meets humanity. storms sweep through parts of the u.s., causing several

deaths and travel chaos. ♪ welcome to the program. the iraqi army says it has liberated big parts of ramadi from isil fighters. it says the advance is being slowed by explosive devices left behind. here is gerald tan. >> reporter: as the days wear on, iraqi forces trying to retake ramadi have made a sobering admission, it will take time. they are trying to overpower isil fighters. backed by air strikes, ground troops are edging forward, street by street towards the center. >> translator: morale is high. and god being we will keep advancing to retake the whole of ramadi city. god willing, we will liberate

the remaining part of ramadi. >> reporter: iraqi intelligences says there are just a few hundred isil fighters left within the city parameters. they have planted explosive booby traps capable of damaging 25 ton vehicles. >> translator: following the liberation of the area, teams from the 16th division started work to remove and diffuse the bombs on the roads and houses. >> reporter: the iraqi government is confident that its security forces are in the final stages. >> translator: there is a well knit plan. the plan is to encircle the area. isil has lost the balance of power, and doesn't know which direction it is being attacked by iraqi forces. >> reporter: this is an urban

battlefield and up to 10,000 civilians are thought to be trapped inside the city. the hope is that that victory will come swiftly and with no further loss of life, but both seem unlikely. now as we were mentioning ramadi is the capitol of anbar, iraq's largest province. the capture of the city allowed isil to set up supply lines. 70 kilometers further up the highway is fallujah, also under isil control. the two cities are treejicily important because they are on the doorstep of the capitol baghdad. one expert says even if iraqi forces push isil forces out of ramadi, they still face

resistance elsewhere. >> one of the factors that they learned the lesson in tikrit, one the shia mobilization forces took over, they actually indirectly ruined tikrit. now they are trying to avoid any involvement with the shia forces. they are against the previous government, against the council. so who will control it in ramadi. this hasn't been decided yet. in addition there is a big problem because most of the isil who in fighting them are also part of the same tribes in anbar, so how they reconcile between these two in the party, how they will deal with them. in addition to all of this, what is the general vision, political approach to the whole problem? if this will end in anbar, how

about mosul? how about the rest? but no doubt it is a tactical victory for the government, but it should not be considered as a change -- change -- changing the game in iraq. it is only a milestone. syria and china say they have agreed on key principals for next month's peace talks in geneva. the u.n. hopes talking will lead to the formation of a national unity government. last friday, the u.n. security council unanimously approved an resolution adopting a road map for peace. >> syria are ready to participate in the dialogue in geneva, without any foreign

interference, and our delegation will be ready as soon as we receive a list of the opposition delegation. >> translator: we should stick to a peaceful resolution on the syrian issue. the people of syria decide the future and fate of syria. the u.n. plays a key role in negotiations, we agree these three principles should be upheld throughout the whole peace process. >> the meeting between foreign ministers in china is important, because beijing does not have an agenda when it comes to syria. >> china has good relations with almost all of these major players who have one set of vested interest or another in syria. china can apply a higher level of objectivity to the situation in syria, therefore, i think china can play a very important

and indispensable role as a go-between, and china may eventually win the trust and confidence of the syrian government and also rebels in syria, but also more importantly, other major players who are now fighting their way out in the situation in syria. one thing is simple, that is peace should prevail in syria, rather than war and destruction. and if peace will prevail this will not only set a good example for people in syria, but it can always set a good example for other burning conflicts in that part of the world. at least four countries have issued security warnings in beijing. the u.s. embassy says it has received information of posz threats. a huge fire has killed at least 25 people in saudi arabia,

the blaze swept through the intensive care unit and maternity ward in the hospital. more than 100 people are injured. it took 21 defense teams to battle the fire. an investigation is underway. one person has been killed after israeli forces fired shots at a refugee camp between occupied east jerusalem, and ramallah. five other palestinians have been taken to the hospital. it is the latest attack in the occupied west bank. earlier israeli place shot an palestinian after an attempted car ramming. one more palestinian was also shot and killed in a settlement. police say he stabbed two security guards. hundreds of people have attended the funeral of the israeli man willed on wednesday.

the man was killed when two palestinians went on a stabbing spree wounding three people. the attackers were shot dead. a spate of stabbings, shootings, and car rammings, killed 125 palestinians across the west bank. ♪ in manger square marching bands received tourists of pilgrims, but palestinian authorities have decided to tone down festivities in other areas because of the violence. >> reporter: the most recent incident involved a group of israeli soldiers who stormed the refugee camp in which nay allegedly opened fire. five palestinians were injured with gunshot wounds, and one was

killed. but in the backdrop of all of that, of course, is christmas celebrations here in bethlehem and at this very spot in manager square where hundreds have come and have been streaming through throughout the day to celebrate christmas this christmas eve and although it is a very tense and at some times somber scene here, it does feel like many people here are trying to celebrate christmas in the spirit of the holiday, but as we have been saying there has been an awful lot of violence, and that is weighing on the mines of many people here. the taliban is fighting for control of helmand province in afghanistan. the afghan army has been surrounded by fighters in a number of districts. the key battle is now in one area where british soldiers have been sent back to the area to advise a year after they left the region. our correspondent sent this

update. >> reporter: they are telling us that afghan special forces have been deployed, and they are fighting in the area. and afghan security official claims they have control of the district headquarters. we're talking about a very small area, and it is about 2,000 square meters, that's where fighting is still going on. afghan officials also claim that taliban have big casualty last night, and the fighting is still going on, and they have sent some reinforce by road, but we believe they haven't reached the area, because on the road there are lots of area under control of taliban, and lots of ied's and mines there. but in helmand it's hard to say anyplace in this province or any district fully under control of taliban. even here last year, the capitol

of the province in district four of the capitol, the fighting is going on and taliban are present strongly there. now the taliban and their allice do have various money-making ventures, but opium is the most profitable. areas under cultivation of oppy shrink 20% this year. but afghan still produces 90% of the world's heroin supply. for decades tons of the drug have been traded in this district. most of it is smuggled to the west and processed on the streets of europe. the taliban encourage farmers to grow poppies, by providing to s

tools. >> reporter: there's also another element involved in it, which is some of the corrupt government officials who also benefit from the traffic of drugs that are produced and then propeszed to a certain extent in different districts in helmand. so we could say there are a number of different parties involved in that production, so it's very difficult to say if there is only one party who has control of the entire drug business in helmand or in the districts. it's a huge amount of money, that's why hell managed has always been a place where conflict continued in this part of afghanistan for over a decade. the fact that the international forces left helmand, there is a good opportunity for taliban to have more access, more control over the cultivation of poppies and also control on how to

basically get more -- or generate more revenues out of it. muslims around the world are marking the anniversary of the prophet muhammad's birth with celebrations. in the western libyan city, the day was observed with hymns, drums, and tambourins. but in the capitol, officials decided there would be no gathering this year, because of the security situation. plenty more to come this hour. ♪ >> including refugees rebuilding their lives in europe, one song at a time. i'm adam raney is haiti. >> and in the sports news frestive cheer from the manager,

amid rumors he is about to be sacked. ♪ storms sweeping across the u.s. have killed six people, dozens were injured as tornados destroyed and damaged homes in several states. people traveling home for the holidays found their flights redelay redelayed. >> reporter: it's a bleak midwinter in mississippi. this townering funnel cloud is one of several tornados that hit the state since the start of the week. the youngest person to die was a 7-year-old boy. he was in a car, which like this truck was picked up and thrown by the wind. >> we are looking still at that risk of tornado activity, especially across parts of tennessee and mississippi, but there are 72 million people that will still see the chance of

severe weather overnight. >> reporter: this is what some will be waking up to. every so often, nature likes to remind us that it wields the real power. 2015 has been one of those years. it's an el niño year, a phenomenon in which the warmest ocean waters move from one part of the pacific, around the philippines. >> and they bank up against the americas. and north america's off-shore temperatures are about 2 or 3 degrees above what they should be. that cold air sweeps across the plains states where it meets with the warmth from the gulf of mexico, that is very warm at the moment, were this to happen in the spring or autumn, you would expect tornados. fine. but in december, that's a rare event. >> reporter: this time the ert's currents are making their presence felt regardless of the

holiday season. a japanese court has lifted an injunction that prevented two nuclear reactors from restarting. power companies have been trying to get reactors back on line since the nuclear disaster in 2011. they had argued it failed to meet higher safety standards. at least 18 refugees have drowned after their boat saning off of the coast of turkey. six of the victims were children. rescuers managed to save 21 people, but there are still more missing. the group was heading for the greek islands. military video shows armed officers approaching a rubber dingy full of people. say they one of their ships was on a surveillance mission when they spotted the group. over 200 were rescued in recent

days after having trouble in dinghies. more than 3.5 million syrian refugees are sheltering in countries which neighbor syria. hundreds of thousands more have made the journey to europe and applied for asylum. most take the west balkans route. hungary was for many the preferred route, but when they built a fence, refugees were diverted throughco way sha and slovenia. last month slovenia also started to build a fence. the government said it was temporary, and designed to steer refugees towards controlled entry points. since the refugee crisis began many europeans have tried to help new arrivals build their new lives, but one group of refugees is doing it for themselves. they have been recording a cd to help others in a similar

situation. lawrence lee dropped in on a recording session in brussels. ♪ >> reporter: a few days ago they hadn't .even met, yet now then men from syria and iraq are singing and playing traditional songs from their homelands in far-away belgium. ♪ >> reporter: on the border with macedonia, he told us he had to leave his loot behind when he feld [ inaudible ] in iraq. some kind europeans raised the money to get a new one, and now he uses his music to help forget the journey he has had to make. >> when i touch the instrument, there's a lot of things just go away, just forget a lot of things. even when you play and remember things, but at the end when you finish, you just forget everything. you don't care about anything. it's like music means everything

for me. ♪ >> reporter: he was a tv star in his native pakistan, but when he tried to set up a music school in his home, the taliban came and told him it was forbidden, and they wouldn't tell him twice. ♪ >> a lot of musicians has been taken and has been injured, and they try to kill them also, and you can see all of those -- or most of them, they leave the country, most of them they could not, but they stopped singing. they stopped playing music. ♪ >> reporter: on guitar is this respected composer from damascus. he carried his guitar all the way singing for the other refugees. ♪

>> no, we play music what we have feelings, what -- what happened with us, or how we leave in damascus. that's all. >> reporter: the people helping organize this are close to their for get of $13,000 toing print the cds. music classes and concerts are also being planned. in a europe increasingly and openly hostile to all refugees, it is perhaps a reminder of how war affects all of us, even the most talented. >> not bad. >> reporter: lawrence lee, al jazeera, brussels. the european parliament has voted to impose a trade embargo against russia. russia announced its would was

pend a free trade zone with ukraine next month, because of ukraine's deal with the european union. the haitian president has defended his election runoff. adam raney has more now from port off prince. >> reporter: not good enough. >> translator: the members of the commission were handpicked by the president and his prime minister, so this commission has nothing to do with what we recommended, therefore, we don't recognize it. >> reporter: the critique followed the prime minister's announcement of the five-member commission on tuesday. >> translator: the government guarantees the commission's complete independence in carrying out its duties to make all of the necessary troops come

out to restore the process. >> reporter: there has been growing anger and protests over the first-round results. some people multiple times, opposition groups say, while intimidation kept many from casting ballots. these are just some of the faces of the 54 original presidential candidates here in haiti. now the december 27th runoff has been postponed indefinitely, but people we have been speaking to say no matter when the vote takes place they have little faith in the process. >> translator: it's a very dirty game. >> translator: during the election, the people are just pons, even if you vote, the results never show who really won. >> reporter: suspicion also fuels apathy, only 26% of registered voters cast ballots in the first round, although the

government has not set a new date, there is growing international concern that the second round should be held soon. the u.n. security council called on all candidates, political parties, and political actors to publicly commit to the electoral process, and timely government formation in accordance with the constitutional time frame, including the ingnawing race of a new president by the 7th of february next year. those in charge are trying to win back the confidence of voters. >> translator: the electoral council is doing everything it can to gain the trust of the people, with five people we suspect of fraud. >> reporter: that night not be enough to convince haitians that the election will reflect the true opinion of the people. the u.n. security council has given its full support for the planned unity government in

libya. kristen saloomey now reports. >> reporter: the u.n. security council through its support behind libya's fledgling government of national accord. the move was welcomed by libya's ambassador to the u.n., who said the new government was a necessary compromise. >> translator: it cannot achieve the aspirations of all parties, but it best represents what we can potentially achieve, and it is the highest common denominator. >> reporter: members of two rival governments, political parties and civil society groups, reached agreement on a new government last week, but some key players have net to endorse the deal. the security council and the u.n. special representative for libya, encouraged others to come on bushed. >> the schools have to open, the

hospitals have to work again, and peace and security should really be established over time. and this is the task of the government of national unity. [ explosion ] >> reporter: warring factions in the country have lead to instability and the presence of isil also making libya a hub for the human trafficking of migrants. the security council has warned that instability in libya is a threat to international peace and security. the resolution calls on countries to respond urgently when the new government requests security help in particular in dealing with isil. but the government has to about first. >> reporter: the united kingdom says it is ready to help. >> we are awaiting with impatience and a lot of interest the creation of this government and once it has been created we required in terms of the fight against daesh in libya.

>> reporter: libya has 30 days to form its government and a plan for national security. still to come here on the al jazeera news hour, when time is of the essence, doctors in south africa, say they have developed a new way to find breast cancer quickly. and when the american dream turns into a nightmare, while some mobile home owners in the u.s. are seeking better legal protection. and in sport having served time in prison for his role in the cricket corruption scandal, he is still facing obstacles in his bid to play for his country. ♪

>> we're following stories of people who have died in the desert. >> the borderland marathon. >> no one's prepared for this journey. >> experience al jazeera america's critically acclaimed, original series from the beginning. >> experiencing it has changed me completely. >> follow the journey as six americans face the immigration debate up close and personal. >> it's heartbreaking. >> i'm the enemy. >> i'm really pissed off. >> all of these people shouldn't be dead. >> it's insane. welcome back. you are watching al jazeera. a quick run through of our top stories. the ooeshg eye military says it has liberated big parts of ramadi from isil. ike eye soldiers backed by tribal fighters began a push to recapture the city on tuesday. syria and china say they

have agreed on key principals for peace talks in beijing. four palestinians have been killed across the occupied west bank in one -- in most of the incidents israeli forces say they were retaliating after being attacked by the men. it's the latest in this spate of violence that started in october. human rights watch has ak gued the nigerian army of gilling more than 300 civilians in the north of the country earlier this month. the shia muslim group has tried to assassinate the army chief of staff. but the group found so much evidence of an attack. other members of the sect were killed when a man was arrested.

the killings were at best an overreaction to a road protest. daniel is the executive director of the african division of human rights watch. >> if you really look into the military's version of events, it really does not stack up. the army chief arrived in the area one hour before a military was deployed around the mosque. prior to his arrival, exactly an hour before the chief of staff of the army has arrived in the area, there was actually a deployment of military troops around the mosque, and there are video footage that indicate how soldiers were coming and taking the positions around the mosque, and what else apparently happened is members of the sect were erecting roadblocks, and it

was just impossible how a situation of erecting roadblocks can lead into days of hundreds of thousands of -- hundreds of people and hundreds more being wounded. and mind you, the attack was actually followed in the hours and days, not only in the first side, but other sides, in a couple of more sides in the our hours and days following the initial incident. it is a step that local government has established this judish commission of inquiry, but it is extremely crucial that the inquiry needs to be fullying independent and impartial. the nigerian capitol is a city under construction. hundreds of new homes are built every month, but all too often they are priced well beyond the reach of most people.

>> reporter: it's 5:00 in the morning when douglas says good-bye to his family. by the time he comes back at night, his children will be asleep. >> when they wake up and see me like a stranger, i feel bad, but i pray to god that one day we'll overcome the situation. so really it's not helpful for you to continue being without your children all the time. >> reporter: [ inaudible ] is hundred of the hundreds of thousands that work in the city, but have to live far away from their work, simply because they can't afford to live there. every month hundreds of new homes are built here, but most are empty. the question you need to ask yourself is how many people can afford to buy a house of 100 million in nigeria. it's less than 2% of the

population. and unfortunately every developer is playing in the market to play to 2% of the population. >> reporter: a house in this estimate costs about $500,000 to buy, renting one is as much as $25,000 a year. developers put the blame on expensive land and infrastructure, and pass the burden to tenants. so for many nigerian cities it's not about a shortage of housing, it's about affordability. that's why people like douglas are pushed to the slums on the outskirts of the city. nigeria's real estate market is largely unregulated. a lack of proper regulation, means low-earners like douglas will continue to be priced out, relegated to the slums that encircle the city.

doctors in south africa have developed a breast cancer screening machine, they say saves time and money. the disease is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths amongst women worldwide. it is now hoped this innovation will also save lives. >> reporter: this is the latest innovation in breast cancer technology. >> the problem with digital x rays is that when the lady has dense breast tissue, and that happens in almost half of women, that density can mask the cancer. >> reporter: this machine is able to x ray the breast and take an ultra sown at the same time, penetrating dense breast tissue. >> this is the world's first system that incorporates both of these technologies into a single platform. so the idea would be that you can cast it early in one view,

rather than having to ask the woman to come back repeatedly. >> reporter: when nora discovered a mass in her breast, she volunteered to help developers with testing. >> it's a very user friendly machine. compared with the other machines i have worked with before. it's good to see there is so much progress being made, especially when you think of the time that you need to have the mammogram and have an ultrasound afterwards. >> reporter: early results show the machine to be safe and effective. studies by doctors around the world suggest that around 5 of every thousand women tested with a mammogram x ray have a tumor detected. that total rises to around 12 of every thousand tested with an

ultrasound. the developers of the machine say its technology will provide women with access to better-quality cancer testing, without having to undergo two separate tests. both the developers and the government say the machine, which cost $350,000 can be used to reach large number of people. >> we would like to see greater manufacturing capability in south africa, and developing this machine in our country, and then being able to market it to europe, we hope eventually to the united states and throughout the african continent, and through this develop, make a difference to the health status of women. >> reporter: while women will save time and money, developers say the greater development will be to save lives. at least 15 people have been arrested at a black lives matter protest in the u.s. state of

minnesota. the demonstration started at one of the busiest malls in the city of minneapolis, the protesters then moved on to an airport in the area. demonstrators want to draw attention to the recent shooting of a black man there. >> there is such racial disparity in our state and in the metro area, and i'm here to stand in solidarity with my black and brown brothers and sisters, to fight for racial equity. more than 20 million people are living in mobile homes in the united states, most of them don't own the land their home sits on, and they have few rights as tenants. in the second part of our special series, john hendren has been talking to those who want more legal protection. >> reporter: heather has lived in our mobile home with her husband for 13 years. he was planning to buy another one nearby for her children. >> we were in the process of

looking when we got the notice. >> reporter: that notice from her mobile home park informed her it would close to build million dollar homes in its place, then her husband lost his job. now they are both out of work. the home is not movable, and they owe $17,000 on it. >> it's either going to go into the garbage -- or the bank is going to have to take it back. we're not children, home makers, you know, school teachers, whatever, we are just dollar signs just because we live in a mobile home and not a stick-built house. >> reporter: for the landless homeowners, it's an indignity suffered over and over. ♪ trailer trash >> if your richest relative buys a new house, and you have to help take the wheels off of it, you might be a redneck.

[ laughter ] >> reporter: but when they sell the land, those with homes on it, get nothing. >> we're regular americans. we're not white trash. we have chosen to own our own home. what is happening in our society is people in a lower bracket are being excluded from i think having their own american dream, which is very sad. >> reporter: for-profit mobile home park owners didn't agree to talk to us. in most u.s. states there are no protections. the land owner can sell the land, raise the rent, and even dictate out their gardens look. >> they are not mobile. they are not intended to be moved again, and there's nowhere to move to. they are losing everything. all of their equity. i call homeowners in manufactured housing communities

prisoners in their own homes. >> reporter: this park about to close next spring so by then all 32 homes will have to be torn down or moved. in part three we move from mobile homes to vans. it's often a lack of retirement savings that leaves elderly americans with no option but to leave in their vehicles. on friday, we'll have the report of the van dwellers, congregating in the arizona desert for the winter. algeria's government is planning to rehouse tens of thousands living around the capitol. some of the shanty towns have been in existence for decades. >> translator: our aim is to

save the people from misery, you can't our citizens live in tin houses. the aim is to give an opportunity for all of our citizens to live in good conditions. >> reporter: conservationists in hong kong say they are fighting the battle to save the rare pink dolphins. from hong kong, our correspondent has more. >> reporter: the first thing they tell you on the dolphin watch tour is not to have high expectations, but it's turned out to be a good day for these visitors. >> it was really lucky to see two pink dolphins playing around in the water, it was so fantastic. so beautiful. >> i was so surprised when i saw them. they jumped in the water. >> nowadays dolphins appear to be quite afraid of boat traffic, but this morning they got quite

close. >> reporter: pink dolphin numbers have dropped more than 60% in the last decade. it is mostly due to major building projects in hong kong waters. they point out the 50-kilometer bridge which cuts through areas with the highest density of dolphins, and they fear plans to develop the airport would drive away what is left of the dolphin population. this is where the dolphins travel through to feeding spots and cleaner waters, but this is also the proposed site for the airport's third runway, construction would involve dumping thousands of tons of sand. the dolphin conservation society says they have consulted the government on the airport plans, but their proposals are being ignored. they are considering legal

action, despite the promise to build a marine sanctuary. >> can they survive during the construction, and will that come back? i think it is very unlikely. >> reporter: the dolphins have been swimming in these waters for centuries, on the sidelines as hong kong transforms from a fishing village to one of asia's biggest hubs, but they have paid the price with less and less space to call home. still to come here on the news hour. a mexican christmas tradition under threat. and in sport, their record-breaking winning streak is about to come to an end, but the golden state warriors are still in a league of their own. details in just a moment. ♪

♪ time for sports news. >> thank you very much, peter. manchester united captain wayne rooney has given his backing to his under pressure manager. he says the whole squad are determined to get their season back on track. united have been in terrible form, they have not won in six games. and van hull was required to face the media as per rules, but as you are about to see this is no ordinary press conference.

>> has anybody in this room not a feeling to apologize to me? nobody has that feeling? i'm here only because of the premier league rules. i have to talk with you. but i can only see when i say something that you use my words in your context. i am focused on stoke city. i help my players. i wish you a merry christmas. and maybe also a happy new year when i see you, and enjoy the wine and the mince pie. good-bye. >> and with that van hall walked out. as i say united take on stoke on saturday. one team that have recently

sacked their manager are chelsea. and the club have hired [ inaudible ] has the interim coach. they have also held talks with the former blues striker. he currently playing for the mls side, but according to montreal, they claim that chelsea are interested in bringing him back as an assist important. the canadian team said they want the 37 year old back for the next season, but understand the attachment to chelsea. on saturday he will be up against one of his former players. >> they have like a coach for three years in [ inaudible ]. he was [ inaudible ] to me like a player since 1991 and 1994, and i have very good relationship. he is a lovely man. he is a funny man. he is a very simple person. i love it with him. >> as a matter of fact, i

shouldn't be here. halfway this season, because it's meaning that things are not going well as -- as foreseen in the beginning of the season. but anyhow, i'm glad to be back, and it's a few years ago that i was here in a similar situation. there is a rather more positive atmosphere around tottenham. they play norwich on saturday. >> not surprise me, because nor witch is a very good team, they are a very tough team, they defend deeper, and play contra

attack and have a very good player, but not surprise me. we will expect a very tough game. >> moving away from football to cricket. batsman has boycotted in protest to the inclusion of the 23-year-old who was in prison and banned for five-years as he was convicted in a match fixing ring. they are expected to name the final touring squad. pakistan's one-day national captain and he was adamant in his refusal to play with amir. he said:

staying with cricket, england will be without james on saturday. the 33 year old has taken 426 wickets in his 110 test matches. he has an injury to his right ankle. the iaaf is sending a task force to russia in january to suspect the response to their doping-scandal ban. they were suspended in november after widespread doping and corruption was exposed. russia must take a series of steps to ensure its reenstatement before the rio olympics in august. dallas star has taken his nba scoring tally up further.

he has moved past shaquille o'neal to become the nba's sixth highest ever scorer. meanwhile the golden state warriors remain unbeaten this season after they beat the jazz. last season's most valuable player gave the warriors an early lead. he ended up contributing 16 points and 9 assists as the warriors went on to win, extending their regular season home winning streak to 31 games. tennis, former world number 4 has retired from the game because of a long-running struggle with grand lar fever. he is best known for being the first player to beat nadal at the french open. however, he hasn't played in a world event since 2011, due to the illness.

he has won over $10 million in prize money. the biggest win was in 2010. as i mentioned he is famous for beating nadal at the french open. in total he won ten titles on the tour, and his most successful tour was 2010 when he rose to number four in the world rankings. major league baseball is trying to get permission to sign players from cuba. baseball is the most popular sport in cuba and last week mlb had a goodwill tour there. that is all of your sport for

now. we'll have more sport for you later. >> thank very much. it is a common site at many a party, the pinata. but nowhere are they as popular as they are in mexico. natasha ghoneim nat reports from mexico city on how artisans there have been making these colorful craft things for again rayings. >> reporter: if you are a pinata artisan this is the season of achy hands and ripped nails. but pride in knowing his creations are routinely copied is what has kept this man designing, gluing, and wrapping for 40 years. >> translator: i like the colors. you don't need a lot of money to make them. and this has given jobs to me and my family. >> reporter: he is also a dentist. he admits the pinata trade isn't as lucrative as it used to be,

because now there's more competition. christmas is the busiest time of year. he and his family members will make 4 to 5,000 in a month, and charge about $2 for these stars. ♪ >> reporter: they represent the christmas star. in the bible the star revealed the birth of jesus to the three wise men and lead them to bethlehem. this is called the kilometer of pen yaw tas. machines are now cutting the paper and making the bodies of p pinatas. >> translator: our parents caught us this for two or three generations. >> reporter: but this woman says the tradition of pinatas will endure. they are not only firmly rooted in catholicism, they are an expression of the music and

spirit of mexico, and an extension of the person who made them. >> translator: at this time of the year, people are always looking for the traditional pen yaw tas. and that's difficult to find when it is made by a machine. the artisans are changing and learning how to satisfy their customers. >> reporter: but for kids pinatas will remain a game that comes with a prize. >> translator: i like the pinatas, because i can hit them and eat the canada. >> reporter: not so for christmas, it's peanuts, oranges, and guavas that come tumbling out of these pinatas. natasha ghoneim nat, al jazeera, mexico city. do stay with us here on al jazeera, our colleagues in london will take you through the coming hours. another full bulletin of news is

straight ahead. also check out our website, aljazeera.com. i will see you very soon. >> i've been asked to keep my voice down cause we are so close

to the isil position >> who is in charge, and are they going to be held to accout? >> but know we're following the research team into the fire >> they're learning how to practice democracy... >> ...just seen tear gas being thrown... >> ...glad sombody care about us man... >> several human workers were kidnapped... >> this is what's left of the hospital >> is a crime that's under reported... >> what do you think... >> we're making history right now... >> al jazeera america >> sunday on "hard earned". losing control. >> 50 and broke. i live with the consequences every day. >> harsh realities. >> i did two tours in iraq, when i came back i couldn't find a job. >> fighting to survive. >> bein' a man and can't put my family in a home that they deserve... that's a problem for me. >> hard earned pride. hard earned respect. hard earned future. a real look at the american dream. "hard earned". sunday, 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

[ gunfire ] the battle for ramadi, the iraqi army says it is close to recapturing the strategically important city from isil. ♪ hello there, i'm felicity barr, and this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. as palestinians prepare for christmas day in bethlehem, there is no sign of any let up in the violence gripping the occupied west bank. storms and tornados sweep through parts of the u.s., causing several deaths, and travel