after two choppers collided midair. they were filming a reality tv show. the former first lady of ivory coast sentenced to jail. some 3000 were left dead. the u.s. calls venezuela a national security threat, ordering new sanctions. thank you for joining us on "france 24."

three of france's top athletes have been killed in a helicopter crash in argentina. camille muffat, florence arthaud , an d alexis vastine all died when two helicopters collided during the filming of a reality show. 10 were dead in all including two argentinian pilots. we have more on the sports stars killed in the crash. >> she was considered one of the first woman to carve out a place for herself in the world of sailing. she won a prestigious race in 1990 and remain passion for the sport. the champion narrowly escape death three years ago surviving a shipwreck while sailing solo off the coast of course ago. camille muffat won gold at the

olympic games in london for the 400 meter freestyle. fellow winners described her as shy an reserve. boxing champion alexis vastine won a bronze medal in beijing. he was eliminated in the quarterfinals. the tragic deaths have placed france in a state of mourning. >> we've more now on the possible costs behind the crash. investigators are looking into what happened. >> one of the most remote regions of argentina, a region known for its high andes mountains, dry desert terrains, and freezing cold by night and the deep rock canyons. the type of terrain the wood of attracted the producers of this

reality show and which now presents the conditions which present the challenges to rescue operators and to crash experts now arriving at the scene. the causes of the crash are not yet known. the local security minister has said today that both helicopters took off safely, arrive to a height of 100 meters, where the collided and fell to the ground where they exploded. experts said there were optimal flying conditions. it was a sunny dry day. they have said both pilots were experienced pilots. the causes is yet unknown. crash experts are now at the scene. >> reporting from argentina.

the former first lady of ivory coast has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars, twice what the prosecutors have asked for. simone gbagbo was found guilty of charges five years ago that left some 3000 dead. she was tried along sign other allies of laurent gbagbo. her defense lawyer says the sentence is not fair. >> 20 years in prison. it is not 20 days but 20 years. the sentence must be based on fact. if it is based on proof, we can accept that. but on what basis has the 20 year jail term been delivered? the decision was based on who she was. it was like lottery distributing sentences.

i cannot understand how we can act in this way. >> simone gbagbo is also wanted by the international criminal court for alleged crimes against humanity and has been described as a key player, directing the death squads that cross the country in the wake of that disputed election. >> december 2 2010, the day they were declared the president of ivory coast. 24 hours later, leaders were ruled the victor by constitutional body. >> we declare laurent gbagbo the president of ivory coast. >> and so both men were sworn in. the international community came out in support except laurent gbagbo would not give up his

seat without a fight. march 20, french forces launched an offensive. within a month they stole the residence of his arrival. simone gbagbo was seen as a major protagonist in the crisis. the former president is now awaiting trial in july for crimes against humanity. >> troops have joined the army inside nigeria to take on boko haram. they have already taken a border town the first gains against the militants. it comes after boko haram pledged allegiance to the islamic state. we have more. >> a new front in the fight against boko haram, as another

neighbor officially joins the war. army vehicles cross the border into nigeria. they managed to retake a border city. an offensive that comes a day after boko haram pledged allegiance to the islamic state organization. the country had limited itself to defensive operations on its own soil. >> there are two fronts now. there's the cameroon-nigeria front. we are open to two friends. >> troops have been leading the fight on nigerian territory retaking two cities. until now, they had mostly done it by themselves. four countries have now sent troops to combat boko haram in nigeria.

last friday the african union endorsed 10,000 to fight against boko haram. they are waiting for united nations approval and hopefully for financial support. >> barack obama has slammed republicans over a letter they sent to the leaders of iran, warning that a nuclear deal could be scrapped by the next president. they include several potential presidential candidate said any deal is nothing more than an executive agreement between him and the supreme leader. >> pushing back against the u.s. congress president obama has criticized several dozen republican senators, accusing them of interfering with ongoing nuclear talks.

an open letter has been signed in which they warn the next resident could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen. >> i think it is somewhat ironic to see some members of congress wanting to make common cause with the hardliners in iran. it is an unusual coalition. we will focus on seeing whether we can get a deal or not. >> progress has been made in talks but gaps still remain. the u.s. and allies want a 10 year freeze on a ron - - iran. the foreign minister said signatories are ignorant of international law.

>> this letter has no legal validity and is a propaganda scheme. >> the next round of talks is set to begin on march 15. john kerry will meet with the iranian foreign minister. negotiators aim to hammer out a framework ahead of a self imposed end of march deadline. >> the u.s. has declared venezuela a national security threat and escorted new sanctions for seven officials accused of human rights violations. this is the worst dispute since the president took office two years ago and prompted a swift and angry reaction. >> president obama has decided to put himself into a box of failure and that he wants to be remembered as nixon and george w. bush.

he will be remembered for his decision today. >> let's take a look at some other news stories we're covering. a suicide bomber packed with explosives into a police race in the cyanotic peninsula that killed one civilian. the latest in a series of suicide bombing against authorities t here. the u.s. ambassador to south korea has left the hospital after surviving a knife attacked. he was slashed in the face and hand. his face required 80 stitches. the ukrainian president says rebels have withdrawn a significant amount of weaponry from the front lines in eastern ukraine.

attacks have fallen significantly though there are still accusations of continued violence on both sides. humiliation for athens or a victory? talks resume on bailout arrangements mainly in brussels but also in athens. they were adamant that the troika would never return. we have more now on the new tense times after their meeting on monday. >> there is no time to lose. they agree that greek bankruptcy is not desirable. the mood however is tense. the group says greece has been time wasting. >> we have spent two weeks

discussing who meets hwo where -- wh o who where. we have talked about this long enough. let's talk on wednesday. >> technical teams will go to athens despite the vow the troika would not return. he gave a firm rejection. >> i think we were very speedy in the way we responded to the circumstances that we inherited. >> they have extended current loan arrangements until june. a final charge of 7.5 billion euros hangs in the balance. athens has three debt payments by the 20th of this month. the meeting did not discuss a

possible third bailout for greece. >> we leave you in alaska where hundreds of dogs have set off on a grueling trek through rough and snowy terrain for the annual iditarod sled dog race. more than 70 mushers are leading their dogs. the first to finish the finish line takes home a $70,000 prize more than enough for a few steaks. thank you for watching "france 24.' stay with us. >> three french sports stars killed in a helicopter crash in

argentina. florence arthaud, camille muffat , and alexis vastine after two helicopters collided. they were taking part in filming for a reality tv show. camille muffat won three medals. tuesday as they prepare to welcome. they thrashed the royal blues last year at the same stage. they won the first leg at the arena. >> which team is against us? we did well against german teams. new zealand -- we have to take it game by game.

the quarterfinal is tomorrow. >> the manager dismissed any thoughts of real in a crisis. >> i do not believe in a crisis. help the media is right, that the strikers are in good form. we need a little bit of luck to be able to have a good game and a good result for us. >> real is a red-hot favaoor. he has a big job on his hand. the quarterfinals will host -- later on tuesday. they are unbeaten in the season's competition. they are wary of the threats.

>> a lot of resources. with great experience. they have made marvelous progression in the competition. in the first leg -- they have a lot of resources on attack and defense. that will force us to play a better game if we want to advance to the quarterfinals. they will houseave to do without a striker, out with a thigh strain. a semifinal after beating manchester united. the gutters have the lead.

a second-half winner. >> it was important to start at a high pace, put them under pressure. unfortunately at halftime it was 1-1. we were control after we scored the second goal. we could have scored one or two more. >> united arab emirates has been chosen for the asian cup. they were expected to choose uae over iran. iran is still unwilling to allow women to attend matches. [indiscernible] kensington palace. the all-time leading goal scorer

is recognized for his stance against racism. he was suffering racist abuse. france came from behind and knocked japan out of the tournament. it started well for the japanese. there was a great goal. but france was given a chance to equalize with a penalty. setting up this to give france a 2-1 lead. chile had a brilliant goal with six minutes left to play. 23-1, the final score. the first stage.

a class with a fellow rider with a belgian with a fractured collarbone. the fifth win of the season. ♪ >> welcome to the web news. coming up, american web user anthony robinson. taking on a mine ingrate. racing to the top of a building before jumping off. ♪ tensions are running high following a fatal shooting by a white police officer on an unarmed black teenager. this happened in madison

wisconsin, on friday night sparking outrage across the country. web users sending their condolences. anager over what they see as another example of police violence. the solidarity with the victim and to urge police offers to moderate their use of force so as to avoid tragedies like this in the future. some have been paying tribute to anthony robinson by sharing pictures of him. that puts a face to the name and to make sure he is not forgotten. a lot of americans have turned to the web to express frustration, others have staged rallies. as you can see hundreds

gathered in madison over the weekend to demand the authorities launch a full investigation into the shooting of anthony robinson. >> tony robinson. >> what is his name? >> tony robinson. >> residence are taking on a mining group that runs the neighboring mine. they say there are water shortages and pollution in the area. the court ruled -- some think they have yet to do. to thousands of logan's have taken to twitter -- thousands of locals are taken to twitter saying the mining company's inaction is not fundamental.

protesters say they're not doing enough to rectify the situation. some talk about corruption. the family which owns the mine has been allowed to continue activity. there have been numerous clashes with police and protesters in the past few weeks. the poll lease have come under fire under twitter. they are focusing their energies on repressing protesters. there are still 800 women dying every day from maternal causes. the number of women in parliamentary seats have doubled to 22%.

the women earn less than me for doing the same jobn. there is still a ways to go before achieving equality. ♪ the dancing main social media was founded to track down a british man who became the target, or he was shamed for dancing in public. a dance party has been organized and it is said to be a big night for pharrell williams. he said no one should be made to feel ashamed for dancing. and artist paints clothing on bodies. she also camouflages bodies in the real world.

you can say a closer look on her facebook page or on her website. we see two base jumpers in south africa to see who can jump first. you can watch their daring to spray -- daring display on the go pro channel.

÷8ú

hilanthropy--it's often thought of as a feel-good gesture only possible for the rich and famous, but is it time to rethink philanthropy not as the amount spent but rather how each dollar is put to work? i'm mike walter in los angeles. let's take it full frame!