welcome to al jazeera america, i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. our prominent lebanese politician is dead. assassinated in beirut. deadly clashes between egyptian security forces and student protesters. and japan approving the relocation of a controversial u.s. military base. ♪ we continue to follow that assassination today in beirut, a car bomb killing a former

finance minister and five others. >> reporter: a daring attack in the heart of beirut's posh downtown area. the car baum killed the former finance minister, his bodyguard, and four others. he was a close aide and top advisor to former prime minister, and leading figure in the freedom movement. the explosion took place just a short distance from the residence where he had his office. security had been very tight here lately, but that was not enough to prevent the attack. >> translator: we were inside and felt glass breaking and coming in, and then we heard the sound, and then it happened. an explosion continued to break, we waited until it was all

broken and then went out and saw this. >> translator: as you can see all of the shops are damaged. all of this is terrorism. damaging the people and the country. what more can i say. god help this country. >> reporter: politicians said they already know who was behind the attack, and they [ technical difficulties ] >> translator: the killer is the same. all of syria, the same killer isser targeting the heros of lebanon. two weeks before the work of the international court investigating the president, they killed mohammed shata.

>> reporter: it's not the first car bomb to hit lebanon this year. over the summer there were attacks in the hezbollah strong hold of beirut's southern suburb. lebanese politicians may disagree on various issues, but when it comes to the deteriorating situation in the country, they share the same view, the civil war next door in syria is the cause of it. for the people who live in lebanon their country is turning into a battleground for regional players. >> this war is transforming the whole political landscape, and even the borders that were

prevailing before this syrian revolution, so it could be part of a big attempt to redraw the whole map. >> reporter: mohammed was a key figure to bring the killers to justice. he always stressed it was important to deter the perpetrators from further killing. eight years later an international tribunal is set to start on january 16th. but that did not stop this assassination. so who is this man believed to be the target of today's bombing? he graduated from american university in beirut. he was lebanon's ambassador to the ewes from 1997 to 1999. he was a stanch critic of syrian president, bashar al-assad, and has accused assad of medaling in

lebanon's movement. five hezbollah suspects have been indicted in a previous assassination. now to egypt where hundreds of people have been arrested after clashes between police and supporters of the ousted president. peter has more from cairo. >> reporter: we're seeing these protests and demonstrations in towns and cities across egypt. thousands of people poured into the streets immediately after friday prayers. and we were with one of those groups when they marched into town. and the police responded by firing tear gas and live ammunition and bird shot into the crowd. there was a running battle between the protesters and the

police, there was tear gas from the police and the protestors set tires alight. and hundreds were arrested. this was going to be a day of conflict when the government said that anybody who joined in these protests would be arrested and could spend five years in prison. the protesters have insisted that they will continue their campaign to not just try to overturn this decree but oust the government all together the question remins where the brotherhood and their supporters are willing to continue to turn out in the streets.

if that continues it could add to the conflict in this country, by is the opposite of what we government was trying to achieve. in turkey protesters demanding the resignation of the prime minister. this stems from a three-year investigation into corruption. it comes as there was a loss of court decision to have police turn over their investigation to their superiors. three nato service members have been killed in kabul afghanistan. as attack is being claimed. six troops also wounded in thatback. the taliban has since claimed responsibility. south sudan's government agreeing to a ceasefire with rebels. the news comes out of a special summit now underway kenya.

the fighting started after the president accused the vice president of an attempted coup. two peace keepers from the african union were killed overnight in the central african republic. thousands of people are still trying to find a safe place for them and their families. gerald tann has our story. >> reporter: running for their lives, residents are in a desperate search for safety as fighting fires up. >> translator: it's a general panic. we have been traumatized all night long. it spread confusion and hysteria. >> reporter: in the air and on the ground, french troops are out in full force to try to restore order. they too have come under attack

by selica rebels, mainly muslim fighters who overthrow the president in march and now control much of the country. armed gangs linked to selica are accused of committing atrocities against a mainly christian population. the interreligious violence is forcing many people here to seek refuge at a makeshift camp near the airport. >> translator: i cannot go back home unless things become secure. even if we have to stay here for a year, it helps us stay alive. >> reporter: more than 1600 french troops have been deployed alongside the african union peace-keeping force of about 4,000, but the situation has been complicated by acquisitions of chadian soldiers joining

[ technical difficulties ] that long dispute between the u.s. and japan over the island of okinawa has now been settled. okinawa's governor approving a controversial plan to move a marine base to a remote part of the island. the pentagon welcoming the decision. it says the base is an important part of plans to bolster

america's presence in that region. we're about to learn more about the shooting that happened at sandy hook elementary. we will bring you more after the report is released. it's been almost a week since that massive ice storm, thousands of people in the u.s. and canada, though, still without power. the electric companies are reporting progress, though. in michigan there are now about 65,000 people without power. in maine the number is down. further north in canada, 101,000 homes and businesses still sitting in this the dark. the death toll from severe flooding in brazil continues to rise. more than 40 people are feared dead. a state of emergency has been declared in one region. >> reporter: this is what more

than a week of trend shall rain did to brazil's state. dozens of highways and bridges washed out, hampering rescue efforts. but it's the human suffering that has created the most pain. more than 60,000 people have been forced from their homes. most are taking shelter with friends and families until the flood waters reseed. there are untold number of people potentially still missing. >> translator: we only hope that they find bodies of my children because i think the chance of fining them alive is doubtful. >> reporter: these are the heaviest rains in more than a decade. >> translator: i was pushing against the wall but not buried as well. i managed to find a piece of

wood and hold on to it. i hear my daughter calling for hope and i freed her and then heard another girl calling for help as well. >> reporter: the air force says they have already plucked more than 150 people from flood waters. >> the first and most tonight priority that which is most precious is hue moon life. that's what we worry about saving first. >> reporter: with so much lying in ruins it's clear when the waters final recreed, it will be a difficult task. they spent more than a year behind bars. inside this russian prison after speaking out against russian

president vladimir putin. now two members of the rock group pussy riot are making waefs again. and the latest gas price predictions are coming up. 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

iran's nuclear chief says the country is developing a new group of centrifuges to enrich uranium. iran has been trying to create centrifuges that are able to enrich uranium faster. members of pewsy riot say they will not remain silent. they continued their attack on russian president vladimir putin. peter sharp reports.

>> reporter: back in mass cow after serving nearly two years in penile colonies, members of the rock group pussy riot are back in the spotlight. both women met the world's press, both looking surprisingly well. they said there would be no more pewsy riot. they are moving on in a different direction, and their opposition is now to russia's winter olympics. >> translator: what we want to attract attention to, first of all the attention of people living abroad is that they should not go to the olympics as if it's some sport of cultural event, think of it as a political event. and if you decide to come, just

remember there are russian citizens who do not have this opportunity because they are behind bars and for no reason. >> reporter: russian president was another target, describing him as . . . >> translator: reserved non-transparent security officer with lots of fears. he is afraid of lots of things. he surrounds himself with walls and doesn't see the reality behind them now. he is deceived and is ready to believe in that deceit. >> reporter: they are now forming a new charity group that will support the rights of prisoners in russia. they said they have already been in touch with the former millionaire pardoned last week. >> translator: our final goal is solidarity, and the ability to help each owe. we saw all of this while we were in prison, and it was a real

miracle. >> reporter: unlike the billionaire who left for germany moments after being pardoned, these ladies say they have no intention of leaving russia. the dow right now is -- oh, let's just say down, about 4 points. the index is on a six-session winning streak and has set 50 now highs this year alone. a poll showing that nearly 70% of americans believe the economy is in poor shape. 32% say it is good. just over half expect the economy to remain weak next year as well. and 2014 could see some wild swings in gas prices.

gasbuddy.com predicting that gas prices could reach $4 a gallon by the end of next summer. gas buddy credits higher domestic oil production for the decline. in france pressure is building on the government to help those who can't help themselves. housing association volunteers inspect their latest project. soon this apparent will be let for $200 a month. that's 20% of the market rate. finding affordable housing to rebuild, lives shattered by economic hard times is almost impossible. demand is so high. increasingly, vol intear housing associations are filling the gap. >> everyone should be concerned for their neighborhood.

the state is all of us, but at the same time it is no one. i don't think that it is a bad thing that associations offer people a way of helping their neighbors. >> reporter: this man lost his job and girl, and spent nine months living in his car until the housing association found him this home. >> translator: having a place to live is everything. loosing it, makes you loose everything, your work, your social and economic balance, physical and mental health. finding it again gives you the impression of getting it all back. >> reporter: it is also difficult with food as well. this distribution center hands out 20,000 meals every week as the financial con stranths on the french welfare state grow, so too do the challenges facing france's voluntary sector. this restaurant has been providing hot meals since 1985,

but it has never been busier. >> to me there is less and less money available, so it's feared that the volunteer needs to do more, or the help we have from the state is decreasing, so we have to compensate to find new help. >> reporter: leyla has been coming here for seven years. >> translator: food is very expensive and people can't afford it with the money they have. >> reporter: as others in europe begin to grow, france's economy still harbors near recession, and volunteers in what some are calling france's parallel welfare state may be busy for a long time to come. dozens of people are stuck on board a ship near antarctica

trapped by ice, but now help is near and on its way. that story is next.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are today's headlines. this beirut a car bomb killing lebanon's former finance minister and five others. dozens

[ technical difficulties ] >> trapped off of antarctica. that ship is on a month-long exhibition. it got stuk on tuesday. temperatures well below zero, with winds approaching 50 miles an hour. the imminent arrival help is welcome news. >> just a short while ago we heard that they are close, but the ci says it is about 20

kilometers out from where we are now. just over my left shoulder you can hopefully see some gray sky, what they call water sky, basically it means the open water is reflecting on the cloud just above it. that's the most likely move the chinese vessel is going to take to get to us. >> their mission, they say they want to recreate australian explorer's voyage more than a century ago. ♪ well another arctic blast is on the way across portions of the north central plains and into the great lakes. thousands remain without power in michigan. it is going to be a cold weekend overall, you can see the clouds here, a system continuing to psh towards the east, and by

tomorrow really on into this weekend we'll feel the chill push through. rapid city, 57, but by tomorrow those temperatures nearly cut in half. the power outages across detroit we're going to have to continue to deal with that older air pushing towards those folks there, by sunday look at how chilly it is only 19 in rapid city and temperatures falling back into the 30s. we really hope those folks get their power restored very soon. we have an area of low-pressure developing in the gulf, and it will spread rain from pensacola, florida, into new york city as we track into this afternoon, tomorrow and on sunday, the area heaviest hit by the rain, savanna, georgia, this is all i-95 territory. if you are traveling there, you want to take it easy.

not a cloud in the sky. they definitely need the rain. it is the driest year on record. and we have red flag warnings and advisories in effect aloss los angeles and ventura counties. the winds will be whipping up to 45 miles an hour. and we'll be dealing with low level of humidity. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. we are following developing news concerning the nsa. a court ruling now in favor of the agency. a new york judge finding that the nsa's phone surveillance program is legal. you may recall a federal court in washington ruling earlier the practice is probably unconstitutional. the new york judge says the bulky telephone metadata collection program is aimed to

eliminate al-qaeda easter ror network. thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. "the stream" is next. our digital producer, wajahat ali is here bringing in all of your live feedback. waj our staff was so excited when we told them which viral stars we were going to have on the program today.