>> breaking news for syria. a new cease-fire has been agreed for the northern city of aleppo, a city that has seen its worst fighting in a year, according to monitors. we have the latest for you. visa-free --a visa-free travel for turks around the world is a step closer. the eu giving conditional backing to the measure, and that continent'se counte migration crisis. and the path clears for donald trump. the one remaining contender for the nomination for th

republicans for the presidency thousand. -- house out. we report on the shellshocked republican party establishment. catherine: thanks very much for paris."us on "live from a cease-fire has been agreed for aleppo, this breaking development confirmed by the syrian military in the last few minutes. earlier today the united states and russia agreed to exert their influence to bring the truth to the war-torn city. threatened ae has countrywide cessation of hostilities and a fledgling peace process. fighting in aleppo has been described by monitors is the worst in a year. the united nations security council is holding energy meeting on syria this wednesday,

the u.n. issuing stark warnings over aleppo. our correspondent reports from the united nations headquarters in new york. reporter: aleppo is burning, said the british ambassador, referring to the situation there , saying that civilians are areg, and the rules of war being completely disregarded with hospitals being attacked. here ontion passed tuesday to protect hospital countriesd to prevent from targeting, vomitin bombing hospitals, attacking patients, and so on. that is been going on in a lot of conflict zones, particularly in aleppo. yesterday a maternity hospital hit with several women killed there, and a few days ago, the last pediatrician in the rebel-help part of aleppo was killed in a strike on hospital

backed by doctors without borders. news of this truce, saying they hope it will hold an offering to people -- the suffering of people of aleppo will be alleviated come because onead a warning from the special representative on syria saying that if this bombardment continues, we could see some 400,000 refugees pouring out of aleppo across the border in turkey. catherine: according to the media,regime-controlled that 48-hour truce in aleppo is due to begin tomorrow come on thursday. more details on that as we get them here on "france 24." let's move on to turkey, which is tackling the ongoing migration crisis. the eu has given conditional backing to visa-free travel for turks around the continent and has unveiled new asylum rules.

turkey has been threatening to tear up a deal struck in march which would see turkey take back my goods from greece in return for europe taking an equal number of concerned syrian refugees. turkey is increasingly coming under fire for its poor human rights record. press freedom is seen as being under threat for rights activists and opposition members claim they are subject to persecution. reporter: in the years that followed erdogan's rise to power, turkey made considerable oforts to bring human rights to du standards, forcing the military out of politics and encouraging greater political freedom. fast-forward 10 years and the akp government is accused of moving towards authoritarianism. international ngos have warned of serious backsliding in certain areas. 151 out of 180 countries for press freedom, and

opposition media outlets are regularly targeted. among the most recent victims, journalists who were arrested in november over a controversy report. no they face -- they now face life sentences. >> we have dozens of media representatives in jail. we have a lot of journalists ,ttacked, physically attacked by state security forces, when they are covering demonstrations. reporter: president erdogan has also shown are growing intolerance of political dissent, especially since the demonstrations in 2013 that saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets daily to denounce corruption. changes to turkey's internet laws have allowed authorities to block websites without a court order. sites like twitter and facebook are regularly blocked for several hours or days. there has also been a crackdown

on erdogan's political opponents. an influential muslim cleric, former ally of the akp, faces charges of seeking to overthrow the government after his movement was deemed a threat to national stability. other concerns include government interference with the judicial system and minority rights. the escalation of violence between turkish security forces and the pkk, the kurdistan workers party, has led to mounting civilian deaths and a crackdown on kurdish nationalist activists. many kurds also face discrimination in schools and in the labor market. leaving the european union would lead to a decade of uncertainty for the united kingdom, so said the british prime minister as he answered questions from a committee of lawmakers in london. david cameron is campaigning for the u.k. to remain in the eu. a referendum is due at the end of june. his opponents have argued that the country would be better off

financially outside the european union. let's bring in someone with a unique perspective on the so-called brexit debate. thanks for being with us. you are well known, of course, for your novel some of talking it who lives in paris. as of tomorrow, catch up on the european adventures as well, taking up a job at the eu in your latest book. then you tell us what you make of the eu referendum debate so far? >> "debate" is a very flattering word, from what i've seen. in the british press, going back to the u.k., it seems to be a slinging match. one side says something dryly economic and the others i just contradicted and they're just shouting at each other and ignoring each other. it is not a political debate at all. no one is coming out with hard economic arguments.

it is basically emotional, all down to fear or panic. your book, as i said, about another brit living in europe. you did some work experience yourself at the european institutions in brussels. what is the experience like? i wouldn't say work experience, but i worked shadow. people, interviewed people, watched them, listen to them, and soaked up the atmosphere, because there is so much nonsense talked about brussels, especially in the british press, i find. these rumors that keep coming out, like europe wants to ban the british sausage or smoky taken chris or forcing london to change the name of trafalgar square. if brussels -- the eu really were as

crazy as they are presented to be. what i put in the novel is they are completely crazy, but in a different way. it basically seems to me that the eu is quite well-meaning institution. it is just that there is so much money floating about there that they do do crazy things with it. catherine: so what is your characters experience of the eu? is it a campaign book for one side or of the other? stephen: people are listening to that people are not listening to organs, really good he talked to people who know, there are feelings on both sides, and he gets a chance to introduce the referendum and has to decide, which way should i go? his experience and my experience when i was there was with, especially in the parliament, seeing what goes on there and thatng -- when the mep's

up to come because a lot of the complaints say that europe is imposing its laws on england and we brits don't like it. i went and saw what they were up to. it is true, they get up to some rather strange, overpaid things. but some of them want to reform it as well. whethere: indeed, written leaves the eu or not, this debate as of these gotten people talking about europe. do you think we are likely to see the european union change its ways as a result of this scrutiny/ stephen: oh, definitely. it is already changing. there was a scandal about the eu giving money to political parties that were doing quite extremist thinks. the eu announced it wasn't going to sponsor a certain debate. the eu has vast amount of cash and for some really good things like cleaning up europe's water and things like that, and some bad things like giving money to

people who are against the european union. some of the mep's are actively campaigning against europe from within. catherine: democracy, i suppose. thanks very much, stephen cla rke, for coming in to see us. on new book is published thursday in english and will be out in its french translation on may 18, just in time for the referendum a month later. moving to the united states, the race to become the next president of the u.s. has become a lot more streamlined. republican front-runner donald trump appears to be running unopposed. his last contender, john kasich, is bowing out, according to the latest u.s. media reports from thi after property tycoon donald trump swept through another victory in indiana on tuesday. his closest rival, ted cruz, gave up on his campaign shortly after the results came in. earlier i spoke to our correspondent in washington, philip crowther, and asked him whether john kasich has

definitively left the race. philip: john kasich never had a real path to victory or the nomination and it is about time he got out of the race, according to many republicans and certainly according to donald trump. to be expected these 2 the last remaining in the race, but after the departure of ted cruz, senator from texas, it was only a matter of time before donald trump was left of the only one and never more so, the presumptive nominee. he was called that by the chairman of the republican party yesterday after his win in indiana. this makes an ever more so the presumptive nominee. donald trump isn't yet officially the nominee. he will still have to get to that grand total of delegates that he hasn't achieved just yet. but the path is very clear for him now. catherine: philip, it looks like it will be trump versus clinton, hillary clinton for the .emocrats

she said just now that the u.s. cannot take a risk on a loose cannon like donald trump. this could be an interesting choice for american voters, couldn't? fromp: yes, a stark choice this one, between 2 completely different candidates, obviously, and there is one big reason why so many republicans and especially members of the republican party establishment say the bosses of the party itself for members of congress and senators didn't want donald trump to be the nominee. that is because they think that inlary clinton will beat easily in an election matchup in november of this year. they believe that donald trump has simply alienated too many people with his harsh words towards immigrants, for example, or towards women, or towards muslims. all of those demographic groups that the republican party would like to have on their side but with the donald trump will have serious trouble getting on their side. they will more likely go towards hillary clinton.

she starts with quite an advantage here and according to the latest polls in a potential matchup between clinton and trump, she would win quite easily. catherine: firefighters in canada are battling to save the only bridge in and out of the city of fort mcmurray, a day after wildfires forced authorities to evacuate all its residents. more than 80,000 people have fled, some describing the chaotic scenes as being like an apocalypse. canadian prime minister justin trudeau has declared that military aircraft could be drafted in to help with the firefighting efforts. luke shrago has the story. apocalyptic scenes of destruction in western canada as residents of fort mcmurray scramble to escape raging fires. maney did not even have time to pack. kit is a disaster and they did not even really let us take our things when we ask so we lost every thing.

we only have what we have on our backs. luke: with tinderbox-dry conditions and hot temperatures, the blaze broke out on sunday. firefighters nearly had it under control until the wind shifted in two days later. it left the city's 80,000 residents under evacuation orders with some stranded on highways of local gas stations run out of petrol. canadian authorities were sending feel to them, the country united behind those affected. >> dealing with offers of support and calls from the atlantic provinces all the way lookingc as people are at how they can support their friends and neighbors. canada is a country where we look out for our neighbors and are there for each other in difficult times. luke: emergency services were doing what they could to protect fort mcmurray's residents and local infrastructure, what they called their main priority. a leading brazilian

senator is recommending that the country's president face trial, this in a new report released this wednesday. this brings dilma rousseff one step closer to being suspended from office over the allegations . the senate is due to vote on may 11. at that point she would be automatically suspended, pending a trial which could last up to 180 days. residents of mexico city may have been enjoying slightly better air quality today, with 40% of the city's cars ordered off the roads, but local businesses are warning that the measure has cost them more than $200 million in lost revenue. this is the second time this month that the government has imposed a vehicle restrictions due to high levels of smog. in mexico city it is getting harder and harder to breathe fresh air. >> i use a mask to protect myself from the pollution. but the smog is there.

after being on the street all day, my throat ends up hurting and there is a taste of gas in my mouth. reporter: ozone levels have reached notorious new records in the sprawling metropolis that is home to 21 million people. as of tuesday, 40% of vehicles, 2.2 million cars, must stay off the roads. for motorists, life has become chaotic. >> on one hand we are helping to lower pollution. it is a trade-off. there's a serious lack of organization. reporter: in march authorities put into place a four-day plan reducing traffic as the city battled its worst pollution in over a decade, after ozone levels continue to rise, they decided to ban 20% of cars everyday until the end of june. this doubles to 40% on days when the ozone levels surpass a threshold, as was the case on tuesday. local residents say the measures have hampered business. placead to find another

for merchandise. becauselies bring us they don't have the means of transport. reporter: according to the chamber of commerce, the transport restrictions have cost $300 million. there is pressure on the mexican government to combat so-called corruption at vehicle omissions test centers that have allowed heavily polluted cars on the road. catherine: just coming up to 20 past manic like in the evening here in paris. business news headlines with markus karlsson now. hi there, markus. fort of all, massive news the u.s. auto industry about a safety recall. markus: pretty impressive looking figures as american regulators are extending what was already the largest ever u.s. auto safety recall. they are ordering the japanese company takata to fix between 35 million and 40 million airbags, and this collision of what is already are costly crisis for takata.

40 different carmakers have been told to recall 24 million cars to fix airbags made by the company. it was found they could inflate with too much force and should metal shards into cars could at least 11 deaths have been linked to the problem worldwide. let's listen into the head of the national highway traffic safety administration in the u.s. airbag recall from which we are more than doubling today, is the largest and most complex recall in u.s. history. this issue is urgent. 10thrch 31 we had the confirmed fatality in the united states due to a rupture of a recalled in flavor. just this morning, honda announced there have been 2 more fatalities in malaysia in just the last two weeks due to ruptures of the takata airbag inflator is. markus: already we are hearing that 69 million airbag inflators in total are being recalled , as takata is facing the status and

the crisis. the franco dutch airline group posted a smaller than expected loss in the quarter. it was held by the word fuel costs as it said the brussels and paris attacks hit ticket sales. the carrier once over brewing standoff with its own pilots -- warns over brewing standoff with its own pilots. reporter: uncertainty and air france. the airline is on a collision course with its pilots once again. the french national carrier is hoping to save between 20 million and 30 million euros per year with the lowers the salary. it is part of the decision to implement a business plan which will see pilots' paychecks lowered between 2% to 3% in june. the pilots union says the timing of the proposal makes no sense. at the moment, when pilots around the world at delta and turkish airlines are negotiating salary hikes and forcing this

decision, to once again reduce pilot salaries in a forceful way is one track-minded. reporter: on average, junior pilots at air france earned 6300 euros a month. additional competition would be run overnight flights reduced from 50 to 40%. legal avenues to block the plan are unlikely as french labor courts sided with the air france management when the plan was contested by unions. pilots are threatening to go on strike just weeks ahead of the euro 2016 football championship in france. this may hamper cost-saving efforts by the company to improve its finances. the airline reported losses of 155 million euros for the first few months of 2016. the threat from pilots is also unlikely to go down well with other friends work -- other air france workers. have seen salaries to even though the pilots refuse to budge. markus: let's bring you

up-to-date with the latest stock market figures. it is just a little less than two minutes before the u.s. up shop this session. we are seeing a negative picture stateside, following mixed economic news on the data front, we heard from adp, it says that the u.s. private sector added 156,000 jobs last month. that is a little bit less than expected. it is the smallest monthly gain we have seen in two years. the energy sector is weighing down the american markets as oil prices have come under fresh pressure. it was also a negative picture of the end of the trading day here in europe. mixed data from this part of the world as well. that included a file in retail sales during the month of march and a continued focus on first quarter earnings with shares in shell, the oil comedy, following after the firm reported lower earnings. we got better than expected earnings and better-than-expected figures from the engineering company

siemens. let's bring you up-to-date with all the stories we have been following for you when it comes to corporate news. one of the mover string trading in london was the london stock exchange itself. share close almost 4% down after the intercontinentalexchange bid for the plan to the lse. it leaves the road open for deutsche, the operator of the frankfurt stock exchange, to merge with the lse. shares in mining giant bhp billiton have been slumping. it comes after brazilian prosecutors launched a $43 billion lawsuit over a deadly mining accident. the suit seeks compensation after a dam burst in november of last year, killing 19 people and causing widespread damage. the site of the iron mine was run by a joint venture belonging to bhp and vale.

german sportswear maker adidas will sell off several golf equipment brands come say it will focus on shoes and clothing for golfers while selling off the names. adidas has become the world's biggest supplier of golfing goods but sales in the division have slipped. the announcement came as adidas announced profits of 351 million euros in the past quarter, sharply higher than the same period last year. next, to what must seem like an s parent company alphabet has announced a joint venture with the chrysler. it the first time google has chosen carmaker to work on a project and it is also a boon for fiat chrysler. .eporter: self driving cars an innovation that is just around the corner, now even further speeding along. ,oogle's parent company

alphabet, announced tuesday they are joining forces with the automaker fiat chrysler. google has tested 70 automated cars on 1.5 million miles. seeking to rev up their efforts, they will add 100 chrysler pacifica minivans and test out the latest technology on the vehicles to carry more people. further opening the door for those who don't want to or cannot drive to when they safely get behind the wheel. in a statement, google said collaborations like these are an important part of realizing the potential of self driving technology. to improve road safety and make transportation more accessible for millions of people. this is the first time the tech giant has joined forces with a major automaker. the california-based coveney says they have no interest in building cars on their own, and the automated pacificas won't be for sale. aiming to make

something cars available by 2020. while it doesn't bar in the company from working with others, it is a positive step for chrysler as well. the car company had been lagging behind other carmakers such as ford and gm in the race to develop innovative auto technology. and finally, the european central bank has announced that it is scrapping the 500-euro note. the issue was up for discussion at a meeting of the ecb governing council this wednesday. the bill is believed to be favored by criminals as it makes it easier to move large amount of cash around. the french finance minister said back in march that the 500-euro note is used more for hiding things than actually buying them. it may not prove a very popular with the german savers, this decision, however. germany has been defending the 500-euro note. the head of the bundesbank says there is no evidence you could curtail crime by removing the bill from circulation. sawbeen a while since i

500-euro note but i sigh went a couple months ago and i remember it well. catherine: you can't really use them in the shops, can you? markus: it is quite difficult. the only w

05/04/16 05/04/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from atlanta, georgia, this is democracy now! >> from the beginning, i've said i would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory. , itght, i'm sorry to say appears that path has been foreclosed. >> we had a tremendous victory