reporter: one of the best solar eclipses in years is underway. the islamic state organization claims responsibility for a tunis museum attack. 21 victims were shot dead. the extremist group says it is just the beginning. despite his pre-election statement, benjamin netanyahu says his policy on a palestinian state hasn't changed. the white house says it is un convinced. those are the top stories this hour. thanks for joining us.

we start with excitement over today's extraordinary solar eclipse. it will last less than three minutes. it has inspired thousands to travel to northern europe. weather permitting, they are about to witness what we can see on our screens, a total solar eclipse as the moon moves between the earth and the sun. here in paris and elsewhere in europe and africa, people are enjoying the partial eclipse. for more on this, we can speak now with an astronomer at the paris observatory in the southwest of the city. thank you very much for speaking with us. we see the images coming up on our screen of this eclipse. they tell us -- first thing tell us very basically what is a solar eclipse. >> a solar eclipse you have the

sun, the moon, the earth on the same line. the shadow of the moon falls on the earth but this shadow is only on a very small part of the earth. even if you have long eclipse every six months, you are not able to see one eclipse -- have one eclipse every six months you are not able to see one eclipse every six months. molly: why is this one special? >> this one is special because unfortunately, this eclipse total eclipse it is possible only to see it from the north atlantic ocean. it is very difficult -- it is only in this place that you are able to view the total eclipse. but there is something amazing

that this eclipse is going to be seen from the north pole. when the sun will be eclipsed by the moon, the sun will be under the horizon, but it will be possible to see it because of the refraction in the atmosphere. it is a very specific eclipse. molly: you are just outside of paris, the southwest of paris. what is the view from where you are? >> here in france, we are not lucky, because we have clouds so it is not possible, you know to see a partial eclipse, when we are in the path of the shadow of the moon. you see the sun. in france, we will have about 80% of the sun without the

light. it will be difficult to see something. in fact, most people will not be aware of this eclipse if we don't say to them there is an eclipse. molly: when can we expect to see another total eclipse like we are seeing today? >> another eclipse -- as i told you, we have one eclipse every six months. so, it will be possible, but you will have to travel to the area where you will have the eclipse. molly: excellent. thank you very much for joining us and speaking with us as we watch the solar eclipse taking place. >> thank you. molly: moving on to other world news. in the islamic state -- and the

islamic state organization has claimed responsibility for the attack on tunisia's bardo museum. 21 victims died, all but one of them foreign tourists. i.s. warned the assault was just the beginning. reporter: standing guard in front of the bardo museum as investigators get to work. tunisia's interior ministry said the men behind wednesday's attacks were likely tunisians. security forces were quickly able to identify the terrorists. one of them was already known to the police and was thought to have gone to iraq. a top security official said both men had trained in a jihadist camp in libya. on thursday, the islamic state officially claimed responsibility in an online audio message. they said this attack was just the beginning. tunisian authorities have stepped up security, with plans to send the army into major cities. >> surveillance will be

intensified in all tourist areas in the country to prevent other possible attacks. this concerns all of our national territory. reporter: yet the prime minister has admitted the security at the museum wasn't as rigorous as next-door at the tunisian parliament, where leaders have been debating over terrorism reform. tunisia's president said the terrorists had explosives on them and congratulated security forces for their efforts. nine people have been taken into custody on suspicion of helping in the attack, four for possibly belonging to a terrorist cell. molly: our correspondent reports now from tunis. >>reporter: two nations had -- tunisians had been fearing the

influence. for now, al qaeda has been -- a for now, al qaeda -- beofore now al qaeda has been the main threat. one of them came from the tunisian region near the algerian border, in the west of the country. yassine was known to belong to a terrorist group. the other gunman, also about 20 years old comes from a suburb of tunis. i spoke to his brother yesterday. he had no idea what was going on. neighbors say he went to the

mosque yesterday, the day before yesterday. the brother was watching the live news in a café and had no idea that his brother was one of the gunmen. molly: that report from the tunisian capital earlier in the day. a café that was the scene of a scene -- siege has been reopened. the café manager and a lawyer were killed in the final minutes of the hostage situation. the siege prompted tighter australian immigration control and a review of anti-terror law. nuclear talks between six world powers and iran continue. for all indications, both sides are far from reaching a deal before the march 31 deadline. u.s. president barack obama reached out to irani and leaders and people, saying the two countries have a historic

opportunity -- out to iranian leaders and people, saying that you countries have a historic opportunity. >> barack obama's annual new year's greeting was room -- markedly different. this time, the opportunity for change is within reach. >>president obama: this year, we have the best opportunity in decades to pursue a different future between our countries. our negotiations have made progress, but gaps remain. i believe that our nations have a historic opportunity to resolve this issue peacefully, an opportunity we should not miss. reporter: what far away from washington, the scene at the negotiations -- but far away from washington, the scene of the negotiations -- the french are adamant iran sees nuclear activity -- cease nuclear activity for 15 years.

sources close to the deal told "france 24" that a deal is far from reached. iran wants the removal of all u.n. sanctions and other punitive measures. it wants any agreement reached to become internationally binding law. the deadline is now days away. on thursday, u.s. negotiators received some breathing room after senators in washington agreed to push back about on an iranian bill to the middle of april. that legislation would force president obama to submit any nuclear agreement to a republican-led congress for approval. that is a step the administration hopes to avoid. molly: we will cross back now to outerspace and the solar eclipse currently underway. we have images coming in from over the u.k., where we can see a near total eclipse. these are live images.

this as people in northern europe and in parts of europe here and in africa are able to witness the solar eclipse. we heard from on this dominant earlier -- from an astronomer earlier that it does happen once every six months, but one of this magnitude is quite rare. these images are from the faroe islands. many scientists and astronomers gathered near svalbard to get a glimpse and carry out many scientific experiments to cede and collect data. one such experiment is eclipse wind. it hopes to collect breeze experiences collected at this

moment. many scientists, some at oxford university, are using the event to try to understand how the event effects electricity grids - event affects electricity grids, to see if there is any change in output from solar panels. some would say it is only three minutes long, the eclipse, it should not have a massive impact. but seeing how there is any impact on the electricity grids that makes a difference -- that is just one of the experiments currently underway as researchers look to see if there is a dip in performance and stability of any of the grid networks. once again, this is the solar eclipse currently underway. the best view does appear to be from northern europe, near norway. this is where many people have gathered, and in denmark. we have that their islands --

have the faroe islands. and this image is in switzerland where you see they do not have a total eclipse. it is a partial eclipse. here in paris, we would be able to see a partial eclipse however, the weather, lots of gray clouds. pollution levels quite high in the french capital, preventing us from witnessing the eclipse. well now, to an apparent backtrack from the israeli prime minister. in a pre-election statement, benjamin netanyahu said he would not allow the creation of a palestinian state. in an interview on msnbc tv, he said he would consider a palestinian state that recognizes the state of israel. the white house remains unconvinced, saying the u.s. will reassess its options on u.s.-israeli relations.

here is our correspondent, gallagher fenwick. gallagher: u.s. president -- the u.s. president has not congratulated him. the u.s. president reminded netanyahu that the u.s. remains committed to the establishment of a sovereign, via bill -- viable palestinian state, along with a secure state of israel. barack obama, reminding everyone including -- barack obama reminding everyone including the israeli premier that they want a two state solution. they will continue to cooperate on matters of security intelligence, and military matters, but also taking time to tell benjamin netanyahu that the u.s. is still focused on reaching a comprehensive deal with iran concerning its nuclear program, making short -- sure

that it does not achieve nuclear weapons. this probably irking benjamin netanyahu. an obviously tense relationship that had already reached a low went recently -- a low point recently. molly: that was gallagher fenwick reporting from jerusalem. >>reporter: wolfsburg witha 2- -- with a 2-1 win. napoli through. the spanish through 5-2. club brugge and zenit st. petersburg also into the draw. paris st. germain missed the first league quarterfinal after

being sent off against chelsea. a defender has been given a one match ban after posting insults about a referee after the match. fifa has concerns -- confirmed the final in qatar will take place on december 18. temperatures often exceed 40 degrees celsius. they recommended the tournament should be switched from summer to winter because of health concerns for players and fans. france has been named as the host for the 2019 women's world cup. fifa president sepp blatter confirmed it. canada will host this summer's tournament, which has already been marred by controversy. >> fifa's choice is a good one. i have no doubt about that.

this is a fantastic opportunity to develop this great sport. reporter: it was another great day in the world cup sprint event. a frenchman took the victory sealing the fourth french world cup in a row. he hit all-time targets and had enough speed over the course to beat the russian one favorite -- russian home favorite. he kept his hopes of winning the overall title alive. he was in contention for both the sprint and overall titles. he finished in 18. -- 18th. lindsay vonn is continuing to enjoy a stunning world cup finale. a day after claiming the downhill american crystal globe

she claimed another title, joining a swedish skier as the second woman to win all 19 world cup titles. an austrian was second-place. she is second in the standings for the second year in a row. an alpine skier retained his chance to win overall second. the defending champion had a fourth-place finish, his second-best ever in the super g. he was held off my -- by .05 seconds. france are gearing up for the final weekend of the six nations championship.

they still harbor hopes of winning this year's title. they must hope wales loses in it aly and scotland. >> decisions had to be taken. we are 100% focused. the group needs to be focused on the game and not on external things. we must remain focused on our game. reporter: the points difference -- they are the favorites to lift the title. >> it is hard to plan for every scenario. you have to go through the situations with your players. there are so many permutations. you could win by 5, 25, just win. we have talked as a group, coach, team, senior players

about how we would manage the different scenarios but it also comes down to focusing on performance. if you don't get that right you lose the game and it is all over anyway. reporter: jeff is replacing dave in the second row for this final competitive encounter before england hosts the world cup in september. reporter: you can't get higher than this in europe. the french alps, with its rugged landscape and snow slopes. this is one of the highest resorts in the region. everything here is done on skis, even the commute to work. the guy in the yellow shoes is one of the best chefs in france. is already here -- he already

has two stars in the famous michelin food guide. >> >> you will have fun cooking with that. reporter: his story is special. his restaurant is 2300 meters above sea level. in the kitchen, this changes everything. jean: at breakfast time, i sent out boiled eggs. they kept being sent back because they were not cooked enough. i could not understand why. i had cooked them exactly the same way as before. then i realized the cooking times are longer appear because the water doesn't boil at 100 degrees but around 90. reporter: strange, but true. it is all about the pressure which is much lower in high altitudes. jean: it is a factor which affects our precise conditions.

our work is all about precision. i almost threw in the towel and gave up the idea of cooking here. then, one morning, i said to myself, these factors have to become assets for my kitchen. it is me that has to adapt to the mountain. reporter: out here, it is much drier. jean has invented the perfect dessert for this climate. these meringue snowballs. jean: this is lovely and chris thanks to the low -- and crisp links to the low fuel -- and crisp thanks to the low humidity. reporter: time to tuck in. jean: a chef in the mountains is not like a chef in the city. i feel at home here.

reporter: it snowed overnight on the terrace of his restaurant. in the savoie region -- the sa voy region, the terrain is tough, but it is still full of flavor. they have a herd of 70 cows. >> what's the matter? i'm coming. reporter: the valcherin is a winter cheese, but it's flavor comes from the summertime -- but its flavor comes from the summertime. >> you can see there is clover and every good thing you would want in a hay. it is important to give them the good stuff. you need to know what the cows are eating, because it is what

you then find in cheese and milk. it is perfect. it is nice and white. reporter: 10 liters of milk are needed to make one block of cheese. that's the job of the farmer's wife. the cream has been skimmed off of the milk. they will wrap each strip of cheese. >> it cannot be too tight, nor to loose. -- nor too loose. ti -- it is a creamy, runny cheese. it is a delicate cheese. reporter: next, they are placed in this to be matured for five weeks. he checks on them each morning. >> the higher up they are, the order they are. here is one that is pretty much ready-to-eat. inside, it is runny.

we take the skin off did -- dip in a spoon, spread it on bread. it is made just for the locals here those who live within a 100-kilometer radius of the farm. reporter: jean uses the vacherin in the rissole. with the cheese, it becomes savory and eaten as a nibble. jean: i have childhood memories of eating the vacherin on bread. that was the inspiration for this recipe. i thought if we trap the cheese in the dough and fry it, in the middle, you will have a runny, creamy ball of cheese that will explode in your mouth. reporter: it is the top table on

the roof of europe thanks to jean sulpice.