>> here in the french capital you are watching live from paris on france 24. guilty as charged. the russian opposition leader is found guilty at a retrial for embezzlement charges meaning that he can't challenge president putin in next year's election. no end in sight as protests in romania continue for eight consecutive days. the government is facing a vote of no-confidence in the parliament. mogadishu is on the lockdown.

gathered to vote on who is going to be the country's leader. welcome back. we will begin in the russian city wearing a court has found the prominent opposition leader guilty. in which theetrial prosecution had called for a fresh five-year suspended himence thereby excluding from running in the 2018 presidential race. the 40-year-old kremlin critic was convicted of embezzlement in 2013. following an appeal to the european court of human rights the russian supreme court ruled that he must stand trial again.

herbert is here with me in the studio. why is he back in court again? it's an exact copy of a case in 2013. same city facing exactly the same charges. the script is almost the same. for him it's very clear. this is a thinly veiled attempt to keep him out of politics. he is russia's foremost opposition figure. he is the scrappy us to opposition figure in russia. in the sidea thorn of vladimir putin. this is nothing less than an effort to make sure he cannot run in the 2018 presidential race against vladimir who is expected to run again. he was found guilty in 2013 of embezzling timber from a timber company in the city.

says completely politically motivated. none of the charges stood. he has gone beyond that. in the wake of the first case in 2013 he was sentenced to five years in jail hard labor and he wasback to moscow -- he taken to jail. thousands rallied against this verdict that the court actually overturned the verdict. he was released on bail. he headed straight back to moscow and he ran for moscow mayor. in that race he actually fared well considering he had no access to state media against the establishment candidate. he got 27% of the vote in that race which a lot of russians say is remarkable. the russian opposition doesn't really exist in any coherent form.

>> a resilient man and a very outspoken critic of president putin. his catchphrase is prudent is a thief. of then outspoken critic vladimir putin is a dangerous business. >> it's not good for your health to be an opposition politician in russia. the slogan you just invoked was that the united russia party is the party of crooks and leaves. he coined that phrase amid the protests. he rose to fame as an anticorruption blogger. at state corruption and malfeasance. he became very popular especially in the big cities. he really rose to prominence in winter protests against the disputed parliamentary elections.

that's what came up with this slogan. ever since he has written the crest of that and he has survived. i spoke to the former world chess champion the other day. fierce opponent of vladimir putin but he's living in new york right now because he has been advised by his friends don't go back to russia. oppositionists -- we all know his fate. he was put in prison and is now in exile in europe after being released a decade later. we had others who have just been killed. charismaticost opposition figures was killed in plane site of the kremlin security cameras a few years back. you have to have quite a lot of standing and popular support on a certain level in order to survive in that fierce climate. that don't know for sure

vladimir putin is going to run. we can assume he will seek a fourth term. is this man likely to be able to face him in the 2018 race? >> it is believed that if he were found guilty that would actually preclude him from being able to run as a presidential candidate. he has defied the odds many times before. technically it seems like he might not be able to run. there are competing theories on this. prudent wantsay him out of politics and doesn't want him to run. there are some that say he's a useful opponent for the kremlin. putin doesn't want to run totally unopposed. that looks undemocratic. he's actually a useful opposition figure. a lot of competing theories.

obviously this is all speculation. at the end of the day he says he kremlin.token of the he is his own man and he intends to run whether or not the authorities really want him to run. charged with the embezzlement of timber of all things. thank you, doug. there seems to be no end inside for the protests in romania where for an eight consecutive evenings thousands gathered in bucharest. the prime minister tried to relax certain corruption laws before being forced to back down by the public outcry. in president says romania is a fully fledged political crisis. for more we can speak to the al d editor at can

romania. freezing rainw and temperatures below zero degrees. people are still coming here in front of the government and protesting even from the first hour of the day. we saw one of them writing on up.snow we don't give that image became vital immediately on all social networks here in romania. not only the protests but also the debate in the parliament where the government vote of by theidence initiated opposition. a fight of words and gestures. we will have the results of that vote.

it sounds threatening at first look at the social democrats have a large majority of seats in the parliament so they are pretty comfortable. will pass tothem the opposition the government will really have a problem. >> some dark clouds hanging over the government and the city. the minister of justice. it looks like he might ultimately be paying the price for this. he may end up paying with his job. is that correct? the president yesterday in the parliament said that the minister of justice really destroyed the image of the government and the prime minister announced that on thursday after the vote of he can either resign or be dismissed from the

government. >> earlier today we saw some scenes from the parliament in bucharest. all the mps seem to have their mobile phones out and flashing the light at the cameras. what message were they trying to get across? >> it was a gesture of with the hundreds of thousands of people who marched here in bucharest and all over the country. it was the sign of a blinking light in the government after the mps voted for that decree which was so controversial. they voted for that and passed it monday night where apparently they had no light and now the opposition in the parliament is trying to bring light on this government. >> thank you very much for that of day. -- update.

british mps are expected to approve a bill which will give theresa may the green light to begin negotiations paving the way for the u.k. to leave the european union. that's the scene addressing parliament in london. two thirds of mps in june did but theort the brexit house of commons is expected to grant approval for the triggering of article 50. the bill will be debated by the house of lords at a later date. the's the leader of opposition jeremy corbyn on the other side of the house from the prime minister. we will bring you more from the house of commons as we get it. we are going to cross the atlantic and head to san francisco where protesters gathered outside one of the city appeals courts as a panel of judges heard arguments on the

issue of president donald trump's travel ban. the federal government's argument is that the ban is motivated by concerns about terrorism. the question is whether or not it discriminates against muslims. whatever the court's final decision either side is expected to take it on to the supreme court. outs demonstrators gathered side the courthouse in san francisco, a lively hearing was taking place inside. a panel of judges sparred with attorneys for the government and for washington state. the suspension of the president's travel ban. the government is seeking to have the court reinstate the executive order on the basis that only the president has the power to decide who can enter or stay in the u.s. an argument that held little sway with the judges.

>> this is a traditional national security judgment that is assigned to political branches and the president. the court's have immediately altered that. the president's decision is unreviewable? >> there are obviously constitutional limitations. judges seemed unconvinced by the argument the lawyer representing washington state who suspended the band put forth a alleging religious discrimination. what is it that should lead us to conclude that you've got a likelihood of success of being able to prove the religious animus the you allege? >> the president called for a complete ban on the entry of muslims. >> legal analysts were quick to weigh in after the hearing concluded. >> it doesn't sound like the court is going to grant the motion to vacate the stay.

they might deny the motion and send it back to the trial court to narrow it. either way the trump administration will take it to the supreme court. >> the first major legal battle for the new administration that will challenge the limits of executive authority. >> politicians in latin america are feeling the heat amidst a widening corruption scandal. a brazilian construction company paid hundreds of millions of in exchange for a lucrative contract. >> caught in the fallout of the theuption scandal, colombian president is the latest politician to be dragged into a widening bribery scheme that has rocked latin america. a former colombian senator was arrested in january for allegedly receiving $4.6 million

to lobby on behalf of the brazilian construction giant. prosecutors say some of this money helped finance the president 2014 election campaign. 2014 he sent two transfers to columbia which were cashed for $1 million and whose final beneficiary was the campaign management. >> the president's camp was quick to refute the accusation saying santos took no private conversation -- contributions during his campaign. the attorney general of peru said he would seek the arrest of .he former president the man who was elected on an anticorruption platform is suspected of taking around $20 million in bribes to help the company win contracts for a

highway connecting southern peru to brazil. >> we never imagined he would be part of the vile act of corruption which he had fought against. >> he has denied any wrongdoing. has encumbered one of the largest corruption scandals in the history of latin implicating politicians from countries such as brazil argentina mexico and venezuela. delays somalis of lawmakers have been gathering today at the airport to elect their president. which isal's airport guarded by an african union peacekeeping force was chosen for the venue on account of its heavy security presence. the senators must decide on whether to vote for the president to serve a second term or for one of his 21 rivals to

take the reins of power. duncan woodside is in the somali capital with the latest. of somalia'sion president will take place in the building behind me. the mps are all gathered here. this complex is heavily fortified, protected by african union peacekeepers. have been more stories overnight of renewed attempts to bribe the mps. in that context there is a ban on mobile phones being taken into the venue. mps in theor campaign managers of the various teams because of fears that mobile money transfers will be bribingpart of the process. there's also a limit in terms of the amount of cash people can bring into the venue. gates if the security

was asked how much money i had in my wallet. maximum of 500 dollars allowed. huge concerns about bribery. we would expect the first rounds will get underway sometime after lunch. with the results sometime this evening. >> the man leading france's mainstream conservative party began this week by vowing he wasn't going to drop out of the presidential race. reports continue swirling about his wife penelope who has been reported to be paid by the taxpayer for a nonexistent job. more allegations have surfaced saying his wife received tens of thousands of euros in severance pay. launching a counterattack to defend himself. the presidential candidate still

mired in scandal is refusing to drop out of the race. he insists the taxpayer-funded jobs he gave to his family were not illegal. on wednesday he published a letter in a french daily apologizing for hiring his wife as a parliamentary assistant, echoing an earlier mea culpa in a news conference. he will head for fresh claims over his wife's space. -- satirical weekly . he was quick to respond. job. your >> in a statement he claimed the figures were incorrect. the voices of opposition could still be heard against the candidate. >> pay back your debt used beef.

>> the fourth is holding steady. >> i think he's an honest man. >> the media hype gives the impression that he is frightened of the other candidates but we have to try to shatter in every way. >> this wednesday his campaign continues. >> time for us to turn our ride to business. stephen carroll is with me now. is full of in paris people who i assume have rented apartments on airbnb. the authorities in barcelona are following suit. european cities are

having problems with it. homeowners in central barcelona can only rent out a single property on the website. it is part of an overall aimed at separating professional landlords from regular users. airbnb will start collecting tourist taxes directly on the site. the company has gotten fierce criticism from barcelona's authorities and was fined last year for advertising illegal rentals. barcelona's head of taurus and described the new measures as a joke and called on the site to stop lifting apartment -- listing apartments without permits. to cut thement plan budget deficit. the finance minister you forecast risks underestimating spending. the government believes the deficit will be 2.7% of gdp.

cost-cutting is needed to ensure france's financial stability. the prime minister is not pleased with the latest assessment from the imf. he says the analysis doesn't take account economic reforms implemented by the greek government. could reach explosive levels by 2020. the finance minister says the eu you is misleading and overly pessimistic. picture on markets of this point in the trading day.

london just below the flat line. lots of companies moving the market today. almost 5%hare trading for short time ago in paris after their passenger figures for january impressed investors. warnings multiply about the damage being done from plastic that is discarded in the city. an entrepreneur in indonesia has started converting bio plastics from the ocean. >> you can burn it. you can even drink it. that's the sales pitch. his plastic bag is made with cassava which grows abundantly in indonesia. our bags are so eco-friendly that it has passed oral toxicity tests. it is totally harmless for animals to consume it.

his company in 2014 to help tackle indonesia's plastic waste crisis. the archipelago dumps the second largest amount of plastic into the sea worldwide. only china discards more. most of these biodegradable products breakdown in just a few months. indonesia currently has no government funding aimed at reducing its plastic waste. they cassava bag costs nearly twice the price. in indonesiaket increases they will increase the production and the price of the plastic. >> the united nations environment program has said bio plastics are unlikely to play a major role in reducing litter because of cost. that is not stopped

entrepreneurs like kevin. sales of the french luxury brand hermes past 5 billion euros for the first time last year. ahead of the publication of the company's annual results moreys it will slightly profitable in 2016 year earlier. the danish oil and shipping firms lost $1.9 billion last year. lost $400ing arm million. in the oiles business that mainly dragged down its earnings. profits of 12% at the mining giant rio tinto thanks to a

rebound in commodity prices. buy backced it would $500 million in shares. government has given a jet maker and interest-free loan worth more than 260 million euros. just over a quarter of the amount the company has requested. study showing that talking about politics at work isn't a good idea. a survey found that almost a third of employees in america say they are less productive since november presidential election. linked to people being distracted by politics on social media. 87% are reading political posts on social media during their working day and three quarters of them are discussing politics with their colleagues.

they say that has led to them being less productive.

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