>> you are watching live from paris. the international headlines this hour -- and iraq, special forces battle al qaeda-linked militants. fighters seize control of two areas. further carnage in beirut as a .torm tears through and ariel sharon said to be clinging to life after multiple organ failure. the former prime minister has been in a coma since 2006 when he suffered a stroke at the height of his political power.

we begin with a major escalation in violence between the shiite- led government and sunni militants in iraq. special forces have been battling fighters and seize control in large parts of two major cities. falluja and vermont he are in the same province, and it is in that a-year-old protest camp was dismantled. >> protests in the province enter a fourth day. the root of the violence -- the removal of the country's main protest camp on monday. dismantling the camp has carried a high price.

.4 in p's have since resigned >> we will not withdraw the army, and we will send additional forces. >> the insurgents now control several areas of ramadi. kilometers west of the capital, half of the area is under control of the militants, but iraq you forces continue to battle on thursday to regain lost ground. since last year, sunni protesters in their thousands have accused the shiite-led government of imposing discriminatory policies against them. the escalation in violence has made 2013 the deadliest year for iraq with almost eight house and civilian lives lost.

>> this spike in sectarian violence. we recently heard more about the increasingly ethical situation that the sunni community says it is facing. they feel like they are attacked by the government, so the good thing is that they do not become loyal to al qaeda, of course, but the best thing is they do not cooperate with the government anymore against al qaeda. they feel that they are put aside and attacked all the time by the government controlled by the shia, and this is having a big impact on the security situation and iraq a christmas to the area where the attacks where the sunnis are, and if you do not cooperate in this area, you will not be able to fight the terrorism.

is that thelem government is working on some issues, working on fixing the everythingsue and and not fixing the roots of the problem, which is the settlers what is felt by the sunnis in iraq. a public minibus exploded in baghdad. four were killed and six were wounded. a bombing on an army patrol killed three soldiers and wounded five. according to the ngo iraq body count, more than 9000 civilians were killed in bombings last year alone. the lebanese capital, at

least five were killed and 20 injured after a rush-hour blast in a suburb loyal to militant group hezbollah. this comes one day after the arrest of the head of an al qaeda-linked group responsible for a spate of recent attacks. responders pushed through the panicked crowd. the powerful explosion hits a residential area of southern beirut known as a has the luck stronghold. byorts suggest it was caused a car bomb. it sent a plume of smoke rising into the air, produced nearby vehicles to mangled wrecks, and severely damaged the surrounding buildings. a source said several people have been killed and around two dozen injured. it is the latest in a wave of .ombings sectarian attacks have targeted shiite and sunni regions.

the conflict in neighboring serious bills over. sunni rebels have threatened to target hezbollah strongholds in lebanon as payback for the islamist group's support of the bashar al-assad regime. just last week, a car bomb in the beirut city center killed a politician who had criticized hezbollah and its backing for the syrian president. >> bringing peace to the middle east is not mission impossible -- the words of john kerry as he makes his 10th trip to the region in just over a year. the u.s. secretary of state has been meeting with the israeli prime minister, and tomorrow, he will head to the west bank for talks with the palestinian leader. he is armed with a proposal for talks that covered everything from borders, security, jerusalem, and palestinian refugees. he admits there is a lot of work ahead. >> both remain suspicious of the other side despite the fact that we are discussing really

difficult complicated issues. i am encouraged that the parties remain engaged. >> john kerry says he brings with him the best wishes of the american people to ariel sharon, israel's former prime minister who has been in a coma for the past eight years. doctors say his health is deteriorating, having endured multiple organ failure. sharon endured a stroke in 2006 withdrewfter israel from palestine. >> for most of the past eight years, ariel sharon has been receiving treatment here at this in centralter israel. news of a deterioration in the former prime minister's condition has brought a flurry of media activity to the hospital. doctors say his life is on the line. has been in our hospital for the last seven years. he has shown signs of deterioration with some critical

malfunction of some of his organs, including his kidneys. >> we feel that the situation is critical and some danger is expected for his life. >> this was in january 2006 at the height of his political power that sharon suffered a severe stroke. he never fully regained saysiousness, but his son he sometimes opens his eyes and moves his fingers. sharon's name back in the headlines, the middle east is again hoping to assess the legacy of this military figure. he saw action in all of israel's key conflict. as a minister, he pushed for the biggest expansion of settlements in gaza and the west bank, but in 2005, he did an about race and gave the order to end 38 presence inisraeli gaza. >> aides close to musharraf say

he suffered chest pains, the third time the former president has failed to appear before judges to face charges of treason. musharraf denies the charges and says the accusations against him are politically motivated. >> a third no-show in court for former pakistani president pervez musharraf, but this time, he is in hospital instead. he was supposed to appear in court thursday when his health took a turn for the worst. was in the process of moving toward the court, he suffered some ailment. immediately --s instead of bringing him here, to the armed institute of cardiology. we are all praying for his long life and health and speedy recovery. >> the former general was president of pakistan from 1999 through 2008. he returned from exile in march

last year and was promptly placed under house arrest. the hearing has been adjourned until january 6, but musharraf's lawyers say that will depend on his health. on his healthend conditions. a decision will be made whether or not he will appear in court. >> musharraf paces a possible death sentence if convicted. the former president has called the court biased and says he does not recognize its jurisdiction. he has failed to appear on two previous occasions, citing security concerns. >> at least 10 people have been men on in kenya after motorcycles threw grenades into a packed bar. no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened in the early hours of thursday morning, but it is the latest incident in a country frequently targeted by militants in neighboring somalia

. >> the gaping hole in its thatched roof, broken bottles, the remnants of a grenade attack on this beach resort town from 25 kilometers south of mombasa. was fullar nightclub of revelers when the grenades were thrown. several people were wounded. >> there were 200 patrons in this club. when it happened, when the , so far we have 10 casualties. >> all victims are said to be in stable condition.

>> these people are suspected to have escaped on a motorbike, and the police are working on crucial leads, which could lead to their arrest. >> kenyan coastal resorts are a big draw or visitors. the country is dependent on tourism but is being plagued by attacks that have been blamed on islamist militants. so far no one has claimed responsibility. >> thousands of people have been left without power after a cyclone hit the french indian .cean winds of 150 miles per hour lashed the coast, pumping huge waves of up to eight meters. 15 people had been injured and hundreds of thousands left without power. the same area suffered heavy exactly 10 years ago when cyclone dena struck. on boardssengers stuck a ship trapped in the antarctic have been rescued. a chinese helicopter has been

ferrying passengers to an australian vessel waiting nearby. it marks the end of a nine-day weight marked by numerous failed .escue attempts >> rescued at last. stuck for 10 days and antarctic ice, the passengers have left the stranded research vessel behind. >> prepare for the helicopter to take us home. thanks, everyone. >> the russian ship carrying 74 passengers and crew has been trapped in ice. earlier efforts by three different icebreakers to free it failed. the chinese helicopter ferried groups of 12 people to an ice flow where passengers then boarded a barge to a nearby australian vessel, an operation that took several hours. the 22 crewmembers meanwhile remained with the ship, which is not in any danger.

♪ >> the scientific team was hoping to follow in the footsteps of australian explorer who led an expedition to antarctica from 1911 through 1913. >> looks like they were certainly making the best of it. time for a reminder of our international headlines this hour. iraq is special forces are battling al qaeda-linked militants. fighters have seized control of large parts of two major cities. the carnage in beirut as a bomber tears through a neighborhood. five are killed and 20 wounded in the seventh major bombing to rock the lebanese capital since

july. ariel sharon said to be clinging to life after multiple organ failure. israel's prime minister has been in a coma since 2006 when he suffered a stroke at the height of his political power. time now to get an update on top business news. marcus, fiat, the carmaker tightening up its grip of chrysler. >> shares had their best day and almost five years on thursday, rising more than 16%. the value of the transaction is $4.35 billion. it is a good deal for fiat, but theysts still worn that italian carmaker is facing a long and winding road. >> the odd couple or a match made in heaven? italian carmaker fiat snapping up chrysler, acquiring the shares it did not already own.

ceo of both companies, the deal is a defining moment for fiat and chrysler, which will go down in the history books, but in italy, the tie up is not necessarily cause for celebration. >> that a little mouse from italy succeeds in obtaining and eating an elephant from the u.s. -- that seems unrealistic and contrary to the facts, so no italian really believes it. >> there is a lot of fear because fiat is the biggest private employer in italy. >> those doubts reinforced by the growing imbalance between the two companies. since stepping in to help save a bankrupt chrysler in 2009, the pair's fates have been reversed with the u.s. car market now recovering strongly as europe's falters. >> chrysler has had good sales numbers in the booming u.s. auto market. that alone will not help fiat. they will have to come up with new products, new cars, and they

have not done that for 2014 and are only planning for 2015. rex the italian carmaker is planning on profiting from its american counterpart's current strength as well as sharing technology and market access. that gamble, though, all the greater as the deal considerably increases fiat tossed that burden. >> the eurozone picked up pace in december, but at the same time, france is sputtering. the purchasing managers index in december, french manufacturing is still contracting, and it came in at a seven-month low. at the same time, the manufacturing index for the entire eurozone came in at its highest level in 2.5 years. a readingnd that under 50 signals contraction, and that is where france is, whereas the rest of the eurozone is much stronger with germany, for instance, at 54 point three. >> earlier, i spoke to someone

at the etf capital in london and asked if the french figure was a surprise. >> the expectation was 40 7.1, which is quite close to the actual figures. when we look at how the index is made and take into account the , i am not rate surprised at all. >> why is france so much further behind the other eurozone members, and how serious is it in your opinion? >> behind the fact that it is already the lowest figures compared to the euro zone country, the way that this index is going, it is quite a serious issue. example, greece is the highest for now four years, italy the highest for two and a half years. france is the lowest for the

past seven months. basically the lack of reform for the french government that tries to stimulate the economy could be really an issue. >> european shares traded lower on the first trading day of the year. on this mixed data from the eurozone, also alongside weaker than expected manufacturing data from china. thepean indices close to first of the trading session. the ftse in italy was -- well, it over performed or out .erformed the other indices in the united states this hour, we are also seeing stocks trading to the downside. if the indices closed in negative territory, right about 14 minutes time, it will actually be the first negative close we have seen since 2008. i do not think we should be

reading too much into that, but i just thought you might want to know. let's talk you through a few other stories we are following for you -- a corruption scandal is rambling on in turkey putting pressure on the turkish lira. several key allies of the turkish prime minister are facing allegations, and the lira has fallen to a new low against the u.s. dollar. the fiscal uncertainty could have severe consequences. turkey's main stock market index also lost 2.1% this thursday. korean carmakers have issued a warning for 2014. they predict that their sales will grow at their slowest pace in more than a decade this year. the world fifth-largest automaking group lames tougher competition is growth in the global economy is lackluster. let's say also that the korean brands face tough competition from japan where carmakers are benefiting from a weak yen. an american retailer walmart is in trouble in china.

from other animals are found in his heart. in these products. walmart says it will reimburse people who bought the donkey boots. >> it's good to know what you are eating, anyway. we are going to find out now what has people clicking and sharing over the past 24 hours. it is time for web news. >> hello and welcome to today's web news where we take a look at some of the stories making the online headlines. coming up, an italian ngo launches an online fundraising campaign to protect an archaeological site. on animalent debate

testing, and some classic video games back online. the ancient greek city ought to be founded in the seventh century bc is located in southern italy. it was added to the unesco list of world heritage sites in 1998. just part of this at it -- archaeological site is open to the public. the rest is in private hands and damaged by a chemical equipment used for agriculture. an environmental organization has launched a campaign to protect these lands and is looking to raise money to buy them. the project is deemed urgent because numerous structures have yet to be excavated and are in danger of being ruined by tractors and other farming vehicles. a campaign was started on crowd raiseg site indiegogo to

funds to buy the land. the organization is offering web users the world over the opportunity to offer their say on the site. one artist will give away one of his original works for every donation over $1000. campaign is essentially social media based, and web users are asked to promote the initiative. i am katerina s. and 25 years old things to genuine research, which includes experimentation on animals. without research, i would have been dead at nine. an italian student who suffers from several rare genetic disorders posted this message to facebook. little did she think it would have been met with such strong

reaction. she has been insulted. there have been death threats, and it has revived the debate on animal research. the #has trended heavily in italy and has seen a lot of people speaking out. there are those who say ethical testing is absolutely essential in research of rare medical disorders. one blogger has expressed a similar viewpoint. he a plot katerina for her brave stance and reminds readers of the importance of animal testing. he says people let their emotions cloud debate and hopes the controversy will raise awareness of the need or using animals in scientific research.

while many condemn the verbal abuse unleased on the student, she says there are more effective research alternatives, such as using donor organs. excuse me, when i say i love you, i truly mean it -- this is how the soundtrack goes if they meant it.te and two bloggers rewrite the lyrics by taking out insults and vulgarity. one way of announcing violent sexism and homophobia conveyed in countless hip-hop tracks. pac-man, space invaders, and also donkey kong. these classic video games are now available free of charge on internet archives. this site has reduced a virtual games library containing 100 of

their games created in the 1970's and 1980's when the first home video game consoles started emerging. it gives wave users the a7guctunity to discover or

[captioning made possible by democracy now!] ♪ >> from pacifica this is "democracy now!" >> when i said i would take dead cities, i tail of two meant it. [applause] in asl de blasio is sworn mayor of new york city, vowing to fight inequality. we will play highlights