catherine n.: it's 9:00 p.m. in the french capital. you are watching "live from paris" on "france 24." our headlines this hour. for terrortigation offenses, including planning an imminent attack on french soil. reda kriket arrested last week, now facing a string of charges. more details, coming up. it's an embarrassing u-turn for the french president. francois hollande abandoning a plan to strip convicted terrorists of their french nationality. we will be looking at why. a new era begins today for burma.

the country possibly leader now sworn into office -- the country's leader now sworn into office. thanks for being with us. a frenchman suspected of plotting an imminent attack is now under formal investigation. reda kriket was arrested in a paris suburb last thursday. the paris prosecutor has cited a, quote, "enormous arsenal of und in his apartment. give a pressns conference. -- gave a press conference. >> a major terrorist attack was prevented on french soil. that's what prosecutor françois

molins explained at the press conference. he explained they found a proper in theenal where -- apartment reda kriket was renting in the paris suburbs. chemical weapons, handguns, fake documents, id -- all of that for an imminent attack on french oil -- soil. he explained this was the result of investigation that started in november, 2015. it uncovered a proper terrorist cell, that started with a man in turkey, who then gave the name of a man in netherlands, who then led to the arrest of reda kriket. they have not been able to find out more. despite six days of questioning, reda kriket has not had much about what he planned for exactly. for the time being, all we know is he has been placed in preventive detention, at least until the rest of the case

continues. catherine n.: charles pellegrin reporting. let's look closer at the situation with a security specialist joining us live on the line. the prosecutor has detailed a string of offenses and talked about a massive haul of explosives and weapons that have been found. it does look like they have a pretty strong case against reda kriket at this point, doesn't it? a pretty strong case, indeed. reda kriket was convicted, as you might remember, along with aoud, one of the attackers in paris in november, for -- they knew each other very much. paris.d very close to a lot of recruits have been found.

1.3 kilos of explosives have been found, which is a lot. it is the exclusive used in paris and the brussels attacks, the very same thing. five assault rifles and handguns. also, a book about how to make bombs. very -- case. catherine n.: reda kriket, the suspected ringleader of the paris attacks, both convicted in belgium last year. once again, the question rises -- arises, why weren't they not stopped from -- why were they not stopped from amassing these weapons? >> that's the main question. they were convicted in absentia. both of them, maybe at the same time, maybe at different times, have been able to come back to europe from syria, all the way

back home, as it were, to both belgium and france, which is a message that the intelligence services in both countries -- so, these persons have been able to live for i don't know how many months very close to paris. amassing this really massive , i can only imagine, different sources, quite possibly going back and back -- back and forth from paris to brussels. catherine n.: as we know, here in europe, or at least in the schengen zone, which covers most of europe, it is completely possible for people to cross national borders in this way. we know the syria-turkey border is very porous. in,e from suspending shined bringing back border checks,

what could be done to stop something like this -- bringingg schengen, back order checks, what could be done to stop something like this? >> schengen -- it works. you either take the train to brussels or paris. it is much like you are traveling inside france. or you do have security checks, similar to an airport. problem for tree transportation -- free transportation if schengen works. are tooutside borders porous, then we have a problem. these individuals can cross from paris to brussels. this is not a problem. of theblem would be

intelligence services of several countries not working together when there is freedom of movement. it is like trying to stop the game that is operating in -- stop a gang that is operating in paris without looking to the police in lyon. you have freedom of movement, but you have intelligence sharing. the terrorist -- but you don't have intelligence sharing. the terrorists know that. this is a problem. catherine n.: thank you very much, louis bernard. moving on now to what was one of the biggest and most controversial counterterrorism measures put forward by the french president in the wake of november's deadly attacks in paris. today, francois hollande has abandoned the plan to change the --stitution to allow that

allow convicted terrorists to be stripped of their french citizenship. it prompted one high-profile minister to resign. more on where the president might go from here. reporter: it's an embarrassing climb-down for president francois hollande dr. he put security at the forefront of his -- after he put security at the forefront of his policies. hollande: i have decided to close the constitutional debate. part of the opposition is hostile to any change to the constitution, and i deplore this attitude deeply. reporter: despite their initial support, it was not just the opposition that had opposed anti-terror moves. four months of fractious debate left deep divisions at the heart of the ruling socialist party, too, with a justice minister stepping down over the issue. angry -- agreed

on in trying the current state of emergency in the constitution, but they were unable to come together on stripping french citizens of their -- convicted of terrorism of their nationality. leavingans balked at people stateless, with finger-pointing all-around. >> they created the conditions for failure. theid when i saw him that lay republican party was ready to strip citizenship for people with another nationality. reporter: france's state of emergency will remain in effect until may. given the collapse of the proposed constitutional reforms aimed at keeping it in existence, it seems politicians may now have to vote again if they want it prolonged. catherine n.: moving on now, burma has today entered a new era of rule. its first president with no ties

to the military in more than half a century now sworn in. catherine clifford tells us more about how htin kyaw came to be president and what this means for irma -- burma. catherine c.: promising loyalty to burma's people, the country's new democratically elected president is sworn in. he was handpicked by aung san rred from the job herself by the constitution. she will serve the government from within. she has taken on a heavy educationbecoming minister, foreign affairs minister, energy minister, and presidential minister. we will, as the new government, strive to establish the constitution faithful to the principles on national reconciliation, which works towards achieving peace and which will guarantee a central democracy.

we will also work to boost employment and to improve living standards. htin kyaw met with outgoing president thein sein, who is credited for paving -- with paving the way for political change. today is a historical day. i am very blessed. i am very proud. -- proud of my people. catherine c.: in his speech, furtherw talked about detaching politics from the military. there are enough seats in parliament to allow them to veto thates to the constitution the new government hopes to make. catherine n.: there are people with, quote, "death at their

backs and a wall at their face." that's how the united nations human rights chief described the refugees. syria's five-year civil war has killed at least 250,000 people and has driven nearly 5 million from their homes. headis united nations' ban ki-moon speaking. ki-moon: we are here to address the biggest refugee crisis of our time. this demands exceptional time and support from the member states. this demands an exponential increase in global solidarity. catherine n.: greek police were drafted in earlier to calm protests at a migrant camp on -- lesbos.of lesvo

held for 10 days with no word on whether they will be allowed to continue their journey. arrivalsnt to see new sent back. this woman was among the last be registered before the plan was signed off. before.ived just i think we are the last to get the assignment from the greek government. the other people that were arrived after us didn't get the paper. catherine n.: meanwhile, ministers in austria said today that they plan to further restrict the flow of migrants into austrian territory this year. -- now, france is pledging to support libya's new

unity government, which arrived just today. hasfrench foreign minister --ay described the cabinet sitting of the cabinet as courageous. they had been warned not to return to tripoli, by a separate government and armed groups that back it. libya is facing many challenges, including a collapsed economy and the increasing presence of the islamic state group. a battle is brewing in venezuela as a political prisoners congress has passed a law that could see around 70 free from jail. most are opponents of the current regime. president nicolas maduro has slammed the detainees as terrorists and murderers and he is vowing to block the law. reporter: the wife of lopez celebrating with lawmakers of parliament. have voted an amnesty law

meant to free her husband and several other doesn't political activists -- other dozen political activists. is the opposition's biggest -- it is the opposition's biggest political win since they took office three months ago. the president says he will be the bill. >> they are passing a law to protect murderers, criminals, drug traffickers, and terrorists. it's true. rest assured that this law will not pass here. reporter: the president -- if president maduro vetoes the bill, congress could still override his decision. the president could then ask the supreme court to decide. the judges are likely to strike down the law. relations have been tense between the opposition and the president, whose party was in power for 17 years. the heightened presidential -- tension comes as president maduro has grown increasingly unpopular. more protests have questioned

the government's economic policy, including the country's dependence on oil. venezuela has the highest reserve. has been in recession for two consecutive years. catherine n.: digg changes in motion for the war-torn central african republic -- big changes in motion for the war-torn central african republic. their first elected leader since rebels overthrew the government three years ago. france is a sack that you out its peacekeepers by the end of the year -- france is expected to pull out its peacekeepers by the end of the year. if you have a big -- have not heights, this story might not be for you. we are checking out some plucky

tightrope walkers. chinese, italian, and swiss daredevils who got together for the contest early on at china's three natural bridges site. champion made it across in just 42.04 seconds. well done, him. better them than me. it's gone a quarter past nine: quarter past 9:00 in the eventing. -- evening in france. reda kriket has been arrested and is facing a string of charges. francois hollande having to abandon a much trumped plan to strip convicted terrorists of their french nationality. and, a new era dawns for burma.

the country's first civilian leader in more than half a century has now been sworn in to office. we are staying in asia for the start of our latest business update with markus karlsson. hi there, markus. we are looking at one of japan's biggest companies being sold off. markus: we are going to look at foxconn. it may not be a household name in itself, but it has grown -- it's profile has grown rather rapidly as it has been its profile- but has grown rather rapidly as it has been attempting -- ofhas agreed to buy 2/3 japanese firm sharp. the value of the deal is just over 3 billion euros and it marks the first foreign takeover of the major japanese electronics producer. josh vardey as more details.

-- josh vardey has more details. josh: it is a courtship four years in the making. foxconn will take a majority stake for the price of $900 million less than sharp prematurely announced in february. foxconn has been known for manufacturing and assembling parts for other companies. they have no plans to merge with the former electronics giant. >> we are investing, not merging, ok? this is a strategic investment. the group has invested in 66% of sharp. sharp beganbegan -- as a mechanical pencil manufacturer. the company became one of japan's most recognized television brands in the 1980's. worldwide, demand has fallen. with it, the japanese giant's

fortunes. the taiwanese company could be aiming to use know how -- use nkknow-how to -- foxconn walked away four years ago from buying a stake in sharp when its shares took a tumble. last month, the shares took a tumble following the emergence of previously undisclosed contingent liabilities at sharp. markus: in europe, a search is underway for a buyer of britain's biggest steelmaker and around 15,000 jobs in the u.k. are at stake. it comes after indian conglomerate tata said it may sell its british steelmaking unit. the british -- this sector has become a burden. it is a tough blow. the government is looking at all options to safeguard the industry. we've seen and heard britain's business secretary to get -- rejecting calls for a

nationalization of the business. there has been a sharp drop in prices worldwide. analysts attribute this to a flood of chinese exports. >> they account for about 50% of growth in global production. when you have a small decline in -- a, it has an instant the excess supply of china will be exported. you have a flood of chinese steel coming into europe and the u.k., and this has put downward pressure on prices, thereby putting pressure on the margins of suppliers in those countries. markus: meanwhile, the french government is taking action to crack down on corporate -- a package of proposed measures including a new anticorruption agency. they want greater protection for whistleblowers. this follows in the wake of several corporate scandals at

major french firms, like alston -- alstom. they have been forced to pay millions over bribery allegations. those same firms have gone unpunished at home in france. the government says it is time for change, but, critics say, the proposed legislation does not go far enough. >> the bill that i am presenting today first increases transparency in public decision procedures. furthermore, it aims to work better at preventing and punishing corruption more quickly and severely. >> i think it is going in the right direction, but it doesn't go far enough. it does not respond to the original ambition, which was to get france up to speed with transnational corruption. markus: we are going to take a look at the stock markets. we are seeing markets in the united states extending gains from yesterday. we are seeing a run of about 1/2 of 1% in the dow jones

industrial average, and a similar performance in the nasdaq and s&p. investors are digesting a statement by fed chief janet yellen. they will proceed cautiously as they look to raise interest rates. investors like the message. investorsrope, reacted very optimistically on the lack of those -- back of those comments with the cac 40 in paris about 1.8% at the end of the european trading day. what's more, investors reacting very positively to janet yellen and her comments about u.s. interest rates heading higher, but in a cautious pace, as she put it. let's also talk you through some other stories we have been watching. we saw energy shares trading higher on wednesday in europe. german retailer metro among the winners in european trading. investors snapped up its shares

on the planet metro is going to split its business -- on word that metro is going to split its business into two parts. the company says there is little synergy between the two divisions at the moment. shares of metro ended more than 11% higher. boeing is cutting around 4000 jobs from its commercial playmaking business. the american firm says it will cut costs and boost productivity. it says most of the job losses will be done through attrition and redundancy. it will cut another 550 jobs from positions that carry out flights and lab tests. box is back int the doghouse after going off the rails for a second time. she was deactivated last week when she tweeted racist and second -- sexist comments.

she repeated the same messages over and over again. an artificial intelligence program that is meant to interact with people much like a teenager. but it seems that she still has some growing up to do. i suppose microsoft also has -- catherine n.: fine-tuning. markus: i think you've found the right word. catherine n.: i'm not sure i completely understand the concept. do people need a computer to check to -- chat to on twitter? markus: it is supposed to be an experiment to how humans interact with artificial intelligence. we take it with a pinch of salt for now. perhaps microsoft will come up with a more mature and improved tay. who knows? catherine n.: if everything went right the first time, there would be no fun. we are going to take a short break now. stay tuned. plenty more.

all of our top international headlines coming up.

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03/30/16 03/30/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! > can you help me. >> wt u.s. b borders did n not what n nine just reaealized, eyewitness vidideos caught t the soununds o of anastasio hernanandez-rorojas pleading and screaming for his life. amy: six years ago, mexican immigrant named anastasio hernandez-rojas tried to cross the border to return to san diego he