[ technical difficulties ] >> reporter: looters, anti-stabilizers and those who blow into the media -- the media have been accused of blowing the situation out of proer -- proportion.

>> all right. hashem thank you very much. let's now speak to my guests in the studio here, roxanne still with us. so we hear him accusing -- he is sort of accepting that the people have a right to be unhappy with the situation as it is, but he is also vowing to tackle anyone who deliberately targets the country's security and stability. how do you think the government might now respond? if these protests continue? >> his speech was very interesting. he approached it at three different levels. he spent a great deal of time on the speech complimenting the role of the military and the police forces, and if one remembers the party of the president was elected very much because they stated that they were the party that could control terrorism, could establish security, so this is

very much fitting the narrative of the party that is in party. and the second level is that he is blaming as so often we have heard, the authoritarian type of presidents in the middle east, blaming these wild and extra forces, these vigilantes, and other groups, and this is not particularly a good sign, because it implies that he is not really addressing the real cause, but is blaming outside forces. and third of all, i would argue this was very much a speech for the foreign listener. it wasn't just for the domestic audience. he mentions the need of tunisia to have further financing to come in, and it is hoped that after the situation has been brought under control, that the foreign money will be given. so he is clearly trying to attach three different messages

here. >> is there anything that -- any tangible action the government can take to improvement the situation in the country? because clearly, when you look at the countries that saw unrest, that have seen unrest since 2011, tunisia has been hailed very much as the success story. there has certainly been political process, but it has not been accompanied by economic change. unemployment is still a problem in the country, especially for young people. >> certainly the prime minister who is visiting in paris has succeeded in finally getting the french agreement to fund projects over the next five years at the tune of a billion euro, and this is very good news, and i imagine the focus of the government will be to try to build up further support in the economic sector so that it can

start translating this more into economic growth, and if nothing else, this uprising is perhaps helping to focus the find of those who have supported the idea of tunisia being that beacon of arab democracy, but have really not supported it on a democratic front, and for a democracy to be established is not as easy as earn -- everyone thought, and in particular the youth who helped him put him in the job he is in today that they are given answers and jobs. >> thank you very much. appreciate your thoughts on this. >> thank you. now it's the worst unrest tunisia has seen since 2010. the uprising that lead to the arab spring. we can now hear more from hashem

ahelbarra. >> reporter: a family mourning its son. he frustrated over lack of job opportunities. he climbed an electricity pole and threatened to commit suicide. he was electrocuted. his death sparked anger nationwide. and he has become the symbol of a younger generation that feels increasingly let down by its government. >> translator: my son died. the government is responsible. it breaks my heart. those responsible for his death should be held accountable. they destroyed a whole family. >> reporter: he was relentlessly hunting for a job to look after his parents and seven brothers and sisters. his father is a retiree and struggles to make ends meet. >> translator: my brother was put on a list of people eligible for government jobs.

then suddenly his name was taken off of the list. he was dreaming of ab job and ended up in a graveyard. >> reporter: this neighborhood is called karma. it's one of the poorest areas here. and where he spent most of his life. after the revolution that ended the regime five years ago this month, he was hopeful life would improve and the poor and unemployed would get a better chance. here anti-government sentiment is on the rise. karma, and other poor areas have become the focal point of spontaneous mass protests. anger soon spread through this week with unemployed young people protesting in towns and major cities. they all say the government breaks its promises. the government is under growing pressure to show it is on top of the situation and show its people it cares about their

problems, but at the same time it runs on a tight budget and may not be able to fund programs for jobs across the country. hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera. ♪ at least 45 people, including 17 children have died trying to cross the aegean sea to greece. greek and turkish ships have been involved in a search and rescue mission to try to find any survivors. greece has become a major gateway for people fleeing war and poverty as they try to make their way to europe. how to stem that flow of refugees into europe via turkey has been the subject in a meeting between the turkish prime minister and germany's chancellor. nadim baba reports. >> reporter: the pressure may

not have shown as she welcomes her turkish counterpart. but she is treading a lonely path at the moment. as they held talks in berlin, the chancellor again rejected the idea of closing europe's borders. >> translator: we have once again heard about terrible numbers of people dying in the seas between turkey and the e.u., children as well. and we just cannot allow the illegal traffickers to have supremacy here, and that people endanger their lives. and people earn money when they really do not have the best interests of these human beings in their minds. that's why we have to make sure that this illegal immigration is changed into legal immigration. >> reporter: on friday, a reminder of the risks people are still taking to reach europe. despite scenes like this, some of merkel's closest allies are warning it is time to set a limit on new arrivals after

germany took in more than a million last year. in december the e.u. agreed to a $3 billion fund to help integrate syrian refugees. and merkel's government says u.s. president obama has offered to help substantially. but some experts warn it might not make a huge difference. >> it has to do with refugees flows themselves. they are not all syrians. we have afghans, iraqis, kurds, obviously staying in turkey is not attractive to them, they will want to move to continue towards europe. >> reporter: this is a sign that angela merkel needs turkey's help. but it's not concern if ankara has the means or the will to deliver. before friday's meeting the turkish prime minister warned the e.u. money wouldn't be enough, but he insists he has already acted to slow the

migrant flow. >> translator: turkey has declared a number of plans and will put them into action. we're determined to make refugees lives easier providing humanitarian aid to them. we passed legislation to allow syrian refugees to gain employment in turkey, and we are working on visa requirements to prevent them from being exploited. ahead of next month's e.u. summit, angela merkel has already worried many european colleagues, and the calls to get tougher at home and abroad are getting louder all of the time. more than 30 civilians have been killed in russian air strikes on two villages in syria under the control of the al jazeera america al jazeera america. the u.k.-based syrian observatory for human rights, says at least 13 dhi dhirn -- children are among the worth, many more have beening wounded and the death toll would

rise. people across the east coast of the united states are bracing for a huge blizzard expected to dump record levels of snow. around 60 centimeters is expected to fall in washington, d.c. >> reporter: the snow started to fall in the carolinas. people heading to work got their first taste of the storm expected to sweep along the eastern coast of the u.s., likely to be worst hit is washington, d.c. they have been preparing the snowplows and loading the salt trucks to try to keep the roads open. but it is going to be a tough job. >> we are all going to have to live through it. we certainly appreciate your citizens patience, but we're not going to have the luxury to push neighborhood streets. >> reporter: stores have been stripped bare as people get ready to hunker down. >> fruits and salads and cheese, and wine. >> milk, bread, all of those

things. >> reporter: some stores say it's busier than the day before thanksgiving. >> i want all marylanders to know that their state is ready and working together to respond effectively. >> reporter: a big concern for many is the snow will be wet and heavy and whipped by gail-force winds. that could bring down power lines leaves tens of thousands, maybe more without power. >> i want to be very clear with everybody, we see this as a major storm. it has life and death implications. >> reporter: many workers have been told to stay at home on friday, the country's second biggest metro network, nbc will close on friday for the entire weekend. and in the air thousands of flights have been canceled. >> for the safety of our customers and to really try to ease travel as much as possible, and prevent people from sitting

in the airport all day tomorrow, we wanted to go ahead and cancel those flights for tomorrow. >> reporter: it's estimated 50 million people are in the path of the storm. the next 48 hours could be rough and challenging, and then everyone has to dig themselves out. allen schauffler, al jazeera, washington. more to come for you on al jazeera this half hour. we'll be looking at why the kenyan government is under pressure to reveal the true number of soldiers killed in the al-shabab attack. and we'll tell you who is making the news and who is bidding to win this year's sundance film festival. ♪ some kind of rapport. in fact, as mr. rouhani was traveling to the airport to flow rt to flow

♪ welcome back. you are watching al jazeera. a recap of the top stories. a nationwide curfew as been imposed in tunisia where there has been widespread protests over a lack of jobs. the president addressed the nation, and says the country's stability is being targeted. at least 45 people including 17 children have died trying too cross the aegean sea to greece nchlts and the east coast of the united states is now bracing for a huge blizzard. in washington, d.c., up to 60 centimeters of snow is forecast to fall. we get more now from jay gray from virginia for us. jay how are people there coping? >> reporter: well, it's a tough go right now, and will be for quite sometime. we have seen snow since early this mourning. it hasn't .stopped and it is

going to continue through tomorrow evening. some of the hardest-hit areas will see 76 centimeters or more. with that we have got an emergency declaration here. at least 18 states affected by this winter storm which could reach historic proportions if it holds true to what forecasters have said here. we're also going to see very heavy winds at times. power crews are stationed across the region here, and ready to move in, should there be issues with power lines down. we also know that the national guard has been called in, and in fact today the governor here in virginia has added troops to the initial amounts that were here. this is the leading edge of a system that really is going to swallow the entire eastern seaboard here. 80 to 90 million people likely

affected. and that likely won't be until sometime sunday into monday morning that it is done. >> thanks very much. jay gray bringing us the latest there from virginia as the snow continues to fall, and the u.s. now bracing for a huge blizzard. moving to kenya where a memorial service has been held to honor the solders killed in somalia last week. al-shabab claimed responsible for the attack. the armed group claims it killed at least 100 socials, but the kenyan government has yet to release an official death toll. catherine soi reports. >> reporter: the military honors its soldiers killed in somalia. they had just been deployed to the base when the gunmen attacked, using vehicles that had benefited with explosives.

many solders are said to have died in the blast. their remains have been difficult to identify. it has been a week since the peace-keeping base was overrun by al-shabab fighters. several families were at this memorial service, some inconsolable. james's brother is still missing. >> we have been told that there are some soldiers, a group of soldiers that are still missing. maybe they ran away. they got into the bush and hide. >> reporter: military commanders say that special forces are carrying out a search and rescue mission, and have killed the man who lead the attack, but we still don't know how many soldiers were killed or may still be missing. the government is facing heavy criticism for its silence as to details in the attacks. the fact that the troops seem to have been caught completely off guard is embarrassing for the military.

but the focus is on unity. >> every kenyan must understand that this is a war that requires that we all be united as a nation and that we standing shoulder to shoulder to face the enemy of humanity. that we should not be deterred no matter the challenge that they try to push our way. >> reporter: the injured are at this hospital. some walked for days before being rescued. they all say the death of their colleagues must not be in vain. catherine soi, al jazeera. north korea says it has detained a u.s. student for committing a hostile act and wanting to destroy the country's unity. he entered the country on a tourist visa. harry fawcett has more from seoul. >> reporter: well, this news came through on the north korean state media, saying that north

korea has detained a u.s. citizen, a student for a supposed hostile act against the state. also the report saying that that about was tolerated and manipulated by the united states government. the u.s. embassy here in seoul is only saying that it is -- confirmed it has seen these media reports. it is referring any other questions to the state department in washington, but there has been some corroboration from a tour agency based in china, which says that this man was on one of their tours in north korea and was detained on january 2nd. they say they are acting closely with the swedish embassy which looks after u.s. interests in north korea, also with the north korean ministry of foreign affairs and the u.s. state department trying to get this man released. he is not the first u.s. citizen to be re-daned in north korea.

in 2014 three u.s. it -- citizens that have been released. also last year, there was a south korean student with a u.s. green card, he was detained after crossing illegally into north korea territory from china. he was kept for some six months before being handed back over to south korean authorities here. certainly this is a new development, a new u.s. citizen reportedly detained inside of north korea. threats were prompted by israeli security guards forcibly removing jewish settlers from home they say they brought legally from palestinians. israel's defense minister has

refused to sign off on the moves. some conservative lawmakers say they may abstain from votes in article because of the actions. there have been further protests in the moldovan capitol on friday as people voice their anger of the appointment of a new prime minister. it is hoped it could now end months of political stalemate after the previous government was thrown out in a no-confidence vote. protesters are calling for a new election. the leader of spain's anti-austerity party has met the king and said he is ready to form a coalition government. the prime has been continuing in this the role after inconclusive results in december's general election. >> translator: spain cannot afford to wait. spain has no reason to wait, or

have an acting government that has had a bad result in the polls and demonstrated its failure. >> reporter: the second round of haiti's long overdue election is due to take place on sunday with two candidates bidding to take the top spot. the international community is pushing for the vote to take place, but as andy gal d der -- gallagher reports there is deep mistrust of the process. >> reporter: at the studios at this radio, there is only one thing on the minds of listeners and broadcasters, haiti's troubled election is the soul subject of discussion. many here say the disagreements could have dire consequences. >> we have a very high rate of

unemployment. we have social situation, and we are deep in social economical crisis. we don't want a political crisis who can put the situation in -- in a dangerous spot. >> reporter: that sense of frustration has been spilling on to the streets for days, with many protesters claiming the election is rigged in favor of the president's hand-picked successor, but with time running out, the international community is pushing for the election to go ahead. >> well, i think we should come to some kind of agreement. >> reporter: this man was part of a committee designed to clear the way for the election to take place. he says haiti's democracy is steadily maturing. >> it takes time for an electoral system to be set up, to be installed, and to function properly. and i think one thing which is

also missing is the fact that we do not have strong political parties. >> reporter: in many ways haiti remains a politically united nation, but there is one thing here that unites everybody. and that is the desire for good leadership. but yet, again, haiti is now heading into a controversial election. in port-au-prince's busy markets, voter apathy seems to be the norm. ultimately they are angry over a lack of action on haiti's biggest issues. >> translator: there is no other country in the world where people don't have basic access to things like education, healthcare, and housing. in haiti nobody has that. so why they are asking me to go and vote? nothing would change for us. this election are going to help the rich get richer.

>> reporter: haiti's democratic process is no stranger to controversy, but this is a vital election. the president has to leave office by february, and his successor will need legitimacy to lead. and that may be the biggest challenge. the largest independent film festival in the u.s. has kicked off. tens of thousands are expected to catch glimpses of the en -- entrants this year. the rocky mountain air in this small resort town is full of expectation. independent filmmakers from 37 countries are showing off their artistic creations to an estimated 45,000 eager cinema fans and prospective buyers. >> i think people are pulled here because they know this is where the best content in the world for film is.

>> reporter: 120 feature filmed will be screened at sundance this year, culled from more than 4,000 submissions. the focus is on narrative. >> to me the most important thing is the story. and storytelling is what it should be about. >> reporter: among the most talked about film, "christine," starring rebecca hall. it's a dark drama about a female journalist trying to break into the male-dominated world of 1970s tv news. the israeli produced film "sand storm" tells the story of a bedouin family and its struggle to reconcile its traditions and religious beliefs with contemporary sexual relationships. "birth of a nation" tells the story of the bloody slave

rebellion in virginia lead by african american folk hero nat turner. and legendary german filmmaker is back with "lo and behold" an off-beat look at the digitized interacted world humanity has made, and which is remaking humanity. the film making industry is waiting to see whether this year's sundance will surpass 2015, when the grand prize winner failed to win big audiences when it was released in theaters. >> that just shows there is a big difference between the bubble of the sundance film festival and what main stream audiences are going to be interested in. >> reporter: many of the film mixers are hoping their labor of

love will be the next "little miss sunshine," or "blare witch project". remember you can get more on everything we're covering right here. you can see the address, aljazeera.com. >> these urchins are in trouble right now, why is that? >> our oceans getting warmer and more toxic. land frozen for years now melting. what is happening around the planet and what can science do about it? the latest technology from above