>> the death toll is climbing in the shipwreck off the coast of italy. the boat filled with refugees caught fire and capsized near the talent island of lampedusa. at least 80 are confirmed dead, but that number could rise. the crackdown on greek and neo- nazi political party golden dawn goes all the way to the top. the founder and head of the group will be held in a high- security prison leading up to his trial on charges of running a criminal organization. a third day of government shutdown in the u.s. civil servants forced onto unpaid leave take to the streets to protest.

you are watching "france 24." it was a boat filled with migrants trying to reach an better life, but the ship caught fire and capsized, leaving over 80 dead with 200 missing. passengers on board are thought to be coming from libya. rescue operations are underway off the coast of the italian island of lampedusa, where the boat went down. our correspondent has the latest. >> it is a massive tragedy with hundreds of migrants on the boat sinking off the coast of the island of lampedusa in italy. what we know so far is that the mayor has said at least 80 people have been killed. but officials warn the death toll could actually go up. the mayor described the situation, saying that the immigrants tried to call for help, but their phones could not

reach anyone on the italian coast guard, so they hoped to draw attention to themselves by lighting a fire. that fire got out of control which is why we see a high death toll. we know so far that one person, a suspected people smuggler, has been arrested as a result of this incident. unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in italy because i produce is closer to africa than the italian mainland, so it is a popular -- lampedusa is closer to africa than the italian mainland. pope francis himself highlight the problem when he made lampedusa the first place he visited since he became pope, to highlight the plight of its people. unfortunately, many of them do not make that journey and reach italy alive. >> seema gupta reporting from italy. jean françois, thank you for speaking to us.

this tragedy is not an isolated incident. many refugees daiichi year trying to make this difficult crossing into europe. what can be done to help them? -- many refugees daiichi year trying to make this difficult crossing into europe. what can be done to help them? >> yes, that is right. of course in 2011 there are more than 1000 people living their lives on the sea. what we are asking for is for people during the trouble at sea , it is not the first time and we think there is many possibilities to control the situation. >> jean françois, what about the issue of the smugglers, the people paid by the asylum-

seekers to try to get into europe? what can be done to try to control them? >> there are criminals at the international level to try to fight against -- they are refugees and they are best trying to find safety in europe and we think it is very important to fight against smugglers, but to try to have -- >> thank you, sean françoise dubost speaking to us. earlier, speaking to the italian friends minister about the -- the italian french minister -- >> it is not the first one. now lampedusa is the checkpoint between the development, the prosperity the cooperation

characteristic of the countries of the mediterranean sea, and the hope to change their lives. it is the mentality of the southern mediterranean countries. we need european help. >> other world news for you now. the leader of greece's far right political party golden dawn has been trailed that has been jailed, pending his trial on charges of heading up a criminal organization. he was in court wednesday where he firmly denied charges against him. he is the latest in the series of golden dawn members to be detained in the crackdown. >> away in handcuffs the leader of greece's far right golden dawn party was jailed pending trial on charges of belonging to

a criminal group. he denies the charges against him. he and other party members were arrested on saturday. three were released from custody on wednesday while a fourth remains in detention. >> we will eat your fake witnesses for breakfast. you will see. all the charges will be dismissed. >> a total of 22 golden dawn associates were arrested on the weekend as part of a crackdown on the party following the murder of a greek anti- socialist. he was the -- it was the third most popular critical party before sparking nationwide protests. magistrates detailed the crimes linked to the group, including attacks on immigrants, one of which was fatal. parliament has been preparing a new bill that would outlaw hate speech.

golden dawn has been known to direct public anger towards immigrants and racial minorities. >> earlier today our correspondent natalie gave us more on the political plan to try and control golden dawn. >> the government has been presenting another bill as well to curb the fight because there is no provision in the constitution for outlawing a political party, so they are using all the tools they have. the other bill they are going to present is one where you suspend the state funding for parties that have been involved or whose members are involved in criminal activity. that is another one. what we need to address and what the authorities need to address especially talking to many mp's is the root -- how and why this golden dawn, and it promotes

hate and anger and intolerance -- why has this party garnered so many votes in parliament, and why is its popularity skyrocketing. if anyone addresses the roots that is how the government is going to be able to curb golden dawn. essentially that is the very painful recession and economic crisis that this country faces. without a doubt, all political parties across the spectrum here will agree to that. >> 12 days after the brutal attack on can you's westgate mall journalists have been allowed to go in for the very first time. details are still scant on what exactly happened as to the whereabouts of those still missing. catherine clifford has more on what is left of the nairobi mall. >> three floors of the westgate

shopping mall like collapsed in a heap. it is still not clear why. the interior minister claims fires set by terrorists. but government officials said reaction by kenyan forces caused it. the windows have been shattered by gunfire, the walls dotted with bullet marks. here and there, pulls of blood remain, nearly -- pools of blood remain. there is a frustration over the lack of information over the attack. kenyans compiled a list of 85 questions they still feel need to be answered. one key uncertainty, how many victims are still to be found. the red cross says 39 people remain missing a muppet names and other details have not been released to the government. kenyan authorities said there

were initially 10 to 15 postop officials said new evidence may suggest a smaller group. an investigation is underway with kenyan and foreign aspirates coming -- and foreign experts combing through the rubble. military forces are accused of being late to intervene, and a widespread looting of stores. >> let's look at other news stories we are following today on "france 24." two europeans and one french citizen have been reportedly lynched and burned alive in madagascar are. police sources say they were killed by rioters on the island of nosy be. an eight-year-old boy was found dead with his genitals and tongue cut off. it is a say the two men confessed under torture and that they were organ traffickers. at least 13 have died in an attack on northwestern pakistan. a car bomb rammed into the camp

of a pro-government militant who broke away from the taliban four years ago. another leak at the devastated fukushima nuclear plant hit by an earthquake and tsunami in japan two years ago. the latest trouble was caused by an overflowing tank. officials say the contaminated water spilled when workers overfilled a storage tank. it is day three of the u.s. government shutdown, and president barack obama says he is completely exasperated by the deadlock that is keeping congress from reaching the new budget deal. he is not the only one. many civil servants forced off the job took to the streets to protest. let's listen to a very frustrated barack obama. >> i think i am pretty well known for being a calm guy. sometimes people think i am too calm. absolutely i am exasperated

because this is entirely unnecessary. the only thing stopping it is that john boehner has not been willing to say no to a faction of the republican party that are willing to burn the house down because of an up session over my health care initiative. >> four different proposals with our democratic colleagues in the senate and they have rejected all of them. we have asked them to sit down and resolve our differences. they will not negotiate. >> in france, the defense minister has announced the closure of a number of military bases, the latest step toward implementing sharp cutbacks in the french defense budget. eduardo, these cuts being announced today come on top of other major reductions in the military over the past several years, and they have caused much discontent within the defense establishment itself. >> yes, they do. he after a number of years of

very deep cuts and the military establishment feels they are being made to bear the burden unfairly of the overall cuts that france, and other european countries, are being forced to make because of the crisis in the eurozone. there is a group of officers former officers remaining anonymous, but they have created an manifesto for saving our military, as they call it, and they say simply that the french military is the victim of a demolition -- that is their words -- by the government. there is a lot of discontent. the cuts are very deep. for example, more than 23,000 jobs will be cut in the next three years, in addition to the 54,000 that have been cut since 2008. the budget will remain stable according to the government, but that does not take into account inflation and other factors. >> these proposed cuts depend on external factors that are not

necessarily under the control of the french government. >> the most important of these external factors is the sale of the famous french airplane you see on the screen now that goes for 100 million euros apiece. france, the spite incredible attempts, has been unable to sell a single plane to anyone else and the french government has reduced its order from 66 lanes to 26 planes. there have been serious negotiations with numerous countries -- brazil, qatar the united arab emirates. those negotiations are dragging and dragging and most unfortunately yesterday india's chief negotiator a man by the name of -- if i can find it -- he died of a heart attack yesterday in new delhi. observers in india say this may delay the negotiations for as

long as a year and certainly after the indian elections in may. >> thanks to you for watching. stay tuned. >> hello and welcome to this edition of "the week in the americas." government workers sent home a national monument closed. the first shutdown in the u.s. government in 17 years. a man on truck -- and this time the american citizen says she is staying far from the courthouse. political unrest in haiti. a charged anniversary prompts thousands to come out in the streets. first, the statue of liberty and the lincoln memorial are closed to the public.

no one to clean the parts around washington, d.c. even nasa's robot on mars is affected by the shutdown in the federal government. it was brought about when yet again republicans and democrats failed to agree on a deal. it is not the first time this has happened. 17 years ago the world's the gift economy ground to a halt for a whopping 21 days. >> thank america's founding fathers for the current shutdown. the powers are divided between the three branches and they can only spend money after congress says so and with the president's signature. this has led to several significant showdowns over the years, but the government did not come to a grinding halt over the dispute until the carter administration. a stickler for rules president jimmy carter asked the attorney general to look into the anti- deficiency act, which prohibits a federal official -- which

prohibits federal fisheries from committing to money they don't have. a legal opinion says government work cannot continue until congress agrees to pay for it unless the era of the -- and thus the error of the government shutdown was born. used as a weapon, budget fights would never be the same, and in 1995 the big one was brewing. bill clinton and newt gingrich two men with big ideas and bigger egos -- they're bigger -- their disputes brought the government to a standstill twice. those two shutdowns for six days and 21 days were the longest ever until now -- where the longest ever. like the current fight over the affordable health care act serious issues were at stake in 1995. the future of medicare, tax cuts, aid to the poor, the budget deficit. but they were overshadowed by

the political grandstanding. in the end, the shutdowns did not save money. they cost millions. 800,000 federal workers were forced to stay home. national parks and museums were closed. the effects rippling through the economy. polls conducted at the time showed the american people largely blame the republicans for the 1995-1996 brewing budget battle. it is credited with helping clinton win a second term in office. a possible lesson for this year's current crop of politicians. >> she has already spent four years in an italian jail, and amanda knox says she has no intention of leaving. the conviction was overturned, but judges have reopened the case once again will stop it is tough for her but also extremely hard for the victim's family because six years on there is --

they are no clearer as to what happened to meredith. >> october 3 2011, amanda knox is escorted into the courtroom. next are her in the defendant's booth, her italian ex-boyfriend. after 11 hours of jury deliberations, the verdict. >> the court declares both defendants not guilty on four charges because they have not committed the act. >> amanda knox burst into tears as the judge quits her and her former boyfriend of murder charges. the dramatic reversal of fortune for the 24-year-old american comes after a long judicial battle. knox and her boyfriend were sentenced to 26 years in prison in 2009 for the murder of her flatmate, meredith kercher. she was found dead in 2007 with a slit throat and 43 stab

wounds. she is also believed to have been raped. prosecutors said it was the result of a drug-fueled sex game gone wrong. amanda knox, after changing her story several times, said she was not home at the time. but police discovered her dna on the handle of the kitchen knife while the victims dna was found on the blade. independent forensic experts concluded the dna evidence collected was unreliable. following a court appeal, both defendants were acquitted. amanda knox returned to the u.s. where she received a warm welcome. her family had engaged in a powerful media campaign to clear her name. >> we are thankful that amanda's nightmare is over. she suffered for four years for a crime she did not commit. >> italy's supreme court overturned the sentence, with

new ground for a new trial. >> is it possible that in the case of a murder with a sexual background, traces in the room where there murder took place were not tested? it is just absurd. >> this has put the italian justice system under scrutiny. if found guilty again, italy could file an extradition request from the u.s., which is unlikely to be granted. >> he k's former president would very much like him to return. aristide was ousted twice by military coups. the anniversary of the first brought thousands of those people out -- the anniversary of the first brought thousands of people out into the streets. they believe aristide would be

much better for their country. >> thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of port-au-prince on monday, picking september 30 two marks the anniversary of the coup. many protesters are unhappy with how the current leader is running the government. >> the protest is to tell parliament to take responsibility. >> martelli has been dogged by allegations of -- firing tear gas at demonstrators after they veered off their approved route. support for aristide lend credence to the idea that he may try to return to the political arena. even if the constitution bars him from running for president in 2016, because he has already held that post twice, aristide could enter legislative elections, theoretically to be

held later this year. >> this is president martelly. look at the proactive attitude, the way it affects people. >> aristide has been laying the groundwork for a political comeback for a file. he first reappeared on the scene two days before the runoff election in march 2011 all stop after eight years of exile in south africa. this past may, aristide testified in a court hearing concerning the assassination of john dominique, a famous haitian journalist killed in 2000. he used the visit to galvanize supporters. away from the political spotlight, the population, one of the poorest in the world continues to suffer daily hardships. the country very slowly tries to put itself back together after the devastating 2010 earthquake. >> we end this week in argentina

where the economy has been transformed following its collapse a decade ago. a large part of the change has been driven by a revolution in agriculture. argentina once topped the world when it came to meat exports but soybeans now drive economic growth. that is a concern both on economic and environmental fronts. >> until several years ago he grew lemon trees on his farm. he remembers it as us mall paradise. >> there you had animals your own towel, your own pig, your chicken. it was a different life from what we have now because you could live with nature more easily than my kids do now. >> argentina's economic reality caught up with him. lemon trees were not profitable so he was forced to sell off and buy another plot.

>> i was the last one in the southern zone. we had lemons then decided to change. the fact is this land had a sentimental value to me, so i tried to keep it until the very end. >> gustavo's story is similar to other cattle breeders or fruit growers in the region. many have been forced off the most fertile land. >> economically, soy production is argentina's most important crop. argentina has increased production of soy in the past 15 years. it is something that has two sub products oil and vegetable proteins. it represents about 10% of the country's gdp. >> soy production has reached 49 million tons this year. there is a huge demand from

rising powers like china and india. the consumption of meat grows. international soy prices on the rosario stock exchange soared from $150 a ton a decade ago to more than $500 today. so it has helped argentina emerge from the crash of 2000. but it depletes the land and exposes crops to a greater risk of disease. >> we need rotation, specifically we need to combine cereals in all the crops and that is one of the challenges that argentina will have to meet in the future through specific policies. >> gustavo treats soybeans with corn to preserve productivity. short-term gains could spell long-term dangers for argentina's food security and its fragile economy.

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>> three british workers -- a buster ever, a midwife, and a paramedic. i have all accepted the challenge to do their job under some of the most stressful and dangerous conditions on the planet. >> that was a really, really horrible birth. >> how you guys do this in these conditions -- >> josh west is leaving his home and his job as a london bus driver to work in manila one of the most densely populated cities in the world. he