Hello everyone,

We will be going live to Yemen where our Paula Newton has scored an exclusive interview with the father of radical cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki (above). Authorities say Al Awlaki had contact with both the Fort Hood shooter and Umar Faruk AbdulMutallad, the man accused of trying to blow up an American airliner on Christmas day.

But his father, Dr. Nasser Al-Awlaki, says his son is not a member of Al Qaeda and that authorities are trying to "kill" him. Tune in for all the details of Paula's interview at the top of the hour at the IDesk. And check out Paula's report on cnn.com.

Also today, we will take you live to Northern Ireland, where the First Minister, Peter Robinson, has been forced to step aside for six weeks to deal with a sex scandal involving his wife's affair with a teenager. Allegations of financial wrongdoing in the case are putting pressure on the first couple. Mister Robinson's wife (ironically, Mrs. Robinson) has been forced to resign from her political party last week.

We are also live in Africa, where there are new developments in the deadly assault on Togo's national football team. There have been arrests in the case. We'll have the latest from the continent.

Plus, we have a report from Jerusalem on the Prime Minister's plans to build 250 kilometers of fencing between Israel and Egypt. The barriers would be designed to limit the flow of asylum seekers from Africa as well as militants whom Israel says can easily cross through the porous border.

This future fence would add to the underground barriers and walls and fences around the West Bank critics say routinely eat into Palestinian land, isolating Israel and choking Palestinian economies.

And are you still freezing out there my fellow Northern Hemisphere inhabitants? We will bring you the latest forecast and take you lto the U.S. state of Florida where temperatures have damaged citrus crops and the tourism industry.

Plus all your other top developing stories, as always.

See you at the IDesk!

Hala

Posted by: CNN Anchor, Hala Gorani
Filed under: Today At The I-Desk