this is "al jazeera america" live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at tonight's top stories. seeking peace. after days of violence, the united nations sends thousands of additional peacekeepers to south sudan in hoping of preventing an all-out civil war. crisis in egypt. defiance from leaders of egypt's muslim brotherhood after the interim government declares the group a terrorist organization. a cold, dark christmas for half a million people in the northern u.s. and canada. crews work around the clock trying to restore power. being eight. a new perspective on the struggles of the homeless during the holidays through one california boy's eyes.

we begin tonight in central africa where the united nations is trying to prevent civil war in south sudan. the u.n. agreed to send another 6,000 troops to the region, more than doubling the number of peacekeepers there. fighting between the country's army and rebels loyal to south sudan's vice president has been particularly fierce in the city of bore. some of the images in her report may be difficult to watch. >> reporter: collecting bodies in bor is going to be a grim task. south sudan's army officials say these men defected scombroined the rebels. jz cannot independently verify this. civilians are among the dead. some of the bodies are starting to decompose. the killings happened during days of fighting between government troops and rebels

loyal to the former vice president. they say he tried to topple the president. he's now on the run with other rebels. >> they're moving together and he they collected all the cars here, the government cars, the cars of the ngos, the cars of oil executives. almost over 100 cars, more cars and trucks. they have moved them with them. he's moving together with them. >> reporter: he denies such allegations made by the government. people here have experienced violence before. in 1991 a power struggle between south sudan's founding father and nort sudan destabilized community. it's now relatively quiet. people with taking advantage of the apparent calm. they're going to their houses to

try and salvage what they can. then they head back to the u.n. base for safety, even if it means walking past dead bodies. the u.n. base is still packed with thousands of people, foreigners and locals not sure if it's safe to leave. >> the route is not okay. we're just waiting for this. >> translator: the bullets were coming down like rain. people raided the houses and stole everything. the bank was looted and dead bodies all over the streets. >> reporter: more u.n. troops are coming to south sudan. people hope they arrive soon and the violence ends. then the focus can shift to counting the number of dead people and investigating alleged acts of crime against humanity from both sides. al jazeera, bor, south sudan. now to egypt where the muslim brotherhood and fighting back against the government's declaration it's a terrorist organization. the group says the decision is based on false accusations and says it will have no impact on its work. the military-backed fwovt

government made the announcement one day after 16 were killed in a suicide attack. we have more now from cairo. >> reporter: after a cabinet meeting to discuss the muslim brotherho brotherhood, egypt's deputy prime minister announced its decision. >> translator: egypt's cabinet of ministers has resolved that muslim brotherhood be declared a terrorist group and a terrorist organization as defined under article 86 of the egyptian penal code with its legal ethics. namely, first, enforcing all the penalties prescribed to any act of terrorism against any person talking part in the muslim broirhood activities or promoting those activities by word or action or any other form. >> reporter: yet a year and a half ago mohamed morsi was inaugurated as egypt's first democratically elected civilian president. it was the high point for the group and it lasted barely a

year. since then morsi supporters have gathered almost daily under the banner demanding that the military-led government that ousted him withdraw from power and reinstate him. under a wide interpretation of the new decree, all these sdmon straighters would be regarded as supporters of terrorism. >> from the beginning of this military coup he has been calling anyone who is opposing him a terrorist or a terrorist organization. this is not going to make any kind of difference. we are still protesting in the streets with the egyptian people to oppose this military coup and get back to the institution. >> reporter: the government chose to make its announcement a day after the bomb attack in mansura that killed 16 people. although the brotherhood condemned the bombing and another radical militant group claimed responsibility, the government accused the broirhood of being behind it. analysts believe that declaring the brotherhood to be a

terrorist group will have a profound effect on egyptian politics. >> this time of elimination campaign can't possibly lead to more democracy. it leads to more authoritarianism, and, you know, again, we're talking about a group that has millions and millions of supporters. >> reporter: immediately after tuesday's bombing, thousands of people marched in solidarity with the security services who are the targets. whatever the decision's broader implications, most people seem ready to live with it for the sake of stability. al jazeera, cairo. >> we can tell you that egypt's military government has been steadily increasing pressure on the muslim brotherhood. huge demonstrations broke out after morsi was pushed from power on august 20th. security forces arrested the muslim brotherhood's spiritual leader and he was charged with enciting violence.

by september 23rd they banned the muslim brotherhood and seized its assets and accounts. they were accused of working with outside groups like hezbollah and hamas to destabilize the government. the muslim brotherhood said it was not involved in the bombing, and the government disagrees and label it a terrorist organization. the government says it's trying to prevent more attacks and stop attempts by the muslim brotherhood to derail up elections scheduled for this spring. for more on this and the government's response to the muslim brotherhood, let's bring it halid, an egypt-american and a fellow at the saban center at the brookings institution. it's great to speak with you again. it's been a while. this move by the government to designate the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization, does this come as a surprise to you?

>> well, i mean, it is -- it was a bit surprising in terms of the scope and the speed with which it happened. it's not surprising in terms of the -- of the general trajectory that egypt has been on over the past several months, if not longer. there's been a gradual ratcheting up of the pressure on the brotherhood of attempts to scapegoat the brotherhood as well as to delegitimatize them. as you pointed out in the time line, this escalation, i think, was bound ultimately to lead to this point. i think the bombing provided the pretext that the egyptian regime needed to take the extra step. >> you're a keen observer of this and know the story better than most. what's the ultimate goal here of this military-led government? >> well, it's not entirely clear. i mean, there's a great deal of

miopia on the part of all sides here. certainly on the regime's side but also on the brotherhood side. i think it's fair to point out that the brotherhood have engaged in reckless accusations of their own against private individuals and others. they're sort of playing both -- both sides are playing to the populist base in a way and base in the double meaning. base as in very low, the level of discourse is extremely sul gar on all sides. both sides engage in it. >> help our audience understand the dynamics of within the population of egypt right now. is it really as cut and dry for egyptians as you're either pro-brotherhood or pro-military at this point? >> no, it's not. i mean that's sort of binary

works very well, obviously, for the procedurehood and regime. it doesn't really fit. i think egypt is a country with 85 million people. there is a broad diversity in terms of political views. the problem is that the discourse has become so outrageous really in terms of the -- and so inflammatory, and the repression is so severe by the regime that any attempt to voice an opinion contrary to those in power is immediately met with either delegitimatize, demonization or in some cases actual criminalization, as we've seen with the secular refrs lugsary youth leaders who have been sentenced to three years in prison for merely organizing or participating in peaceful protests. so this is an extremely

repressive environment, and it actually in an odd way suits the needs of the two sides. were it only that two sides existed. of course, the forces that produced the uprising almost three years ago were neither brotherhood nor part of this regime. those forces are still out there, even if they've been marginaliz marginalized. >> we're talking about this m e move today by the regime to designate the muslim brotherhood as a terrorist organization. we're not talking about the dysfunction happening within the state and the fact that the economy is in the tank right now and other factors making civilian life in egypt very difficult right now. >> right. and i think the designation serves to -- serves a number of purposes. on the one hand you target a

political opennant. on the other hand it's a convenient scapegoat for the state's growing failings. i think it's becoming clearer by the day that the egyptian state is failing -- >> really? >> it is certainly failing economically. it has failed in a spectacular way politically. it is failing from a security standpoint as well. the kind of violence that we saw in the sinai wilderness has now seeped into the major population centers of egypt over the last few months. this is a new and very alarming development. i think, you know, the state's institutions themselves, i think, are -- when i say the state is failing, i mean the institutions are failing. the judiciary, the police, these are old and in many ways corrupt institutions. the military itself is

completely opaque and not subject to any kind of oversight and is essentially a state within a state. the education system is in a state of absolute disrepair. the health system. i mean, the reasons that led to the frustration that produced the uprising remain completely unaddressed. those are continuing to fester, and the state is continuing to be unable to meet those challenges. i think it does not bode well for the future. i think we are likely to see a lot more instability down the road. >> final question for you. the muslim brotherhood is well-established as a party. the political arm, the freedom and justice party is still an open question, what this declaration means for the freedom and justice party. is it clear to you that in spite of this designation, the muslim

brotherhood is not going anywhere anytime soon? >> yeah. i mean, that much is clear. simply banning an organization or labeling it a terrorist organization will not make its members disappear. it may make it harder for them to function out in the open, but to one extent or another, the brotherhood has operated more or less underground for many decades. it is in some ways, i think, well-adapted to existing underground. what it wasn't well-adapted to is operating in the sunlight and operating, you know, above ground. that's another story. it will certainly not make the brotherhood disappear. it's not clear how you would enforce something, such an enormously broad blanket ban on an organization that is, you know, deeply embedded in

egyptian society and has been for almost a century. >> i don't want the window to close on you, but amazing conversation. i appreciate it. always good to talk to you, an egyptian-american and a fellow at the brookings institution. thank you for your time. it was a tale of two video messages on this christmas day. there was britain's traditional televised message from the queen and there was commentary from edward snowden. >> speaking for under two minutes edward snowden wished great britainians a merry christmas and transitioned into the main theme of his address, privacy or the lack thereof. he said that the great british author george orwell had no idea what real capabilities modern technology would allow governments to snoop into

people's private lives. he warned also that a child being born today may very well live his or her life never knowing what personal privacy is. >> the conversation occurred today will determine the amount of trust we can place both in the technology that surrounds us and the government that regulates it. together we can find a better balance and end surveillance and remind the government if it really wants to know how we feel, asking is always cheaper than spying. >> in contrast the queen gave her traditional christmas address, and she spoke for a great period of time reflecting on the last year, 60 years since her coronation and certainly a momentous year when it comes to the addition to the royal family. >> my own family is a little larger this christmas. as so many of you will know, the

arrival of a baby gives everyone a chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope. >> during the address they also showed previously unseen footage of prince george from his christening earlier in the year, and that was a particularly historic moment it is said because you see in one room four monarchs or future monarchs. the queen's address has been going on for roughly 80 years and will certainly have been watched by many more people here in the u.k. live than will have watched edward snowden, but certainly the potential is there for edward snowden to be the one who is grabbing the headlines tomorrow. >> phil et ner for us. pope francis used his first christmas day to call for peace in war-torn areas including syria. >> translator: let us continue

to ask the lord to spare the beloved syrian people further suffering and to enable the parties in conflict to put an end to all violence and guarantee access to humanitarian aid. >> pope francis prayed for a better world and protection for christians under attack. more than 70,000 people gathered in st. peter's square to hear the pontiff's greeting. it has been a cold, dark christmas for hundreds of thousands of people across the u.s. and canada. many are still without electricity. after last weekend's ice storms pulled down power lines, utilities companies in the region say they are making progress and they hope to have the power restored in many places by tomorrow. subzero temperatures and strong winds are slowing progress in some spots. kevin has more on all of this. >> we're looking at a problem now in terms of snow. this is coming across the great lakes into parts of ontario as well as upstate new york. let's go closer in, and you can

see what we are dealing with. this is an upper level trough is pushing through causing some instability here. we're picking up that snow. what the electrical workers are dealing with is the temperatures, of course, below freezing. it's dark and snowing out right now. we're looking at temperatures in toronto to at 23 and in upstate new york we have the 8, 9, 10 degree temperatures right here. that's where a lot of power outages are as well. down here towards massachusetts outside of boston we have power outages with temperatures there of about 21 degrees. this is where the snow is going to be the heaviest over the next couple of days. that lake-effect here is 8 to 12 inches expected. also, a big problem in southern california is the santa ana winds. los angeles the temperature came down earlier today though it was 81 degrees. we have red flag warnings out. these are out until 6:00 p.m. on thursday. that means fire is a potential across that area.

we will keep you informed as this progresses. tony. in the caribbean search efforts for victims of a capsized boat have ended for the day. local officials say the boat capsized as police tried to tow it back to shore. they're believed to be from haiti. a scaled-down search is planned for tomorrow morning. the holiday retail season is not over yet. stores are trying to get shoppers in the doors with some deep after christmas discounts. some of the best deals next. some gifts are still not under the tree after ups and fedex missed a big shipping deadline. hearing this i'm sure from patients. does big pharma impact the doctors in their decision to not offer alternatives to the pill here? >> i think that there is evidence that if you have interactions with pharmaceutical companies, it does impact -- and

there's actually pretty good studies based -- that have looked at physician prescribing patterns and interactions with big pharma. i think one of the luxuries i have is i'm in academic medicine, and we have a policy that we don't interact with pharmaceutical companies. so i hope that gives me a better perspective. and i think a lot of these doctors aren't having these conversations with their patients because i have countless patients who come to me and said they have never heard of iud's. so i think there is some impact of that. we know there's an impact of that. and it makes it challenging, you know, to -- to have a completely unbiased view even though we as

doctors like to think we have an unbiased view, there has been evidence that shows that they do impact us in some ways. so i think it's important for us to go out and educate our providers too. there is no one size fits all birth control, and there are a lot of options that work for women. >> we want to take a closer look, are there unique challenges facing women in minority communities when there was some bitter disappointment under the tree for some families after shipping problems with ups and fedex. ups says a shorter shipping period, bad weather and people waiting until the very last

minute to buy online overloaded the system. company officials would not say how many packages were delayed, but both shipping companies say the number is small and most should arrive by tomorrow. ups was not making deliveries today, but some fedex customers were allowed to pick up packages at local fedex centers. the post-holiday season is under way. there are deep, deep discounts online. maybe not that deep. some stores are expected to open as early as 5:00 a.m. tomorrow. maria is here with more on that. maria. >> tony, stores like macy's and jc penny sent out e-mails saying they can find great deals today and tomorrow. they're offering everything from 20% to 75% off. also free shipping, two for one sales. this shopping season has a disappointing one for stores. they rely on holiday sales for nearly half the revenue. retail sales have been falling

for the past couple of weeks. look at this. store visits went down 21% last week. retail sales dropped 3.1%. analyst peter schiff thinks consumers will see even lower price tags in the coming week. >> the discounting will continue through the new year. i think retailers have to mark down their inventory a lot more than they expect. they loaded up on stuff because they thought they'd be able to sell it. i think they're waking up to reality that the consumer is in a loss worse shape than they believe and can't afford to buy all the stuff they stockpiled. >> you won't see a sale on everything. movies, music and video games people will buy for new gadgets. one of the more popular presents are gift cards. a lot of people will go to stores tomorrow to use them up. >> so we can get some deep discounts, huh? good. i'll finish up my shopping tomorrow. >> buy me a gift. >> merry christmas by the way.

lovely christmas green you're wearing. wonderful. i appreciate it. thank you. all this week we're looking at dramatic images captured and still photographs. jonathan klein tells us the story behind two pictures. >> i think calling him the people's pope. this photo sums it up. it's interesting that everyone around him is taking a photo to capture that they were there. he just seems extremely engaging and connected with people. there's real joy on everybody's face. it's a very special moment for them to be that close to the pope at one of his weekly audiences. it captured one of many moments where he's interacting with people, and he's connected with people. he's not this distant, if you like, ivory tower personality. the excitement about this individual is tangible from the

photo. i don't need to read an article about it to know just from the photo who he is and the impact he is making. he also is very camera friendly, which we like. you look at this photo and the first thing through your mind is what is going on? this is three and a half thousand people getting married at the same time in south korea from 200 different countries. you have to wonder why. well, the background to the story is that it's what we used to call the mooneys. i think they call themselves the reunification church. he died, and this was the first big wedding ceremony since his death. i think that some of these people might have met each other a few moments before. it just makes such a great photo. it's amazing. it looks like it's something from a movie or a set, but it's a real photo. it actually happened. it wasn't set up.

they're all dressed the same way. they all look extremely civil, and i think that's part of the whole idea. why is this one of the photos of the year? because the photo is so unique. when are you going to get another opportunity to show thousands of people simultaneously getting married dressed in exactly the same way? >> getty images ceo jonathan klein. we will see more of his company's best images of the year tomorrow at this time. a series of deadly attacks in iraq. this time the bombers targeted christians celebrating christmas. details ahead. the california con fdor was one on the threat of extinction. i'll show you the latest threat to their survival and what's being done to save them.

back to "al jazeera america." here's a look at the top stories. all they want for christmas is electricity. more than half a million people across the u.s. and canada have spent the day without power. fierce ice storms knocked out the service days ago. utility companies say they are making progress, but snow and strong winds are slowing down

efforts. the united nations says aid agencies will need at least $166 million over the next three months to help people displaced by the fighting in south sudan. the u.n. says thousands have died since the violence began ten days ago. egypt's muslim brotherhood said the interim government's decision to declare them a terrorist organization is based on false accusations. they say it won't have an impact on its work. the military-backed government maked the announcement today after a suicide attack that killed 16 people. militants in iraq targeted christians in three separate bombings today killing more than three dozen people. most took place near a catholic church this baghdad right after mass. no one took responsibility, but catholics are a common target for al qaeda militants over the past ten years. many iraqi christians have fled to the kurdistan region where there is a thriving christian community. there christmas is not just a day to celebrate but reflect.

emron khan has more. >> reporter: giving thanks and praying to the future, in the kurdistan region of northern iraq christians come together to celebrate the birth of jesus christ. they sing in the ancient language of the syrian, it's a tradition that hasn't changed for 2,000 years. for the father it's a particularly special day. he came from chicago two decades ago and this is the first christmas day service for them. >> for me it was overwhelming. this is the first service that i do for christmas since 28 years that i left my family. it was undescribable, honestly. that's what i told the people, the congregation when i first started the speech and giving the direction to follow for the rest of the service. >> reporter: after the service it's time to catch up with new friends and old.

>> well, i was excited. i felt very well. i can see finally people from my church and from my nation coming here together in the place we meet. >> reporter: for some, though, this day represents more than celebrating the life of jesus christ. although this is a joyous occasion, it is tinged with sadness for some. many christians had to move away from the danger of baghdad to the relative safety of this city. for them, that's a big change. it's not just the capital baghdad that christians have left. this man moved his family from mosul, one of the worst-hit cities four years ago. he's happy they can practice their religion openly but is wary talking about politics. >> translator: it was so dangerous in mosul. there was no work. my children couldn't go to school. so i had to move here. in 2014 i hope there is peace for christians and for muslims.

>> reporter: there's no accurate figures for how many christians have fled the region, but this family is typical of the ones that have. for many others, though, throughout violence-prone iraq there's no chance to celebrate christmas openly and in safely. in central africa republic they tried to maintain a sense of normalcy by holding christmas events. throughout the day gunfire raged throughout the capital. in the past month violence has killed more than 1,000 people. syrian refugees in jordan attended services in the capital of amman. more than 1 million syrian refugees have fled to the country in three years. there are reports of christians targeted by hard-line groups fighting within syria. there are big changes in the fwovt in turkey. the prime minister is shaking up his cabinet following a corruption investigation. those changes come hours after three ministers resigned, each

one has a son who was arrested last week as part of a corruption and bribery investigation. none of the ministers has been implicated, and they all insist their sons are innocent. we have more now from istanbul. >> reporter: the turkish prime minister just announced that he's changing ten of his ministers, which means almost half of his cabinet. first, we have to say that rather than his usual defiant tone, he was looking quite tired and at some point he had difficulty talking. since the corruption scandal, there was huge pressure on him for the last eight days to change his ministers, which were related to the corruption scandal allegedly. with the reshuffle, he's trying to ease the pressure on him, and he wants to give the image that he's going to the two upcoming

elections in 2014 with a fresh and a clean government. we will see how that corruption scandal will impact his popularity ahead of two coming elections, but we should say that there's already some protests on the streets. some of the them are asking them to resign. we'll see whether that move as a cabinet reshuffle will be satisfying for the crowds or not. president obama has three years left in the term, but hawaii and chicago are looking past january 2017. they're both hoping to become the home of the obama presidential library. with the president vacations in the aloha state, hawaii is stepping up its efforts raising its game. jennifer london joins us now from honolulu. jennifer. >> reporter: well, tony, what does it take to land a presidential library? is it location? is it number of possible

visitors? is it ties to the president? well, hawaii says it has all of that and more, and it certainly doesn't hurt that a oahu is one of the president's favorite vacation spots. this is oahu's south shore with waikiki on one side and downtown on the other. it's a low-key spot popular with locals but well off the beaten path for tourists. a lofty plan is taking shape too change that into something presidential. >> there's two lots here that are possible sites for a presidential center in honolulu. >> reporter: robert is an soeshlt professor of american stud dwris at the university of hawaii. he's helping spearhead the statewide effort to built of 44th president's official library here. >> obama is in a way the first global president. he has roots in hawaii and kansas and kenya, indonesia. hawaii is a cosmopolitan city,

too. this is a good place to tell his international story. >> reporter: while hawaii can often suffer from the stereotype of just sun and sand with little substance, per kinson says the shear number of visitors makes the state a contender. >> 8 million tourists come through hawaii every year, and they come mainly for the natural features of hawaii, the beauty and the ocean. they often look for something educational and civic as well. >> reporter: hawaii's vision for the presidential library is as big as the pacific ocean. maxine bushing ket is an associate law professor at u of h. >> of course it will include a library and museum. that's standard. nowadays we have a various palette of things to choose from to enhance it. one could be a policy school or policy institute. we have a learning academy that's looking as cultivating the next generation of leaders

in innovative ways. >> reporter: while history has shown that presidential libraries are usually located in the commander in chief's home state, which for president obama has many looking to illinois, his political hometown of chicago, hawaii's governor neal abercrombie's say his ties to the state run deep. >> he took his first breath in hawaii, so we think we have a unique perspective to offer in that regard. >> reporter: so the governor is quick to point out he doesn't view this as a competition with chicago. >> we don't want to compete but to complement the motivation in putting together a comprehensive library system, a series of components that will reflect the president's true legacy in history. >> reporter: the question of where that history will be housed won't be decided by

committees in chicago or hawaii or even politicos inside the beltway. it will ultimately be up to the president himself. chicago also making a strong case saying it is the president's home city. it's where his children were born. it's where his political career was born. the university of illinois at chicago has made its official bid as has the university of chicago where, of course, tony, the president taught law school before he went on to the senate. so far no word from the president himself as to when he will decide. >> jennifer, i almost want to ask you to step aside so we can take a look at that picture behind you. it's just so nice and it's so cold in new york. look at that! it's beautiful. here's my question for you. how has the president been spending his christmas day there in hawaii? >> reporter: well, we understand that the first family spent the morning at their private rented residence on the windward side

of the island opening christmas presents, and then this afternoon we're told the president and first lady will visit some service members at the marine corps base. >> jennifer, it was good to see you. jennifer london for us in honolulu. the california condor has sur sooifed many threats over the years, but one of nature's largest birds may face the greatest danger yet. lead ammunition found in the carcasses in dead birds. they have signed a bill to ban lead bullets to protect the endangered birds. stephanie stanton has mosh pr los angeles. >> reporter: in the mountains two hours the north of los angeles, the bitter creek wildlife refuge is home to the endangered california condor. thanks to aggressive wildlife protection programs like this, the condor population has grown to more than 400, up from just 22 in 1987. the birds remain under a constant threat. >> lead is the leading cause of death. it's killed about 40% of the

wild condors. >> reporter: lead from bullets used by hunters that use animals which later are a food source for the scavenger birds. >> we're taking a blood sample to test the bird's blood lead level. that's an indication of if the bird has been exposed to lead. >> reporter: wildlife biologist joseph brant oversees the refuge that catches traps and cares for condors. >> about two-thirds of the bird have had elevated lead levels and needed treatment. >> reporter: condors with toxic lead levels are sent to the los angeles zoo for treatment under the care of dr. curtis ang. >> most stay with us for two weeks and go through two key lags therapies and it's typically a five-day treatment. >> in october the zoo took in a record number of condors, 21 birds tested positive for toxic levels of led. >> reporter: if they stopped to take condors in and treating them for lead poisoning and if

they stopped providing additional food for them, the condor would likely go extinct. >> reporter: kim is the california director of defenders of wildlife. the agency co-sponsored a bill to ban lead bullets in california. governor jerry brown recently signed it into law, despite intense opposition. >> i really have to applaud the governor. i believe he was under a lot of pressure from the national rifle association and the national sports and shooting foundation. the advocates from the gun and ammunition industry. >> the nra declined our request for an interview, but on its website huntfortruth.org it states that there are substantial evidence that the groups behind the proposed ban have based their claims on faulty scientific studies. dr. curtis eng at the l.a. zoo has seen the damage from lead poisoning first hand. >> this is the fragmented lead that hit the animal. it fragments into thousands of

pieces. this bird eats it and has lead to comes sglis city. >> back the refuge five birds are healthy enough to be released with hope that the ban on lead bullets will help the popular soar to greater heights. stephanie stanton, al jazeera, los angeles. a huge controversy in the sports world has everything to do with sleeves. we'll explain. also, lots of kids try to make a few bucks selling lemonade or juice. one 8-year-old made more than $3,000 and then gave it all away.

many worry that the gains made in education will not stick in the future. aljazeera's jane ferguson takes us to a school in kandahar city that was long considered a success and is now facing closure. >> it's a place offering more than these girls know, a quality education in real tangible skills, a path away from positivity and early marriage and towards university and a career. since 2002, the modern stud has been teaching women languages, like management and computer skills. that they are skills that speak of ambition which in the heart of tallle ban country is remarkable. >> we are a unique school, preparing women to go to jobs.

our school is preparing women to go to universities. being 8, there is plenty to see and learn looking at the world through an 8-year-old's eyes, innocence, honesty, hope. the latest in our series "being 8" we meet an 8-year-old california boy that found a way to turn kool-aid into christmas joy for homeless kids. this 8-year-old is doing it one cup at a time. >> like other kids his age, 8-year-old jackson evans loves christmas. >> you want to put blue on it. >> the sweets, the decorations and the chance to have fun. this 8-year-old knows not all kids get to enjoy christmas the way he does. >> it was all homeless kids. they don't have toys. he said, i have lots of tough

and i want to give them some things for fun. >> i said, come on. i want to help the homeless, and she said, fine. fine. >> so jackson set up this kool-aid stand and sold cups for a dollar each or whatever people would pay. >> they said are you making money for yourself? someone gave me $1 and i'm raising money for the homeless kids and put in ten more dollars. >> business boomed and tooif stands later he and his friends raised more than $3,000 and bought toys, a lot of toys for kids here at the bakersfield homeless center. >> this one remote control! >> 7-year-old joshua jiminez was one of the kid that got a present. he lives at the shelter with nine brothers and sisters. >> he gave me a ninja turtle. >> somebody at an age that mostly they think about themselves decided he wanted to do something for other kids, so christmas happened because he

cared. >> jaxson doesn't fully grasp how much he helped the children but he said it's cool to aid kids. >> i want to do it again next year, and then the next year and then the next year. until i'm like 20. >> that means a lot of smiles and toys for homeless kids. >> very, very cool. ross is coming up next with the day in sports. >> we're talking about nba and some controversy. it's the right to bear arms. we'll discuss that hot topic. >> the gun show. >> get your ticket!

ross is here. we have some basketball and a little controversy. >> right to bear arms.

get your tickets to the gun show, but they work hard during the off-season. here's the deal. the nba is in the spotlight because the only game on tv on christmas day. you have five games on tap and pra broadcast in 215 countries and 40 different languages. they tried to make a fashion statement today to unveil the short-sleeved enginejerseys cov up the arms. >> they don't want the tats to show. >> instead of the numbers and the team name on the front, there's a big shiny logo with the numbers on the sleeves. it looks like a rec game. players are not happy about the new threads, especially the king. lebron james is worried the sleeves will mess up shooters. i can't have them worrying about sleeves and not shooting the ball. for the first time since 1997 kobe bryant could not lace it up on christmas day and he's recovering from a fractured knee and the heat took advantage.

dwayne wade to lebron james. merry christmas. king james is like santa claus today because he delivered all kinds of goodies. check this out. you thought this was good? this was even better. off the backboard. >> awesome. >> lebron uses his left hand for the jab. watch out for his hid, because he jumps that high. he slammed 19 points as the heat wins it 101-95. kevin durant and oklahoma city putting on a hurt today on the new york knicks minus carmelo anthony who sat out with a sore ankle. he's like a young tony harris. durant doing it inside and out because he was feeling it from thr three-point land. russell westbrook messed around and got a triple-double. the thunder spank the knicks by 19 points. how good was serena williams this past year?

at 32 years young you could argue she had her best year ever. in the associated press agreed naming her the female athlete of the year. it's the third time winning the award. she won 11 titles this past year including the french and u.s. open raising her grandstand champion total to 17. she also pocketed more than $12 million in prize money, which is a record for women's tennis. the male athlete will be named tomorrow. what did you get for christmas? it's a wonderful time of year for the kids and especially when the kids get what they want. >> oh, my god! >> that is priceless. this auburn fan must have been a good kid this year because he's going to see his auburn tigers in the bcs national championship game in pasadena, california. his name is collin and he was superexcited this morning because he got two tickets for christmas to see them take on

florida state january 6th at the rose bowl. >> two tickets to see that florida state beatdown. poor kid. you'll be there. that's terrible. that's not the joy of christmas at all. >> he was smiling from ear to ear. >> ross, appreciate it. thank you. in cuba many artists struggle to support their creativity, but there's one famous musician who has managed to fulfill a dream by paying it forward. we explain. >> reporter: havana boasts hundreds of crumbling buildings, slowly and painstakingly being restored in the formal colonial glory. the renowned musician took this former power station and renovating it to house his dream, the factory of cuban arts. >> translator: it's a place that would allow cuban artists to enhance their work, to give it greater value. it's a place where they can display their art and their minds. >> reporter: in this particular

corner of havana, this former power station is being slowly and pain-stakingly renovated to provide a showcase for the best of cuban art and culture. he found fame both at home and abroad, but like most cuban artists he often had to struggle to be heard. >> translator: there are a lot of talented youngsters out there who simply have nowhere to perform. >> reporter: with his own money and the support of the cuban authorities, the factory of cuban arts will be home to music, photography, cinema theater and arts. >> translator: there's a public out there hungry for culture who want to see photography, music and art all in the same place. i remember when i was at the school of the arts. the artists, the musicians and photographers were all related to the same energy.

there's never anything like this before in cuba. certainly not of this quality. >> the dream is slowly coming to fruition. a venue emerging from the ruins that is hoped to allow a young cuban art to breathe and thrive. al jazeera, havana, cuba. it's called a miracle train helping to bring health care to hundreds of thousands of people who need it the most. we'll show you how it works next. this is "al jazeera america." >> al jazeera's investigative unit has tonight's exclusive report. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight next only on al jazeera america was -- prince william was dating kate middleton. >> ross shimabuku is here with sport. >> dennis rodman is in north

korea to train basketball players for an upcoming player. he wants everyone to know he's not a joke. this is the same guy who dressed up in a wedding gown and will rite a book with his bff, kim jong un. the 52-year-old rodman, who never shies away from the spotlight arrived in north korea >> from our headquarters in new york,

in south africa they're called the miracle trains. railroad cars filled with doctor and dentists that travel through rural areas stopping for weeks at a time in the poorest parts of the country. tonya page caught up with one of the medical teams. >> reporter: fear of the dentist is almost universal, especially if it's your first time. this 14-year-old may not be very impressed, but he's just become the latest of 600,000 south africans to be treated at this

unique medical facility. this is the train which means clean life. it's been delivering health care to rural areas for 19 years. as well as a dental carriage, there's one for an optician, cancer screening, general health and psychology and mostly funded by the state transport company trans net. >> a lot of people rely on the services we offer. a lot of people look forward to us being back. a lot of questions we get is when is the train coming back, which is a very, very common question in every conversation. >> reporter: they traveled for two hours to get here. she has cataracts that affect her sight. if she went to a normal health care clinic, they'd refer her to a hospital further away, a long, expensive process. on this train her glasses are made immediately and the cost is subsidized. $3 a pair. if she couldn't afford it, they would be free.

trrp i'm grateful for the train coming. it's a great help to me because i have a problem with my eyes, but now i can see far over there. even the ones that help me see close, i will be able to read, write and do my beadwork again, so i'm very grateful. i came a long way to be here. >> reporter: the demand is so high staff often work well into the night spending up to two weeks at a station before moving on. for next year trans net will have two health care trains on the tracks, so twice as many south africans will benefit from what's become known as the miracle train. 50 cents for painkillers for her grandson. staff believe by offering patients the chance to pay what they can afford, it adds dignity to the process. the train has lifted some of the life's burdens, but now it's time to pack up and move on. a journey that started 19 years ago is still going. tonya page, al jazeera, south africa.

this was a very special christmas for one colorado skier who says his dog helped save his life. leonard summer says he was back country skiing in november when he suffered a spinal injury in a really bad accident leaving him paralyzed, as you can see here, and buried in the snow, but his siberian husky named juno came to the rescue. he first helped to keep him warm, and then he went to get help. >> i guess without juno here i would probably not be alive today. >> the animal rights group peta awarded juno with the here row yik dog award. "america tonight" is in a couple of minutes. we'll be back in a moment with the headlines, but we'll leave you with a final view of the empire state building all lit up in its christmas colors. back in a moment.

>> this is al jazeera america. here is a look at tonight's top stowshes. aid agencies need about $166 million in the next few months for humanitarian efforts in south sudan. thousands of people have died. egypt's muslim brotherhood, will not change its mission or its beliefs. the declaration is based on false declarations and the military backed organization blamed the brotherhood for