check check >> >> >> crisis in egypt. the harshest crackdown from the military-backed government on the muslim brotherhood. >> winter weather woes. thousands spend christmas in shelters or in the dark after destructive ice storms tore down powerlines from the great lakes to new england. >> christmas message from edward snowden. he calls on governments around the world to end mass surveillance programs. >> giving back - one 8-year-old california boy uses the popular drink cool aid to help those less fortunate.

>> hi there, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton? >> the political party that came to lead the arab spring has been named a terrorist organization. it now has its key leaders in prison. the latest and biggest set back from the party from our correspondent now >> after a cabinet meeting to discuss muslim brotherhood, the egyptian parliament announced its decision. >> egypt's cabinet of ministers resolved that muslim brotherhood be a terrorist group and organization, as defined under article 86 of the penal code namely enforcing the penalties described to any act of terrorism against any person

taking part in the muslim brotherhood activity, or promoting it by word or act. >> the muslim brotherhood political leader a year and a half ago, mohamed morsi, was inaugust rated as the first democratically elected president. it was a high point, lasting pairly a year. mohamed morsi supporters gathered dally under the banner of the anti-coup april lynes, demanding that the military led government would withdraw from power. under a wide interpretation of the new decree, all demonstrators would be regarded as supporters of terrorism. >> from the beginning of this military coup, he has been calling anyone opposing him a terrorist or a terrorist organization. >> we are not going make a difference. we are still protesting with the egyptian people. opposing the military coup, and getting back to the practical

institution. >> the government chose to make its announcement a day after the bomb attack in mansoura that killed 16 people. the brotherhood condemned the bombing and another military group claimed responsibility, the brotherhood accused them of being behind it. analysts believe declaring the brotherhood to be a terrorist effect will have a profound effect on egyptian politics. >> this type of campaign cannot leave to more democracy, but leads to authoritarianism. we are talking about a group of millions of supporters. >> after tuesday's bombing thousands marched in solidarity with the security services who were the targets. whatever the broader implications most were ready to live with it for the sake of stability. >> so let's go a little deeper and give you more background.

egypt's military-backed government has been increasing pressure on the brotherhood. president mohamed morsi was ousted in a coup. huge demonstrations broke out after he was removed from power. security forces arrested the muslim brotherhood's supreme leader. by september 23rd the muslim brotherhood was banned, and assets and accounts were seized. mohamed morsi and other members were charged with conspiracy. they are accused of working with outside groups like hezbollah and hamas to destabilize the government. five days later 16 were killed in a car bombing. the muslim brotherhood said it was not involved in the attack. the government disagreed and labelled the group a terrorist organization. the government is trying to prevent more attacks and stop attempts by the muslim brotherhood to derail elections scheduled for the spring. >> pope francis used his first christmas message at the vatican to call for peace in war-torn

areas, including syria. >> translation: 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. tens of thousands packed st. peter's square. christians from around the world gathered in bethlehem. for tom that live there the day was overshadowed by the shameful reality of living in a land of conflict. >> this is a town where legend has it jesus was born. there are 200,000 christians, but for many christmas is not all that merry. >> this christian palestine family doesn't need reminding

they live in occupied bethlehem. all they have to do is look out the window. >> the israeli world that separates the west bank surrounds their home on three sides. and every time the mother walks out the front door, this is her view. the wall is 30 feet tall. on this christmas morning, her son did some last-minute decorating. they try to have a normal christmas, but their thoughts are on that wall. this wall is 10 years old. israel bit it after the uprising. where palestine militants fought israeli soldiers. israel said since the wall was built it's been safer. but for this woman, it has meant

hardship. >> we wish the christ yarnings -- christians will demolish the wall and make it real peace. that's what god wants. >> in her groundfloor shop tourists ask about her life. she sells souvenirs. since the real wall's construction, the family's economic construction plummeted. christmas arrived with a huge disappointment. >> >> were you able to by presents this year. >> no, there weren't any, the gifts. i apologised. >> like so many here, they celebrate two miles from where jesus was born. she attends dinner parade.

christmas mass. the local archbishop prays for peace. >> back at home that's the same message 16-year-old daniel sends to the 16-year-old american kids lucky to open presents. >> to pray for peace because there's no peace any more here. >> and on this day clare prays for the wall to come down. she prays for peace. even if that feels a long way off. >> in spate everything that she has been through, despite everything she has seen, clar is hopeful for the future, because, as she put it, her faith is still strong. >> let's talk about the weather at home. it's been rough for a lot of

people. frigid temperatures and stormy weather is the cause of many deaths. since the storm and for thousands the christmas holiday was celebrated by candlelight. below-freezing temperature and ice pulled down polls. crews tried to restore powers and centres were sought up to offer rev uges for many who sought relief. >> well, we are looking at some nasty conditions across the north-east as we go through the overnight hours, into tomorrow morning. an upper level disturbance is kicking up the snow in this area, across the great lakes, into pens vainia -- pennsylvania. travel could be tricky on the states towards north. there's a lot of people without power across the region.

this is where we expect to see the snow. lake effect snow will be kicking in. to the east of lake ontario. six to eight inches localized up to a foot for some people. new york we may see some shower activity on thursday. temperature of 39. as we go towards the rest of the week, the temperature coming up. thunder storms on sunday. then temperatures dropping back down as a cold front moves through. here across the northern parts of the united states, we are going to be seeing chicago starting off about 14 degrees. it will get warmer as well. as we go towards the weekend things will change drastically. on monday expect a high of 7 degrees. >> thank you. the united nations is asking for money to take care of people displaced by the fighting in south sudan. aid agencies will need 166 million in the next

three months. thousands of people have decide since violence began 12 days ago. the u.n. agreed to send 6,000 troops to the country, ending the conplict between the government and rebels. some of the worst fighting is in bor. the government says we took the town on tuesday. our journalist was the first to reach bor. some of the images in haru mutasa's report may be difficult to watch. >> collecting bodies will be a grim task. south sudan army say these men defected and joined the rebels. it cannot be individually verified. the killings happened during days of fighting where troops and rebels loyal to the president. troops say riek machar tried to

topple president salva kiir. he's on the run. >> they are moving together. they collected all the cars. the cars of ngo, and the oil companies, oil limited. almost over 100 cars - small cars and trucks. they moved with them. they are moving together with them. >> riek machar denies allegations made by the government. people here have experienced violence before. in 1991 a power struggle between south sudan's founding father and another destabilized the community. government forces recaptured bor from the rebels. it is quiet. people are taking quiet from the calm. they are going their houses and salvaging what they can. they head back to the base.

even if it means walking past the bodies. foreigners and locals, who are not sure if they want to leave. >> we are waiting to the security. >> >> translation: the bullets were coming down like rain, raided the house. the bank was luted. dead bodies all over the street. >> more u.n. troops are coming to south sudan. people hope they observe soon, and the violence ends. then the investigation can shift to dead people and humanity for both sides. >> still ahead - edward snowden speaks. the message he delivered on the christmas holiday. >> political shuffle in turkey. why the prime minister is shaking up its cabinet amid pressure to resign. >> keep an eye on shoppers, the steps retail is taking to get a

better understanding from customers. kz

>> welcome back. in brit ab it's a christmas tradition, a televised greeting from the queen. this year another message from form are n.s.a. contractor edward snowden. we break down both speeches. >> speaking for under 2 minutes edward snowden wished great britains a merry christmas. and then transitioned in his request - privacy or the lack thereof. he said george orwell had no idea what new capabilities modern technology would allow people to snoop into private lives. he warned children will live their lives not knowing what

privacy is. >> the conversation today is based in the technology around us and the government that regulates it. together we can find a better balance in mass surveillance, and remind the government that if they really want to know how they feel, asking is cheaper than spying. >> in contrast the queen gave a traditional address, and spoke for a great period of time, reflecting on the last year, 60 years since her coronation, and a moment us year when it comes to the royal family. >> my own family is a little larger this christmas. as so many of you know, the arrival of a baby gives everyone the chance to contemplate the future with renewed happiness and hope. >> during the address, they

showed previously unseen footage of prince george from his christening earlier in the year and that is an historic moment. you get to see in one room the monarchs or future monarchs. >> phil ittner reporting. >> some alternative christmas messages have been from reverend jesse jackson, mahmoud ahmadinejad from iran, and a cartoon character. >> in turkey the cabinet has been shaken up. some are calling on the prime minister to step down as well. >> prime minister recep tayyip erdogan announced a cabinet restructure, replacing 10 ministers. >> translation: some of the ministers asked to resign

because of ongoing developments and some quit as they contest mayoral elections. >> earlier, the economy minister resigned. the departure of the environment minister was different. one that exposed divisions within the government. >> they decided to announce their resignation on live television during an interview with local network, and also asked prime minister recep tayyip erdogan to resign. it was a call the prime minister chose to ignore. police are citing illicit money transfers. many believe the scandal stems from a struggle between recep tayyip erdogan's government and this man, the muslim cleric who is set to have men followers within the turkey's police and

judiciary. the government dismissed dozens of ministers who were told to be linked. >> the government in this case is in inner turmoil. such a step is unprecedented, unexpected, and one can only speculate that this will shatter the ground under recep tayyip erdogan even more. >> during the 11-year rule, this is the first time three ministers resigned. the prime minister was asked to resign. for some, this is the first crackdown in the government. a main question is whether the recep tayyip erdogan popularity will be elected ahead of elections in 2014. >> people in texas are upset at ups and fed ex after packages

didn't arrive in time for christmas. >> there was no reason. they told my husband it was here. but it's not, not until wednesday night. >> i want my package today, and i have done everything i can, and they have given me nothing. >> a shorter shipping weather, bad weather and people buying last-minute gifts, overloading the system. it was the worst year for delivering. both companies say the number of packages not delivered have been targeted. >> as al jazeera's correspondent reports, they are sufg the technology to learn shopper's habits. >> each shopper is leaving a digital footprint. often they don't know it. it's like gold to retailers, who mine the information about

customer behaviour to improve their bottom line. >> it doesn't bother me. if they use it to better merchandise the store, they should. >> the privacy they have is not there. the more and more things we do, the more your privacy gets taken away from you. >> equipment inside the it stores above the entrance. walk into a store. i do so with a man from brickstream, the manufacturer of the prubilioduct. it watches whether we walk in as a group, and our heights. >> how many people come into the store and how many converts into sale. in other words, where do people go and stop and dwell. >> another advantage is that information gathered can drim

the time customers wait online to check out. the smart device tracks shoppers via smartphones. retailers record their sell phone ids, store it and monitor it as they shop. to avoid being foloed by phone a customer has to opt out. >> for the retailers to help themselves, it will leave a bad taste in the consumer's mind. >> they must post signs in stores alerting shoppers that they are being tracked and providing instructions on thou opt out. privacy advocates say these measures are a first step in coping with this technology. >> in the fib and google age shoppers may adapt to leaving a

footprint behind. >> big brother is out there. we have come to terms with that and it's going to get bigger. >> season's greatings. president obama's message to americans for the christmas holidays. >> giving back. how one boy is using a popular drink to help the homeless.

>> many christians in the war-torn central african republic republic tried to find time to celebrate holiday wednesdayment the threat of violence hanging over the church goers. for the past month christian and muslims fighting has killed 1,000 rebels. >> jordan says more than a million syrians fled to their country since fighting in 2011. there has been reports of christians targeted by hardline

groupsps fighting within syria. >> president obama spread holiday cheer, visiting with troops in hawaii. the president and first lady spend time with marines and their families. they thanked the troops and their families for their sacrifice, something eds in their christmas message. >> our extraordinary men and women serve so the rest of us can explore the blessings many of us cherish. that means many troops are far away. spending extra time on the phone or setting up video chats. we want all our troops to know today that you are in our thoughts and prayers this halliday season. >> the president called 10 service members stations in afghanistan, bahrain and saudi arabia. >> being eight - it's an age of sentence, honesty and hope. in the latest in our series,

"being 8", we are introduced to a kid from california making life sweet for the homeless - one cup at a time. >> like other kids his cage, 8-year-old jackson edwards loves christmas - the sweets, decorations and chance to have fun. this eight-year-old knows not all kids enjoy christmas of way we have. >> it was, "homeless kids, they don't have toys. i had lots of stuff, i want to give them stuff they have for fun. s i said, "i want to help the homeless." she said, "fine". >> jackson set up a cool-aid stand. someone said, "are you raising money for yourself? i said no. she give me a dollar, took it back and gave me $10." three stands and five months

later he and his friends raised $3,000, and they bought toys for the kids at the baikersville center. joshua was one of kids that got a present. he lives here with his nine brothers and sisters. >> somebody at an age where they think about themselves decided he wanted to do something with his other kids. christmas happened because he cares. >> jackson doesn't grasp how much he helped the children. he said it's kul to aid kids. >> i'm going to want to do it next year and the next year and the next year, until i'm 20. >> that means a lot of smiles and toys for homeless kids. >> that'll do it for this edition of al jazeera news. news at the top of every hour.

thanks for watching. we leave you this morning with a live look at new york city. i'm lisa fletcher, and you're in "the stream." what's the right equation to help students learn. here's the formula, and it has many rethinking the future of education. >> we bring in your voice and all of your live feedback throughout the show. in the 1920s everybody thought radio was the tool that was going to transform learning, and now people are looking to online education for this. >> we have this thing call the internet, and the online