>> it's 1:00 p.m. in the french capital. you're watching live from paris on france 24. it is six months to date since donald trump became america's president and three of his closest advisers are being called to testify before senators on their contact with russian officials. we are checking in on the u.s. president's first half year in office. french and american troops in syria are being put at risk by turkish state-run news agency

that has revealed the locations of 10 of their military bases. the accusation coming from the pentagon. we have reactions from our correspondent in turkey. daliody of artist salvador will be exhumed this thursday to resolve the paternity case. details on that coming up for you. i'm catherine nicholson. coming up in business, all eyes are on the european central bank meeting today. it looks to possibly begin winding down its massive stimulus program. the tour de france reaches its 18th grueling stage. ♪

>> thanks for being with us. we start in the united states where it is six months to date since donald trump became the 45th president. he passes this half anniversary it has emerged that his eldest son, son-in-law and former election campaign manager are being called to testify before senators over allegations of russian meddling in last year's election. a major focus of the questions will be a meeting that donald trump jr., jared kushner and paul manafort held with the russian lawyer in the summer of 2016. it has been an eventful first six months in power for donald trump. multiple controversies over his decisions and declarations, continuing economic growth and job creation means support from his base remains firm. months in office, donald trump's approval rating is the lowest of any american

president since polling began. his popularity decreasing as the scandal over his teams possible collusion with russia and alleged bid to influence last year's election continues to grow. trump hit back on twitter, calling the probe a witchhunt. and says he wants to remain focused on fulfilling his problems the dutch policy platform, like his campaign promise to reform the health care system. internal party divisions among republicans in congress is hampering progress. the proposed than twice revised bill failed to get the votes needed to pass the senate. >> seven years i have been hearing repeal and replace from congress. when we finally get a chance to repeal and replace they don't take advantage of it. that's disappointing. signed aesident has slew of executive orders. one of them, his much touted muslim travel ban. both versions of the order were struck down by the courts but it

eventually came into partial effect. the decision taken by the supreme court. until it here's the full case in october. drew mass protest across the country and was denounced by numerous world leaders, as was trump's decision to pull the united states out of the paris climate agreement. the u.s. head of state has also slashed the budget for the environment of protection agency and rolled back regulations aimed at curbing pollution and emissions. trump hasld stage, ramped up tensions with china following north korean missile tests and put himself at odds with russia over syria, going against his own advice to barack obama and launching a military strike. the president has stood firm by his pledge to put america first andinternational meetings multinational deals. notably by announcing the u.s. would renegotiate nafta and pulling out of the tpp.

>> french and american forces stationed in northern syria have exposed to unnecessary risk by a turkish news agency. that's the reaction coming from the pentagon after the agency published the locations of 10 u.s. military posts. the united states has formally complained to turkey about this apparently intentional leak of sensitive information. the forces in question are backing up syrian kurdish fighters engaged in the battle against the islamic state group. us moreespondent told about why a top-level and intentional leak is suspected. agency is the hands of the government. it would not have published this report without the green light from the top of government. why the government said to publish it is very strange. particularly when one bears in mind that in some cases, it revealed the number of u.s. and soldiers atal force

certain positions in syria. war correspondents do not give of troops in the units to which they are attached. that is seen as giving information to the enemy. of troops in the this agency appears to have done exactly that. it said the 10 u.s. positions were supporting the kurdish militia, the ypg in syria. turkey sees the ypg as an , theiate of the pkk turkish kurdish insurgents group. and turkey has long called on washington to withdraw its support for the syrian kurdish militia. but there's a difference between calling on america to withdraw support and actually advertising the details of that support. >> germany is making it clear it is unhappy with turkey, too. and it's totally overhauling its relations with ankara.

the german foreign minister touching on many areas in his declarations this thursday. among them, warning that there are risks to anyone wanting to travel to turkey from germany. is comes after turkey arrested a german human rights activist two weeks ago. take a listen. most absurd things are possible in traveling to turkey for years where you have acquaintances and friends who have been visiting for years turkish citizens possibly being suspected by turkish secret services of being close to that -- movement. all of a sudden you are a terrorist supporter. a hotel who belongs to such a person or you visit a cultural event associated with it come in other words completely innocent german citizens can become associated. hence this increased travel advisory to all citizens of our country. the turkish foreign ministry

has accused germany of harboring members of terrorist groups and preventing them from being brought to trial. to jerusalem now, the metal detectors installed last week at one of the city's holiest sites looks to be staying in place despite days of protests and the looming threat of widespread arrest. isael's prime minister currently in hungary. he has told reporters that there change to security arrangements at the mosque site. the latest escalation began last change toweek when three palesn gunmen launched an attack from the compound, killing two is really policeman. -- israeli policeman. tens of thousands of muslims typically attend prayers in the walled compound in jerusalem zone -- old city. cameroon is accusing amnesty

international of bad faith after it published a report into alleged abuse of people believed to be members of the boko haram militant group. amnesty also claims french and american soldiers may have known about alleged torture. washington says it has no knowledge of the cases, while paris has yet to comment. julia kim tells us more. >> a damning report by amnesty international, accusing cameroon's elite forces of torturing boko haram suspects. thethe past four years, police rapid intervention battalion has been fighting the nigerian militants. amnesty says it has documented 101 cases of arbitrary arrest and torture. a former detainee describes how he had been suspended from a wooden goal post, his feet tied from behind while he was whipped with anything the soldiers had at hand. other methods included waterboarding, food deprivation, being forced to drink urine, and

electric shock. the report also states the victims included women, the disabled and mentally ill. and some were tortured to death. mst has pinpointed two bases where the abuse allegedly took place. mst has pinpointed two bases where the abuse allegedlythe ris video evidence of french and u.s. troops at the sites. >> did they know that there was torture taking place? did they know that people were being illegally detained and if so, what did they do about it? war crimes are taking place under the nose of international -- the united states says it has no knowledge of human rights abuses. cameroon has accused amnesty of trying to transform killers into victims. boko haram has carried out over a dozen suicide bombings in the north of cameroon since april.

the militants have killed over 20,000 people in eight years and displaced almost 3 million in the region. >> a landmark vote in chilly means that abortions are now likely to become legal. in certain specific cases. the measure still needs to pass the lower house of parliament. it would allow pregnancies to be terminated if they were the result of rape, if the mother's life was in danger or if doctors found the fetus would not survive the pregnancy. for rightsvictory groups as senators voted on wednesday to legalize abortion in some cases in one of south america's most conservative countries. the decision comes after hours of explosive debate and has been years in the making. the measure allows termination in cases of rape, risk to the mother's life or if the fetus shows sign of a deadly birth defect. the current law, abortion is

punishable by up to five years in prison. >> this is a great contribution to the history of chilly. andink our girls, teenagers women will wake up happy today feeling confident they will be able to make life-changing decisions for themselves. the proposal was first introduced to in a half years ago and has faced opposition from the catholic church and the chilean conservatives. even now, they're not giving up without a fight they are pledging to change the measure in the courts. the issue of abortion has long been contentious. in 2015, 1 campaign showed women going through shocking measures to accidentally lose a pregnancy. and it went viral. is backingpresident the law, saying she would sign

it before elections in november. >> the body of artist salvador dali will be exhumed this thursday as judges try to resolve the paternity case 20 years after his death. a 61-year-old woman has brought a claim saying that her mother had an affair with the painter. hadsalvador dali foundation tried to block the exhibition from going ahead. -- extubation from going ahead. exhumation from going ahead. she says she just wants know the truth. >> i want to know who i am. the rest will come. i hope for a smile from my mother as well. stage isg mountain done and another is underway for the elite riders tackling this year's tour de france.

the race leader took a big step wednesday toward taking his fourth victory despite the of a frenchman. there are 18 stages in the alps. -- their 18th stage is in the alps. >> the last day in the alps and it will also be the final summit .inish of this race the riders will end at the top of a 14 kilometer long climb, the highest summit finish of this race. fans know that this stage could the race.decide chance toeir final take some time off of the leader, chris frume.

they will need to take at least a two minute lead if they want to have the slightest chance to hold him off at saturday's time trial. he is simply the best time trial and he knowsunch that if he can hold on to the low jersey at the end of this stage than it will be game over for the rest of the field and a wide open road on the way to his fourth tour de france title. business update with brian quinn. we are going to start off with a big important closely watched meeting today at the european central bank. the ecb's governing council meeting today in frankfort. mario draghi expected to meet the president about a half hour to announce they will be raising

key interest rates. it's the central bank's stimulus program that is the focus of martin concern -- market concern. has been pumping roughly 60 billion euro's per month into the economy through quantitative easing. that is essentially printing to purchase bank bonds -- new money to purchase bank bonds. the program has some investors on edge. spoke withh -- we steve market analyst for think markets. many look at the strength of the european economy and feel it is now time to taper. data andmpare soft hard data which is your industrial production data. they are catching up. the color which is very positive for the economy. unemployment data. you look at consumer confidence. they are all saying the patient

doesn't need this much injection. and it is time now to wind down the ultra-loose monetary policy. >> the markets on tenterhooks waiting for that. >> the last time drug he spoke about the strength of the euro zone economy, it sent the markets into a bit of a tizzy. seen as a single the markets ons waiting for that. >> possible imminent tapering. .7 ande 100 up nearly the frankfort dax up .4, investors especially keeping an eye on the euro. spiked to a 14 month high after druggie seemed to suggest interest rate hikes could be in the cards. news of some trade talks between the two biggest economies.

the united states and china. it seems things aren't going quite as smoothly as both sides might have hoped. >> the countries have come out of major trade talks in washington without a deal. both sides canceling scheduled press conferences. given the administrations of china's criticism of trade policies, hopes for a breakthrough weren't necessarily high. analysts are predicting more u.s. china trade tensions in the months to come. he has portrayed himself as the negotiator in chief, but donald trump hasn't made a lot of headway in trade talks with china. on wednesday, top administration officials met with chinese counterparts to discuss the massive trade surplus among other issues. china now accounts for nearly 50% of the u.s. goods trade deficit. so it is time to rebalance our

trade and investment a more fair,in equitable and reciprocal manner. washington wants china to allow experts of american goods in order to reduce its trade deficit. the u.s. is also seeking broader access to the chinese market for american companies and it wants to see china reduce its excess steel production. washington blames beijing for the global steel glut that is hurting american producers. trump hasn't ruled out imposing tariffs on foreign-made steel. while the side so they had a frank exchange, little headway was made and no joint statement was issued. assign analysts say of trouble ahead. the talks were built as a follow-up to trump's meeting with the chinese president in april were the leaders launched a 100 day economic program.

u.s.included granting the limited access to some financial services sectors. china also agreed to lift its ban on u.s. beef sales and allow u.s. shifts of liquefied natural gas. -- shipments of liquefied natural gas. >> the new car smell that people often love apparently is not so popular in china. practically a selling point for vehicles in the west. do customerst only not really like the smell, it is actually one of their top concerns ahead of road noise, fuel efficiency and engine problems. chinese division is doing all it can to avoid odors. -- golden news is not only evaluate the strength of also the notes in every material used. notes like burnt tire or dirty socks. competeway for ford to

in the largest automobile market amid slowing industry growth. with our press review. some of the top headlines for a is. we are going to start off in the united states. not with donald trump. another high-profile person, o.j. simpson. his parole hearing is set for this thursday. the expense right. is paroled next chapter in the ever fascinating never-ending saga of o.j. simpson? that's what the l.a. times is asking. the 90's was reality tv before reality tv was a thing. demise from a football running back to forinal his grip america

two decades. he was acquitted for murdering his wife and her friend but was turned back in jail for armed robbery and kidnapping. the trial was so important in the 90's because it came at a time of incredible racial tension. follow the acquittal of four white lapd officers in the beating death of rodney king. parole, o.j. simpson could be released as early as this october. >> a lot of reports in the american press. some other publications talking about high-profile figures involved in this. >> that's right. the case was so highly publicized and there were a lot of key figures that emerged. one of the most high-profile figures was his lawyer, robert kardashian, whose daughters need no introduction. usa today says his family capitalized on his notoriety after kardashian's death. the late prosecutor marcia clark also became well-known because

she actually became a crime fiction writer and wrote a book about the case. , hejudge used his status affected judicial reform. the sister of o.j. simpson's wife became an activist for domestic violence. bringing back so many memories. such a high-profile case. we can stay with the united states and move on to another topic. washington post document with the latest decisions from donald trump. >> that's right. he will phaseed out the cia's covert program to train and arm moderate syrian rebels. it reflects trump's interest in finding ways to work with moscow to end the syrian conflict. it since even those who are skeptical about the program's as aterm value viewed it key bargaining chip in negotiations with russia. the chip that is now off the table. the topics one of

that comes up in an interview donald trump is given to the new york times. >> that's right. talking about a wide range of issues. he talks about this week's failure to vote on replacing obamacare, attacking attorney general jeff sessions over his unfair recusal. talks about his recent trip to paris and how beautiful the shop so is a is. syriza -- sean elysees -- you can read all about this romance in the new york times. trump may have a lot of love for emmanuel macron, but the foreign press much more scathing over this very public spat with the top military chief who resigned on wednesday. >> he quit in a real fit of anger.

he was the military chief. he quit over military budget cuts. look at the damning headlines. they call him -- a very low military grade. the idea that he is taking on the big military chiefs who see him in this picture arriving during bastille day celebrations in a military vehicle which is a departure from a french president. its editorial, it's as may be power starting to get to his or maybe he is starting to show himself incapable of taking criticism. this subject is also being discussed on politico, which says macron is facing a summer of discontent and they say this is his real first test of his authority at home. >> it is spreading out of having echoes around europe. there's a british newspaper

talking about how britain might have something to gain from this. this is a really audacious article. it says britain can take comfort in this because it comes at a time when cross channel relations are difficult in the wake of brexit negotiations. if he wants to restore french grander they'd britain to do this. the writer rather ruthlessly goes on to say we need to recognize and exploit their neighbors disputes in order to get the best brexit deal possible. >> we will end with another controversy. something slightly different. wordsugly war of centering around of my childhood heroes, kermit the frog. >> that's right. the beloved muppets has been voiced for the past couple of decades by the men in this

picture. he was unceremoniously fired earlier this month by the muppets studio for acceptable business conduct. he has been lashing generation

[music playing] [man n singing inin foreign language] sami: senegal was one of the focal points of the slave trade. those that lost their freedom came here e across the oceansns, and their r music came with them. rap, rock, blues, jazz. everyththg we listen to these days had its start right here in west africa. it's not an aggerationon to say that "sound tracker" has taken a trip to the cradle of western music. [speaks foreign language] [man singing in foreign