>> cuba, in the days before fidel castro. 59, fidel kept castroary, 1959, phil and his troops marched in print , they are ready to seize the moment, as is a new generation of cubans, who hope

to open their country to the world. ." we visited on "france 24 ." you are watching "france 24 i am aurore dupuis, and here are the latest allies. rebels, fighters are being evacuated from besieged towns, part of a rare deal reached. japan has agreed to give compensation to korean former sex slaves who were forced to work in japanese military brothels during world war ii. paris, the city of love, is usually the world's number one tourist definition, -- tourist destination, but this year it has been tainted by recent terror attacks in the french capital. we start this in addition with the deaths of 20 people who are

thought to have been killed in a bomb blast in northeast nigeria. the bombing reportedly ripped through a mosque. multiple suicide and grenade attacks have taken place since sunday. at least 15 people were killed yesterday in the same area. our correspondent is covering this per cap nature and authorities confirmed that boko haram islamists are behind the latest wave of violence? not been this has confirmed by boko haram, but it has all of our marks -- all the hallmarks. the bomb might have been left sundayfrom an attempt evening, and the bomb blast went nearbout a: 30 local time a mosque. so far we are hearing different numbers of the death toll. people killed by

the bomb blast. aurore: this is embarrassing for the nigerian government, isn't it? it previously said it had contained the uprising. >> that is correct. the nigerian president did say he promised to defeat boko haram by december 2015. they said the organization headmen defeated. said that they had not defeated boko haram and he said boko haram cannot be -- untiluntil the 2 the girls are found and rescued, 200 girls that were kidnapped april 14 of last year. many people say that boko haram has not been defeated in nigeria. aurore: thank you very much for that update. we will come back to you if the story develops further.

two bomb blasts have ripped through the syrian city of homs. more than 30 people have been killed, and 90 have been wounded. the explosions were reportedly caused by car bombs in a neighborhood close to bashar al-assad's regime. three weeks ago, the islamic state group claimed responsibility for an attack in the same area. we will have more information is that story unfolds. several evacuation operations are under way in syria as part of a u.n.-brokered deal. --ulances and busters ambulances and buses are allowed in to evacuate schools of injured rebels. 300 families in the northwestern province are being rescued. for more on this, let's talk to olivia, who joins us live from beirut. evacuateds are being

by lebanon. i think we will come back to our correspondent there, and let's take a look at the package on the syrian evacuations. >> security tight at the border between syria and lebanon, at the second stage of a landmark transferred dale -- transfer deal gets underway. the american red cross is overseeing the investigation. the border town with the heaviest fighting for several years is now under a six-month cease-fire. in exchange, civilians trapped in two towns in another province have been taken to the turkish border. nationswhy the united -- the deal was brokered between iran and turkey. it is part of a series of local cease-fires reached in recent months. in a similar scheme, hundreds of rebels and their families at the last opposition held neighborhood is part of the

local truce to bolster government control of the city. international efforts to end the syrian conflict have been picking up pace. under a peace plan agreed to 20 nations last month, all sides are set to start negotiations in january. the plan says nothing about president bashar al-assad's future. aurore: as promised, we will 's"ss over to "france 24 olivia. both groups are being evacuated via lebanon. is it the first time rebels have been evacuated from regimes and rebel areas simultaneously echo >> to correct that, they are coming through lebanon. the civilians in the shiite villages are going through turkey. ,he rebels are going to lebanon flying from beirut to turkey,

and will go back to rebel held areas in syria. it is not the first time it has happened, but it has been very rare. we had rebels in that area of the city, but there was no correspondent exchange. this is where the rebels and the regime want to swap people at the same time, and it has not happened that often. aurore: why is such a deal coming now? i think it has to do with the upcoming peace talks, which are expected in late january in geneva. , they were under a lot of pressure. they were not going to gain much from staying there. they might as well go back to turkey where they are not under danger anymore from government arial attacks. the regime, they want to get the civilians out of these two last remaining shiite villages, and also it is a better bargain than the talks.

it gives them a more powerful hand in the negotiations. aurore: thank you very much for that analysis. olivia reported from beirut. the iraqi flag now flows into the western city of ramadi, according to the military. iraqi troops have "fully liberated" the islamic city, which has been under islamic state for the last several must. government conference was abandoned by islamic state fighters there. >> a victory sign. entrannehe key to the of a government complex in ramadi. kilometers about 100 west of baghdad and is the capital of anbar, iraq's largest province, bordering syria, arabia.

all islamic state group fighters have left the former government compound. here, iraq a security forces search a house, formerly under jihadists control. over the past two days, fighting around the former government -- suicide car bomb attacks and hundreds of roadside bombs and booby-traps. streets of ramadi carry the scars of the fighting, with piles of rubble and collapsed houses. some appear to have been completely destroyed by the advance. started a fewon and the air force is supported with an air cover, and we gained control over our foes, which is the key to enter the governmental square.

>> the us-led coalition has been waging an air campaign against fighters in both countries. this has been one of the biggest challenges. the last day of campaigning in the central african republic. the country is due to vote for a new president and parliament wednesday. many hope the election will restore democracy after nearly three years of sectarian violence, but by the ouster of -- then president as these a namely to and tensions between christian and muslim groups. another thousand u.s. peacekeepers have been deployed across the country, boosting security to help a dissent into care -- to help prevent a dissent into chaos. here is the report. onu.s. peacekeepers are

patrol, stepping up security ahead of upcoming elections, manning roadblocks in the most volatile areas. only a few weeks ago, this crossroads was a no-go zone. veryis checkpoint is in a sensitive area. it is right between muslim and christian neighborhoods. otherrs shoot at each here. there are extra security members to stop anyone. given what happened during the referendum. marred theiolence referendum in mid-december. the polling station in my there areod -- self-defense committees and they say they will make sure this vote is targeted. we have three ways to enforce security. checkpoints, searches, and patrols.

if there is a problem, though, our weapons are not far away. now working are with you and troops to try and prevent any attacks, by armed groups opposed to the election process. >> if someone we think is looking for trouble comes into the neighborhood, we call them over. >> security is being stepped up in the most sensitive areas in the capital of bungee -- of -- aurore: catherine norris-trent reporting that from the central african republic. it is a new era between japan and south korea, reaching a historic deal regarding the so-called comfort women during world war ii. the japanese military used tens of thousands of women to work in brothels. many of them were korean. as part of the deal, japan has , anded its apology

compensation will be given to the former sex slaves. 's"alked to "france 24 correspondent, who said how difficult -- how important this is. >> it is the first to normalize relations between south korea and japan since 1965. the term comfort women is a euphemism for sex slaves, but japan in the past had argued that many of the women that the japanese women recruited during werear were probably -- prostitutes, around brothels for money. -- aurore: they were not allowed to leave the camps, right? they were essentially sex

slaves. japan already offered an apology for the practice back in 1993. south korea has been asking for more, for stronger apologies. the most important part of today's deal is the creation of korean fund, a south /japan joint fund. pledged ¥10has billion to compensate the victims. now, the fund -- japan has in the past resisted greater compensation to victims, saying that such economic compensation has been covered by the first deal in 1965. aurore: during the holiday season, paris is usually buzzing from tourists across the world, but this year many have stayed away as it was hit by a string

of terrorist attacks in november. kathy clifford talks about how hastourism in the industry been affected. dr. right now there is plenty of space on the decks for those who try a festive cruise along the river sent. sinces been a sharp drop december 13, when the attacks took place. 13% fewer tourists compared to the christmas period last year, which means the asian and american tourists are canceling their trip. >> the impact was immediate and we all dropped down to 15% or 16% third groups canceled quickly, and we are not seeing it pick up. individual visitors are starting to come back. slopes, ifobbled every neighborhood for tourists, the usual bustle is more subdued, and tables are empty. attacks, wefter the

lost 1500 customers per at all top of that, we have at 60% to 70% less business in december. >> some tourists are reassured by warm welcomes from parisians. >> they seem so welcoming, so warm. it is a wonderful time to come. >> yes, yes. >> online campaigns are underway to get the city's tourist industry a lift. #parisweloveyou unite with locals and visitors. aurore: if you have just joined us here, here is a reminder of our top stories. more than 450 syrian rebel fighters and civilians are being evacuated from three besieged town, this as part of a rare deal reached between the regime and rebels. japan has agreed to give

compensation to korean former sex slaves. known as comfort women, they were forced to work in japanese military brothels during world war ii. the city of love, paris, is usually the number one world tourist destination, but this year has marked terrorist attacks in the nation's capital. it is time now for business news with kate moody. christmas is over, but the shopping season certainly is not, as evidenced by the thousands of shoppers who flocked to boxing day sales in the u.k. kate: initial announcements ported to nearly a 12% increase in shoppers. we do not have the official but some places were -- billion pounds, up 4% department stores shows most profitable our in its 100 year

history. in the u.s., about half of u.s. consumers are expected to shop post holiday sales this week, according to the national retail federation. 2/3 of americans are likely to exchange their holiday gifts. while gift cards seem like a often expirey without ever being used. aurore: there is an increasingly popular alternative to the chain stores. >> pop-up stores. several artists and designers can share the cost of renting a space. it also means giving new life to old deserted businesses. catherine takes a look at how they are faring in france. they are made to disappear once again. here in this french town,

customers are a lot of new browsing pastors for the test new browsing pastures for the holiday season. >> 11 different artists and designers are selling their work in this store. time helps to divvy up our because it allows us time in the worship to get work done. strength in numbers has paid off. ,he otherwise unbeatable price the project is for sale on the high streets, and many are happy to spend their money here. buyt makes sense for me to things here. to just put more money to big businesses, to help when people are making a living. setting up camp in old deserted businesses, shops can

temporarily brave new life -- brees into spaces. let's move on to the top story in china because the anticorruption watchdog is working again, this time targeting the head of the state run mobile operator. authorities say he is accused of serious disciplinary violations. he is the series of that she is the latest in the series of high-profile executives the government has cracked down upon. take a listen. the focus of the anti-draft campaign has moved to the business sector because the , businesses will not

affect so much community. k: a drop of a little more than 1% over news of the state corruption probe. the state government closed down 2.5%, its biggest loss in a month. a source of concern for investors is the planned reform of the ipo system. retailta shows jobs in and manufacturing activity. london's footsie is closed this monday as it marks boxing day. oil prices have been dropping again this monday. both international crude and u.s. brent are trading at just over $37 a barrel. alcohol-free beer is nothing new, but it is for guinness, which is trying to reinvent itself in east asia.

kate: guinness zero is being launched in the east asia after the government cracked down on beer sales earlier this year. decline -- a 28% decline is being announced for asia. whiskey, but,, invested nearly a million dollars aurore:. we will see if that becomes popular over there. "t is time for the "france 24 press review. with me in the studio for a look at some of the international newspapers. news of thel of the year. one piece that particularly stood out? >> this is an independent newspaper in the u.k., and it argues you may feel

death and destruction, but it is positive.r of it was not solely a year of terror. it was one of progress and tolerance, and that piece begins with the word "who will mourn the passing of 2015?" it goes on to say that it feels the year was dominated by death and destruction, even now at year-end with a pair indications that the taliban is on the rise again in afghanistan. in terms of the positive news, it points to the end of the one child policy in china, the landmark deal in which the u.s.-cuban ties are now restored diplomatically. one of the most amazing things in 2015 is that the scenes in her party,ing in sweeping her into power. there are good stories out there. aurore: but the verdict is

pretty much the same take in "the new york times." >> the editorial board of "the new york times" says there are reasons to think that we are willing -- that we're weary and ill at ease." a landmark deal about climate change has to tackle it. it may help the march move toward a heated, physical planet. we have seen in europe -- the good news is how berlin reacted to combat nationalist bigotry by opening its arms to migrants. another example is the way parisians reacted in opening up their homes on the 13th of november attacks. to get away from that sort of london-washington consensus, i switched over to beijing in "the

china daily," and its view is slightly different. but go to the cartoon, and they about, them, 2015 is all to contain obama. if you look closer about the aurora, is almost the same. america's and russia's rivalry is dominant. "rore: that gets me look at the moscow times," critical of vladimir putin. >> the writer said that the begin -- that the year began in -- ia, with the selling to he was sent to a penal colony for 3.5 years. the year-end, with his performance artists, in jail for setting fire to the doors of the ssp, and the kgb. there waspiece there,

just a list of people sent to prison. one of the quotes in that piece is the year is coming to an end, but's hill people are being arrested -- but still people are being arrested with a connection to a crime from three years ago. if we can switch to the french paper, it is reporting on alexa in a valley -- alexei know that -- alexei novotny pretty was of candidate as the air moscow or one point. there is a buzz because it is accusing the russian attorney general of enriching his son connection with the russian mafia. meanwhile, the daily mail is headlining on a man that

we can spend all our time within 2016. again,s that man vladimir putin. very much, you can i get away from him. mail sayinggoññ

announcer: coming up on "21st century," one man's courage changes the world. and from italy, despair and suffering: migrant stories. dale van boven: it is inexplicable and indefensible for the united nations not to react urgently to situations of gross violations of human rights. man: south america in the 1970s and early eighties, hundreds of thousands of people