tunisia's president warns that outside forces could be driving the protests in his country. also to come on the program more claims that russia's air strikes in syria are killing civilians. >> the country's heart is breaking for the people of la loche and saskatchewan today canada's prime minister tries to comfort his nation after a rare mass shooting.

an ireland of art, emerging talent, displaying their work inside shipping containers. first, tunisia is waking up after a night-time nation-wide curfew. it was announced on friday night after the worst unrest since the uprising five years ago that toppled the former leader. the prime minister is expected to chair an emergency cabinet meeting on saturday. there has now been four days of violent protests over unemployment, many young men throwing stones have clashed with police in several towns and the police have responded with tear gas. the president says tunisia is under attack and warns that i.s.i.l. in neighboring libya could take advantage of the unrest. our correspondent reports from the south of the country where

the protests began. >> reporter: they expected their lives to be better by now and blamed the government for the fact they're not. it has been five years since protests forced the president to leave tunisia after 23 years in power, starting what became known as the arab spring. tunisia still has some of the same problems that created the revolution, issues like unemployment and poverty. the president has urged the country to respect a nationwide curfew that has been put in place following a wave of protests across the country. in an address to the nation, he acknowledged the high unemployment rate as a factor for the protest, but he also said foreign groups were deliberately destabilizing

tunisia. >> translation: we have more than 700,000 unemployed, among them 300,000 youth who have qualifications and cannot find a job. they are being targeted by outside forcers, i.s.i.l. and others. >> reporter: the protests started after the death of a man on saturday. he was electrocuted after climbing a transmission tower in a protest over missing out a government job. the prime minister has cut short a trip to europe to deal with the unrest. he says the situation is under control and that the government has started to demand a job creation program. >> the situation is calming down. it's an economic problem. it's people looking for work. we have a program to try to resolve this problem, but we don't have a magic wand. we can't solve all the

unemployment problems in one go. >> reporter: tunisia's footpath to a functioning democratic state hasn't been easy and slow economic growth has left many disappointed. the government is understand pressure to show it is on top of the situation and show people it cares about their problems. at the same time it runs on a tough budget and may not able to funds jobs across the country in syria activists and medical sources say dozens of civilians have been killed by russian air strikes in i.s.i.l.-controlled areas. targets include two villages in deir az zchlt or in the east. at least 13 children are among the dead there. the i.s.i.l. stronghold of raqqa was also hit. at least 27 people, including women and children, allegedly died there. russia is also being accused of targeting areas that are not under the control of i.s.i.l.

activists say at least eight civilians were killed in air strikes on the town of zam ada. that's close to the turkish border. >> reporter: russia says its air strikes are targeting what it and the syrian government call terrorists, but the pictures on the ground tell a different story. this is the city in north-west syria. the town is not an i.s.i.l. stronghold. the group is mainly in eastern syria. instead this area is dominated by rebel groups that oppose the president bashar al-assad, a russian ally. volunteers search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings. they're from ray group called the syrian civil defense. it was formed two years ago and now has more than 3,000 volunteers. in the absence of a functioning state, these volunteers take the injured to hospital and clear the dead from the streets. they keep working despite

russian bombs dropping around them. saudi arabia has criticized the russian air strikes and demanded that russia stop them. others have questioned president putin's intentions. the russian government has dismissed those concerns as part of a propaganda war. it says i.s.i.l. positions arguments along with other groups. it has added layers of confusion into an already complex civil war there have been protests in the yemeni city in tiez in relation to the journalist who is believed to have been kidnapped there. he and his crew were covering events in the besieged city. they were last seen on monday night. al jazeera is calling for their immediate release. the chinese president xi jinping is on a two-day visit to iran

which is aimed at boosting economic ties between the two countries. it comes just days after decade-long u.n. sanctions on iran were lifted. china as played a key role in the iran nuclear dealing, negotiations that took place last year. iran is china's - china is iran's biggest trading partner buying crude oil and other non-petroleum products. a government has killed four people in-- gunmen have killed in saskatchewan. two others have been hurt in la loche. >> the people is breaking for the people of saskatchewan and la loche today. this is every parent's nightmare. when i spoke with community leaders they obviously expressed that the community is reeling and all of us across this

country, our hearts are going out to the families and to the community daniel lak is our correspondent. >> reporter: this took place in a very remote spot. the down of la loche is about 600 kilometers from the nearest city, but the federal police service, the royal canadian mounted police have confirmed that at least four people died, an unspecified number were injured and they also said that they had locked down and were investigating at two locations, a drens in la loche and the school itself-- residence. someone started to shoot from the residence and then again in and outside the community school. it's not something that happens a lot in canada. mass shootings are quite rare here. la loche itself has had its problem in the past with gun crime, gang violence, but nothing on this scale. we're hearing that the community ask quite devastated. everybody there knows one another.

it is a close-knit place. until the reason for this emerges, if there can be one, people are quite frightened and worried about what has been going on in their community a huge blizzard is hitting the east coast of the u.s. and expected to bring as much as 60 centimeters of snow. thousands of flights have already been cancelled and people are told to stay indoors until the worst of it passes. our correspondent is in washington dc. >> reporter: good evening from the capital of the u.s. look over my shoulder. this is m street. it's a major thoroughfare on the city. normally on a friday night in saturday morning there will be lots of people out and about. there will be taxis and cars and buses ferrying them around. they will be having a good time, but not this evening. the reason is sitting over washington dc for the next 24 hours, one of the biggest snow storms the u.s. has ever seen, certainly ever seen in this part

of the world. the problem is that not only is it snowing very hard, but there are very, very high winds forecast in the course of the next 12 to 24 hours deep in saturday. so deep snow is forecast. one of the great worries mere is the amount of snow that will be dropped on this area will be very dangerous for rooves and that they will cave in. the last time was back in 2010, the americans who have a name nor everything called it snow diagnosis megeddon and then the government of the u.s. was closed down for the best part of a week. i think people fear the same thing is going to happen this time. right now thousands of flights have been cancelled. there are no buses operating in the city. the underground melt row has been-- met row has been shut down until sunday at the earliest. people have been told to stay off the streets, stay at home, because this storm is potentially very dangerous

china is also preparing for cold weather as temperatures are predicted to hit 30 year lows in some places. the schools are shut and emergency workers are on stands by. in some mountainous areas up to 50 centimeters of snow has fallen. tourists still seem to be out, even when it's minus 8 degrees. in eastern china a group of trapped miners continue to wait for help. rescuers have designed a special capsule to reach at least four miners after a gym sum - gipsum mine collapsed. still to come here at al jazeera. >> it's not a school that you would want your children to be educated in finds out why teachers in the u.s. city of detroit are calling in sick to get better

schools. plus why child labor is still rife in zambia despite efforts to stamp it out.

welcome back. a look at the top stories. tunisia is due to hold an emergency cabinet meeting on saturday after four days of violent protests over unemployment. the president says the demands for jobs were justified but he warns that i.s.i.l. in neighboring libya could take advantage of the unrest. in syria activists and medical

sources say dozens of civilians have been killed by syrian air strikes. areas were targeted in raqqa and another area. women and children dialled in the bombardment. four people have been killed by a shooter at a high school and a second location in canada. the suspect has been arrested. the prime minister says the country's heart is breaking for the people of la loche. in greece more than 40 refugees have died when two boats sank in the sea. emergency workers have brought several bodies to the island including survivors. it is unclear how many people were on board. meanwhile the turkish prime minister has been meeting the german chancellor to talk about europe's response to the refugee crisis. denmark's claim to take cash and

valuables from newly arrived refugees have been criticized. >> reporter: filmed on his mobile phone this is where this man has made his temporary home in switzerland. the refugee unit is an underground dormitory previously used by the swiss army. 50 men sleep here every night. during the day they are shut out and either go to a day hostel or roam the streets. he fled syria last autumn after his two brothers were killed. now he is wondering whether he made the right choice. >> i didn't stay like this. if i go like this, i stay in syria. there i die. that it. >> reporter: this man arrived in switzerland from iraq last october after paying the people

smug letters and for food along the way, he was left with the equivalent of $3400 and then the swiss took that off him too. >> translation: they told me they will keep this unless i choose to go back. it made me ill. that money wasn't mine. it was borrowed from a friends unless i pay it back, they threaten to kidnap my family. >> reporter: it is said that of the 45,000 refugees taken in by switzerland last year, 91000 franc confiscation rule was one of the unlucky ones. by taking it away the refugees' money, it risks trapping them in a cycle of dependency on state hands outs. aacross europe compassionate attitudes towards refugees are shifting to alarm. >> translation: the motive for taking this money is to cover

part of the costs of having them in switzerland. it also means we can be fair to the refugees and prevent tension between those who have and those who don't have. >> reporter: switzerland is one of the top ten richest countries on the planet. the economy is sthabl and the number of refugees relatively low. is confiscation about covering costs? the refugee doesn't believe so >> we are concerned that it seems to be a race to the bottom by european countries trying to make themselves unattractive as possible, trying to be as nasty and cruel as possible with the intention of making asylum seekers to go somewhere else. >> reporter: last year the european union agreed to relocate 160,000 more evenly. just 300 have actually been moved so far. when collective agreements

facilitier, individual-- falter, individual countries turn their back on neighbors and those like thee t these two men are unsure what to do next the world economic forum is drawing to a close. low oil prices and the chinese economic slowdown have dominated the meeting of world leaders and business chiefs. there has been an air of pessimism after a plunge in the global market. china's economy is also a big par of what they've been talking about there and the microsoft founder bill gates has an apt miss particular out like >> most countries would envy 6.9% growth. china has got a challenge of shifting the economy into some new directions. there's a lot of great talent in china building up the education

system and i think china has got a very bright future. i have a lot of confidence in china, probably because they take a long-term view, they look at what other countries are doing. china will be contributing more and more to the world's innovation now to greece where more than 6,000 farmers have blocked highways across the country over pension reforms. protesters drove their tractors to major highway junctions and blocked the roads. they want a pension reform bill to be adopted by the left leg government. the reforms are key to finishing the country's first bail-out review hundreds of people have been marching against an international trade deal in peru's capital. the country is set to sign the partnership agreement on february 4. opponents of the deal say it would hurt the local job market as well as the environment.

child labor is still a big problem in zambia despite new laws and money for social welfare. it is thought that a quarter of those aged between 5 and 14 is working. most are working agriculture while others struggle to make a living. >> reporter: six-year-old patrick and his brother brian who is five should be in school. they were born to poor parents. instead of being in class, they spend their days trying to make enough money to buy food to eat. they sit with their mother and father on the sydney of an industrial street breaking rocks. the small stones are gathered in bags and sold to builders and landscapers. on a good day they make around $10. some days go by when they make nothing at all. >> i don't wish for my sons to grow up like the way i did and i

don't want them to wait here. this is not a good place for children. >> reporter: not only does working here mean that children like these miss out on an education limiting their future, but breaking rocks is very dangerous and they have no safety gear. these stones are very sharp and if a piece was to fly out and hit them in the face they could very easily lose an eye. just a few minutes down the road is a community school set up to indicator for orphans and vulnerable children. it is estimated that around 25% of children are involved in some work. projects like this are hoping to reduce that percentage. this is a 12-year-old and he was a success story. he was stopped from working when he was 8 and has been receiving an education since >> i want to be a pilot because i want to support my family and myself and i want to fight for the countries brazil, u.s.

>> reporter: why brazil? you like football? >> yes. i like football. >> reporter: >> reporter: what is your favorite player? >> rinaldo. >> reporter: they are severely underfunded. classrooms are over crowded and there are not enough staff. >> because of lack of support some children are where they stop school and then they go and work in the street to look for money. that's for survival. >> reporter: united nations regardings access to education a human right. but here and in other place that is not provided. this means these children and ones like them are robbed of their childhood now to weight where there have been violent protests after a presidential vote was postponed for a second time. it was supposed to take place on

sunday, but the electoral commission delayed the poll for security reasons. thousands are calling for the president to resign. women in el salvador are being urged to delay any planned pregnancies for two years because of the mosquito born zika virus which causes serious birth defects and it is spreading through latin america. there have been more than five thousand cases in el salvador since last year. colombia has issued a similar warning to women. the u.s. court is considering an order to stop so-called teacher sick-outs that have closed dozens of schools in the city of detroit. teachers are calling in sick as part of a protest in which they're saying there are unhealthy conditions. fears are that it could ends in a strike. >> reporter: in detroit this is where young minds are formed, a crumbling mass of mouldy floors,

naulg roofing tiles and redon't >> you wouldn't want your childrened indicated here. >> reporter: we're told teachers might have to call a strike t a violation of state law. i'm not above walking out of here if it's what is right for quids. >> reporter: so there could be a strike eventually. >> there could be eventually. i'm not going to lie about it. there could be eventually. right now it's just a matter of time >> reporter: even though there is a law against it >> an unjust law is no law at all. >> reporter: they're having sick outs and shutting down schools. when school managers asked for a restraining order to stop the sick-outs, the judge on thursday said no. teachers say they will go on. >> we are teachers period, who teach in detroit and love our kids and because of that we are disrespected and we are tired. >> reporter: it is a

confrontation rich with politics. the public education system in this majority black, reliably democrat accuratic city is run by emergency manager appointed by rick snyder. >> i hope he gets on it. i can guarantee you that officers don't look like these kids do >> reporter: the emergency manager says the schools are broke. >> unfortunately, there isn't a whole locality that you can offer when you're in a financial situation like we are. i get their concerns. i understand that, but work stoppages are not the answer >> reporter: most families who can leave have fled, some to experimental charter schools, some to the suburbs. 150,000 to 47 thoushs no in students. on the outside it doesn't look that bad, a bit worn, some missing tiles and ruflt on the roof, but it's on the inside

where the problems really lie. it was a sight the mayor saw for the first time this week. >> certainly it's very disturbing what we saw here today >> reporter: disturbing conditions and a stands-off with no ends in sight it's international arts week in singapore and the newly opened national gallery is showcasing work from around the world. the entire island is hosting art, some of it in rather unusual places. >> reporter: you can't walk anywhere in singapore without bumping into a work of art. some recognizable, some not. the national gallery is the focal point for this year's international art week. it used to be the supreme court of singapore and city hall. here the old meets the new. >> i think the building is beautiful and it's a very lovely space to be in. >> reporter: the merger of the

two sites created a large area of art space adding new life to the chief justice's chambers has been one of the many challenges. there were many issues to be resolved by project director and her teams. >> these buildings were office buildings and not designed in any shape or form for an art gallery. so the consideration that we had to look through were things like foundation, the grid, the floor loading, bringing it up to modern day codes and standards in terms of airconditioninging and lighting and it cabling >> reporter: the whole event is spread across the island. it's not just established names that are showing their work here. local artists are also featured in some very unusual locations. inside the shipping containers visitors can see and meet singapore's emerging talent. this man is a fine arts graduate and his contemporary observations of society show how old and mad earn techniques can

tell the same story. >> so from my work i really am not here to say what is right or wrong, but really to set a reminder for people to watch their mouth before they speak, to watch anywhere action before necessity do anything. >> reporter: it is a start for him. he hopes to join british arti s artists. popular names are raising the festival >> we're still very emergencying. it is not possible to compare it with london bar paris and new york. the world is working towards asia. they're all moving and it becomes more and more as well as hong kong and china, a center for contemporary art. >> reporter: there's something for everyone and there's definitely debate about what necessity like art particular

particular-- artistically and what they don't on the website you can keep right up-to-date with the day's important stories. there's backgrounds information as well. aljazeera.com aljazeera.com information as well. aljazeera.com >> when i became aware of my surroundings, there was no electricity. it was quiet then. >> the land was wide. no dust. nothing but green grass, tall green grass, so pretty. it used to start freezing, beginning last part of october, from the edges. and then by january, the ocean