. >> the question is what is a white christmas, well, you have to have snow on the ground. it can cause problems, but we look at graphics like this to show you kit be a nice thing to see. white christmas tomorrow, what is it exactly?

one inch of snow on the ground. you wake up to that that tomorrow, you have a white christmas, so if you are in that area, call your relatives in the area that do not have snow on the ground and brag. that's where the snow is on the ground, and there is a little more than we could see, some lake effect snow there in pennsylvania, this area of snow in minnesota, that is pushing south, and of course there's already snow on the ground there and adding a little too that, we could see a few lightening snow flakes coming down, in fact a little accumulation, maybe an inch or two in minnesota, there through michigan and the great lakes and there's that lake effect snow that we are seeing in western new york, and western pennsylvania, some more accumulation there. that is what we are talking about, the snow will stick around because it is bitterly cold, look at the temperatures coming up in the national forecast later. >> thank you, dave. >> ahead, they are known as the arctic 30, dozens of greene peace activists held for months now poised for release. the international space station gets an early

credit mas. present from two space walking astronauts, a successful mission. and a new trend has parents avoiding a popular vitamin for their newborn. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america

of parents are declining chose shots. the centers for disease control says that decision is leading to a dangerous trend. i don't think than martin reports. >> as a first time mother, amber had a lot of questions about her newborn, including whether or not her daughter need add vitamin k shot. >> our douala told us that what our option was, the vitamin k shot, and why some people were choosing not to get it. and we just felt like it

was the best decision for us to get it. and that the benefits outweighed the risks for us. >> after medical research shows it could prevent a bleeding disorder now called late vitamin k deficiency, it was once a common threat, but now the cb c says the disorder only appeared in about six infants per million, but earlier this year, multiple cases emerged in tennessee. between february and september of this year, four babies here at vanderbilt in nashville were diagnosed with late vitamin k deficiency, three of the infants has bleeding in the brain, a fourth gastrointestinal bleeding. >> i think unfortunately people have forgotten. >> the parents in each case declined the vitamin k shot. adding that 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 scare add lot

of patients as it should, but unfortunately, subsequent studies that refuted that don't get referenced as much, and unfortunately the first study that showed there was a possible link continues to exist on the internet in this wildly used and different blogs. said a specific group of parents tend to reject the vitamin k shot. >> they tend to be of higher socioeconomic status. these tend to be parents that are well educated but again, people need to understand what the risks are associated when you decline that vitamin k shot, something as similar as that. the risk of developing the disorder is nearly 80 times grater before those that did not receive the injection. even so, a focus found that 28% of parents were declining the shot. while the four infants at vanderbilt all survived

doctors say the three that suffered may face develop mental challenges. jonathan martin, al jazeera, nashville. >> the dow ended up more than 60-point as 5th record in a row, the s&p 500 also hitting an all time high. test la is holding on to it's five star safety rating. the traffic safety administration has reaffirmed it's rating for the 24 teen model year, however, the electric car maker flag ship vehicle that is still being rescrew bedty agency over battery related fires. sells at brick and mortar sales fell 3%, in the time weekend before christmas compared to the same time last year, sales have fallen three straight weeks.

joining me to discuss top business stories, he is a business and personal finance analyst, let's pick up on that point. >> yeah. >> does that surprise you. >> not really, a lot of the movement is going online today. even in the last few days traffic has been down 21%. people being much more cautious, a little hard to do with today since it is christmas eve, so today they will probably go into the stores more. >> it seems that the store -- the same thing over and over, sales, sale, is it possible that customers are bored with that? >> to some extent. you need a hot product, and there are some, the x box one, place four, the ipad, the i-phone, those are hot products and they can price whatever they want. on other things apparent, not really a new hot thing, and therefor the only way they get people into the stores is to discount them crazily. >> so it seems like

stores have to find a new way to relate with their customers. >> they have what they call omni channel that's the new buzz word, which is -- you can order online and then pick it up in the store, or kind of mixing all the different channel so it isn't just online, and not just in the stores either. >> new home sales from a five year high. >> a little bit of an existing home sales were down. first of all, mortgage rates have gone un. back in the spring, you had mortgage rates at 3 and a half %. now they are up to 4 and a half %. with the federal reserve starting to -- that means the rates are going to go even higher, so it is hard to get a mortgage anyway, now it is more expensive as well. >> what do you think that means? >> i think the housing market will continue to slow down, because it is harder for people to qualify. you need a 20% down payment, there's new rules as well.

so it is amazing the housing market has been as strong as it is, but with mortgage rates rising i think that's why the housing market has fallen down. >> we appreciate your incite so much, business and personal finance analyst, have a good holiday. >> thank you. >> millions of americans are opting out of house ownership and remembering instead. for lower income and middle class is vanishing. how some people are feeling the squeeze. >> me intents his time at the public library, searching online for affordable places to live. he is homeless. sleeping in a men's shelter, he has been on the waiting list to get into the housing program for three years. >> the scarcity of affordable housing is happening not only here, but in cities all across the country. the joint center for

housing studies reports the number of low income renters has gone up. while the amount of rental options for them, is going down. between 2011 and renters making $19,000 a year or less, searched from 12 million, while the number of ard toble units has held study, nearly a third of them are now occupied by higher income households. >> when they are out competing for a rental unit, from someone perhaps whose worked at amazon, who can pay a higher first and last months rent. lisa walters heads the seattle housing authority, which provides low income housing. a few months ago, her office opened off waiting list, there were 2,000 slots available, 20,000 people applied. >> when you are looking at the projections for the rental markets, the supply and the demand is

pretty flat. so i don't see us coming out of this soon. >> middle class americans are also feeling the squeeze. >> i feel like the amount we pay for rent for this house is just -- absurd. and i feel like we got a good deal. >> they competed with dozens of others for their $1,500 a month rental. >> i don't understand how anyone can ever get break out of this sort of cycle. william is hopeful. >> i will be back on top some day. >> and perhaps out of the shelter he now calls home. >> al jazeera, seattle. >> even with the spike in cost, seattle is still rated one of the most affordable big cities for renters. when we come back, stopping drought by injecting chemicals in the sky? rah look at the process of cloud seeding. stay with us.

>>

jazeera america.to al 150 u.s. marines are standing by to be deployed to south sudan. they are available to help evacuate u.s. citizens. the growing violence has claimed hundreds of lives. meanwhile, the u.n. voted to temporary increase peace keeping forces. 12,500 troops. today nasa astronauts finished some crucial repairs during space walks on the international space station. faulty cooling pumps forced a similar initial maintenance mission, a third space station walk is expected friday when russia astronauts will install cameras as part of a continued experiments on the international space station, but those are not considered repairs. the church's nativity is getting a much needed facelift. the church is believed to be on the site where jesus was born. right now at the vatican,

pope francis is holding his first christmas eve mass. >> he has shunned a lavish lifestyle, and asked people to come back to their faith. >> in st. peters burg it may look like any other christmas, the tree is towers over, the faithful are cueing but there is a growing sense of anticipation, because the preside over it all, there is one special pope. this was a whirlwind year for the new pope in a space of a few months he went from being a little time arch bishop to magazine's person of the year.

when he appeared on the balcony, only a few recognized him. and even funner could pronounce his name. everyone, however, recognized his chosen name as pope. francis. >> he proved to be just as ample as his name sake. he became known as the people's phone, he dodge add security to be with his flock, and was especially interested in the well being of the displaced the disabled and children. 3 million people came to see him, turning coke caco banna into a catholic woodstock. he became officially a worldwide icon. he spoke freely to reporters. >> if christmas is a day for remembering than many catholics around the world will look back in

2013 as a dramatic and eventful year, when the church marred by scandal was rejuvenated by pope fran recess. al jazeera, roam. >> meanwhile catholics here are preparing for their own christmas eve celebration. one of the most iconic the country, has more for us, i assume people are slowly starting to make their way in, for mass, it's a tradition for so many families. >> all of those other people think about christmas, and they are starting to get back to the reason for the season, which is the birth of christ, now we are here and about 2,000 people will have tickets tonight to attend christmas mass. now earlier there will be a blessing of the children, but only 2,000

people will get to be a part of such a special ceremony, which is really a small amount of people, considering the fact that some three many people come here every single year. so tickets to get to mass that's a remarkable thing, what the scene of this year's mass. well, the theme, like it is every year, and earlier today, he wants people to focus on what matters to them the most, their faith and family. he is saying look i understand that christmas and the holidays are hectic, but what is most important is that we remember there should be peace on earth, and that will be the message here tonight. ray lynn, fantastic, and happy holidays to you, ray lynn. >> thank you. >> the u.n. security

council has approved a plan to send more troops to south sudan. they are headed to the region to help protect and evacuate american citizens if needed. the growing violence has claimed hundreds of lives orr the past week. so till us how it played out in the security council. it is a unanimous vote, give teen member in favor of the vote. >> just really saying we need to get these soldiers in so that we can carry out our man dane, which is to protect is civilians. no surprises there, but the secretary general came out and inspected the media afterwards and said even with these, they won't happen overnight, and also once

they are in place, we cannot protect every civilian on the ground. so the u.n. says this is only a temporary measure, but it is a help that is greatly needed. the ambassador also spoke with the security council meeting and lucked the help. >> the secretary general has also approached others that have contributed troops such as that pap, been he dash, and india. they need to decide where they are going to deploy them. we can be confident by the fact that the u.n.

security council has move sod quickly. it is within really a matter of two or three days as the violence has escalated. and held an emergency meeting. considering that not everything here moves with the speed with some people may like here in the u.n. >> that is so true, understanding that they are peace keeping troops so you understand what they are overarching mission is, surely, but what real impact can these troops have on what is happening there? >> well, this is really to protect the civilians who have run and tried to take cover at the u.n. basis. there are now 45,000 civilian whose have gone to the u.n. compounds and facilities to seek shelter, it's a huge humanitarian issue there, trying to get them food, shelter, water, and protection from this ethnic fighting, the impact a really to just go and reenforce those. stop them from being overrun, and really just send a message to the fighting that is going

on. the world is watching, so it's partly a sub conscious message and saying the troops are here, we are going to protect it, they try to tell the civilians that they are not being abandoned the impact will hopefully be more of a humanitarian issue to make those more safe. but as we saw with the devastating attack, with 2,000 youth raided and over ran a u.n. base, where there's about 19 inside, when you are outnumbered by those sorts of crowds, really you have no choice, so this is no -- there's no other result than to be overrun. so this is really just to say we are coming, we are here, here to support you, and hopefully they will reinforce those stronger. >> the world is watching. those are powerful words. cat, thank you so much. madagascar has reported 39 deaths from the bubonic plague. page reports this one could be especially

dangerous. >> many are superstitious about the plague, some say it is a curse, so it's been difficult to accept that's what killed her son. >> he started complaining of a headache, and a fever, three days later with swollen lumps with fluid oozing from his mouth he died inning any. >> the doctor tested blood from my son's some mac, it was positive from the plague so he ordered everyone out, and left my dead son in the house. >> the plague is spread by flees from infected rats, they shelter inside people's homes during the rainy season from october to march. the plague normally hits rural areas, but this village is only 30-kilometers from the capitol. >> if it comes here lit be so difficult to manage. >> in the country's knot,

20 villages dies of the knew monic praying, which is spread from person to person. they are warning it could be disastrous. the people are at even greater risk after the government stopped collecting rubbish in the capitol two weeks ago. >> this is a common site. now, rubbish is piling up right across the city, it is a magnet for flies and rats and it is a breeding ground for disease. recent elections should make the rush, so the aid can deal with the mess, until then, the united nations and european union are funding a clean up. it is a montana task, but a important one. a lawyer for around inian diplomate, is accusing u.s. authorities of mishand eighting the investigation. her attorney says that she drew up charges made

a key error which led to the arrest. two weeks ago, an indian deputy council general was arrested in new york. the man credited with helping the ally forced win world war ii has been pardoned. allen was convicted in the u.k. of homosexuality which was consider add crime there. he was rah codebreaker known for cracking the secrets of german submarines. he is considered the father of modern computing. paperwork is the only thing standing in the way of freedom for green peace demonstrators jailed in russia three months ago. they announced they were dropping charges on all membered of the so called arctic 30. the group staged a dramatic protest by boarding an oil rig. >> there is a gradual easing of the diplomatic and legal log jam that has seen the arctic 30 confined to their hotel.

since they were brailled in november, basically the prosecutors office is summoning them one by one, they go there to the office, they receive a document, which proved an individual document this proves that the charges against them charges of hooliganism, which carry a seven year jail sentence, have been dropped. and then the next process is that the defendants then have to take that document to the federal migration service to get their exit visa put in their passport, only then can they leave st. peters burping, but it is a very time consuming process, these people are really hope they will be home for christmas, they are now keeping fingers crossed that they will make it back. they are all going to be released. they are all going to be -- the charges will all be dropped against them, it is just this legal hoops you have to jump through, in saint petersburg to get the process completed to allow them to leave the country, because, of course, they have no entry permits in the passport. they were taken at sea,

and without an permit you can't get an exit permit pop so this document that you are getting from the prosecutors office is really their ticket home. >> peter sharp reporting there. katie perry is using her celebrity to help children. the pop star has been named the new goodwill ambassador to unicef. she provides more than just a famous safe. >> the u.n. has been trying to help the moist needy people in the world, and it's constantly been looking for ways to highlight their plight. >> 60 years ago, they tried what was then a novel approach. it was in 1954, the danny k then one of the word's most famous actors became the first ever goodwill ambassador for the u.n. children's organization, unicef. his path was followed by many ohs over the years. stars from hollywood. from audrey hepburn to angelina jolie. singers and sports stars.

acting as celebrity ambassadors messengers of goodwill, and even one special at. >> my name is moore, roger moore, and i'm a goodwill ambassador. >> over the years the corridors here at the united nations have not only been packed with top politicians and diplomates many rememberties have come to visit. >> the latest to be announced the pop star katie perry. so why did she take the job? >> i have a lot of attention. and a lot of spot light. and it would be so easy and so laidssy for me to put that spotlight on something that is kind of material, or funny, or not really meaningful. what i do want to do is take that extra

attention, and that light. >> some may question her insight 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 katie perry has 60 million likes on her page. >> when she tweets it is interesting because she will get something like five to 6,000 engangments. whether it's retweets or favorites and i think they have come out to say that they want to engang a younger audience, and katie perry is the perfect person to do that, because her following tends to skew younger than the traditional following. [applause] >> so in this new age, the celebrity social media reach, gives the u.n. a big boost. just compare katie perry's followers with old media, 60 million

people, is almost five times more than the print circulation of the best selling news paper in the world. james base, al jazeera, at the united nations. >> still ahead, saving the smallest and most endangered bear in south america, by educating those around the animal. climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america here is more. >> beneath the fluorescentsun in a former meat packing plant is the latest trim in farming.

they call it "vertical farming." these fields grow on floors on at industrial park and farmer john adel and his staff agrees user. >> my shipping proceed did you say 1500, 2,000 miles to get are. >> the plant of the indoor -- as the indoor formers call it doesn't grow corn or soybeans but mustard, high end micro greens on the plates of white-napkin restaurants. these fish supply the vert liser that number issues the

>> welcome back. after 7 1/2 hours the space walk is over, two astronauts succeeded in making an important repair, to the international space station. >> congratulations great job. >> i spoke to nasa's john

petty about this remarkable mission. >> this is about the size of a refrigerator and weighs almost 800 pounds on earth. it -- the faulty one was removed during the saturday space walk, and temporarily stowed on the outside. and the space walk today took a replacement much, put it in position, where the old one was, hooked up ammonia lines and power lines, and we gave eight quick test, and everything seems to be working. >> why were these repairs so critical? >> well, the the international space station has two what we call cooling loops, one is on bun side, one is on the other side. a big trust that runs out through the station, and housing the solar arrays. they also provide cooling and a secondary way, they cool water that is used

to school the interior of the station. we require a redundancy, we need to have one little that will work for sure. the one that failed took away that redundancy, so we need two of these to feel confidentble in operating the international space station. if we only have one, and one fails, that would not be a good thing. >> . >> i think so. i think for the crew lit be a much better christmas than it mite otherwise have been. >> the spectacle there is one of a smallest bear specieses and the only one in south america,

conservation fist estimate there had's only 3,000 left in the wild. with one biologist who is working to save the species. >> rock bin appleton and her team are looking for speckled bears. this nora and her cub ma tina. >> each is given a different name. >> one of the unique features is they have markings on their face, so every bear has a different marking and that allows us to identify each. >> identification is important for keeping track of them and hair needs. biologies have tagged at least 40 bears since they started their work in 2006. >> the tree is crucial. it has all the proteins

and fats the bears need for survival. it is best food they can find, but people are using the wood for cooking. in rural areas villagers have to use the wood for their stoves, if they don't realize the impact that has on the bears. i use it evacuate u.s day because it produce as strong flame. >> these biologies have implemented a program in schools to teach them how to protect the bears by protecting the trees. the only species of bear found in south america, one third of them live in peru, but biologists believe they could disappear in 20 years if deforrest station continues. when we come back, your christmas weather forecast, keep it here.

every sunday night join us for ever >> it's become ain us for

christmas tradition to track santa on santa.org. according to nor rad the first stop this year was in russia. if you are wondering how this whole tracking tradition even started apparently by accident.

58 years ago an organization decided to keep it going. >> dave warren, i will stick to tracking snow, and we are looking at the snow acroters the northern plains. >> now into the cold air, this is lake effect snow. how about how much snow we can expect? not much, so maybe a little coating, maybe only of the streets and side roads could be slick. but that's about it here over the next 24 hours. a little heavier snow that's the cold air coming across, the lake there to get the lake effect know in the eastern side of the great lakes, western pennsylvania western new york, seeing a bit more snow. anything that is on the ground will stick around for a while. these are the actual temperatures, 17 in chicago. cold air goes all the way

over the pacific northwest. that will slowly begin to work it's way east, and new england. this is what it feels like, the actual temperature on your skin with that real feel temperature. so binning up before you head out, the actual air temperature stays below freezing until saturday where it is barely above that. up to 36 degrees this will continue that wind picks up out of the northeast. the-ts are just about freezing in new york. albany at 30, but they are in the teens in cleveland, and toronto that, colted air is pushing east, now the forecast for that snow, here is the accumulation.

that's what you could wake up to tomorrow, stick around for a while. the state's been dry for two years now, on what california does when the sky refuses to open up. >> there's a lot of water in those storm clouds, but the problem is that the water is up there, not on the ground where it's needed. california's reservoirs tell the story, in that line that looks like a bathtub ring. that's where the water level used to be. just about four-inches so far this year, rainfall is the lowest it's been in california since it was first measured 164 years ago. >> part of the problem is what is in the clouds or really what is not in the

clouds. here, for instance, at the top of the ski area over lake tahoe. >> they don't have a lot of particles that water can form either droplets or ice chris calls. >> if you want water you have to help those clouds. many areas are depend on cloud seeding to squeeze nor water and snow. cloud seeding increases the amount of water that comes out of storms. and studies have shown that around here, that percentages anywhere from ten to 20%. >> cloud seeding injects crystals into storm clouds either from a ground base generator or an airplane. it gives water something to grab on to to start forming a rain drop or freezing into snow. >> it takes about 15 minutes for the precipitation to occur,

once you have seeded based on wind direction, and wind speed at the altitude where the storm is. they can pretty much predict where that wattser going to land and it is cheaper. >> it is extremely difficult to show any real serious and significance positive impacts. never the less, scientists believe it makes a big difference near lake tahoe. >> normally this provides anywhere between 15,000, and about 23,000-acre feet of water per year. >> an acre foot is an amount that covered an acre of surface. it requires storm clouds to have something to seed. it's tough to do in a drought year, where most days look like this. al jazeera, los angeles.

>>