hello and welcome to "al jazeera america." i'm jonathan betz in new york. a deadly atrack in a railway station in russia weeks before the olympics. new security concerns across the country. fighting for his life. seven-time formula one champion charles schumacher is a coma after a skiing accident. why the u.s. doesn't use the safer credit cards. child soldiers. years after the war, many parents still praying their boys will come home.

tonight security is being tightened across russia after i bombing t bombing at a strain station. the blast occurred in volegrad about 600 south of moscow and 400 miles from sochi. the u.s. condemned the bombing and says it stands with russia against trierrorism. peter sharp has the latest. >> reporter: the chaotic aftermath. a body lies on the ground as the emergency services scramble to treat services. officials say a woman set off explosives near metal detectors. the blast captured on camera. the station was packed with thousands of people leaving on the christmas holidays. >> translator: everything was covered in smoke. after ten minutes, i was able to see again, and there were bodies everywhere. inside the train station, everything is destroyed.

>> reporter: the attack killed and injured dozens of people. >> translator: according to preliminary information, the power of this explosion was the equivalent of 10 kilograms of tnt. there would have been many more victims if it weren't for the so-called guarding system at the train station. it prevented the suicide bomber from getting through the metal detector into the waiting hall where there were lots of people because three trains were late. >> reporter: in the same southern city in october, seven people died in a suicide bombing on a bus. the latest killings raise serious security concerns ahead of february's winter olympics and the black sea resort the sochi that lies 400 kilometers from chem nia and dagestan. president putin offered support to the families and relatives to those killed and injured in the attack. security at the winter olympics will continue to be an overriding concern for the kremlin. it's already 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 the leader of russia's muslim separatist rebels urged his supporters to use maximum force to disrupt the sochi games. he said he was canceled what he called his moratorium on attacks inside rush wra 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. as the violence claims lives, ordinary russians may be wondering where the next attack will come. for nearly 20 years russia is fighting an insurgencies in the north caucuses. over the past two decades there's been at least 15 attacks

in russia, many of them involves checyan fighters. kimberly has more on the violent concerns ahead of the olympics. >> reporter: violence is no stranger to vladimir putin's russia. it stems from decades of conflict. in 1999 the russian army invaded chechnya under orders of an anti-terrorism operation. the conflict that followed lasted nine years. 50,000 civilians died along with 5,000 russians. in 2001 a pro-moscow regime was installed. the conflict officially declared over. separatist groups spread through the northern caucuses, a region still the center of an islamist insurgency. >> there is a pattern emerged here. before certain large federal events, and certainly the olympics is the biggest of them

all, there's been these attacks. what they want to do first and foremost and remind the kremlin that they are here, and that they are a force to be reckoned with. >> reporter: chechnyan warlords call on militants to strike russia and prevent them from staging the sochi games. sunday's attack raises the question whether more attacks will follow and where. >> the maximum impact would be to pull off an attack like this in the russian capital, but moscow is much more difficult to penetrate. here you have a combination of a city sizable, volkerad is a big city and easier to get into than moscow. >> much easier than the winter olympics themselves. there's a zone 16 miles along the black sea coast and 30 miles inland. drones and special troops monitor traffic in and out of the city, but russians outside the zone may not get the same

level of protection. protests in the ukraine got personal for the president. they marched to his home today as 20,000 rallied in kiev's independence square. jennifer glasse has more on that. >> reporter: hundreds of ukrainians took their protest to the streets trying to reach the residence of the president. for weeks they've called on him to resign and hold early elections. the nands have gone unanswered. >> translator: we don't have money. we're not here for any kind of privileges. we're at independence square for ourselves and our family and future. >> reporter: demonstrators first co-verged in independence square in november. he refused an association deal with the european union. then the numbers were in the hundreds of thousands. after five weeks the demonstrations have waned.

the new tactic is to target ministers and the new president. >> reporter: the government doesn't listen to people. they only use force. that's it. they simply ignore us. it makes many people angry. >> reporter: with hundreds the riot police blocking the ro he had to the president's house, the demonstration was peaceful. the question now is what's next? the demonstrations seemed to have run their course, and opposition leaders rely on a new civil society movement to take the momentum started here and turn it into real change in ukraine's cities and region. jennifer glasse, al jazeera, kiev. seven-time world champion race car driver michael schumacher remains in -- charles schumacher remains in critical condition. they say charlgs schumacher has a serious head injury even though he was wearing a helmet. denise holman has more. >> reporter: one of the greatest formula one drivers of all time,

but michael schumacher was known to be an experienced and world skier. he was skiing with his 14-year-old son and others on sunday when he struck his head on a roblg. he had been wearing a helmet. within 10 minutes he was air lifted to a hospital in the nearby town before being taken to the university hospital center. while initial reports down-play the seriousness of the injury, the hospital confirmed his condition. >> translator: mr. schumacher was admitted to the hospital at 12:45 in a late morning skiing accident. he suffered a serious brain trauma and he needed a near surgical operation. he remains in critical condition. >> his wife and two children are at his bedside while supporters worldwide hope for his recovery. >> reporter: i'm like you.

i heard the news, and as i am from the region, i came to see him. as we can't see him, we'll see tomorrow. >> reporter: michael schumacher won the formula one championship seven times before retiring for a second time last year. his trademark fight and determination called upon once again. >> that was elise holman reporting tonight. the u.s. defense secretary expressed concerns about recent developments in egypt today. he offered to help investigate several recent bombings there, the latest today. a bomb exploded near an army building north of cairo hurting four soldiers. >> saudi arabia has promised lebanon's army $3 billion. the forces have struggled with violence spreading across the border from syria's civil war. they can buy french weapons. france's president pledged support saying lebanon must remain united.

>> translator: i know that france has equipped the lebanese army for a while, up until recently. we will readily answer any solicitation. why? because lebanon must remain united and the integrity must be respected and the security must be guaranteed for all the lebanese. >> that funding was announced hours after the funeral of an assassinated lebanese minister. a car bomb killed him along with seven others in beirut. we have more. >> reporter: an honorary medal from the lebanese president. other lebanese dignitaries lined up inside the distinctive mosque for a final farewell to the former government minister and ambassador. security was tie in central beirut has mourners gathered for the funeral procession. the bodies of him and his bodyguards were laid to rest near the tomb. the former lebanese prime minister and the man who build the mosque was himself a victim of an infamous car bombing more

than eight years ago. these mourners said they would remain defiant in the face of such attacks. >> translator: i came today to participate in his funeral and to show that we do exist and if they think they can kill us all, we're still here, as long as we're all standing, we will stay here. >> translator: what i want of the lebanese government, we don't want political parties. it's enough. we don't want hezbollah or anyone else. we want a real government. >> reporter: among the people here is anger and despair that there's very little to do to stop the similar assassinations in the future. former prime minister and a leading figure in the antisyrian march told the crowd that the way things were before the assassination would not be the same after his death. >> translator: we have a date with you at the squares for democratic and peaceful action.

we decided to liberate our country from the occupation of arms. we have decided to liberate our country. >> reporter: he was referring to the arsenal of weapons held by the proceed-syrian hezbollah movement. the march 14th alliance wants to hanl popular anger into support for a government that doesn't include hezbollah and pressure the group to give up its arms. although the assassination has polarized lebanon further, the turnout was modest for the funeral, a reflection of the challenges facing the march 14th camp to get supporters out on the streets. whether protesters take to the streets or not, war-wary lebanese are bracing themselves for more trouble in the coming weeks. al jazeera, beirut. a new report it is the taliban could make a comeback if the u.s. pulls out of afghanistan. the intelligence published in the wash post said it could take

three years to grow. tom ackerman has moshing. >> a national estimate is a report which is a consensus of the 16 intelligence agencies on the outlook, their estimation of an outlook for a particular policy question, which probably is impending and in this case is the course of american posture in afghanistan, which may or may not have 34,000 or 10,000 or maybe zero troops by the end of 2014. it depends on the negotiations currently being conducted with the afghan government. now, this is the report that you're talking about is actually a leak, and these reports, these nies are also classified but always emerge in the media as the product of a leak. you can be pretty confident that one side or another, which feels that the conclusions in this report favor their side of the

arguments here in washington, that they're responsible for this. in this case it sounds like it's the civilian intelligence agencies which their voice comes through in this nie. as you can hear from the back and forth with the government of predz hamid karzai, the american relations with the -- his government at least are very, very frigid right now, and there is the ongoing threat that the united states, if they do not conclude a security agreement with the government, and again, this is the outgoing government because karzai does not have another term. he cannot succeed into another term. that the united states is threatening the afghan government with just pulling out completely because there's no understanding as to the status of forces in afghanistan at the end of 2014. so the question here is for policy makers in the united states, how does this

intelligence estimate, which talks about the taliban resurging not necessarily in kabul but in the provinces how much that would inform the way the american administration should conduct itself in these negotiations with the afghans. >> all right. let's get a quick check of weather with kevin. i'm frankly stunned by some of the windchills out there. >> oh, amazing. absolutely amazing. looking at those that are well below. we're talking about minus 20, minus 30 in some locations. >> it is cold. >> it's very, very bad. we're talking about what's happening in the northeast. we've had a lot of rain and snow in many locations. what's going to happen now? things are getting better. we saw a lot of problems on the highways and the airports. those have actually all cleared up. what's left of this major storm that came up the eastern seaboard is actually just a little bit of snow left in new hampshire and also into maine. boston's rain is about to end probably within the next 15 for 30 minutes, so that's good news

there. when you wake up in the morning on monday, we won't have problems on the roads. there's problems up to the north on some of these highways because, of course, we saw a lot of snow there. here, as jonathan said in the north-central part of the united states and midwest, that is where the temperatures have been extremely low. let's take a look at what we have right now. fargo, minus 10 degrees, minneapolis is at minus 9. compare this to last night at this time. we are 39 degrees colder than what we were yesterday for minneapolis. minneapolis yesterday believe it or not was up to about 35 to 40 degrees. they have come down extremely and those temperatures. kansas city is at minus 34 from yesterday. when you factor in the windchills we have minus 21 degrees in fargo, north dakota. over the next day or so we have another snow event. that's going to be a big problem across chicago as well as into michigan. you can see all the snow right

there. as you go into new year's eve, this is night. you don't want to be outside in this particular area, because temperatures in minneapolis well down below average. their high is oonl getting to mince 1. around midnight it's about minus 5 or minus 8. that's not considering what we're looking at in terms of windchills. chicago is going to be snowing. back to you, jonathan. >> thanks, kevin. it's cold and winter and also flu season. ten states say they're already seeing a lot of cases, especially in texas where more than a dozen people in houston have died so far. we have more on the outbreak. >> this is going to go up the nose. >> reporter: doctors across the houston area are seeing more patients than usual with flu symptoms. >> most definitely this year weave seen an uptick in patient volume. . >> doctors are seeing 50% more patient than usual suffering with the flu. houston's department of health

says most of the cases have been caused by the h 1 n 1 strain. >> 87% of the positive specimens we had looked at was h 1 n 1. the flu made more than 6 million americans sick last season. nearly 400,000 had to go to hospitals. health officials say the best defense is a flu shot. it protects more than just the person that gets it. >> you can say the health of your family and other families also. >> the cdc says fewer than half of americans have had flu shots so far this season, but it's not too late. doctors say anyone six months or older who hasn't should get one now. al jazeera, dallas. there's a lot more ahead on "al jazeera america," including how parents in uganda are coming together to cope with the pain of their missing children. also, government forces in south sudan clash with a 25,000-member strong militia.

interactive television. we depend on you, >> you are one of the voices of this show. >> so join the conversation and make it your own. >> the stream. weeknights 7:30 et / 4:30 pt on al jazeera america and join the conversation online @ajamstream. new lights use low wattage led rights, neither harmful for the trees nor dangerous for the kids that may touch them. >> many play-off spots in the n.f.l. are still to be decided. mark morgan is here to explain it all. >> hey, a lot of anxiety in dallas, wondering what the dallas cowboys would do. tony romeo underwent back surgery. kyle ortman will start quarterback in the eagles game. sher een williams of the fort worth star telegram weighs in. >> that lees this game in the hands of kyle orten, he made 69 starts. he's 35 and 34.

but has not thrown a pass as a starter and only thrown 15 passes over the last two years. it takes the pressure off the cowboys. no doubt about that. they can go in, play loose and

in uganda a 20-year civil war killed hundreds of thousands of people. during that time thousands of children were abducted and forced to fight. the conflict ended in 2006, but the loss is still felt today. malcolm webb visited one town still struggling to move on. >> reporter: this pair of boots is all that remains of their son. his father christopher says he'll never forget the day when his son was abducted from rebels from the lower resistance army in 1997 when he was just 12 years old. the rebels were notorious for abducting children and mutilating people. christopher's trying to accept what's probably true. >> deep down if he's alive, he should come back. if you are coming back, i would be very, very grateful. very grateful. but now i don't think it.

yeah. >> reporter: christopher's wife was so upset at the loss of their only child she killed herself. now he lives alone with only his chickens for company. he says he's waiting for god to take him away. he's one of thousands in northern uganda whose children went missing during the civil war. christopher says things got easier when he joined a counseling group for people with missing relatives organized by the red cross. here several groups have come together to hold a memorial ceremony. for most of the children abducted by the lra there's simply no record. there's no comprehensive list of names or numbers, and many people are poor so very few have family photos or any other kind of memorabilia. the red cross estimates about 12,000 went missing and never came back. the lra are now small in number

and scattered across neighbors couldn't -- countries so few of the 12,000 will come home. people have gathered here today to try to come to terms with that and begin the process of moving forward. they take turns to say the names of those that never came home. the memories are painful. >> the agony of not knowing of what happened with a person that is in your family normally, a son or a daughter, is something that for those month don't live it, it's very difficult to understand. now they have somebody that understands them, and they went through the same and together they can find a way forward. >> reporter: most of these people never buried or ever saw the bodies of their loved ones, something important in the culture here. they didn't have any kind of closure until now.

while the counseling or the ceremony won't bring anybody back, it can start to ease some of the grief. malcolm webb, al jazeera, northern uganda. a militia of 25,000 strong is thought to be on the run tonight. government forces in south sudan clashed this week with the militia known as the white army. it's made up with thousands of youth largely in line with the former vice president. he's in a power struggle with the president that erupted two weeks ago. since then fighting has displaced thousands. we have more from south sudan. >> reporter: reporting reaching us from bor in south sudan indicate that some of the white army militias, the thousands of them who have been marching to the town of bor with a view of taking it from the government defense forces have disbanded. there are different reasons given for them. michael mcqueen says that the

militia disbanded after tribal leaders spoke with them and requested them to abandon their mission and go back to their homes. however, other sources say that there were aerial bombardments around the place where the militias were. they said these bauk bombardments were to serve as warnings not to advance to the town. however what we know and can confirm right now is that some of the militia are still marching to the town of bor and government defense forces are said to have taken positions in and around the town of bor to defend the town from the uprooting militias. the while army as they are known as brings it's name from the white ash, the members of this militia apply on their face to protect themselves. they are from the subtribe of the tribe of newel, which also

from -- that the vice president belongs to. ira glass hosts "this american life" a weekly radio show. this week on talk to al jazeera, he speaks to david shuster about how the show tries to set itself apart. >> we did an hour after guantanamo. we went in with a missiony sense of we're trying to achieve all sorts of things. when we did our hour in guantanamo, 100, 200 people had been released from guantanamo bay already. they interrogate them and say they weren't a threat. 200 people like that were released years ago, and nobody had ever interviewed them in mernl journalism, in american broadcast journalism. we couldn't find anybody that had interviewed them. we could do that and interview

them. we started to track them down and got translators from people from other countries and tried to get people to just get them on the air and tell what happens to you. what happened to you? horp you treated? how do you feel about america? do you want to kill us all now? how do you feel about the experience? normal things any reporter would ask, but the packaging of that show, i feel like i -- like we felt like the people don't want to hear an hour about guantanamo generally. i feel like i'm super interested in it, but there was a big heading in the beginning, guantanamo, an hour. oh, no, that's so heavy. i already have an opinion about it and know what i think. i feel like -- i think it's incumbent on all of us and all broadcasters have to be cunning about how to bring it up in a way the people want to watch the second minute of your show. i feel like partly because it's radio we can back into it. we can just start a story going, and then before you know it, it's about guantanamo.

>> be sure to catch the rest of that discussion at 1:00 a.m. eastern and 10:00 p.m. pacific right here on "al jazeera america." still ahead on the show, in the week ahead we discuss u.s. foreign policy in the coming year. also, an uncertain future for the passengers of a ship stranded in antarctica. we'll talk to one of them ahead.

welcome back to "al jazeera america." i'm jonathan betz with the headlines tonight. russian president putin has ordered tightened security following a suicide attack at a train station. 15 were killed and another 34 hurt. it happened in the southern city of vogegrad. michael schumacher is in critical condition tonight after a skiing agent. his agent said he suffered head trauma and is in a coma.

saudi arabia has offered $3 billion to the lebanese army. the money would allow the military to buy weapons and fight violence spreading across the border from syria. france has also pledged support. it's time for our regular sunday segment, "the week ahead." tonight we discuss u.s. foreign policy in the coming year. first, juan carlos moreno reviews the highlights from 2013. >> secretary of state john kerry is preparing to make his tenth trip this year to israel and the palestinian territories. focusing so much time on this region and complex issues not expected to be resolved soon became one of the first major criticism of kerry's tenure as a top u.s. diplomat. his last visit to the region was less than a month ago where he stated the goal of the u.s. >> in order to bring about a comprehensive agreement that withstand everybody's test. >> on a much more positive note the nuclear negotiations with iran has been hailed an a

success. they agreed to open the facilities to inspectors with a u.s. promise of easing sanctions. both president obama and secretary kerry have been criticized on their handling of the military escalation in syria and potential u.s. intervention, both making pleas to the american public citing humanitarian concerns and announcing plans to defer to congress to take action. edward snowden stirred the diplomatic pot this year when he revealed the u.s. has been spying on allies. german chancellor angela merkel expressed outrage when she discovered her cell phone was a target. >> translator: between allies there must be trust, and this trust must now be rebuilt. >> reporter: the obama administration has been trying to shift foreign policy focus to asia. this was clearly demonstrated by secretary kerry's comments by this asean conference where he called the partnership between

the u.s. and asean nations a top priority. in september kerry said china and the u.s. have agreed to a new model of relations looking to ease tensions between the two nations, both of which are expanding their presence in the south pacific. 2013 was a packed and complicated year for international relations. by the looks of it, 2014 won't get any easier. juan carlos moline that, al jazeera. president obama and john kerry have a long to-do list for the new year. several hotspots need attention. one big political headache will come from afghanistan. u.s. and nato troops are set to leave at the end of 2014, but tribal leaders have voted to keep some troops behind always president karzai won't sign off until elections in april when his successor is chosen. in may the six-month nuclear deal with iran will expire. by then tehran and other powers

have to satisfy missions and ease the fear of neighbors. not an easy task. growing crisis in africa are anybody's guess frankly. fighting has put millions at risk. president obama has said humanitarian disaster are a national security threat, not just a moral imperative. now, earlier we spoke with a senior editor at "time" and ali with the harvard medical school. we began in the middle east with syria. >> i think there's an emotional response to do something. 120,000 people have been killed and massive refugee exodus. what do you do with such a fractured opposition that's compromised by extremist elements? getting tangled up in red lines isn't the great place to be in the first place. you have the u.s. gears itself up for intervention that no oning wanted to be part of. >> in the meantime anger sod

allies including israel and saudi arabia. >> right. one of the last discussed storied in the 2013 is the drift between the u.s. and the saudis. >> let's talk about iran, ali. it's hard to really come to a firm conclusion on whether this was a good deal or not, since it's a temporary deal. 2014 is the real make-or-break it for iran. the fact the united states was able to reach a deal with iran, significant in itself, how much credit does president obama get for that? >> huge credit. for people who are critical of the agreement, not viewed against, perhaps the long long-term objective of the u.s. and iran with a final deal on iran's weapons, it may seem premature -- given frosty and downright nonexistent between the u.s. and iran and the highest conflicts, there's big progress. >> is it smart for the obama administration to focus so much on israel and palestinians when some say that's really top of

the mind right now? >> president obama is clearly reluctant. secretary kerry and i think initially he wanted to restricken secretary kerry thinking he's going into a dead end. >> this is the secretary's big idea? >> he's undertaken the initiative and give him credit. it's a thorny issue. given where we were, given that the sides weren't talking, the fact they're talking it seems like small potatoes, but it's a smart. >> this is taking place in the context of whether the level of cynicism is as high as its been in a long time. you know, we've seen the violence in the past few weeks in the west bank and gaza, the unchecked expansion of israeli settlements. it's occurring in a context that's rather curious. >> they can only focus on so much. meanwhile we have asia, another big hot spot coming up. there's talk of the asian pivot. president obama was not able to attend a summit in asia because of a crisis at home with the federal budget. is asia getting ignored, and is

that a problem? >> the united states has seen kerry go to the middle east quite a few times and focus on syria and iran. yes, asia in a certain sense has been ignored, and i think the u.s. is genuinely eager to reengage on a number of fronts. what's important to note is this is one of the parts of the world where countries generally want american engagement and a robust american presence. >> how can they focus on asia spending so much time handling other crises like syria and israel? >> that's a huge question. iraq is winding down and afghanistan is winding down, but the middle east has a way to bring you back every time you try to extricate. one, will america's continued economic weakness resource the pivot? can the united states continue to moouch its relationship with china forward, minimize the impression that china has while continuing to bolster the relationships in the region,

japan, south korea and india. >> i want to get europe as well. a lot of european leaders are not too happy with the united states because of spying, the leaks from edward snowden. long-term damage, short-term damage? big deal or or not? >> short-term damage is indisputable. even our closest friends in europe saying the hip pock see. how can you deit? short-term damage is indisputable. in the long term, given the gravity of the challenges you're outlined in the middle east and asia, in the long term the imperatives of operations will hopefully put aside the damage found by these revelations. in the short therm they have to reinvigorate the diplomacy. >> how do they go about doing that? >> it was more damaging in latin america. you have the brazilian president canceling a state visit. you have the president of bolivia having his plane grounded in vienna. they're in a place where america has to reassert itself.

it was a big power there. >> also in africa we've talked a lot about south so you had dan, central african republic. it's a part of the world oeven overlooked by the united states government without question. do you think that will change in 2014? >> keep in mind, samantha power, the u.n. ambassador wrote the book of all buys. >> susan rice is in there. >> susan rice and samantha power among the other top officials in the administration will urge greater action on that part of the world. >> what does that look like, though? >> officials in washington have been very actively making phone calls, talking to the various camps, trying to push for peace. i'm sure it's very sfoining in washington to see what happened. they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in that internet flejingly stale. it will force a negotiated outcome. >> the last big question before we leave tonight. we've talked about the entire

planet. as we look at 2014, i want you to each answer this. what's the biggest issue for the united states globally? >> asia-pacific. >> china is the second largest economy soon to be the first. if china and japan engaged in military skirmish, you have them going to war. the united states will get involved because of treaty obl gauges. there's no good outcome of the top three economies engaging in it. >> the middle east? >> i think it's the middle east. i think the obama administration genuinely wants to find a lasting agreement with iran, and that's a massive challenge both politically at home and abroad. >> it will be a busy year without question. thank you, guys, for coming in. >> thank you for having us. tonight an uncertain future for passengers aboard a research ship stranded in antarctic ice, trapped for nearly a week, 74 scientists and crew are waiting for the latest rescue attempt. there's no guarantee, though,

another ship will be able to reach them. >> reporter: what was supposed to be a scientific expedition has now left the russian ship and it's passengered stranded at sea since christmas eve. 74 people including a team of researchers are stuck off the antarctic coast about 100 miles of a french research station. they left new zealand in november on a privately funded expedition commemorating the 100th anniversary of a journey led by an australian explorer. last week things went terribly wrong. battles blizzard-like weather they sent a satellite distress signal after high winds trapped the vessel in ice. several attempts to free the ship have failed. a chinese icebreaker came within 6 miles on saturday, but bad weather and ice conditions kept the snow dragon from reaching it. another icebreaker from france couldn't make it past the edge

of the ice. they hope another ice breaking ship located 100 miles away can free them. >> it's making way, but very slowly. it's mainly due to the ice as well as the weather conditions. there are snowshowers at the moem, and it is very poor visibility out there. >> reporter: despite being stuck in more than 13 miles of ice nearly 10 feet thick, the ship isn't in danger of sinking. chris tourney is the leader of the research expedition and said in a skype interview from the ship that even though there's an a frozen stand still the 74 researchers, crew and tourists say they're doing fine and morale is high. >> it sounds a lot worse than it is. everyone else is safe and sound and very comfortable down below deck where there's having a cup of tea or coffee. we have enough food and water where everyone is very warm. we have plenty of fuel on board. we've got about just shy of two weeks of fresh food.

>> if the icebreaker is unsuccessful, the next attempt will be a helicopter from the chinese ship snow dragon still in the yaer. ahead in sports, the playoff spot comes down between the eagles and cowboys. could the massive security breach at target been avoided? better technology does exist, just not in the u.s.

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.

american retailer target is still dealing with the fallout from the hacking of more than 40 million credit cards. experts take technology exists that could have made that data almost impossible to deal. it's known as xhip and p.i.n. instead of magnetic strips on the back, the technology is not new and used across europe and asia. the u.s. has lagged behind because of the cost of changing. the problem with traditional credit cards across the u.s. has to do with the magnetic strip. the current technology makes the data easy for hackers to steal and easy for thieves to reproduce and use almost anywhere. that led to the u.s. topping the world in global fraud involving credit cards. the chip and p.i.n. technology closes these loopholes by requiring a p.i.n. number for the karled holder to make a pruch. it makes it difficult to duplicate. around 80 countries across the

world use these cards already compared to 1% in the u.s. it was developed in 1994 with the help of companies like visa and mastercard. stewart mcclaire is the founder and ceo of silence, a security company, from california. stewart, if this credit card that uses these chips is supposedly safer and better, why aren't more americans using them? >> well, i think there's a couple of reasons. first of all, there is an expense to this. it's a massive expense for the banks, the retailers and efforts. you know, at the end of the day, too, they're a political angle to all of this. it is a difficult political decision to be made not just on the expense side but also just what risks do involve this smart chip and p.i.n. system as well. there are risks. they were men in the middle attacks and similar attacks if all indications are correct around the current card attack, some might have been successful with the chip and p.i.n. until we get more detail how it

went down, it's difficult to predict. >> explain the political aspect you're talking about there. i'm struck by that. what do you mean by that answer? >> i think there's a couple of things that happen when you start to invest large amounts of dollars in any kind of technology from a company and a board level perspective. it gives the sense of heightened awareness to security certainly, but it gives greater responsibility for any breach in that security. it does sometimes deter boards and scare them away from making those big, tough decisions around the expense. it's not just the expense, but there are more angles to it. >> okay. so what's it like trying to convert the systems to these new credit cards? is it not just a credit card that has to be swapped out? do the stores make changes as well? >> it's pretty much everything in the chain. i mean, from the cards being swapped out themselves to the point of sale systems in all the retail outlets to every

intermediary system. it will have to be considered to be touched, changed, altered and modified in some way to the back end database for approval and then the response to come back in the system for ultimate allowanceance of that charns. there's a big technological change that is in many cases designed out years in response, not just months. so you're talking about a large expense but also a large planning process. there are some u.s. banks as well as u.s.-based credit card systems that do offer some of the chip and p.i.n. or smart chip and signature which is embedded in what we have today. guys like american express and chase and u.s. bank or others. it's not by default our de facto at all. >> if they want thiz special credit cards, can they request them? >> that's exactly right. call your credit card companies and ask for the special smart chip and p.i.n.s. most banks and most financial

institutions will not have them, but in some cases they will. for example, chase and u.s. bank and american express even offer some. in particular, if you're traveling abroad to europe, you can get these kinds of systems quite easily with those existing banks. just pressure them. that's my guidance. pressure your banks and financial institutions. you're the only one that can get them to move on it. >> good advice without question when european places don't accept american credit cards anymore. thank you for your time today. after 17 weeks of the nfl season, it all comes down to today. we know who is play in the playoffs. >> we finally know. the final game is tonight. well, win and you're in. if you're a team fighting for a chance to play for a hahnship, that's the proposition you want to hear. we start in the nfc with the dallas cowboys hosting the eagles. the winner gets the nfc crown and the loser goes home.

it's the ieagles advancing thans to 263 yards and two touchdowns from nick foles and 167 yards. tone yoi home wroe underwent season-ending back surgery on friday. through the second interception of the game with less than two minutes to play. the eagles win 24-22 to advance to the playoffs. the packers and chicago bears also faced a win or go home snare notice today. aaron rodgers playing his first game in eight weeks since breaking his collarbone coming up huge with a 48 yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes to play to give green bay the win and more importantly a trip to the playoffs as the champions of the nfc north. here's how the playoff standings like in the nfc. the seattle seahawks have home field advantage and panthers have home field advantage for one game as the number two seed. the division winners philadelphia and green bay claimed the three and fourth

seed respectively with san francisco and new orleans with the two left overspots. it will feature the eagles hosting the saints saturday night at 8:00 eastern time and the packers take on the defending champions 49ers sunday afternoon at 4:30. to the afc where four teams all had a shot to claim the sixth and final playoff spot. two teams. dot fins and ravens were eliminated when they lost earlier it the day looeeaving t door open for the steelers. pittsburgh still needed the chargers to lose to make the postseason. if san diego beat the chiefs, who sat most of the starters today, the chargers made the playoffs. after ryan missed the field goal, the chargers took advantage in overtime thanks to nick novak's 36-yard field goal. the 26-24 victory which was san diego's fourth straight gave the chargers the sixth and final

postseason spot eliminating the steelers. here's how the afc seeding played out. the broncos guaranteed home field advantage and the patriots hold down the number two spot. cincinnati gets the three seed over indianapolis because the bengals beat the colts earlier in the season. kansas city, san diego, those are your wild-card teams. when the wildcard round against underway, the colts host the chiefs saturday at 4:00 ooern and the bengals host the chargers on sunday at 1:00 eastern. in case you were wondering, the super bowl is set for february 2nd in met life stadium. one other nfl note to pass along. after a seven-game losing skid the cleveland browns fired head coach rob tonight after one season on the job. sports and injuries go hand and hand and sometimes thier severe, both career and light threatening and last night ufc 168 produced one of the most gruesome injuries in mixed

marsha martial arts history. silva faced wideman in las vegas. this match enldzed when silva broke his left leg after throwing a kick he checked with his left chi. silva's chin snapped on contact and he fell to the ground in obvious agony. i was taken to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery. after that procedure the successful surgery performed by dr. steven sanders inserted a rod into the left tibia. anderson will remain in the hospital for a short while, but no additional surgery is scheduled at this time. recovery time for such injuries may vary between three to six months. the last fighter to come from back from a similar injury took 13 months to get back in the octagon. that's another reason why they

believe that silva's injury will end one of the best careers in mixed martial arts history. >> anderson silva right now is 38, going to be 39 years old in april. you're looking at at least a year off for him. he'll be 40 years old. does he really need to as a contender? after having been the champion for six-plus years, nearly seven years and set all the ufc records and getting recognition as the greatest of all time, does he need to rehab from an injury and come back and prove something at that page? i find it unlike he would do that. >> he woon 33 of his 39 career mma bouts, 16-2 in the ufc. we have breaking news to bring you at this hour. another explosion in russia. at least ten people have been killed on a trolley bus that blew up also in the russian city. this comes hours after a train

station explosion killed at least 50 people there. we'll bring you more on this after the break. aulz ahead on "al jazeera america," the rose bowl parade is days away. this year a special honor for women that went where women had never gone before. only on al jazeera america

the 125th rose bowl parade honors a special group of women this year, those who flew military planes during world war ii. brian rooney sat down with one of them. >> reporter: her hands are not as steady as they once were and her eyes not as sharp, but in her heart she's still a pilot. it's what she always wanted to be. >> i used to tell my father that's what i wanted to do. he'd always say, not something girls do, but if you figure out how, more power to him. >> reporter: there wasn't much hope for a woman that wanted to fly until the attack on pearl harbor. she saw a newspaper ad seeking women pilots. she went for training in texas. >> i was real excited because i was going to get to fly and we

could see the airplane sitting on the field. >> the military was forming what became known as the women air force service pilots, the w.a.s.p.s. they shuttled bombers around the country. when he started flying was still a man's world. even the flight suits were for men. >> you went in and picked one out and hopefully it fit you okay. some were too long in the legs or too big in the middle. he just rolled them or did what you needed to do to wear them. >> the training was difficult. >> one of the things we had to do before we could solo, they would blindfold us and name an instrument, and you had to touch it and tell what it read and what you would do if it malfunctioned and why it was important it was in the airplane. >> it turned out women could fly. she learned on the atc trainer. >> i did the wheel verse, the spins. i did everything i could think

of we were taught to do, and it was a beautiful airplane to do it. >> she was a transport pilot and flying a b-26 bomber drags a target in live fire exercises. >> it never occurred to me it would dangerous. >> it was dangerous. just over 1,000 women that became pilots, 38 died in accidents. after the war she had a family and never flew again, but new year's day aboard this float commemorating the w.a.s.p.s she will be in parade dress. >> i will wear my wings. my wings will be on. i will wear my scarf so that to me those two things say this is who i am. >> this is her moment, the moment of recognition for her, for seven other women who will ride in the rose parade, and for all the w.a.s.p.s gone now. >> this is a big deal to me in that i think the appreciation the people need to know that we were there. i'm living proof of that. that women did fly in the war. >> new year's day she'll be

flying high once more. welcome to "al jazeera america." i'm jonathan betz with tonight's top stories. this just in. there's been another explosion in the russian city of vogdegrad. at least ten people are dead after a bombing on a trolley bus. putin had already ordered tightened security following a suicide attack at a train station in the same city that killed 15 people and hurt another 34. it happened about 600 miles south of moscow and just six weeks before the winter olympics in sochi. saudi arabia has offered $3 billion to the lebanon army. they could buy weapons and fight violence spreading across the border from syria. france has pledged