>> hello and welcome to paris. it is not :00 p.m. in the french capital. the man once viewed as a possible candidate for the french presidency, dominique strauss-kahn, is acquitted in involvement in a prostitution ring. a second round of flogging for the saudi arabian blogger has been postponed again. also as well, the israeli investigation says the missile test that killed four young boys last year with a tragic accident, saying they mistook them for gunmen.

>> welcome back. our top story in france, dominique strauss-kahn has been acquitted of being involved in a prostitution ring. the court's decision friday ends a legal battle that captivated this country. the case also something wants possible presidential candidate fighting to prove it was not a criminal act. >> cleared of all charges, dominique strauss-kahn admitted the a swinger enjoying rough sex, but he has always denied being involved in a prostitution ring. he risked up to 10 years in prison. now, he is a free man. a judge acquitted him. his lawyer welcomes the ruling. >> the formal investigation

dominique strauss-kahn has undergone is totally ideological based on more criteria and not on judicial criteria. we have already stated there are no facts that could point to him having committed the crime of procuring prostitutes. >> from 2008 22011 -- to 2011, he was accused for paying for call girl services in france belgium, and the u.s. while he was married, the head of the international monetary fund, and tipped as france's future president. after a trial in fenway, the judge ruled it was not enough evidence to sentence him for procuring prostitutes. 12 codefendants were acquitted including this man. he runs a number of strip clubs in belgium and was suspected of providing girls to strauss-kahn. >> they could have judged all the actions during my career, so

i was expecting a prison sentence to be honest. i salute the courage of the court because they did not delve into my past actions. >> only one man was found guilty, the former p.r. director of the carlton hotel. >> i have the fall guy. >> he is seen as the call grow recruiter. he has been condemned to a one-year suspended sentence. >> two other news, an armed group kidnapped 10. officials have described the act is a blatant attack on tunisian national sovereignty. they say they are working to secure the release of the employees. libya has been divided between rival governments and numerous militia groups in the aftermath of the 2011 civil war that ousted dictator muammar gaddafi. unesco has condemned an attack on the yemeni capital that killed five people and destroyed

homes in the historic neighborhood. riyadh has denied the claims it carried out an airstrike suggesting instead rebel ammunition may have been responsible for the explosion. the incident occurred a few days before yemen's were infections are to meet for you and-sponsored talks in geneva. it will be the first bid to break the deadlock after more than two months of saudi-led airstrikes. the second round of flogging for the saudi arabian blogger has been postponed again. he ran a blog and was arrested in 2012. discharges included -- his charges included violating the technology law. he was sentenced to prison and 10,000 lashes. despite the international outcry, he received his first round in january. the government says it is

looking at accelerating immigration procedures for the blogger. for more on the story, i'm joined by the security general of the world organization against torture. thank you for being with us. given that the saudis have again postponed his blogging, does that mean international pressure is working? >> we hope so. i think the only hope after the supreme court of saudi arabia confirmed earlier this week punishment of 10 years plus 1000 lashes, i think the only avenue that remains is international pressure. i think what is important now is to maintain that pressure and call on everybody who has any potential influence on the saudi royal family to ensure some humanitarian ground is found for him to be released and sent to a country like canada. >> in terms of other people being imprisoned by the saudis,

he is not the only one, is he? >> unfortunately, he is not the only one. what is significant about the case is it is against a blogger with a liberal website. it shows there is an emerging liberal society even in those countries. [indiscernible] this is precisely why this type of punishment is used against them. it is a chilling message to everybody who works in saudi arabia. we have seen a range of people who have been detained and arrested because they want more space for society in the country, including the lawyer for him. to also see there are other cases of flogging. this is not the only case. it is a dramatic case and

deserves attention. it also shows there is a broader issue of punishment which you can only describe as torture. >> with the new king, is there any chance of reforms? we are seeing gradual reforms in terms of dealing with women being implemented. they can now vote in municipal elections. do you see a general move toward liberalizing the country as a result of this new king? >> let me say this would be the opportunity to show there is some willingness of the leadership to move to more liberal ideas and freedoms. so far, i cannot see that yet. the royal house and saudi arabia are not necessarily known for transparency on those issues. we hope there is a change. i think this is the case to make a gesture as the first thing. there is an urgent need to look into the other issues like issue

-- religious laws and punishments and remind the new king to ratify the convention against torture on its free will. >> we are going to have to leave it. thank you so much. staying in the region, the chief executive of orange has made an extra ordinary personal pilgrimage to apologize to benjamin netanyahu. the country came under fire when it announced it was ending its relationship with the israeli telecom for a license to use the orange brand name. many interpreted this as a move toward a political boycott since it operates in israeli settlements in the west bank. our team on the ground takes a look at what impact the boycott is having on the israeli economy. >> every year, this farmer produces fruit. is land is located in a jewish

settlement north of jericho making his produce the target of a boycott launched 10 years ago. >> these are political issues that do not concern us. we don't have a say in them. all we have to do is work, do our job right, and have quality. look at the quality we have achieved. that makes me happy. >> dates tomatoes, fix, fresh produce grown in the jordan valley before being exported around the world. for trade criticized by those who say jewish settlements are illegal. for now production has been slowed. but some experts say a possible boycott is seen by many israelis as a real threat. >> people were concerned for two reasons. israel is a small country heavily dependent on foreign trade and in particular on exports. in theory, this could be harmful even though it has not been. because it is kind of like terrorism. for most people, the risk of terrorism is small but people are afraid of it.

>> the french telecom giant deepened the fear when the c.e.o. announced he wanted to sever business ties with israel as soon as possible. meeting with the israeli prime minister this friday, he apologized for his comments. but the controversy was seen in israel as another proof that the threat of a mass boycott is still very real. >> staying in israel israeli authorities closed the probe into the bombing last july. according to the israeli military, it was a case of mistaken identity that did not warrant criminal charges. the boys died as they were playing football. israel says they thought they were gunmen. foreign journalists witnessed the incident. we have more from jerusalem. >> when military and police investigate themselves, that is why in the end an independent

inquiry is better. the israeli military says when they looked at all the available evidence, they interviewed soldiers, they looked at footage, they say it was hamas they thought they were hitting. they had hit the base before. they checked for civilians. they saw there were none and authorized an airstrike. the central question that turns this from a tragic accident into negligence is why did they not think the humans they saw, why did they not realize they were children. they did not explain that. they just said they did not realize they were children. that central question remains unanswered. i think it is central they did not interview the journalists that witnessed the incident. the journalists have been playing football with the boys and photographed them. those pictures were around the world instantly.

those journalists were not part of the inquiry. those questions still hang over this result. >> there are more investigations ahead of the findings, are there -- aren't there? >> there are. there has been a strong reaction in palestinian circles. some of the relatives of the boys saying israel feels it is about the law. what we are seeing now is more cases being opened ahead of that inquiry next week. people may remember one case when nine palestinians at a café were killed in an airstrike. those are now being investigated. it is a problem when it is an internal investigation. and independent inquiry or a u.n. one may reveal more than we will get from an internal inquiry in israel. >> moving on, germany's top public prosecutor has closed a year-long investigation into the

suspected tapping of angela merkel's phone by u.s. spies. the suspected surveillance by the national security agency was revealed by everest in -- edward snowden. revelations badly strained u.s.-german relations. the prosecutor says there was a lack of evidence that would stand up in court. here in france, french police forcibly removed 380 migrants from underneath a paris railway bridge. authorities have redirected the majority of them to shelters around the city. however, the government has been ambivalent about finding a permanent solution for rehousing migrants prompting scathing criticism from civil rights groups and politicians. julia kim has more. >> after being shunted from one makeshift camp to another these migrants have been given a roof over their heads in shelter just outside of paris. >> we are going to start looking

at their applications so we can advocate housing and rights. >> much needed reassurance is coming from the french interior minister himself. >> the minister asked us what the problems are. we talked and explained to him we want to ask for asylum. >> the government has been criticized for ignoring the migrants and brutally expelling them in the name of public health. >> we proposed accommodations for each person. yesterday, we proposed accommodations to those prevented from leaving by groups using this issue to serve their own agenda instead of calling tensions -- calling -- caling tensions. >> on thursday, activists barricaded themselves in a building with 100 migrants in a show of solidarity. police were called to enforce

order in a situation that had become highly politicized with members of the green and communist party throwing their weight behind the issue. hours of negotiations followed before the migrants were transported to temporary shelters. >> it is not a conclusion. we want dedicated sites for migrants. the public authority should take responsibility so each migrant can be housed under good conditions. there comes a time when france needs to be a land of asylum. >> a welcome respite after what they have endured. these migrants have yet to find a place to call home. >> gastrin prime minister has refused to deny reports they paid the boat to turn back to indonesia. he said they had developed creative approaches to stop votes for reading the country. foreign ministers have denied the allegations a payment was made to the crew.

four british tourists imposed naked on a mountaintop in malaysia have been given jail terms and fined. the group was blamed for an earthquake after stripping naked on the mountain considered sacred by local tribes. >> some arriving handcuffed, so-called nudist backpackers battle their way into court. all in their 20's, they avoided trial by pleading guilty to carrying out the scene acts in a public space. on may 30 in the early hours of the morning, the group hiked up and stripped atop the country's most sacred peak failing to heed the warnings of the local mountain guides, a snapped these incriminating photos and sparked fury of malaysians after they appeared online. officials say the incident is a wake-up call to tourists visiting the world heritage

site. >> a group of tourists climbed the mountain and got themselves photographed naked. it is something totally of torrent and unacceptable on a sacred mountain. >> the controversy may have died down. days later, a rare earthquake struck the mountain killing 18 including seven children on a school excursion. some blame the hikers convinced the summit strip angered tribal spirit leading to their arrest. they were sentenced to jail and fined the equivalent of 500 euros and will be deported. police are still looking for five other suspects. >> now to the scandal with scrutiny being directed at the first ever european games. they are being held in the central asian republic pressures on -- our servers on.

amnesty says its representatives have been banned from the country and western journalists have been denied visas. >> it has been billed as europe's version of the olympics. it is said to have spent 9 billion euros on infrastructure alone to host the first ever european games. the events draw global attention to the human rights record with a -- which they say has deteriorated in the run-up to the games. >> there has been a clear escalation in the crackdowns since last summer. many have been arrested and detained for months without charges and handed severe sentences of up to eight years in prison. >> they said this week it had been forced to shut down its local office. several journalists have complained they have been denied traces. the government rejected claims

it is time to silence critics, instead accusing western media of mounting a fear campaign. >> sunlight "guardian" and french radio or using taxpayer money to cast a shadow, not only discrediting the country but also the european olympics committee and european community. >> the european olympic committee said it had addressed the human rights issues behind the scenes but refused to intervene. >> we cannot dictate to a sovereign state as to how they run their affairs. in does not matter where the event takes place. we are not a political organization. we are a sports organization. >> it has been ruled by the same family since the 1993 independence from the soviet union. groups have long accused the president's government. >> time for a look at the business news. we are starting with the chief executive of orange eating

humble pie. >> what a difference a week makes. he says he regrets sparking controversy in israel. he went on the record during a meeting with benjamin netanyahu. the chief executive of the french telecom says he will continue investing in israel. he is backtracking a little over a week after making the opposite statement. >> there to present his apologies, the orange c.e.o. met with benjamin netanyahu on friday after the israeli premier called out a telecom firm over suspicions they were planning to boycott the state of israel. >> it is the one country in the middle east where everyone is protected under the law equally. we seek a genuine and secure peace with our palestinian neighbors. but that can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties. it will not be achieved through boycotts and threats of boycotts. >> the row started a press

conference in cairo in which he said orange would be withdrawing from israel, severing ties with israeli's partners licensed to use the orange brand. >> our intention is to withdraw orange brand from israel. >> remarks that sparked outrage from the partner he has since said his strategy was commercial and not political and his comments were misunderstood. >> i regret deeply the controversy. i want to make it totally clear orange as a company has never supported and will never support any kind of boycott against israel. israel is a fantastic place to be in the digital industry. our will is to strengthen and keep investing here. >> the movement to boycott israeli products and services has gained ground in recent years. international organizations call on consumers to avoid purchasing

goods that have links to israeli companies operating out of the occupied palestinian territories. this latest case involving orange garnered attention at an unprecedented level with benjamin netanyahu calling on the french government to intervene. >> moving on, barack obama's plan to strike a pacific trade deal has suffered a blow in the u.s. congress. lawmakers have voted to kill a program that we trains american workers who lose their jobs due to trade. that measure is seen as an essential key measure to clear the way for obama's efforts to strike a pacific trade pact. the president's defeat came after he went to capitol hill himself to drum up support for the deal with 11 pacific nations. obama has been facing a tough respect from his democratic party in particular. they fear a trade deal could move american jobs to asia. it almost seems counterintuitive to vote for a measure that is supposed to protect orders --

workers to make sure american workers keep their jobs, but such is the face of american politics and 2015. let's move on to another controversy. greek shares plunged friday on concerns the greek government is heading for default. it follows the news officials from the international monetary fund walked away from negotiations over a 7,000,000,008 tranche -- 7 billion aid charge to greece. creditors are not satisfied with the deal greece is offering in return for more aid. the spokesperson says the government is ready to make counterproposals. he says there will be fresh talks over the bailout tranche in brussels on saturday. we did see the greek situation weighing on european markets friday. in paris, it was the hardest hit down 1.4% at the close.

in europe, we saw energy shares under pressure as oil prices fell. the index in athens underperformed the other indices, down almost 6%. in the united states, we are also seeing shares trading below be flat line following the european close. the dow jones industrial average also hit by concerns, down about .9%. this on the news the chief executive will be stepping down next month. later this year, world leaders will descend on paris to strike a deal to cap climate change. one of the big challenges leaders are facing is how to battle global warming without stifling economic growth. we are looking at french stocks and cap in climate change going hand-in-hand during a 10-date event in the french capital as

they hope for a green revolution. >> every morning, this green entrepreneur beats the traffic on his scooter. the engineer can reach speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour. >> it is electric propulsion. there is no sound, no smell of gasoline. can take it into your home. >> the secret? a motor housed in the wheel and an aluminium chassis. lighter than a bike, it has another advantage. >> in one hour, you can recharge the battery. fully charged the nearest socket -- you can go to the nearest socket until you arrive at your next destination. >> with a sensor in one hand and a smartphone in the other, this innovator knows air-quality wherever he is. >> for the first time, i have the opportunity to see in real time what i am breathing in, the various pollutants around me. >> deciding whether to jog or

play outside, this device advises when it would be a better idea to head to the gym. clever products aimed at protecting the environment. that is the thinking behind the festival that unveils the latest inventions.

rom pacifica, this is democracy now! >> we are taking this matter in the matter of justice into our hands. amy: days after community leaders in cleveland requested action, a judge found probable cause that a police officer who shot to death a 12-year-old named tamir rice last year should face a murder charge. we will go to cleveland for the latest. then from solitary to the street.