welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. ringing in the new year-round the world, this celebration was taking place in new zealand. russian president vladimir putin vowing to annihilate terrorism. a fiery train crash in north dakota. how the weather could be a major factor in the cleanup. ♪ security concerns appear to

be growing ahead of the winter olympics in russia. officials now canceling new year's fireworks displays, following the attack. the president speaking out today vowing to annihilate terrorists. peter sharpe is there with our story. >> reporter: there wasn't much left of the trolly car when the ambulances arrived, but survivors were hanging on, and the hospital was less than 10 minutes ahead. this woman was one of more than 20 badly injured brought here. >> translator: it felt like a huge electric shock. i didn't see anyone with a bomb. i was looking out the window, and i can't remember anything after that. >> reporter: for the second time inless than 24 hours, the wards

were filled with the victims of another bombing, some with terrible burns. this doctor said his team were carrying out operation -- ten operations at the same time. outside they posted casualty lists of those brought in by ambulance and where they were being treated. the relatives scarily able to believe this was happening all over again. trauma specialists have been flown in from moscow to help family and friends cope with their loss. those too badly injured to be treated were loaded aboard planes to be taken to special burns units in the capitol two hours away. shattered buildings are the

reminder of a pivotal battle in this the second world war. today the people have a different fight on their hands with a far more elusive enemy. at the scene, a feeling of fear, angry and frustration. dennis is a local businessman. >> people afraid -- people afraid to use public transport. i'm frightened, and i'm afraid for my familiar for my friends. >> reporter: they are stepping up security not just here but across southern russia, over the next five years more than 30,000 troops will be deployed across the country in the built up to the olympics. near this the u.s. a firey train crash forcing an

evacuation of a small town in north dakota. one train derailing and was hit by another loaded with crude oil. the collision setting off a series of explosions. >> it was the third explosion that rattled the house and windows and doors, and scott and i came out the garage door, and the flames were so good, and it was like it was happening right behind us. >> the sheriff's office telling nearby resident to exevacuate because of the thick smoker pouring from the accident. detaining the accident is still difficult, temperatures there are minus 20 degrees. it is getting colder outside and we're also looking at the possibility of snow. dave warren snow? >> yeah, a little bit of snow is what we're watching, and we're

also watching the winds out of north dakota. the wind direction with the fire being west of castleton, they had to evacuate castleton and any areas to the south, and over the next 24 hours, the wind will shift to the north and then northeast. there are starting to get a little hold on the situation and the wind will be dying a bit, but the wind direction is big, and that's why castleton is such a big story here. a look at the snow forecast and what it means for the northeast is coming up a little bit later dell. >> rebels in south sudan have recaptured the city of bor. that violence coming as both sides have agreed to a ceasefire. mohammed how important is bor?

>> bor is very important dell. it is the capitol of south sudan, this is the biggest region in south sudan and it is full of oil and other resources. the capture of bor is a setback for the government. the attack was carried out about rebels, allied the former vice president. they were known to the white army, 55,000 of them, they carried out the attacks, and after hours they managed to capture the city of bor. that is raising fears of a civil

war in this country. both sides have agreed to send delegations to the capitol in ethiopia, where they are support to start talks on how to stop the ongoing violence, so that humanitarian aid can reach the people who need it most. most of whom are dispatched across a very wide area. this is a very big problem, and it has been a big problem delivering aid to the people. at least ten people have been killed, including two children in the northern syrian city of alepo. charles stratford reports. >> reporter: this bus was reportedly here to buy

government tank shell, activists say an intensified government bombing campaign has killed at least 500 civilians since december 15th. al jazeera cannot independently verify any of these videos up loaded on the internet, but there has been heavy fighting in other areas in recent days. this video appears to show rebels targeting government areas around an airport. al jazeera cannot a verify which armed groups these men belong to. this than describes how they are sending reinforcement to an area controlled by government forces. in the west activists say rebels took control of two villages after days of heavy fighting. >> this was a hiding place for

go forces. we have managed to destroy four armored vehicles and kill several government soldiers. >> reporter: the syrian observatory for human writing says that more than 46,000 civilians have been killed since the conflict began, 4,600 were women, and 7 -- 7,000 were children. in iraq violence is escalating between the shoeny and shiites. >> reporter: tent frames and a few topplings are all that is left of the protest camp. it was set up by sunni protesters who say they are

being marginalized by the country's shiite government. in response dozens of members of parliament resigned >> translator: i have received the resignations, and i'll do my best to present in situation from further escalating. we're asking the government to answer the demands of the protesters, and pull back their troops. >> reporter: armed men attacked police and tried to block roads as they approached the camp. the sit has been a problem for the president. the vice president also resigned and called on the country of saudi arabia for help. >> we face two main problems. in all honesty those on the

other side of the divide have a project and a state fully backing help. we need a gulf country to sup pert our cause, and let this country be saudi arabia. i say this in front of you all, saudi arabia should play a role in the crisis. >> reporter: fears are being raised that the same thing should happen that happened in 2006 and 2007. national elections are due in april, but the government is struggling to provide the security needed for them to take place. we have a new update on our al jazeera colleagues who are being detained in egypt. the prodouser has been moved to a new prison.

and others will be questioned tomorrow. a temporary relieve for the family of that 13-year-old california girl who was declared brain dead. a judge granting an extension that would keep the teenager on life support for another week. >> reporter: according to the hospital, this girl was dead weeks ago when she went into cardiac arrest shortly after her operation. but her family disagrees. >> i have to do what is right for me and her. >> reporter: a judge has granted a one-week extension of life support. >> our attorneys are filing a new complaint requesting a temporary restraining order and injection preventing pulling the plug. we're asking that the judge extent his temporary restraining order. >> reporter: just last week, a court appointed independent neurology confirmed the

hospital's conclusion. >> unfortunately the medical zin of jahi, she meets all of the criteria for brain death. >> reporter: brain death is different than a coma. a patient in a coma still has neural logical activity. but with brain death there are no neurological activities. >> there are cases where people are brain dead and they have the lazarus effect, and it's quite common in the deceased for their muscles to move. that's not unusual, shocking, nor is it a sign of any life in her body. >> reporter: the attorney says this isn't simply about whether she is dead or alive, it's about bas

basic civil liberties. >> this is about choices. about empowerment, choices in the rights of people. >> reporter: the conflict circles around different notions of death. by the medical community's definition, the girl is dead, but the court fight continues. the family now has one last chance to make their case. her family says an unidentified hospital in new york agreeing to admit the teen. the family is now trying to arrange an air ambulance to transfer her across the country. coming up, why this delicate figure has passions running so far and people around the world calling for it to be removed. and important new guideline for heavy smokers even if you have kicked the habit.

giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. 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. >> an exclusive "america tonight" investigative series >> we traveled here to japan to find out what's really happening at fukushima daiich >> three years after the nucular disaster, the hidden truth about the ongoing cleanup efforts and how the fallout could effect the safety of americans >> are dangerous amounts of radioactive water, leaking into the pacific eververyday? >> join america tonight's michael okwu for an exclusive four part series, as we return to fukushima only on al jazeera america

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. there are new federal guide lines concerning lung cancer screenings. a panel of doctors now recommending ct scans for those at risk. they say it would save thousands of lives. stephanie sy has the story. >> reporter: this man lit up his first cigarette in a fox hole during world war ii. >> one of the guys said it will help settle you down. >> reporter: decades later he was diagnosed with lung cancer after a ct scan. he is one of the lucky ones, lung cancer the leading cause of

all cancer deaths in the us. a panel of experts recommends that adults who are heavy smokers, be given a low dose annual ct scan in an effort to detect early signs of cancer. the group also recommends screenings for those who have quit until the last 15 years. the decision was praised by some such as this expert. she estimates the new guidelines could save more than 30,000 lives a year. >> we're thrilled with this result. we think that this will make a big difference. many people will be able to enjoy a very productive life once they get screened and it is detected early.

>> without the early screening program, i would not be here right now, no question about it. >> reporter: the findings could effect roughly 10 million people, but not everyone should be screened, including those too unhealthy to withstand cancer treatment and people with significant health problems that limit life expectancy. and the panel stressed the importance of risk of cancer from even low dose ct scans. stephanie sy, al jazeera america. ♪ ♪ checking your business headlines at this hour, wall street looks to end the year with a bang. the dow is up 48 points. index on track for its 52nd record this year, and its best performance in 18 years. housing prices putting in a strong performance as well.

but the s&p case schiller index finding home prices up almost 20% from last year, that is the biggest increase in almost eight years, but price gains rose just .2 of a percent. now to the story of a very small statute that is sparking a very big controversy. this month leaders from japan urging leaders in california to remove the statute. >> reporter: it's a simple ch statute of a teenage girl. on a recent day a korean family came to see it. >> i learned about it in the history class when i was back in korea, and recently i became

more aware about it, because of the installation of the statute. >> reporter: during world war ii as the japanese army conquered korea and other asian countries, they pressed as many as 20,000 women into sex slaves, they were called the comfort women, and a lot of them were girls. the statue represents the girls. the 'empty chair the women who are gone. the statute is here because los angeles and some of the surroundings towns have the largest population of koreans outside of korea itself. >> what has happened has happened. it is the truth, and we want to remember the victim's sufferings

in order prevent the same thing happening again. >> reporter: these are japanese american activists who say the statute is important. they meant the member of parliament who want the statute removed. >> they said it is like a slap in the face that this monument was bringing shame upon the country. >> the japanese consulate has said it is sorry about the installation. >> we're not happy about the installation of the monument. >> reporter: but a fourth generation american who was inturned in a camp for japanese americans during world war ii said these events should be remembered. >> we need to have memorials for things that happen like in hiroshima, as in auschwitz, the concentration camps in germany,

that -- that give the world an opportunity to -- to realize that these things happened; that don't want them to happen again. >> reporter: among many angry messages glen dale has received its sister city in japan has threatened to sever their relationship. but the more the controversy, the more supporters say the comfort woman should stay where she is, looking everyone in the eye. coming up next, spanning the globe, we'll take you to new years celebrations taking place around the world.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are today's headlines. the united nations now saying

that rebels fully control the city of bor in south sudan. heavy fighting erupting in that contested region, jeopardizing a ceasefire deal. and the last three chinese weakers have been transferred from guantanamo bay to slaw vaukia. it is already 2014 in parts of asia. new zealand holding one of the first celebrations of the new year. [ cheers ] >> in auckland crowds cheering and horns blaring in the nation's alarmest city. and this was the scene in sydney where more than a million people gathered to watch the fireworks from the sydney harbor bridge

down under. [ cheers ] >> as is the tradition in tokyo, priests began 2014 by ringing a bell 108 times. they did so to wipe away the 108 sins of the previous year. ♪ >> and this was the scene in shanghai, china. the city has a fireworks and laser show to welcome in 2014. there were others, none quite as large as you saw so far in china. well, the new year began with a bang across the world. in new york we are looking at a rather different situation. we are looking at a situation where they are getting ready to drop the doll. sarah has the story.

>> reporter: one of the world's biggest and most well-known parties. >> love it. just amazing atmosphere. >> reporter: time square counting down the last few minutes of 2013. those who will brave the crowds will also brave the cold temperatures are expected to be in the 20s. the ball is a sparkling centerpiece featuring more than 2600 crystals with updated designs for this year's celebration. >> happy new year! >> this is an experience for me. i have never been in the new years in new york city, so this is great. >> reporter: a new year with new resolutions for the more than 1 million people expected to pock time square. and the 1 billion expected to watch on tv. a fresh start in the first few minutes of 2014. ♪

>> i'm meteorologist dave warren, watching 2014 approach with the first storm here. the winter storm will be developing thursday and friday. this is a quick-moving storm now with light snow in pennsylvania and new york. there is just some light snow amount expected in western new york. that is today. the problem with the next storm developing on thursday, another fast-moving storm up north, but a larger storm developing up the coast. not much on the future weather computer there. where the storm really intens y intensifies will be right up through new england, and watching how this looks to be taking shape, certainly update the snow amounts and what to expect for the coming week. >> thank each and every one of

you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. and remember, you can check us out 24 hours a day, just by going to aljazeera.com. is money the secret to happiness? we'll explore what makes us happy, and why. >> lisa fletcher is out today, but we have our man as cohost. with all of the tweets and facebook messages, and omar, does more bling make you happy? what did they say? >> they have different ideas of whether obtaining more wealth brings happiness.