>> welcome back should you are watching "live from paris" on "france 24," with me, laura cellier. laura the islamic state target government stronghold on the mediterranean coast. divide lateritical as the country narrowly avoids electing a far right president. beatsder van der bellen his rival. fears of a fresh unrest in baltimore as a judge rules a white police officer not to blame in the death of freddie

gray. the african-american died in police custody last year. , we begin in syria, and scores of people have been killed in bombings in 2 government stronghold. both cities host russian military facilities. they are also home to president bashar al-assad's halloween minority. the islamic state group has-- alawite minority. the islamic state group has claimed responsibility. this is by far the worst violence to hit these 2 cities. the latest report saying almost 150 people killed. what more can you tell us? reporter: according to a

monitor, the latest fertility figures 40 -- fatality figures, 48 people killed. will also go dead up. the percent either of these 2 -- first time either of these 2 cities have been attacked like this. 2 locations themselves, the same city where the russians have a naval base, and that in the southern part of the province, also where the russians have an airbase. that could be reason come part of the reason these 2 cities were targeted. of the onlyis part province in syria that has a , theity of alawites religious group, minority religious group, that bashar al-assad comes from himself. part of the reason he has such strong support in these areas.

they wanted to hit bashar al-assad from his own religious group on their home territory. laura: and the syrian regime has responded and said that extremists are now targeting civilians. they are unable to fight the army. is that a trend you are seeking? well come that essentially the same argument being made by the iraqi authorities. essentially, the syrian government saying the islamic state group has been depleted to such an extent that they cannot stand up to the syrian army on the battlefield in regular warfare, and in fairness, the syrian army has made advances against the islamic state group recently. in particular the counterpart parmi --he town of

palmyra, that also aleppo. it is not entirely clear cut. islamic state report portrayed as a strength, not a weakness, the fact that they are able to hit in a stronghold area of support like this. the argument goes both ways to that effect. the use of these suicide attacks has always been part of the islamic state group's operations, whether against civilians such as can in this case and in many other cases, alwaysbrussels, beirut, see a similar style of that but they use in the battlefield, ves, launching offensi they have suicide bombers in beforehand. they see it as standard operations and will try to portray it at least as a success and strength. laura: adam, thank you very much fit iraq's prime minister says an army incentive to take

back the city of falluja has been a great success. hyder à la body -- haider al -abadi loaded the operation. -- lauded the operation. reporter: iraqi forces began the perspectives against the islamic state group in falluja on monday, a coalition of mostly shiite militias took arms against the jobless. >> the operation is going very well. the enemyexpected to is completely collapsing. spirits are very high because of their victories and due to all of that, we believe the battle of falluja will be done soon. jets provided by the united states are also targeting targets in the city. an estimated 50 thousand to 100,000 people remain in the

area, men it from thought to be families of the insurgents. the iraqi military says it is setting up a safe passage were civilians and calls on those who cannot escape to raise a white flag about their homes. following the liberation of falluja andcember, muscle are now the islamic state last remaining strongholds in iraq, and recapturing falluja would have symbolic and strategic value. this city lies 50 kilometers from the capital, baghdad. few expect an easy fight. islamic state militants have dug indeed and builds defenses since capturing the city more than two years ago. falluja was the scene of the bloodiest battle during the u.s.-led iraqi war. nearly 100 american troops were killed in 2004 by fighting sunni insurgents in citigrou the city. laura: the conflicts in syria and iraq have sparked an unprecedented level of refugees.

that has come to the united nations to host its first ever humanitarian summit. it took place today in istanbul. turkey's president said it was time for western rich nations to pull their weight in a crisis. reporter: let's commit to leaving -- >> let's commit to leaving no man, no woman, and no child behind. reporter: hollywood heavyweights lend their star power to the first world humanitarian summit atistanbul, aimed coordinating a better response to what the u.s. described as the worst humanitarian crisis -- u.n.rld war ii described as the worst unitary crisis since world war ii. it takes up more than 80% of humanitarian funding. this requires greater political will. reporter: lobbying world leaders for international relief, host country turkey has taken in

nearly 2.7 million refugees since the start of the syrian civil war at a cost of almost 9 billion euros. ankara is hoping the summit will prove a turning point in the crisis. >> current system unfortunately has shortcomings, compounding the urgent humanitarian problems . some countries are carrying the burden of these problems, which their systems are unable to .esolve without support from now on, everybody should take responsibility for the crisis. what is ankara -- but it is ankara that needs to live up to the premises of the migration joe, according to berlin. german chancellor angela merkel says turkey must rein in its broad anti-terror laws to open up the gateway to visa-free travel. mounting diplomatic tensions threaten to derail the summit, already the subject of scorn

from a groups could doctors without borders boycotted the event, saying interest being a "fig leaf for failure onto military action." while amnesty international lamented the field bombing of hospitals and targeting of civilians, saying humanitarian responses could not improve while they go unchecked. the damage caused by flooding and landslides in sri lanka will cost within $1.5 billion to repair. last week sri lanka suffered its worst natural disaster since the tsunami in 2004. 109 people are feared to have been buried in landslides. these of torrential rain forced more than 350,000 people to leave their homes and some of them have now begun to return. a far right candidate has narrowly lost the presidential election in austria. norbert hofer was beat by alexander van der bellen, a

pro-eu candidate backed by the green party. less than 1% of the vote made a difference and it was austrians living abroad who helped him win victory. the report on what was a very close race. reporter: a razor thin majority, it was the postal vote that kept the balance, and austrians narrowly avoided a looking the eu's first far right president could alexander van der bellen thanked austrians for their signing agent with national politics, running as an candidate. past affiliations have seen him representing the social democrats and the green party. president-elect van der bellen: i think what we can see from this extremely close result is es, andstria has 2 halv those 2 make up the same country.

reporter: van der bellen said eel theirustria f voices have not heard, alluding to a polarization in austrian politics. he hopes to unite a divided electorate. his rival, far right candidate norbert hofer, confirmed his defeat on social media, reassuring his voters that their support was not in vain. to you i remain loyal continue to contribute towards a positive future for austria. please do not be discouraged. this election campaign is not the loss, but an investment in the future. fer had run an anti-immigration campaign, calling the influx of asylum-seekers and muslim invasion. defining himself as a center-right politician, his critics say his party has roots in austria's not the past -- naz i past. laura: a judge in the united

states has cleared up police officer of the death of a man in police custody. 25-year-old freddie gray, who was black, died after suffering severe spinal injuries during his transportation in a police van and baltimore. he wasn't properly restrained. edward nero, who is white, was cleared today on all charges. he is the first of six police officers to be tried in the case. at that courthouse today, a dozen or so people protested. contrast to the serious public unrest seen last year when news of gray's death was made public. whoing me is james moran, lives in baltimore and is a retired federal official. thanks for being with us. this is clearly a tense time for your city. how has this initial verdict been received? ames: well, the initial verdict at this point seems to have been received with some calm.

there is -- there are several community activist who always believe that the decisions were gray's and that freddie lawyer and the family freddie gray believe that the system is working as it should, which is onhave a trial, to be judged the counts you are charged with, and to have the decision rendered. yes, weions run from need to see this judicial process work, to a more aggressive stance, which is community activists somewhat feel there should be punishment for all police officers involved. there is the diversity of opinion, but the city is calm. course, five other police officers are yet to go on trial.

2 of those police officers are white, three of them are black. are you worried about a return to the terrible scenes we saw last year when public unrest erupted, there was a lot of damage to public property, a lot of writing, and a lot of unrest and a lot of unrest and a lot of community division as well? james: yes mother was violence, but i think -- yes, there was violence, but i think i need to clear up a widespread perception that the entire city of baltimore was burning down. that is actually not true. there were many areas in the city that were very calm, and wanted to continue doing their regular daily business. however, in the property-stricken areas of baltimore and the areas that have been underserved by the government, those were areas where there was increasing violence and hostility towards

the police. a tale of twost cities. in certain pockets where there was widespread poverty, there was writing. there was unrest. there were fires. there was destruction. in areas that were more affluent or in areas that were more stable, there was relative calm. i must say that in baltimore dilapidatedny, many houses.lict there are about 16,000 vacant homes. and many of the communities of color, those homes remain. there is no development, has not been development. and so you have a cycle of poverty that continues.

so that is unfortunate but that is just the way baltimore is situated at this point. laura: now, there is a nationwide concern about the treatment of blacks by white police officers. does baltimore have a problem? james: yes. i would say that there is a widespread perception, and it is born out of actual data. baltimore has paid millions and millions of dollars to settle lawsuits brought by citizens over police brutality and police mistreatment. you can't escape the fact that if a person is beaten, if a person is abused verbally, if a person is arrested on false

pretenses, if entire communities prisonerso be felt as , that there will be widespread resentment. and that has occurred in baltimore. an unknownnot been phenomenon. it is long-standing, and it is pervasive. and so minorities in baltimore, black and brown minorities, at times feel some sense of paranoia, and it is well-deserved and occurs more times than necessary. and because we have paid so much money over the last years to settle these police brutality cases, that certainly is an indicator that things have not changed. , and: james morant

cider interrupt you. we have run out of time. james: all right, thank you. bye-bye. laura: just time for a quick reminder of our top stories, and in austria, the political divide later bear this monday. the country has narrowly avoided electing a foreign president could alexander van der bellen beat his rival with the help of 2000 postal votes. scores of people have been killed and wounded in syria as the islamic state targeted government strongholds on the mediterranean coast. rich countries not pulling their weight when it comes to posting syrian refugees, according to turkey's president, who has attacked the west. are you and humanitarian summit being held in istanbul. time for business news now and do delano d'souza is with us in the studio. time for that bid for a deal.

investors in a from a little nervous about the amount of money the company is offering to buy out a u.s. firm. delano: that's right, laura. stocks in the monday session with the kinds of 5.5% -- the claims -- the kinds of 5.5%. the offer has drawn criticism from shareholders with some saying that the arrogant chief executive is out to build an empire. elliot richardson reports. iot: it is a statement of intent. are offering to buy month center for $6.2 billion from the largest ever foreign takeover by german company is completed, it acquisition of anheuser-busch. we are firmly convinced that this step is the right next up for our business.

our shareholders, customers in both cavities, and employees, too, will profit from this equally. bayer's aim is to create a giant sea chemical company with a strong presence in europe, the united states, and asia. it can make the from the largest agricultural supplier in the world. but they would be entering business with a firm that has been caught in controversy in the past. monsanto has been involved in high-profile lawsuits over the environmental effects of its product. >> our business holds the leading position in plant production. monsanto is the world's leading seed producer. together we can offer our customers even better and especially tailor-made solutions . this is also true with the imminent digitalization of agriculture. forecasts for boost in annual earnings by $1.5 billion after three years if the deal gets done. the takeover is likely to

involve further scrutiny. a major shareholder called the move arrogant empire building when it emerged last week. delano: exactly one month ago and to dust to go until britain votes to stay or leave the european union. fresh analysis from the u.k. treasury. this time a report on the exitt-term impact of a br reports how earnings could decline by more than 4000 pounds by 2030, and says gdp would be 6.3% lower in the first two years, while inflation and unemployment would climb. the prime minister says of all to leave the eu would be a do-it-yourself recession but some are calling the treasury report cap again appeared -- treasury report propaganda. the shock would take the country into recession. this could be the first time in history a recession brought on ourselves. as i stand here with you, it .ould be a diy recession >> they are rattled on that side

of the campaign, putting out more propaganda than we have seen at any time 1992. they said it would be an economic catastrophe, that this country would be left with a european exchange rate negative. that is what the treasury said it what happens? liberation for this economy. delano: boris johnson speaking there. let's get a check of the markets. on wall street, and mixed picture on the main indices. we're seeing modest gains on the dow jones and nasdaq. shows in months and there are soaring following -- shares in monsanto are soaring following bayer's bid. had ass growth in asia 60-month growth in make -- in may. next, on a visit to tehran, indian prime minister narendra modi pledged up to $500 million to develop important. the move would give india trade

access to iran, afghanistan, and central asia. the project is a strategic win for the south asian country, as india was competing with regional rival china for the port's development. >> the agreement to double up the chabahar port and related infrastructure, about 500 ,illion u.s. dollars in india is an important milestone. delano: let's take a look at other stories we are tracking for you now. price cuts are on the cards at europe's largest low-cost airline. fares will fall around 7% in the current financial year and between 10% and 12% during the winter months. the move for the airline comes as it tries to boost its market share. ryanair reported a 43% rise in net profit for the latest financial year but warns that worries surrounding terrorism risks prices falling even further.

plans tosurance giant stop investing in the tobacco industry. the group says it will sell 1.8 billion euros worth of assets it has in the sector. a cited the impact of public health for its decision. the kobane says the case for its divestment is clear as the current cost of tobacco is tragic. forboeing with an order passenger jets from vietnamese airline. the deal was signed in the presence of u.s. president barack obama, who is on an official visit to hanoi. france, fightsin intended to our first the government to rolling back labor reform are continuing. yes shifted to a blockade -- it has shifted to a blockade of oil refineries could this despite police being forced to lift some blockades of the weekend. long queues that

stretch for an beyond the petrol plant. these drivers have been waiting several hours to refuel their cars. this petrol station on the western coast is having to close business. it has gone below the critical supply level of a thousand meters. what about those pumps? "no, there's nothing left." "are you kidding? that is more than two hours i've wasted." it is in response to france's controversial labor reforms. the protest originally started in the rest of the country but it is now stretched out of normandy and the paris region. in the worst affected towns and cities, just 60% of petrol stations are open, and with no knowing when stocks will be replenished, some people are taking all the precautions they can. >> i'm going to run out tomorrow so i am refueling now because i know i will need it. >> i'm using this can because i

have a second car so i can review it when it is anti-. reporter: 860 of france's petrol stations have run completely dry and i further 800 are running low. some of the largest oil depots are also on strike. the government says there is no need to panic yet. if the strike continues, they can make emergency stocks open to the public, around 90 days with the reserve available to be released. delano: finally, "the angry birds movie" jumped to the top of the box office in north america over the weekend. the 3-d animated take on the smartphone game raked in $39 million. the movie cost $73 million to make. it was completely financed by the finnish company who created the game. the high-profile a intended at boosting its popularity -- gamble intended at boosting its popularity. did you ever play the game? laura: no. delano: i'm wondering about

people who never played the game. laura: i don't have time, and i don't think i will see the film come either. delano, thanks indeed. not an angry birds fan. úr

democracynow.org 05/23/16 05/23/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york this is , democracy now! >> the former inspector general for the department of defense, to me the main issue is, can we have a workable system that lets whistleblowers follow their own principled dissent without having them destroyed in the process? amy: today and a democracy now!