>> it is 1:00 in the french capital. here are the headlines. the central african republic's interim leaders resigned amid mounting pressure to end sectarian fighting in the country. fighting between syrian rebels leaves hundreds dead. growinges against asaad in recent days. the controversy over the french comedian continues. his show on friday his banned. by the french government.

program,ng up in the we go to tunisia, a country in the midst of political evolution. a technocratic government will lead the country to fresh elections in a bid to consolidate democracy. our private lives up for grabs in france? the tabloid claims the french president is having an affair. first, we go to the central african republic. the interim leader, michel djotodia has resigned. this is according to a statement issued after a summit in neighboring chad. talks to decide the new leadership will take place in the capital at a later date.

no exact date has been given. they put pressure on him after he failed to halt interim -- religious violence that has forced more than one million people from their homes. i am joined by our chief foreign editor rob parsons. why has he been forced to step down? >> the writing was always going to be on the wall when he and his colleagues got summoned to the meeting of regional leaders in chad. the reason is because the interim leaders had enough. for several months, they have been saying to the government of the central african republic you have got to get the situation under control and show some leadership. they fail to do so over the last themonths, despite the fact size of the central african republic has been increased and there are more french troops on the ground as well. the situation has gotten more

out of hand. over 1000 people killed in the last month or so. 2 million people, half of the population of the central african republic, in need of humanitarian aid according to the u.n. 25% or one million people internally displaced persons. the situation is catastrophic. there is now a sectarian war getting underway in the central african republic. the situation cries out for something to be done. the government was not doing it. that is why they got summoned by the interim leaders and have been forced to step down. >> they have been forced to step down. there are now no leaders. who is likely to step in in their place? >> that is the big question at the moment. it is not clear who will step into that place. outver does, it could turn to be a poisoned chalice.

it is not an in viewable job to take over. the writ of the government barely extends beyond the capital at the moment. thes a very big country, size of france, despite the fact the population is just 4.5 million. the government in rural areas is virtually nonexistent. how an opposition without resources to speak of, how do you go about imposing your writ on a country of that size? it is well-nigh impossible. whatever form the government takes, it will need a lot of international help. >> already, we have french and african forces in the country trying to restore order. as you say, the task is quite difficult. they are having a hard time finding out which forces are against which forces and how to reign things in their. >> there are 1600 french troops there, all professional.

but that is a drop in the ocean with the size of the country as big as french thank you the will -- as big as france. there are also 4000 african union troops. this does not do a lot, especially given the sick nature of sectarian the conflict. they all define they are being blamed by the muslim population for being pro-christian. others are being accused of being anti-christian and pro- muslim. it is a difficult situation in which to operate. >> we will see how things develop. thank you, rob parsons, our chief foreign editor. inrtly, we will be checking with our correspondent on the ground for reaction to the news of the interim leader michel djotodia resigning along with the prime minister nicolas tiengaye. we will have that later in the show.

sudanment forces in south are pushing ahead with an offensive to take out the country's main oil hub from rebel forces. this despite calls from washington for the warring factions to sign a peace deal. the worst fighting was where forces loyal to the vice president have been holding off the army of the president. tunisia's prime minister has resigned as part of a plan to end deadlock which has fueled social unrest. a technocratic government will be set in place to lead the country to fresh elections under a new constitution. of resignation marks the end the first and critically elected government in tunisia, the birthplace of the arab spring. >> after months of wrangling, the islamist prime minister has finally announced his resignation, the last part of a deal aimed at ending political and economic instability in the country. >> i have served my country.

i have taken responsibilities in the worst conditions. andve kept my promises, i am allowing the country to enter into a new era. struggledment has since coming to power in 2011 with protesters accusing it of failing to control radical factions after the assassination of two secular opposition politicians last year. the prime minister's resignation clears the way for a government of technocrats expected to be headed by the current industry minister, who will guide the country into new elections slated for the spring. some tunisians are not convinced a change in leadership will make a difference. >> this is not a problem of individuals. whether he resigned or anyone else. the problem is the country needs a change in regulation and employment in order for the

wheels of the economy to turn. assembly is currently voting on a new constitution it hopes will be adopted by january 14, the third anniversary of the tunisian revolution. to the syrianl president have killed dozens of rebel fighters in the central city of homs. media, 37to state rebels were killed when they try to break in army sees. the observatory for human rights is putting the figure at 45. recover are battling to ground lost by other rebels in the north. this comes a day after forces were expelled from aleppo. joined on the line by our regional correspondent in turkey. what more can you tell us about

the infighting between the rival rebel groups? >> the fighting is still raging in northern syria a week after a rebels took on what they call a second revolution against an al qaeda group. the rebel groups have made headway against the jihadists over the past few days. they ran over the al qaeda base yesterday. they scored another victory with the takeover of the border town just across the turkish border. fighting continues elsewhere in aleppo province and other towns close to the turkish border. they seem tohold, be increasingly desperate with some fighters resorting to firebombing to hold onto pockets. the broad coalition of moderates and islamists engaged in fighting against the jihadists

seem to be holding the upper hand. >> why are we seeing the sudden push against the jihadis now? >> there has been a progression of escalation throughout the summer and fall. the rebel groups say the islamist state has crossed all of the red lines engaging in more brutal behavior before -- towards the other rebel groups and civilians with kidnappings and killings. where the a point came to the understanding there was no way they could cohabitate in northern syria. it was a progressive excavation. pointwas one turning where a popular medic was executed. everything over the tip.

>> thank you for that update. >let's head back to our top stoy out of the central african republic. the interim leader michel djotodia has resigned along with the prime minister nicolas tiengaye. both handing in their resignation this friday. for more, let's go to james in the capital. bring us up to speed. what do we know? the officialfore announcement was made, we were talking to ministers of the now former government of the country. they were telling us they are very frustrated and unhappy about this decision. on the other hand, we crossed the street minutes ago. there we saw some cheering where there was a protest this morning, a protest against michel djotodia asking him to resign.

airport,go at the there is a large camp of 100,000 people living here in this camp trying to avoid the insecurity in the city. we heard a big cheering noise coming from those 100,000 people. there are a lot of questions, the main being what the rebels will do. right now they are held in garrison inside their bases. if they go out, the city could descend into a potential violent war between the front militias, the christians and the muslims. forces appear the french and the peacekeeping forces have come out with all of their equipment on the streets. there are helicopters in the air. all of their guns are out ready and trying to make sure this fight, whose potential all-out war between mitchell is is not going to take place. it is really too early to say. >> talks to decide a new

leadership will take place in the capital at a later date. that has not been given. are you hearing any talk of who could possibly fill in power? clearly no. we have been asking this question for some time. there are no figures being put forward by anybody right now. it is going to be a tricky game to put together a new government for the central african republic. it will be important to keep elements. it will be important to represent all different parts of society to make sure it is acceptable by all factions of society. the first thing to do is to disarm these militias and calm things down in the capital. >> we will check back in with you as things develop. thank you for that. over ace, the row

comedian at the center of an anti-semitism debate continues. dieudonné m'bala m'bala was hours from performing after the city said he could go ahead with his show. the court upholding a new ban for tonight, so his second show has been canceled. this is amid an ongoing tug-of- war with the government and controversy over his so-called canal hand gesture. >> is the first of many disappointments for his fans. the court overturned the decision by the local judge to let the controversy oh, take the stage. >> in our society, we cannot --ept even slight complicity complacency when it comes to anti-semitism which goes against our values and principles. >> he insists he is merely and establishment and denies it is an inverted nazi

salute. cities have issued a ban against his show. the state ruling came as a surprise and his lawyers called into question its validity. >> it was impossible for me to make it on time to the hearing. it is a clear violation of the defendant's writes. >> previous attempts to ban the show have been systematically rejected by appeals courts on the grounds there was no evidence to show it would stir public disorder. it remains unclear whether yesterday's final ruling will set a precedent. in the meantime, he said he would file an official complaint with the european court of human rights. many wonder if the publicity gained by the comic does not defeat the purpose of the government's attempt at silencing him. >> for more, i am joined on the line by the paris-based lawyer specializing in media rights. thank you for joining us.

is show top court band citing the risk to public order. in your opinion, how valid was this ruling? ruling from the court is a big evolution. usually in france, freedom of first is subject to law and applied by a judicial judge. it means you have the freedom to say whatever you want. if you committed a criminal offense, you will be sentenced. but only by a judicial judge. today we have in evolution because a position has been taken to forbid a show. an evolution in the

president of the court. to a now, you can come show. it is about human dignity. you have only two precedents. seems on the decision of , it will become so. that is why we'll will file a complaint in the european court. tofrance's minister appealed theuthority following overturn of the band. does this discredit france's judicial system?

>> we cannot say that. you have a kind of competition andeen the judicial judge the administrative authority. wasl now, freedom of speech in a way higher than the risk of public order attempt. have administrative judicial system trying to come about tosay we are prevent this kind of situation. i am sure the european court will take a position between these two evolutions. >> thank you for joining us on the program. been nearly three years since one young tunisian man set himself on fire in protest against the government, the move sparking the arab spring. today, countries like egypt and syria are struggling to find a peaceful outcome to the

revolution. in tunisia where it began, the country is consolidating the transition from autocratic to democratic rule, a process that has proven to be easier said than done. for more on tunisia's political by aession, i'm joined representative of a company training for leadership skills. the interim leader resigned amid mounting pressure. where does the party go from here? where did they go wrong? >> i am not quite sure. thank you for inviting me. i am not sure if we can say where they went wrong and right. i believe today is a day most tunisians welcome. some are happy. some are dissatisfied that three years after the arab spring we are at this stage.

guarded optimism that we are heading in the right direction, but it is relative. for the third time in three years, we have a government that leaves office with the mission not quite complete. it is with that in mind that we at least look at the glass as half full at this point. we have a new government of technocrats that has a difficult mission ahead of it. the first time, it has the support of the opposition political parties as well as the troika. we are happy, in spite of the tremendous setbacks that this country has survived.

we are still here. we have avoided bloodshed, relatively speaking. there have been some setbacks. it is a learning lesson for countries in this part of the world that are experiencing democracy for the first time. we wish the new government the best. we are here to support it. we are thankful the national dialogue has finally given birth to new optimism. a bit, about this technocratic government the new government, what are the main problems it is facing? issues. facing major is handing us back a situation that is far

worse than it received from us a little over two years ago. if you look at the key performance indicators, social, economic issues, employment, financial situation that the government is in. it has given us back our country, but without the necessary fuel to move forward. this new government coming in has a very difficult task in front of it. time of all, it comes at a when the streets are uprising again. the street is not happy. the average citizen is concerned with what they were concerned with three years ago. as we say in arabic, jobs, liberty, dignity. in the last 48

hours we have seen riots, closings of highways and streets, and municipalities and governments. at the same time, the national government is discussing the constitution. this is something the new government has to face. the good part is it is a consensus government. everyone is agreeing on this government. these are people who will be chosen based not on political alliances or ideologies but based on their competencies. this government is faced with four major issues. one, installing the stability and security, which is an incredible point leading to the second one. you cannot talk about foreign investment today when the border betweenhe algeria and tunisia, the borders between libya and tunisia, it is very thin.

there's talk of terrorism and arms deals. that is the second major point the new government has to deal with. look at the international financial ratings. they are the worst by moody's and standard & poor's. it lists tunisia as one of the worst places to invest. the third major point and the one being discussed today in the national assembly is an independent body that will oversee the next elections. and on election date. these are important major points. they are not easy to deal with, especially when you have a mandate of about eight months to 12 months to do it. very difficult to accomplish when the confidence level of the average citizen has disappeared. >> let's talk about the upcoming elections you are mentioning. there is a lyrical turmoil that spiked with the killings of key opposition figures. where does the opposition stand

today? where will it progress in the elections? >> i have to say the resignation and therime minister they sort of came in through the back door and left through the window. as far as the opposition is concerned, in my view, they have done them a tremendous favor in that it gives them time to pull away from the day-to-day running of the government and focus on the next elections. supporters to give the opportunity, if there is any wrongdoing or if the new government cannot reach its they can say we have done what we wanted to do and then hand back the government to a consensus political government. elections are very important. >> i'm sorry to interrupt you.

we are running out of time. i did want to get to one last question. you mentioned this political process, many tunisians have to look at this as a cup half full because the process is not finished. can tunisia serve as a model for other countries facing a similar prospect? >> i'm glad you asked that question. very important point to get across to our friends and partners across the world. tunisia will succeed in this process. we have no choice. spark of the arab world. we set the example. fortunately, we have shown the arab world and our brothers and friends in other countries such that when youyria believe in negotiation and dialogue, when you consider across the table from one another in spite of your differences in etiologies and 50 years of dictatorship, you can still a, bush something -- you

can still accomplish something. we hope to continue to be the model for other countries to follow. i am confident with our resolve, we will succeed in this experiment. that is an arab, muslim country that is fully democratic.  ñññmw

>> hello and welcome to "the health show." today, some new and old thinking is transforming health all around our planet. coming up in the program, caring for newborn babies in a hospital but