>> live from berlin, i am sarah harmon with the "journal." warring parties begin peace talks in a bid to end three weeks of conflict. a severe snowstorm causes chaos in the northeastern united states. bad weather cuts short the four hills ski jumping with finland's anssi koivuranta snatching the win.

we begin in ethiopia where peace talks have begun between warring parties in south sudan. the two sides opened negotiations at a ceremony in addis ababa aimed at ending weeks of ethnic violence. set to face talks are begin on sunday. in south sudan, aid work use -- aid workers are struggling to cope with an influx of people seeking shelter. any people believe the country is on the verge of an all-out civil war. -- many people believe the country is on the verge of an all-out civil war. >> relief workers who have remained in the country face a mounting challenge. -- makeshift clinic he describes harrowing experiences. >> they shot people during the fight. my mother got shot. and she got a broken leg. >> the peace talks are taking

place at this hotel in the ethiopian capital, addis ababa. the government and rebel delegations have agreed to make the face-to-face talks met -- to meet for face-to-face talks. sent aopean union has special envoy to assist with the negotiations. he is under no illusions about the scale of the task. >> we need a cessation of hostilities. that must happen now. people are suffering and dying here and we cannot afford to tolerate people suffering in that way while politicians haggle in a nice hotel. >> the conflict centers on a power struggle between the president and his former deputy. it may have an ethnic dimension as well. the priority is to agree to a cease-fire. >> in iraq, militants linked to al qaeda have seized full control of the city of falluja.

-- fallujah. video footage posted online appears to show rebels taking over a highway in fallujah. the sunni muslim militants stormed the city on monday. residents have fled the city. in neighboring syria, fighting between rebel factions opposed to the rule of bashar al-assad has intensified. moderate groups allied to the free syrian army have launched attacks on the al qaeda linked groups in the north west of the country. battles have been reported in , with and other provinces heavy losses on both sides. the al qaeda linked group are fighting to establish an islamist state. after a string of delays, the international mission to remove hundreds of tons of chemical weapons from syria is preparing to get underway.

the complex operation involves ships from norway, denmark, russia, and china. be destroyed on a specially equipped american vessel. >> the chinese missile frigate arrived in cyprus, only 250 kilometers from here to the city of ataxia -- l;atakia. toarge contingent turned out welcome the vessel. many here say they are proud that their country is part of this high-profile, international mission. >> trying to support the efforts of international community to destroy the syrian chemical weapons. we come to cyprus to participate in this international cooperation. >> the chinese warship will protect the scandinavian convoy

responsible for carrying the chemical weapons out of syria to the 700-ton toxic cargo will then be transferred to the u.s. ship currently docked in virginia. it is equipped with special treatment units that are capable of neutralizing deadly toxins at high sea. >> you can see our storage tank in the foreground. that is where it is basically held. the unit behind that is the hydraulic. that is where the chemical reaction is started. >> the destruction will take place at an undisclosed location in the mediterranean. it is the first time the neutralizing technology will be used offshore. international crews are still waiting for the go-ahead. it could still take days before that happens and a lot could still go wrong. the biggest challenge, transporting the weapons through war-torn syria to the coast. >> secretary of state john kerry says progress is being made in middle east peace talks, but the

two sides are not yet there. he made the comments after meeting mahmoud abbas for the second time in two days. he is due to hold more talks with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. he is trying to reach agreement on a framework that would outline a final peace deal. he says he will continue on to saudi arabia tomorrow. at least 60 polling booths have been set on fire in the latest violence ahead of the election in bangladesh. or than 100 people have been killed in the run-up to the people- more than 100 have been killed in the run-up to the polls, which the main opposition party is boycotting. >> the mood is tense in the bangladeshi capital, dhaka. the opposition says the election is a farce and has launched a strike in protest. scores of polling stations were set alight overnight. security is tight as preparations for sunday's elections continue.

here to collect ballot boxes, ballot papers, and other accessories for the national election with the help of government officials and law enforcement. >> the protests began after the government refused to appoint a caretaker at ministration to --rsee the election caretaker administration to oversee the election. most of the candidates are from the governing league, leaving the election result a foregone conclusion. >> the government has created the current problem. they have taken advantage of their parliamentary majority to amend the constitution and get rid of the caretaker government system. they have created this crisis. >> the run-up to the election has been dominated by bloody street clashes. last year at least 275 people

were killed in political violence in bangladesh. the boycott of this weekend's polls threaten to plunge the country into an even deeper crisis. >> a state of emergency was declared in the u.s. states of new york and new jersey after a massive snowstorm -- snowfall there. authorities are warning residents in the worst hit areas to stay indoors after at least 11 people were killed in the storm, and it appears there could be more to come. forecasters said that an arctic blast could push temperatures in parts of the country to dangerous lows. >> in freezing temperatures, workers battle to sweep snow from new york's pavement. nearly 2500 snowplows cleared the roads. like many other cities hit that -- by this winter storm, there is a determination to get things running again. >> if you do not need to travel today, please stay home. if you do have to travel, take mass transit. delays,re will be some

but it will be safe and it will help us to get the city 100% back in full running order. >> the storm has buffeted vast swathes of the central and eastern u.s. highways have been gridlocked. travelers face nights patted down in airports. over 4000 flights have been canceled into and across the u.s. since wednesday. >> we got here an hour and a half before 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 continue throughout the weekend. typee storm of a different also causing chaos in europe.

two people have died in britain and hundreds of homes are without power after strong winds and heavy rains lashed the country. part of a cliff collapsed into a sea after a title search -- a tidal surge. hundreds of flood warnings are in effect. belgium has seen many roads flooded. >> doctors caring for retired formula one driver michael schumacher say his condition is still critical. it is the first update from the hospital since wednesday. his family are at his bedside. he has been in a medically induced coma since he fell while skiing last week. police investigating the accident are examining a camera attached to his helmet at the time of the fall. vladimir putinnt has lifted a total ban on demonstrations during the winter olympics and paralympics at the blocks he -- at the black sea

resort of sochi. he said protesters may seek permission from local authorities for demonstrations and marches from january 7 until march 21. the ban on rallies in sochi was criticized by human rights groups. winter athletes continue to search for form as the games approach, including ski jumpers at the four hills tournament. on saturday, the third leg in in his brook, austria, came to an abrupt end because of high wind austria,ird leg in came to an abrupt end because of high wind. at lead to a surprise finish. led to a surprise finish. >> the finn secured his first win. facing a dangerous and unpredictable conditions.

that left only the first-round scores on the board, enough for simon ament to keep his hopes -- simon ammann to keep his hopes of an overall win alive. now 10 points behind the overall leader, thomas d tart -- thomas diethart from austria. richard was down in 11. the prestigious tournament now moves on for its fourth and final leg. >> getting back to the sochi olympics. the german team is hoping for a big haul of medals across the sledding events. we drop in on their preparations. >> they are ready to conquer the bnends. the are gearing up for olympic games. despite disappointing results in the lead up to sochi, they hope to repeat their success of four years ago.

>> we have agreed with the german federation that our goal will be nine to 12 medals. that 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 and clothes. the test run last year convinced 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. four top tracks at the training facility create the perfect conditions for the next generation of star 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. >> next month will tell if the germans have signed up the right ones who can bring home the gold. >> tennis now, u.s. superstar serena williams has won the brisbane international defending her title and proving she is still in top form at the start of the new season. the world number one beat number two ranked victoria azarenka is -- of belarus in straight sets as the tennis world gears up for the australian open, which starts in just over two weeks time. rafa nadal it through to the final of the qatar open where he will face gael monfils. phil everly, one half of the everly brothers, has died at age

74. together with his brother, their classic hearts one that -- classic songs won the hearts of generations. that does it for us. thanks for watching. >> i am in romania in the mining village. it is the planned site of europe's biggest gold mine. international investors are on the scent of billions of euros in gold. but resistance to the project means the plans are on hold. >> my investigation started in a

transylvanian city, 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 other companies that did not resist coming here. 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. the media said 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 rude old -- most brutal 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. a 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 -- political class in romania. the success of this movement has set a precedent. that has given people confidence not only with this issue but with others, too.

he is coming with me to explain the reason for the grassroots movement. we are heading into the carpathian mountains. before we get to the village, we 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. >> there are many claims the size of the project will affect all of this region. you have to understand taking the forests out and the fertile land will reveal a lot of dust that will spread all around the area. that could have radioactive particles. there is the big cyanide 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 remove four peaks and extract 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. like everywhere else in the world where mining takes place, the investors want the locals to sell out. he has a lot of land here, land 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. i am visiting a 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. "they were all drowned in the mud 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 on were practically burned off of their bodies. they were naked. the cyanide and rock mix came down from up there. -- up there." i am back. there was gold mining here during communist times. i meet up with one of the last people employed at the site of the old communist era mining company. but gold was mined 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 ton of rock. the romans could almost grab the gold with their bare hands. 100 years ago, the miners used dynamite. now they need cyanide. i have arranged a meeting with 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 way we can liberate the gold and silver from the rock. >> by using cyanide, which binds 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 water purification plant. after 2000 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 an environmentally friendly project? >> yes, 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. some of them are emptying old roman mine shafts. occasionally, they turn up old artifacts. like this ancient wooden ladder. it was the wrong way around when they found it, a sign 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 mined here and want to keep doing so. please help us." mining is not like it used to be. there are new technologies. i ask if my guide put them up to this. >> no, it is a small community. i think they saw you in the 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 says he does not care what they want to dig 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 romania two decades after the end of communism.óa7guc