organizations. even though they are very >> a bomb has exploded injuries five people. it was planted at a busy intersection in the city neighborhood. close to a university. the blast shattered the windows of a public bus. security forces diffused another bomb in the area, it happened two days after a car bomb killed 14 people in the city of monsieur rah. ranty government protestors have been fighting. one officer has been killed. the protestors are demanding elections be canceled. the government though is refusing to back down. florence is in bangkok with the latest. after nearly two weeks of relative calm, chaos has

returned to the streets of bangkok. protestors try to break into a stadium used to register candidates to snap elections -- the retaliation was swift. tier gas, water cannon, and steel bullets were used and dozens of people were injured. during is operations were fired into where police were gathered. three policeman were injured. >> inside the building, however, the registration proceeded with candidates on the representatives drawing lots to determine their position on ballot papers. the situation was so dangerous that officials had to leave by helicopter. several hours later, election commission officers urged the government to postpone the election. fighting further violence among other regions.

it seems they have satisfied no one. protestors say a postponement would only extend the rule, while haw moon rights activists slow democracy. >> the commission simply gave up to an act of violence by antigovernment groups. the permissions should have prepared better to avoided a situation like this. they saw it coming, they saw the protestors coming. >> protestors are demanding the prime minister resign. they want an unelected body to take over the country and implement reyou remember toes. instead but says that can happen only after elections. despite the announcement, protestors are. cooing their block aid, promising not to give in until demands have been met. thailand's political stability looks as shaky as ever. al jazeera, bangkok.

>> african leaders have met with south sudan's president kenya's president, and ethiopia's prime minister, described the talks as constructive and candid. they are trying to mediate an to end the fighting that the government says started with an attempted coupe. >> wrung on is on the division of hostilities. the immediate start of talks, and it was said to be an issue of politically. and the issue is on the detainees who are suspects of the coup, and it is the humanitarian crisis. >> the head of the u.n. mission in south sudan says u.n. peace keepers have been told to use force if necessary.

they also spoke about reports of mass graves. which she says were reports that were incorrect. there was a figure that come out, and we corrected that immediately after. a my understanding between the mission and geneva. we do not have any possibility to very fine mass graves, and the numbers 75 is incorrect. and we have had a dialog with geneva about this. where are found in one location, they had died in the scrimmage. >> . >> is there much hope a resolution and be found with kenya and ethiopia? >> . >> i think one thing to

the people have been to similar crisis in the past. there's been issues of violence, and people have told -- and hopefully people there hope something more tangible can come out of the whole situation. the only concern is that they both have agreed to talk, they still have certain conditions the former vice president, although there has been a race -- and he also wants many of these talks to be in ethiopia. they said they will not release the detainees at the moment, so i think people think -- a lot of hope, and the regional media is also pushing for a solution. >> you have been able to speak to the people, what do they make of the on going crisis? >> people are tired. i think for the first

time today they managed to access areas where the fighting actually started. one area was near the bar racks bar racks. and it is pretty much deserted. houses are destroyed there are a couple of more dead bodies in the yea. soldiers are in control of the area, per patrolling the area, and they are trying to tell people to come back home, and that the area is safe, but other people don't really believe it, ore they are not sure, so they are still sleeping in the u.n. compounds, the two big compounds here. they each have 2,000 people crammed in there. they won't go home because they are scared. they couldn't move around without security, and people are concerned about efforts in the area. one area we tried to -- were told not to go to -- so other things are relatively calm, people are on the streets. they wanted to get in

just at that town that officials are still quite nervous about and still trying to contain that particular area. >> thank you very much for updating us on that situation. speaking to us from jubea. you are watching the al jazeera news hour, still to come, the u.s. sends military aid to iraq to help combat al quaida, but does the deal include drones? plus, a visit by japan's prime minister to a controversial shrine triggers fury from china. we will tell you why. and in sport, why it's been a bad day in this defender from the english premier league. aid agencies have joined over it's respousal to take in syrian refugees. let's get more on this

story from london. >> it says it is bet tore give aid to neighbors countries such as lebanon, jordan, and turkey, to help them cope. his funeral was held today. >> mourners at the london mosque. >> hundreds have gone to syria to save lives and ended up losing his own. his grief stricken family insists he was murdered by the regime. >> somebody who has gone out, you know, to help the people of syria, and the suffering that is going on. and it's been treated so badly. by the authorities.

>> results will be announced later this week, which may reveal signs of whether dr. can was tortured and how he died. >> the british government said he tried hard to get access to him, but all to no avail. the family feel more should have been done, the british company is also being criticized for it's performance on another key issue. >> 16 countries have agreed to take a total of 10,000. but the british government says the focus of its aid should be to help syria's neighbors countries deal with the problem. it's minister for

immigration said i believe such initiatives should be our focus. rather than the resettlement of providing humanitarian evacuation to displaced syrians initiatives which provide only limited relief to the neighboring countries. critics say the u.k. is failing in it's moral duty to help, and that the u.n.'s latest appeal only calls for a few hundred syrians to be allowed in. >> the pressure is on lebanon and jordan are such that we have to be sharing the responsibility for actually coping with the refugee flows. that's why we are calling for the u.k. to participate in a global resettlement program. >> the british government is playing tough on immigration, it is a bit domestic political issue. syrian refugees may be paying the price for that. simon mcgregorwood london. >> nine people are dead, following a plane crash in russia. the car go plane crashed into a military base on

the outskirts. russian news report say the plane struck a warehouse while trying to land. the first of the so called arctic 30 has left russia, the rest have been given an exit visas and have their passports returned. last week the kremlin dropped charges of hooliganism. they were detained in september, after boarding a russian oil rig. the center for economic and business research estimates in britain will overtake france to become the world's fifth largest economy. it is also predicted it will then leapfrog germany to become the biggest. the day after christmas is a retailers dream, across europe and most of the western world, but there is a serious side, as economists use it to test consumer confidence. early indications point to britain's having a boxing day spending

spree. the way people are 1407ing is changing. in the early hours eager shoppers brave the freezing temperatures, all in hope of a bargain. >> there was tapement for these cold shoppers, but the retail industry takes the sales ex-freely seriously. the recent bad weather hit shops before christmas. this is one of london's most famous stores sales are up more than 15% on last year. i think partly due to the success of london, and a lot of that comes from the olympics and other attractions we have seen. but also, i think we recognize having some of the top designer brands some of the top retailers that certainly atrack a lot of customers worldwide. >> it is a combination of those top brands and tax breaks that are attracting people from all over the world. >> london has the highest

tax refund. almost 30%. compared to other countries. so they are a lot cheaper here than they say in indonesia. >> you show the quality. the january sales start so early now online, that it gives online traders almost an unfair advantage. i think the earlier january sale we saw online started on november the 15th. this is an industry that can't afford to be fussy

whether it's online or in stores it is the selling that counts. there are around 3 million people employed and online stores and on shops. it is also a good indicator of consumer confidence that people are spending money in shops that means the economy must be on the up. >> and the u.k. economy is growing faster than previously estimated. but as a sparkle of christmas sales stays the challenge for retailers will be to keep up this momentum. al jazeera, london. >> ailing to produce food waste by in europe 30% of produce is lefted. the ugly fruit project wants to change that. it had 150 members and is already stopped two times the food from going to waste.

joins us live from washington with more, now, tom, do we know what kind of weapon that are being provided to iraq? >> well, remember that they have the agreement for significant sales of military equipment. to the iraqi government, but specifically now the iraqis have told the americans that they have run out of held fire air to ground missles which they deploy on very small cessna like turboprop planes to use against so

these are to replenish the stocks and as well to provide more -- as you mention 75 missles have already arrived and more are to be coming in the near future, and along with that, some drones. also the white house has cautioned that there has been no formal request for any kind of u.s. operated armed drones over iraq, nor does the united states plan to divert any of its armed drones to iraq. >> now, tom, can you just give us an idea at to what is promised these deliveries now? well, the violence in iraq has reached the worst proportions since 2008. and this actually in contrast to the assureses that iraq situation was in hand following the complete crawl of

complete combat forces. so the the al quaida insurgence which is the! ic state for iraq and syria, operating by the way on -- for both sides of the border, from syria as well. have become -- have prompted a very serious military operation on the part of the iraqi government. just this week, the boarder between syria and rye rack was closed which was an unusual event. it is now reopened. but these are on going military operations and they seem to be the government, the military especially since several high ranking iraqi officials were killed by al quaida affiliates in the last few days that has prompted a very fierce response on the part of the iraqi authorities. >> all right, tom, thank you for that. tom reporting to us from washington. in turkey, the prosecutor

working on a corruption case that has rocked the government says the police obstructed his work. he is now being removed from the case. the chief prosecutor says he is dismissed for mishandles it. allegations have forced him to replace half of his cabinet following the resignation of three senior members. the interior, economy, and environment ministers quit their jobs after their sons were arrested in the corruption inquiry. dend maaing the government resign, they used tier gas and water cannons to disburse the crowd. some people had strong words for their government. >> right now we have two choices, either the act party or the movement. but we want a third choice, we don't want ethey are of the two. there's a power struggle going on, we know that, but we don't want to be a part of it. >> it means there's a

false shroud of democracy that's covering turkey right now. i just wish that all those domestic affair i do wish there was more support for pressure for that matter call for the government to either make drastic changes or to completely resign. turkish government has been locked in a struggle between the police and prosecutors and now it seems that the struggle has been broken out within the justice system. the turkish prosecutor released a recent statement saying that he wanted to expand the investigation, he demanded the police to arrest some more people, but the police refused. the government dismissed over 100 police chiefs in istanbul and all over tomorrow. just right after the eru7gs of the prop, and according to the prosecutor, these are the newly appointed police chiefs who refuse to

arrest people. just after he has released his statement, the chief prosecutor was in front of the cameras and he said the prosecutor was given false and misleading information to the public, and that's the reason he had been removed for misleading the case. since the start, turkish government and prime minister sees it as an international plot, and he said he is going to cut the hands of the plotters. and for the opposition, they are asking the truth to come out, and in the meantime, there is a public anger that continues to grow. since the start of the plot, there were some protests all over istanbul, and yet, the biggest demonstration is expected to take place on friday evening.

gunman in libya have blocked the entrances to the central bank. now it's not clear which group the fighters belong to. an elderly american kidnaps in pakistan has appealed to the u.s. government for help in securing his release. he was working for a u.s. consulting company. winestein is 72, and he made his appeal in a 13 minute video released by al quaida. china wants to know why the japanese prime minister visited a controversial war shrine in tokyo. he has been summons to explain. 14 convicted war criminals are among those honors at the shrine. correspondent reports now from hong kong.

his visit was intended as a mark of respect. but he certainly had to know it would anger his neighbors, china in particular. >> i show myn't ares to the war debt, who sacrificed their precious lives for japan. >> lit be lucked by more nationalistic forces who advocate being tough we japan's neighbors. many of them are the same people who voted him into power. >> i feel that it was unnecessary. our prime minister is still very popular, so he didn't really need to go to this extreme to buy the right wing popularity. >> and political gain at home may be outweighed by the damage to relations with china. >> a strong rebuke from china was expected but the language was unusually harsh. in a statement from the

country's foreign ministry china condemned the visit as a brazen challenge to human conscious. warning that japan would bear the consequences. >> relations between the two are already at a low end, given the current dispute, between china and japan, over islands in the east china sea. and the visit is likely to further escalate the rhetoric from both sides. >> this is an unsubtle provocation that is an international controversy. this traples upon the human conscious. i already represented the chinese government, and convey to the japanese side that we sol lemnly contest. and it, he insisted it was the show the commitment to peace, and a rejection of war. >> i have absolutely no intention of hurting the feelings of people on

china and korea. >> but this will likely play into the hands of more aggressive elements in china, who would just defy their own country's increasing nationalism by saying look no further. rob mcbride, hong kong. >> still to come on the news hour, what killed yasir arafat? new findings cast doubt other the theory that he was poisoned. plus, why a spark of optimism. and in sport, a world record crowd, in the test with england. >>

>> al jazeera america is the only news channel that brings you live news at the top of every hour. >> here are the headlines at this hour. >> only on al jazeera america.

>>

>> the news hour of our top stories. 23 people have been arrested for being linked to the muslim brotherhood. egypt's government declares the group a terrorist organization.

the government has reject add call from the election commission to postpone an election due in february. the leaders of kenya and ethiopia have met with south sudan's president in juba. they are trying to mediate an end to an apparent coupe attempt. the cause of his death is still the subject of debate. now a team is raising more questions. al jazeera first obtain add report in 2012 by a lab which claimed there were unusual radio active -- let's take a look now at the findings the swiss report published in november, said that high levels of polonium were found in arafat's body, analyst said there was moderate backing for the poisons theory. then came the french report early this month. though it is yet to be

made public sources say it rejects the poisons theory in favor of death by natural causes. and now the russians have given their findings and they say that arafat died of natural causes, and not from radiation exposure. joining me now from london, the lawyer for yasir arafat's widow. thank you for joining us. so this is the second medical report to say that arafat died of natural causes. and not poisons. what do you make of it? remember, we have informed the palestinian authority, that arafat did not die of polonium, because it was very low. but they concluded that the palestinian authority that his death was not

natural, and he died of something and we are still looking into it. and looking at some aspects of this report, because we looked at this report, it was sent to us before the swiss report, we subjected that to top scientists. and they concluded the report was not scientific at all. in terms of data, and of ant sis, it didn't adapt at all. so scientifically it was not -- it had no scientific basis. and therefore have to remember one thing, when asaad used the chemical weapons against his own people, the russian government at the time claimed that there was no weapons were not used. we have no confident nor trust in the findings of the russian -- i wouldn't say the russian experts, but some experts -- those are are close to them. >> right. >> may i just interrupt

you here, now you are basically faulting the two reports the french report and the russian report. the swiss team said they could only offer moderate backingle pas you are trying to find something that's not actually there? >> i was -- i obtained the report on behalf of mrs. arafat, and i obtained a presentation with ours with the swiss scientist. their report was the most comprehensive, and the moe -- because all asungs, and we subjected them to the moat expert skill in the world. i didn't talk about the french report, because of legal restrictions, but i can tell you, the french did not send the radio active scientists to the exhumation at all. >> right. >> and their calculations

were responded to by the swiss experts and we are going to encounter expert -- the report, we are going to present our findings to prove that the french report didn't -- either. be uh the russian report forget about it. >> we're just running out of time here, and we want to try to get your say as much as possible, so if you can very briefly tell us where does the investigation go from here? >> we are going to get the response to the swiss experts and we are confident that -- >> can i interrupt you here, the swiss report, the swiss team has issued a statement, and they say that the russian finding is a political statement, what do they mean by that? >> what they mean is by convenience. >> what can be that political convenience.

>> well, just -- we were told by some people who are close to the russian experts that the government there choose political convenience not to undermine the so called peace process between israel and the palestinians and that's why they wanted the cover up. the soviet union died but the old streaks are still there with the russian government. >> all right, we will have to leave it there, thank you for joining us. the lawyer for yasir arafat's widow. and nine policeman in been he dash have been hurt after a home made bomb was thrown at police vans. according to local media, the attack was carried out by opposition party supporters, political violence is increasing in the run up to next month's elections. meanwhile, tens of thousands of troops have been deployed across been he dash ahead of that vote. their jab is to prevent more violent protests and

demonstrators want the prime minister to resign, so caretaker government can take over. the opposition -- has called for a nationwide strike. >> the government in been he dash has given itself sweeping powers to regulate people's activity online, but critics say lit choke the press and limit freedom of speech. more now from a ca. >> inch stead he is here to fight for his freedom. he is the first person to be tried but the country's controversial news. other say the charges are politically motivated and the government has set up

the tribunal to suppress criticism. >> now, the media activists human rights activists and any other citizen or political activists who have voiced against the regime, will be punished under this law. under this new oppressive law. >> the government says that's not the case. and it is simply frying to protect from online attacks. >> if anything defamatory, or anything fighting inside anything that comments is fosters to the social media. the government is going to stop it, block it, so that it is not harmful for the society. >> until the late 90's, if you wanted to watch more than one television channel, you had to buy one of these. today all the major phone operators are calling services by december. but with the government struggling to cope with

such rapid advances of technology. >> social media use is booming and this has brought a problem. us uh the crime is meant to tack this will but critics fear it goes too far. >> it is far more harsh than similar laws we had in place for print publications. the potential for chilling media freedom, under this act is very great. >> been he dash already ranked as low as 144th. with the creation of cyber crimes tribunal, people stay at risk for entiring further towards the bottom. al jazeera. >> economic problems are calling political ink rest in cambodia, thousands of garment factory workers have been protesting in the capitol. the workers are demanding a higher minimum wage, which recently raise add $95 an month, but workers

say that's not enough. governments account for 75% of all trade, but stiff competition has decreased profits. to look to reenforce trade partnerships. after being denied entry for years because of sanctions, foreign investors are now flocking to the nation. destruct foreign -- the economy will grow by 6.8% in the next financial year. but in what is becoming a worry for many, inflation rose to 7.3% in august. my mar's economy, once considered the gem of southeast say sha is regaining it's luster.

he has seen the profits double in the last two. >> when the new government took over, it opens up the country and the market. more tourists are coming in, also, an easing current restrictions tour is are able to bring more money. >> since a mostly civilian government took over, it's introduced a wave of political, social, and economic reforms. encouraged by the move, western countries have suspended sanctions. foreign investment has been pouring in, and even though it is named as one of the worst places in the world to do business, siting a lack of transparency and infrastructure, the country is still seen as one with enormous potential. >> people want an instant reaction, and the nation -- it's a step by step process. give them a chance. mindful of the need to keep attracting investment, the government has

introducessed tax breaks and promise to draft new laws. >> the world bank is forecast economic growth to outpace that of its neighbors for this year and the next. but it is also said inflation is a risk. it is mainly food and accommodation prices that have driven inflation. and an impending increase, has people more concerns. the government has agreed to postpone, but says it is necessary to encouraging private companies to enter the industry. >> increasing electricity will have a direct impact on my family, i'm struggling to survive. once the price increases the prices of other goods will also go up. >> it is a balancing act they will have to be mindful of, while making sure it's poorest citizens are not left behind. al jazeera.

a recent agreement when iran and world powers will be eased restrictions hit the sector, particularly hard slashing profits and jobs. but now, there's hope that things are about to turn around. from the city -- that's the site of iran's biggest car manufacturing planted. back on track. people have found a renewed sense of optimism. the country wants to become one of the top 10 auto makers in the world, but producing up to 3 million cars a year that goal is a step closer because of the nuclear jet stream, which includes lifting sanctions. ry moving the sanctions we go with the direction

to remove all weakness point of -- not just by choosing mass past from the falling. >> the main partners started pulling out of the auto industry in 2012, it followed an international ban on trading withty ran's car building sector. at it reese peek, iran produced 1.7 million cars annually, but this year, the government says production dropped by almost 40%. and while iran wants to reclaim what it has lost, too do those foreign partners. >> it has changed since sanctions hit. >> less than two years

ago. but but the country is determined not to rely on foreign imports like it did in the past. >> according to officials iran's automotive industry layed off more than 100,000 workers in the past two years. because of sanctions and because of iran's bad economy. so what sanctions could mean, is that thousands of men and women, could finally get their jobs back. and every car that rolls off the production line, means that prospect increases. al jazeera. you are watching al jazeera, and still to come, we'll tell you what is keeping some people in the u.s. state of oklahoma await at nights.

returns from injury, sarah will have the details right after the break. blame

hot topic lately,n the something that was rare until now until last year. it is now keeping people awake at night. >> earthquakes are a big

part of daily discussion that's because in recent days these residents have had their share of tremors. >> i was sleeping and i felt like a little and i woke up so i went into my mom's room, and my mom is like did you feel that? >> way have had tornadoes and hailstorms and those kind of things but never an earthquake. >> six years ago the southwestern state would average between two to six earthquake as year, most so small they hardly registered. in 2009, the number of quakes began rising with residents feeling the tremors. >> increasingly, oklahoma's isle h oil and natural gas drilling is being done by hydraulic fracking. they have concerned that that has led to a rise of earthquakes in the state. >> fracs injects high pressure water to increase the flow of oil into natural gas. the disposal of that water has also more than

doubles in recent years. austin has completed at least one study -- >> there is a likely cause, used to three or greatner a year, and now we are averaging more than 40 earthquakes. >> but the findings are controversial billions are at stake with more research proves the industry is to blame for the quakes. some residents say the jobs they bring, are worth the risks. fracing the be involved it is probably more man made, but i would take a uptick in u.s. energy output verses these medium level earthquakes. >> but for lounge. officials are now encouraging residents to buy earthquake insurance,

to protect their properties as the u.s. gee logical survey warns oklahoma's size mick activity the likely to continue. it may even get worse. al jazeera, edmond oklahoma. >> it's time for sports now. the gunners fell behind when carlson score add minute into the second half to put the home side 1-nil up. and just three minutes later put arsenal in front. capped off the win in the 79th minute, 3-1 to arsenal, the final score, liverpool will have the chance to reclaim the top spot. the score is 2-1. >> manchester united has moved up to six followed an impressive fight back.

to give you an idea of the real scare, but wayne rooney 150th premier goal making it 2-2 in the second half. who earlier opening the scores headed in an on goal that gave unite add 3-2 win. >> fantastic result for us. after being there for the first ten minute oz if game i think. but anyway, we got back in it. a few scary moments but we probably should have got a fourth goal. good place to come up and score goals. >> chelsea are now 2 points off the lead in second. everton were beaten by bottom place cinder land. crystal palace got their second away win, under fire manager were crushed 3-nil, that's south

hamilton, and new cast salt lake closing in on the top four after the 5-1 thrashing of stoke. india has had the better of the play on day one, with south africa, the match making his final appearance before his test retiement. after south africa came so close, chasing down a world record target in the first pass, a lot of expectations around the second and final test of the serious. when bad length stopped playing he was closing in on a century, in india where 181 for one. a world record crowd watched dominate new england on the fourth test. more than 91,000 spectators were packed into the melvin correct ground as england struggled. kevin peterson overhanged some obvious signs of illness to finish day unbeaten on 67, but he was the only one to pass 50. and a couple of late from

johnson. we didn't start off as well as we like, you probably want to make sure you are on, we probably didn't do that, but once again we pulled it back. where three chances probably down as well. it is a pretty good day, i think. disappointing. we have a lot of starts there, and not going on is what we have done a little bit. seo the positive is that we have kevin tomorrow morning and if he had a good couple of hours then things can change quickly. while the san antonio spurs hosted the rockets.

it was a silent night for the host. >> advertise the season for basketball at the staple center. two los angeles lakers host the miami heat minus kobe bryant who is down with a knee injury. the lakers really could have used kobe in this one. but the heat lebron james and dwayne wade were in peek form including this. the heat had a 51-46 lead. as nick young sank the three and drew a foul. l.a. couldn't catch up, and lebron james put up 18 points and nine rebounds for miami, in the 101-95 win. kobe bryant talked about the fracture in his knee which he suffered last week. >> you know, it is obviously not something that i wanted to have happen, but there's nothing you can do about it, and so from that standpoint, you have to

look at the injury for what it is, which is something that will heal, and be was strong as it was. i was fortunate that it wasn't a meniscus or anything else. >> another christmas day meeting had san antonio you host houston, and the visitors got off to a quick start. and jeremy lynn was keeping spurs points off the board, and putting them up himself. san antonio came within 6 points before half time, but dwight howard has two of his 15 to incease the lead to eight. the spurs closed to within 3 points in the fourth, with man knew janobly's three pointer. he had 22 on the night. james harden had a game high 28 as houston won 111-98. forout of five home teams

lost their games. chicago was led by 20 points they beat brooklyn. cope durrant scored 29 points as oklahoma city beat new york 123 to 94. and the golden state warriors edged out the l.a. clippers 105-103. the annual city yacht race is underway with wild oats 11 looking to repeat its win. the event is one of the most difficult yacht races in the world. more than 90 boats are taking part wild oats 11 is aiming to win the race. right now they are in third place overall. >> from women bell don championship has loose on his return there injury at the abu dhabi tennis championship. the number four hadn't played isn't back surgery in september, as hi lost in straight sets to freshman -- he is the 7-5

in the quarter finals for only his second loss in ten meetings against his opponent. he will now meet world number two. earlier, to set up a semifinal clash against world number one. the event which features six of the top 10 players saw number three fight back from a break down to take the first set 7-5, he then cruised through second set taking it 61-to set up the tie against come patriot nadal. well, there's much more sport on our website, for all the latest check out aljazeera.com/sport. using twitter and facebook. that's all your sport for now, back to you. >> thank you. well, stay with us here, we have another full bulletin of news right after the top of the hour. we'll be with you soon, stay on al jazeera.

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.

america.me to al jazeera here are the stories we are following for you. an al quaida linked group sends video of a u.s. individual pleading for the u.s. to help him. trying to find a way to stop the violence, and some christmas gifts are still in transit after an on line shipping boom causes delayed. an american man kidnapped in pakistan is asking president obama for help. he appears in a newly