anchor: a fragile cease-fire in syria, reports of fresh violence more the response by russia and turkey. that deal, they say, will pave the way for peace talks. russia's president vladimir putin says no u.s. diplomats will be expelled to fight washington's decision to expel 35. modern hottest year in times. scientists say by the end of 2016, 3 million square meters of polar ice will have melted as a

result of global warming. welcome back to the france 24 newsroom. thank you very much for joining us. we begin in syria where a cease-fire deal backed by russia and turkey have been marred by clashes, shelling, and air raids. wouldis hope the truce help bring nearly six years of violence in the country to an end. the united states has been sidelined in the latest negotiations and is not due to take part in the peace talks in kaz extent. once president-elect donald trump takes office in january, the u.s. will be invited to participate. >> there are increasing reports of cease-fire violations elsewhere in the country. here in rebel controlled -- it is holding. are committed to this

cease-fire and to keeping civilians safe. but we are here on the frontline in case the regime tries to attack. we think this truce is a game but we are committed to it. reporter: similar skepticism in the face of this russia and turkey brokered truce. after all the syrians have witnessed firsthand how tita previous attempts -- ultimately crumbling. >> the people want a cease-fire so they can live in peace. it is not acceptable, it is not sincere. this army kills people. the government is shipping in militias from all over. >> the cease-fire is good. it is good to get a break from the planes and bombings and the death. we are tired. the battle may have dimmed since the truce came into four,, another weapon of

still being deployed by the regime. humanitarian aid is not yet getting through to the 700 house and civilians across 15 areas. the u.n. estimates are in dire need of help. >> we are ready, willing, we are able to go to all of the 15 remaining the siege areas. we can go in the next days to all of them. to secure the guarantee from all sides and we are not given them. reporter: it is a race against the clock and the cold to reach those syrians in the siege areas as the temperature continues to drop. anchor: we can speak to a scholar of the middle east and professor of studies in beirut.

peace talks we understand are due to begin soon in kaz extent. the assad regime are going to arrive in those talks in a pretty strong position. toone can say that thanks the agreement between the russians and the turks, which doomed the fate. one can say the regime is in a tough negotiating position. reporter: what about that demand that existed as a precondition for talks to go ahead? the demand that the regime of bush are al-assad -- the regime will come toassad an end. >> also because turkey seems to have abandoned the rebels and the events in aleppo attest to that. relies any condition in regard to the regime.

toit is very difficult imagine a scenario in which after the fighting is over and all of the syrian people have been through, that they begin to accept the shot al-assad as their ruler once again, given what they have been through. most unfortunate because the syrian up riding best syrian uprising has been the bloodiest and the longest. none of the arab uprisings have succeeded. it seems that syria is no exception. >> we understand seven of the rebel groups have been invited, but the radical islamist groups are not invited. do you think we can have a situation where there is peace in syria without the participation of those groups?

guest: i don't really think so because the cease-fire agreement hahas loopholes and the regime .ill be at liberty to strike there is fighting taking place today despite the cease-fire. -- iovides water with understand hezbollah launched a ground offensive today. i think we can continue to before major object does the various protagonists go to a standard meeting toward the end of this month. >> it is interesting the united states has been left out of this process, this peace process up until this point. do you think that is a major humiliation for washington?

really. syria is not a major regional country for the u.s. to worry about. it was made possible by american acquiescence. it, there is a general understanding between the americans and the russians. and how they should come to an end. anchor: thank you very much for your analysis. presidentnow, russian vladimir putin says moscow will not expel any u.s. diplomats. comes amid claims that

russia orchestrated a cyber assault on the american political system and help donald trump to win these november presidential races. it said the country will carry out any retaliatory measures. no immediate plans to discuss this with moscow. >> indiscriminate choreography in its best. for reciprocal measures to be taken. 35 diplomats to be expelled from russian -- from russia, american diplomat's of course. vladimir putin said no, we're not going to do that, at least not at this point. we are to wait for donald trump. that is the key.

russia has reason to believe that one donald trump, the president-elect is in power on january 20, perhaps diplomatic relations between russia and the u.s. will improve. is the signalhis that russia believes at the very least that this is the last, the sanctions are the last bump in their room -- bump in the road. anchor: today was the deadline in india for people to exchange their high denomination banknotes. this is all to crackdown on tax evasion. the initiative hasn't been without its problems. and the cash squeeze it has caused will most slickly deal a blow to the country's economic growth. reporter: this money is now unusable.

the notes were declared void early this month. the only option for people is to exchange them. the prime minister h has said ts will help to combat tax if asian. only one person paid income tax in 2013. the process has been disruptive. there has been no great output 50 days later. >> this may lead to better days in the future. reporter: it could be costly at

next year's regional elections and some members of the ruling after party are starting to realize this. a campaign leader in india's most popular state. every candidate will be contesting polls because they feel people may not vote. didn't didn't to the banks, there may still be an option. branches of the reserve bank of india will accept notes until the 31st of march 2017. the process will be more complicated than going to a regular bank. anchor: according to a recent survey, a majority of french parents still give their children the occasional spank for being naughty. as of the first of january, all forms of corporal punishment will be made illegal. everyone is pleased about this change to the law.

>> a smack on the bottom, and age-old method employed by generations of parents to discipline their children. >> it needs to be done. it doesn't bother me. >> i get told off for being lazy. but afterwards on please because i get good marks at school. i think for me it is useful. >> 85% of parents in france say they resort to spanking. as of 2017 all corporate punishment will be illegal. the french civil code also bans verbal and -- society supports this idea that in order for children to be raised properly they need to be smacked. this idea needs to be changed. it's about making them understand they are reaching their objectives.

>> it is finally telling the line, joining the ranks of 30 other european nations. child abuse associations argue that banning violence with your children leads to many societies benefits. many know aren't convinced. surveys last year show that more than two thirds of french parents were against the ban. >> the warmest year in modern times. isething the scientists say a result of our dependence on fossil fuels. 3 million square meters of polar ice has melted during the course of this year alone. >> a new heat record for planet earth.

haven't been this high in the last 137 years. they were 1.2 degrees celsius above average in 2016. in thes left crack's ground, tropical hurricanes grew more violent. these weather phenomenon and more are directly caused by rising temperatures due to greenhouse gas in missions. rising water temperatures and rising winds are amplifying its natural pattern. the most spectacular consequence is the disappearing polar ice caps. the arctic's saw temperatures 20 degrees above average. >> at the end of this summer, the polar ice caps were half the size they were in the 70's. they are disappearing quickly and could be gone by the end of the century. the ice caps, global

warming will only accelerate. ice acts like a mirror. rays,lects the sun's absorbed by the ocean when it disappears, heating the water instead. the icecaps melted at a faster rate in 2016 than in the last 30 years. >> thanks for watching, stay tuned to france 24. reporter: welcome to the 51 -- women re-shaping our world.

coming up, how family-friendly to anment is now leading baby boom. also a talk to teenagers in the age of social media and pornography. we meet to american women who believes parents are dangerously teens get up to online. we begin in germany, which is dealing with a massively declining birthrate in recent years. the government decided to take drastic action, rolling out someone hundred 56 family-friendly measures. have workedrs to with birth rights the highest since 1982. is it also because of the government's efforts? our team on the ground went to find out. >> daycare is out and the months enjoy the last rays of the winter sun. most are on generous maternity leave. paysne year the government

them 65% of their salaries so they can take care of their babies without financial worry. >> in germany you can afford to have kids. there is maternity leave and pay. in other countries i couldn't think of having a child. it wouldn't be financially possible. >> all my american friends get the same thing. the policy in germany is amazing. >> for the past decade germany has been spending the 5 billion euros per year to increase the birthrate. monthly checks and more places in daycare. ad there is paternity leave, quarter of fathers are taking advantage of the offer. this is for them. >> there is even a law that allows you to take three years of parental leave without losing your job. and that is really good.

company bosses have gotten used to dealing with that's in stats are now encouraged to take time off as well. the government is generous and it is starting to work. family policy isn't the only reason for the increase thomas is the director of the activity center. >> i think the countries good economic health and the strong job markets are essential factors in making women and men want to have babies. the profamily policies are not that well coordinated. and so can't be seen as the only cause of what is going on. >> the strength of the german economy is attracting a lot of immigrants. they make up about half of the increase and birth rates. it is a windfall with the country's oldest population. >> for germany immigration is an

essential factor, which stems the drop in population, which we can't fix with just more birth. >> despite the small baby boom, the population is still shrinking overall to keep the numbers stable. each german woman would need to have 2.5 to three children and more immigrants would help too. reporter: we have spoken about the impact of pornography on women's sexuality in this era of corn. what about young teenagers? in the u.k. research is now showing boys as young as 11 are being exposed to online porno, and the consequences are disasters, with young girls now being reported they are saying saint to be pressured to have a no sex. -- saying they are under pressure to have a no sex.

the risks associated of being online and its impact on how kids view sex. ,hey went on to write a book talking to our teens in the digital age about -- thank you to for coming in. i'm curious what prompted you to come up with this idea. >> between us we have five teenagers. we realize they're coming up against difficult issues today. image issues. they have incredible academic pressures, and the are the biggest consumers of online pornography. poor and is certainly influencing their habits, attitudes, behaviors, their expectations, and body image. >> in terms of when you went to the schools, what did you find out? >> it was quite surprising. young people not understanding

how to set their boundaries, being strong to say no if they are being pressured to do something they don't want to do, not understanding cannot if he is not a depiction of a healthy sexual consensual relationship. that this is their expectation. they have to physically look like a point star, which is next to impossible without a lot of plastic surgery, and they have to perform sexual acts that they are not quite ready, if ever to do. anchor: i want to ask both of you, just to give me some idea of some of the examples of poise and girls you met, about how they were being affected by pornography online. don't first of all we want to alarm every parent out there. not everybody is watching online pornography. the largest consumers of online porno are young boys 12 to 17 years old. -- itf the stories had can be voyeuristic and dominating.

young men who may use point for a physical relief, they may use it as a sex manual. they may ask a girl, who is quite young, to get tied up, they may ask a girl to do's and best to do some things like candy watch, can he film them voyeuristic. these are based on real stories we have been told. was atcking situation, i a very well-known school in london where a year nine boy talk, sodomy, the you don't have to be 16, you don't have to have consent for that, because it is not really sex, right? these kids are getting sexualized early and they are not ready for it. they cannot digest the information. the danger lies with the boys and expectations. corn is very much based on the male pleasure, which as a result

leaves to boys having unrealistic expectations of what sex involves. a kind of tomography people are being exposed to is pornography that promotes rape culture. it is not to people hugging and kissing, it is not real intimacy. their idea of sex is a woman being pinned down. is not just our kids on poor and hub. it is quite misogynistic. it is narrating what a lot of young people have seen in poland. in pooporn. concerned,generally given the saturation of pornography, that that will lead to a spike in sex crimes?

>> iamb. i am concerned and i am concerned young women are not owning their bodies and choices. the blurred lines of consent. she is more likely to put yourself in a situation sexually or perhaps notne understanding what it means to say no. if she had a higher view of herself. sex crimes about spiking from the perspective of what we see typically, because this is the way. anchor: what do the two of you -- what do you tell parents and teachers to do?

guest: something we feel strongly about. young men can be victims of this but not fee as well. parents,ell students, and teachers that it is so important to start speaking to young people. the one message we tell everybody to promote is this notion of mutual respect. >> they are rethinking their whole attitude toward teenagers being online. guest: the teachers we work with our great. have a certain amount of time. they have a short period of time to address these intense sets of issues. when you teach a mathematical equation, you don't just to it

once and leave. that is taught over and over again. it has to be taught. it is a message that has to be heard over and over again. >> have enough self-esteem, enough body confidence. it's not so much about having sex. it's about how you feel about yourself afterwards. of truthhere is a lot in that. >> thank you so much. that is it for now. if you would like to comment, you can head to our facebook page. things for your feedback so far. please keep those comments coming in.

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12/30/16 12/30/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> here is a fundamental reality. if the choice is one state, israel can either be jewish or democratic. it cannot be both. and it won't ever really be at peace. amy: secretary of state john kerry rebukes israeli settlements and defense to state solution, but did