streetsy blasts on the of beirut. explosions at the iranian embassy to the south of the capital. at least 20 able dead and 160 wounded. an al qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility. still at large book of the unknown gunmen who carried out multiple attacks with the shotgun here in paris is on the run. authorities looking to identify and bring in the shooter. and ma are in name only. toronto's rob ford is stripped of his remaining powers. but he says he will not leave office. hello, those are the headlines here on france 24.

to our top story out of lebanon. two explosions have hit the capital beirut. at least 23 people killed, including the iranian cultural attaché, and scores wounded. the twin suicide blasts targeted the iranian embassy. the explosions hit the beirut upscale neighborhood, a stronghold of hezbollah. it is one of the worst bombings to hit the area. the al qaeda-linked abdullah azzam brigades group is claiming responsibility for the attack. >> the shells of birth of cars. buildings still standing but severely damaged. bloodstains on the ground. chaotic scenes in this southern suburb after -- two explosions within minutes of each other. it was at the iranian embassy at 10:00 a.m. local time. soldiers, firefighters, and paramedics rushed to the scene. removing the bodies of dozens of victims. at least six buildings in the

embassy compound were damaged. reports say a pair of car bombs were the source. the abdullah azzam brigade with links to al qaeda claim they were behind the attack. >> these are residential women,nts where innocent man, and children live. it is not a military or battle site. the criminalhat terrorist brain behind this blast wants to thread the lebanese people's dreams of living freely and happily. capital is ase stronghold of the islamist militant group hezbollah and has been hit with several bomb attacks in recent weeks. the country has seen increased shiite sectarian violence at with the more than two-your conflict with syria. >> a manhunt is still underway here in paris for a loan gunmen. on monday, the suspect shot and

critically wounded a newspaper photographer and then opened fire outside a bank headquarters in the financial district. police have released the latest photo of who they say the man is. security has been stepped up outside media offices along the champs-elysees avenue and at subway entrances. investigators have been unable to identify the gunman and his mother ever made unclear. >> police were stationed outside media offices in paris before the sun rose tuesday. two officers outside france television. a similar presence at radio stations rtl, europe one, and radio france. many security guards are wearing bullet proof vest's as a precursor and mary measure. on the champs-elysees, there was a noticeable increase in control and anti-crime units. since monday there has been a manhunt in paris for a gunman who enter the offices of a newspaper and opened fire. witness reports we have

collected, we can describe a man of european appearance, between 35 and 45, a height between one meter 70 and one meter 80. graying hair. shaved, a two-day- old beard. a person when did, shot in the chest and stomach. witnesses reported gunfire outside of the societe generale hours later. this comes after a man believed to be the same suspect entered the bsm television channel friday morning brandishing a rifle. police are working with witnesses to track down the perpetrator. so far, they say there are no leads to the motive. , flashing in europe floods and sardine you have killed at least 14 people and forced hundreds to flee their

homes -- in sardinia. the entire island is being called apocalyptic. one police officer was killed and three colleagues injured when a bridge collapsed. another incident, a woman and her daughter died when their car was tipped over by the floods. to the latest from the philippines. emergency relief efforts to continue around the clock as residents try to salvage what is left in the wake of typhoon haiyan. 11 days after the storm hit, many are still without assistance. the world food program says some 600,000 survivors have yet to receive aid. inaccessible roads have hampered efforts. the u.n. agency has delivered emergency supplies like rice and high-energy biscuits to close to 2 million people. the u.n. humanitarian chief is on the ground coordinating efforts. she hopes to reach cut off areas soon. hashe nation on the ground been very good. we have had people here for a

couple of days. i hope that by tomorrow we will be reaching a number of those hopeful communities where they still have their boats but we have not been able to get to them with food. we urgently want to get food to them. >> a violent start to election day in nepal. a bomb blast injured three people as a voting got under way to elect a special is ugly. police believe the attack was planned i supporters of maoist opposition groups. it is hoped that the election would end years of instability. votersa polling station, avoiding a poll of blood. and casting ballots in kathmandu. at least three people were injured, including an eight- year-old boy. >> what have you done to my child? bomb hurt me the in his place? >> the explosion follows a series of violent attacks in

nepal. the authorities blame supporters of hard-line maoist groups are trying to disrupt the election. people here lined up to vote even before polling stations opened. nepal is voting to elect a new constituent as embley which will be tasked with writing a new constitution. assembly.onstituent after years of instability, some people are wary of politicians. >> i still have my doubts that they will be able to do the job. they failed to write a constitution last time. i hope the same one not happen again. our responsibility is to work. >> the last constituent assembly was elected five years ago after the end of a 10-year maoist insurgency in the overthrow of the monarchy. they never finished writing a new constitution. stripped of power but staying scandalob, toronto's plagued mayor rob ford is

refusing to step down despite the fact he effectively has no more legislative power. on monday, following a heated debate, the city council voted to relieve him of his remaining duties. here is the story. chaos as toronto's city council debates the future of mayor rob ford. as the mayor goes to confront the public gallery, he knocks over a counselor. in the end, the council voted overwhelmingly to strip ford of most of his duties of, cutting his budgets, and putting his deputy in charge of his staff. which effectively means rob ford is the mayor in name only. than a is nothing more coup d'état. and means that you are overruling a government. and some people said this is democracy. >> a feeling shared by his brother, a fellow counselor. the overthrow of a democratically have been elected mayor illegally. see in thirdyou

world nations, not in canada. >> others say rob ford's behavior has simply been unforgettable -- unforgivable and is an embarrassment to canada's largest city. >> his involvement with crack- cocaine and cocaine, his admission that he drinks and drives, i do not believe that he is a proper representative for the city of toronto. >> rob ford still has the support of the canadian prime minister stephen harper who says he will continue to work with them. the mayor also has a new television show which debuted on monday night. he told viewers the council has acted in illegal and he will seek reelection next year. -lawrence.ed onset welcome. let's start off in china. a lot of focus on the government's plan to loosen its family planning policy. -- i am joined on set by

florence. >> yes, couples can now have two children. it is getting a lot of attention in the chinese press. a very cute photo of a kid looking at his reflection on the front page here. basically, lawmakers at the local level still have to make this official. but you can also read in china daily that the nation is bracing for more babies. it investigates how in beijing, hospitals are getting ready i.e. increasing the number of hospital beds. they will have to wait nine months for this to happen. it is pointed out that there are a lot of mixed feelings amongst couples about whether or not to have another child. first of all, there is the financial burden. but there are a lot of positive things. it is good for children to have siblings. it is a wonderful thing emotionally. the decision is applauded, and this editorial says it is good for the country's development, especially because it continues to replace its aging population. the population is aging so much,

there has been a drop in the working age population. according to a china daily, this could be problematic for economic growth. other papers are also reacting to this decision. let's look at a cartoon in the international "new york times childup china ends the one- policy. what does this mean to china? possibly more at dissidents. on, reports about the deteriorating situation in syria. >> a very interesting report in the guardian today by their correspondent in syria and turkey. he says there is basically a second civil war going on in syria that started after the first one staggered into sectarian violence. rebelks to several fighters, including one who says this is not a revolution against the regime anymore.

this is a civil war. essentially what started out as a fight between pro-and anti- assad has turned into a much more complicated beast with fighting amongst rebel factions along sectarian lines. there are nickel points out that it is a very ugly and complicated situation -- the article points out that this is a very complicated situation that does not seem will end in the near future. maybe in 10 years, we will are to coexist, it says. >> another thing with the guardian, an article about private firms selling mass surveillance systems worldwide. >> once again, a very interesting article today. it is according to documents published online by a watchdog called privacy international, which said that private firms from britain, israel, germany, the u.s., and france are selling spy tools to developing countries in africa, asia, and the middle east. basically, systems that let the government snoop on millions of e-mails, text messages, and

phone calls. sounds a lot like the nsa. they also sell other spy tools, or hiddenders cameras, james bond kind of stuff. the companies say they are selling this technology to help governments fight against terrorism and crime, but the article points out that human rights groups say they are dissidents.could be >> the senate in uruguay expected to pass the world's most far-reaching drug legalization this week. >> that is right. this is the marijuana regulation bill. it has already been passed in the lower house of parliament in uruguay. it will legalize the purchase, growth, consumption of cannabis under certain circumstances. if you want to know more, you can read the local papal -- paper in uruguay. the state is hoping to use this legalization to fight against what it calls the war on drugs. not only to fight against track -- trafficking, but it hopes to improve public health, raise tax

revenue, and research the medical potential of cannabis. the article points out that it will be the first country to have such a wide encompassing policy. >> finally, a walmart store in the u.s. coming under fire for a food drive. >> that is right. ins is a walmart near cantin northeastern ohio. food drives are usually seen as something being very positive, helping people out. this is a food drive at walmart to help walmart employees actually. you can see a photo or do you can read about it. the photo says please donate food items here so associates in need can enjoy thanksgiving dinner. the spokesman for walmart says this is a good thing, part of the company's policy to help their employees. but there are different takes, once as it is proof of how hard it is to survive on the low wage that walmart employees are paid. they say this is a sign, this is when you know your wages are too

low. >> thank you for that. that was the international press review. >> france will have to rewrite history of they are to avoid missing out on next summer's world cup. 0 against ukraine ahead of tonight's playoff and paris. the deficit that no team has ever overturned in the european world cup layoff. still harbors hopes of turning things around. got to workhave together on this one and show that we can be a great team, because pulling off such a feat would prove that we are a great team. >> everything has to be done.

we must not lose energy. in ourot lay this match heads before the game. but as soon as it begins, we're going to have to give everything, give it our best. the last time they failed to qualify for major tournament, world cup,r -- 1994 and he hopes to avoid the same scenario. >> of course, the ideal scenario is to score an early goal. but we must not be impatient. the truth is that time is not in our favor because of what happened in the first leg. but we can do it bit by bit, also by speeding up the tempo of the game and making things happen. >> we have to find the right balance. i am not expecting the ukrainian team to come back in early play defensively. they have some qualities.

they proved it on friday. we will have to be careful of putting in a huge effort and attack but also in defense. >> france will have to reshuffle playerefense with one suspended after his red card in the first leg. and then there was a poor display in kiev. other players could be handed a start. just one and portugal giveaway from the world cup finals in brazil, but which nation will qualify? the portuguese take a slender 1- 0 lead into the second leg. the coach stresses that the match is not about the two stars of the team, but the two teams. >> for us, it is not just rina ldo. is portugal versus sweden or

sweden versus portugal. we need to score, that is for sure. they could play more on the result, so they have an advantage in that. teame need a really good with real good individual players. we cannot start a match to just play forward and try to have the ambition to score easy. because then they are going to punish us quickly. we had ine defense portugal for this game. and getto work together that strength together in defense. but we need to be better, better tomorrow,en we win more than we were in the second half in lisbon. the appointment of the english referee for the game.

armstrong's acquisition of the former head of world cycling helped him to cheat has prompted the international olympic committee to react. ad stagethat the he state doping cover-up. it is the first time allegations have come to light. all, we have a zero- tolerance policy with regards to doping. >> this is all new to me. i still have not thought through what we can or what we should do. weit is shown to be correct, have got to discuss what we're going to do to show the world that this is completely unacceptable. of our closest representatives might have known all this and denied it for all these years. we have to find a way to show the world that this is totally unacceptable. again, if it is correct.

armstrong who has been stripped of all seven of his tour de france titles allege that bergen held him back eight a prescription. bergen denies the charge. he is set to go before the anti- doping commission. on the next google ad, warming hearts across india and pakistan. rallies for batkid. and a california ghost town for sale online.

>> it is a story of two childhood friends separated in 1947 during the partition of the british indian empire which led to the creation of india and pakistan as separate states. more than 65 years later, one of the france tells his grand art or the story. she decides to reunite them a checkdown her grandfather's old friend. heartsry has touched the of both the sides of the border. the video has been viewed over 4 million times since it was posted online last week. indian and pakistani web users have taken to social networks in droves, sharing sad and painful midi or -- memories of the oftition which saw hundreds thousands of families separated in the outbreak of violence. many hope to see an improvement in relations between the two countries, india and pakistan. they have got to were three times since their independence

and continue to tear themselves apart over the territorial dispute in kashmir. , anhe overwhelming response online petition urging the governments of india and pakistan to loosen visa restrictions between the two countries and promote friendship and peace between their people. >> he had dreamt of this day and the people of san francisco made his dream come true. thousands gathered in california's city on friday, november 15, to help transform it into gotham city. five-year-old miles is recovering from leukemia, and he could step into the shoes of his favorite superhero. the event was organized by the make a wish for and it -- foundation, making wishes for children with life-threatening diseases. it has received widespread coverage online. an incredible day for miles. he took on the role of batkid

and gave his cape grucci's desk cape crusader hero a helping hand. helping those in distress and taking on some of his worst enemies. the pink win.d he traveled across the batmobile, cheered on by the massive crowds. institutionsocal sent in their support to help fulfill miles' wish. police officers were on every street corner to make sure the day played out without a hitch. a local daily in san francisco said it was turned into the gotham city chronicle for the day. the mayor of san francisco gave in ad the keys to the city public ceremony in front of hundreds of people, as you can see here. an amazing show of support for miles and his family, and certainly a day they will remember forever. web users the world over have been posting under the free

inemy hammond hashtag response to the 10-year sentence for the american cyber activist. it stems from what had been a 2011 with strikeforce -- st ratfor. the punishment has been called excessive, saying it makes a mockery of the justice system. many want the decision to be released and for the 28-year-old to be released as early as possible. it is described as a real bargain on craigslist era for 200 and $5,000, you can have your very own ghost town. 50,000. $2 the small california village is now completely deserted. it has difficult access, but the owners are put forward two very strong selling points they think will produce potential buyers. it comes with a bar with a

liquor license. released this animation online showing what mars might have looked like 4 billion years ago. probably not as cold and dry as it is now. it highlights how the atmosphere has transitioned until we reach the planet we know today, thanks to the work of scientists and astronauts from the american space agency. >> i got this book here. >> kevin sullivan owns so many books that he has decided to share them with the entire neighborhood. a few years ago he installed a mini library in front of his suburban home near washington, d.c., and every day he walks to his driveway to see which books have been checked out and if there are any new arrivals. many books to,

give away. rather than throw them away, i would rather give them away. if someone takes a book and never comes back -- comes back with the book, that is fine. they are being used. late is a tribute to his mother, a retired teacher. enthusiasts can order a kit online and assemble a library themselves. but once it is built, it is really up to the neighborhood to keep it alive. >> half the books here are for children. half of the books are for adults. he will just read the books and bring them. so i do not know what they are until they arrived. >> down the road, another library. a 19-year-old from australia. she loves picking up books for the children. >> it is good for the community to come together and share and get educated. books are becoming a thing of the past almost with tv. they are really good. the library toed

find new reads, perfect for nap time. >> it is a nice little neighborhood community resource where you can pick up a book and drop one off. it feels like we are a community here together. >> eleanor walks away with a book