♪ host: this is "france 24." time now for 60 minutes live around the world. these are the headlines. syrian army takes more than a quarter of territory previously held by rebels and aleppo. the number of people who are run from the ravaged city now tops 80,000. france's prime minister wrapped up his first ever cabinet meeting. he takes over from the man who quit the job yesterday to focus on his presidential campaign.

a parliamentary showdown between the british government and pro-europe mps. british lawmakers will be asked to vote on the prime minister's plan to start brexit my march of next year. up for you this hour, a record fine for the drug company pfizer for overcharging britain's national health service. the details are coming up. the french capital is covered in smog as paris is hit with its worst pollution in 10 years. more on that on the way. first, our top story live from paris. ♪ host: he will start first in syria where pro-opposition activists say the entire city of aleppo has been recaptured by the syrian army. regime forces now control all but almost a quarter of the

area. tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped in the city as the rebels continue to lose more and more territory by the day. the rebels themselves have called for an immediate five day cease-fire to try to save civilians there. a regional correspondent has more now on this very symbolic loss of aleppo. >> what we're hearing from the syrian observers for human that thed others is government forces now control all the old city. what we know is that yesterday was the defensive by government forces to take neighboring areas accompanied by very heavy shelling. that heavy shelling continued into the night. opposition forces withdrew from those areas. this is not the only loss that they have faced in the last few days. is this the beginning of the end, there's nothing i slated that was lost yesterday.

consolidated the neighborhood and that is perhaps a bigger loss to them that the old city quarters, which the opposition says has been conceded that they made losses. they still hold some of that ground, but just in the last two weeks, they have lost some 75% of the territory they control in eastern aleppo. whether they will continue at this rate, it will be difficult to see how much longer they can hold up. it is still a significant barrier. we are talking to-three kilometers and there are thousands of civilians in the 100,000 in as almost the rebel held control area. ts.t: that was adam plet bernard cason note has taken ,ver who quit the job yesterday to focus on his presence will

campaign. we have more from the presidential palace where that meeting took place. reporter: this has been a limited reshuffle. only the prime minister changed. he was replaced with a new interior minister. we were told here by officials made tos reshuffle was deliberately ensure stability and that the government was able to get to work. he was chosen because of the experience and he knows the government very well. the president also trust him and pleasantly -- implicitly. he said, countering the terror threats to france is his number one priority. that, there's also boosting jobs and growth. he says that there is only five months left, every day will count and he is going to work

every day in the general interest detached from the political process because neither he nor the president will be seeking to continue their political careers after the election the cycle. host: as you were just saying, the new government has only five months to go. out of the former prime minister has left to pursue his presence will campaign, francoise a lot is not running again. might that give the government a certain amount of freedom to actively pursue policies without worrying about any fallout or the effect it might have on a campaign? reporter: yes, that's the other side of the corin. the french president and the new prime minister are in a way freed up to get down to work and not worry about reelection or , and worrying about anything that would damage whoever becomes the socialist party's chances -- candidates chances.

we will have to wait and see hollande taking risks may be on the diplomatic scene. this wednesday, we had him hitting out russia over syria, saying the u.n. veto had russia deliberately obstructing any attempts toward peace. he said that gave comfort to the regime of al-assad. that was a quote from the french president. maybe he has a freer hand to speak out now that he is not up for reelection again. host: that is catherine nourse trent. the u.k. is gearing up for a parliamentary showdown between the government and pro-eu mps. british lawmakers will be asked to vote on prime minister starta' mays plan to brexit by she appeared -- next year. that is the for negotiating her

strategy before trickling the article 50. we are joined now from london for more on the story. benefits, how surprising is it that the prime minister agreed to publisher plans? how did we get here? reporter: it is somewhat surprising, but what has theened is that you have government of theresa may saying , buts not going to give the media and the country are clamoring for details yo. you have the labour party who has won a right to have a debate on this brexit strategy and are demanding the government publishes what they call a pretty detailed plan, a pretty detailed negotiating plan. if they do get details on this, then they will continue pressing and parliament the government for details of this. the countermove of the

government's surprisingly night was indeed to say, ok, do that, but in turn, we're going to add an amendment of our own and that is when you vote, you vote to agree that the government will trigger article 50. it is the beginning of the now 18 months apparently negotiating plan with e.u. at the end of march, by the end of march twice 17. we will have that debate. that debate will kick off a vote around 7:00 p.m. london time. both labor and theresa may's government claim a victory over this. it is now clear that the final amendment is going to receive widespread backing in the house of commons. host: all this comes as the supreme court there is still waiting to decide whether or not brags it can begin without a vote in parliament. tell us more about that. reporter: we are on the third

day. tomorrow is the fourth and supposed to be the final day of this hearing. it is the government's appeal of a high court decision last month ruling that parliament and not the prime minister, not the government of the united kingdom carries the power of negotiations to invoke the famous article 50. case, it's about whether the law freely means of the government can trigger that or whether there needs to be a vote in parliament. there's a very strong feeling and parliament and indeed across the country about this. remember that the brags it vote was in june. it was a 52% vote in favor of brexit. we've been hearing the case put and now alsoment by those who want in the high court saying it should be parliament.

wales has their word to say. it is all going to be very complex, but do not expect a ruling from all 11 judges on the supreme court until mid-january . a lot more details to come and certainly that momentous decision by the supreme court, whether it is the united kingdom government of theresa may going through this rocky time over her strategy of exit or whether it indeeded parliament who will be able to give the green light to the government to trigger article 15 at ma 50 next march. wherenow to indonesia frantic rescue operations are underway to find survivors from a massive earthquake. the death toll is now close to 100 the 6.2 magnitude earthquake struct just after 5:00 a.m. local time. that was the same area devastated by this anomaly in tsunami ine scene ar

2004. reporter: this mosque was crushed after an earthquake. the undersea earthquake occurred after locals have been preparing for early morning prayers. the epicenter was not far from the village to a major search and rescue operation is underway. received newsg i of the earthquake. i've ordered all government agencies to take part in the rescue efforort as per their authority. reporter: dozens of people have been killed while overcrowded locals have been treating the wounded. that many other people may be trapped under the rubble. earthquakes are common in the indonesia, which sits on the infamous ring of firefox. wednesday's quake is the

deadliest this year for residents. it also brings up painful memories of the 2004 tsunami. host: ghana is voting today for its next president. people began lining up at polling stations before dawn this morning. voter enthusiasm has been hi there despite concerns about the elections credibility. we have a report from the capital of accra. reporter: i'm standing here at a polling station in central accra and it is probably the most scenic i've ever been to in my life under the shade of these beautiful trees. electoral officials are making sure voters have everything they need. they come in and they are registered and their details are by metrically verified and then they go collect their ballots. voters are electing a new member of parliament as well as a president today. the man overseeing to make sure everything is working well as mr. lawrence. how has voting gone so far?

>> it has been smooth from the morning. reporter: heading into this election, it has been a very intense come petition, especially in the presidential race. what has the atmosphere than like where you work and among voters coming in? >> so far, i think we have not had any problems here. they come in and cast their vote and leave to their places. stationthe coolest here. reporter: ghana has been very proud of its reputation as being a democratic country, one that enjoys a peaceful vote. why do you think that is so important to ghana? because thisrtant theirre they can give

vote to whoever they want to become president of the country. everyone is saying it is cool to them. if you stay in your house, you can't complain. reporter: wonderful. thank you very much and good luck with the rest of the day. there are seven presidential candidates for voters to choose from. 16 million registered voters here in ghana. it is a hotly contested race and results are expected by friday at the very latest. that is katerina reporting from the election in ghana. france, it might be bright and sunny in paris, but that good weather has brought with it a new peak and pollution. it is the worst of the french capital has seen in 10 years. of all cars are for a bit and from taking to the streets for a second day in a row today

with only cars with odd number plates allowed to drive. on the flipside, all public transportation and harris, including the metro buses and trains, are free. the french capital covered by a blanket of small. og. from the air, the eiffel tower is barely visible. there's been heavy pollution from french cities and beyond as well as elsewhere in europe. there are speed restrictions on regional routes to combat pollution. in greater paris, an alternative number system has been put in place. on the even numbered cars are allowed to drive and odd numbers are not permitted in the whole of paris and suburbs. reporter: drivers who break the rules will face fines and may have their vehicles impounded. >> no, i didn't know. >> it has been on the new since yesterday. >> i didn't understand how the

audit even numbers work. on tuesday, and learned more than 1700 fines were issued. authorities say they are trained to educate drivers. >> it's mostly a preventative measure because we try to change people's habits and not just empty their wallets for no reason. the aim is to lower traffic. reporter: well only half the vehicles are allowed on the roads, public transport was offered for free. >> it makes people understand the importance of using their vehicles less. that's a good thing that they live differently without their cars. >> i had to get up earlier in the morning, but i hope it only lasts a couple of days and not more than that. reporter: the alternative traffic scheme is running for a second day this wednesday. this time its only odd number plates allowed on paris streets. host: time now for business news on "france 24." the european union has find three banks over their part in a conspiracy till rig -- two rig

lending rates. guest: j.p. morgan chase has been fined a total of 4.5 million euros for rigging prices connected to interbank lending rates in the eurozone. the european commission said that the lenders help with sensitive information led to the the biggest fine of more than 330 million euros. along with hsbc and credit agricole, they're facing persecution. then, deutsche bank was fined more than 4 billion euros. the banks will appeal. host: donald trump has announced a major new investment from a japanese company. guest: it is to invest $50 billion in the united states with the hopes of creating 15,000 jobs. the money will go toward text firms -- tech firms and startups.

in the past, they have clash with american regulators over bands over its plans to buy t-mobile. the company ceos making the investment as a result of donald trump election. he met donald trump on tuesday. >> ladies and gemma, this is from softbank of japan. he has just agreed to invest $50 billion in the united states and 50,000 jobs. he is one of the great men of industry, so i just want to thank you. celebrate his to new job. we were talking about it. , in i said, as i celebrate will commit because he has a lot of deregulation. the united states will become great again. host: next now to a record fine

over drug prices in the u.k.. pharmaceutical giant pfizer has been ordered to pay 84 million pounds were almost 100 billion euros for overcharging britain's national health service. the uk's competition authority issued the fine over a massive price rise. that was for an anti-epilepsy drug from 2012 to 2013. here are the details. reporter: a record fine for pfizer. accused drug giant is of overcharging britain's national health service for an anti-epilepsy drug. the uk's competition and markets authority says the price charged to the nhs was hiked by up to 2600%. in a statement, it says these extraordinary price rises have cost the nhs and the taxpayers tens of millions of pounds. distributed foot pharmacists one point 6 million euros for charging excessive prices for the drug.

used by theing capsules rose by 2 million pounds a year in 2012 to about 50 million pounds in 2013. this is because pfizer sold the rights to distribute the drug, which do you branded the firm to sell it at a higher price. in a statement, pfizer rejected the findings and said it would appeal against the decision. > they were a lossmaking drug for pfizer and lost the opportunity to secure ongoing supply. reporter: they have for months to reduce the price of the drug in two months to appeal the decision. guest: let's take a look at what is happening in the markets next for you. we have european shares trading up this wednesday, led by the banks. credits we shares are up more than 7% after it announced a new cost-cutting plan. 1%.on and frankfurt both up

a short time ago, some gains in paris. the good news is that swedish furniture chain ikea has profits that rose by a fifth in 2016, driven by strong sales growth in china. they rose in 27 of the 28 markets it operates in. they rose to a record 35.1 billion euros. host: just to wrap up right now, starbucks is making big plans. part of theis all plan as ceo howard schultz steps down from his job. he will focus on his new role opening new markets, reserve cafes. they have different products on sale and a different the court as well. you want to be prepared. coffee made in a glass siphon will be $10 a cup. it may cost $50 for 225 grams.

a little more expensive than your average caramel maki ou cchiato. host: the business team is obsessed with coffee. you're talking about mcdonald's cafe and now starbucks. you are not the only one. [laughter] stephen carroll for business. now time for the press review. [laughter] ♪ host: it is time to take a look at what the newspapers have been saying today. we have allison sergeant here on the set. guest: let's start in germany where the press is a reacting to angela merkel speech yesterday after she was reelected leader of the christian democrats. she won 89.5% of the vote. it is her second lowest score some she took over the party in 2000. two years ago, she was at almost 97%. the paper notes a decline, but it's only a slight one.

meanwhile, another german newspaper notes that the merkel we saw yesterday was different than the comforting merkel we are used to. fearsay she stoked instead of proposing a solution. was herbig surprise call to ban full faced veils in germany. guest: she called them inappropriate and supporting banning them whenever possible. she did not mention the burqa by name, but that has been the general interpretation. headline makes their -- "angela merkel makes her pitch, calls for burqa ban." it was the one that garnered the most applause yesterday. since it is a change in tone, there's an article that tries to explain why germany is famously chancellor proposed a burqa ban. is to shore fox, it up support from more conservative members of her

party. host: now the provinces morning the death of their prime minister. guest: she was laid to rest on the marina. that is the front page of "the hindu." of india'sled one most powerful and controversial figures. it has really been hard to find negative press about her in the past few days. her passing is seen as the end of an era. of india focuses on the onus of carrying forward her legacy. you can see the prime minister was one of thousands to attend her burial. so did not leave a will, there are questions of who will carry on not only her political legacy, but who will inherent things. host: one paper is picking up on one way she will continue to live on and that is in euros. guest: there is a nice article

that has slideshows of portraits painted. on the walls, she will live for a long time. it is a particularly nice one that you can see her depicted between the eyes of a tiger. i do not know if we can pull that up. host: in the meantime waiting for that, in france, there has been a lot of reaction to an education study known as the program for international student assessment. yearsomes out every three and french papers are not happy with the way france came out. guest: france came in 20 sixth place this year. norm is neither worse tha better than the last time it came out. you can see it on the front page that france is as mediocre as ever -- why is that? they have an idea. in an editorial, the right-wing paper blames the egalitarianism of the education minister. they say france is sacrificing

merit and the name of social equality, which is in effect driving the high achieving students down rather than pulling the other ones up. host: that's ironic because france was found to have an extremely high inequality rate among students. guest: that is very worrying to france's business paper. the ocd worries that inequality in front schools that a student in a lower income families is four times will likely to struggle in a school in france. the paper reminds us that it is not all bad. sayingve more nuance french students have been progressing and reading copperheads and since 2009. host: france has one very stellar student. he has been very active on social media since he got up to the international space station. guest: he has been posting about a photo a day on twitter,

documented his life. he sent a nice one of the nile lit up at night. there's a photo of him ar repairing the toilet oxxxxxxxxxm

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