>> a diplomatic push. hello, i'm maryam nemazee. you're watching al jazeera. calling for calm after days of protest. the challenge now to find a solution to growing discontent. a monster blizzard paralyzes accumulative swaths of the eastern united states. >> whatever those parts of us that are so deep that no storm can take them away.

>> it's all about the documentary at sundance fill festival. why more and more people are flocking to see factual films. >> the u.s. is looking for a push to end the war in syria. secretary of state john kerry will try to ease concerns about warming ties with iran. kerry said that he's confident that possess talks will go ahead but he's not sure when they'll start. >> one of the things that we did today that i think is really important is that we set up a clarity for how to proceed forward in the initial steps. in the negotiations with syria we're confident that with good

initiative in the next day or so those talks can get going, and that the u.n. representative special envoy will be convening people in an appropriate manner for the proximity talks that will be the first meeting in geneva to begin to lay down the process to try very hard to implement the geneva communique, and have a transition that takes place according to the u.n. security council resolutions as well as the vienna communiques of the syrian international support group. >> meanwhile, u.s. vice president joe bide someone in istanbul meeting with turkey's prime minister. the war in syria is in its fifth year and forced millions of people from their homes. turkey is estimated to host millions of syrians. turkey is part of the u.s. coalition launching airstrikes

in syria against isil. biden said that the united states and turkey are prepared for a military solution against isil if a political settlement is not possible. al jazeera's bernard smith has more now from istanbul. >> this was an opportunity for turkey's prime minister to remind the u.s. vice president joe biden of turkey's concerns, it's opposition, really, to any involvement to the syrian kurds in any discussions on the final settlement, any final settlement for the syrian crisis. indeed, the turkish view is if the syrian kurds must be involved in anyway, then they should be with the regime. they should be sitting with assad and not with the opposition groups. >> they're directly connected to the pkk and they're becoming a larger threat from syria. >> while joe biden acknowledges

that the separatists pkk are as much of a threat to isil and al nusra, he didn't draw a connection between the pkk and the syrian kurds the ypg because on the ground in syria they aren't the most effective partner in fighting against isil. >> there is a thorough understanding that isil presents a clear and present danger. not only to europe, the neighbor, but particularly to turkey. we have robust operation and the commitment to defeat isil. >> for that part the largest syrian kurdish political group has said if it is not represented in any syrian peace talks, then those talks will fail. >> tunisia's prime minister is calling on people to be patient after a wave of protests against unemployment and poverty. they cut short a trip to france

to deal with the crisis. the nighttime curfew is still in place, but no measures have been announced. hashem ahelbarra reports now from the capital of tunis. >> tunisia's prime minister faces the toughest challenge yet to his government. he's been in in power for almost a year, but his authority has been challenged by this week's unrest, which has seen angry protests across the country. some of these protests turned into looting and attacks when security forces and government buildings. >> many enemies do not wish to see tunisia or the tunisians successful. they feel undermined by the democratic process. they're doing all they can to disturb the harmony of our democracy and the historic transition period tunisia has seen. the transition is inevitable. the transition is irreversible.

>> the opposition blames the government for the arrest saying it has failed to implement genuine reforms. on the streets people remain divided over how to solve tunisia's simmering discontent. >> i'm totally against imposing a curfew. there are people who work at night. by imposing the curfew you compromise the future and want this government to go. >> we've heard many promises in the past. now it is time for major decisions. the government must take concrete steps to find jobs for the people. i do not know how, but that is their job. >> calls for a government or new elections have been dismissed by commentators as a risky step. elections were last held in october 2014. many fear a new vote could lead to more instability. for the time being life in tunisia would be punctuated by a

curfew that starts at 8:00 p.m. each evening and then ends by dawn. a few months ago a state of emergency was implemented following an attack that took the lives of 38 holiday makers in the resort. so the security forces have extensive powers in curbing unrest and tackling the rise of armed groups. the state of emergency also puts restrictions on public gatherings. >> by imposing government nationwide they hope to contain a violence. but for many tunisians trust in their political leaders seems to be wearing thin. hashem ahelbarra. tunis.

>> now more than 60 million people in the u.s. are dealing with a blizzard that swept across the east coast. ten people have died in weather-related incidents, and authorities are warning against venturing into life-threatening conditions. tom ackerman has this update. >> from georgia and the carolinas to massachusetts, the fast-moving blanket of snow has kept outdoor activity to a minimum. wins as high as 90 kilometers an hour persuaded motorists to stay off the roads, but many of those who did venture out found the conditions to be more than they had bargained for. in kentucky thousands of drivers were stranded through the night along a major highway that turned into a parking lot. the red cross set up a shelter for those without heat in their vehicles. >> we're probably in the ditch trying to get to you. i can't stress enough, i mean, even wall motor closed. >> metro train service was shut

down for the third time in its history. further north new jersey authorities prepared for flooding along th the atlanta coas coast. >> highs and water was throwing down the streets, going over the walls that they said it was good enough to protect them from any storms. >> i can't say forcefully enough unless there is an emergency situation or a critical need. you should not be on the roads. >> 150,000 households were without electricity in north and south carolina. the situation is expected to worsen as ice builds up on power lines. but at the zoo, one of the pandas could not get enough of the snow. >> tom, we can see people that behind you with snowplows trying

to get rid of that whether up. tell us about the situation there and really what it feels like to be in the city right now. >> well, we've now passed the 24 hours mark here in washington, d.c. and there is no indication that the snow will let up any time soon. we expect another 12 hours of it here. the winds are picking up quite a bit. and people are more intimidated from going outside. they're heeding all the the precautions to by and large to stay out of arm's way. but in new york the situation has become far more serious than had been anticipated. only yesterday the forecast has been upgraded, if you like, so they now expect 76-centimeters of snow to fall in new york city in the next few hours. and that has resulted in a travel ban imposed--that goes

into effect in about 30 minutes, actually. first, as you heard from the governor of new york, no road traffic will be allowed on highways or city thoroughfares, city roadways. in addition to that, all of above-ground subway services have been suspended in a couple of hours as well as regional trains trains coming in and out of new york city. you can see that they're really prepared for a much more serious situation than we've been experiencing here in new york. the emergency vehicles will be impeded from doing what they should do, which is there are

only seven fatalities. thankfully we have not seen anything like that here in the mid-atlantic states, and hopefully we will not in the next day or so. >> remarkable what is happening there. thank you very much. tom ackerman bringing us the latest from washington, d.c. there is more to come for you here on al jazeera. >> how much tax are you going to pay in the u.k.? >> the u.k. gets what it was searching for. google agrees to pay almost $200 million to the tax man, but some say its way too little. and we report from zambia, why children are able to forced into work to help families make a living.

>> welcome back. you're watching al jazeera. here's a reminder of the top stories. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry said he's confident talks on syria will go ahead despite on going disagreement over who will represent the opposition. tunisia's prime minister holds a meeting to discuss the wave of protest over unemployment. a state of emergency is in place over parts of united states as a blizzard dumps huge amounts of snow along the east coast. now it's achieved a major success after google offered to

pay $185 million in back dated taxes and change how it plates tax in the u.k. it follows anger in the amount of firm was paying despite u.k. being a lucrative market for the search giant. >> okay, google, how much tax are you actually going to pay here in the u.k.? >> well, that's something that google can answer in a heart beak. the firm is going to shell out £130 million. that's $185 million, money that many feel is overdue. >> is it enough? >> google thinks so. it has reached an agreement over the long open audit, covering a decade of under payments. and the company will do more in the future saying it will change the way it will contemplate th calculate its taxes. which leads to the question, okay, google, how big exactly is

that business? >> well, the firm's turnover was £642 million in 2014. that is near for $950 million if we're talking dollars. then look at the figures filed in the google had ref news of $5.6 billion that year and $6.5 billion a year later. that's revenue. and the revenue is not taxable poverty. but it shows that they eastern a lot in britain that does not go through british accounts. it's all pretty confusing and all complex and all perfectly league. just listen to the fiery words directed at him. >> how do you think they feel every time they switch on to google, and they remember and just reminds them of your rather

devious, if i may say so, contemplated and in my view unethical behavior. >> ify this people listen to that statement they would be concerned, but i don't think it's a fair reputation of ho representation of how we opera operate. >> why pay now? >> either they see the way the world is changing and they want to be seen as paying their fair share, but at the same time they are under pressure that has been under audit and companies want to get more taxes out of companies like google. >> thethe tax man gets its cash and google gets the audit done, enough? wrong. elsewhere in europe in france notably authorities negotiating with google for their settlement, and they may demand much, much more. for google this is an issue that is not going away soon.

al jazeera. london. >> a 13-year-old girl has been shot dead after an alleged stabbing attack on israeli security forces. it happened near the jewish settlement in the occupied west bank. israeli offices say the girl had previously had a fight with her family before leaving her house with a knife and walking towards security forces. 162 palestinians and 25 israelis have been killed in a wave of violence that started in october. the united nations is seeking uncanyon access to the besieged yemeni city of taiz saying access to water is squares. hooty fight verse been shelling the city and blocking the aid. they're struggling to cope and the humanitarian coordinator for yemen said that only a few shops have been left over. isil said it has killed 72 iraqi soldiers in three separate

attacks. they would recapture the city in decease. ramadi is west of the capital of baghdad spent seven months after isil control after it's capture last may. now there have been violent protests in heidi after the run off vote was pushed back for a second time. it was due to take place on sunday, but the electoral commissioner has put it on indefinite hold citing security concerns. >> protesters were in no mood to celebrate. once again thousands marched to voice their anger. burning campaign posters, tires, and throwing rocks. many here remain skeptical of

the election process and fear haiti is heading to a deepening crisis. >> this protester told us it's time to form a transitional government and organize a fresh election. he said that people need to be part that have position and in the end be victorious. >> this remains to be a volatile situation. there are rocks being flown, and essentially today it was a victory for these protesters, but clearly there is still a great deal of unhappiness about this electoral process. >> despite the protests and delays, they remain confident that he'll been haiti's next president. a relative unknown the 47-year-old was hand picked by president martelli, and refers to himself as banana man because of his agriculture background. he topped the polls in last controversial vote and said he's the hope for haiti's future. >> it's true that no one knew my

name, but today they know who the banana man is. they know me because my campaign has done excellent work. >> but the opposition candidate called the first round of voting a farce and refused to campaign in the run off. now there is pressure in the international community for haiti to restore confidence in its electoral process, but time is running out. president martelli is supposed to step down in two weeks, and what comes next is uncertain. >> protesting in warsaw waving polish and european flags they demanded that the party withdraw its surveillance law. the party took power in november, and plans to make changes to the judiciary and media, resulting in an investigation from the european union.

>> and in china and iran they agree to increase trade in the next ten years. it comes to xi jinping's visit to tehran. he's the first leader to visit tehran as part of the country's nuclear deal. the two countries also said they would increase cooperation and security and the fight against armed groups. >> terrorism, the war on terrorism, extremism and violence actually deal with the differences that have left the region. these are the topics which came up for discussion and were emphasized on. >> to secure stability in the middle east, confrontation helps the country. they suffer from terrorism. and also offering intelligence help which is fighting terrorism. among the other issues that were discussed today. >> now, pregnant women are being

told to avoid traveling to parts of the world that are infected with the zika virus. the virus has existed for years in africa and east asia but it has appeared in brazil, it is linked to birth defects that lead to brain damage and even death. despite more money for social welfare, child labor is a big problem in zambia. children between five and 14 are working, and most are in agriculture while others struggle to even make a living. >> six-year-old patrick and his brother five who is five should be in school. but they were born to poor patients. and instead of booking in class they try to make enough money to buy food to eat. they sit with their father and mother. the small stones are gathered in

bags and stockholde sold to builders and landscapers. there are times they make $10. other days they make nothing at all. >> i do not wish my sons grow up the way i did. i don't want them to be here. this is not a good place for children. >> not only does working here mean that children like this miss out on 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, it could mean that they could lose an eye. just a few minutes down the road is the community school set up to cater for orphans and vulnerable children. it's estimated that 25% of zambian children are involved in some sort of work. projects such as this are hoping to reduce that percentage. the 12-year-old isaac is one of the school's success stories. he was stopped from working when

he was eight and has been receiving an education since. >> i want to be a pilot. i want to support my family, and i want to fly to countries like brazil, the united states. >> why brazil? you like football? >> yes, i like football. >> although these schools exist they're severely underfunded. classrooms are overcrowded and there aren't enough staff to help nurture these children. >> because of lack of support there are some children at some stage where they stop school, and then they go and works in the streets. that's for survival. >> the united nations considers access to an education as a fundamental human right. but in zambia and despite some efforts that right is still not safeguarded, which means that children such as patrick and his brother brian are robbed of

their childhood. al jazeera. >> the surge in internet and streaming platforms has seen audiences flock back to documentaries. it's sparking a strong contest at the film festival in the united states. the sundance festival. rob reynolds at the festival in park city, utah, and spoke to some of the entrants. >> what are those parts of us that are so deep that no storm can take them away. >> how do let go of the world and love all the things climate can't change is one of dozens of documentaries premiering at the sundance film festival. the director spent six years on the project and said it was meant to encourage action to slow climate change. >> when i say we have to let go of the world, i mean this world that is based on greed, competition, and in many cases violence. what we have to do, when we face climate change, base our set on

things that are much more sustainable. >> the sundance documentaries deal with challenging topics, including gun violence, race relations and abortion. >> i think documentaries are not only great forms of entertainment, but they're a force for good in a democracy because they make us ask arrested questions of ourselves. >> jim tells the story of james foley, the american war correspondent kidnapped and killed by isil in syria in 2014. director brian oaks was a close friend of foley since their childhood. >> he was not there to be the story. he was trying to tell the story of the syrians. i wanted this film to help jim bring the stories back. >> the story of a rap-music-loving teenage girl in afghanistan growing up as an illegal i a immigrant in iran.

>> when mom came to sell her, i wa, my storytelling side was happy, but i knew her life would be ruined, so i interconveniented myself. >> she now campaigns against child marriage. >> the movie has changed my life. now i'm able to change the life of other girls. >> it's a good time to be a documentary filmmaker thanks to the new platforms for distribution. home box theater and amazon and netflix is buying up documentaries an putting them in front of a wider audience than ever better. >> it adds so many more options to filmmakers.

>> challenging themes and bigger audiences. part of a new golden age for documentary films. rob reynolds, al jazeera, park city, utah. >> all right, more on everything we're covering right here. you can see the address, www.aljazeera.com. >> this week on "talk to al jazeera", one of the most recognizable singers of a generation - kate pierson of the b-52s. >> (singing the song "love shack"). >> the greatest thing i think a band can do is give people this joy and make them happy and make them dance or sing or just, you know, just kind of give them a joy. >> the group was once given the title "america's favorite party band" by rolling stone, but pierson said beneath the bee-hives, there was a message. >> we felt we were m