♪ reporter: you are watching france 24. i am genie godula. merkel in russia today for a rare meeting with vladimir putin. the leaders have scaled back time over the crisis in ukraine and no major breakthroughs are expected today. groupinian islamist softened its stance on israel, still rejecting its right to exist but no longer calling for its destruction.

israel is not convinced. emmanuel macron and marine le pen slam each other in their rally before the presidential election. the vote is five days away with polls and friends showing the beating le pen, 60% to 40%. ♪ genie: first, on julie macdonald is making it -- on: oh is meeting vladimir putin -- angela merkel is meeting vladimir putin. a little point in relations linked to russia's conflicting ties with the european union. sanctions --

backed sanctions. they are scheduled to discuss crimea and the situation in syria. .et's go now live to alec sinces her first visit 2015. why this sign of a new dialogue now? >> i think the situation in ukraine and syria has shown itself to be unstable this year. we saw violence in ukraine ,arlier this year and in syria there are tensions between russia and the left following the u.s.' missile strike in response to the chemical attack there. also, sanctions on russia, the eu sanctions on russia that germany has been the main backer of our set to expire this summer , so no doubt sanctions will also be on the list of things to talk about and merkel will tobably pressure putin

influence the separatist and eastern ukraine and try to move the peace process there forward. another thing also on the mind russiael as she comes to is the elections in germany in september. drescher has been accused of meddling in the u.s. election last year -- russia has been accused of meddling in the u.s. election last year. genie: you mentioned they are one of the biggest issues at the heart of this relationship and the crisis in ukraine. give us more context there. sanctions were first adopted after russia annexed 14mea from ukraine into any -- 2014. that was in response to a pro-western government taking after demonstrations. the groupse because

of germany, france, russia and ukraine, those leaders have worked together to create a peace process for eastern ukraine. anyas not really made progress forward, especially since this year we saw renewed casualties and the cease-fire continues to be violated on a weekly and daily basis. genie: thank you. raceance, the presidential is in its final stretch before election day this sunday. emmanuel macron and his challenger marine le pen gave made josh marine le pen gave -- marine le pen gave major challenges. at their last rallies before election day, both

candidates were in an attacking mood. marine le pen with their accusations on her by the listed candidates of the financial sector. the enemy of the french still in defiance, but this time it is running for president and everyone is dreaming of its election, it is emmanuel macron. a few kilometers away, and manual macron had his chance macronback -- emmanuel at his chance to hit back. >> what she is promising is the rejection of what unites all of us. do not befooled -- fooled. [applause] ally,er: le pen's newest

, shared the stage with her in exchange for her support should she be elected. sure presidential project, i would approve of her ability to become a great president who will bring people together. [applause] macron thinksnuel he is a great uniter. he reached to supporters on the side.andidate's many said they will stay away from polling on sunday. >> i know where -- i am aware that on the seventh of may, i will be doing more than promoting political manifesto. like all of you, i will be fighting for a public and for democracy. macron and le pen

shared the stage for a tv to pay -- shared the stage for a tv debate as they go one-on-one before election day. genie: her critics are out in force saying she plagiarized parts of another speech given by her conservative rival fillon pen's aidesbut le brushed off the criticism with her number two, saying the national front party owned up to the copying. he said marine le pen's speech was a nod and a wink to fillon's of your speech in order to launch a debate on french identity. those rallies were held may 1, a date traditionally marked by union marches but they turned violent in paris yesterday. six police officers were hurt in clashes with masked young people throwing molotov cocktails. tens of thousands of people

turned out, but this year's rally underlined conspicuous as tents -- absence of the united thet france showed against far right 15 years ago. in 2002, ring the penn's shocked the country by reaching the runoff, only to be defeated. this time with left-wing candidate eliminated in the first round, the lack days deeply divided over the choice between ring le pen -- between marine le pen and emmanuel macron. hamas has softened its stance on israel. it has released a policy document meant to improve the group standing on the international stage. hamas has called for israel's distraction for years, but in this document, he backs off that stance. israel is saying, do not be fooled. softening its image, the palestinian him for most -- the palestinian group hamas says it

is no longer calling for israel's distraction. there is a document outlining the position. he said hamas' fight was not against judaism but "aggressive sinus," and he said hamas -- "aggressive zionists." >> hamas considers the independentt of an palestinian states, with jerusalem as its capital. refugees thatn of were displaced from their homes, to be a formula of national conservatives. >> hamas also distance itself from brotherhoods. has fought three

wars with hamas since 2008, is unconvinced. it accuses the group of trying to deceive the world. in the policy document, hamas says it rejects israel's right to exist. is toas' motivation alleviate some of the national pressure against the and they are trying to fool the world to say, we are not as bad as you think we are, but when you look at what they tell their people, they are calling on a daily basis to destroy israel, for genocide of all jews. >> the shifted position toward the state of 1967 borders brings up nine political rivals and comes ahead of a meeting between the leader with u.s. president donald trump on wednesday. in south korea, a controversial u.s. antimissile system is running. the high altitude defense system now has with it calls early capability to respond to nuclear

and missile threats from north korea, but it is not operating in full. the u.s. and south korea think it is crucial to counter north korean military threats, but china, north korea's only major ally, has demanded an immediate its to the shield, saying powerful radar could reach inside chinese territory. now to japan, and with the olympic games a few years away, tokyo is keen to show the world a healthy image, but when it japanto tackling smoking, is far behind. the world relative organization puts the world in the lowest tier of global antitobacco regulations. the organizing committee wants to guarantee a smoke-free olympic game, but they and the government are facing resistance to their efforts to ban cigarettes in public spaces. chiffon silk -- we have more. >> dinner, jinks and cigarettes -- drinks and cigarettes.

here, diners can still lined up at the table. it is an unhealthy image that sits badly years before tokyo welcomes the world for the 2020 olympics. the government wants to stump the smoking before the games again. -- games again. >> japan is unable to take any stance or enact any law to prevent smoking. i think it will be embarrassing. that is why we must pass this band. >> in the face of resistance, the government water down a law that would have banned cigarettes and all public places. much of the pushback came from restaurant and pub owners. they fear smokers would stay away. not only would they see a drop in revenue, restaurants would be forced to close down. are lots of small family-run eateries surviving on daily earnings. reporter: the smoking will still

be allowed in smaller restaurants, but they have ventilation systems. some of the diners are skeptical of the diners are skeptical the legislation is the best way to persuade smokers to quit. >> i am about fixing this to the law because i think the main problem is behavior and manners of some smokers, so i do not agree with legal restrictions. reporter: behavior is changing and tobacco is losing its hold on japan. to today, it stands at 18%. for our dailyime round up of news from the french presidential campaign. ♪ by taking a look at the latest opinion poll with five days to go until the final round of this presidential race. poll, if the

election were held today, you will see emmanuel macron woodwind round numbers -- would win with 59% of the vote. thegap is closing between two candidates. the previous poll carried out put them out 61% and 39%, so you can see that starting to close. a couple days left, four days of official campaigning. genie: there is one boat that could relate a strategic boat and that is catholic voters. the majority voted for the conservative. fillon was eliminated. who will they vote for now in round two? >> many catholics feel stuck because for them, macron is a little too socially liberal. he is traditional -- he is in favor of a less traditional family model but that does not

mean marine le pen is the solution trade if you look at how cap exploded in round one, you can see churchgoing catholics, so practicing catholics voted less than ongoing church catholics. 20 percent of nonpracticing catholics. the catholic church has not officially endorsed either candidate and certain parishes are taking it into their own hands to mobilize against the national front. this church in the heart of paris, the parish is endorsing emmanuel macron, even handing out a pamphlet warning against the national front. of christians, we are for openness. we are not racist. christ is for everyone. mustts of people say we fight the national front, but if we have to fight the national front, that means voting in inra on -- and macron --

macron. reporter: he has decided to mobilize his flock. >> it is not between choosing of one party and another. it is saving france, its liberty, its openness. that is what is at stake today. reporter: this year, the catholic church has decided not to endorse either candidate. 2000anged position from two, when le pen reached the second round of the second election against this opponent. now, many catholics are torn. >> i can do what i want to do it. >> the pope does not have to meddle in the presidential elections. he has said so much that we know what he would do if you were french. reporter: others have not picked a candidate. the chief rabbi of france encourage people to vote for macron.

the mosque endorsing a chronic, while french catholics tend to vote on the right. french muslims traditionally vote left her deck -- vote left. >> you can see macron got a lot of muslim votes but it was from the far left to was the favorite candidate. you can see marine le pen very distant, 5% of the muslim vote. for more on the issue, we can speak to howard cohen, an election analyst. they have developed data pool in partnership with france 24 called the vote compass, calculating how your political views compare with candidates. playing how is religion a role in this election, and have you found any interesting findings regarding how the ranch

muslim community is voting and what issues mattered to them? fax certainly -- >> certainly. 58% of muslims did not want to accept more immigrants into the population that is the target of anti-immigration senses. they appear to be in maintaining levels of immigration in france, and this may be one of the reasons that explains why le pen has gained traction. all right, seems like we are getting a bad connection. >> should not be barron trump public safety -- should not be banned from public safety and the majority disagree. le pen has been public about her position. sorry, howard co. in. we have a bad connection. we will have to come back to you

later. my colleague will be speaking with representatives from their love. this would be later this evening, the other issue at 6:15. about theind out more muslim vote and other issues as you go into the second round of the presidential election. if you want to check out the episode, you can check them out at france42.com. business news. you will start in greece, where progress has been made in its bailout standoff. reached antry has agreement to a dense lenders on a package of reforms in exchange bailout loans. it includes a further 18% cut to pensions, as well as tax rises to choke him in 2020. the greek government had been reducing further reduction

payments. they have fallen by 40% since 2011. there is a meeting on may 22. the tension may shift to the issue of debt relief for greece, demanded by the great government and imf. genie: now to something different. in hollywood, a strike by scriptwriters has been narrowly missed. >> they reached a deal with tv and film studios. seen contract could have productions on hold. writers will earn $130 more casual and 130 more. .> a deal has been struck driving the dispute, then you tv land skate incorporating other streaming services and the sharp decline in the typical number of series episodes produced.

payout per episode acis, the writers guild of america say they have suffered a 22% drop in earnings in the past three years. union wanted an increase in royalties for programs sold on streaming platforms and cable tv. the union asked producers to contribute more money for its health plan. one of the negotiators took to .witter to announce the news they say the deal will earn the writers $130 million more over its life span, with a 15% high in residual fees. with a strike averted, hollywood is breathing a sigh of relief. the last walkout was 10 years ago and mastech for 100 days. they changed consumers viewing habits and ways that are still being felt by the industry. the strike caused california's economy an estimated $2 billion. genie: tell us about the

markets. >> european markets back in business after the long weekend. onopean markets were closed monday. some only factor the deal from greece, giving the markets reasons to be cheerful. shares are generally trading up in europe. in london, the online retailer up almost 7% and reports they could be considering a tie up. some call for optimism therefrom investors to move on that. for a look at more of the business headlines, the airline alia is filing for bankruptcy after workers rejected a 2 billion euro cost-cutting plan. it is the second time in 10 years that they have filed for administration. it obliges the entire government to provide stock cap funding to keep them flying. the firstckled in

three years, earnings on an underlying cost basis of $1.5 billion a period. their shares are up around 1.7% in london. francisco, and agreements have been reached with airbnb and come away to allow dachshund home away to continue -- and home away to continue to allow them to rent in the city. airbnb had come under fire for supply for sang francisco residents. the united states, donald trump has announced plans for an overhaul of tanks. >> he is considering breaking up banks by separating their retail and investment businesses. the changes be the return with banking are just -- taking regulations abolished in the united states. mr. trump told bloomberg there

were looking at a 21st century version of the old rules. >> donald trump is considering resurrecting banking regulations repealed by clinton in the late 1990's and wants to once again separate activities of consumer and investment banks, known as the glass-steagall act, it came into effect after the great wall street crash in 1929 and lasted until 1999. the number of economists believe its repeal set the groundwork for the collective lehman brothers investment bank in the financial crisis of 2008. reveal a moreto detailed plan but he has already considered repealing another set of rules known as the dodd frank law. >> cap's wind first 100 days, i have taken action to roll back burdens and regulations that undermine community banks, especially,. frank. -- especially. frank. -- especially dodd frank.

>> it regulates the banking sector with the outgoing so far as to force institutions to separate their activities. it includes a consumer protection element, with the creation of the consumer protection bureau. trump has been a critic of financial regulations in the wake of the great recession, saying they cycle economic growth. genie: to wrap up our business news, a french treat has returned to french ownership area -- ownership. hashe camera flavored sweet great popularity. two years ago, the company that made the suites -- made them went to the u.s., but as of today, it has come back into french ownership. their challenge now will be to

fight increasing competition haribo.rible -- from we need a taste test to compare them. they always have had little jokes. if you want to learn french. you get some literature with your business. thank you for watching france 24. i will be back in a few minutes with more headlines and the review. ♪

>> daniel ortega was a popular commander from the beginning. >>

announcer: this is a production of china central television amererica. mike: it's said that we're better united than divided. and this week on "full frame," some of the world's brightest minds discuss the importance of coming together and how human connectionons make a difference. i'm m mike walter congng to you from t the heaeart of new york city's times square. let's take it "full frame." parag khanna is an apl