isthank you for watching here on "france 24." the foreign media, in the wake of the alleged affair of the french president, they are more interested in economic titles. egypt, therst day in vote happens tonight when they cast their ballot. gathering on the back of the united nations record appeal, with the war in syria, we have the latest. first we have which like from paris.

♪ in thes also coming up half hour, another alleged gang rape in india, putting the spotlight on violence against women in the country. we will have the latest. and in sports, the seven finals of the french football league. we start with the reaction to the residence much anticipated press conference on tuesday. gave a lengthyde speech outlining the direction of government policy but refused to answer questions on his alleged affair. he said he would confirm with the first lady before the trip

to washington planned for february 11. let's check in. >> each individual through his or her private life goes to difficult areas. as is the case at the moment. we are going to painful moments. but i abide by one principle. the private affairs should be handled privately. we must be respectful. this is not the time or the place to do so. >> a little while ago i was more ony someone with the reaction to the predicament. >> let's take a look. this whole media conference was said to be a high altitude balancing act and that he performed brilliantly, like a cat. and swap hollande has been -- francois hollande has become a

master of landing on his feet. but things may be different in his private life. he is reportedly now free after the press conference, and others think that he did a great job. it was all about him underlining the fact that he was at socio- democrat who will stay with the french economy and pro-business policies that do not please everyone. they called him a lap dog for businesses on their front page. during the press conference they said that he kissed the left goodbye. that he has officially abandoned the left. the right-leaning papers says not to be tricked by him, that this is a trap and he is pretending to have converted to a new kind of socialism but he is still pretty much the same. >> there is, of course, a massive difference in what the french call the anglo-saxon press.

some of the u.k. papers have been getting very hot under the collar over the whole thing. >> absolutely. some focused on what he did not say. the guardian called it a very french affair, that he had so much to say about everything except the one thing that everyone wanted to know about. you can get the sense that the foreign media is disappointed that he was not grilled more. the daily telegraph said that it was an elephant in the room and that his media conference wrought no satisfaction. one reporter called it bumbling and interminable, another one calling it a snooze-fest, the dullest hour of anyone's life. as for this new francois hollande, the financial times does not really buy it. they say that given a chance to really change, to have his old

press, that this conference confirmed his reputation as a wavering leader, someone who attempts to please everyone, rather than a man of action. harsh world -- harsh words, disappointment internationally. >> the foreign press may have been hoping for something more salacious. as we heard, france has put the focus on what the press conference was originally about, the economy. political substance of his speech was twofold. cut a role charges to and -- to encourage employers to hire with a 15 billion euro cut in spending. butnteresting proposition, not enough to kickstart the economy. >> he is full of hot air. of socialist doctrine behind his words.

as verified by the last 18 or 20 months. >> some on his side think that he has given too much away already. >> as he said himself, he is suggesting an acceleration of the austerity policy. is counting ont public disaffection with politics in local elections. the problem is is called to work more closely with germany. >> i was surprised. i knew that the president's policies were altra liberal, subservient to germany, but i think a lot of his folk it -- his voters will be surprised that he admits it so easily. >> the president's allies say that they must compromise, and that he has had to make tough choices.

>> tensions slowly easily african republic and institutions are starting to reopen. former government soldiers to outed by after being muslim fighters last year, they are now flocking to readmit. the country is now searching for peacemaker. james andre sent this report. >> these men of the soldiers who defected. to form there back central african army. they have been hiding or fighting alongside militias for a long time. we have not been paid for four months. it has been very difficult for us. >> the new chief of staff has been appointed in the interim government to deploy the troops by friday.

but they are worried about the lack of equipment. >> they have supplied the units with the required equipment. ammunition, uniforms, vehicles. they said they would reorganize the army and get it on the streets. enter in the president, who plans to bring security to the whole country. today he has come to the troops with a clear message. >> if you are against us, you must will -- you must lay down your weapons now and join the ranks. you must lay down your weapons. those who do not comply with these orders, will face consequences. and by consequences i mean crushed by lethal force. trust me, and be proud of me. i kneel before you to tell you i

am the man for the job. >> the interim government decided to kickstart the institution here, in the central african republic, and that returning the soldiers is a good first step. >> in kenya for men have gone on trial. the attack, claimed by okada, killed 27 people. they pled not guilty to charges of supporting a terrorist. they are accused of lending support to the government. iraqi officials are now saying that at least 41 people have been killed in attacks around baghdad. whether a result of the suicide bombing or an al qaeda mission around the province, there have been seven car bombings to talk about.

people have until this wednesday evening to cast their ballot for the referendum on a new constitution. wake of last the year's ousting of mohamed morsi, the muslim brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization and is boycotting the ballot. that 11th ministry said people died in clashes with security forces on tuesday. catherine, you are at a polling station. how have things been turning out? >> i am in a polling station at a fairly upscale neighborhood. this is a polling station designated just for men. the security measures here seem much tighter than what we saw at the polling stations for women yesterday. they had to come in through the main gate, then went to another

court or, where a soldier checked them with a handheld metal detector. i think that the authorities are really not taking any chances after yesterday. concerned,umbers are the turnout seems to be less than yesterday. we have not seen the big queues of people waiting for polling stations to open this morning. there has been a steady trickle all day, but not in huge numbers, we think. in terms of turnout, the government claims that there was a 60% turnout yesterday, but the muslim brotherhood, who are of course boycotting, claimed that it was only 10%. i think that these conflicting figures just show you how divisive the referendum is. >> in terms of the somewhat chaotic political trajectory that egypt has taken, what is at stake?

>> quite a lot of things. a stenciled the people are voting on a 247 article newly amended constitution, but the country's future is really at stake. ais should lead to presidential and parliamentary election by the end of the summer, but for a lot it is about much more than that. is aoters say that it patriotic duty to come out and vote in this election. they have been telling me that it is about stability, security, and getting the economy back on track. it is much more than a yes or no vote for them. >> thank you. elsewhere, waiting in the wake of the u.n. record of the offer of 6.5 leading u.s. dollars to help solve the problems in syria. the intensity of the prospects for negotiating solutions, the is that 69 far

nations will be attending the conference. details from our correspondent. >> that was the same level as donorsar, only one dozen have spoken so far. this comes in addition to the 440 million from yesterday. last year they supported each other with $300 million. qatar, butn, with nowhere off the premises.

>> meanwhile in syria, thousands of palestinian refugees are facing starvation after the blockade of their camp in damascus continued. the u.n. says that 15 people have already died of hunger in recent weeks. that they were being attacked by gunmen. rebel fighters say that the assad government is using cell they -- starvation. this report contains images that some of you may find disturbing. >> the desolate streets of the refugee camp in south damascus. a small group of palestinian refugees are out in protest, caught in the crossfire of a war that is not their own. they hope that their cries will be heard. for one year the syrian army has blockaded this camp.

a place that they believe harbors opposition fighters. exhausted, barely coherent, one elderly refugee tells of his plight. >> we are suffering terribly. we are dying from hunger. god. we cannot take this, anymore. >> dozens of refugees have already died of hunger here in recent weeks. these pictures purport to show the scale of the crisis. but international aid is not getting through. the u.n. convoy, like this, was attacked on monday. many blame the rebels for the ambush. palestinian officials agree. the leader of the delegation had this message for the rebels. use the palestinian

refugee camp and palestinians in syria as your human shield. say thattion fighters their hands are clean, claiming that the assad regime issued the weapons of four. the international community can only hope that they allow humanitarian aid in before the crisis deepens. >> a quick reminder of the , fascinated by the french first lady? many are in the foreign media. there is a suggestion that some people are more interested in the economy. on the back of the un's record syria,to end the war in with a deadly first day in the constitutional referendum in egypt.

time for a look inside that residence, taking place in egypt, the army backed government wants a yes vote in the wake of last year's ousting of mohamed morsi. for more, i am joined by our middle east specialist. thank you very much for joining us. what, exactly, is the egyptian government pushing here? >> what they want is a high turnout. what they want is a big, overwhelming protest in support of what they see as stability, in support of returning the army to its position in the egyptian state, putting an end to what they see as the instability characterized in the country.

about resolving the political chaos of the last three years? is this a wise and -- a wise move by government? >> there is an undoubtedly within themergence country that has been ruled since the 1950s. theainly, putting an end to situation in which massive protests have hobbled to presidents. course, moves within the current constitution to get more significance, more formal significance to the government and the parliament. forthe most important thing the general, i think, is that many will be voting in the constitution to put an end to instability and put things back with the economic difficulties

that egypt has been experiencing. muslim about the brotherhood and their supporters? >> the muslim brotherhood has been banned again. many of them are now in jail or on the run. seen the constitution taking steps to make the foundation of the political party on a religious basis is legal. it would be illegal to reconstitute their own political stake within the system. planned to do that, the position that they have, it is familiar. there are people thrive when they are persecuted, when under pressure, when they have to go underground, because that is what they have been used to and have shown themselves to be extremely bad at developing a more formal, official kind of politics. though they were briefly in a position of power.

we have already seen the acts of violence turning out against the system that they see as a return to the status quo. >> what is different now, in egypt? how have things changed? we still have a military government. >> in many respects what we are think, thei beginning of the counterrevolution. many liberal secularists and those who support the constitution, because they like the islamists even less than they like the military, they now talk of a way of returning to the way that things were. in terms of the imprisoning of journalists, the laws against protests came last year.

in some respects, significantly things have not changed, or they have gone back to being the way they were before. the army'sor many in economic infrastructure, they wished to see this in the streets but did not know what they were seeing. >> thank you so much for joining us. >> pushing through to the semi finals of the french league top after a three time when, with a ,artner just before the break three minutes after she won it in the last five minutes, a lovely delivery for reclaiming the lead two minutes before the end. meanwhile, in the french cup,

the fourth tier flies high in , giving them an early lead. 21 minutes to play, the match , both ofa shootout them missing for sanity, scoring the crucial spot kick on the riviera. the next italian giant coach will replace the forerunners ,esults after their place signaling the end of their playing days for the last 18 months. >> i am here to announce that i .ill stop playing football

i will retire after 22 years. it was a difficult night, but i am pleased with what i have done. throughout my career. >> setting off for brazil after a ten-year career, he was not intending to retire, but the offer was too good to refuse. >> we will meet again. my experience over the last year and a half made me grow a lot. this will help me in my next step, in my new career as a head coach. >> to 37-year-old has a coaching badge without any managerial experience. his next game is on wednesday.

the french ninth seed is through to the third round of the australian open. he has never been put on the fourth round before. he took the tiebreak 7 -- three. against his russian opponent he showed one of his trademark deft touches. easing the win in two hours. also on wednesday, the russians are out after losing to the finalists of the past three years. out after retiring, the second seed player to retire at the tournament. serena williams is through to the third round after an easy victory, the champion flew off

the blocks with too much power for the opponent. racing to make the first bet. williams is betting for an 18th grandson against martina navratilova. six -- 1, 6 -- two to williams. champion,rench open going at -- going up against the chinese for a straight that in wimbledon, the runner-up stepping out. though, forlems, katerina. car champion winning stage nine of the rally at 22 kilometers in chile. the time ofg in four hours, 53 seconds, they

came in second at two minutes 17 seconds behind the wheel. the leader completed a clean sweep of the podium with 11 minutes, 36 seconds. for the bikes, 422 kilometers, the spaniards again dominated from the first checkpoint. inning the last of his three 2007, he kept the capital giant in his slipstream, finishing 1.1 seconds ahead.

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