>> turkey's new cabinet meets in political turmoil. an american, captured in pakistan, pleads for americans to help him. and canada, without power and an ice storm is keeping them in the dark. >> returning to the streets, calling for the government to

resign in the wake of a corruption scandal. the prime minister is reshuffling his cabinet. and aljazeera has more. >> reporter: for the last week, since the corruption scandal in turkey, there has been a protest in the streets, both in ankara and istanbul, the biggest city in turkey. since the wave of protests, which was earlier this summer, and it's believed that they are putting pressure on his showed. and it's getting difficult for him to tackle with this issue. especially in the days where there are signals in the turkish economy, and in the last days, the lira is 10% against the dollar. we're going to see what's going on for the last week as his

popularity, ahead of two upcoming elections in 2014. he's a highly charismatic figure in turkey. and also, there's a movement with a cleric in the u.s., and now there's a feud in sudan between him and argon as well. he's shuf ling the top of his cabinet, and it's making it stronger for the elections in 2014. now he has a clean cabinet, so they're going to see how much it's going to be for the public in turkey. >> the state department said its working to authenticate a newly released video of an american abducted in pakistan two years ago. he calls on president obama to help free him.

>> nine years ago i came to pakistan to help my government, at a time when most wouldn't come here. and now i need my government. it seems that i've been totally abandoned. >> in august, at the time of the abduction, he was working in pakistan for a scutting company, and now to end the violence there. the president arrives there this morning. for thousands of people in the last 11 days. >> the kenyan president and the prime minister are trying to find a way out of this particular crisis. a lot of people have seen the

past two days, foreign nationals coming into the country because they know how important it is to end what's going on right now. some people said that there's sporadic gunfire. and also, in an oil rich area, a lot of people are pinning their hopes on it actually happening. we know that they are willing to talk, but there are conditions with the former vice president, nobody knows his whereabouts. we were told that if the talks were held in ethiopia. a lot of people are hoping that [ inaudible ]

>> at least five people were injured in a bomb explosion. the muslim brotherhood, a terrorist organization. egypt's prime minister said that he would stand firmly against terrorism. the muslim brotherhood has denied it. calling for february elections to be pushed back, this comes as a police officer was killed and more than 100 people were injured in street battles in bangkok. we have more. >> the government has not issued a statement yet. but the main protesters have said that the elections will not meet their demands. they want the prime minister to step down, and they said that it

would only prolong the administration of the interim government. they don't trust the government anymore, and they are refusing to negotiate. >> happening right now, the united nations special on view in sudan is holding a briefing for the press. >> for us, one of the most important things is the political leaders of south sudan to order their forces to lay down their arms and give peace a chance. it's urgency. that is my first key message today. today, the president of kenya, and the ethiopian prime minister, visited cuba. the heads of state have engaged in activity with both parties,

and a summit will take place in nairobi tomorrow. they have just departed, and i'm waiting to get the outcome of the meeting. the mission fully supports these intents and ongoing efforts of sudan's neighbors to seek a resolution to the continuing crisis. i've been in president of the political leaders of south sudan and leaders on this very critical process to bring an end to the fighting and the violence that is unfolding as we speak. my second message is that the mission is here to stay and protect. we're maintaining an increasing footprint and presence across the country. we community those that are not critical from any locations.

we are increasing our capacity elsewhere. we're improving an increased and rapid redeployment of a mission afterward to the most volatile areas, in particular where they have sought refuge in our camps. we have over 50,000 refugees in our various compounds. and their presence is an eloquent testimony for the acute need for operations in south sudan. therefore, we are not abandoning south sudan. we are here to stay and here to protect. we will do everything possible with our resources. at the same time, we need to also increase those resources. for that reason, i welcome the security council's resolution to

bolster the pranks of our peace keepers by 5,500, and dispatch more military helicopters to enhance the capability to protect them. at the same time, the military is overstretched with the current protection obligations related to the civilians in our campus and making sure that they are safe. and we are also doing some patrols now, and both day and night in the neighborhoods in juba, to try to create a more protective environment for people so be they can return to their homes. however, many will remain in the camps, due to [ unintelligible ] we are strengthening our compounds to make sure that they can have better security, bother in the civilians and for the military, located there.

the scale of this crisis has challenged an already overstretched mission, and we must not only -- sought refuge, but we must be able to protect them out there when they're under threat in the environment. and all violence, and that is why these increased resources are so essential. we are in desperate need for improved capacity and strength to be able to implement the mandate in a much better way. but all peace keepers are authorized to use force when civilians are under threat within their capability and that is the instruction for those who are there for those protecting our camp and those there. my message is related to the protection mandate and it also

includes the rights of civilians. their rights are essential. we have heard reports of killings, mistreatment, abuse and also mass graves.

>> call for an additional $166 million in providing good sanitation, good healthcare and assistance for all those in dire need. oval, it has been estimated that south sudan needs $1.1 billion in humanitarian aid. so the $166 million is not a [ audio difficulties ] to what is needed at the interim. coming back with a more comprehensive assessment. we continue to provide food, shelter, water, and treatments to the civilians in our camps. we have established partners and

are taking on these services. as you all know, humanitarian response is not the mandate of the missions or our area of expertise. it is critical that our humanitarian partners undertake these functions. this is not working, and we are consistently now increasing the services to the people in the camps. let me end with a word, south sudan is a nation. the diversity of this nation should not be a force of division. diversity should be an asset of strength in the process of nation building. today, unity is more important than ever. and it's absolutely fundamental that the leaders of the country and all political forces and communities now put their own identity first, and not their own identity as members of a

particular community. it is on that account that this country can move forward, out of a situation of violence and strife, and onto a peace trek. this morning, i had the opportunity to meet, and let us hope that they can grow up in the south sudan in peace with opportunity to be in prosperity and debment. thank you very much. and i'm happy to take any questions. >> you're listening to hillary johnson, the united nations specialist, saying that the united nations is in this for the long haul. the sudan is perhaps on the brink of a civil war, and just a few updates, she said that the u.n. is possibly sending 5500 troops, and they also says that they will need money. the humanitarian efforts will

need perhaps $166 million over the next few months, but really, perhaps $1 billion to help the people of south sudan. and 50,000 civilians seeking refuge in the camps in the south sudan. again, a worsening situation in the south sudan, and they're in this for the long haul. we'll continue to report on the situation in the south sudan. meantime, south country and japan are condemning a visit to a war shrine. he visited it, it honors japan's war dead. the prime minister saw it as a war gesture. convicted war criminals are enshrined at the site. and the called it an open provocation >> reporter:?

>> utility crews are working around-the-clock to restore electricity after an ice storm in canada. a quarter of a million homes and businesses are without power. and some have been in the dark since saturday. the storm is also blamed for 27 deaths. >> it may look like a winter wonderland, but for many people across canada and the u.s. in this holiday season, there has been little cheer. hundreds of thousands of homes have been left without power in an ice storm sweeping down from arctic. it has taken a toll. many road users lose control of their vehicles. across the north, a main concern for the emergency services.

>> we have to go up there to help everybody. >> many people in vermont spent christmas day in the cold and the dark. firefighters went door-to-door to check on residents and let people know about shelters. across canada and the u.s., they are trying to stay warm, using generators. that has increased carbon monoxide poisoning and already deaths have been report. for the most, there is little chance of a letup to the arctic blast. these conditions will not ease for several days. >> when we come back on aljazeera america. >> we have had tornadoes, and hail storms, and all of those kinds of things, but never

earthquakes. >> we'll tell you about oklahoma residents' new geological roar.

>> normally when you think of earthquakes, three have hit, and the u.s. geological society says that more than 200 earthquakes have shaken up america since 2009. >> in the small town of edmond, oklahoma, earthquakes are a big part of daily discussion. because in recent days, these residents have had their share of tremors. >> i was sleeping, and i felt a little -- and i woke up and went to my mom's room. and my mom is, woo, did you feel

it. >> we have had tornadoes and hail storms and all of those kinds of things, but never earthquake. >> they have averaged 2-6 earthquakes a year, most so small they hardly register. but since 2009, they have increased. the natural gas drilling are making hydraulic fracturing, and some are concerned that that process has led to a rise of earthquakes. they have conducted at least one study. >> the relationship between the earthquakes and hydraulic fractish, we used to have 1-3 in

a year, and now we're having 40 earthquakes. >> but the findings are controversial. oklahoma is the largest oil producing state. the jobs that are brought to oklahoma are worth the risk. >> fracking could be manmade, but i do say in the u.s. energy output verses the medium earthquakes. >> but for how long? officials are encouraging residents to buy earthquake insurance to protect their properties, and u.s. geological survey says that oklahoma's seismic activity is likely to continue and may even get worse.

>> holiday celebrations are continuing on wall street. stocks are higher by 58 points. s&p set record highs on monday and tuesday, ahead of the christmas break, and we're getting our first look at how retailers fared this holiday season. and it looks strong. sales from a november 1st to christmas eve rose 2.3%, compared to a gain in 2012. mastercard said that they performed better than their smaller counterpart this year. volume in bad weather kept the firm from dropping off in time for the holidays. ups said that the number of packages topped peak projections. and amazon.com is offering a

card for customers whose packages didn't arrive on time. a positive report on jobs. the number of people applying for initial unemployment benefits dropped 42,000 last unique, the above the in a year. economy added an average of 204,000 jobs every month from august to november. the cofounder of blackberry, he was planning to launch a bid with fellow cofounder, but a filing with the securities exchange commission said that he is cutting his stake in the firm and ending any potential effort to purchase blackberry. much more to come on the other side of the break. keep it here.

>> here are today's headlines

of the a video has surfaced of the american abducted in pakistan two years ago. he has been held since august of 2011 of into. >> the turkish prime minister has reshuffled his cabinet after representing ten ministers in the wake of a widespread corruption investigation. elections are scheduled for march. thousands of people in the u.s. and canada are waiting for the power to come back on. an ice storm downed power lines, and it's blamed for at least 27 deaths. a new study explains a common knee surgery performed thousands of peoples a year in the u.s. is no more effective than fake surgery in the first year. patients needed surgery for a

torn meniscus. some were given a fake surgery. and after months, difference in those who got the real surgery and the fake surgery was about the same. the story was published in the journal ofedicine. well, we have had plenty of snow around the great lakes this year, and now we're seeing a lot less snow out west. in fact, the areas around the sierra nevadas, the average snowpack this time of year, we're seeing dry, and we're not expecting much in the way of snowpack. it's going to continue to shrink down. as we look at the amount of snow we have in the u.s., you see there's a significant amount dropping from canada to the

great lakes, and it's still coming down now. we're seeing the snow sweep into parts of the northeast, where we're getting a clipper system. another foot of lake affect snow. >> thank you, and finally a story about redemption for all of those misshaped fruits and vegetables that some call ugly. there's a market for them now. it's a cooperative to sell fruit at a lower price, and now there's a waiting list of farmers trying to get involved. the project has so for prevented 2 tons of food from going to waste. more fruit. we have more throughout the day. for the very latest on what's going on in your world, go to

aljazeera.com.