host: hello and welcome back to "france 24." i'm thomas waterhouse. these are the main world headlines at 1:00 p.m. paris time. the gloves are off here in france as a manual macron and plan for le pen their final tv debate plant this evening. an islamic state devotee targets and envoy in the afghan capital close to the end to see and nato headquarters.

at least eight civilians have been killed and dozens injured in that bombing. the books will need to balance before talks can begin. that is what the eu chief negotiator tells the u.k.. while time is short to reach a brexit agreement, the bloc is prepared for all eventualities. also coming up for you in the program, apple sees a surprise drop in iphone sales, but its cash reserves swell up to over 250 billion euros. we will explain what that all means in our business update. beat, aoday's campaign look back at the heated debates that help change the course of previous presidential elections here in france. with you for the next 60 minutes, this is live from paris. ♪

host: the stage is set here in france for this wednesday evening's final presidential debate. emmanuel macron will go head-to-head with the far right marine le pen with the just four days to go before polling stations once again open their doors for the second round runoff. marine le pen will be attacking saysn's program while she he will fight her ideas that represent false solutions to the country's problems. reporter: this is the stage for the final face-off. no detail has been left to chance as these candidates campaign team to have approved the set of the format. marine le pen and emmanuel macron will face 2.5 meters apart as they debate across the table. sides will be the moderators and the political editors of france's main public

and private tv channels. some of the issues they hope to address our national security and terrorism, europe, the economy including taxation and purchasing power. this is a debate that is expected to bring fireworks. the last days of the campaign have seen particularly fiery with real personality clashes and real attacks. the debate could be more tense than usual. reporter: in previous debates, shared themacron stage with other first-round candidates, limiting their direct exchanges and limiting the time they had to speak. wednesday evening, they will be head-to-head and have an hour each to make their final pitch to the nation. host: if you want to catch all the action as the arrows fly between both presents all hopefuls, we will be broadcasting that final tv debate live from 9:00 p.m. paris time. the u.k. brexit minister has warned that the british

government will not be bullied and upcoming divorce proceedings with brussels. he has dismissed a report published in "the financial times" that suggest london will have to settle its debt to 100 billion euros before leaving the bloc. the eu chief negotiator has been setting out his vision for how negotiations might pan out. he says negotiations will begin as soon as the u.k. is ready to come to the table, but he has warned that those who say that will not be consequences aren't telling the truth. take a listen. delusionave created that brexit would have no material impact on our lives. or that negotiations can be it is notquickly and the case. host: i'm joined by our europe editor. we have heard this presenting

negotiation text. what is it like? guest: it's what we saw from the 27 heads of state, an agreement in record timing on the eu side of things. the same priorities we are hearing from the main brexit negotiator today. people, money, and the question of northern ireland. when it comes to citizens rights, that is very much top of the do list. almost 2 million birds living in the rest of the eu, he wants guarantees that the residency will continue after brexit and he wants there to be a receptacle on both sides. he doesn't want it just an to people living in the u.k. today and those will do so until the u.k. leaves. says thethe kate also

question is the top priority. the eu insisting the have to settle their finances first before adding any future relationships and trade deals can be discussed. that amount that we are hearing, barnier saying we can't give the figure yet. there will be a financial cost, not a divorce tax. the third claim really come in strong is the question of .orthern ireland could the new border says it would harbor both sides, but the solution remains to be seen. host: looks like the eu and the u.k. got off to negative footing here. could the u.k. leave with nothing? guest: they could leave with teens on ifthat the

that is a negative or not. they would have to revert back and itrules and that would be a disaster for the economy coul. could wants a trade war article 50 was triggered on the 29th of march and they have until that date to sign and seal a deal with the eu. nos up until the 27th if deal has been reached or tell the u.k. forget about it, you're gone. when you see how things have progressed so far, it has taken months to get these talks started. of these part negotiations will take up until the end of the year and then you did six months to get ratified. we are talking tiny months left to negotiate a lot of different questions. host: our europe editor, eve

irvine, thank you very much. the islamic state group has announced it has orchestrated wednesday's deadly suicide bombing in the afghan capital. eight civilians have been killed and dozens more wounded after an explosive rate car -- rigged car went off during rush hour. we spoke to our correspondent and let's listen now to what he had to say. reporter: according to the interior ministry, at least eight civilians were killed and at least 35 people, mostly civilians, have been wounded. some are in critical condition. the attack took place in a very busy road not very far from the u.s. embassy, from the nato-led resolute mission, or from the afghan intelligence services. we know a number of afghan civilians and their vehicles were caught as they were trying

to go to work during the rush hour. we know that the islamic state had said they were behind the attack. in the last few weeks, we have seen a very concerted effort by the u.s. military against the islamic state in the eastern province where there was the mother of all bombs dropped. there's also ground operations with u.s. special forces targeting key isis come on -- command control centers and the most difficult rugged terrains and afghanistan. host: the islamic state group says it was responsible, but many initially thought the attack was carried out by the taliban. in what context does the attack comes? ? reporter: we saw the taliban announcing its offensive after their former leader killed in a u.s. drone strike.

this is very much the fighting season. it's been 300 years since marines have ride -- arrived in the southern province. 2017 unfortunately looks like is another bloody year and the taliban managed to control an area and they are much more powerful. betterve better weapons, forces, and they have expanded their area of recruitment. presence in the eastern province, which is another threat. as you and i are speaking, isis are trying fighters to control an eastern province. what this mean is more fighting and afghan villages, more fighting and afghan highways, less security for the people, less business, and less investment.

unfortunately, this looks very, very grim for ordinary people in afghanistan. will beddle east peace the top of the agenda at the white house later this wednesday when president donald trump holds his first talks with the palestinian leader abbas. he has already met the israeli prime minister and has controversially renounced support for the palestinian state. for more on what to expect, here's cap and yet -- catherine. start with a's talk with king hussein and it seems like this is key to the palestinian leaders negotiating strategy. it's all part of preparations for mahmoud abbas's visit to washington. on his facebook page, he laid out his goals. >> the meeting will focus on the role that the u.s. administration could play in resuming the peace talks in order to reach a solution to the palestinian issue, taking into

account the historical rights of the palestinian people. reporter: since donald trump entered the oval office, the u.s. position appears to have shifted with trump indicating he could go back to the drawing board. >> so i'm looking at two-state and one state and i like the one that both parties like. reporter: abbas is an old hand at negotiations. he was part of peace talks with george w. bush and also with barack obama and benjamin netanyahu. both ultimate leading nowhere. with nothing to show for all the years of negotiating, abbas has seen his popularity decline. you must also contend with the rival controlling government in gaza. they are pressing abbas to hold the monthly stipends to palestinians killed or jailed in the context of the conflict. >> how can you talk about peace, peace with israel while you find murderers that shed the

blood of innocent israelis everywhere? reporter: meanwhile trump has said he is the one who could broker a deal. is negotiating skills may be on display later this month, went as expected, he heads to israel for a safe visit. host: you are watching live from paris on "france 24." these are the main world headlines this hour. the gloves are off and france as emmanuel macron and marine le pen practice their patter and their lines of attack ahead of the final presidential tv debate this wednesday evening. and islamic state group targets a military convoy in the afghan capital close to the u.s. embassy and to nato headquarters. at least eight civilians have been killed and dozens more injured in the suicide bombing. the books will need to balance before talks can begin. that is what the eu chief negotiator tells the u.k. while time is short to reach a isxit agreement, the bloc

prepared for all of actualities. -- eventualities. time now for the campaign beat, our daily round of news from the french presidential election campaign. ♪ we are joined onset for that and the big story today is tonight's presidential showdown between macron and le pen. guest: no detail has been left to chance and the two teams have agreed to the set, format, and the temperature. it will be 19 degrees on that set. analysts expect the over to our debate to bring fireworks. -- two hour debate to bring fireworks. thenuel macron is seen as one with most to lose even though he is leading marine le pen in the polls. this is a point that his rival has been keen to point out, but

macron says he is not afraid. take a listen. >> i'm not going to run away and avoid this debate. i'm going to fight hand-to-hand on real issues. >> day after day, emmanuel macron is getting weaker. my advice to him is to stay calm. guest: that will be a key for macron and marine le pen as well. all previous presidential debates have really marked french political history. if you ask most french people, they can quote zingers and soundbites from those previous debates. simon harding tells us more about the history of french presence will debates. -- presidential debates. reporter: a verbal offensive, an appeal to emotion, a few seconds that change the course of a campaign in 1974 with the first french presidential debate in history. the atmosphere cold, both candidates were tense and not even talking to each other.

swepter: that night, he the campaign aside with a few killer words. >> i find it always shocking and injuring 10 manipulate the monopoly of someone's heart. you don't have that monopoly. you don't have it. reporter: seven years later, the jewel was repeated. he had prepared himself by practicing fake debates with his advisers. at that time, it was him who came out on top. the left of center to power, but they were haunted by a split and the coalition and the government, which for shout of -- foreshadowed a bitter and tense debate. >> allow me to say that tonight, i'm not the prime minister. and you are not the president of france. >> you're absolutely right, mr. prime minister. reporter: a line which helped him win the day. the press unanimously agreeing that chirac had been cast aside.

in 2002, everyone expected him righte chirac but a far candidate moved to the second round. chirac refused to debate with the leader. >> i have refused him in the past and i will not accept a debate with him tomorrow. reporter: 10 years later, nicholas sarkozy faced francois hollande. >> as president of the republic, i would not call my prime prime minister an employee -- prime minister an employee. as president, i would always ensure my behavior is exemplary. reporter: on wednesday night, the seventh debate of the second round will take place. a brand-new jewel, which will certainly make its own history. traditionally french people turn into these

presidential debates, but they are not influential on the results in round two, but this is a very different election we are facing this year. there are so many voters undecided still or tempted. this debate could really make a difference. host: you mentioned voters were tempted to not vote at all in round two, but many of them ichand in mill the first round. guest: he got about 19% of the vote, which made him a potential kingmaker. do keep in mind though that mi llichand refused to give any voting instruction to his followers. what are they going to do in round two? maxwell has the story. reporter: the results are in, and two thirds of his supporters saying that the stand was for the ballots. just the third of the far left

voters say they will cast their vote for emmanuel macron. he chose to pull his supporters on a preferred course of action rather than fight on how to vote. supporters40,000 took part in the survey. >> i don't want to vote against my convictions. i hate everything that macron stands for. >> is like choosing between the plague and cholera. -- notll vote for macron because i agree with him, but because i do not want the national front together. -- to go through. reporter: a vote for a far right marine le pen was not among the survey options. she has expressed distaste for the far right front, but is not for the macron front either. >> i would not do anything more because it would divide the forces around me. pulled more than

19% in the first round, more than 17 million votes. with marine le pen closing in on macron in the polls, melenchon has been criticized for not doing more to stop the national fronts rise. host: that was emerald maxwell reporting. brushing off negotiations that marine le pen plagiarized her speech from her conservative rival, tell us more. guest: a video surfaced that shows lots of similarities between a speech that marine le pen made on monday and fillon made in april. it seems like they are saying the exact same things. anmight seem like embarrassing situation for marine le pen, but she has brushed the whole thing off. she says she was perfectly aware of the whole thing and maintains that this was a deliberate point and nudge -- wink and nudge to fillon's voters. >> i completely stand behind

that wink and the media buzz it created. after all, that's the only thing that gets you going. in the end, it's good. it means the speech has been heard hundreds of times since yesterday. that probably would've been missed. it's true that we share with fillon voters a certain vision of the greatness of france. guest: you can see marine le pen winking once again to fillon voters, trying to land on her feet, but it's a different story if you listen to the party that fillon represented in the election. they are a lot more upset about this wink. >> i think it is a stupid thing to do. it is sloppy behavior. it shows she is running out of ideas and imagination. it's not a reason if you need one to not vote for him or he will attend and to leave her no chance during sunday's vote. pam -- formerth

pen and to leave her no chance during sunday's vote. host: that is all we have for today's campaign beat. you can watch that crucial debate live on "france 24." that starting at 9:00 p.m. paris time. check out our presidential platform comparison where we compare their platforms side-by-side and proposal by proposal. it is time now for a business update. i'm joined onset. starting out with some news from apple. guest: that's right. underch giant sold just 51 million iphones around the world in the last quarter. that was slightly below estimates and down 1% from the same period last year. ceo tim cook sees it as just a pause in iphone purchases.

despite the drops, the company's revenue rose by 4.5%, and apple has decided to give more money back to shareholders as its cash reserves has swelled over a quarter trillion dollars. problem, apple has a but not the kind businesses usually run into. it has so much money that there are few ways to actually spend it. tot quarter, revenue rose 5% $53 billion -- $11 billion of that. profit. despite a drop in iphone sales, the cash pile has grown to $250 billion and there's no end in sight. tech giant hase raised its quarterly dividends, becoming the world's biggest dividend payer. it is also increasing its share buyback program to $300 billion in march 2019 after already spending $150 billion buying

back its own stock over the past five years. companyestors think the is really eyeing a massive purchase that could extend its reach well beyond consumer-electronics. tesla, netflix, or even walt disney have been the subject of speculation. thee could even buy entertainment icon with cash, which would shock the media and tech world. >> if there is a deal out there that would strike fear in the hearts of silicon valley and hollywood, this is it. reporter: it would also be on a scale apple has not yet attempted. its last purchase was of the audio brand, beats, four $3 billion -- for $3 billion. host: how are investors reacting to this news? guest: shares of several apple suppliers in europe have dropped following the news, following the announcement of the surprise drop in iphone sales. overall european markets are trading in negative territory

with shares slipping from the 20 month highs in the previous session. saw --bank perry of a profit saw a 4% rise in in the first quarter. the latest data shows growth in the euro zone has remained resilient despite concerns over brexit and france's presence election. the official eurozone agency says gdp growth in the area hit a .5% in the first quarter of this year -- 0.5% in the first quarter of this year. expanded by 0.7% last year at a slightly faster pace than the united states. now let's take a look at some other business headlines we are covering this hour. ♪ hotel has signed an agreement with senegal to explore more gas off the coast.

senegal is on the verge of an oil and gas boom with newly discovered shale expected to begin production within the next decade. total currently owns 174 petrol stations there but has no actual production. china's homegrown passenger jet is set to take wing later this week. the c 919 is built by the state ,wned aerospace manufacturer reducing dependence on airbus and boeing. they can sit 168 passengers and cover up 6500 kilometers. the maiden flight is scheduled to take off from shanghai on friday. the german carmaker volkswagen reported one of its highest ever quarterly profits despite declining car sales. it's seen as a sign that the cost cut arm and serializing as it tries to overcome it you mission scandal -- admissions scandal.

-- emissions scandal. it beat rivals daimler and b&w, which also reported better-than-expected results. host: staying with the car industry, about to

♪ musicic [loud raindrops] narrator: torrential rain in the dry season. flooding when there's nonormally droughtht. desert where trere used to b be grass. ♪ music narrator: tens of thousands of deaths in cities across europe from freak heat waves. even more taken to hospital. is this a taste of our future? dr. patrick kinney: climate change is already profoundly affecting public health across the globe. narrator: evidence is ti