genie: you are watching "france 24." time for 60 minutes live around the world. i am genie godula. these are the headlines. french rail workers kickoff and open-ended strike that is already causing travel havoc around the country. the strike is over pay, working reforms to the labor law the government is trying to work through. attacks in mali leave four people dead, including one peacekeeper. al qaeda possible the branch says this is the beginning of a

battle in a northern city. after years of drilling through solid rock, the longest and deepest tunnel in the world opens today in the swiss alps. also coming up this hour, the head of the economic think tank the oh ecb tells us why the french government needs to stay the course on its controversial labor law reform. the president of venezuela tells a big international body to shove it. we will tell you who on the way. first our top story, live from paris. genie: close to half of france's rail network has ground to a halt this wednesday. rail workers have started and open-ended strike in protest over pay, working conditions,

and changes to the french labor rules. it will open up to include the paris metro tomorrow. paris'own is at one of main train stations. what is the situation at the moment? luke: the latest figures we are is that 17% of the workforce have gone on strike this wednesday. ,he 10% that went out last week clearly the strike action is continuing. the situation is relatively calm , as the majority of travelers with 2n forewarned million e-mails being sent out since monday night to warn travelers that their trains could be affected. local trains have been the worst affected, with have to a third of them running faster. having said that, despite the fact that many passengers were

forewarned, we spoke to a few. the repetitive nature of these strikes is beginning to grind many passengers down. they are fed up with having to deal with with the consequences on their daily lives with the strike action. have that the numbers increased from 10% to 17% over the past week, that is likely to cause some concern for the government as it tries to push through various labor market reforms. the current strike is said to be open-ended. the situation is likely to be similar to today. genie: talk us through exactly what the rail workers want. this is not just about the labor reform laws that the government is trying to change. luke: you are quite right. there are two distinct reasons for the strike action. first and foremost is an internal dispute over negotiating changes to the working conditions for rail workers between the trade unions management.

that is overlapping with the slighteduse, which is by two trade unions that have gone on strike. it is putting pressure on the government at the moment. not only has the government got the real strike, but the air traffic controllers strike coming up on friday, added to which is the refineries around the country. that is why the government is trying to get on top of the situation, notably with the transport minister getting involved directly in negotiations, to get the trade unions back on board. many in the french government is looking toward the tournament of european football, which is coming up in about 10 days' time. the aim is for them to get this sorted before then. genie: thank you.

to make matters worse in france, part of the country has been struck with the heaviest flooding in years. northern france and some suburbs of paris have been hit, with rescue services heading out to thousands of homes. catherine clifford has details. catherine: residence taken hostage in northern france after rising water blocks their front door. it is at least a meter and a half. cars are submerged, and emergency services are strange indeed. catherine: some residents are stuck in their homes, watching the water rise, and trying to limit the damage. >> i have been mopping up since yesterday evening. catherine: some have been evacuated by -- some have been evacuated, while others wait it out.

hasregion south of paris been kept at alert, with the risk of flood there. several orange and yellow alerts have been given throughout the rest of the country. meanwhile, in the capital, tourists try to make the most of a somewhat foggy holiday. ande have our ponchos plastic on our feet, and we will keep on walking because we still want to enjoy it. travelne: this couple all the way from shanghai for a photo shoot on their wedding. a rain day -- oh. river lapsas the over its banks, there are fears of more serious flooding to come. thousandsiraq, where

are still trapped inside of the city of fallujah. close to half of them are children. the city has been under siege by iraqi forces for over a week. our correspondent has the details. >> fighting one of its biggest battles against the islamic state group, act by u.s.-led airstrikes, the iraq he army advanced in large numbers from the south, stopping short of fallujah's city limits. a ground assault that was delayed by islamic state accused of guerrilla tactics. >> the extremists are advancing booby-traps in houses and neighborhoods to keep families from getting out and to use them as human shields. they have dug parallel trenches along the positions. around 50,000 civilians are thought to be trapped inside fallujah, and the assault will 's a test of the iraqi army

efforts to protect them while making gains. >> the iraqi forces should create outlets for them to escape. this is just as important as liberating the city. >> the siege of fallujah could take weeks, yet capturing the strategic city remains a priority for the government in baghdad. >> fallujah is regarded as an economic power base for the islamic state group. it's liberation will give hope to the people in the province which is still occupied by jihadist fighters. north, shiite militias are helping consolidate the siege, dislodging islamic state militants and closing off escape routes. but they pledged not to enter the predominantly sunni city of fallujah for fear of aggravating sectarian tensions. genie: the latest reports now from mali's a new fighting has broken out in a northern city. a monitoring group on site says

a battle has broken out with al qaeda local branch. that comes after an attack on tuesday killed four people, including one u.n. peacekeeper. al qaeda has claimed that attack. let's bring in melissa bell. these attacks in mali have grown since over the weekend. bring us up to speed. melissa: the latest attacks have been claimed by the islamic al qaeda in the grip -- sorry. over the course of the last few years, with french intervention, there have been sporadic outbursts of violence. we are talking about the middle of mali, the part that separates the north from the south. after this was announced yesterday, with the peacekeeper killed and civilians, following a weekend in which we saw a number of peacekeepers killed on sunday,

in the ambush, two days earlier, five malian soldiers were killed. it was because the jihadist forces and the independent tour egg rebels, their french decided to intervene in 2013. it is considered a danger to the rest of mali. this is alarming that it should be renewed by this particular part of mali. genie: as you said, the peacekeeping mission has been in place for a few years. there was a peace deal signed between the government and separatists last year. could this fighting mark the end of that deal? >\ melissa: the tour egg rebellion was at the start of this. today the danger is not so much with the toureg rebellion.

the algiers peace deal allow them to find some space and be -- in the political context and the political dialogue. the jihadists that followed that rebellion down toward the theyal dividing line, remain, and they are the principal threat. they are the reason that the french chose to intervene. there is a reason why this force remains to try and fight. a number of different groups -- al qaeda and the number of splinter groups that operate as well -- we saw the attack on bamako in november. remain a huge danger. probably a danger getting even worse, as libya becomes even more unstable and more jihadists are able to filter across the border. this has not gone away. it has likely gone even worse, and we will continue. rathergional level or

than a national level, can the u.n. peacekeeping force with the malian army combat this thread alone? it seems unlikely. genie: thank you for that, melissa bell. switzerland, where the world's longest and deepest tunnel is being inaugurated. it is 57 kilometers, cuts straight through the swiss outs, and it took 17 years to build and cost 11 billion euros. it also cost nine people their lives. that tunnel is seen as more than just a marvel of engineering, but as a symbol of european unity. you are seeing some images of the inauguration ceremony going on right now in switzerland. these are a reminder of the difficult work. for 17 years, workers dug through the alps, achieving an engineering feat. nine people perished in the process.

of thes complex in terms area with this huge mountain in the middle. and it is complex because so many different partners are involved. 57 kilometers long, running feet deep, construction the and in 1999. -- construction began in 1999. through rock as hard as granite and soft as sugar. withspeed trains will people through the tunnel in just 17 minutes. the existing tunnel is much higher up, requiring trains to go through a series of loops. even heavy trains will only need one locomotive through the new tunnel, rather than two or three. freight and0

passenger trains will go through the tunnel every day. it will mean fewer lorries and lighter road traffic. it is seen as a symbol of european unity. the leaders of france, germany, and italy are those invited to make the main voyage through the tunnel. a chance to show solidarity at a time of increasing nationalism. genie: is 15 past the hour on "france 24." french rail workers kick off an open-ended strike that is already causing travel havoc around the country. pay, working over conditions, and labor changes that the government is trying to push through. attacks on u.n. sites in mali leave at least four dead, including one peacekeeper. al qaeda's local branch there says this is the beginning of a battle in the northern city of gao.

some 20,000 children are trapped inside fallujah, after an army is trying to take back the city. time for business news with stephen carroll. you are starting here in france with a warning about the global economy, and france in particular. stephen: the oecd has slashed the forecast for growth in the united states and japan and has called on the government to do more to pull the economy out of the low growth trap. danger ofrns of the the u.k. leaving the european union. it says france needs to push ahead with controversial labor law performs, despite the strikes and protests. i have been speaking to my colleague, markus karlsson. >> our message to the french government is to stay the course, stay the course, stay the course. there is not a single country in which there has been a labor

reform which is popular. there are always moments. >> what do you say to people who are legitimately concerned? way in this best country is going to be able to create more jobs. one of the reasons why it is so anemic in terms of job creation is precisely because of the rigidity of the labor laws. so the flexibility -- we are sorry to see some of the original proposals move by the wayside of the legislative dentists, but it is a very important package. it is a very important beginning, and frankly, i think it is indispensable if france wants to keep its productivity and its competitiveness. stephen: you can view the full interview with angel gurria tomorrow at 16:45 paris time,

and on our website. genie: take us through what is happening on the markets. stephen: european shares trading down at this midpoint of the trading day, and on top of that news from the ocd -- of the oecd about moderate growth this year. you can see london, paris, and frankfurt. in japan, the value of the yen has jumped after the prime minister said he is delaying a planned sales-tax increase. setrise from 8% to 10% is for april next year and will not take place now until 2019. it was a difficult call for zo abe.way -- for shins o genie: less focus on trade talks between the european union and the united states, with fears the two size may be running out -- the two sides may be running out of time. stephen: talks have been going on from almost three years. both sides they have made progress, but agreement would

need to be passed by lawmakers on both sides of the atlantic. the theory is if a deal is not done, it will not go to the u.s. congress before president obama leaves office in january. >> tc ip or not tc ip? of. trade deal, in the face mounting opposition -- as barack obama's presidency nears its end, both sides -- despite the hurdles, u.s. trade representative say the deal can still be done. do everything we can to take advantage of this window of opportunity rather than and two into april till of greater uncertainty. >> both current front runner -- democrat hillary clinton opposed a similar pacific deal, and republican

donald trump's platform is built on an anti-trade message. meanwhile, in the eu, protesters have launched that have long complained that it would result in a drop of 60 centers across the country by bringing them more in line with the u.s. france's agricultural center is showing the most vocal section. cheese couldine or be the value. francois molins says he would reject the deal as it currently landes -- francois hol says he would reject the deal as it currently stands. >> meanwhile, john kline junker says the deals would be austin to the u.s. market, resulting higher growth, better jobs, and better competition with companies abroad. genie: there is an affordable robot from taiwan. stephen: finally.

the robots name is zenbo. he can talk, respond to voice commands, and he is designed to play with children and help older people. controlell stories, entertainment systems, but also remind you about appointments and to take medicine. he is $599, making him much cheaper than similar devices. he doesn't have any arms. genie: i wonder how much an armored cost. -- i wonder how much an arm would cost. time now for the press review. we have florence villeminot with us on the set today. in brazil, with the story of this public anger that is only growing over the alleged gang rape of a teenage girl by what she says is more than 30 men in rio de janeiro, and the video of the assault circulated

on social media. flo: a huge story in brazil. several demonstration are -- several demonstrations are planned today. this is a very interesting piece in a brazilian paper that looks at the statistics that are really stunning. in 2014 police say they recorded a sexual assault every 11 minutes, and police say only 10% of rape cases are actually reported, so you can get an idea of the huge figure we are talking about. bute is a lot of outrage also a lot of victim blaming going on in brazil, and that is what this local -- that is what this article focuses on, the accusations that have been made at this young woman. that maybe she was dressed in a provocative way, that maybe she deserved what she got. are we goinglong to victim-blame, and when are we going to start blaming those who do rape? genie: there are signs that the

country is finally waking up to the gravity of this problem. flo: a bill that has been improved -- that has been approved by the senate increases the penalty for rape, increasing sentences for prison by two thirds grid this focuses on the global phenomenon that this is. ,hey are talking about the rape a crime without borders. the fight against rape is a global fight. and after india in 2012, brazil is confronting this horrible, violent case of gang rape and it helps it will raise awareness around the world. genie: staying with the french papers, the economy minister is back in the spotlight, this time over his taxes. there is a new tax that has determined he undervalued the real real estate assets that he owned, and he will have to pay more tax. flo: he will have to pay one tax call the isf, the solidarity tax on wealth.

it is kind of an institution of socialism created in 1980 under francois mitterrand. it caused a controversy because he said france should get rid of the tax, and now it turns out france will have to pay the tax. it is a big story, originally leaked by the satirical magazine . usually these tax-free evaluations are secret. the fact that the story has linked that has leaked mean someone tr high up is trying to settle scores. himself says there is a witch hunt around him. flo: this weekend he was talking to a bunch of striking workers. it got a little rough, their conversation. at one point he made a comment about the worker's t-shirt and he said the best way to buy a

shoe -- to buy a suit is to work. this brought him criticism of being arrogant, flashing his wealth, and now he is having to deal with his wealth tax. the last couple of days, he says the last couple of weeks, days, anything i said spirals out of control. he says i am no fool, i know some people are trying to weaken and stabilize me. named a french footballer kareem ben zima accuses -- kareem ben zima accuses the french coach for not putting him in for interesting reasons. loco a huge soccer player -- flo: a huge soccer player. deschamps fromer bowing to pressure from racists and not choosing him because of his north african origin. that is why getting the message that he is not on for the euro

cup is starting to pick up. other controversial comments from another soccer legend, he told the guardian last week that excludedschamps had karim benzema and other players. genie: someone else is getting in the mix, a french actor. this is turning into quite a huge scandal. flo: you can read about his comments in "the independent." he said he regretted the fact them were selected to play for france. but the controversy has raised a lot of eyebrows because the french team, the 23 players on the team, is one of the most multiracial teams. ,nly 13 players -- 13 players

rather, are nonwhite you can see the mixed team we are talking about here. this piece reminds readers why isting -- why karim benzema not playing. it is because he is under investigation for this very weird -- for this very tape. he is on the team, even though he might not be playing in every match. -- othercer specials soccer specialists have said there are several french born players of north african origin who would have been picked joined the team, and instead they played for others. this is a popular soccer magazine in france. their whole take on this is it is just the media suicide of karim benzema. he might be a very popular player in spain, but any chances of playing with him again -- he has kissed him goodbye.

you forhanks to watching. for a closer look at this press review coming you can check out our website, franceto four.com. coming up in the nextbq

>> this next panel is--it's-- i think it's really important to me because it's so rare to find honesty in the environmental movement. not many p people are willing to confront the reality o of the situation we face. i think that's really understandable because that's a hard reality to face. but it's mymy belief that only by truththfully looking at the situation and moving through the process of grief can we come to a place of action. so with that said, i want toto introduce our panelists. this is guy mcpherson. he's a professosor emerititus from the university of arizona >> [applause] > shortlyly after earning a ,