>> welcome to the france 24 newsroom. a showdown and washington. president trump made angela merkel for their first face-to-face. the talks will be a crucial part in the transatlantic relations. u.s. military action against north korea is an option on the table if the threat escalates. that is the warning from rex tillerson, currently in s

eoul. missiles at israeli jets after airstrikes. both confirm the rare military exchange. host: welcome to the france 24 newsroom. we start in washington where a showdown is moments away. president donald trump will welcome the german chancellor angela merkel to the white house . that will be the first face-to-face of two of the world's most powerful leaders. for the german perspective let's bring in jessica from berlin. how important is the meeting for the german chancellor? she will have to strike a

certain balance? absolutely. this is an important meeting for angela merkel. president barack obama and angela merkel had a close working relationship that brought berlin and washington the closest they had been for a source of and was a pride for germany. there is a feeling that angela merkel will be starting from square one. the new president is someone germans are skeptical of. they're not sure what to make of contradictory remarks. and he has made very barbed remarks about angela merkel, claiming her refugee policy was written in germany. brexit when for angela merkel was talking about reintegration. and the nationalistic rhetoric when germany is calling for greater ties economically --

she is a very experienced diplomat. she has worked with difficult leaders before. they will be having conversations on issues like syria, russia, north korea. trying to gauge donald trump's stance on issues important to germany and europe, like climate change. there will be a little give on the issue of nato. donald trump has called for germany to up its defense spending for what is in line with nato members. germany has agreed to do so. some of germany's top ceos? >> the decision to bring three prolificy's most

companies was not incidental. for donald trump a not be an experienced politician, he speaks the language of business. when he sits down with the german businessmen they will be looking to reassure the businessman that free trade and business between germany and the u.s. should be maintained, or the and beneficial economies and the job markets in germany and the united states gary donald trump has been -- donald trump has been critical of the export surplus and german cars on the american streets, saying he wants to put a 35% carried many german business leaders have been concerned about what mean fortariffs could the german economy. the u.s. is a top destination for german exports. angela merkel will be representing this when she meets with donald trump, representing

the news of german businesses, reiterating that german companies hired 750,000 u.s. citizens in the united states and direct investment is 270 s.llion euro when she sits down with donald trump in the business leaders, she will be trying to reassure the president that strong business ties and free trade is beneficial to both countries. host: thank you for that. top diplomat says military action is a possibility against north korea. comments from rex tillerson on his first tour of asia. tillerson wasted no time. as soon as he set foot in south korea he headed north on a

helicopter to the demilitarized zone. a highly symbolic destination. a strip of land 240 eight kilometers long and four kilometers high along the 48th parallel north, the de facto border that separates the 2 koreas and the most heavily militarized zone in the world. it was far from diplomatic. a new agetillerson: of diplomatic security and economic measures. all options are on the table. reporter: a u-turn from the approach.nistration's tillerson said a freeze would not be enough and warned of preemptive action. north korea has a long-standing power,n to be nuclear saying it needs to be able to defend itself. since the first test in 2006, it more.rried 4

despite condemnation and crippling sanctions, it has stepped up launches. last week it fired 4 ballistic missiles some attain easily toward its neighbors. said it was in response to a defense shield in south korea. that system has angered china, north korea's most important ally. the next stop in the tour is beijing. dealing with pyongyang will be high on the agenda. host: in syria, the government launched anti-aircraft missiles in israeli controlled territory. the series of israeli airstrikes inside syria, from more, we bring in our correspondent. what can you tell us about this rare military exchange between these two hostile neighbors? reporter: carrying out airstrikes over syrian territory, something they have

done on a number of occasions during the war in syria. this time, the syrian government used an antiaircraft defense system. in turn comes the israelis diploid and interception system of their own. then the story diverges. the israelis shot down one of the three air defense missiles fired at their airplanes. none of their airplanes were hit. the syrians said they shot down one of four of the israeli planes. such that the air defense system used by the syrians was fired after the israeli jets returned from syrian territory. that is what the israelis say. the incident is unusual so far that israel does not normally talk about airstrikes in syria

or the targets. it is understood they are .argeting hezbollah it is unusual for the syrian side that they have not normally to these airstrikes over their territory. there have been reports of them using air defense systems. they ordinarily haven't responded, and they haven't claimed to have shot down israeli jets in the past. host: why are we seeing a change in response from israelis and syrians? reporter: it comes at a time of change in syria. for the first time the syrian government is emerging from a long time of threat and feeling more secure than it has throughout the syrian conflict. run the israeli perspective, they conversely see a threat building. hezbollah has been fighting in the war alongside assad.

they fear they could get a strategic foothold in syria through hezbollah and the presence of quid pro quo of the assistance given to the syrian government. escalation ofan tensions between syria and israel, that is the question. the two countries are and have been for many decades in a state of war. host: there was a deadly airstrike in a town on thursday evening. dozens of people were killed when a mosque was struck by an airstrike. we have indications who carried out the strike? reporter: people on the ground, dominant one of the opposition fighting groups in theyoalition of islamists

say the americans were responsible. the rest of life this saying they did carry out an airstrike in the region, but did not target a mosque. wasbuilding they targeted al qaeda linked fighters. they say they killed several of those fighters. the mosque that was nearby was not touched. it is not clear that they talking about the same location, airstrike said their was in different provinces. could riseoll further. several people are trapped. over syria.sy skies there have been airstrikes by the u.s., russia, and syrian air forces. molly: thank you for reporting

from beirut. in france, the deadline for presidential candidates to secure that necessary i've hundred signatures to be on the ballot. toh candidate is required collect endorsements from elected officials. that is easy for many mainstream candidates, but lesser-known politicians are struggling. first introduced under de gaulle in 1962, it was meant to eliminate french candidates. ge candidates. they need 500 candidates from 30 with nos across france, more than 50 from a single district. many say it favors mainstream pressurewhich can endorsements.

bordeaux is calling on supporters to hound local officials to garner support. it is a battle to be able to run. there's a big filter. it is interesting to see even candidates under investigation has made it through. we have to pass a test to have a right to be part of the election. reporter: he is referring to in enbattled candidate llonce were -- francois fi who gather 3000 signatures, more than any other candidate. macron and to fillon melenchon secured the requirement. .e pen also made the cut

all signatures must be validated by the end of business on friday. molly: next, the amount at the erthe mt. etna volcano upted. 10 people are injured. 35 tourists were on the volcano. the explosion occurred midday. the guide that accompanied them helped to bring them to safety. a showdown in washington as president donald trump is set to welcome german chancellor angela merkel for their first face-to-face talks. u.s.s. military action against north korea is an option on the table as the threat escalates. that is the warning from washington's top diplomat, rex tillerson. deadly airstrikes in syria appeared warplanes hit a mosque in a northern rebel-held town killing 42 people.

it is time for a business update. i'm joined in the studio. we will start with the first g 20 meeting in germany. >> finance ministers representing 20 of the largest economies are meeting in baden-baden. they will address free trade ofd nationalism in two days talks. after meeting with his american counterpart, the german finance minister warned against the dangers that nationalism can pose. learned anything from the past, it is that nationalism and protectionism are never the right answer. we cannot cut ourselves off from the problems of the world. ed byould not be fool blinders of the complex challenges facing us here at it can be tempting, but in the long

run it undermines trust, destroys wealth, and damages societies. openedpean markets slowly but picks up in the day. a short while ago the ftse 100 .2% after a record high. up .4%. frankfurt dax close to the flat line. now for more business headlines from around the world. former barclays chief officer bob diamond is coming to london, teaming up with the royal to buy ainvestment arm stockbroker. their offer is 10.5 million pounds. shares shot up 60% after the announcement. the german economy minister said germany could file a suit against the u.s. for donald

trump's border tax. onwarned of a 35% import tax bmw cars that they plan to build mexico.nt in this comes as donald trump meets with angela merkel for the first time. onebut at the stock exchange monday quickly soared. they make high-end parkas lined ur that are f popular with celebrities. speaking of fluffy coats, some french coats stuff with down feathers may be harder to find. they are a top producer of down feathers come used to make fluffy things from coats, comforters, and colors. threateningd flu is french down, saying they lost one third of their feathers. >> this is where your good night sleep starts. a machine stuffing down into pillows.

region,outhern french one of europe's premier down producers can process 20 tons of feathers the day. only a small percentage are the called down.flakes material used to stuff pillows and blankets has becoming rare. birdction has been hit by flu. it is responsible for hundreds of millions of euros to recall it infected flocks. >> the volume is decreasing because of avian flu. by business activity fell 60%. >> 60% of the revenue comes from abroad. their forest to look elsewhere -- they are forced to look elsewhere to guarantee clients a 100% french product, like it has for 150 years. >> feathers are alive.

i am proud of myself that i work on a beautiful product like this. i always have a comforter on my bed. i've three, in blue, white, red. we are french, we by french products. >> they will do all they can to keep making their products. >> and unlikely economic indicator in britain. it used to be a romanticized beverage in the u.k. drink with a tamer sales dropping among young people. it has made a comeback. sales have doubled since 2009, and brits are buying so much it has become a way to measure inflation. the first time in 13 years that gin has made the inflation box. 700 items meant to reflect household cost.

agent and tonic, you never know. thank you. and tonic, you never know. thank you. time for our press review. a look at what is grabbing headlines. we will start in france. a deadline for candidates getting a minimum of 500 signatures to be in the running for the upcoming presidential election. >> in france, any citizen 18 years and up can become a getidate as long as they 500 signatures of those of court from elected officials. they are called sponsors. from the front page of a paper, today is the deadline. the last day to get the signatures together. there are 40,000 across the .ountry, but there ar rules they must be spread out across

30 departments beauty can't have more than 50 in one department. the idea is to get signatures from across the country. they have until 6:00 p.m. to gather signatures. molly: the signatures are made public and updated regularly on the council's website. candidates,ee some it will go quickly, you have to pay attention. most candidates in the mainstream have these signatures . some don't have very many yet. some are missing just a couple. cois fillon has almost 3000 signatures. it is different if you're a big candidate. if you're a small candidate, you are racing today. molly: a first in french politics. >> traditionally the debate happens between the first and second round, between the two

finalists. this is the first time there will be a debate before the first round. it is on the front page. that the tv is in command, dictating the scheduled politics. it is also a remote control, it is a play on words. presidents, francois hollande and nicholas sarkozy as they are watching the first debate. is popping up eight bee -- popping out a beer, think who wants a corona? molly: donald trump welcoming angela merkel to the white house. who doesrtoonist cartoons for the new york times imagines what might happen during the meeting. you can see donald trump telling

angela merkel that you have a terrific wall. i doubt that will happen, but you never know. there's another cartoon in the states focusing on donald trump's budget for 2018. i pulled out a cartoon from the washington post. this blueprint for federal spending has drawn criticism from democrats, namely, but also some republicans. it will boost military spending. he depicted the budget as a drone and you can see potential targets. a lot of other budgets will be cut. health, the environment, arts, education, science. you can see the person saying they have new rules for drone strikes. election in the netherlands. i pulled out cartoons. it depicts the aftermath of the election. china daily focusing that this

was a defeat for right-wing populism. noseallot box thumbing its at the far right, depicted by a cartoon by dutch cartoonist that shows wilders, his trademark here do has gotten quite -- hairdo has gotten a buzz cut. you can see around his neck "populism." defeathowing this is a far right le pen, the national front leader. she was hoping for a wilders victory. that this would give wind to her sails. this windmill is giving her a painful slap in the face. molly: and we have royalty coming to the french capital, will and kate. william's be prince

first visit since his mother died here 20 years ago. the purpose is a soft power diplomatic charm offensive at the request of the foreign office. the duke and duchess of cambridge will meet senior french politicians in a bid to boost anglo-french relations in the wake of brexit. this is the first stop. they will visit germany and poland in july. they are not the only members of the royal family. prince charles and camilla will italy, andia, austria at the request of the government. molly: it is st. patrick's day. i did not put on green, but we put on sweaters. i will say happy st. patrick's day. >> a of people, particularly stateside, think they are irish

or believe they have irish ancestry. the irish times has 17 questions to test your irish-ness. i did terribly. the questions are hard. one of my favorite was "what does say patty's day signify to the average irish person??" patrick's,of st. getting pinched without wearing grains, or an attempt by americans to hijack? the answer to that is c. sorry, america. unfortunate, but still, happy st. patrick's day. stay with us. the news continues on france 24.

[captions made possible by kcet television] >> in this episode, jackrabbit homesteads, the study of the cultural legacy of the small trackback in california's ranga layson. >> it is on the -- morongo