people dead. does this take the security threat in turkey in a much more dangerous sinister direction? >> reporter: even among our our friends and our own family and friends, nobody wanted to go out, people were cautioned not to be around squares. people were urged after the suicide attack not to use certain systems. many decided not to go out. it is having an impact on daily life in istanbul without a doubt >>> thank you for that. we will stay with these latest pictures and we will try and get you right up to speed with what you think is going on. we know there are a number of casualties after a big explosion rocked central istanbul's square, a major tourist attraction. the blast occurred at about 10.20/10.30 local time this morning. you can see there the pictures of the ambulances going to and from the scene as they're shuttling the injured to the local big hospitals. it is close to an area called the blue mosque and another building which is a big tourist attraction. at that time the area would have been quiet. it's winter time, it's chilly, it's not summer time. it wasn't going to

despite differences, turkey and germany need each other now more than ever. a warm welcome to seyran ates, who is a german lawyer and a prominent advocate of women's rights. believes that germany is just as vulnerable to terror as any other country. the terror organizations, she says, have taken on such a die mentioned that can only be combated militarily. you have just come back from this temple. what can you report? can report that for more than two years, people are afraid that something can happen. why thate wondering could happe y the states could not see that or realize that this place is in danger? what might the answer be to that question? >> there was not enough security. >> why not? it is such a sensitive location. >> it is the heart of tourism. it is also the heart of istanbul. knew that we have so many tourists there and we need this place for our tourism. and they didn't have more security, more police? we have to ask the police if it is the fault of the police or the government. answer is really, really difficult to say. the state is responsible for this, doing nothing.

jazeera live from london. turkey says the suicide bomber who killed ten tourists in istanbul entered the country as a refugee. >>> warnings of more attacks to come after a bomber kills police outside of a polio eradication center in pakistan. >>> denmark's government gets cross-party backing for a plan to seize cash and valuables from asylum seekers. >>> plus who wants to be a billionaire? the lines get longer as the prize gets bigger in the record-breaking u.s. powerball lottery. ♪ >>> the u.s. secretary of state has expressed his gratitude for iran for releasing ten american sailors it held overnight, but an an nows mouse official said there was no express of regret after their boats strayed into iranian waters. john kerry said diplomacy played a critical rule, pointing to how the relationship between the two countries has improved in recent years. iran said it freed the u.s. personnel after determining they entered the iranian waters by distake -- mistake. the u.s. vessels had been heading for bahrain. iran says they had navigation problems. mr. kerry also said iran's nuclear de

sarah: this is "dw news." ken germany and turkey find common ground on migration? as europe tries to get a grip on the crisis, angular mark l -- angela merkel as a meeting concerning your refugees making way to the european union. and the government looks to put an end to days of escalating protests and violence. and bracing for the big chill -- a major storm bearing down on the eastern united states. record snowfall is expected in what many predict will be an historic blizzard. hello. i'm sarah kelly. welcome to the program. germany and turkey have pledged closer cooperation on the migration crisis. the countries' top leaders met in berlin with billions of euros on the table and the promise of renewed efforts. can these crucial players really work together to cope with the biggest flow of refugees to europe since world war ii? our coverage begins with this report. reporter: full military honors for turkey's prime minister at the federal chancellery. the pomp and circumstance were intentional. merkel knows she cannot do without turkey's help if she wants to get to grips with the m

suspected of setting off an explosion in the heart of turkey says biggest city. hello, welcome to al jazeera, we're live from doha. also to come on the program, food and medicine finally arrive for people suffering in some of syria's besieged towns. >>> on him prices continue to fall. crude is now below $31 a barrel, the lowest in more than 12 years. >>> the first arabic language song to top the israeli charts. >>> the turkish government said a young syrian suicide bombers was behind an attack in the historic district of istanbul. ten are dead, among them german tourists. turkey's government will share details of the attack with berlin. we have this report. >> it's the heart of istanbul and one of its most popular tourist spots. this is the square, less than an hour after an explosion, the site cordoned off and security tight. schwa it was a suicide bomb. i saw it. it was chaos, everyone was running around. police didn't see this coming. they were upset, and trying a evacuate the area because they said a second bomb could go off. >> it is the biggest city in turkey with a major attra

to europe ended in tragedy today. at least 39 refugees drowned trying to cross the sea from turkey to greece. many victims believed to be from syria. the turkish government saying a boat carrying more than a hundred people sank today after hitting rocks. some of the images in this next report are graphic. >> reporter: they are casualties of war and poverty. among them a small child, other children and adults too washed up on a beach in turkey. their boat had had sunk not far from the rocks. in all, about a third of the 120 people on board didn't make it, drowning as they tried to reach greece, a gateway to europe used by so many before thing. all this as politicians in geneva gather for talks to try to end the nearly five-year long war. >> we will save you. don't worry. >> reporter: overnight another group of refugees tried to make the journey. the italian coast guard spotted people stranded on rocks near the greek island of lesbos. against the darkness of the night, the only light came from the rescue boat. it was a daring operation with divers trying to reassure the men, women and c

he says the suspected bomber was a saudi member of the islamic state of iraq and levant. turkey was already on high alert after a series attacks including a double suicide bombing in october. that left more than 100 people dead. this report from istanbul. >> . >> i went back and saw it, everyone was running around, police didn't see this coming they were upset but at the same time they were trying to evacuate the area, because they said a second bomb could go off. >> istanbul is the biggest city, where the square is a major tourist attraction for both tourists and turks. thousands visit every day. the district is also home to the highest museum and the blue mosque. >> some in turkey have been expecting attacks on turkish soil since the forces launched their offensive against fighters and kurdish fighters. >> in october at least 102 people were killed in a double suicide blast on a peace rally in the capitol. turkey's president has coon determined the attack. >> i strongly condemn this attack. this apparent terrorist atrack, i was like to offer my condolences to those that lost their

controversial among those on the list and also key players like the gulf countries and turkey. >>> syrian government forces have recaptured a strategic town in the south of the country. it is the latest victory for president bashar al-assad's troops. gerald tan has more details. >> reporter: the syrian flag flies again in this town. it's taken the army weeks of intense fighting with rebels to retake this town in the southwestern province of daraa. state television showed military forces entering the town center after securing supply lines. [ explosion ] >> reporter: battles are reported to be continuing on the outsquirts. the importance of the ruined town cannot be understated. government forces had given up much of this territory until russian armed forces began their military campaign last september. their intervention is being seen as a game changer. >> thanks have turned around 180 degrees for the regime since the russians came in. the al-nusra front was making gains in daraa province, and now there's this significant reversal. >> reporter: russian jets have carried out th

♪ ♪ >>> modern turkey was founded in 1923 on the principles of secular, democratic statehood after centuries of empire. >> it has been the most turbulent year in a decade of turkey's political history. >> turkey has set a new course. one that many hoped would carry it into the european union. >> there's clearly a significant portion of the turkish population that's not happy with the policies of the democratically elected government. >> but things have changed. they are changing. >> you get clashes erupting, demonstrators throwing rocks. >> and what happens next has implications far beyond turkey. ♪ i took a walk through this beautiful world ♪ ♪ felt the cool rain on my shoulder ♪ ♪ found something good in this beautiful world ♪ ♪ i felt the rain getting colder ♪ ♪ sha la la la la ♪ sha la la la la la ♪ sha la la la la ♪ sha la la la la la la >> it has been a turbulent year for turkey. and i arrive in istanbul at the moment of a critical election. the question on everyone's mind is whether the current president and his ruling party will win a large enough ma

>>> renewed tensions between erdogan and putin after russia is accused of violating turkey's airspace. ♪ ♪ >>> good to have you along were a i am david foster you are watching al jazeera live from london. also in this program the hunger and starvation in syria. as the opposition arrives for peace talks with the u.n. in geneva. >>> regional security tops the agenda in a summit of african leaders but the situation in burundi continues to divide. >>> and a locust invasion a race against time in argentine to exterminate the swarms inflicting devastating environment th the damage. >>> turkey summoned russian ambassador to, quote, strongly condemn what it says was a violation of its airspace by a russian fighter jet. turkey says despite radar warnings a russian su34 like this one went in to its air space last november turkey shot down an russian air force jet which it claimed was flying in its territory killing the pilot and that led to an escalating war of words between the countries. after this latest incidents the turkish president says he wants to talk to his russian counte

after violating turkey's air space again. clinton secret e-mails ahead of the first vote in the u.s. presidential nomination contests. and a new game of drones are tighter controls needed as their popularity grows? >>> in sport for once serena williams is denied success in a grand slam final and germany winning the australian final and then the title. ♪ well syria's main opposition representatives are now in geneva at last and they are due to take part in some version of u.n. sponsored peace talks. they have still yet to commit to direct negotiations over the assad government and a few moments ago a spokesman for the syrian coalition made a statement and our diplomatic editor james base is the one who spoke to him and joins me now. it has been a long journey in terms of what they are trying to get out of the u.n. regarding these talks and physically for these people to get here, what sort of reception do you think they are expecting now? >> well, yes, it's a difficult journey actually because as well as coming all the way from riyadh when they arrived in switzerland quite a bit of

children and adults too, washed up on a beach in turkey. their boat had sunk not far from the rocks. in all, about a third of the 120 people on board did not make it. drowning as they tried to reach greece, a gateway to europe used by so many before them. some of the victims are thought to have been from syria. all this as politicians in geneva gather for talks to try to end the nearly five-year long war. >> we will save you. don't worry. >> reporter: over night another group of refugees tried to make the journey. people were stranded on rocks near the greek island of lesbos. against the darkness of the night the only light came from the rescue boat. it was a daring operation with divers trying to reassure the men, women and children that they would be rescued. eventually they were pulled aboard, cold, frightened, but safe. more than a million refugees and migrants have travelled to europe during the last year. the cold winter weather hasn't stopped people coming and nirdz have the conflicts that have driven so many to take the risk of making these journeys >>> in the united kingdom

show, political leaders from germany and turkey commemorate the 10 german tourists killed in yesterday's terrorist attack in istanbul. it said the suicide bomber was registered as a syrian refugee. is democracy in danger in poland? protests in warsaw and european union for the first time ever decides a member country's commitment to the rule of law needs to be checked. brent: it's good to have you with us. a developing story, three people have been confirmed dead so far in an avalanche in the french outs. two of them are school children. they were killed when their group was hit in a closed ski slope. the third victim was a ukrainian tourist. a further three children are seriously injured, we understand. the groups teacher has reportedly been found conscious. let's go live to our correspondent in paris, lisa lewis. what more do we know about this tragedy? reporter: the authorities have said that no one else is unaccounted for at this moment. there were about five other students missing earlier but they have now been found and extracted from the snow. three other people are be

. 2.5 million syrian refugees in turkey. living outside refugee camps, struggling to begin again, and wondering where to go next. next on "pbs newshour weekend". >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: lewis b. and louise hirschfeld cullman. bernard and irene schwartz. judy and josh weston. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the citi foundation. supporting innovation and enabling urban progress. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we are your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening and thanks for joining us. president obama is calling the implementation of the nuclear disarmament pact with iran a "milestone" achieved by being unafraid to negotiate with adversaries. in remarks at the white house today, the presi

syria. >> the u.s. looking for an end to syria's war. vice president joe biden is in turkey. >> that none of us or any other -- are under any illusions that obstacles don't still exist. >> secretary of state john kerry meets foreign ministers in the gulf region. you are watching al-jazerra live from head quarterbacks. also ahead, the grim fallout of zika, the mosquitos-borne virus calls for travel warnings. >>> the u.s. braces for a massive storm with record snowfalls predicted. hello, the u.s. is making ing a diplomatic push to end the war in syria. the secretary of state, john kerry is in soughted e arabia t meeting with leaders from the gulf. kerry says he is confident peace talks scheduled for next week will go ahead but did not confirm the exact day it starts. the u.s. vice president joe biden is in istanbul meeting with turkey's prime minister. the war in syria is in its 5th year, forced millions of people from their homes. turkey has taken many of those escaping from the fighting. our number of countries including the u.s., france, russia and turkey have all been launching air

turkey shot down a russian fighter jet late last year. food, fresh, poultry are included in the ban. chrter operations have been affected as well. the sanctions could be very bad for those involved in turkey's one billion dollars a year business of exporting citrus to russia. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: this man owns this farm in the southern turkish city. he grows a variety of fruits such as lemon, lime and mandarines which he exports. he grew more plants to double his profits. recently russia imimposed economic sunkss against turkey for shooting down one of its fighter jets near the syrian border. this man is worried about what this means for his business. >> translation: sanctions will be harmful for us farmers and businessm businessmen. citrus prices are declining because of russia banning our products. we all feel the impact. >> reporter: this is the wholesale market. local produce from here are shipped to all over the world. citrus is one of turkey's main exports, a business worth almost one billion dollars, and a third of these exports go to russia. it is the farm

after turkey is accused of violating turkey's airspace. >> more lives are lost in the agean. the u.s. presidential campaign lets up in iowa ahead of monday's caucus. ♪ >> syrian's main opposition representatives are in geneva. they have yet to commit to direct negotiations with the assad government. our diplomatic editor, james bays has the latest from geneva. >> reporter: a large group of press here, quite chaotic scenes when they arrived here because we all want to know the position, the exact position, of this the main opposition grouping. when the spokesman came here, they said that they still believe the u.n. resolution at the end of december means there are things that should be put in place now before talks take place. he said they weren't -- -- /* hiz group's conditions. conditions of the u.n. security council, and i pressed him as to whether these conditions would have to be met before they sat down. >> if those conditions are not met, will you engage in talks? >> we will -- we are ready we are ready to start negotiation, but at least we should see something, you know, on

seeking to guide his legacy. i'm sarah kelly. good evening. welcome to the program. germany and turkey are coping with what appears to be the latest attack from islamic state. berlin has confirmed eight of its nationals are among those killed during a suicide bombing in the istanbul tourist district. the bomber was syrian and a member of the so-called islamic state. we begin with this report. reporter: the bomb attacked at the historic tourist district before noon. >> it was a suicide bomb. i went to be scene. it was chaos. people were running everywhere. the police is actuated area because they said there was a possibility a second bomb could go off. reporter: this is one of turkey's largest tourist attractions within centuries old architecture, mosques, and museums. the explosion happened between two famous landmarks -- the blue mosque and the high sophia museum. turkish authorities agenda five the suspect as a syrian suicide bomber. the majority of the victims were german. the turkish prime minister called angela merkel to express condolences. the german chancellor said the attack w

in to turkey as a refugee. >> at the obelisk, where the tourists died, a solemn group, the interior ministers from turkey and germany also present. red flowers are the only visual sense of death. there is no sign of blast damage aside from some wood gouged out of a seat. turkish government blames isil for the attack, saying it was the third attack in the country and the first aimed at foreigners. >> they'll face retaliation in whatever form is deemed necessary. we will retaliate whenever we deem necessary. >> the suicide-bomber has been flamed by security sources as a 27-year-old syrian citizen born in saudi arabia. he is sighted here on cctv footage when he has given his fingerprints in istanbul only a week ago after an legal border crossing. the police say they were able to identified him from his fingerprints. they say he was not an isil suspect. one of the most historic places in the world, an attack on turkey's tourist industry with foreigners dead. it sends a chilling message and a realization of the colossal task facing security and intelligence agencies. some tourists appear

. dozens of isil suspects are held in raids in turkey, as police make one arrest in connection with the istanbul blast. at least 14 people with killed in a suicide bomb attack in southwestern pakistan. >>> and the tv tellthon at the center of claims the polish government is trying to influence what is in the news. ♪ >>> hello, u.s. secretary of state john kerry has thanked iran for their cooperation in the release of ten u.s. sailors captured in the gulf. kerry said both countries handling of the incident showed how much their relationship has progressed. the sailors were on board two patrol boats when they strayed in iranian waters. video shows the moments after the sailors were arrested. the u.s. secretary of state john kerry praised the speed with which the dispute was resolved. >> i think we can all imagine how a similar situation may have played out three or four years ago. and in fact, it is clear that today this kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved, and officially resolved, and that is a testament to the critical role that diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe

mean especially for fruit farmers. in southern turkey we have these reports. a few months ago he grew more plants in hope of doubling his profits. recently russia imposed economic sanctions against turkey for shooting down one of its fighter jets near the syrian border. they are now worried about what this means for his business. >> people like me, we're hearing that citrus prices are declining because of russia banning our products. all of us feel the impacts. >> this is the wholesale market local produced from here are shipped to all over the world. one of turkey's main exports, a business worth almost $1 billion, and a third of these exports go to russia. >> it's the farmers who are unlikely to suffer because of the economic sanctions, and they're all worried that they may no longer be able to sell their goods if the political cries continues. they all say that the government has to take action or there will be big losses. the farmers are under pressure to finish harvesting citrus fruits before it gets cold. the region produces 75% of turkey's citrus products. these are seasonal wo

minutes. turkey blames isil for a bomb attack on a tourist district that has killed 10 people. >>> food reaching syria's starving, but medical help is desperately needed. >>> the president who promised change in the united states actually delivered? barack obama prepares for his final state of the union address. >>> and on the 40th anniversary of her death, a look at why agatha christie remains the world's best selling author. >> we have the latest in authority including russia makes efforts to reform after a challenging--damaging doping scandal leads them far afield from the track and field. >> ten people are known to have died in a bomb blast in istanbul. the attack happened in an area known for historic monuments. it's popular with tourists, and eight of the dead are german. the explosion was so large that it was heard several kilometers away. they say that the suspected bo bomber was a syrian member of isil. security was on high alert after attacks from isil including an event that lest more than 100 dead. [ sirens ] >> the heart of istanbul. many tourists come here to visit the mos

. welcome to al jazeera live from our headquarters in doha. also ahead raids and arrests in turkey following an explosion in istanbul that killed ten people. police detaped three russian nationals. south korea demands tougher sanctions against its northern neighbor to punish it for the latest nuclear chest. china town's richest man buys a hollywood studio >>> a bomb blast in south-western pakistan has killed at least 14 people close to a polio vaccination center. the attack targeted security forces. they were preparing for a door to door policy yoe vaccination drive. they have been targeted in the past by i.s.i.l. workers. going to our correspondent who is joining us live from islamabad. what more can you tell us about this attack? >> reporter: this particular attack took place in a residential area of quetta in a satellite town. this is the third day of an anti polio campaign. under this program 2.4 million children are to be immu nizd. it is a campaign that is across the country. today as the attack took place outside a polio center from where the polio work is set out across the

>>> three russians are arrested in turkey during a series of raids during the istanbul bombing >>> there are reports people detained in iran could be released >>> and we'll take you to the motor city, the detroit auto show unveils the cars of the future >>> turkish police have detained three russian citizens with links to i.s.i.l. it comes after tuesday's suicide bomb attack in istanbul, that targeted an area popular with tourists. russian officials confirmed three of their nationals have been picked up. turkish police carried out a series of raids. officers detained 59 suspected i.s.i.l. fighters. meanwhile, turkey's prime minister is due to land in istanbul later on wednesday, and insists i.s.i.l. was goodnight tuesday's attack. for more on this, let's go to our correspondent live in istanbul. i understand the german interior minister are arriving in turkey. >> that's right. lots of movement right now. a german interior minister arriving here, having a joint conference with the turkish interior ministry, and also akmed, the permit, is likely to be making a public statement. h

. they were attempting to reach the greek island of lesbos from turkey. that follows another incident two days ago when 25 refugees, including ten children, drowned off the greek island. it can be seen around 50 metres from the shore. it is estimated nearly 4,000 people died last year trying to reach europe by sea. russia has rejected claims from turkey that one of its jets violated turkish airspace. the row has deepened the rift between the two since turkey shot down a russian jet in november. a stark warning was sent to moscow. >> translation: if russia continues to violate turkey's sovereignty, they will bear the circumstances. such irresponsible behaviour will not improve the relationship between n.a.t.o. and russia or peace in the region. on the contrary it will do harm >>> we have an expert of turkey affairs and he explains why turkey didn't try to shoot down the plane this time. >> turkey did not want to be blamed for prematuring jeopardizing the geneva peace talks. at the same time the united states restrained turkey this time to avoid any direct confrontation between

- turkey's government says it detained one person in connection with tuesday's blasts of istanbul, as it carries out raids across the country. a bomb blast outside a polo vaccination center kills 14 people in pakistan. and china town comes to tinsel town as china's richest man buys a hollywood film studio >>> ten u.s. navy sailors custody by iran scr just been released. iran detained them on tuesday after two small vessels entered waters near farsi island. sailors were travelling from kuwait bahrain. the two vessels strayed off course due to mechanical problems and the whole thing was close to being resolved. >>> let's get reaction to this from the u.s. we are joined on the phone by rorl rorld. rosalind jordan. >> what is the clifford pennington saying. >> at 3:43:00a.m. here on the east coast of the united states, the 10 u.s. sailors were released by the iranians to the custody of the u.s. navy, they were on a vessel, and later the u.s. navy transported them to land. we don't know if they were taken back to kuwait, the origin of the trip on tuesday. they were sailing in a pair of riveri

heart of istanbul, turkey's biggest city. find out more about that on the website, aljazeera.com. >>> an explosion leaving 10 dead in istanbul, turkey's president saying it was a suicide bomb attack. >>> a final address, president obama getting ready for his last state of the union address, a speech expected to try and define his legacy. >>> back in business, those daily fantasy sports sites allowed to stay open in one state despite legal efforts to shut them down. >>> this is aljazeera america live in new york city, i'm bell walt. in istanbul, 10 are dead following that explosion there that happened in the square on the european side of the city close to the blue mosque and grand bazaar, turkish police closing off the area. officials believe the attack was carried out by a 28-year-old syrian suicide bombers who may have had ties to terrorist groups. >> citizen rights and freedoms are being breached not by the turkish state, by terrorists oak misthat terrorists block roads, addition ditches, prevents our people from traveling. it is terrorists that bomb schools, mosques, offices,

illegal immigration has to be changed into legal immigration. turkey has taken the first steps and we will certainly work very intensively together until the 18th of february. turkey will receive our support where it is necessary. that what we have agreed. we will have a very intense exchange here. of course that also means that we will have to share the burden, number 1 on a financial level, but also with legal contingents that will make it possible for people to come to europe without endangering their lives. i think all of the subjects that i have now mentioned show you that we have had a rather full agenda, and that there are many things that we have see as our common tasks. the last thing i would like to add is that both countries also look very closely to the donor's conference on the 4th of february in london. this will be about improving the standards of living of refugees in lebanon and jordan as well, just as we are doing in turkey. and i can only say that today's exchange has certainly deepened our relationship, and that we will have further days of very close cooperation where

raids in turkey as police make one arrest in connection with the istanbul blast. >>> plans to evict as many as 2,000 refugees from a camp in calais. >>> i'll be here with all of the sport, including, the countdown to arsenals premiere league match at liverpool as they look to keep their lead at the top of the table. ♪ >>> the u.s. secretary of state has expressed his gratitude to iran for releasing ten sailors it held overnight, but there was no expression of regret. john kerry said diplomacy played a critical role in securing their release. iran said it freed the u.s. navy personnel after determining they entered the waters by mistake. the incident involved two u.s. fast patrol boats. the u.s. vessels had been heading for bahrain. iran said they had navigation problems. kerry also said implementation day for iran's nuclear plan will take place soon. >> these are always situations which as everybody here knows have been ability if not properly guided to get out of control. and i'm appreciative for the quick and appropriate response of the iranian authorities. >> let's go live to rosi

analysis on that story from washington, d.c. ros, thank you. >>> let's go to turkey now where the prime minister has said that the suicide-bomber who killed ten german tourists on tuesday was a syrian national with links to isil who entered turkey as a refugee. five people have been arrested over the attack along with dozens of expected isil members. turkey has offered to help in the fight against the group. >> on the approach against an ancient obilisk where the tourists died, the interior ministers of both turkey and germany also present. there is a surreal feeling here. the whole area has been cleaned up. red flowers are the only visual sense of death. there is no signs of blast damage apart from wood gouged out of the seat. turkey's government blames isil for the attack. saying it's the organization's third bombing in the country and the first aimed at foreign nerys. the suicide-bomber has been named by security forces, a 27-year-old syrian citizen born in saudi arabia. he cited here on cctv footage when he is said to have given his finger trips only a week ago after an illega

>> you are watching live from paris on "france 24" shocked in turkey and beyond after a bomb blast in the tourist part of istanbul the left 10 people dead, at least it .f them confirmed 400 people said to be on the brink of death in my diet -- madaya in syria. and it is his last ever state of the union address. we are looking at barack obama's big speech as the american president says he is more optimistic than ever about the year ahead. >the head of the united nations says it is a despicable crime, hollandeancois has condemned it as an odious international express and so support continued to pouring after a bomb blast in 10 heart of istanbul killed people, at least eight of them germans. germany's foreign minister says his country will not be intimidated by murder and violence. so far no group has claimed responsibility. government is explicitly blaming the islamic state group. we will remain determined in our fight against the islamic carriedganization, who out this attack. we will not back down in his fight against daesh. turkey was swift to released some details about the man i

that bomb blast in turkey's largest city and explosion taking place in the historic district which is popular with tourists and there are casualties but no official word yet on the cause of the explosion. al jazeera is joined live now from there. okay, let's speak to emray in istanbul and what is the latest you have for us? >> well, the prime minister amid is holder high-level security meeting in ankara which includes the top brass of the military as well as the minister of interior and intelligence officials. this is taking place in ankara and is ongoing. authorities have not pointed at a cause of the blast which took place 40 meters behind me but they said they are not ruling out the possibility of a suicide attack. what we know so far is around 10:20 in the morning local time, 8:20gmt a powerful blast which eyewitnesses and a kilometer from here said shook the ground and took place in a square adjacent to the square known for having two egyptian parts and we understand it's up to ten people have now lost their lives and 15 have been injured. >> at this point in time emray no claim

. also coming up germany's chancellor urges turkey to help diffuse the refugee crisis. >>> we're live on the east coast of the united states as the nation brace itself for a huge blizzard. >>> hello, tunisia's government has imposed a nation-wide curfew after protests over unemployment spread to towns and cities across the country. it is the worst unrest since the 2010 uprising that lead to the arab spring. hashem ahelbarra reports. >> reporter: a family mourning its son. he was frustrated over lack of job opportunities. he climbed an electricity pole and threatened to commit suicide. he was electrocuted. his death sparked anger nationwide, and he has become the symbol of a younger generation that feels increasingly let down by its government. >> translator: my son died. the government is responsible. it breaks my heart. those responsible for his death should be held accountable. they destroyed a whole family. >> reporter: he was relentlessly hunting for a job to look after his parents and seven brothers and sisters. his father is a retiree and struggles to make ends meet. >> translat

. >>> foreigners are killed in a popular tourist spot in turkey. isil is blamed for that suicide attack. >> people were anxious, coming to us, asking: did you bring more food? >> hungry for more, aid reaches syria's starving in one of the areas worst hit by the civil war. barack obama has delivered his last state of the union address as u.s. president. he talked about focusing on the next five years instead of looking back. he also took aim at the republican presidential hopefuls saving his harshest comments for donald trump talking about banning muslims coming to the u.s. >> when politicians insult muslims whether abroad or our fellow citizenship, when a mosque is vandalized or a kid is called names, that doesn't make us safer. that's not telling it what -- telling it like it is. it's just wrong. it diminishes us in the eyes of the world [applause.] >> it makes it harder to achieve our goals. it betrays who we are as a country. >> obama also said the u.s. is respected for its diversity. >> that's why i will keep working to shut down the prison at guantanamo. it is expensive. it is unne

is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, turkey blames isil for a bomb attack on a busy instal istanbul attack that killed several people. >>> has the president who promised change in the united states finally delivered? president obama's final state of the union address. >>> and britain sees its first doctor strike for 40 years as thousands want changes to contracts. >> we start this hour with breaking news. the pentagon announcing that two of itsavy boats are in iranian custody. officials say iran has told the united states that the crew will be returned promptly. let's get more on this now from washington, d.c. al jazeera's roslind jordan has more. we know that a conversation is it taking place between the secretary of state john kerry and the iranian foreign minist minister. >>> what we don't know, maryam, is whether that conversation is taking place. the senior official has told al jazeera that secretary of state john kerry has been in direct contact with senior iranian officials about this incident which apparently has been under way for five, maybe six hours now.

speech. >>> and breaking news this morning. deadly bomb blast in turkey at a popular tourist spot in that city. >>> good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it is tuesday, january 12th. 5:00 a.m. in the east. democratic face-off deep into the night in iowa. hillary clinton and bernie sanders at a candidate forum in a state where the polls are surprisingly close this morning. clinton with just the tiny three-point lead in the latest survey. that explains why she is going after her opponent on gun violence and electability. we have cnn's brianna keilar with more. >> reporter: good morning. hillary clinton and bernie sanders in the hawkeye state as the race tightens. in the polls, they are at a statistical tie. something bernie sanders is thrilled about and the clinton campaign is not. both candidates trying to draw differences with each other at the brown and black forum over issues that are facing african-americans and latino-americans. >> clinton has been criticizing you. have you noticed she is getting more aggressive with you? >> yes. it cou

address. his chief of staff talks to us about what to expect. then, a suicide bomber in turkey kills 10 foreigners in a popular tourist spot. and, finally a successful program helping under-served students prepare for and get into college. >> when you're an immigrant and you're in america focusing on learning the language, graduating from high school, you're not really focused on college yet. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: iran picked up 10 u.s. navy sailors and their two small boats in the persian gulf today. u.s. officials reported one of the boats had mechanical trouble and ran aground. it happened near farsi island. the pentagon said the vessels were moving between kuwait and bahrain at the time. afterward, officials said, iran's foreign minister assured secretary

your company's tomorrow, today at business.ny.gov >>> this morning's deadly blast in turkey has, quote, syrian roots. that is the word from turkey's president who says at least nine were killed in the terror attack targeting t targeting the city's most popular tourist area. i want to take you do turkey first. ar what damon. how do they know that a syrian is at fault here? >>. >> reporter: well we don't know the specifics of it. we do know the president came out and said that the -- we do understand the authorities are investigating what ties the individual had to terrorist organizations although a lot of suspicion is pointing towards isis. any given time turkish authorities have people under surveillance and they conduct massive nationwide sweeps where they detain hundreds of people with ties to terrorism. an indication how vulnerable the country continues to be. we are not far from where the attack took place a few hundred feet away behind me. and it is the very core, the center, of old historic istan l istanbul. and also, a main, if not the main, tourist attraction for people

turkey and the gulf states hold meetings. state of emergency in seven u.s. states as a huge blizzard hits the country's east coast. >> i'm harry in south africa and i'm going to show you what it looks like and how the concept is helping save lives. ♪ tunisia prime minister held an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss this week's wave of protest by unemployed and cut short france on thursday following four days of violence and nightly curfew has been in place across the country since friday and ministry says more than 400 people arrested in the last few days. let's go live to tunis with our correspondent and hashem is anything emerging of what they might do to take control of the situatio situation? >> reporter: basically the government says that it faces two major issues, one the need to maintain stability and stem the rise of processes that have been threatening to spin out of control. and the number two issue is to address the issues of poverty and unemployment but the government says that it does not have quick fixes. it's going to take some time before it can tackle the whole s

jakarta or beirut type attack, obviously, with the attacks in turkey over the last two days there has been, you know, a growing sense of - i wouldn't say fear, but i would say growing sense of concern here, that it was only a matter of time until an attack would happen here >>> paul rowland, thank you very much for your experiences here in jakarta. now to a blogger and indonesian editor for global voices online. you are in touch with the online community with citizen journalists and so forth. was there any indication from what you were seeing that this was about to happen? >> thank you for having me, and no. actually, what happened today, there has been some very interest i interesting matters. there has been massive information which is online, but with the good and bad of social media, people are helping one another and they're informing one another, for example, through hashtag jakarta safety check on twitter and i find it very positive and it's a great show of how humanity works in jakarta today >>> this flow of information is generally for the good. is there any information comin

, germany's chancellor urges turkey to help diffuse the refugee crisis, and e.u. states move to close their borders. >>> free after years in prison, celebrations in myanmar, as the government releases dozens of detainees. and we're going to be looking at who is making the news, and who is winning to bid at this year's sun dance film festival. ♪ >>> hello. tunisia's government has imposed a nationwide curfew after protests over unemployment spread to towns across the country. al jazeera's hashem ahelbarra report from the where the latest wave of demonstrations began. >> reporter: a family mourning its son. he was frustrated over lack of job opportunities. he climbed an electricity pole and threatened to commit suicide. he was electrocuted. his death sparked anger nationwide, and he has become the symbol of a younger generation that feels increasingly let down by its government. >> translator: my son died. the government is responsible. it breaks my heart. those responsible for his death should be held accountable. >> reporter: he ruz relentlessly looking for a job. his father is a re

. >> russia's ban on turkish goods has come into effect. it came after turkey shot down a russian jet in november. russia is also stopping charter flight operations for russians to turkey leave meaning the country's tourism industry could be hit, and turkish citizens are now banned from working in russia. what will the sanctions mean for the turkish economy especially for citrus farmers. from southern turkey hashem ahelbarra reports. >> this farm in the southern city in turkey. he grows a variety of fruits such as lemon, lime and manderines, which he exports to russian consumers. he grew more plants in the hope of doubling his profits. recently russia imposed economic sanctions against turkey for shooting down one of its fighter jets near the syrian border. he is now worried about what this means for thinks business. >> angels will be harmful for us farmers and businessmen, but people like me will be ready. we're hearing tha hearing hearinhearing that citrus prices are declining because of the russian decision. >> these are local produced from here and shipped all over the world. citrus

give us a context of this with the resent history of attacks within turkey. >> well, i.s.i.s. has been blamed for two attacks in the last year. one and a double suicide bombing at the ankara rail way station which killed over 100 people and those attacks were blamed to turkish off shoot if you like and said they were inspired by i.s.i.l. >> and also there is some suggestion that the three options here people are talking about i.s.i.l., people are talking it could be kurdish pkk fighters, it could be islamic militants and talking about i.s.i.l., it's very difficult to know exactly who it could be at this point in time but there are many people who security forces would be concerned about. >> definitely and i think you can tell by the heavy deployment of police, i've been living in the city for over two years now and have seen police deployment and this is quite something else and also they got here pretty fast the turkish security forces even in the last two hours prayed for how quickly they have been able to get here. some of the eyewitnesses were saying that basically that the ea