tens of thousands of people have fled raging wildfires and israel's northern city of haifa. several countries including france, turkey and russia are sending airplanes to help put out the fires which has been burning for three straight days. benjamin netanyahu has blamed the fires on arsonists and says any proof of them being started to liberally will be treated as terrorism. -- if started to liberally. reporter: even the military has

been mobilized to put out the worst fires in israel since 2010. tens of thousands have been evacuated from the area around the northwestern city of haifa. >> all of a sudden, people started to panic. the fire began to extend to the trees, to the bushes, to the school and the parking lot. reporter: police are still investigating the causes, but a number of leading figures, including the prime minister, suspect arson. >> we are facing arsonists terror and incitement. for us, they are the same and we will bring our full legal force to get those responsible. reporter: others argue the priority should be saving lives. >> this is not a place for politics. this is a place to hold hands together, all of us. i'm calling on all young people, jews and arabs to help with the

evacuation. reporter: the fires have spread quickly since they began on tuesday. that's due to the recent dry, windy weather. dozens of people are being treated in hospitals for smoke inhalation. cyprus, russia, italy and other countries are assisting the israeli firefighters with equipment as the fires continue. >> for more we can go to israel. our correspondent is standing by. dramatic scenes in israel's third largest city. what is the latest information you have? >> tonight, we know that large areas of haifa are without power. 75,000 residents have been evacuated. dozens of homes have been burned. and firefighters for the third day are battling these flames. it is unprecedented to see fires inside haifa. there have been fires in israel

before but not inside the city. there are also fires here near jerusalem. not far, the main road between tel aviv and jerusalem was closed. it is a wooded area and thousands of acres of trees have gone up in flames. and there was a fear that gas stationin they are pretty tried to protect because that whole area could go up. what is the cause of all this? partly the weather. it is very tinder dry at the moment. these wild winds spread the fire everywhere very quickly. it goes up like that. but there is a suggestion from the security services that 50% of these fires are actually caused by arson, deliberately lit. >> some members of the governments appear to be blaming the country's arab minority for starting the fires. >> that's right. we have heard from the police chief and from israel's prime minister.

that these are national crimes, as they call them. israel's prime minister said it was terrorism by fire. what we've heard from israel's arab community, haifi is a mixed city. what we have heard from the leaders of israel's arab community has been horror at this blaming. this is not the time for finger-pointing. this is the time for beating these fires. and afterwards, whoever started them, because it appears there has been quite a bit of arson, they have seen evidence of that from cameras and so forth, that whoever is responsible must be charged and that must happen. but to blame whole community before we actually know who it is, say the arab-israeli leaders is irresponsible. on a personal level, we have seen local arabs opening their homes to the thousands of people who are without homes tonight.

on a personal level, we do see people reaching across to each other, but leaders versus just. are suspicious. there will be a special unit to investigate the fires after the fact. >> thank you very much, indeed. reporting from jerusalem. coming in from south america. the emergency services in el toalvador have ordered people evacuate coastal areas. could also beast affected. forecasters are projecting waves of up to a meter high. that is the situation we are keeping a close eye on for you. now, in france, the two men fighting to present the center-right are clashing in a live debate. they have similar economic policies.

some numbers saying that he will win from this contest with his much a city 5% of the vote. this was a dramatic turnaround from last week when jupe was considered the favorite. i am joined by the cofounder of an app which allows you to rate politicians. thanks for being with us on "france 24" tonight. the polls have been looking very favorable for francois -- do you think alain jupe has a chance of turning things around tonight? last week he was the favorite. be difficult if he stays on the line he chose since sunday. francois to present fillon as a far right wing

candidate. onlye facto said support will get him from the strategy is from the left wing voters. those will probably will come perhaps on sunday to the polls but -- less numbers that we have been observing it last week. these primarys contest will need the support of the left if they are to win the second round of the election. >> well, the difference between francois fillon and alain jupe is so high that it would suppose that all left-wing voters from to give jupee a chance to win on. saturday evening

>> who do you think marie le pen will want to win the vote? to make it through to the second round of the presidential election next year. >> i would not be able to tell you what she is thinking or expecting. >> who is more likely to beat her, to put it another way? >> well, the popular support francois fillon is getting from million people who came last sunday to the polls is really a small basis for him. and think if he is able to build on this movement, he will probably, the one in the best position to defeat her within six months. but at that point, let's be clear, no one i able tos credit if she will be there in six months. >> absolutely. still a long way off.

thank you very much, indeed. now to iraq. 80 people have been killed by a truck arming south of baghdad. most of the victims were shiite pilgrims on their way home from kabbalah. islamic state has claimed responsibility of a bombing of a petrol station. reporter: according to the latest death toll the number of casualties has risen to over 80 killed, most of them iranian pilgrims. waypilgrims were on their back to iran stopping at a gas station with a restaurant where the suicide bombing happened. this attack is typical of islamic state when they are under pressure by iraqi forces. nurrently mosul -- the push of

mosul is advancing slowly but surely. madeauthoritiesh in iraq an extra special effort to keep this program safe and the city of kabbalah. it seems the islamist managed to exploit a weak spot for people who are on their way home. >> the security measures are ight beforey tel and during the pilgrimage. the main focus is to protect the pilgrims on their way into kabbalah. the pilgrims were -- the pilgrimage was over three days ago and the pilgrims stayed behind to shop and stay in the holy city for a bit longer. they were on the way back where all of the roads are open. security measures have lightened after the government -- >> the united nations says it is

poised to bring truckloads of aid to civilians in eastern aleppo. that last food delivery was 10 days ago and supplies in easter's did -- in the eastern districts are running dangerously low. tens of thousands of people have been living under siege since july. josh: no access to hospitals of desperate for food and other aid. civilians in eastern aleppo will have to wait for the syrian government and green light from russia to receive u.n. supplies. u.n. says that rebel forces have already agreed. >> the trucks are ready. the humanitarian workers are ready. we need written support and we need unconditional support also from russia. and we are waiting still for the

answer from the government of syria. josh: aid deliveries have been unable to reach eastern aleppo ande july when iranian russian forces cut off the last supply route. 250,000 have been under siege since then and continues airstrikes for the past week. there are 8 hospitals but all are out of action are barely functioning. meanwhile, syrian authorities say rebels are not allowing people to leave the sector calling on them to clear mines from t the humanitariann corrid. residents say they are too afraid to use the corridors. if syrian army forces minister extend their hold over eastern aleppo, it will be one of their more significant victories and five years of war. >> another blow to turkey's relationship with the european union. the european parliament has

voted to freeze membership talks with ankara. citing the governments crackdown following july's attempted coup. has dismissedan the vote as worthless. >> it's not binding but it is intended, to send a clear signal to turkey that e.u. membership of the happen anytime soon. mep's approved the resolution by a 479-37 margin to freeze all of turkey's membership negotiations. it's seen as the e.u.'s way of showing disapproval for the measures taken by president erdogan's administration in response to july's failed coup. mep's say the freeze in negotiations will continue till these measures are stopped. turkey's european union ministers said this about breaches basic european values and that turkey will ignore it.

consider this decision knowledge void. -- null and void. we can't take it seriously because of its vision. the european parliament is known for democratic principles and pluralism, as in all e.u. institutions. unfortunately, the democratic perspective disappears when the subject is turkey. non-binding vote is some officials say long-term talks over turkey's membership waiting-- may well continue. ankara has sought to join for 11 years. it was seen as an important step to aid the country's elite economy but some fear that blocking turkey ammay anger ankara into closer ties with russia and possibly going through with the threat ever languishing its nato membership. -- of relinquishing its nato

membership. >> people in ukraine was soon be able to travel to e.u. member states without visas. they made the announcement after meeting with the ukrainian president today in brussels. in return, they e.u. wants kiev to crack down on corruption. he hopes the united states continued to back sangin is against moscow after donald trump takes office in january. time they are hoping it is official. colombia's president santos and farc leader has signed a peace accord to end latin america's longest running insurgency. the first accord was rejected and a referendum. -- in referendum. catherine: an historic and shake as a new accord is signed between the colombian president and the farc leader, a standing ovation. the first attempt at peace after

september's was rejected in a national referendum. i recognize this new agreement is better than the one we signed in cartegna. it brings together the hopes of the vast majority of colombians. >> it will go to the congress for approval. initially considered too lenient, the main points with the farc having to pay compensation for victims. and they will face harsher detention sentences and a special tribunal will have to deal with all cases within 10 years. the amended version has the support of many colombians. >> the majority of people in this country except this peace agreement because we have lived in a state of war for over 50 ye ars. and because we do not want anymore bloodshed in our country. >> however, it does not leave

everyone with some -- such as former president uribe a believing the new version offers too much impunity to the farc. congress is expected to vote on the deal next week. the government has a solid majority and other parties have packed the deal. it is expected to be ratified. o which works to improve women's rights in pakistan has won the jacque chirac foundation pirze. -- prize. work that is often dangerous and sometimes life-threatening. reporter: a woman running an ngo in pakistan is a dangerous endeavor. >> when you try to change the system, and those who are beneficiaries of the old system try to move to hurt you. they will spread propaganda to suppress you. they scare you so much you go silent. reporter: she's the founder of that focuses on

women's rights in pakistan. members meet every week to discuss how to change attitudes towards social issues in the country. >> the purpose of this discussion is to focus on the youth and the changes they go through while growing up. and the interactions men and women have with each other. she belongs to the tribe near the afghan border, a conservative part of pakistan. the organization has changed his worldview and he is advocating the same to his family. >> first, i work on my family and as he witnessed, my brother is here with me, too. he is also an activist. so the changes slowly coming. he used to be very conservative. he also works for domestic health. she has been grooming them to form unions to improve working conditions. >> before training, they did not give fig.

but we talked to them and said that we need sunday off. we continue to fight for our rights. they have increased our salary and giving us the day off. reporter: the ngo established in early 2000. since then, the initiative has helped thousands of women fighting for their rights. we are going to bring in more business news. hi, ,there, kate. starting with some data that could prove crucial to hollande's hopes of winning the presidency again. >> very well timed good news coming out of for the french president of the french economy. on a plumbing has hit a t -- unemployment h as hit a two year low. the number of unemployed people in mainland france fell by .3% to 3.48 million, that represents a drop of 100,000 since the beginning of the year. creating jobs has been a top

priority for hollande, and he said he will not stand for reelection unless unemployment begins dropping steadily. overall, the number of people seeking work now is still higher than when he took office in 2012. this latest data will give him a boost. he is yet to announce his candidacy. take a listen to his reaction to the latest jobs numbers. >> as i've said, the battle is long. has been going on for many years and the rewards are now showing. even now, since the beginning of the year, unemployment has been dropping, even if it still is high. kate: this figures came in after the european markets close. 1%.cac 40 gaining 1/3 of the dax a little bit lower as the confidence in the eurozone's largest economy remains strong. wall street is close this thursday for american celebrating thanksgiving. the european central bank has s financialeurozone'

stability is being put at risk because of growing political instability. the ecb said that both the brexit referendum and the u.s. presidential election increased an indicator of stress which could further rise depending on the result of italy's referendum and elections in france and germany next year. specifically the bank said that president elect donald trump's policies could trigger a trade war. market should brace for corrections or losses. now, 10 million el bakraoui per y.y -- 10 million euros per da it's how much the strike has been costing the german airline. short flights will still be affected as action continues on friday. why can't the two sides reach a deal? reporter: travelers at munich airport are left stranded. as lufthansa canceled 912 flights on thursday. it is not the first time their plans have been disrupted. this is the 14th pilot strike

since april 2014. the pilot's unit has been battling for an average annual pilotsrease of 3.7% for over five years from 2012. lufthansa offered a 2.5 way type spread over six years to 2019. and has urged the union to end with mediation. but the union wants to see a better offer, as well as improved working conditions for pilots. for this because we can see that our customers are suffering as a result of the strike. that is why we think it is cynical to say it is only about financial damage. ceo has: lufthansa's said the company would have no chance of survival if it caved inot th -- into the demands. it is facing stiff competition from regional rivals and is suffering huge losses because of the strike. >> on every strike day, we will lose on a scale of about 10

million euros. reporter: but according to the union, that is a small amount of their profits. earlier this month, their first-quarter sales retreated by $8.8million euros to billion. the unions have been -- suffered a certificate loss of purchasing power due to inflation. the strike is expected to continue until friday, affecting short haul flights mainly. kate: another transport strike is on the horizon. this time in london, where drivers on two fht eic -- the city's underground lines have voted to stop working in protest of a breakdown in industrial relations. andstrike on the sixth seventh of december will coincide with a walkout by guards on the southern maryland. tyson -- has reported a 4% drop in net profits. sales also slumped 8% and orders

dipped even further. the company is struggling to deal with the global steel glut. the chinese travel company has bought sky canner -- scanner for 1.6 billion euros. it's the biggest in the chinese market. the latest in a string of global acquisitions by chinese companies seeking to grow in foreign markets. sincet over two weeks india's prime minister announced he was pulling 80% of banknotes from circulation. as part of a crackdown on the black economy. but the decision has left people short of cash and some businesses without customers. how are those businesses and individuals faring? this fruitt market, the affects of the policy are plainly visible.

normally a bustling hive of economic activity, business has slowed to a crawl. goods rot on the street waiting for customers who do not arise. the market is empty. there are no customers. our business has stopped. reporter: it is just one measure of the fallout from india's self-inflicted cash crunch. prime minister modis' announcement on november 8 that india's two largest in nomination bills would be scrapped that led to protests in parliament and long lines at banks and atm's. the policy is part of an effort to crackdown on tax evasion and modernize india's shadow economy where close to 90% of all transactions are conducted in cash. since the announcement, 80 billion euros worth of currency has been turned in. businesses are scrambling to offset the damage. in some cases playing -- paying

employees months of salaries in advance, but india's working poor have few options. banks and atms' are unable to keep up with demand for new notes. >> everyone is in trouble because there is no money in our pockets. we eat one day and go hungry the next. i'm unable to earn money because i'm standing in line. reporter: the government is asking citizens to hold on, saying the short-term pain will give way to long-term economic benefits. kate: very difficult situation for a lot of people in india as they continue to try to change those notes. >> thank you very much. we are taking a short break. much more still to come. ♪

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♪ amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> these people -- see that woman over there, she was hit right in the face. >> the dog has blood on its nose and its mouth. [screaming] amy: today we bring you highlights of our coverage of the standoff at standing rock in