recs here are the headlines. in jerusalem, a group of far right israelis are set to follow through on their march to the al-aqsa compound. it has been the center of new clashes in the city already on edge. republican victory in the u.s. midterm election pushes the president to take a more conciliatory tone. he says he is going to ask the new congress for its approval on u.s.-led military actions against jihadist group, the islamic state. french president francois hollande is exactly halfway through his term, but with his

popularity at just 12%, he's hoping to win back french arts with aware -- afrench hearts with a rare tv interview. dozens of pilot seals are dead in the new zealand harbor. we will take a look at the unsuccessful efforts to save them after they were stranded twice on the beach. more on allegations -- i'm in paris. tensions are high in jerusalem after violence broke out across the city on wednesday. in one incident, a palestinian driver deliberately slammed his van into pedestrians before

jumping out and attacking people with an iron bar. that hamas militant driving the van was shot dead by the police, but not before he killed the border officer and hurt nine others. just hours before that, new clashes broke out at the al-aqsa mosque compound, a site that is known to jews as temple mount. >> on wednesday, israeli police clashed with palestinians. witnesses entered the mosque and caused damage. police went into islam's third most holy site to remove barricades, causing serious reaction. [inaudible] they are the official guardians of the mosque. jordan's foreign minister said they are recalling its ambassador in tel aviv. clashes broke out in east ursuline, where tensions have been running high for weeks. -- in east jerusalem where

tensions have been running high for weeks. the driver of the van was unified as a 38-year-old palestinian -- was identified as a 38-year-old palestinian. hamas called him a martyr. >> hamas blesses the greatest operation in jerusalem and considers it a normal reaction to israel's crimes in jerusalem and that -- at al-aqsa. >> israeli prime minister -- the israeli prime minister does not just blame hamas. >> the attack in jerusalem is a direct result of incitement by a boss -- by abbas. we are continuously battling over jerusalem. i have no doubt we will win. >> hours later in the west bank, another driver intentionally

rammed into three israeli soldiers. wounded, they were taken to a nearby hospital. >> the palestinian who ran over those three israeli soldiers in the southern west bank last night has now turned himself in, saying it was not a deliberate attack but an accident. also today far right israelis are due to march on the al-aqsa mount, which has been at the heart of an increasingly violent dispute in recent weeks with hard-line israeli politicians stepping up to man's for the removal of restrictions preventing jews -- stepping up demands for the removal of restrictions preventing jews from worshiping there. >> it has always been complex. this area is holy to christians, muslims, and jews. the arrangement was that the area upstairs, if you like, the al-aqsa mosque compound, is under the control of the muslims,.

the area beneath it, the wailing wall, an area most holy for jews, is under jewish control. the churches run their own -- they control the various churches that are significant to christianity here. that arrangement has kept the peace here on and off in the times -- in the time that there is peace, it is that arrangement that keeps the peace. if you want to change that arrangement, it is negotiation that has to do it. you cannot change that arrangement unilaterally. >> u.s. president barack obama spoke to the american people wednesday after the republicans steamrolled their way through the midterms. the president did his best to reach across the divide, saying he was eager to work with the new republican-led congress to try to find some common ground in the remaining two years of his term. he pledged to stand firm on key issues like health care and immigration, despite strong

republican obligation -- opposition foreshadowing a bumpy start to the relationship. he asks -- plans to ask for republican approval on u.s. airstrikes. >> seeking support to combat the islamic state group. a day after the crushing midterm elections, barack obama said he will ask for official congressional backing. >> i'm going to begin engaging congress over a new authorization to use military force against isil. the world needs to know we are united behind this effort, and the men and women of our military deserve our clear and unified support. >> obama has warned that military action could last long after he leaves office in two years. he rolled out american airstrikes in iraq in august and extended them to syria in september under the confines of two laws passed by the george bush administration after 9/11.

they say the president can take action against terrorist troops without the green light from congress. by requesting congressional authorization, obama is opening the door to what may prove to be a heated debate. while a number of republicans are in favor of fighting the group, there are many different views in regards to extending airstrike, combating assault regimes, and whether or not to send ground troops. senator john mccain is expected to take over the senate armed services committee. he has called the current airstrikes halfheartedly, but he may use obama's request for backing as leverage on other issues. >> let's take a look at some other news stories this hour. international criminal court prosecutor's say israeli forces may have committed war crimes in gaza in 2010. they have added that the possible crimes are not great enough to merit prosecution. eight turks and one turkish

american were killed and several other pro-palestinian activists wounded when israeli commanders stormed the ship four years ago. german train drivers have kicked off a four-day strike against the state-owned rail operator. there is little sympathy for workers demands for a 5% pay raise and a shorter working week of 37 hours, down from 39. they are now seeking a court order to stop the walkout that is meant to begin monday. a drummer for the mythical rock band ac/dc has been accused of trying to hire a hitman. he was accused of trying to kill two men. he was also charged with possession of drugs before being released on bail. here in france, president rexall hollande is exactly halfway through his five-year term -- president francois hollande is

exactly halfway through his five-year term, but his approval is at a historic low. he is giving a rare tv interview to try to get eagle back on his side -- get people back on his side. the number of jobseekers has gone up by over 4%. >> in a desperate bid to recover lost ground, francois hollande is giving a rare primetime tv interview, something the president is not fond of. the french want answers. notably, when will the economic crisis the over? his record is little short of disastrous. unemployment has risen 27 months out of 30 that he has been in charge, and growth has stalled. he came to office vowing to get the budget deficit below 3% of output as e.u. rules demand.

since then, he has pushed the move to 2017, which has infuriated rustles -- brussels and berlin. he has intervened in african hotspots like mali and central african republic. adding to political and economic woes are difficulties in his personal life. francois hollande has faced bitter revelations in a tell-all book from his former partner in which she paints a picture of a cold and scornful man. >> next to burkina faso, where the presidents of nigeria, senegal, and ghana are pressing the new military ruler to return burkina faso to civilian rule. >> out of a highly charged crisis meeting came a fragile political deal. it took three west african leaders, the african union, and the united nations to hammer out

an agreement aimed at ending burkina faso's unrest after the fall of the president last week. leaders agreed to a long transition before presidential elections are held next year. no accord, however, on who will lead the country during that time. nevertheless anti-compaore protesters said they would end the widespread protesting. >> i think the best thing is to stay: calm and not put oil on the fire. >> in a meeting overshadowed by high running emotions, opposition leaders stormed out at one point, objecting to the presence of compaore's supporters. >> why are we at the same table as them? this is not working. we need to wait so that we can finish burying our dead, so that we can finish grieving.

they are in the morgue because they shot real bullets into their heads. >> they later returned to the negotiating table, where others refused to sit with them. all sides agreed to return to a peaceful civilian-led system. they say it is up to the burkina citizens to decide who will run the government. >> new zealand, where there was a sad outcome in the situation with the pilot whales. 22 died after they re-straneded on a beach just days after rescuers had tried to float them back out to sea. they became stranded the first time. charlotte hawkins has the deal. >> rescuers thought they had saved them, but a day after being herded back out to sea the group of highly whales stranded themselves -- a pilot whales -- the group of pilot

whales stranded themselves again. they were the ones who had survived the original trauma. this time, they didn't make it. 14 of them died from the beach ing and the rest were euthanized. whales cannot survive for long periods on land due to the weight of their bodies. second only to the killer whale in size, pilot whales can reach lengths of eight meters and some way as much as 2300 kilograms. strandings like this are common in new zealand. why these pilot whales swam ashore is unclear. >> let's take a look at our headlines. in jerusalem, a group of far right israelis are set to follow through on their march to the al-aqsa mosque compound. that site is: to both muslims and -- is holy to both muslims and jews and it is at the center of new clashes in a city already on edge.

republican victory in the u.s. midterm elections pushes the president to take a more conciliatory at home -- conciliatory tone. he will ask for approval for military action against the jihadist group, the islamic state. french president francois hollande is exactly halfway through his term, but with his popularity at just 12%, he is hoping to win back french hearts with a rare tv interview tonight. time for a look at the day's business news. you are going to start in luxembourg with news of an investigation into how major companies pay tax there. >> if the six-month long inquiry by -- it's a six-month long inquiry. hundreds of the world's biggest firms have brokered secret but legal deals to avoid paying billions of dollars in tax. pepsi, ikea, and j.p. morgan are among the companies found in documents that have taken advantage of the scheme. the revelations have put the new

president of the european commission in a tough spot. >> it is tax avoidance on an industrial scale, and it is all legal. two secret deals with luxembourg authorities, hundreds of the world's biggest businesses avoided paying billions of euros in tax managing to bring the effective tax rate down to less than 1%. the companies include giants like pepsico, ikea, procter & gamble. they followed hundreds of billions of euros. many have no presence in the tiny duchy. with the help of pricewaterhousecoopers, the firms prevented their gas presented their own tax avoidance plans -- the firms presented their own tax avoidance plans. the schemes were uncovered in a six-month investigation by a team of 80 journalists reporters working with the international consortium of investigative journalists

studying tens of thousands of pages of leaked documents. the luxembourg finance ministry insists the arrangements don't conflict with european law, but the eu is losing patience with the country's tax regime. investigators have begun investigating sweetheart deals. it puts the newly elected president of the european commission in an awkward position. jean-claude juncker was the president when many of the deals were done. >> there are efforts to boost growth in the euro zone. >> they have called on the bench to start buying government bonds to help struggling european economies. europe is at a standstill and poses a major risk to global growth. the ecb is not expected to announce any new measures at its monthly meeting today, but investors will be watching mario draghi's press conference very closely to see how he reacts to

the news. ahead of that, the european markets have been trading fairly flat over that news. we've got the bank of england that has decided to keep its interest rates at 0.5% in the past couple of minutes. not much overreaction. but -- the cac 40 in paris is up. two banks had seen increases in profit. societe generale had increased by 30% in the first quarter compared to last year, as they set aside more money to settle legal disputes. credit agricole's profits have increased slightly, but their shares are down, over -- down over 4% in paris today as well. airbus has signed a deal with the chinese -- with a chinese aircraft firm for a hundred new

aircraft. no great reaction on their share price, though. >> rapper jay-z has decided to get into the champagne business. >> and he's doing it in style. he brought someone from the u.s. firm who has been noted for champagne for quite a while featuring its distinctive ace of spade bottle in his music video "show me what you got." the vineyard employs just eight people in the champagne region in france. this is one of the promotional videos. making champagne since 1763, a very proud transition -- tradition now in jay-z's hands. >> thank you so much for that look at the business news. time now for a look at the press. we will take a look at what

weekly news magazines have been saying around the world. we have made good -- we have nick rushworth. >> you can see the -- 50 walls to pull down. it's a special for the anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall, 25 years on. in listing out the walls that you fear around the world, it is kind of pessimistic reading. walls going up between the united states and mexico zimbabwe -- the crisis between africa and europe with thousands of migrants coming across the mediterranean and often sinking and dying as they tried to do so. the magazine is having a photo spread field day with those spreads. one magazine in france has a a profile -- has a profile of

one of the country's best-known photographers, who covered the wall being put up. he was there in 1989 when it was coming down. that picture to the right a protester screaming down the world order from november 1989. >> let's stay with the french papers but switch to today's politics where the far right fringe leader marine le pen is on the cover of -- >> you can see this, "why the worst could actually come to pass." it is after her first place slot in the elections in may she really is connecting very well with the french. towards the year-end, she is one of the popular figures in french politics.

she really comes across as one of the people with her e-cigarette, the fact that she has lost her driving license has a problem with her points but she's saying all these speed traps are undisguised taxes, aren't they. "l'express" says her. -- her whole style is helping her gain ground significantly. >> there is a strong word article from american basketball star kareem abdul-jabbar, where he says american politicians are a greater threat to democracy than the islamic state or isis. >> he's extremely well known in the united states, six-time nba champion. he is fuming over those midterms we've seen, with the senate:

republican and the whole messiness -- the senate going republican and the whole messiness of politics. you sang the line campaign ads the shady -- he is saying nothe lying campaign ads, the shadiness should be illegal. quote says "some say that my outrage is perhaps political naivety or hyperbole. i just do not think it is possible for a black man who has lived in america 67 years to be politically naïve. i insist that the american politicians are much greater of to the country and to everybody than the islamic state." extraordinary. >> strong words. we've seen discontent in the u.s. and the french media. you've also looked to the italian press. >> this is from "l'espresso." "hands on our savings."

it's about the idea of public is intent -- public discontent with governors. matteo renzi the new star on the block in terms of european politics. they are seizing control -- not control, but some grip of household saving, as they redraft taxation on those things you save on an all kind of little financial things that help with household income in the long term. in that piece, just a fury among people in italy saying, oh, not another tax. the argument being if you do that, when are we going to go out and spend? we are never going to get the economy going forward. let's end with something a bit funky and funny. johnny wright is on the cover. >> you have to explain that. not everyone knows. >> he is the big crooning star.

he is 71 years of age now and he is smiling, saying "you won't got me -- stop me. i'm going to carry on a new album." >> i will never understand the french obsession with him. coming up next -- a little bit of a technical problem. back to business. it turns out it is the final day of the web summit in dublin. >> we are going to go straight to the web summit, an event which has gathered some 20,000 people from the world of technology in the irish capital including hundreds of start up companies looking for investors to help their business grow. one of the people they will be trying to impress is the general partner and head of technology investing at a venture capital firm. he joins us now. thanks for your time. you're the man everyone wants to meet at this event.

what does a startup need to do to impress you? >> the secret to great entrepreneurs is a passion for what they do and a record of doing something with extraordinary excellence. we see lots of people here who exhibit all those characteristics, and i think it is a fabulous time to start a company. >> what has caught your eye from their many startups that are attending? >> one of the most exciting things to me, and the reason i'm here and not spending the day in silicon valley, is that a lot of the innovation that has come about in the last five years the building of the cloud and mobile as a platform for developing applications actually enables businesses that impact more traditional and more local events around the world. so we are seeing entrepreneurs all over the world take advantage of those technologies to build businesses that essentially disrupt things that have been undisrupted for a long time -- think about education, health care, local businesses like taxis hotels, the entire

sharing economy, as an example. >> you need a lot more money to disrupt a factor that has been established for a long time taxis, for example. uber is having a lot of difficulty expanding. >> they are. i didn't understand your question. sorry? >> if they are going to disrupt an established sector, they are going to need a lot of money to do it. getting involved in these sectors can be quite difficult. is that is something you are experiencing -- those companies looking for a lot more money back of -- more money? >> what's true for entrepreneurs is you can start out with a small amount of capital, leveraging the technology available in how to build applications and get them out to large audiences. when you want to get to