molly: welcome to the "france 24 " newsroom. i am molly hall. new allegations of child sex centralise in the african republic. the finalmp boycotts republican debate in iowa, but still manages to overshadow the event. rival candidates struggled to take center stage. an explosive spread of alarming

proportions -- the world health organization says the zika virus could infect up to 4 million people this year. also coming up later in the program, she has one of the most scrutinized bodies in the world. barbie is getting a makeover, but will it be enough to quiet the critics? will tell useminot during the "press review." molly: first, the u.s. republicans held their seventh debate in the race for the white house last night. as has been the case throughout the campaign, donald trump grabbed the spotlight, but this whilee managed to do so boycotting the event. trump refused to join the debate because of an ongoing feud with fox news for one of its news

anchors. it is yet to see whether the devil will pay off as one of the first voting contact -- first voting contests will take place on monday. for the event,se 800 people waiting in freezing to seetures for a chance donald trump in iowa. donald trump decided not to attend the network's final debate before the iowa primary monday. instead, he hosted his own simultaneous event, a charity fundraiser for veterans he says raised $6 million. political analysts and even trump do not know if the move was a good one. the real estate mogul is banking on his notoriety. donald trump: this is like the academy awards. is it for me personally a good thing, a bad thing? will i get more votes, less

votes? nobody knows. who the hell knows? >> let's address the elephant not in the room tonight. jeb bush: i miss donald trump. he was a little teddy bear to me. i wish he was here. ted cruz: i am a maniac, and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat, and ugly. terrible you're a surgeon. now that we have gotten donald trump out of the way -- molly: next, the zika virus is spreading rapidly toward the americas, leaving researchers scrambling to understand the basics, including how to prevent, treat, and diagnose the mosquito borne threat.

the world health organization ahold an emergency meeting to discuss a global response to the disease, that has been linked to severe birth defect. our correspondent has more on the origins of the virus. carnaval season begins soon in brazil, but experts are concerned about disinfecting during a major health concern, the zika virus. the hardest hit, with 1.5 million people believed to have contracted the virus. the world health organization has warned that the number of cases could rise to 4 million in america. if the -- the tropical disease in 1947tified in uganda before spreading to malaysia in the 1960's. it went dormant until 2007 when it resurfaced in the pacific islands. it was introduced to brazil in 2015, spreading through most of south america. the symptoms are mild, with

victims suffering joint ache and rash. but the biggest fear is for pregnant women, who have given birth to babies with micro-incessantly, even though no -- with micro-incessantly. confirm if the cases are linked to zika because there are 38 genetic syndromes that can also cause microcephaly. >> the who has warned those in up,cted areas to cover sleep in mosquito nets, and empty out and clean containers holding water, like tires, but that's come at flowerpots, areas where mosquitoes are likely to breed. officials will meet in geneva next week to discard -- to decide whether there will be a public health emergency declared like it did for ebola in 2013. molly: amnesty international has released satellite images it

says shows five possible mass graves on the outskirts of the ,andy, consist -- of burundi consistent with reports of security forces killing people last december. it is said to be a deliberate effort by authorities to cover up the extent of the killings. witnesszed photos and testimonies to back them up, amnesty international says they have found five mass graves in .ut randy, -- in burundi the grays are thought to have been dug on the afternoon of december 11. earlier in the day, armed gunmen attacked military bases. the police force responded, and by the end of the day, at least 87 people were dead. sources are saying the death toll may have been considerably higher. the report, which was released friday, points the finger at the 'sndy -- at burundi

government. a number of civilians living in opposition neighborhoods were targeted. >> these images suggested a deliberate effort by the authorities to cover up the extent of the killings by the security forces and to prevent the full truth from coming out. >> the united nations is investigating reports of mass graves. violence has been escalating against pierre currencies. nkurunziza. he came to power in 2005, at the end of burundi's 12-year civil war. burundi,aying in police have arrested two foreign journalists working in the capital. they were detained as they reported on gun men. the journalists were arrested on thursday afternoon. both have cover the region for years and have won several awards for their work.

date two of the divisive case at the hague. the international, court is trying the former ivorian leader on crimes against humanity, five years after 3000 people died in violence on the ivory coast. his -- gbagbond -- both men pled not guilty to the charges. next, we have fresh allegations of child abuse in the central african republic. the united nations has found more cases of sexual misconduct by foreign troops in the country. that is the latest development in a string of allegations concerning th soldiers deployed. let's go to our correspondent, who is following the investigation to what more can

you tell us about these latest allegations? >> more depressing news for france. perpetratorsleged had asked a boy of 7 and a girl of 9 to perform oral sex. they were from the french son gary contingent. top of that, the u.n. also revealed that four girls have been abused by european operation forces in the central african republic, and that included three of them having been raped by georgian troops. the georgian ministry -- the of defense hasry put out a statement condemning the action, but at the same time saying that all troops should not be painted as abusers. molly: we have seen the u.n. be

criticized for not having been proactive enough. are they trying to take a different stance this time around? hn: you might recall back in 2014 when a senior office of the houthis -- of the office of -- high commissioner accused the officer was reprimanded for having stepped out -- the u.n. secretary-general ordered an inquiry, and the justice from canada came down with a scathing report, putting the blame on the system for not being proactive enough. this time the high commissioner of human rights has gone to the capitals and they have all been involved and procedures are underway, including in france. investigations are underway on all the alleged violations, a sea change from what we saw in the past. molly: thank you very much for

that update. now let's cross to an ongoing story out of saudi arabia, and the bombing gun attack that struck a shiite mosque in the east of the country. according to witnesses, shooting thee out during prayer in mosque. we will bring you those details as we get them. there is certainty in -- there is -- negotiations are scheduled to take place today for peace talks, but it is not clear who will be there. thursday, one up -- one group said it would not attend the meeting of us several of its demands were met here at yuka royer has more. yuka: members of the syrian democratic counsel still have not confirmed attendance. >> is this going to happen? >> i do not think so, for

technical reasons. >> he said members of his coalition did receive invitations to the peace talks. others did not, notably the leader of a kurdish groups. turkey has been adamant about keeping them out. another key opposition coalition, the high negotiations committee, sometimes referred to as the riyadh group. it brings together political figures. it was created in december in saudi arabia. thursday they said they would not attend the geneva negotiations until their conditions are met. they demand and end to the russian airstrikes. the diplomatic push to end the civil war that keeps iran happy. >> we believe that the saudis

knowned on having terrorists on the same list certainly is not constructive. terrorists will i have anyplace in syria's future. >> the u.n. says it is the last chance to bring that piece to syria. it has already been on -- it has always been postponed and appears to be on the brink of collapse even before it starts. molly: the german government has reached a deal to streamline the handling of asylum-seekers, in response to the perception of one million -- to the reception of one million migrants last year. we spoke with jessica saltz for details about the latest asylum package. jessica: this second asylum seeker package that was presented last night by germany's leaders is an advanced version of the first package, which came to the fore in november.

it includes six countries of origin to which migrants can be deported back to. these include out syria, tunisia, and morocco. this comes after the number of migrants arriving in germany from these countries has risen in recent months. some members of these migrants in these countries are thought to be involved in the attacks of largely on women in countries -- sorry, in cities around germany on new year's eve. these new year's eve attacks have caused an -- have cast an indelible shadow over germany's policy moving forward, and there was an effort last night to assure the german public that the german public is back in control and is taking control over its refugee policy. ,he package also includes promises to induce asylum-seekers as well as deportations see -- deportation centers to streamline that process, and to restrict their traveling around germany. in some cases, migrants will

have restrictions on them from being able to bring over their family members from other countries. molly: that was jessica saltz reporting from the german capital. let's get an up a on the headlines now. there are new allegations of child sex abuse in the central african republic. the u.n. says a handful of children say they were violated by handful of soldiers in 2014. donald trump boycotts the final republican debate in iowa but still manages to overshadow the event, as his rival candidates struggle to take center stage. an explosive spread of alarming proportions, the world health organization says the zika virus sweeping the americas could affect up to 4 million people this year. it is time for the business update. i am joined by will hilderbrandt. we are going to start off with news out of japan, where no one was expecting the country to raise interest rates, but the central bank has surprised everyone.

will: that is because they want to move further in the opposite direction. the bank of japan for the first time ever went into negative territory, adopting a negative interest rate, the first time the country has moved its benchmark in the five years in which it has moved it to -.1 of 1%. ther the announcement, country pause currency dropped against the dollar before regaining some of that ground. banks have to pay to keep money overnight, so that encourages more lending. >> in terms of interest rates, the bank of japan has decided to implement a negative rate of -.1%. in the future, we will look at making that even lower if necessary. will look toapan prevent these risks before they 2%ur, staying at the benchmark interest rate in order to maintain the momentum wether it is about the negative as well as substantial financial policy.

>> that announcement is having a similar effect in europe, stocks rallying things to oil prices climbing. for a second weekly gain at the moment, with the ftse up 1%, the -- time for a look at other business headlines at this hour. brazil has announced a $20 billion plan to stop recession. state-run banks will use credit to help anyone from farmers to real estate companies -- in countries -- the country is currently suffering its worst recession in more than a century. four years after quitting as sky murdoch replaces the ferguson. his appointment will only add to speculation fox could once again take full control of sky.

a mixed bag for honda. the good news, it posted record sales in its biggest market, the u.s. and china. the bad news, it's profit mar gin -- skyhigh recall costs led profits to fall 19%. european manufacturers have accused china of flooding the european markets with cheap steel. between 2010 and 2013, imports and china and taiwan group 70% while their share of the e.u. market increased 64%. here in france, there is fresh data on last year's performance. the first estimate of 2015 shows .he economy grew 1.1% the last three months of the year saw a lower figure of just .2%. no surprise that the november terror attacks would have an

impact on economic activity. speaking on these figures, finance minister said that 2015 was the year of recovery, and that things would only improve further in 2016. betting on horse racing has reached a new peak in france, and mounting to a billion-euro industry. the world's biggest harness race will be subject to great interest of french gamblers. oliver farry has more. all of her co-never -- oliver: never have the french bet so much on horse racing in 2015. the figure continues to rise. this coming sunday, 9 million bets will be put on one event alone. most prestigious

harness race. >> that amounts to 200 million euros to 300 million euros placed on the race. >> thursday in particular, growth online. internet gambling on horses is a billion dollar industry in france, and a surprising number of women are doing it. >> it is the area which women are most heavily involved because horses are a passion for many women. >> it goes back into the sport. a tax of 6.3% is taken on every bet to support 62,000 jobs in the horse racing industry. gathering is enjoying a boom sportingrance, but bets as a whole are up 30% in 2014. much forank you very the update of the day's business

news. it is time now for our press review. i am joined in the studio by florence villeminot. what is grabbing the headlines? you are going to start off with the growing concern and focus over the zika virus. flo: the world health organization has sounded the alarm over what it calls the explosive spread of the virus. that word is on the front page of several papers. let's start with the independent . the explosive spread of the zika photo-- you can see a here of a worker fuming a house in nicaragua. guardian," thehe virus is now in 23 countries in the western hemisphere. millions of people could be at -- millions of people could be infected. this photo was taken in brazil, and this little baby was born with microcephaly. brazil really is one of the hardest hit countries by the virus.

it is going to host the olympics in a couple of months. there is an interesting article in "the new york times" about how specialists are weighing the risks of zika spreading at the olympic games. 500,000 people are expected to come to brazil for the olympics, and there is a fear that foreigners that are infected could bring the virus home. the article talks about the fact are 200,000 americans expected to come to brazil in august. when they return home, it will be summer in the northern hemisphere so there will be a lot of mosquitoes around. if they are infected, the mosquitoes could potentially spread the virus there. is a potentially worrying situation on the horizon. there is a lot of focus on the race of for the white house, but specifically what candidates are wearing. flo: that's right. "the washington post" is particularly fashion conscious, talking about the casual friday

looked at republican candidates cannot get enough of. last night the men wore the traditional power uniform, a dark suit with a red or a blue tie. but offstage, they are wearing the exact same sweater. you can see it here in these photos. it is a zip up collar fleece sweater. the collars can vary. the only one not wearing it is donald trump, not much of a surprise. is it perhaps an all-american sweater, and do they all shop at the same place? molly: the washington post has gone even further, putting together political fashion past and present. flo: it is interactive. you can click on it and see various fashion choices because clothing can help send a political message. does this sweater make you seem like a nice person? does that make you look strong. that is probably a reference to bill clinton, who is fond of power suits. you can see an orange one right here. the problem is, sometimes what

headlines.r to make in 2009, president obama wore a pair of mom jeans to a baseball game. people talked about it for months. it was a fashion flop, according to "the washington post. they might have been comfortable, but they were not at least bit presidential. there is a revolution in the world of barbie. flo: barbie has been accused of promoting an unhealthy body image for decades, and mattel has decided to change that. they will offer a wide range of body types, face, hair, etc.. you can see this on the front page of "time." you have three persons, tall, curvy. my we stop talking about body now? that is what time wants to know, and says that this change is

really significant because it says a lot about how i beauty ideals have changed in the united states. but some people are not that enthusiastic about the change. if we look at an article in "the daily beast," it points out that tall, or curvy, the main purpose is to be cute and attractive to boys and men, so how in the world can that be empowering to girls? article brings to light a tax on feminine products, which really adds up. flo: it looks at the cost of being a woman, and it says that whether it is everyday life or throughout your career, being a woman costs a lot more than being a man. feminist groups have been sounding the alarm over gender marketing for years now. if you do not understand what it "liberacion" as examples.

when women get their hair cut, it costs more than when a man gets their hair cut. 75 years instead of 45 -- 75 euros instead of 45 euros. for the exact same shirt, a woman will pay more than a man in certain cases. and for everyday goods -- deodorant. there is no -- there is another cartoon you can see here. as our razors. the fact that they are pink will make it more expensive. in its editorial, the paper says that the fight for equality is a vast one. you have big fights, fighting for the right to vote, and little every day fights like these fights for goods that are just more expensive. these little every day fights are just as important, and ion" says it is just the beginning. molly: thank you very much for that. from more -- for more, you can france24.com/inthepress.

we will be back with an update and will cross to new york for more on the republican debates that took place last night. donald trump backedúúúftf7l