" inou are watching "dw berlin. coming up, violence flares in bangladesh ahead of the controversy out election. in egypt, the death toll rises to 17. chaosre snowstorm causes in the northeastern united states. >> ♪ unidentified attackers have set nearly 60 polling booths on fire ahead of tomorrow's disputed election in bangladesh.

it is the latest violence ahead of the vote. more than 100 people have lost their lives. with the legitimacy of the elections in doubt, the e.u. and united states have refused to send [indiscernible] >> the mood is tense in the capital. the opposition is outraged. it wants a neutral caretaker to oversee the election as in previous years, but the government is refusing. >> the government has created the current problem. they have taken advantage of their parliamentary majority to amend the constitution by getting rid of the caretaker government system. they have created this crisis. protests broke out after the prime minister refused to appoint the normal caretaker administration. the opposition says the election farce.

more than 20 opposition parties are boycotting the polls, meaning most of the candidates are from the governing league. >> i am a candidate of this constituency. us, thatou to vote for th will allow me to support you. i have come to receive your blessing for that. >> the run-up to sunday's election has been dominated i bloody street clashes. 270 five, at least people were killed in clinical violence in bangladesh. the boycott of this weekend's polls threatens to plunge the country into an even deeper crisis. >> opposition activists in cambodia have called off a mass rally planned for sunday. the decision comes a day after police killed four protesters calling for better editions for factory workers. they also broke up a protest in the capital where hundreds of

people had been camped out since mid-december. workers accused the government of corruption and failing to protect workers. peace talks between the south sudan government and rebels have been delayed according to reports from ethiopia. until now, the sides have only met with his national mediators. they were due to meet face-to- face today. they now say they will not meet until an agenda has been finalized. it is dampening hopes of achieving a cease-fire quickly. more than 1000 people have been killed and more than 200,000 driven from their homes since fighting erupted last month. it has been confirmed at least 17 were killed in egypt today in clashes between police and supporters of the muslim brotherhood. the latest violence as the group battles a ride down by the military backed government comes less than two weeks ahead of a referendum on a new constitution that would ban any religiously- based political parties. we will speak to our

correspondent in cairo after this report. >> in egyptian security forces fight street battles with protesters. supporters of the muslim brotherhood threw stones and fireworks at police who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. there were clashes in several districts of the capital. over 200 people were arrested. streetss took to the defying the government banned even though the risk up to five years in prison. the government declared the muslim brotherhood a terrorist group in december. that means even possessing publications from the brotherhood is illegal. held almost daily protests since july when the army overthrew the first democratic elected president, mohamed morsi. morsi is on trial for incitement to murder. on trial is due to resume wednesday, which has stirred fresh anger among supporters. the islamists are also calling

on voters to boycott the upcoming referendum on a new constitution which they say is illegal. there were clashes in alexandria and other cities and even in numeral areas. egyptian society remains deeply divided. there is no sign from either side of any move toward reconciliation. >> we have just lost the line to cairo. we will try to return to it later. moving on to the winter storm that slammed the northeast of the u.s. on friday, it has claimed 16 lives. people have begun digging out from as much as two feet of snow that fell in many areas. forecasters say there could be more to come. >> in freezing temperatures, workers battle to sweep the snow from new york pavement. nearly 2500 snowplows cleared the roads. like many other cities hit by this winter storm, there is determination to get things running again. >> if you do not need to travel today, please stay home.

if you have to travel, take mass transit. yes, there will be some delays, but it will be safe and help us to get the city 100% back in full running order. been vastrm has spreading from pennsylvania to washington to massachusetts. highways have been gridlocked. travelers have faced nights bedded down in the airports. over 400 flights have been canceled across the u.s. since wednesday. >> we got here in our and happy for our flight. we found out it was canceled. they gave us an 800 number to call. we're on the phone for two hours. our flight is now departing on monday, so i think we're going to take a bus. >> there is no let up for people struggling with the effects of the storm. meteorologists say dangerously

cold temperatures are expected to last into the weekend. east, u.s.iddle secretary of state john kerry has been in closed door talks with israeli and palestinian leaders seeking to overcome deep-seated fears about a framework for peace negotiations. best of the mats say the discussions have entered a new phase for the deadline hits in a few months. >> john kerry has been the u.s. secretary of state for less than a year. it is already his 10th time in the middle east. he has stressed compromise is needed for both israelis and palestinians. for his part, the palestinian president is in a tough position. too many big concessions could lose him the support of the palestinian population. kerry'sew hours before ramallah, protesters rejected u.s. mediation in the conflict and called on kerry to

go home. >> this protesters rejected framework agreement that aims to put our people under siege and protect the security interests of the terrorist state of the israeli occupation. discussed hisrry proposals with the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. the framework is meant to be the basis for new peace talks. it is expected to cover key controversial issues such as security, settlements, refugees, and jerusalem. both israel and the palestinian authority received billions in aid from the united states and european union. i'm agreement between the two sides could mean more aid. a failure to put the existing aid at risk. bothkerry has said appreciate what the consequences of the failure to make these might be. >> the russian president has lifted a total ban on

demonstrations during the winter olympics and paralympics at the black sea resort of sochi. in a decree published today, he said protesters may seek permission from local demonstrations and marches beginning on january 7 running through march 21. the ban was criticized by human rights groups. for the retired formula one driver michael schumacher say his condition remains article -- critical. his family are by his bedside. he has been in a medically induced coma since he fell while skiing last week. police investigating the accident are investigating a camera attached to the helmet he was wearing at the time of the fall. on to sports and the ski jumping tournament today in austria. the home team are hoping for a good date. here is how they did in qualifying on friday.

>> these to deb -- two austrians are favorites. out the qualification jump. he is already qualified. the other showed his ambition to maintain the lead in overall points. he reached 120 3.5 meters putting him in second place behind the norwegian who jumped 127 meters. contingent, the 22-year-old was the best among them getting fourth place. he may even have a chance of making it to the winter podium even that the fellow tournament favorite landed with a disappointing 120 meters. it looks as if the fans may be disappointed on saturday. the weather forecast predicts downslope winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, meaning any spectacular jumps are highly unlikely. >> looking ahead to the winter olympics and the german team is hoping for a big haul of medals

across the sledding events. we take a look at their preparations. >> they ready to conquer. the german team is gearing up for the olympic games. despite disappointing results in the lead up to sochi, they hope to repeat their success of four years ago. agreed with the german federation that our goal will be nine to 12 medals. it is a very ambitious goal. months of painstaking work have gone into training for the games. scientists have worked with the team every step of the way to optimize aerodynamics, working on correct positioning, designing the sleigh. convincedun last year the germans their meticulous planning has paid off. the german beat him by 1000th

of a second. that is about two centimeters. >> success does not come cheap. the price tag? more than 3 million euros a year. trainingtracks at the facility create the perfect training conditions for the next generation of athletes. competition is fierce even within the german team. they have to work hard to earn their ticket to sochi. >> we have considerably more world-class athletes than we are allowed to sign up for sochi. >> will tell if the germans -- next month will tell if the germans decided on the right ones to bring home the gold. >> serena williams has won the brisbane international defending her title and proving she is still in formidable form at the start of the new season. the world number one beat number two ranked victoria azarenka is straight sets as the tennis world gears up for the u.s.

open. rafa nadal it through to the final of the qatar open where he will face monfils. inpeople were stranded antarctica and are considering their journey to safety on board the australian vessel. thathinese icebreaker freedom became stuck and might .eed help >> the chinese icebreaker was successfully coming to the rescue of the passengers aboard the russian research ship. but now, it is stuck. the latest twist in a rescue operation fraught with complications. media say the ship is being held up by a drifting iceberg one kilometer in length. officials in beijing are in constant contact with the crew. the state oceanic

administration has set up an emergency team to handle the current situation. we will analyze the information we get around the clock to make timely judgments and proper decisions. >> it is hoped the iceberg will move away in the coming days allowing it to free itself. people onsay the 111 board are well stocked with food and not in immediate danger. big hits catapulted him to the top of the charts. together with his brother, his classic songs won the hearts of generations. phil everly has died. he had been suffering from lung disease. the brothers influenced bands like the beatles, the beach boys, and simon and garfunkel. they were among the first performers to be inducted into the rock 'n roll hall of fame. susie ♪tle i am sorry we did not manage

to get back to cairo in this show, but thank you for watching. we will have more news in about 45 minutes time. >> ♪ >> i am in romania in the mining village. it is the land site of europe's biggest gold mine. investors are on the scent of billions of dollars in gold. resistance to the project means the plans are on hold. >> [indiscernible] my investigations start any transylvanian city -- in the

transylvanian city, it is one of the most well-off places in romania. i constantly come across this slogan. it is a symbol of the resistance movement against gold mining in romania. i have been invited to the heart of the resistance movement. for activists, saving the environment is more important than earning billions from gold. there were others that did not resist. if you look at what we did, we were always one step in front of the company and the organizations that supported the company. look at the crowd. this is 150 people

demonstrating. >> there are a lot more than 150 people. many of the protesters are young. romania was once one of the most regal eastern bloc dictatorships . but this is a different generation from the one that fought communism. their fight is against gold mining and for the environment. fellow -- the fellow activist says this is the most important civil movement since the end of communism. he says in the past 10 to 15 years, protest movements have lost all the battles they have fought with the corrupt lyrical class in romania. the success of this movement has set a precedent. that has given people confidence with this issue and others.

he is coming with me to explain the reason for the grassroots movement. we are heading into the carpathian mountains. weore we get to the village, pass a banner put up by the investors who want to mine gold here. the banner promises development in the region. he sees that differently. thehere are many claims size of the project will affect all of this region. you have to understand taking the forests out of the fertile tand will reveal a lot of dus that will spread all around the area. that could have radioactive particles. there is a big lake that will have evaporation. the gas going into the air will definitely affect the crops of the people living in this area. >> cyanide is used around the

world to separate gold from rock. there are plans to use it here. these men are waiting to get down to work. they have been on the payroll for more than a decade. but the investors are still waiting for a government permit before mining operations can start. if the mining project goes ahead, all of that mountain will become a huge hole in the ground. >> the corporation wants to and extractpeaks one gram of gold from every ton of rock. the company has paid for numerous families to leave their land over the past 10 years. the most stubborn will not go. he has brought me to see one of them. he is an icon of the protest movement and the best-known activist in the village.

he says we will go to see the cows and we can talk in the shed. we are enemies, he says, we are at war. it is the relationship between an ordinary man and a large company that wants to trample on my rights in my own home. in theerywhere else world where mining takes place, the investors want the locals to sell out. lands a lot of land here, that he inherited. he accuses politicians of selling out to the company. you can feel the corruption here, he says. >> corruption is one issue. but the dangers of mining with cyanide are larger. romania has already suffered the consequences. scientist who is

going to show me photos of another gold mine. there was a cyanide disaster here in the early 1970's. the dam broke, he says. he supports the opponents of the mine. toxic mud flooded the village. during the communist dictatorship, no one was permitted to talk about the cyanide catastrophe and its victims. these photos were found later in secret police archives. i am driving south. after decades of gold mining with cyanide, this is what the place looks like today. he survived the disaster. he lives at the site and remembers what happened. mud were all drowned in the and i could not pull them out, he says.

i tried, but i got stuck in the poisonous mud as well. it was really thick and sticky. the clothes they had or more practically burned off of their bodies. they were naked. mix camede and rock down from up there. i am back. there was gold mining here during communist times. with one of the last people employed at the site of the old communist era mining company. gold was mind earlier. he is showing me into what is a museum now.

we are heading down to where the miners dug for gold 2000 years ago. he works mainly as a tourist guide now. he says the romans mined clearly visible veins of gold. >> it is different from the rock around us. it is black. they call that a vein. you can see it is different. >> nowadays, the gold is not that easy to find. there is only one gram in a time of rock. the romans could almost grab the gold with their bare hands. 100 years ago, the miners used dynamite. now they need cyanide. withe arranged a meeting someone from the gold-mining corporation. we drive past the wreckage of the communist era operations to a disused mine overlooking the

village. >> you put the rocks in a mill. the mill is a horizontal cylinder with holes inside that will crush the rock. it will crush it to a very fine powder. that we can liberate the gold and silver from the rock. >> by using cyanide, which finds the precious metals. the result is a toxic mixture of old rocks which will be stored in the hills. but the gold corporation still wants a green image. so we visit a watch appear vacation plant. -- water purification plant. after thousands of years of mining, the water looks like this. the water has washed out heavy metals like cadmium. you want to say you're doing and environmentally friendly project? this water can have

life. fish, life. there is no life in there at this point. >> the argument over europe's largest gold mining project has turned into a war of interpretation. there are those who say the gold corporation does more good. >> they are archaeologists. they are going to join us for the tour. on our way out, we're going to stop where the miners are working. >> for the first time, i realize what the men are doing here while they cannot mine for gold. emptying oldare roman mine shafts. occasionally, they turn up old artifacts. matter -- gent would ancient wooden ladder. it was the wrong way around when they found it, assign there is no more gold in the tunnel.

outside, i am approached by a group of people. we are desperate, says this woman. there is no other way of making a living here apart from mining. we have always mind here and want to keep doing so. please help us. mining is not like it used to be. there are new technologies. guide put them up to this. >> i think they decided this morning or something. >> i have my doubts. but it is clear there is a clash of two very different interest groups. it is getting late. i meet up again with anti-mining activists who are not budging. he does not care what they want to did for. he's only interested in the fact they want to make money by destroying his world.

whatever happens, the argument over the gold mine shows one thing at least -- an environmental conscience is developing in romaniaa7guc