commerce today, but will they have any impact on the government? criticism for

palestinian leaders from the u.s. vice president. joe biden speaking out against a failure to condemn the latest bloodshed in tel aviv and jerusalem. he is meant to be in the region to discuss researching the -- restarting the peace process. thanks very much for being with us. i'm catherine nicholson. we start with the latest news on europe's migration crisis. the main route for migrants seeking to enter northern europe from greece is effectively shutting down this wednesday. macedonian police have confirmed that for people with no or irregular travel documents, it's order with greece -- its border

with greece is all but closed. the news had been expected, but it is not deterring thousands of people hoping to claim asylum in northern europe from moving towards those orders. -- borders. --orter: navigation navigating between hope and despair, these migrants continue. the route to macedonia has been fored -- completely sealed 48 hours. for these thousands, there is no going back. >> what will we do? go back to syria and die? we can't go back. we will continue. an estimated 14,000 people are living in wretched conditions at this border camp, which was originally designed to hold 1/10 of that number. the hope to somehow cross border and head to wealthier european nations.

>> they said no border would be closed. it is not, ok, tell us -- if not, ok, tell us what to do. we have no other place. refugee: greece's crisis has worsened since several balkan countries have imposed border controls. a draft eu deal designed to ask or -- designed to expedite migration has so far failed to deter migrants. >> we left our country for our safety. whether we die crossing the sea or die in our country, it's all the same. reporter: slovenia, croatia, and serbia -- the latest to introduce tight restrictions on entry. hungary is -- has announced it is upping emergency patrols amid fears that many will change their route. they have made preparations to

raise a wire fence. fences have successfully reduced the number of migrant entries since they were reduced last year. catherine n.: in france today, it has been a day of travel disruption and street protests as thousands of students and labor union members went on strike and demonstrated against lands to reform the country's employment laws. police estimated that as many as 29,000 people joined rallies in paris. one union put that figure at 100,000. the government wants to make it easier to hire and fire employees, hoping this will encourage businesses to take on staff. the doctors -- protesters argue that workers rights will be eroded. of people thousands have taken to the streets in the heart of paris. -- re as you can see behind me, there

are many students, college students, university students, even children, who have come here with their parents. they say they are france's youth and they deserve much better than the proposed labor bill. they say they want job security and they say that the french government needs to back down and not good for that draft, because it simply -- and not put forward that draft, because it will simply encourage employers to lay off their workers more easily. they have been carrying placards saying "we want a socialist government," accusing president hollande of taking a right-wing position in his presidency. they have been holding posters of che guevara, calling for a social revolution in france. they say they want to put more pressure on the french government and are calling for more protests this month. catherine n.: the u.s. vice president is in the west bank,

24 hours after an american tourist was stabbed to death in tel aviv by a palestinian man. todayolence has continued with a drive-by shooting on a public bus in jerusalem. vice president biden is meant to be in the region to discuss the possibility of new peace talks. he has already met with the israeli crime later -- prime minister. closer with the vice president of the foundation for middle east peace, joining us live now from washington, d.c. thanks very much for your time. the middle east peace process appears well and truly stalled. this ongoing violence seems to only be underlining that. what do you think joe biden can achieve on this trip? >> i don't think he can achieve very much. i think he is laying the groundwork for the next few months, the last few months, really, of the obama administration. the prospects for really

rekindling a serious peace process are pretty much nonexistent at this point. i think the violence we are seeing is a result of that. it's going to take a considerable effort to get things back on track. even further, it is going to take and that -- take an effort the will have to start with obama administration and continue with the next administration, whichever one that is. catherine n.: whichever one that is, i do wonder how much influence they can have, particularly in the palestinian side. the palestinian authority did not openly support the latest acts of violence, but he did not condemn them -- but it did not condemn them either. u.s. influence the palestinians on this point of violence? >> i think not in the short term. there is little the palestinians can do about the violence happening right now.

it is certainly true that they are making a big mistake, i think, by not condemning this violence. this is obviously horrific violence. it serves no palestinian purpose . it is simply ask of anger and frustration that -- acts of anger and frustration that result in murder. ,t is certainly not acceptable especially when an american tourist is killed. the palestinian authorities are continuing their cooperation with israel. these are lone wolf attacks, people taking it on themselves. it's very hard to prevent that. he only way they could is to actively discourage that with speeches and other leadership acts like that. but even how effective that would be would be questionable. and right now, i think a lot of palestinians would be wondering why are you yelling at us when israel is continuing to expand

settlements. that doesn't mean he should not be condemning. he should. it would take a little more political courage than it usually does for him to do that. i don't think he is mustering it. catherine n.: just talking about the wider peace process that the united states has been a sponsor -- n recent times that relationship has weakened. there are other efforts under way. france is trying to organize a peace conference in paris. my head now be time for some fresh blood, other actors, such as the eu -- might it now be time for some fresh blood, other actors, such as the eu? going toly way it's move forward is through some strong international action, and i don't think the united states can do it alone. i do think the united states has to be a key component leading the effort.

like we saw with iran, it's going to require major world powers getting together to get something done. i think the united states will have to be a key player there, because, frankly, israel is not open to other actors and they will resist anything, even if it is a good idea, from other actors. having said that, the united states also clearly can't do this by themselves. it is crucial that the international community come together through some international body, involve other arab states, bring both sides to the table in a constructive manner and listen to some new ideas on the old ones are out of date. thank you..: six would-be presidents of the united states are back out on the campaign trail today,

some licking their wounds after tuesday's contests. the former secretary of state suffered a somewhat surprised defeats to the formerly little-known bernie sanders -- -- somewhatfeat surprise defeat to the formerly little-known bernie sanders. donald trump is calling for his party to unite around him after contests.ee of those however, that could be easier said than done as -- none, as -- than done, as richelle harrison plesse reports. richelle: it was another big night for donald trump, clinching wins in mississippi, hawaii -- he was the clear winner in three states. mr. trump: there is only one person who did well in three states tonight, donald trump. the charge wasng

the 2012 gop presidential candidate, mitt romney. in a speech, he blasted trump, calling him "a phony and a fraud." others are spending millions of dollars on attack ads in attempts to discredit him. >> don't let trump fool you. look into his record. stop trump now. richelle: march 15 primary is considered a key battleground. trump: i don't think i've ever had so many horrible, horrible things said about me in one week. $38 million worth of horrible lies. there has never been more money spent on hitting somebody then was spent on me. -- than was spent on me. forelle: it was a bad night marco rubio. trump is looking ahead to the

battle for the white house, slamming the democrat front rudder -- front runner hillary clinton as a very flawed candidate. before then, he will need to cement his momentum with primaries in illinois, missouri, north carolina, ohio, and florida, set for next tuesday. catherine n.: there is a new development today in the international football corruption scandal. the swiss prosecutor confirms that investigators have seized documents from the offices of france's soccer federation. kim tells us more. national football association of france injured -- opened its doors to the swiss attorney general's office on wednesday. authorities seized documents that could implicate disgraced former fifa president sepp blatter. payment is a suspicious

of 2 million swiss francs by the former president of fifa. it is of importance to understand the background of these presumed illegal payments -- this presumed illegal payment . that requires a substantial amount of documents. yesterdayn we seized at the offices of the french football association. is at thetter center of criminal investigations. platini claim that the work was part of a legitimate payment. the fifa ethics committee disagreed, given the suspicious timing of the payment. blatter transferred the money after platini backed his presidency. catherine n.: britain's best-selling newspaper has got

itself into hot water with no less than the royal family". t-- family." storyun" published a oft the queen backs the exit the u.k. from the european union. the tabloid claims she has proof -- claims to have proof that she has backed the so-called brexit. buckingham palace has called the rious" andious -- "spu .as launched -- lodged a claim the complaint relates to clause 1 of the editors' code of practice. borders are closing one by one in the balkans.

macedonia announced today that it has not let a single asylum seeker onto its territory from greece since monday. tens of thousands of voices opposing a shakeup of france's labor laws. caused disruption to travel and commerce today, but will they had any impact on the government? and, veiled criticism for palestinian leaders from the u.s. vice president. joe biden has been speaking out against the failure to condemn the latest bloodshed in tel aviv and jerusalem. he is in the region to discuss the peace process. on to our top business stories with our business editor, markus karlsson. markus: we are starting with those protesters we have seen this wednesday here in paris against -- and elsewhere in france -- against the government's plan to overhaul french labor laws. we have seen students in the

street, backed up by several , as they sayunions that the government's proposal will weaken workers rights. we have seen thousands of people , if not tens of thousands of people here in the streets of paris. forgovernment is pressing more flexibility of the labor market, the idea being that that flexibility will be enough to boost employment in france. this at a time when unemployment is in double-digit figures still. small business owners are also party to this debate and they say that the new rules will allow for more clarity and that they will hire more people if the law were to come into effect. a printer with 50 employees and a furniture maker with 17. these are two french businesses with owners who are in favor of the proposed reform to france's labor code.

he likes the ability to negotiate more flexible working hours directly with his employees, rather than having to go through the unions. discussions about working conditions should be happening inside the company, not dictated by people who are outside. let's stop working against bosses and their employees. they work at the company and therefore have the same interests. thister: he is sure that will not make it easier to let people go. >> we hire to keep our employees. reporter: at the printing house, he thinks that the new labour code will make it easier and less risky to recruit more people, capping severance payouts, for example, and eliminating legal and financial uncertainty. >> if it is certain how much is paid out, it makes it much clearer. it will save everyone time. if there is wrongful

termination, the company will pay. if it is clear how much, the procedure will be faster. reporter: some criticisms remain. employees should be able to work longer hours if their company is in financial trouble, but not for lower races -- wages. markus: you can expect this debate to continue here in france. there is one french union that has already called for another day of protests on the 17th of march, next week. the government could be in this for the long haul when it comes to these protests. let's move to energy markets now. oil prices have been jumping this wednesday with brent crude going back about $40 per barrel. prices climbed on speculation that major oil-producing companies could agree to freeze up this month. speculation that prices will be driven higher ahead of the american summer driving season. gasoline inventories in the united states fell more than expected last week.

let's take a look at how oil finished the session. wti crude jumped by nearly 5%. the international benchmark, brent crude, settled above $40 per barrel, up about 3.5%. let's have a look at how the stock markets have been reacting to those oil prices climbing higher. over in united states, we are seeing gains for the major averages. energy shares, in particular, are climbing higher as oil prices climb higher. as you can see right there, the dow jones industrial average is 0.15% this 1.5% -- hour. it has come off of its previous highs earlier this session. still in positive territory. biotech shares have also come under pressure in the united states as the american government has presented a test program to lower the cost of drugs for the u.s. budget.

let's also talk you through the european close. this side of the atlantic, we also saw gains at the end of the trading day. a meeting of the european central bank is already catching a lot of attention in the investment community. this as the european central bank could come out with fresh stimulative measures for the euro zone economy -- the eurozone economy. that will very much be in the spotlight on thursday. we are going to drill down on that meeting in frankfurt. we are betting that the ecb will come out with fresh stimulus on thursday. the speculation of lower interest rates and an extension of the ecb's current bond buying program. a more radical move would be for the ecb to launch a helicopter rescue of the eurozone. what is a helicopter rescue? has been taking a closer look at that and what else the ecb might -- may have up its sleeve. it's been a year since

the ecb began its bond buying program to jumpstart the sluggish economy, yet the results have been far from stellar. ecb president mario draghi has all but promised further measures. bond purchases have been increased in the current 60 billion euros per month almost 80 billion euros -- 60 million euros per month -- 60 billion euros per month to almost 80 billion euros. would be to push banks to lend to consumers by penalizing them for depositing cash with the ecb. mario draghi could also come out with more unconventional proposals, like helicopter money. it's a scenario where the ecb would directly transfer funds into people's accounts, in the hope this spurs economic activity and brings up inflation. some economists don't think the current situation in europe warrants such a move. >> a situation in which

governments cut taxes or increase expenditures to revive the economy. this is make financially manageable because the ecb is actually buying those sovereign bonds. delano: inflation in the eurozone remains staggeringly -- staggeringly -- stubbornly low. there are fears it could enter into a deflationary spiral. policymakers will receive the first inter--- inflation targets for 2017. if they fall below the goal, the argument for further stimulus will be clear. markus: before i hand it back, let's talk through some other corporate stories. with recordker bmw profits in 2015. 9.6 billion euros higher than analysts had expected. strong sales and margins helped the bottom line.

bmw remains the world's number one maker of premium cars, selling 1.9 million vehicles last year. the dividend disappointed investors, however, d it's onck fell -- its stock fell wednesday. -- e.on road down the value of its power generation business by 8 billion. e.on has been hammered by a surge in the use of renewable sources. it has led to a sharp fall in oil sale -- in wholesale electricity prices. amazon is branching out to the air freight business. it will be releasing 20 cargo planes for five years to seven years. 767's will be used to transport amazon goods. the aim is to local -- lower transport costs.

there we go. bmw. catherine n.: exciting. marcus.o much, -- markus. just to round off this half hour, we have a technology story for you that is either exciting or disquieting, depending on how you feel about the rise of artificial intelligence. the world champion of one of the world's most complex boardgames has been defeated by a of computer -- defeated by a computer. reporter: man versus machine. the world champion of the game "go." >> i didn't realize that i would lose. wouldnot think alphago play the game in such a manner. reporter: the computer program, developed by google and a british company, took an early

lead and stunned his opponent by making an unconventional move, which, experts say, a human never would have played. while computers have beaten chess players, the ancient chinese game of go is thought to be far more complex, meaning it is not just about algorithms, but intuition. there are more possible moves in universe.oms in the the computer had to learn tens of thousands of patterns before playing itself tens of millions of times, getting better and better every time. >> the message we want to send with this system is how flexible and powerful learning algorithms can be. they can address very interesting problems. reporter: the battle between man and machine is not over yet. the two sides will play a total of five games over the coming

--s for prize of $1 million for a prize of $1 million. catherine n.: we are going to take a short break. çççxí

03/09/16 03/09/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> i just want to take this opportunity to thank the people in michigan who kind of repudiated the polls that had as 20, 25 points down a few days ago, who repudiated the pundits who said bernie sanders was not going anywhere. i want to thank the many thousands of volunteers that we had in the state of michigan. amy: in a shocking upset, bernie sanders defeats hillary clinton in the michigan primary defying