... >> welcome to al jazeera america. i am del walters. these are the stories we are following for you: a suicide bomber striking at a train station in southern russia. at least 15 people now dead. >> in south sudan, military maneuvers that could jeopardize a possible cease fire in a conflict that has displaced tens of thousands. also, it was once one of the most glamorous prices ski in the world. the efforts to put iran back on the tourist map. >> with big games in college football, a look at the most valuable team in the ncaa. >> at least 15 people now appear

dead after a suicide bombing at a train station in the southern russian city of ogerad. reports indicating a female suicide bomber detonating explosives as she atrochoapproa the station's metal detector, six weeks before the winter games in sochi. our details >> reporter: the chaotic aftermath in bolgrad. a body lies on the ground as the emergency personnel struggle to treat survivors. they say a female set off the blast. the blast captured on camera. the station was packed with thousands of people on the christmas holidays. the attack killed and injured doz dozens of people. >> according to preliminary information, the power of this explosion was the equivalent of

10 kilograms of tnt. there would have been more victims if it wasn't for the guarding system. it prevented the suicide bomber from getting into the waiting haul where at the time, there were lots of people because three trains were late. >> in the same southern city in october, seven people died in a suicide bombing on a bus. the woman behind that attack was a muslim convert from the republic of dagastan in the north caucuaucuses. the latest security concerns ahead of february winter olympics in sochi, 400 kilometers from chechnya and dagesta? >> putin offered portion for those killed and injured in this attack. security at the winter olympics will continue to be an overriding concern for the kremlin. it's deployed more than 30,000 troops and security personnel into the region in an attempt to lockdown these winter olympics.

>> in an internet video earlier this year, doka umeraf, leader of therenals urged his supporters to use maximum force to disrupt the soch i6789 games. he said he was cancelling his moratorium and warned of new violence. his group claimed responsibility for attacks including the 2010 moscow underground attack that killed 40 people. just two days ago, a car bomb killed three people in the southern russian city of pigatagost. ordinary russians may wonder where the next attack will come. >> that's peter sharp in morning on you. right now, we are joined by fred weir via skype, the moscow correspondent for the "christian science monitor." do you have any idea who might have been responsible for this attack? >> reporter: i think that it's 99% susta 99% certain that we are looking at the same insurgents who

attacked in bolegrad barrel two months ago, dokumarav's network from the north caucuses or some other group. but it certainly originates there in russia's really eithering insurgenseething insu >> fred, as he indicated, he was going to step up attacks saying he was end his moratorium. i want to read to you, the warning, there is a heighten risk against softer target did such as transport infrastructure in sochi and the surrounding area. this was written in october. so, if i am an american citizens thinking about traveling to sochi for the winter games, how secure, how safe should i feel? >> i think everybody is going to be worried because there are two

schools of thought. >> fred, we are having problems. >> striking. >> okay. ? >> places like bolegregrad because they are outlying regions. as we know, russian security forces have locked down sochi. they have put an enormous amount of resources into that and in downtown movening our as well. those are the likeliest places for terrorists to strike. they have probably not given nearly so much attention to places like bolgegrad. >> that's why twice in recent months it has been hit. they have got to be worried about this because there are scores of russian cities citizens that are vulnerable in this way. >> fred, when -- allow me to interrupt you just for a second because people keep saying this is not -- this is not sochi. this is bolgegrad, not the site of the games but imagine, if you will, that something happened in chicago, which is just a little bit further from new york than,

for instance, russia or bolgegrad is to moscow. people would be saying: is the u.s. safe? >> yeah. i think that's right. it's the opinion of some security experts these might be diversionary. it has happened before. terrorists use these tactics. they their goal would be to sew uncertainty to force execute forces to divert resources to protect places like bolgegrad whereas terrorists might be planning a big attack either in moscow or sochi. so, therefore, everybody has got to be deeply alarmed and worried about this. the next month and a half, two months are going to be incredibly tension. >> how embarrassing is this for slat enoug vladimir putin who h made a reputation of being the tough guy, former head of the

kgb, now russia who said the games may be safe but what about the rest of the russia? >> >> reporter: well, yeah. since the second chechyan war we have had repeated attacks. it simmers for a long period of time and russians start to feel safe and they reach out and hit some soft target in moscow or another russian city. this cycle is repeating itself now and nothing looks any better. so, yeah. it's embarrassing and worrisome in the extreme. >> fred, give us one more sense of perspective on the difference between u.s. homeland security and the security apparatus in moscow because we are not familiar with it here in the u.s. in russia, it is the federal security service, the former kgb which takes the lead in all of

these security operations and the terrorists. >> okay, fred, i am going to have to cut you off because we are having a terrible connection your skype connection coming out of moscow. >> that's fred wier with "the christian science monitor." we apologize for the audio problems there. thousands of men loyal to south sudan's former vice president are marching to the government controlled city of bor, the center of a power struggle between the president and vice president there. al jazeera mohammed adou has the latest from the capital city of juba >> reporter: these african leaders missing on friday give two sides up to the first of december to come together and hold face to face talks. so far, the government has committed itself to talks with their opponents but the former vice president said he is not going to talk about it until

they have proper mechanics for this cease fire that have been put in place. >> mohammed adou in juba. a new national intelligence says pulling troops out of afghanistan could make the country more vulnerable to the taliban and saying they could re-emerge three years after. others report it doesn't account for the strength of the afghan security force still being trained by the u.s. activists on the ground in syria saying more than 20s people dead there after an airstrike that was carried out by government forces in the town of aleppo. those same activists saying barrels filled with explosives were dropped on civilians at a vegetable market. on the relief front, the un itsed nations continuing to run aid flights into syria from northern iraq two weeks now, the effort has been helping thousands but that lifeline is in danger of being cut off. emron kahn reports

>> reporter: the pallets of cargo are loaded. final preparations begin. these vital aid flights into syria are carrying supplies of blankets, sanitation and clothing to some of syrian's 4 million internally displaced people, people who are effectively refugees within their own country. the flights began on the 17th of december, they say it's taken a massive effort. >> we had to transport here and now we are tra porting to syria >> getting all of the permission to run aid flights has been a difficult business involving the kurdstan government, baghdad and the syrian regime. >> denbar dizary said the "stan government is doing its best to facilitate the flights." >> back-up headquarter offices in geneva, basically the syrian

officials, it has been an iraq and syrian agreement. they have facilitated the flight to the airport. >> back on the apron on the old russian cargo plain dating back to the '70s are ready to go. we are allowed to film this part of the journey. >> the syrian authorities won't allow us to get on to this fi t flight. that gives you an indication of how politically charged the whole thing is. once these flights come to an end and it has been an initial experiment, whether to try to keep what they are calling the humanitarian corridor open for more of these flights into syria. >> these flights have been even allowed to take place is a success for the u.n. refugee agency but continuing them and

getting aid into syria is now the focus. >> that's going to take political will. political will that needs to come from damascus, baghdad and the kurdstan regional government. emran kahn. ahead on al jazeera america, bad news for the northeast where some people are still without power from last week's storms. an uncertain future for the passengers on board that cruise ship still stuck in the ant artic. ideas, invention, life. 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 america is a straight-forward news channel. >> its the most exciting thing to happen to american journalism in decades. >> we believe in digging deep. >> its unbiased, fact-based, in-depth journalism. >> you give them the facts, dispense with the fluff and get straight to the point. >> i'm on the ground every day finding stories that matter to you. >> in new orleans... >> seattle bureau... >> washington... >> detroit... >> chicago... >> nashville... >> los angeles... >> san francisco... >> al jazeera america, take a new look at news. >> in the bitter cold, 20,000 protesters holding a rally in kiev's index square today. they have been protesting now for two months. upset by a decision bayou craneian president victor yanokovich, releasing some of the jailed during the protest. he also suspended top government officials trying to appease the protesters. the opposition vowing to keep up the pressure until the

government reverses its decision. things are changing in iran following the election of the hassan rohadi. they are opening up the doors to foreign tourists. one sport is propping up the economy. >> one of the world's highest and most pristine ski fields, 3,600 meters up and one of the country's major attractions locals know it. foreigners are catching on, too. >> i think it's nice, plus it is so much better than in germany. there is sun and the snow is really good. >> yeah. the location is really great. up the mountain and astonished a little bit, because the mountains are very high and snow quality is great. iran's president is aching to attacked 10 million foreign visitors each year, an increase for the current four million, religious and medical tourists. with iran's good ties to china,

many are likely to be from there. >> so now, you know chinese -- china is very fast and the people's living standard goes high. muslim chinese are the ones who go abroad to have a visit of some other kuntz trees such as iran. >> but in order to handle more people, the country needs investments, including on the ski field. the equipment is old over the past 37 to 38 years, it's remained the same. three new facilities have been added but the ski field has so much potential. the whole mountain can be used and i hope investors in the company that supervisors this result invest more and make it bigger and bigger so we can introduce it to the world, security its future and make money. >> it's not hard to see why it is known as one of the best places for skiing and snowboarding, nots just in the middle east but throughout the entire world.

more than 2,000 people come heave every week, iranian's and foreigners as well. not just amateurs and tourists. iran's national team for skiing and snowboarding also use these slopes for training. >> iranians have a long had the country's best sides to themselves. with more tourists, they are learning to share them for the benefit of everyone. saray linny, dizine, iran. >> it's been almost a week since a russian 14i7 got stuck, now good news for the 74 passengers on board. they could soon be freed. australian ice breaker is heading toward the vessel. a chineseship was six nautical miles away but couldn't get closer because the ice was unusually thing. the russian vessel got stuck in the ice on christmas eve. by the way, it is there as part of a scientific expedition and needless to say, it is cold.

meteorologist dave warm, we will talk about the cold air here across the country, mainly the northern plains but above that happens, dealing with a big storm. that will pull in the cold air. now, it's bringing up the warm air. a lot of this is rain and it's rain going all the way up through pennsylvania, new york, and into new england. very heavy rain throughout the day today. so, if you are in this area, the rain will continue. but it will eventually change over to snow into the colder air. the timing of that looks like this afternoon. here is this mix happening and the snow developing where its cold enough, western new york and north central new york, all the way up through new england but not along the coast. now, the storm really intensefies by about 11:00 o'clock tonight, a large area of heavy snow here through maine and new hampshire but that rain going all the way up through massachusetts and into right along the coast there of maine. so the heaviest snow looks to be inland and the timing of that

will be overnight tonight. by monday, the storm's gone. then we are talking about the bitter cold air and that's going over areas that do not have power across the northeast in toronto and up to eastern canada. power still not restored. another blast of cold air is not the best move there. by tuesday, the bitter cold artic air, maine, a record high. today, a big drop in temperatures, about a 40 degree temperature drop heavy snow. here along maine, new hampshire and all the way into canada. south of that, it's all rain. not cold enough to see the snow line drop further south. that could be about a foot of snow. 40 there, not going any higher but not dropping from washington to philadelphia inthrough new york. how about temperatures? tuesday into the 40s with that rain and dropping, 30s and 20s, there is that bitter cold arctic air seeing that, maine at 1 below zero. the front will move through

chicago. we will see these temperatures drop quite a bit. come with a gusty wind so it feels like it's down to about 20 degrees below zero in maine with that windschill. that will continue for at least the next 24 to 48 hours. >> sometimes what happens in the midwest has to stay in the midwest. >> trying to move east, though. >> dave, thank you very much. talk about this: ringing in the new year as newly we did, gay couples in utah celebrating after the state's ban on same-sex marriage was over turned. the fight isn't over. now, the state says it wants the to step in. jim hooley tells us why from salt lake city utah. >> this has been the scene in utah for days, same-sex couples pouring into county clerk's offices, many turning to local officials and ministers to say, "i do". >> to feel the love and the joy and the elation of people who are finally, free to marry the person they love is beyond explanation. >> it was a shocking turn of

events for a state known for traditional values? >> never thought we would see this here. >> all of this is possible by a law that challenges utah's law on same-sex marriage. >> kitchen and moody sabaty. they run a middle eastern food service. >> we were making egg plant for the farmer's market on saturday and heard the news. >> a federal judge ruled the law banning same-sex marriage was banned. it's been euphoria in the same-sex community ever since. more than 900 have obtained marriage listens. >> there are thousands of other couples that want the exact same thing we want. so we are fighting for ourselves, but in that process, we are fighting for everybody as well. >> i now pronounce... >> a law professor at the university of utah quickly became an ordained minister so he could wed gay couples. he says the impact goes beyond

utah. >> i think for the first time, we are starting to see that even here, in utah, federal courts now recognize that same-sex couples have the right to marry in all 50 stays. >> cheryl hawes and shelly ayers's hopes had to wait. they their their clerk refused to recognize the ruling? >> i said we are going there. even if they turn us away, even if we end up going to salt lake, we are going to go there because we need to make a point. >> on thursday, utah county clerk brian thompson gave in and called cheryl and shelly to come to his. he agreed to issue a license. >> i felt like that showed, you know, a great level of compassion on his part and integrity or something, and i felt compassion towards him. >> moody and derrick have still not tied the knot. they want to wait. >> marriage to us is a lot more than just the piece of paper.

we want to be able to celebrase exchange of vows and show to our family and friends that we have made a commitment to one another to be with each other until death do us part. >> by waiting, moody and derrick risk not getting their chance to marry in utah. the state is appealing the judge's rouletteing. utah's attorney general is expected to file paperwork monday or tuesday. >>. >> and that is jim hooley joining us from salt lake city, utah. coming up, an update of our top stories and the business of college football making millions even when the team isn't

winning. >> welcome back to al jazeera america america. i am del walters here in new york. here is an update on our top story. at least 15 people killed when a bomb exploded in the southern city of overad. a suicide bomber detonating explosives as they approached the metal get ector. inter fax was reporting the bomber was a man not a woman as was originally reported. closed circuit cameras confirmed that. these reports, we should point out, are preliminary. any fan of college football can tell you it is that time of year. it is bowl season, big games all week leading up to the national championship just one week from

tomorrow. 650 teams, 70,000 athletes and millions of dollars up for grabs especially in texas where the longhorns are big business. newark schneider explains. >> texas longhorns football is a cash cow according to forbes, the university of texas leads all schools in merchandise sales and t.v. revenue and is the only college football team ever to bring in more than $100 million a year. and that's happened the past two. all of this with a team that's not played so well lately. 30 wins, 20 losses the past four years, but according to patrick riche who runs a firm in st. louis, the team rides high on more than just wins. >> even though there has been a lull here the last few years, you do have a situation where they built that brand and you have again, the state of texas is sol rich and saturated with high school football talent, people are crazy about the sport

in the state of texas and obviously the university of texas longhorns are the college football team of the state. >> current ut students miss the glory days nine years ago when the longhorns won the national title. but from a popularity standpoint, texas is still on top. >> you go into a wal-mart in lubbock, texas where that's supposed to be like texas tech and all of that, and there is still longhorn merchandise. >> according to forbes, the texas longhorn's football team brought in $109 million last year, of which 82 million was profit. most comes from ticket sales, royalties and donors. >> you have a situation of where everything is bigger in texas, wealthy individuals and wealthy alumni. >> the two men credited with making texas football what it is today are delos dodge who held that will position and mack brown.

their expertise has helped generate massive amounts of money. >> texas is a huge brand that's been known all around the world. >> jason carlbaum who runs the texas team store at the stadium isn't surprised by texas football's number 1 revenue ranking. here on game days. >> it is a madhouse in here. it's tons of people, nobody stop. >> you can go to germany and throw out the hook 'em sign and somebody will know what it is. >> that passion for texas football has led to staggering financial results even as the program tries to regain footing on the field mark schneider, al jazeera, austin. >> longhorns facing number 10 ranked organizeon in the alamo bowl. florida state at auburn for the national championship game. >> we thank you for watching al jazeera america. i am del walters. "listening post" is up next. for updates go to aljazeera.com

where the news continues 24 hours a day, seven days a week. >> ♪ ♪ >> hello i'm richard gizbert. you're watching a special edition of the listening post. this week we're going to do something different than our usual year ender. we asked our producers to submit their favorite stories, our user generating content makes its way into the papers and on to television screens. next up will be israel, where