ññ >> we do begin in the u.k. where a minute of silence is being held as a week ago today 38 people were gunned down in the tunisian resort town. 30 of them were british nationals. these are the latest images we are getting of commemorations in tribute to those victims. now we will be able to listen in for a moment.

molly: once again, these are the live images morning last week plus shooting of the 38 victims of british nationality. we do know that friday possible attack, a 23-year-old tunisian student gunned down 38 tourists as he pulled an assault rifle

from a beach umbrella on the coast of tunisia. there you see queen elizabeth ii taking part in this commemoration. this was the worst ever massacre in tunisia britpop worst loss of -- britain's worst loss of life since the london bombings in july. this has come to an end. flags were already flying at half mast this morning over whitehall as well as over buckingham palace. the play at wimbledon of course has been delayed, in this tribute over the britons who lost their lives. the bodies of some of them have been flown home on thursday. we do know that the u.k. is

working together with tunisian authorities in an ongoing investigation into the beach massacre. as of now, eight people have been arrested with what they say are direct connections into the shooting. >> good afternoon, everyone. molly: we know as well that the british defense secretary, he has called for the u.k. to change its take on its fight against extremism. the british defense secretary said the attack in tunisia has now led to the realization that the u.k. is engaged in a fight that will last a generation. the country is considering expanding the royal air force airstrikes against the islamic state group into syria, this is the gunman who carried out the tunisia shooting is thought to have been a network inspired by militants from the islamic state group.

for more on this story, i am joined on the line by a senior research fellow at the royal united services institute. thank you for joining us now on the line. firstly, i would like to ask you -- we know the british secretary has called for an increase in the u.k.'s commitment to carrying out airstrikes, now into syria, not just iraq. how much support is there for that? >> i think the purpose in the intervention in parliament yesterday was to ascertain exactly that. the british government was defeated in its plan to conduct strikes on syria back in 2013 alongside the united states. the strikes that never took place because of the deal to remove syria's chemical weapons. because of the parliamentary defeat, this government has said it will not end up anything in syria without express permission

in the house of commons. even though it is now a different parliament, a different number of members of parliament, that those who defeated the government two years ago. now, i think that the government is uncertain as to how much support there is. the labour party has been cautious and has -- has been cautious in saying they will commit to any proposal. for now they are waiting to see how the opposition response, how the public response, and this is driven more by the need to be seen to be doing something after the tunisian massacre rather than any imperative to spread attacks in syria. molly: it does come in light of the attack in tunisia. that being said, this is talking about airstrikes in syria, where the attacks took place in tunisia. are some people saying that this will not be enough, will have no impact in the ongoing fight

against extremism? >> i think some people are questioning first of all whether the u.k. can do anything in syria that is not already being done by the united states and its arab allies who are already bombing northern syria and are engaged in a limited campaign there, not really attacking isil headquarters, but instead sticking to the kurdish areas in the north. other people think actually, the link between the attacks on syria and the massacre would be quite tenuous for the former defense secretary -- the former defense secretary speaking in the house of commons in response said yesterday, look, the government was trained in libya. why are we not considering strikes on libya instead? other people feel that if indeed there is a strong link, the proper response of intelligence is complete -- is police investigation, vigilance -- it

is not more bombs, which would not help. molly: we also heard that it strikes in syria were to be agreed to by the british parliament, that they would not have to allow any early -- any relief for the assigned regime. -- for the assad regime. >> many of the united states and its western allies do not want to see a precipitous collapse of the bashar al-assad region. they do not want to see it collapse, the syrian state, in a manner that would allow chemical weapons and strategic weapons stockpiles to go loose. in practice, what we are seeing is a strategy of a focus on rolling back isis in iraq and ignoring it in syria, by and

large, apart from small areas. second of all it is a strategy of supporting rebel groups in syria in a limited way certainly not in a way that would allow them to seriously challenge damascus. the problem for the u.k. is, while it can say it wants to go off to -- after isis in syria, it does not have a plan for as sad, and it does not have a plan for strikes on the ground. it is limited in cautious, like the u.s., in the supported wants to give to syrian rebels. molly: thank you for taking the time to speak to us from london. let's turn our attention to syria, where government forces have carried out heavy airstrikes against rebel positions this friday, this in and around the northern city of aleppo. it is in response to a major offensive on the city by islamist groups. the branch of al qaeda is said to be among the groups fighting.

another development at the pentagon -- a claim seven major that the claims that a major top corner for suicide bombings as well as a recruiter of funds and fighters was killed. now to frustration and confusion in greece. with just days to go before one of the most important votes in the country's modern history many voters are unsure about what is at stake. this friday, rebel campaigns in the bailout referendum will hold campaigns in athens, this for yes and no supporters. the prime minister is calling on voters to vote a resounding no to cause tremors in europe. alexis tsipras: if the yes vote wins, the banks will open with a deal that will not be viable. but if that is the decision of the greek people, either from fear or from pressure or choice,

we will respect it. if the no vote wins and a know is stronger, i assure you the very next day i will be in brussels and a new deal will be signed. molly: that is the greek prime minister, alexis tsipras speaking last night on gray television. for more on the story, we go to nathalie savaricas, standing by at the greek capital. we know that the rallies will be held in a few hours' time in athens. meanwhile, we have a new imf report that says that billions in cash and death relief -- and debt relief are needed. nathalie: absolutely. the imf has been saying that the country needs to restructure to make it viable. but and after 50 billion euros will be needed over the next years to help stabilize the country's finances.

that is a huge surprise, and kind of confusing for greeks who had seen openly days before the referendum, the imf backing what alexis tsipras has been urging for europeans to consider. now, we all knew that europe was the one that steadily opposed it. they are the ones who are set to lose most of their money. meanwhile, what is also interesting is that this report was published now, but it does not take into consideration the referendum or the implication that it has had on the country. so we will have to consider the 50-plus billion in money. another point worth mentioning -- we do not know how important it is going to be.

there has been a congressional letter from christine lagarde warning that the imf could for the first time -- to christine lagarde warning of the imf could for the first time see fatal destruction. the most important thing is that the greek banks are extremely frail because of this referendum, and a lot of money will be needed to help stabilize and avoid a collapse. molly: nathalie savaricas reporting live from athens. moving on in france -- france has rejected an asylum request from julian assange. "le monde" published an open letter to the president francois hollande, saying that his life is in danger and that his country is the only country that can offer him political --

asylum from political prosecution. we are joined by gavin mcfadden, the director of the center for investigative journalism in london and a supporter of wikileaks as well as a personal friend of julian assange. thank you for speaking with us on the program. firstly, i would like to ask you -- it has been three years since julian assange has been there in the embassy in london. how is he doing? >> he is very frustrated. he lives in a very confined space in a small embassy next to a crowded, noisy street. he can never go outside. he has no fresh air or sunlight. he is effectively a person imprisons in this place. he feels, and many do here as well, that the threat against him by leaving the and the sea would be significant. the -- of leaving the embassy would be significant.

the united states, which nominally respects the law, was certainly capable of arresting hundreds if not thousands of people, deporting them to strange caps in afghanistan and all the rest of the places around the world. -- to strange caps in afghanistan -- to strange camps in afghanistan at all the rest of the places around the world. molly: why france? gavin: because the statement by the french justice minister seems to open the door a bit. there is also a significant number of people who are sick sympathetic to wikileaks and the free exchange of information that they stand for. same thing in germany. those countries have given large communities of people supporting him, and that is probably why. molly: we do now that -- we do know that julian assange is trying to avoid tradition to

sweeten -- to sweden on charges of alleged sexual assault. gavin: what is called the julian assange exception, they are now saying that he could never be properly arraigned on this law because he has never been charged. the odd thing about his case is that all this legality forcing him into this weird position which is a terrible -- which has a terrible chilling effect on journalism as well -- it is difficult for a person to defend themselves against charges that are never submitted against him. molly: gavin, thank you for joining us on the program. it is 15 minutes past the hour. let's get a check of the headlines.

britain pays tribute to the victims of last week's tunisian resort attack. the lawmakers expanding airstrikes into syria. alexis tsipras calls on a no vote in sunday's referendum. this is athens prepares for rival bailout rallies. france rejects an asylum request from julian assange, the wikileaks founder currently in an embassy in london for the past three years. it is time now for a business update. i'm joined in the studio by william hilderbrandt. we going to start off with greece. william: on sunday, the country will vote over the terms of the bailout. the historic referendum is between the country and its creditors. let's take a listen. >> historic negotiations are

underway. if the greeks will vote no, they had done everything but strengthen the greek position. they will be dramatically weakened bionovo. -- by a no vote. >> it is a question that needs to be read carefully just to understand the meeting -- the meaning. at the eurogroup of the 25/six/15, and is made up of two parts which constitute their unified proposal. put more simply, greece bus creditors may proposal -- made

proposals last week. the business figures have called for a yes, alexis tsipras' government has urged the electorate to vote no. a large no would put athens in a position to negotiate. a yes would effectively put an end to his government. many think further problems with lead to a greek exit from the eurozone. william: the international monetary fund is revising down the figure for -- from 2.5% to 0% down 2.7% to two 2% this year. 10 million over the next few months since the current bailout has expired, and from october for the next three years, the imf says another 50 billion will

be needed, 36 billion of which would be needed from other european countries. greek's debt burden is unsustainable and must be restructured -- that is a statement that validates part of the syriza government position. experts say if greece does see restructured debt, it could have a knockdown effect. >> the effect of greece could have an effect in the next six months. italy and maybe belgium may reasonably ask for -- greece could very well end up being -- challenging mutual is asian, when and how. william: greece having some effect on markets today. investors are in a wait and see

mood. until now, european indices are lower. major banks, or bsn standard chartered, were lowered. 15 banks are being investigated on suspicion of regulating currency in the trading. uber will suspend its uberpop services in the country. uberpop puts passengers in touch with drivers who do not have professional licenses. protests in recent days have turned violent. qantas airways will pay a one-off bonus payment of about 61 million euros to employees faced with the wage freeze. that amounts to some 28,000 people. the international carrier has been trying to turn around its business amid stiff competition.

in south korea they are to inject billions into its economy. officials hope the 9.5 billion euro package will leave the economy to grow this year. one last story for you now. some japanese consumers are emptying their wallets for odd shaped fruit. no surprise that in a country in 2008, a pair offruits are often given as gifts in the country. watermelons grown into shape like qubes hearts, and pyramids -- $100 price tags are not uncommon. let's listen to the director of the store. >> the freak represents the seasons, and we really pay attention to packaging. because traditionally in japan

they are often gifts. these watermelons are not designed to be. but are for decoration. like flowers. william: a bit of a novelty, but i think those melons are the expensive. molly: that is something you could get at a plastic surgeon's office. $25,000. time for the press review. i'm joined in the studio by florence vmilleminot. florence: let's start with a cartoon that shows just what is in state -- what is at stake in greece. you can see them drowning at the ballot box, a crucial moment for greece and for europe. that is the theme today.

one paper says it is an existential moment for the european project. it is pretty doomsday and pessimistic about this. that the greek debt crisis is through -- is threatening to damage the postwar dream of an ever closer nation, and in many ways the damage is already done. we are already seeing scars from the greek debt drama. there is a lot of distrust between greece and european countries. whether it is in the mediterranean with the migrant crisis or even in the ukraine with threats from russia. molly: let's turn our attention to france. there is word on the national front. florence: you might remember two months ago this man was kicked out of the party he founded with comments on the holocaust. this sparked a falling out with

his daughter. thellee pen has recovered his national front party card and has also recovered his status as honorary president. lots of papers are saying this is just a symbolic victory for john marquis that and -- le pen. the fact that he challenged his position shows that he has chosen to stay in the game. in the end, the national front party will really have the last word. party members have until july 10 to invoke new rules which include his title of honorary president for life. molly: there is a lot of emotion, this over a public show that could soon find itself off air. florence: this is not just any puppet show, it is an

institution here in france. it is basically a nightly satirical political program with puppets. it is one of the most loved and created tv shows here in france, and it may have its strings cut after 27 years in existence. i pulled out an article that shows that it comes back -- why it is under threat. a billionaire who recently took over the leadership of the tv channel that runs it, he says he wants to cut the program before the summer is over. people are outraged about this. it says they are not dummies. there is a lot of emotion, particularly in the wake of the charlie hebdo attacks. there is one quote you can read in several papers that says it is astonishing that in the year of the charlie hebdo attacks they should be wanting to cut the satirical program. there is a petition online to

save it. it was one of the highest trending topics on twitter yesterday. politicians have also joined the call, and thisñ÷p÷

is where i was born. but all the same, germany has also become a home to me. cologne cathedral is a place i keep coming back to because i feel at ease here. that's also part of what home means to me. [church bells ringing]