>> a political scandal rocks turkey. thousands of protesters take to the streets to demand the resignation of the prime minister. >> as hundreds are killed and thousands flee the violence south sudan's president calls tore an end to ethnic killings. african leaders work to avoid a civil war. >> a brutal ice storm levering thousands in the dark. utility crews working over time in the united states. >> being eight - a new perspective on the struggles of being without a home through the eyes of the young and homeless.

>> welcome to al jazeera america on this thursday morning. good to have you with us. i'm thomas drayton. we begin with the prime minister of turkey facing calls to resign. after a corruption investigation force the him to shake up his cabinet. the mood comes from the meals of high-profile resignation. police use tear gas and water canons on protesters who took to the streets, demanding that the prime minister step down. recep tayyip erdogan is facing a lot of pressure. >> hours after three senior cabinet ministers resigned over a corruption scandal. it was announced a major cabinet restructure replacing 10 of his ministers. >> translation: some of the ministers asked to resign because of ongoing developments

and some quit as they contest the elections. some of the changes are my j >> earlier interior minister armando gulouza, and economy commirns zafer caglayan resigned. but a third erdofrksan bayraktar announced his resignation on local television. he asked recep tayyip erdogan to resign, a call the prime minister chose to ignore. police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfer to iran and bribery for instruction projects many believe the scandal stems from a power struggle between the recep tayyip erdogan government and this man - the influential u.s. based muslim clearic who is said to have many followers within

the turkey police and judiciary. the government dismissed dozens of police officials - either involved in the investigation or told to link to judan. >> the government in this case means internal turmoil. such a step was unprecedented, unspecked and one can only speculate that this will shatter the ground under erted even more. >> during the 11 year rule this is the first time three ministers resigned and asking the prime minister to resign that was a close friend of his. this is the first crackdown in the government. the main president is whether recep tayyip erdogan's popularity will be affected ahead of two elections in 2014. >> the current corruption probe is one of the biggest political challenges the prime minister

faced since taking office in 2003. in 2008 his justice and development party narrowly escaping disbanded after allegations that it was undermining turkey's secular constitution. the u.s. is providing iraq with drones in an effort to take the fight to al qaeda. 75 missiles were it delivered to baghdad, and 10 drones expected to be delivered next year. iraq's prime minister met with barack obama in washington in appeal for the weapons. meantime this morning. 37 people were killed in twin blasts that rocked baghdad. in a first attack a car bomb exploded near a church killing 26. earlier 11 died when a blast ripped through a market. >> a blast hit a bus in the egyptian capital of cairo. it happened outside a university campus. five were injured. no group claimed responsibility for the attack. egypt saw a wave of attacks in

recent months. nearly a dozen were killed on tuesday, 120 injured in a car bomb targetting a police headquarters. >> the president of south sudan is calling on opposition leaders to try to end the violence that killed thousands there in the past two weeks. the president spoke out against the ethnically motivated killings. violence was triggered but he goes on to say he's willing to associate with opposition leaders. >> we wish for peaceful settlement of differences. we send the same message. and all other armed groups taking up arms.

all i have taken. some of the worse fighting in recent days have been in the town of bor. president kerr says his government retook control of the town. haru mutasa was the first foreign journalist to reach bor. some of the images if her report may be difficult to watch. >> collecting bodies in the town of ahmed al borei is going to be a grim task. south sudan's army officials say the men defected joining the rebels. civilians are among the dead. some of the bodies are starting to decome pose. the killings happened during days of fighting where troops and rebels loyal to the vice president. officials say riek machar tried to topple the president salva kiir, and they are on the run with others. >> they are moving together. they have collected all the cars that were here. the government cars. the cars of the ngo, and the

cars of oil limited. almost over-100 cars - small cars and trucks. they have moved with them. >> this is moving together with them. >> riek machar denies allegations made by the government. people here experienced violence before. in 1991 a power struggle between the founding father and others destabilized the community. government forces recaptured ahmed al borei on tuesday. it's quite. >> people are taking advantage of the quiet. they head back to the u.n. base for safety. even if it means walking past dead bodies. the u.n. base is packed with thousands of people - foreigners and locals. >> it is not okay.

we are waiting for the security. >> the bullets were coming down like rain raiding the house and installing everything. >> the bank luted dead bodies. >> more u.n. troops are coming to south disan. people hope they arrive soon. then the focus could shift to counting the dead people and investigating alleged acts of crimes against humanity from both sides. >> the united nations is asking for money to help people displaced by the fighting. aid agencies will need 166 million in the next three months. in the caribbean search efforts for victims are said to resume this morning. 17 migrants around christmas morning - 33 survivors were detained. haitian migrants entered the u.s. used the turks in christmas island as a weigh

station. power crews are working around the crop and parts of the u.s. and canada as hundreds of thousands have been without electricity. security companies say it could be days before power is restored. >> it may look like a winter wonder land. more many across canada and the u.s. there has been little cheer. hundreds of thousands of homes have been left without power by an ice storm. a combination of blizzards and the cold has taken its toll on electricity and transport network. in buffalo driving assistance are treacherous, with many accidents of road users losing control of their vehicles. >> in cleveland the inclement weather caused a pile-up on a main arterial road. across the board, main concerns for emergency services are getting the power grid online.

people don't have heat. pipes will freeze. >> many people in vermont spend christmas day in the cold and dark. firefighters went door to door to check on residents and let people know about shelters. >> across canada and the u.s. many have resorted to using portable generators to stay warm. that has increased the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and deaths have been reported. for the moment there seems little chance of a let-up in this arctic blast. forecasters say the conditions will not ease for several days. >> some homes will not have power. for more on the conditions facing the crews, let's bring in metrologist dave warren. >> we are seeing a little snow.

things are quite, almost. there's a little snow not a big storm. a little snow a little nuisance. it could delay travel and there's know around the great lakes. temperatures down below the freezing mark and not climbing too much. not much improvement or melting. snow and ice on the ground down to single digits. there's know but things are quiet across the country. we have two or three days where the weather is quiet. textures on the cold side. there's know on the ground and fog around. this is a problem across texas, and kansas and through harrison okene. we are looking at freezing fog there as the temperatures are below freezing weaking un to

fog. lipry roadways. the storm across the north-east clearing out. there it is quiet weather until this weekend. then things will change a little. right now there's a freezing fog advisory across oklahoma. it could be slippery on many surfaces in this area. take a little extra time on the roadways. >> the deadlines came and gone. some americans will get a chance to sign up for insurance under the affordable care act. people who couldn't register on time due to problems with health care.gough will be able to file an appeal. >> good morning, it will be another day full of a new set of changes to help ensure that they are covered. reaching out for people especially the young invincibles

who missed the deadline. >> this morning it's not entirely clear who will receive health care from the federally run exchange and when. a healthcare.gov twitter post told people who missed the deadline they'll be considered on a case-by-case basis. >> everyone else can expect insurance in february. who enroles is just as importance as how many. >> the success depends on broad pags in the marketplace. advocacy groups has catchy adds. james got the message, but his friends haven't. >> a lot of my friends say, "nothing will happen to me",

until it does and you panic. >> a lot of people signed up. they believe they have coverage. there's a lot of errors. >> after a record week of visitons on healthcare.gov comes the difficult task of making sure all the applications are correct and processed. the next step is making sure your payment and paperwork has been received by the insurance company. experts suggest reaching out to the insurer. >> thank you. there is a new study out claiming the common knee surgery performed 700,000 times each year in the u.s. is no more effective than fake surgery - at least for the first year. researchers tested patients who needed treatment. some patients were given the fake surgery, a procedure that didn't touch the minnize cues. the average improvement among

subjects that received new surgery and the sham surgery was about the same. the study was published in the "new england journal of medicine." >> increasing death toll from widespread flooding in brazil. outrage in asia a visit to a shrine by japan's p.m. causing anger and out rage. in the post for a presidential library. the case the president's home state is making to build the facility, documenting his life and career. >> the n.b.a. saw two things we never see - sleeve jerseys, and a kobe-less lakers team. >> you are looking at the capital building washington dc on this quiet holiday week. we'll be back in a moment - stay with us.

>> good morning, welcome back to al jazeera. coming up next there's time left before president obama

wraps up his second term in the white house, but some are vying to land the job of hosting his presidential library. we'll look at the push his home state of hawaii is making. first, let's have a look at the temperatures and what they'll do across the nation. >> good morning. not climbing too much. they are down below the freezing mark and about to stay there. a push of arctic air, you see the darker colour. temperatures into the teens. that pushes across the lakes. memphis at 33 above the freezing mark with below-freezing temperatures and fog. making for slippery roadways. across the north-east where that ice and snow are on the ground temperatures are cold and not expecting too climb much. here is where the temperatures are into the 20s. we have fog around, so freezing fog, a problem this morning. by the afternoon not much of a warm up. make climbing across the south-east and the mid west

ahead of a storm approaching. we'll look at that later. >> government officials in brazil say the death tolls rose in the flood tolls. 32 died since the storm swept through south-eastern state. millions has been pledged in emergency funds. cities were left without power and roads and bridges were wiped out. 50,000 have been forced to leave their homes. japan's prime minister angered two neighbouring countries, visiting a shrine honouring the war dead. shinzo abe say he was an antiwar gesture. china says it was seen as aggression by japan during world wore two. the site honours millions of citizens who died in service and commemorates wore criminals. >> president obama has a little

more than three years left as president. the legacy he'll leave is a hot topic. universities are vying to build the library that will document hits life and career. jennifer london reports from ha wayy where the president is innocentlying a sixth day of his vacation, where the state is stepping up efforts hoping to get the president to build the library in his home state. >> this is the home shore, with waikiki on one side and downtown on the other. a low-key spot familiar to locals. well off the beatsen track. a plan is put in place to transform it changing the water front into something president yam. >> there's two lots that are possible sites for a presidential center. >> this professor of american studies at the university of hawaii is heaping to spearhead the effort to bring the 44th

president's official library here. >> obama is the first global president. his roots are in hawaii kansas kenya, indonesia and hawaii is a cosmo poll tap city. it's a good place to hell his international story. >> while hawaii can suffer from the stereotype of sun and sand with little substance. the sheer number of visitors makes the state a contender. >> 8 million tourists come through every year. mainly for natural features the beauty and the ocean in look for something educational. >> hawaii's vision is as big as the pacific ocean. maxine is a law professor at u of h. >> it will have a library, which

is standard but we have a palliative group of things we can have like a policy school or center. >> while history showed that presidential libraries are usually located in the commander in chief's home state, which for many have president obama looking to illinois hawaii's governor neil abercrombie says the president's ties to hawaii runs deep. >> he took his first breath in hawaii. we think we have a yup ebbing perspective. >> the governor is quick to point outside he doesn't view this as a competition. >> our argument is not to compete but to complement the motivation put together by the

library system a series of components that will reflect the president's true legacy in history. >> the question of where that history will be housed will not be decided by places in hawaii or illinois. it will be up to the president himself. >> chicago is making a strong case for having the presidential library built there, saying this is the president's adapted home city. chicago is where his political career was born. the university of illinois has put in its bid where, of course barack obama taught law school. and no word from the president as to when he will decide. >> that was al jazeera's jennifer london. this will not be cheap. the presidential library could cost $500 million.

there was plenty of n.b.a. action. jessica taff is here to tell us about it. good morning to you. pretty good action. >> we had christmas day. it meant n.b.a. hoops, and for the last two decades it included this guy. yesterday with bryant he was in the house, but the fractured knee kept him off the course. >> it's strange to come in on christmas and not, you know playing. it's a foreign feel. i'm here to support the guys and watch them. >> koby's team-mates hosting lebron james and the miami heat. everyone we aring the sleeves. no restrictions for lebron james, look at the alley-oop.

he looks like santa clause. he was clarifying all kinds of goodies. it was another there. here comes another. dwayne this time off the blackboard. 19 points for lebron james as the heat pick up a 6th-straight win, 101 to 95. clippers visited and boeing urt issued a fowl and griffin rejected. clippers trailing by two. chris paul driving. shot is belonged from behind. crawford - he has a chance to win the form heaving up the three, can't get it to go. meanwhile. brooklyn nets hosting the bulls. not so much in the christmas

spirit. despite brooklyn having the highest payroll, embarrassed again. beat by the bulls. here is something you can't buy - effort energy passion. 98 million point guard darren williams hopes his team can wake up from a bad dream. >> this season, how it's played out altogether you know it's like a nightmare, the way the injuries have been and the things we talk about every day, the lack of effort and energy. i didn't see that a problem when we put the team together. >> tone yoi park and the san antonio spurs hoping to get it going. >> parkins shaved his head in support of a 10-year-old cancer patient. parsons with 41 points. superman with the double dip in

the 15 points. 20 rebound. spurs - there he is again. spurs made is a game of the fourth getting to within three points. james hardin took over the game. lighting at 28 points. the rockets win 111 to 98. we have a final with serena williams past year has been fantastic. 32 years young. and who could argue she's the queen of the court. the associated press agreeing. female athlete of the year her third time winning the award. serena williams 11 titles in 2013 including the french and u.s. i hope raiding a grand slam championship total to 17, pocketing more than 12 million, a record for women's tepize. the ap mail athlete of the year will be announced later. >> 32 years old. i feel like she's played for

22 years. how good. left-over christmas people watching the n.b.a. >> the games better. early on not so good. when you are turned on with the holiday food you enjoy it. >> shake up in the turkish government. what the reshould having of the prime minister's cabinet could mean for his political future. >> violence against members of the media and the ukrainian opposition members grow there's questions about the future of the movement. >> easing sanctions in iran - how the agreement over nuclear issues could help the auto industry in that country.

>> good morning, welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm thomas drayton. let's get you caught up on the top stories. >> at least five people were hurt after an explosive device went off outside a university in

cairo. a short time later another device went off. the devices appeared to be home-made bombs. >> power crews from maine to michigan are working to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people. storms knocked out electricity. snow and winds are slowing down repairs. >> turkey's prime minister is under pressure to resign after a corruption scandal forced three officials to step down. prime minister recep tayyip erdogan reshuffled his cabinet, replacing 10 of 20 members. police in istanbul drove back anti-government protesters with tear gas and watercanons. for more on the scandal in turkey. we are joined from istanbul. a lot has changed in the past 24 hours. many took to the streets. there's pressure for the prime

minister to step down. obviously the pressure is getting higher. it's not the first time there's a wave of protest. in december and june there were massive protests in that's correct thaksin square. it may be the second wave. not yet the numbers of the crowd are not as high as the ones. there were thousands on the streets. they clashed with the police. they tried to disperse with water canon and tear gas. this puts pressure on recep tayyip erdogan's soldiers after the corruption scandal last week. it will not be easy for the issue to be tackled with. that scandal will have impacts on the economy. there are alarm bells ripping

ringing -- ringing for the economy. if that has an impact on the economy. it will be harder to deal with it. recep tayyip erdogan is a highly popular figure in turkey he's a charismatic leader. he has high votes. in the last one he has 50% of the votes. there are two elections in 2014 that we'll see. >> a lot of people question whether the elections could be pushed up. we'll see al jazeera's report from istanbul later. >> joining us now to provide insight on the developing situation in turkey is a political commentator in turkey joining us from istanbul. good to have you with us this morning. we have been watching the protests. there are calls for the prime minister to step down. do you think he's concerned about his own political future?

>> about the protest, i don't think the prime minister is concerned now. the protest is like the protest in june considered as outsiders to recep tayyip erdogan. recep tayyip erdogan things that they voted for him, so they are outsiders, and they are further polarisation of politics in turkey in the past had good results. what recep tayyip erdogan is concerned is insiders. the gulanist movement. they are leading the corruption investigations inside the judiciary and the police and recep tayyip erdogan tries to make damage control. the protests can only complete these investigations by forcing recep tayyip erdogan to invite him to the rule of law, to

respect the rule of law. >> if prime minister recep tayyip erdogan were to step down how would turkey's western allies like the united states take the news? it's a very low probability for p.m. recep tayyip erdogan to resign now. he can call early elections and can do it in march. there'll be local election and call for general elections too. it's a possibility. it's a low possibility right now. if he will resign in the western capitals and washington many people will be happy, because recep tayyip erdogan recently has been seen as a block in turkey's democratisation process. in the past he was come to power as a reformer.

so how he lost his image is important. the process is being watched closely. i seen and heard different commentaries from western capitals. what i hear is that recep tayyip erdogan lost his image as a reformer. >> he's had been criticised before regarding social and religious policies. this time it's different. there's millions in shoe boxes as proof against it. how does he survive the corruption allegations. this is the soft belly of the app government. they have come to the power as clean, the turkish politics from corruption, and arc means white in turkish. they are using it as their main image, of being wide emaculate. when it's about bribery and

corruption it's important for them. all the past debates, lifestyle, and now it increased their roles. >> when it comes to corruption recep tayyip erdogan is careful. he reshuffled the whole police -- the cabinet, rewrote the rules of judiciary. he says that we are cleaning the rotten momentos inside us our party, and we are still clean. it won't be easy with the graphic evidence bags carried by mysterious businessmen bit the office of officials. but and just recently maybe they were carrying chocolate or books

into the offices. so most people in turkey won't be convincing. at the same time there's a problem with the media that the pro-government media does not highlight such - if you go and ask me a ridiculous statement. they don't highlight such stuff so many people in turkey don't even know about allegations. >> some say the media's role has been compromised. political commentator joining us from istanbul. >> ukraine's president called for an investigation into the attack of a prominent anti-government journalist. dash cam video shows the vehicle running into the reporter's car, hours after she published an article critical of top ukrainian officials. the journalist says after she stopped three attackers pulled

her from the car and beat her. opposition activists called for the removal of viktor yanukovych. without clear leadership can they survive. >> this man is the commandant of independent square organising the infrastructure that keeps the place working. >> how much does it cost? freedom has no price. truth has no price. freedom, democratic ukraine for our children and grandchildren. but not cheap. worrying for the past few months it cost $5 billion, half from big business some from small businesses and the rest private donor. >> businessmen that support protests are hassled by the tax police and other authorities.

a. >> in the evenings and weekends the number of demonstrators swell, but not by much. >> we have people protesting. the main thing is that ukraine is boiling and our bowl was to shake up those in power. make no mistake, this is not a repeat of the 2004 orange revolution that ousted prime minister, now president, viktor yanukovych. >> 2004 was well organised because politicians had their open structures could run it well. >> demonstrators say the strength of this protest is the grass routes foundation. that's a down fall with no person or party in charge there's no clear message or plan. >> opposition leaders created a people's movement as the next step. it is supposed to spread respect for economic reforms.

>> they take the thoughts of mydan with them. >> people that remain plan to put more direct measures on government officials, ensuring ideas bon orn the square don't die here. >> the ukrainian government banned 36 foreign individuals from entering the country. they were trying to detablize the situation. >> the californian condor narrowly escaped extinction in the '80s now it's facing a new threat. led found in carcasses the birds fleed on. led ammunition was banned. now we have more on saving the birds of pray. >> the bitter creek refuge is home to the california condor in the ranges. >> thanks to wildlife protection programs like this the condor

population, home to 400 up from 22 to 1987 but the birds remained under a constant tlest. >> led is a leading form of death. lead from bullets used by hunters who shoot animals, becoming a food source. >> we are taking a sample to test the birds' blood lead level. an indication of if it's been exposed. they oversaw a re-uj that cared for condoors. two-thirds of bird had elevated levels and needed treatment. >> condoors that had toxic led levels are sent to the los angeles zoo for treatment upped the care of dr curtis aim. >> most stay with us for two weeks. the therapy is a 5-day treatment. >> in october the zoo took in a

record number of condoors - 21 birds testing positive. >> if they stopped taking condoors in and treating them for lead poisoning and additional food. the condor would likely go extinct. >> kim is the californian director of defenders of wildlife. the agency cosponsored a bill. governor jerry brown signed it into law. >> i have to deploy the governor. he was under pressure from the national rifleman association and national sports and shooting foundation. advocates from the gun industry. >> the n.r.a. declined a request for interview. on its website is says: it

dr curtis aime has seen the damage. >> this is fragmented leg, hitting the animal. the bird eats the meet and has led toxicity. >> back at the refuge five birds are healthy enough to be released, with the hope that a ban on led bullets will help the condor population soar to greater heights. >> california is the first statement to pan the metal from hunter's shots and bullets. it was supported by most environmental organisations. >> here is what is making news in the financial markets in "business world." four trading days left in the year year, many stocks are expecting them to go high.

the dow jones industrial average is at 16,358. >> market closed in europe. the nikkei hit a 6-year high. >> investors will be looking for good news on the job market. the labour department releases weekly jobless claims number. one analyst says the picture is improving. >> we have 7% unemployment in the united states. and in europe even in places like germany is 5.5 and switzerland 7. in terms of international advanced countries we are looking representative of a well-run country. >> freddy mack reports weekly mortgage rates. >> in iran al jazeera's

correspondent report on an iranian report benefitting from the slow down in nuclear arch. >> back on track. people in the iran car industry found a sense of optimism. they want to become a top 10 automaker, producing up to 3 million cars a year. >> that goal so now at least a step closer because of november's nuclear agreement, including lifting sanctions on iran's car industry. >> our plan is after removing the sanction we go to the direction to show all weakness point of industry not just purchasing mass parts. >> iran's main partners pulled out of the auto industry in 2012, following an international

ban on trading with the car-building sector. at its peak iran produced 1.7 million cars annually. this year the government says production dropped by 40%. while iran iran wants to reclaim what it lost so it too the foreign partners. >> iran's mentality changed since sanctions hit. the industry is silent. of course, they went to the other sources, which was not originally as good as it was before. >> this self-reliance has been tough. last year iran exported more than $1.8 million worth of parts. 95% less than two years ago. the country is determined not to rely on foreign imports like it did in the past.

>> according to official figures the automotive industry laid off 100,000 workers in the past two years because of sanctions and the economy. thousands of men and women could finally get their jobs back. every car rolling off the line means the prospect increases. >> iran is the biggest car producer in the middle east. caught on camera a look at 2013's captivating pictures with the ceo of getty images. >> giving back during the holiday season. how a boy is using a holiday drink to help the homeless. >> -

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. helping the homeless during the holidays a child is tapping into his entrepreneurial spirit.

first dave with the rain and snow - who will see it. >> the big storm will start had weekend. an area of cloud and snow pushing from west to east. light snow not much in the way of accumulation. here is a storm developing society and sunday across the gulf, and moving up the coast. there's a lot of warm air, a big area of rain. you could see snow, saturday night to tonned -- saturday night to sunday. >> jonathan clin the ceo of getties images tells us the story behind two pictures, beginning with the new man at the vatican. >> i think calling him the people's pope, this photo sums it up. it's interesting that everyone around him is also taking a

photo, and capturing that they were there. it seems extremely engaging and connected with people. there's real joy on everyone's face. it's a special moment tore them to be close to the poem at a weekly audience. it captures one of mean moments where it's interconnected with people. he's not distance ivory tower personality. the excitement about the individual is tang mount. i don't need to know from the photo who he is and the impact he is making. >> he's camera friendly. >> the photo, and the firts thing that goes through your mind is what is going on. this is 3,500 getting married. at the statement in south korea.

you have to wonder why - well, the background to the story is it's what we used to call the moonies, the reunification church, i think it was called. it was started by a chap called moon. he died. this was the first big ceremony since his death. i understand some of these people met each other a few moments before. it makes a great photo. it's amazing. something from a movie or a set, but it's a photo. it happened, it wasn't set up. they are all dressed the same way and look similar. that's part of the whole idea. why is it one of the photos of the year? because it's unique. when will you get an opportunity to show thousands getting married, dressed the same way. >> it's stunning. getty images ceo jonathan klein.

those are two photos from the events covered. >> the spirit of giving got an energy boost at starbucks. more than 400 star bucks customers bought it forward by buying coffee for the person behinds them. on christmas eve, and i should say christmas day the store in knewing tonne of $45 surplus. lucky customers will receive free coffee this morning. >> being eight, an age of innocence, honesty and hope. in the latest in our series "being eight" we need a kit from california making life a little little sweeter for the homeless doing it one cup at a time. >> like others his age, jackson evans, eight loves christmas. >> do you want blue on it? >> the sweets the decorations, and the chance to have fun. but this 8-year-old knows not all kids enjoy christmas the way

he does. >> it was, "homeless kids don't have toys, i have a lot of stuff. i want to give them something for fun.". >> i said, "i want to help the homeless." and she said, "fine, fine", >> jackson set up a cool-aid stand and sold cups for $1 or whatever people would say. >> they said, "hey are you making money." someone gave me a dollar. i said, "i'm raising money for homeless kids", she then grabbed $10. >> he and his friend had more stands and raised more than $3,000 and bought toys for the bakersville homeless center. >> this is one of the kids who got a present. he lives at the shelter with in my opinion brothers and sisters. >> he gave me a ninja turtle.

>> someone at an age where they think about themselves decided he wanted to do something with other kids. christmas happened because he cared. >> jackson doesn't grasp how much he helped these children but says it's cool to aid kids. >> i'll want to do it again next year, and then the next year and the next year until i'm 20. >> and that means a lot of smiles and toys for homeless kids. >> only eight. jackson got a little help from his friends and got the word out about the heart warming project through social media. >> at the end of the first hour here is what we are following - turkish's prime minister reshuffles his cabinet after three members resigned over the corruption scandal. >> three hurt after an explosive device went off outside a university campus in cairo.

another small blast went off in the area a short time later. there was no immediate claim of responsibility. >> power cruise from maine to michigan are working to restore power. ice storms knocked out electricity. snow and strong winds are slowing down repairs. >> al jazeera news conditions. richelle carey and i are back with you in 2.5 minutes. we leave you with a beautiful shot of new york city. good morning.

>> a political scandal rocks turkey, now thousands take to the streets to demand the resignation of the prime minister. >> winter weather nightmare the brutal ice storm that has left thousands in the dark. utility crews working overtime in the united states and canada. >> as hundreds of killed and thousands continue to flee the violence w. south so do not's president calls for an end to ethnic killings and african leaders work to avoid a civil war. >> miracle trains, r. cars filled with doctors dentists and optometrists in south africa, giving care in the poorest parts of the country.

>> a very good morning and welcome to aljazeera america on this thursday morning, a day after the big holiday. good to have you with us, good morning to you. >> good morning to you. a corruption scandal in turkey has some calling for the prime minister to city down following the resignation of three high profile officials and a cabinet shakeup. >> police used tear gas and water cannons on protestors in istanbul. we report on the greg scandal has has the prime minister under pressure. >> three senior cab they ministers resigned over a corruption scandal. the prime minister announced a major cabinet reshuffle replacing 10 of his ministers. >> some of the ministers have asked to resign because of the on going developments and some of them have quit as they will

contest mayoral elections and some of the changes are my judgment. >> earlier interior minister and economy minister resigned with little fanfare but the departure of environment minister was very different, one that exposed deep divisions in the government. he decided to announce his resignation on live television and not only criticized the prime minister, but also asked him to resign, a call the prime minister chose to ignore. police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfer to iran and bribery for construction projects. many believe it stems from a strugglele between the government and this man the u.s. based muslim cleric said to have many followers within the turkish police and

judiciary. the government dismissed dozens of police officials who were either involved in the investigation or told to be linked to hill. >> the government in this case means is in internal turmoil such a step, unexpected, and one can only speculate that this will shatter the ground even more. >> during the 11 year rule, this is the first time three ministers have resigned and asked the prime minister to resign. for some, this is the first crackdown in the government and the question is whether his popularity will be affected during the upculling elections. aljazeera, istanbul. >> the current corruption probe of one of the biggest political challenges prime minister has faced since taking office in

2003. in 2008, his justice and development party nearly escaping disbanding after allegations it was undermining turkey's constitution. >> we have learned iraq has been helped with missiles to take the fight to al-qaeda. 75 missiles were delivered to baghdad last week and 10 drones expected to be delivered early next year. last year, the prime minister met with president obama in washington where he made an appeal for those weapons. meantime, 37 were killed in twin blasts that rocked baghdad christmas day. in the first attack, a car bomb exploded near a church, killing 26. earlier, 11 people died at a market that had a blast. >> al-qaeda's group fighting in syria planned to kidnap and kill united nations workers in the region. that is from iraqi intelligence officials.

the report detailed one of the leaders fighting the syrian government. the letter indicates other foreigners are targeted in syria. hard line groups have emerged as the strongest rebel forces in the region during the civil war. >> the president of south is a do not is calling on opposition leader to say try to end the violence that has killed thousands there in the last two weeks. the president spoke out against the ethnicically motivated killings and a christmas message wednesday, saying the violence was triggered by an attempted military coup. he goes on to say that he is willing to negotiate with opposition leaders. >> i pledge my willingness for dialogue for a peaceful settlement of our differences. i also send a message to all other armed groups who have

taken up arms. all these efforts i have taken for peace. >> one of the areas hit hard have the by fighting has been the strategic town, which the government said it took back thursday. some of the images in this report maybe difficult to watch. >> collecting bodies in the town in goes to be a grim task. army officials say these men defected and joined the rebels. aljazeera cannot independently verify this. civilians are among the dead. bodies are starting to decompose. the killing happened between government troops and rebels loyal to the former vice president. people say the vice president tried to topple the president. he is now on the run with the rebels. >> they are moving together.

they have collected all the cars the government cars, the cars of companies, almost over 100 cars, small cars and trucks they have moved with them. they are moving together. >> people here have experienced violence before. in 1991 a power struggle between the founding father and government destabilized the community. it is now relatively quiet. >> people are taking advantage of the apparent calm, going to houses to salvage what they can then heading back to the base, even walking past dead bodies. >> foreigners and locals have

packed the bases not sure if it's safe to leave. >> the bullets are coming down like rain. people raided the houses and stole everything. the bank was looted, dead bodies all over the streets. >> more troops are coming to south sudan. the focus could shift to the number of dead people, investigating crimes against humanity from both sides. >> the united anywayses has pledged to send 6,000 more troops south sudan and is calling for additional aid money to help those displaced by the fighting. >> 17 haitian migrants died when a boat capsized, carrying suspected illegal immigrants from haiti to the caribbean british territory was intercepted by police and overturned being towed into port. police with the coast guard were able to rescue 33 people from

the water and are being held by authorities who expect to repay the rate the survivors. >> these bitter cold temperatures, tens of thousands of people remain without power as crews work to help restore electricity in parts of the u.s. and canada. >> it may look like a winter wonderland, but for many this holiday season, there's been little cheer. hundred was thousands of homes have been left without power by an ice storm sweeping down from canada. a combination of blizzard and intense cold has taken its toll on both the electricity and transport networks. >> in buffalo the driving conditions are treacherous with many accidents as road users lose control of their vehicles. in cleveland, the inclement weather caused a 28 car pile up on a main arterial road.

a lot of people don't have heat. pipes are going freeze. the sooner we can get up there and help, the better for everybody. >> many in vermont spent christmas day in the cold and dark. firefighters went door to door to check on residents and let people know about shelters. >> how are you doing? you guys got appear here? >> many have resorted to using portable generators to stay warm, but that has red the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and already deaths have been reported. for the moment, there seems little chance of a letter in this arctic blast. forecasters say these conditions will not ease for several days. aljazeera. >> there's a bright spot here. the national weather service is calling for tranquil weather for the rest of the week, but power crews are till battling freezing temperatures and some won't have electricity until the weekend.

>> days and days without electricity. more on the conditions face i can crews looking to restore the power, let's bring in the meteorologist. can you imagine dave, this long without power and it's so cold. >> and not much of a warm up expected. we're talking about that tranquil weather for the rest of the week. that's good, but there's only two days left for the rest of the week, then a new storm. there's light snow across pennsylvania and new england and the great lakes. that there's light snow, not a lot of snow, not a big storm. untreated surfaces could be slick this morning once that snow moves out. that's where it will go, it will clear out. a few snowflakes coming down in the dakotas. this arctic air will move across the states and new england so not much of a warm up expected.

a fog is keeping the temperatures down, that blue area in cans and oklahoma. that could be freezing fog with the temperatures blow treeing. the outlook showing for the rest of the week, things quiet. for the weekend, we'll see a storm developing across the gulf and moving up on the east coast there. not until saturday or sunday, but at least until then, it's quiet. if there was any developing here, we'd see it here. things quiet on the cold side, so not much melting going on, but things will change. here's this frozing advisory in oklahoma and missouri and arkansas. the temperatures are blow freezing so any fog can cause slippery surfaces. watch that closely. we'll have more on the developing storm later. >> here in new york, could be enough layers to keep you warm. >> pretty cold, right? >> we'll check in again.

>> we will. >> the new federal law threatening to cause problems for homeowners in flood prone areas. >> a banner year for bull markets. we'll talk with one financial analysts about threats to wall street's historic gains this year. >> 407 million a huge number, there, finally, he got there. it's part of the reason when christmas shoppers have been left with a pretty big headache. >> were you one of them?

>> today's big number likely caused a few headaches for shipping companies this holiday season. 407 million. that's how many packages ted ex-and ups delivered in the run up to christmas. both companies said systems were overloaded thanks to a high number of shoppers turning to the web. the high demand with bad weather caused many gifts to be delayed.

we had six fewer shipping days. amazon is offering shipping refunds and gift cards to affected customers but some say they were worried about the wait. >> they made me drive down here for no reason. they told my husband it was here and they're telling me it's not here and won't be until wednesday night. >> i want my package. i want it today and i've done everything i can so far and they've given me nothing. >> you want your gift on christmas day. >> i suppose. >> tears, a little extreme perhaps? >> yeah, i guess. >> welcome back to aljazeera america. >> that's your family. >> the markets had a record run with 2013. in a moment, we're going to talk with the managing partner about whether that momentum will carry into 2014. >> first let's look at what temperatures are going to do across the nation today. >> we need these temperatures to run up, but they're staying pretty low. that will keep that ice and snow around. a another shot of arctic air

coming down from canada. that's the cold air moving south, won't get much farther south than chicago but will peach east, new york and new england, 32 is the current temperature in new york, this number starting off cold. there's at times and teens and the 20's in the southern plains. fog could freeze the surfaces. it's slippery on the side streets and roads across the southern plains. not much of a warm up expected. it's trying to warm across the southeast, but temperatures will be above the breezing mark. >> congress is expected to consider changes to a new law that would increase flood insurance premiums for more than a million americans making this holiday season a nervous time for those people who may have to pay a lot more to stay in their

homes. we have more from south louisiana. >> in the coastal town lies a close knit community. >> all of these dogs come to us as rescues. >> three years ago kelly and her husband found the perfect home on the bayou and moved in on a lease to own contract. >> it was a beautiful spot on the water everything we've always dreamed of having. >> but last month the landlord broke the bad news, their flood insurance is expected to quadruple to $10,000 a year under a new federal law called the bigger waters act. >> we were forced out absolutely, and there's no way that we could have afforded it. >> so the martins moved back into the house they'd left, a place they had converted into kelly's animal boarding business. even for that home, they'll face higher insurance payments. >> my generation, my friends all had to leave. it's too expensive to live here.

>> coastal areas are not the only areas to feel the impact. flood zones have been redrawn nationwide affecting areas like colorado where floodwaters swept through in september and the northeast, where communities are still rebuilding after last year's super storm sandy. >> while some maybe forced to cut down on other expense to say pay, others may be forced to give up their homes. >> i'll be stored to sell and move out move on, move to a place where i can afford to live. >> he knows the reality. right now between homeowners and flooded insurance he pace $13,000 a year. that's before the new law increases his premiums. >> if you're insurance doubles from this, what does that do to you? >> i ain't about to pay it. i just don't noah to do. i feel the government don't care about the poor people.

>> there's now bipartisan legislation to delay the act for four years but that's little comfort to those looking long term. >> it's going to affect the whole economy. i think it's going to. in a lot of cases. people are going to walk away from their mortgages. >> where could we go and bring all of this with us? there would be nowhere else to go. >> for kelly lying to save her home and business, that's an option she doesn't even want to consider. >> we're just going to have to pay it. we're going to have to figure out a way to make more money to pay it. >> but there's only so much they can pay before they have to pack up and leave. aljazeera, louisiana. >> critics of the act say the legislation would affect flood insurance rates for those who live outside of flood zones like southern louisiana or the jersey shore. >> british petroleum will appeal

a court ruling related to the deep water horizon well. of course we are talking about b.p. the judge said the oil company already agreed in earlier settlements that certain claimants living close to the coastal area could have been presumed to have been caused harm. >> >> a bid was to be launched for blackberry, but a filing with the securities and exchange commission said he is cutting his stake in the firm and ending potential effort to buy blackberry. christmas is over and wall street back to work. only four trading days left in the year. many traders are expecting stocks to continue high are until new year's eve. stock futures higher at this hour. stock futures up, the dow and s&p at record highs.

in europe, markets are closed for holidays today. 2013 brought many positives in the business world as the dow soared to record highs. there was also controversy with record fines paid for bad mortgage practices. joining us is the managing partner. what do you think for 2014, is the momentum going to continue? >> well, there's no reason for it not to, all because the calendar is changing, it's important to know the economic conditions that have allowed and

been very good for stock prices to rise has not changed. there's no reason to think because we changed the year that we're going to see economic conditions change. stock prices are relative to earnings. it's not based on printing of money. it's not based on anything but earnings and projected earnings and where interest rates are. >> what is fueling this? who are the investors? >> 97% of the volume on the new york stock exchange is not you and i or anyone watching now. it's big institutions that move these markets. that's what's moving the markets higher and higher. as long as nothing changes now there's one thing that could happen. you could have an economic condition overseas, see something from europe, japan that will have a systemic problem and will react in the united states, so that's one thing that could impact us, but

you can't predict that. all you can do is go based on what you see right now stay fully invested in those 401k plans, have fear, that's human nature, but do not get caught up in the day to day headlines. stay focused on earnings, they are coming in strong, stocks are cheap and the fueling it is the great work c.e.o.'s are doing. >> you just said the majority of this doesn't necessarily affect you and i right? i would say the average person probably doesn't feel like the economy is doing very well. would you agree with that? even though -- >> by wait -- >> even though the unemployment rate seems to be doing a little better. >> it does affect us, we just don't move the market higher. the economy and stock market are two different things. 50% have the earnings from the

s&p companies come from outside our borders. even though the to goes live here, growth come from outside the borders. the economy is picking up a little bit but stocks move six to nine months ahead, in anticipation of that. right now, i don't think the economy's doing great but to keep it just right in the middle here it's important to know what we think might happen down the road is a prediction, a forecast about the economy but don't get last in the stock market. it is hope right now. >> i think you made a great point in the distinction looking at the stock market as an indicator of how the economy is doing. let's talk about chase. boy did they pay a lot in fines this year for bad mortgage practices and also the london wales scandal. what do you think this will mean for the industry going forward

and also specifically for chase? >> i was really surprised by that and i have a real personal issue with the number of fines being leveed against all terms it's not just chase. if you research them, there's got to be a record number of fines implemented against these big because. that money and the money they were trading at j.p. morgan at that time was their own money. goldman sachs lost money, as well it's called proprietary trading. they got find and will continue to be fined and that seems to be business at usual. if you speak to any c.e.o. running a big bank or firm these days it's the rules regulations and fines driving them out of their mind. >> what about bad mortgage practices? >> well, lock, i think a lot of these banks have said, if you recall dive into it and it's hard to do in a short period of time here, but the bat mortgage

practices i think a lot of times they said let's just write a check and go down the road. >> thank you. >> the deadlines have come and gone but some americans will still get a chance to sign up for insurance under the affordable care act. starting today people who couldn't register on time due to problems with healthcare.gov will be able to file an appeal. good news, you get more time, but you have to file the paperwork for an extension. >> good morning. good news and confusion however about who's going to get insurance and when. this means a whole set of challenges today at finishes try to help people get covered and reach out to young people who missed the deadline. >> this morning it's not entirely clear who will be receiving health care from the federally run exchange and when. a healthcare.gov tell people

they will be considered for coverage january 1 on a case by case basis. >> blue cross and anthem. >> everyone else starting the sign up process today can expect insurance in february opinion insurance say who enrolls is just as important as how many. >> the success of health reform depends on having broad participation. >> james anderson got the message, but many of his friends have not. >> a lot of people go about it as they don't care, ain't nothing going to happen to me until you need it and now you panic. >> industry consultants warn that in many cases those enrolled can't relax just yet. >> lots of people have signed up. they believe they've got coverage. there are still lots of errors. >> after a record week of visitors on healthcare.gov, now

comes the difficult task of making sure all those applications are correct and processed. >> the next step is making sure that your paperwork and pavement have been received by the insurance company. experts recommend reaching out to the insurer. if you have not heard with them after a week of signing up. >> there's a new study out claiming a common knee surgery performed 700,000 times each year in the u.s. is no more effective than fake surgery as least for the first year. researchers tested patients with torn meniscus. that some were giving a fake surgery that doesn't touch the meniscus. after 12 months, the average improvement among those who got real surgery and fake surgery was about the same. the study was published in the new england journal of medicine. >> my mother has had that surgery.

if it was real or fake, right? >> a new tribunal in bang will deb has critics claiming the government is work to go suppress criticism. >> as violence in ukraine gross new questions are rising about the future of the movement. >> tough image to look at there. >> a push for are a presidential library. the case president obama's home state is making to build a facility documenting his life and career. good morning. >> good morning. i think my knee surgery was fake too still hurts. from green beret to college football player, the story of an amaze in american veteran who has defied the odds, it's coming later in sports. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight weeknights 9et / 6pt 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

>> good morning, welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm thomas drayton. >> i'mry chef carey. that five were hurt after an

explosive device went off in cairo outside a university campus. a short time later another blast went off. the devices appear to be homemade bombs. that no claims of responsibility yet. >> power crews from maine to michigan and north into canada are working to restore power to tens of thousands this morning. fierce ice storms knocked out electricity several days ago. utility companies are making progress, but snow and strong winds are snowing repairs. >> the turkish prime minister has replaced 10 cabinet members out of 20, half his cabinet. wednesday night police drove back anti-government protestors with tear gas and water cannons. >> chinese police discovered a tunnel to hong kong 100 feet long complete with rail

traction and lighting. smugglers can transport luxury goods between the mainland and hong kong but avoiding border fees and taxes. officials say the tunnel cost about $500,000. >> political turmoil in thailand reaches a boiling point pap police officer is dead and violent clashes between anti-government protestors and security forces began as candidates were preparing for the upcoming elections. demonstrators threw rock to say try to stop them. police fired rubber bullets and fear gas in response. >> bangladesh's newly formed cyber crimes tribunal is trying it's first offender, coming four months after violence broke out for a facebook photo allegedly fee faming the koran. activists say dozens were killed. authorities deny those claims.

we report on what many are calling an unfair government crackdown. >> supreme court lawyer is arriving at court, but not coming to try a case. that he's here to fight for his freedom. one of the most prominent human rights activists in bangladesh is the first to be tried under the new tribunal. his offense is to release a report saying protestors were killed. that the government claims he published false information. others say the charges are politically motivated. >> now the media activists human rights activists and any other citizen or oh political activist who has dissenting voices will be pushed under this oppressive law. >> the government said that's

not the case and is simply trying to protect from on line attacks. >> >> anything, bad comments, posted in the social media the government has a duty to block it so that it is not harmful for society. >> no you wanted to watch more than one television channel you had to buy one of these. today, all the mobile phone operators are starting with updated services. >> scenes like these have been played on false information on first base, inciting riots by provoking religious sentiments. that the cyber crimes unit is supposed to tackle this.

>> it is far more harsh than laws in place for print publications. the potential for chilling media freedom under this act is very great. >> with the creation of the signer crimes tribunal, they say it slips further toward the bottom. >> bang la deb a country of 153 million people has nearly 7 million broad band internet users and nearly 100 million mobile phone users. >> ukrainian officials say they captured two of three suspects accused of having ally beating an investigative journalist. dash cam video shows a vehicle repeatedly running into the journalist's car after midnight wednesday morning. she says after she topped, three people pulled her from her car and beat her. look at had video. the attack came hours after she posted an article critical of

the government. opposition members have accused the government of resorting to violence to stop activists. >> the family of a california teenager who's at the center of a legal battle brought christmas to her in the hospital. doctors say the 13-year-old is brain dead after complications from having her tonsils out. the hospital wants to remove the girl from life support against the wishes of her team. wednesday, family members moved their usual christmas celebration to the hospital where they set up a tree and exchanged gifts. her are relatives will address the on going legal battle today now that christmas is over. >> a young girl diagnosed with cancer who rallied her pennsylvania down to fulfill her last dying wish to celebrate christmas has passed away. she died christmas morning surrounded by her family. the 8-year-old was only given a few weeks to oh live.

to lift her spirits thousands of carolers sang classic christmas songs outside her home last weekend. that. >> in south africa, they're called the miracle train. railroad cars filled with doctors, dentists, optometrists, traveling to rural areas stopping in the poorest parts of the country. we caught up with the medical team. >> fear of the dentist is almost universal, especially if it's your first time. 14-year-olds may not be very impressed, but this has become the latest of 6,000 south africans to be treated at this unique facility. this is the train which means clean life, delivering health care to to impoverished areas for 12 years. it's mostly funded by the state

transport company. >> a lot of people rely on the services. other 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 at every station wherever we are. >> he and the grandmother traveled for two hours to get here. a normal clinic would refer her to a clinic hours away. on this train her glasses are made immediately and the cost subsidized, $3 a pair. if she couldn't afford it, they'd be free. >> i am grateful for the train coming. now, you can see oh for over a day. i will be able to read, write and do my bead work again so i'm grateful. i came a long way to be here. >> the demand is so high,

working well into the night spending two weeks at a station before moving on. that next year, there will be two health care trains on the tracks, to twice as many will benefit from the miracle train. >> at the pharmacy carriage, 50 cents for pain killers for her grandson. some believe by offering patients the chance to pay what they can afford adds dignity to the process. the train has lifted some of life's's burdens but now it's time to pack up and move on, a journey that started 19ees ago is still going. tanya page, aljazeera, south africa. >> the mobile health care train has been hugely popular in south africa and last year, otherwisers rolled out a second train to meet the growing demand. how about that? >> time to talk a little sports here. you have the story of a very special college football player. >> yes unbelievable. when you hear his stay, you're

going to say gosh, i haven't done much in my life at all. the road to playing football was unconventional for long snapper boyer. making the team as a 28-year-old pales in comparison to what he already accomplished. >> he found himself in a similar situation to quite a few young people looking for a sense of purpose and fulfillment. after failed stints at college and acting, he boarded a plane to africa with hopes of doing relief work in sudan. >> i think a lot of it was the view of third world countries the view of americans. i kind of thought previously maybe they were jealous of us or hated us, because the media portrays it that way but meeting them and seeing how generous they are and how much they look up to our ideals and our country i knew i was lucky.

i felt like inspired to do something more. >> do something more he did. the idea first came to boyer in high school and later reaffirmed following 9/11, he enlisted in the army, joining the green berets. >> it's not that you don't feel fear, you kind of embrace it or are excited by it in shway. >> did you have very many close calls yourself? >> yes sir. like i said, i'm very fortunate. i was never hit with anything major or anything like that, but i've had, you know, buddies that, you know aren't here and very well could have been me. i was just lucky. >> for his full time service ending, he decided at the ripe old age of 29, that he wanted to play college football, despite never having played the sport at any level higher. he went to the internet looking for as much information as he could absorb. armed with his new knowledge he

still needed a team. >> i'd been to austin before a couple of types and love it. university of texas is a great school. i knew if i was going back to school, i wanted to go a a great school, a public school. i'm from california, but austin's similar to a lot of places in california and texas provided so much support for veterans. >> he made the most of his tryouts, utilizing military background to run around younger prospects. that that he impressed the coach and settled in as the team's long snapper. >> i definitely learned that despite, you know, lack of intelligence or athleticism or lack of anything, that you can't really control you can't

control some things, but you can control how hard you work. if you just put yourself out there and aren't afraid to fail, you can do anything, literally. you know looking at it at that time, as my age being 29 before i came back to college and tried to play football, i never would have thought anybody could do that. i don't care how athletic you were. you are too old you don't know the sport you don't know how to do that, and i am a special forces guy so the gift i have is relilens. i was able to just come to the realization that i just want to keep working at it and give everything i have and i can really do anything. >> it's an amazing story. nate boyer going to take on the game december 30. unbelievable guy. >> jessica, thank you. >> the president's second term

is far from over, but some universities are already considering president barack obama's less. in hawaii, the president is spending a sunny vacation with his family until january 5. in his home state they hope to build his presidential library. >> with a kiki on one side and downtown on the other it's a low key spot popular with locals but well off the beaten tourist path. a lofty plan is to transform the seven-acres of waterfront into something, well, presidential. >> there's two lots here that are possible sites for a presidential center in honolulu. >> an associate professor of americans studies is helping spearhead the statewide effort to build the 44th oh president's official library here. >> obama is in a way the first

global president. he has roots in hawaii and kansas and kenya indonesia and hawaii is a cosmo cosmopolitan city, too, so it's a good place to tell his story. >> while hawaii can suffer from the stereotype of sun sand and little substance. perkins said the sheer number of visitors makes the aloha state a contender. >> 8 million people come mainly for the natural features of hawaii, the beauty and ocean but they often look for something educational and civic as well. >> hawaii's vision for the presidential library is as big as the pacific ocean. maxine is an associate law professor at u. of h. >> of course it will include a presidential library and museum, that's standard. now we have things we can choose from tens hans the mission. one of those things could be a

policy school or institute and we have a learning academy looking at cultivating the next generation of thinkers in innovative ways. >> while history has shown that presidential libraries 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 said the president's ties to the 50th 50th state run deep. >> he took his first breath here in hawaii, so we think we have a unique perspective to offer in that reward. >> still the governor is quick to point out he doesn't view this as a competition the chicago. >> our principle is not 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. >> the question of where that history will be housed won't be decided by committees in chicago or hawaii or even politicos inside the belt way. it will ultimately be up to the president himself. >> chicago is also making a strong case for having the presidential library built there, saying this is the president's adopted home city. it is where his children were born. chicago is of course where his political career was born. the university of illinois at chicago has put in its official bid as have the university of chicago where of course mr. obama taught law school before he went on to the senate. no word yet from the president as to when he will decide. >> once again that was aljazeera's jennifer london reporting from the very sunny beautiful hawaii. >> i feel it. >> the presidential library could cost $500 million to complete. >> all right. singing for your health, thomas.

can you sing? >> hmm. >> that's a no. >> that's questionable. the link between carrying a tune and the well being of your heart. i should be concerned. >> let's take a live look outside grand central terminal right here in new york city. i think before getting ready to return items i think that's what's going to happen today. >> getting the gift you didn't want? >> keep it here on aljazeera america. >> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america

the stream is uniquely interactive television.

>> good morning, welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm richelle carey. >> i'm thomas drayton good to have you with us. do you karaoke? some say singing can be good for your soul, but new research shows it may provide heart benefits. >> first let's look at the potential for precipitation across the country. >> it's going to be snow, not rain. keep that in mind.

the snow is across the northeast here a mix in ohio and pennsylvania. this is a quick moving area of snow so not a lot of accumulation and after that, very quiet very tranquil weather, calm weather. we need it for a day or two before this develops. this is saturday night along the gulf coast a storm will move up the coast a lot of moisture with it, but it's mainly rain. that where it's colder, we'll see rain developing. there it is in the five day forecast. >> dozens of travelers aboard to ship destined for antarctica was stuck in the ice. the group including researchers sent a distress signal after getting caught in an ice sheet 100 miles from the continent. emergency crews two days away,

and a team of ice breakers sailing to the rescue. >> can't arrive soon enough. >> singing christmas car also could be more than a holiday activity. it could be good for your heart. we have more. >> ♪ >> christmas music this time of year a top hit. ♪ ♪ listening to harmony strikes a joyful note and eases stress. joining in the chorus could be even better. a swedish to do shows singing together is a good idea all year round with positive side effects. in a project researchers explored the biological response to music. >> when people sing together,

their hearts start beating at the same pace. the vegas nerve from the brain stem to the heart becomes activated in a pump like fashion. ♪ >> while singing the nerve activates and your heart rate goes down. >> i see that it's quite probable because everyone's breathing together. >> i know when i'm singing with a group we all try to breathe together we try to crescendo and decree send dough together. >> you can see from the heart monitors that it doesn't take long for singer's heart rates to synchronize. chanting has same results. >> there is this palpable feeling that happens in the room. everybody's on the same page, singing the same music seeking or reaching out for the same wavelength. that.

>> we are finding we go more into a focused state and more peaceful state just very natural. >> it is just a state of mind and heart that swedish researchers say could be used to treat heart and neurological problems associated with age. the trick is to figure out how to continue that rhythm once the music stops. ♪ >> aljazeera, new york. >> even though it's thought of as a favorite holiday tradition. few people still enjoy the act of caroling. a recent poll found only 16% of adults join a chorus at christmas time. >> at the end of our second hour richelle carey has a look at what we're following. >> turk issue prime minister reshuffled his cabinet. ministers resigned over a sweeping bribery scandal that

has involved the turn issue government. >> an explosive device went off outside a campus in cairo. a short time later another small blast went off. there is no immediate claim of responsibility. >> power crews in michigan, and canada are working to restore power to thousands of people. fierce ice storms knocked out electricity self days ago. snow and strong winds are slowing down the repairs. >> we have quiet weather now but a weekend weather storm will bring more cold to the rest of the country. stay with us. 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

>> a political scandal rocks turkey. thousands of protestors take to the streets to demand the resignation of the prime minister. >> as hundreds of killed and thousands continue to flee the violence, south sudan's president calls for an end to ethnic killings and work to avoid a civil war. >> a winter weather nightmare the ice storm that left thousands in the dark and utility crews working overtime in the united states and canada. >> giving back, 18-year-old california boy uses the popular drink kool-aid to help those who are less fortunate.

>> welcome. the prime minister of turkey is facing calls to resign after a corruption investigation forced him to shake up his cabinet. police used tear gas and water cannons on protestors who took to the streets wednesday night demanding that the prime minister step down. as we report, he is under pressure. >> >> hours after three senior cabinet ministers resigned over a corruption scandal the prime minister announced a major cabinetry shuffle replacing 10 of his ministers. that. >> some of the ministers have examined to resign because of the ongoing developments and some will quit as they contest mayoral elections and some are my judgment. >> earlier the interior minister and economy minister resigned with little fanfare. the departure of the environment minister was very different, one

that exposed deep divisions in the government. he decided to announce his resignation on live television during an interview with local network and criticized the prime minister and asked him to resign, a call the prime minister chose to ignore. police are investigating allegations of illicit money transfer to iran and bribery for construction projects. many believe the scandal stems from a power struggle between his government and this man the influential based muslim cleric said to have many followers within the turkish police and judiciary. the government dismissed dozens of police officials who were either involved in the investigation or told to be linked to him. >> the government in this case means is in internal turmoil

such a step was unprecedented unexpected and one can only speculate that this will shatter the ground under him even more. >> during the 11 year rule, this is the first time three ministers resigned and asked the prime minister to resign. for some this is the first crackdown in the government and whether his popularity will be affected ahead of elections in 2014. >> the current probe is the biggest he has faced since taking his position in twee. >> a bomb blast hit a bus in cairo. it happened outside a university

campus. officials say five were injured. that no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. there has been a wave of attacks in recent months. tuesday, nearly a dozen people were killed and 120 injured in a car bomb that targeted a police headquarters. >> the president of south sudan is calling on opposition leader to say try to end the violence that has killed thousands there in the past two weeks. the president spoke out against the ethnically motivated killings in a christmas message wednesday. he said the violence was triggered by a military coup. that he goes on to say that he is willing to negotiate with the opposition leaders. >> i expressed my willingness for dialogue acknowledge group will peacefully settle in with our differences. i also extend the hedge to all armed groups who have taken up

arms against the state for peace. >> some of the worst fighting in recent days has been in a strategic down that the government said they have retaken control of. some of the images in this report maybe difficult to watch. >> collecting bodies in the town is going to be a grim task. south sudan's army officials say these men defected and joined the rebels. aljazeera cannot independently verify this. civilians are among the dead. bodies are starting to decompose. the killing happened between government troops and rebels loyal to the former vice president. people say the vice president tried to topple the president. he is now on the run with the rebels. >> they are moving together. they have collected all the

cars, the government cars, the cars of companies, almost over 100 cars, small cars and trucks they have moved with them. they are moving together. >> people here have experienced violence before. in 1991 a power struggle between the founding father and them destabilized the community. it is now relatively quiet. >> people are taking advantage of the apparent calm, going to houses to salvage what they can, then heading back to the base, even walking past dead bodies. >> foreigners and locals have packed the bases, not sure if it's safe to leave.

>> the bullets are coming down like rain. people raided the houses and stole everything. the bank was looted, dead bodies all over the streets. >> more troops are coming to south sudan. the focus could shift to the counting of the number of dead people, investigating crimes against humanity from both sides. >> the united nations has pledged to send 6,000 more troops south sudan and is calling for additional aid money to help those displaced by the fighting. >> 17 haitian migrants died when their boat overturned and capsized being towed to port by authorities. the british territory government said others were pulled from the boat after it overturned.

they will be sent back to haiti. dozens have died in similar accidents in recent years as many seek to escape an island still devastated by the 2010 earthquake. >> half a million people are out of power after an ice storm on saturday. utility crews are working around the clock to fix the power grid, but it will be saturday, saturday before the tower is fully restored. we have more. >> it may look like a winter wonderland but for many across canada and the u.s., this holiday season has had little cheer. hundreds of thousands of homes have been left without power by an ice storm sweeping down canada. a combination of blizzard and the intense cold has taken its toll on both the electricity and transport networks. in buffalo, the driving conditions are treacherous with many accidents as road users lose control of their vehicles. in cleveland the inclement

weather caused a 28 car pileup on a main arterial road. the main concern is getting the power grid back on line. >> a lot of people don't have hit. pipes are going to start freezing. the sooner we can help, the better for everybody. >> many in vermont spent christmas day in the cold and dark. firefighters went door to door to check on residents and let people know about shelters. >> how are you doing? you got headquarter here? >> many have resorted table generators as to stay warm. that has increased the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and already, deaths have been reported. >> for the moment, there seems little chance of a let up in this arctic blast. forecasters say these conditions will not ease for several days.

>> the power crews have called in reinforcement to say help get electric lines back into place but some homes will continue to be without power until this weekend. for more on the conditions facing those crews trying to get the power back on, let's bring in the meteorologist. it sounds brutal. >> there is still snow coming down there and the temperatures will stay below freezing. the snow we're watching here is light snow passing through pennsylvania, new york a light know, maybe a dusting, a little accumulation we've seen here with this temperature down below freeze i can but it will quickly clear out. dropped down below freezing in nuke, 27 in albany. once the snow clears out it's quiet for a few days, one or two days at best, because there's another storm approaching, but at least we'll have time to get some progress made on the improving conditions there.

the raring across northeastern new england and canada. there will be a change and as this cold arctic air comes down, we will see another storm developing. we have to get some things done now, because by this weekend looking at rain and snow across the gulf coast states and east coast. that will clear out. here's the break thursday and friday, but the storm will move up the mid atlantic. we will see rain and snow by the end of the weekend. across the southern plains, temperatures below freezing, freezing fog advisory, meaning the fog could start to accumulate on some surfaces, so lip arery in texas oklahoma, arc action and the southern planes. >> this americans will get a

sign up for the affordable care act today. people who couldn't sign up due to problems will be able to file an appeal. danielle lee joins us live for more on the appeal process. that's an interesting angle on this. danielle. >> it does get a little confusing had you look at the deadlines, appeals special enrollment period we're now in. making sure enrollees actually covered and reaching out to people especially knows young invincibles who reached the deadline. >> this morning it's not entirely clear who will be receiving health care and when. a twitter postals people who missed the deadline they'll be considered for coverage january 1 on a case by case basis. >> blue cross and anthem. >> everyone else, starting the sign up process today can he can text insurance in february. insurers say who enrolls is just

as important as how many. that. >> the success of health reform depends on having broad participation in the marketplace, gettingunner and healthier people to purchase coverage to help balance costs. >> catchy ads hope to convince young people. >> a lot of people don't care, ain't nothing going to happen to me, until you need it, and now you panic. >> industry consultants warn many case those enrolled can't relax just yet. >> lots of people have signed up, they believe they've got coverage. that there is still lots of errors. >> after a record week of visitors on healthcare.gov, now cups the difficult task of making sure all those applications are correct and processed. >> the next step is making sure that your paperwork and payment have been received by the insurance companies. experts suggest reaching out to the insurers if you haven't

heard from them within about a week of signing up. >> thank you so much. >> blood shed in iraq, explosions rock the country. what the u.s. government is trying to do the curb the violence. >> syria's civil war captivating the world and forcing investigators to step in. we talk about stories that dominated 2013.

>> good morning. welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm richelle carey. the south sudan and edward snowden and nsa all were in the news and helped change the landscape in 2013. lets look at temperatures across the country that good morning. >> what's ahead today is a lot of temperatures blow the

freezing mark as snow coming down will keep the temperatures down and that snow could stick. 32 in new york, 30 in washington. bitter cold arctic air returning coming from canada. that cold air will push east. across the northeast temperatures are down and will stay right around the freezing mark as snows coming down. a little slippery through new england, the southern plains seeing temperatures into the 20's and there's fog out there. that could actually start to coat some of the surfaces there with some ice so watch the roadways and secondary mistakes there in oklahoma and texas and through arkansas and missouri. a look at how this storm coming in this weekend we'll have that coming up later in the complete national forecast. >> al-qaeda groups in syria

reports reveal details about one of the leading groups fighting the syrian government. the report also talks about plans to target others in the region. the u.s. is quietly supplying iraq with missiles and drones to take the fight to al-qaeda approximate "the new york times" said 75 missiles were delivered to baghdad last week and drones expected to be delivered last year. last month the prime minister met with president obama making an appeal for the weapons. 37 people were killed in twin blasts that rocked baghdad oaries christmas day. a car bomb exploded near a church killing 26, earlier 11 people died at a nearby market in a christian sector of the city. from the on going war in syria to the deal made in iran over

its nuclear program joining us to discuss some of the biggest stories of 2013 is jim walsh drop the m.i.t. securities and studies program. good morning to you sir. >> good morning, good to see you. >> you helped us break down the year in news, starting with two big stories which we have covered here in aljazeera. let's talk about what's happening in syria. jim, more than 100,000 people have been killed in their civil war, not to mention well over a million refugees. what are the implications of what continues to happen in that region? when does it get to critical mass in this situation in syria? >> it's great question. you're also right to see what a year it's been. i am happy 2013 is over. we're going to talk about syria and some other things, but think about the things that didn't

make my list, the war in iraq and afghanistan so many things happened this year in egypt and elsewhere. the number one story you're right to say is syria, 100,000 dead, the reef gees using chemical weapons. that that was a big story. the fact that the u.s. was within 24 hours of using military force against syria. it's my top story and going forward, i'm afraid i have nothing good to report. i think all indicators are this is going to continue. those numbers of casualties and reef gees going to grow. the increasing concern is does this become a religious war as you have junie extremists battling a government. is this a religious war that becomes contagious and spreads to other countries is the big fear in 2014. >> another top story on your lift and a lot of lists are the revelations by edward snowden. he recently said my mission is

accomplished. going into 2014, will the implications of what he's done continue to roll out for the country and for the world? >> i think so at two different levels. one is at the broader symbolic level. really, we have started to come to grips with the fact that domestic surveillance, things done in secret are far more extensive involving far more governments than anyone could have ever guessed. that's a large symbolic atory that is going to continue raising questions going forward into 2014 and beyond. we've now had a series -- and this is why i think snowden claims he's been vindicated. we have a presidential panel calling for important reforce the head of the intelligence committee saying we have a problem, we have to fix it. over the next year, we're going to want to watch and see what

reforce actually take place or whether this is just going to be talk. >> let's continue to talk about big stories in 2000 thin that will continue to carry on in 2014. in particular, the iran nuclear deal. that there's a lot of pushback from a lot in congress not happy about this. they want to impose more sanction honest iran. where do you think this is going to go going into 2014? >> it's going to be a big one. we may look back on this first interim deal in 2135 years from now and say wow this is the point at which iran and the sufficient, 30 years of enmity and distrust thanking the course of politics for the better. we may look back and say congress intervened unilaterally to kill a negotiation that involved our international partners and there might be really bad consequences from that. if congress passes this bill, the purpose of which is to kill

the negotiation, then lots of things are going to happen, not the least of which is the sanctions regime will likely collapse. all the countries russia, china, britain germany and france that joined us are going to blame us and congress in particular if those negotiations collapse because of their actions. there's a new poll out saying congress, many americans feel is the worst in history and if they follow through on this they will have earned that label i'm afraid. >> we don't have time to get to everything, but the things happening in south sudan african republic, boston bombs was on your list, as kim jong-un executing his uncle were all on your list. i wish we had more time. good morning to you sir, thank you. >> take care. >> barack obama still has more than three years left at

president but his legacy is a hot topic. we report from hawaii where the president's birth place is stepping up its he was to build a presidential facility. >> this is dhaka waikiki and downtown on the other. they are looking to transform the seven acres of waterfront into something presidential. >> there's two lots here that are possible sites for a presidential center in honolulu. >> an associate professor of americans studies is helping spearhead the statewide effort to build the 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 and hawaii is a cosmopolitan city,

too, so it's a good place to tell his international story. >> while hawaii can suffer from the stereotype of sun, sand and little substance perkins said the sheer number of visitors makes the aloha state a contender. >> 8 million people come mainly for the natural features of hawaii, the beauty and ocean but they often look for something educational and civic, as well. >> hawaii's vision for the presidential library is as big as the pacific ocean. maxine is an associate law professor at u. of h. >> of course it will include a presidential library and museum, that's standard. now we have things we can choose

from to enhance the mission. one of those things could be a policy school or institute and we have a learning academy looking at cultivating the next generation of thinkers in innovative ways. >> while history has shown that presidential libraries 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 said the president's ties to the 50th state run deep. >> he took his first breath here in hawaii, so we think we have a unique perspective to offer in that regard. >> still, the governor is quick to point out he doesn't view this as a competition with chicago. >> our principle is not 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. >> 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 is also making a strong case for having the presidential library built there, saying this is the president's adopted home city. it is where his children were born. chicago is of course where his political career was born. the university of illinois at chicago has put in its official bid as has the university of chicago where of course mr. obama taught law school before he went on to the senate. no word yet from the president as to when he will decide. >> once again, that was aljazeera's jennifer london here's what's making news in the financial markets and business word. wall street back in business this morning after the christmas break, stock futures higher at this hour, pointing to a

positive start when trading gets underway. only four trading days left in the year. many traders expect tocks to continue higher until new year's eve. the dow and s&p 500 both sitting at record highs. the dow jones industrial average is at 15,357, the s and p.1833. nasdaq, 4155. in europe, markets are closed for a holiday. japan's nikkei hitting a six year high. >> b.p. says it will appeal a court ruling relating to the 2010 deep water horizon spill. a federal judge said businesses do not have to prove actual damages in order to receive compensation. the judge says the oil company already agreed in earlier settlements that certain claimants living close to the coastal area could be presumed to have suffered harm. >> japan's south bank has gobbled up sprint, now apparently going off the t

mobile. various reports say it is in talk for a deal which could total $20 billion. an effort to purchase t mobile would likely face regulators, citing reduced competition. >> a controversial visit to a shrine causes anger in some neighboring countries. >> as violence against members of the media gross new questions are arising. >> christmas in the nba featured the naughty and nice. we'll have more coming up later in sports. >> primetime news. >> welcome to al jazeera america. >> stories that impact the world, affect the nation and touch your life. >> i'm back. i'm not going anywhere this time. >> primetime news: weeknights at

8 and 11 eastern. only on al jazeera america. 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. >> 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 weeknights 9et / 6pt only on al jazeera america >> welcome back, that is grand central terminal looking all festive here in new york city.

welcome back. let's look at your stop stories at this hour. five were hurt after an exmowsive device went off outside university campus in cairo, then a short time later another small blast in the area. officials say the devices appear to be homemade bombs. there's no immediate claims of responsibility. >> power crews from the maine to michigan and north into canada are working to restore power to tens of thousands of people. fierce ice storms knocked out electricity days ago. utility companies are making progress but snow and strong winds are slowing repairs. >> turkish prime minister is under pressure to resign after a corruption scandal forced three cabinet members to step down. he has reshuffled his cabinet replace in 10 of 20 members. >> anti-government protestors were driven back with tear gas and water cannons.

>> we have the latest. >> since last week after the scandal erupted, there have been protests in turkey on the streets in istanbul. we can say that it's the second big wave of protests since early this summer. it's clear that those protests are putting pressure on his shoulder and it's getting difficult for him to tackle with the issue especially in today there are bad signals in the turn issue company the lira depreciating 10% against the dollar. we're going to see how what's been going on for the last week affect his popularity ahead of two upcoming elections in 2014. he is highly cars massic and

popular figure in turkey, but there are some internal oppositions not only throughout the streets but also there is a muslim cleric based in u.s. and now there is a feud between them, as well. he changed almost half of his cabinet, a move that he did to be able to go stronger to the elections in 2014. now, he he has a new cabinet fresh cabinet a clean cabinet so we are going to see how much that's going to be satisfying for the public in turkey. >> aljazeera reporting from istanbul. >> japan's prime minister has angered two neighboring countries by visiting a shrine that honors the war dead. some say it is an anti war gesture, but china and south korea say the move is

unacceptable seeing it as a sign of the aggression in world war ii. the site honors millions of japanese citizens who have died in service but also commemorates war criminals. >> ukrainian officials say they captured two of three suspects accused of savagely beating a ukrainian investigative journalist. video showed a vehicle repeatedly running into the journalist's car. she said thee pulled her from her car and beat her. the affect came only hours after she posted an article critical of the government. you can eher injuries there. the government has been accused of resorting to violence to stop activists. the journalist's beating has regenerated activists. the real can we say is how long can the protest continue. >> he calls himself a com can't in independence square, helping

otherwise the infrastructure that keeps this place working. >> how much does it cost? freedom has no price. truth has no price. freedom, free-thinking and a democratic ukraine for our children and grandchildren, it's priceless. >> but not cheap. running this protest camp has cost an estimated $5 million for the past month. half culls from big business, 30% from small businesses, the rest from individuals. business owners want to stay out of sight. >> people don't want to be open about it, because then their business disappears. >> he said businessman who publicly support protests are hassled by tax police and other authorities. evenings and weekends, the number of demonstrators swell but not much. >> the main thing is that ukraine is boiling and our goal is to shake up those in power. >> make no mistake this is not

a repeat of the 2004 orange revolution five that ousted then prime minister, now president. >> 2004 was well organized because politicians had their own structures, they could run it well. >> demonstrators say the grassroots is part of its foundation. that's one of its down falls. with no person or party in charge, there's no clear message or plan. >> opposition leaders created a new people's movement as the next step. the movement is supposed to spread support for economic and government reforce. >> those who head back to the regions take the thoughts with them and the regional bodies will control. >> they plan to pressure governmentings substitutions and officials to ensure the ideas born here don't die here. >> the ukrainian security

service has banned 36 foreign nationals from entering the country over suspicions they are collaborating to destabilize the country. >> a plea for help from an american kidnapped. warn wenstein urges president bo to intervene and help negotiate his release. he was abducted in 2011 in the pakistani city of lahore. in his plea, he said he feels totally abandoned and forgotten. that's a quote. the video accounted not be independently verified. >> the california con door nearly escaped extinction in the 1980's, but now faces a new man-made threat in cashing kasss the bird feeds on. we have more on saving north america's birds of prey. >> in the mountains two hours north of los angeles this

refuge is home to the endangered california con door. the population has grown, but the birds remain under a constant threat. >>ed leading cause of death killed about 40% have the condors. >> lead from bullets from hunters that later become a food source to the birds. >> we are testing the birth's lead level. that's an indication if the bird has been exposed to lead. >> the refuge catches and tracks the con stores. >> they have he willle have id blood levels and have needed treatment. >> condors are sent to the los angeles zoo for treatment under the care of the doctor. >> most stay with us about two

weeks. they go through two therapies and it is typically a five day treatment. >> the zoo took in a record number of condors. 21 birds tested positive for toxic levels of lead. >> if they stopped taking condors in and treating them for lead appraisenning and stopped providing additional food for them, the condor would likely go extinct. >> the agency co sponsored a bill to ban lead bullets in california. jerry brown recently signed it into law. >> i do have to applaud the governor. i believe he was under a lot of pressure from the nationalle rifle association national sports and shooting foundation. >> the n.r.a. declined our request for an interview but on its website it states:

>> the doctor at the l.a. zoo has seep the damage from lead poisoning firsthand. >> this is the bullet that hit the animal. it fragments into thousands of pieces. this bird comes along eats this meat and all of a sudden has lead toxicity. >> at the ref final, five birds are healthy enough to be released with a hope that the ban on lead bullets will help the population sore to even greater heights. aljazeera, los angeles. >> california is the first state to ban the heavy metal from shotgun bullets. it was opposed by many hunting advocates. >> the family of a california teenager brought christmas to her in the hospital. doctors say the 13-year-old is now brain dead after complications from a tons as i

willectomy. the hospital wants to remove her from life support against the wishes of her family. her family moved their christmas celebration to her hospital room. they will continue the legal battle today. >> a young girl diagnosed with cancer rallied a town for her last christmas wish has passed away. doctors had only given this 8-year-old a few weeks to live. to lift her spirits thousands of carolers sang classic christmas songs right outside her home last weekend. >> people in texas and other states are upset at u.p.s. and fedex after their packages didn't arrive in time for christmas. >> they made me drive down here for no reason. they told my husband it was here and it's not here, that it won't be here until wednesday night. >> i want my package.

i want it today and i've done everything i can so far and they've given me nothing. >> u.p.s. says a shorter shipping period, bat weather and people buying last minute christmas gifts overloaded the system. one driver said this is the worst christmas for delivery. u.p.s. would not say how many packages were delayed. both companies say the numbers were small and those packages should arrive by this weekend. >> there was plenty of nba action on christmas day so if you didn't get your packages, you could have enjoyed when sports right? >> yeah, we had plenty of naughty and nice people, too the naughty coming with two players ejected. the two teams tangled after the game. check a look here, that play during the fourth at the tie was the final dagger for griffin and he and beau get tang would up.

he's ejected. warriors on their own. in the final seconds chris paul driving, shot blocked from behind. he would get the ball back. he's got crawford, one of the best shooters in the nba can't get it to fall. warriors win a testy one by two. >> meanwhile we saw for the first time in nearly two decades, the lakers on christmas day without kobe bryant. his fractured knee kept him from extending his record 16th 16th christmas day appearance. here's kobe. >> strange to be coming in on christmas and not playing. you know, it's really spraining. that it's a fortune feeling but i'm here and i'm here to support my guys and, you know, watch them go out there and play well. >> kobe's teammates were left the deal with lebron james and the heat. all of them wearing the sleeved mandated jerseys on chris mat.

sleeves not restricting james. james on the receiving end of that one with wade playing santa all game long as the distributor. none were fun to watch as this next one. check it out pass off the back board, lebron's left-handed jam. see, it's impressive, because he's a righty. the heat win their sixth straight 101-95. >> garnett not feeling the christmas spirit in this one. yesterday, the bulls were the latest team to beat them by double digits. you can put a price on energy effort and passion. can't do it. that brooklyn's $98,000,000.0. guard deron williams said he is ready for this nightmare to end. >> this is now it's played out

all. we talk about the lack of effort and lack of energy, see that go as a problem putting this together. >> tony parker whooping it up against the rockets. a great story on houston's chandler who shaved his head recently in support of a 10-year-old cancer patient. he chipped in 21 points. teammate howard was doing damage down low. superman had a double-double on the day pinpoint, 20 boards for the big man and spurs though, trying to make it as a gail in the fourth. it would get down to three but harden lighting it up had 28 pits at the rockets go on to win 111-98. serena williams named athlete of the year, she won 11 titles in the year. >> is this where i bring up

stores illustrated snubbed her? ok, thank you. >> earthquake fears the rise and tremors why oil and gas may be playing a role. >> paying it forward starbucks customers spread holiday cheer. >> giving back, how one boy is using a popular drink to help the homeless.

>> six years ago, the southwestern state would average between two to six earthquakes a year. most were so small they hardly registered, but in 2009, the number of quakes began rising with residents feeling the tremors. >> increasingly, oklahoma's oil and natural gas drilling is done by hydraulic fracturing. many residents are concerned that process has led to a rise in earthquakes throughout the state. fracking injects high pressure water into bedrock to increase the flow of oil and natural gas. the disposal of that water in underground wells has more than doubled in recent years. >> the earthquake we are looking at -- he. >> austin holland conducted one study exploring the relationship and he says. >> that there's a likely cause and affect relationship between those earthquakes and hydraulic fracturing. we used to have one to three

and now more than 40. >> the findings are controversial. oklahoma is america's fifth largest oil producing state, billions at stake in loss profits and damage claims if the industry is to blame for the quakes. some residents say the jobs brought to oak on the ground are worth the risks. >> fracking could be involved. it's probably man made, but i would take in u.s. energy output versus these medium level earthquakes. >> residents are advised to buy earthquake insurance to protect their properties. seismic activity is likely to continue maybe even get worse. >> no one has been killed or

injured in the quakes, but is unsettling for the residents. >> common knee surgery performed in the u.s. is no more effective than fake surgery at least for the first year. researchers in finland tested patients who needed surgery for a torn anyone miss discuss. some were given a fake surgery that didn't touch the meniscus. after 12 months, the average procedure among subjects who got the legal and fake surgery was about the same. the study was published in the new england journal of medicine. >> it happened in vegas but we are telling the world. a cab driver is hailed for his honesty. he found $300,000 in cash in the back seat of his car. he says he thought someone left a bag of chocolates. when he looked in the bag he found six bundles of one

hundred-dollar bills. hopefully he got a reward. >> it didn't belong to me. i'm not interested. i just want to do the right thing. >> he did get a reward, $1,000 and dinner for two from his cab company. the money belonged to a poker player. it is vegas after all. >> the spirit of giving a little energy boost at a starbucks more than 400 customers died to pay it forward by buying coffee for the person behind them. the trend started at about 8:00 in the morning on christmas eve. by the time the store closed that night, they had a surplus of $45. >> in the latest over a series being meet a kid from california is helping to make life sweeter for the homeless. he is doing it one cup at a time. >> like other kids his age this 8-year-old loves christmas. >> you want blue on it?

>> the sweets, the decorations and the chance to have fun but this 8-year-old knows not all kids get to have chris mat the way he does. >> he said i want to give the homeless some things they can have for fun. >> i said i want to help the homeless. she said fine, fine. >> so jackson set up this cool laid stand and sold cups for $100 each or whatever people would pay. >> someone gave me one dollar. she put the dollar back in, grabbed 10 more an gave it to me. >> business boomed. five stands and three months later, he and his friends raised more than $3,000 and they bought toys. >> all these toys? >> a lot of toys for kids here at the bakersfield homeless center. >> this one is remote control.

>> this 7-year-old got a present. he lives at the shelter with his nine brothers and sisters. >> he gave me a ninja turtlele. >> somebody at an age where mostly are thinking about themselves decided they wanted to do something about other kids. christmas happened because he cared. >> jackson doesn't seem to fully grasp how much he helped these children, but said it's cool to aid kids. >> i want to do it again next year, and then the next year and then the next, until i'm like 20. >> that means a lot of smiles and toys for homeless kids. aljazeera. >> that will do it for this edition of aljazeera america. more headlined in two and a half minutes. keep it here. ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america