♪ ♪ anchor: welcome to the "france 24" newsroom. here is a look at the headlines this hour. a surprise a announcement t outf washington as donald trump agrees to meet with kim jong-un. it wouould be the first meeting ever between a sitting u.s. president and the leader of north korea. pause in the syrian government airstrikes allowed desperately the heldd to enter enclave.

a suicide bomber targets a shia area in kabul. seven people are killed, over a dozen wounded in the afghan capital. we start with the latest out of washington as president donald trump has agreed to a an historic first meeting with kim jong-un. this is a stunning development in the standoff over the nuclear program. the meeting is expected to take place by the end of this may. it would be the first ever face-to-face between a u.s. president any north korean leader. national south korea's security chief has come to thehe white house e with an invitation for northh korea's kim jong-un.

>> to meet president trump as soon as possible. reporter: north korean leaders have invnvited u.s. sitting presidents before, but president trump is the first to accept the offer. kim jong-un talk about denuclearization with the south korean representatives. not just a freeze. also, no missile testing by north korea during this time. great progress being made. reporter: denounced meeting could be a major breakthrough after years of tension -- the announced meeting could be a major breakthrough after years of tension. the west has become increasingly worried about the repeated tests aimed at developing nuclear missiles. only months ago, they traded insults and tweeted threats. is trump likely to get concessions his predecessors have failed to negotiate? japan remains cautious. >> there i is no change in poliy

from japan and the unitedd states. we will maintaiain that some unl north korea takes concrete actions toward denuclearization in a manner that is complete, verifiable, and irreversible. announced,f held as the historic meeting will take place in may on the heels of the much-anticipated north/south korea summit. as you just saw in that report, japan remains cautious as the country lives under the threat of nuclear action from pyongyang. for more, we cross to tokyo where daniel is standing by. what has b been the reacaction e so far? fair to say it has been a skeptical responsnse. in the last be weeks, the japanese government has made it the world s should not be tricked into some sort of

agreemenent that is not favorab. japan hahas been saying we shoud be wary of charm offenses during the olympics. the prime minister has been n vy close e to donald d trump on ths issue. he hasas defended dodonald trump many times about the strong rhetoric o out of washinington. now saying there should be [indiscernible] anchor: all right. daniel, thank you. i i apologize for the poor sound quality at the end. for more on this story, i'm joined in the studio by a north asia expert at the asia center. thank you for joining us. we have heard caution out of tokyo. we heard from president trump himself tweeting saying this marks great progress. what is your take on this moment

we have seen? >> what is surprising is the smileration of the diplomacy by kim jong-un and donald trump. that is more important than the move itself. i will also say the fundamental issues remain. obviously,y, we have no clue abt the commitment of kim jong-un done withe talking south korean representatives. and we do not know what will be the content of the next meeting between kim jong-un and moon. we are in a very unexpected situation. it is difficult to know what will come out of that.

if you read the american press, there are people who consider that there are huge risks are taking this move. donald trump is a dealmaker. whiteealmaker, he can say one day and block the next -- black the next. he can change again. anchor: it has been said this is a ploy by pyongyang. what do you say to that? of kim jong-un to create a gap between south korea and the u.s. and also between the u.s. and japan. the cautiousness in tokyo since the announcement is good in no way for kim jong-un. ploy, but it is also a good way for mr. trump to stick to his policy and bring kim jong-un to the world. anchor: there is a a lot of

movement to make something concrete happen. is the united states government prepared to handle talks moving forward negotiations -- in negotiations? >> what was set of the u.s. government in the last few weeks was very different views in washington. you have the view of donald trump. you have the view of the peaceful people who are in favor of a diplomatic move. you have also people in favor of stricter constraints on north korea. the american policy is not clarified. if you look at mr. tilson's reaction, it shows he was very surprised. anchor: he was surprised by the offer and the president's handling of it. thank you. next, we cross to developments out of kenya where there is

apparent movement in the ongoing political crisis. the president and the opposition leader has promised to heal divisions. the politicians made their first publicic appearance togegether n the steps of the presidential , this since last year's contentious elections. he was sworn in for a second term after the supreme court nullified the poll in august and heered another that protested. there are over ethnic groups and corruption. we cross to syria. to theconvoy is headed town. the assault has killed nearly 1000 civilians and trapped hundreds of thohousands with little to o no f food.

the united n nations children's fu has descrcribed this as h how on earth for children. finda warning, viewers may images in the next report disturbing. >> from afar, it is a skyline and a cloud of smoke. there is the noise, the dust, and the terror. and there are children buried deep in the rubble. shellshocked, they are the lucky ones, the ones that may survive. as bashar al-assad's forces continue to pummel the area, tens of thousands of children are stuck. >> it is hell on earth for children. bombing is almost unceasing. the amount of violence means a child sees violence, death, maiming. here it is particularly hard because we do not have enough access. >> the bombings in the death

are just one trial. according to unicef, there is widespread starvation and malnutrition. the lack of food means even among friends and neighbors eating comes with its own dangers when you are stuck with others in underground shelters. >> they are afraid to eat in front of one another. everyone is hungry. even if you have a little food, you will not show it. they go out to look for food or eat in their homes, and then the fighting starts. the airstrikes start and then they die. >> incessant bombings by the assad regime in russia are keeping aid convoys from reaching the start and injured -- starving and injured. anchor: we cross to afghanistan

where a suicide bomber struck a police checkpoint this friday in the afghan capital. at least nine people were killed, over a dozen wounded. the attacker struck a gathering commemorating the 1995 death of one of their leaders. islamic state group has claimed responsibility for the attack. here are witnesses describing the scene. >> the explosion took place 200 meters away from the site of the gathering. we don't of the type or the cause of the blast. >> an explosion happened in the person in front of me fell down while did -- wounded. when i saw him fall after the blast, iran back to the vicinity of the gathering. anchor: every day this week, "france 24" has brought you an exclusive report from lebanon. this friday in part five of the series, we introduce you to a day refugee from iraq -- a gay

refugee from a rock who describes his life living under islamic militants. >> my mother helped me flee iraq as my family wanted me dead. they locked me in my room. they wanted to cut my throat. they said i brought shame on them. my father belongs to a militia that said they would kill me. this years old and gay, iraqi men is at an lgbt rights group. he left his homeland after being threatened by islamists. >> they make lists. they throw gays into the middle of the street and beat them to death with concrete blocks. i had one friend who was kidnapped and tortured for three days.

next to aim dead trashcan. they had castrated him and stuck anus.e inside his they cut his body. right up through the middle of his back. while no official figures exist, rights groups in beirut report similar testimonies like this one. gay, bisexual, or transgender people who fled the islamic state and other mililitt groups. many seek help from the u.n.'s refugee agency. refugees are often fast tracked for resettlement because we realize the vulnerabilities may face. it boils down to risks which

place a refugee at particular risk of being persecuted. >> but until the request for asylum elsewhere is granted, they remain in beirut. it is safer than the homes they have left behind, but not without of the risks. -- but not without other risks. >> finding work is a lot more complicated. that is why many get involved in prostitution. it makes them more vulnerable on three fronts. people,orkers, lgbt and refugegees. >> they route more tolerant than its neighbors, but homosexuality remamains illegal on the grounds that it violates the laws of nature. anchor: that was part five of our series on lebanon. there has been a surprise

announcement out of washington as donald trump agrees to meet with north korean leader kim jong-un. a pause in syrian airstrikes allows desperately needed aid to reach the rebel held enclave. at least nine people are killed in kabul, over a dozen wounded. it is time for a business update. i'm joined by brian quinn. you will bring us reaction and newysis from donald trump's import tariffs on steel and aluminum to the united states. >> canada and mexico are exempted of the tariffs of 25 percent and 10%. there could be more to come. trump left the door open for other allies to make the case on why they should be spared the imimport duties. the e.u., japan, and australia

are already pushing their own exemptions. workers inng u.s. the name of national security, the reason behind president trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. he says china floods the market with cheap steel. but u.s. allies are the biggest exporters. canada and mexico escape the tariffs are now -- for now, although they will have to agree to a revised north american free trade agreement. but trump is leaving the door open for more countries to dodge the new levies. >> whether you look at it from a strategigic point of view, overl relationship poioint of view, trtrade point of view, there iso case f for imposing caps -- tariffs on australian still exports to the united states. >> from here on out, we will closely investigate the details of these measures and potential impact to japanese industries by these measures.

we would like japan to be exempted while we take necessary steps within the framework of the wto. disputes in the wto are lengthy. the tariffs take effect in 15 days. america's friends around the world will continue to lobby for relief. the question is what president trump will last in return. >> turning to china where economic leaders are moving away from the country's previous strategy of growth based on credit. governor of the people's bank of spoke on friday suggesting beijing will be more cautious with spending this year. markets are concerned cutting back on stainless could slow not only china's growth but the entire world. wants to cut down on public and private debt.

>> we now emphasize the new standard for the economy switching from high quantity growth to high-quality growth. the past high-quality model is reliant on the accumulation of capital and investment to stimulate growth. in pursuing the direction of high-quality growth now, we will be reducing reliance on the old investment growth model. >> time for a check on the markets. european indices slumping. investors looking ahead to a big u.s. jobs report. plenty of concerns over the trump terrace weighing on the markets -- tariffs weighing on the markets. showing an unexpected slowdown in french industrial output. german posting their biggest slide in seven months. businessk at more top

headlines. the japanese steelmaker appointed the current executive vice president to the top rorole anand pledged fundamamental refs in the wake of a falsification data scandal. all company directors will have their pay docked between 10% and 50% in the coming months. wynn resorts will pay $2.4 billion to settle a lawsuiuit brouought by japan's universal entertainment, ending a six-year dispute. the lawsuit dealt with wynn's forced redemption a mistake at a 30% discount after a an f.b.i. investigation determined okada violated anticorruption laws. toys "r" us is preparing to liquidate american operations. the retailer has failed to find a buyer or debt structuring deal -- restructuring deal. it entered bankruptcy with $5 billion in debt.

weeksomes less than two after the u.k. operations were forced into administration as well. the disgraced former pharmaceutical executive is set to be sentenced today. he gained notoriety for jacking up the price of a life-saving and poured fuel on the fire with a provocative social media presence. he faces up to 15 years behind bars for securities fraud. the judge ordered him to forfeit over seven money dollars in assets.- $7 million in a reward on facebook to anyone who could steal a lock of hillary clinton's hair. head of his sentencing, one supporter argued for leniency citing his social media output as performance art. we will see you either in the

museum or prisoson, whichever comes first. anchor: thank you. it is time for our press review. joined in the studio for a look at what is grabbing headlines in the written press. we start with the reaction to the prize announcement -- surprise announcement of washington as president trump has agreed to meet with the north korean leader. >> some say this is proof donald trump's hard-line stance has paid off, also his insults as well. post" reportsn the us will have a hard time preparing for talks because their diplomats are not ready for them. they say not only were they surprised by the announcement, but special envoys to north korea retired a few weeks ago and have not been replaced. the u.s. has not named in the passenger to south korea. they say there are very few experienced diplomats, and that means the u.s. will have a lot

of homework to do ahead of the talks if they want to come out on top. anchor: we are hearing cautioned voiced in asia in some of the papers. >> as welcome is this development is by many papers, they are sounding the alarm and saying we want to tread lightly here. this says the situation is like a fiery volcano dormant for 65 years. they say we cannot forget what is at stake. as you can see in this cartoon, we have them enjoying a nice round of darts. the target is peace. they are playing with nuclear warheads. they are not very good shots. anchor: it does not look like it. we did see the so-called north korean thaw start with the olympics last month. tonight, the paralympics kickoff. >> north korea will be competing in the paralympics under their own flag this time. you can see the north korean

delegation arriving in this photo from "the guardian." participation is raising eyebrows because north korea has been repeatedly accused of discriminating against disabled people. a u.n. report found people are regularly sent to prison camps for having special physical needs. people who have fled north korea have reported harassment by authorities. it is nice to see north korea celebrating its disabled athletes at the perl objects -- paralympics. the paper says we have to consider what it is like for people at home living with disabilities. anchor: this is focusing on president macron's trip abroad as he is headed to india today. >> his trips abroad are to strengthen ties between france and india. they are hoping to secure quite a few business deals. this calls it a new land to conquer for president macron.

you see him meeting the indian prime minister last year. following that trip, india got a few dozen of france's fighter planes. macron will be pushing for him to buy quite a few more during this trip. it is not all business. he will be meeting with young people to talk about education in new delhi. he will be going on a romantic tour of the taj mahal with his wife. anchor: the papers are asking wear.he president will >> we don't know yet. you will have to wait and see. there is a saying in france that the habit does not make the monk. the paper says abroad, the clothes very much to make the president. we have pictures of past presidents and justin trudeau in india last month. these traditional outfits sparked ridicule in india.

people said they were tacky, over the top. will read thison today and not make the same mistake as justin trudeau. anchor: during his trip abroad, eventl miss out on an kicking off in paris, the annual tattoo festival. >> i was trying to find out for you if the french president does have a tech to. i could not find confirmation either way. more french people are getting tattoos. the paper says they used to be a symbol of her billion. now they are the norm. 1/4 of people under 35 have a tattoo. they say 33% of self-employed people have tattoos. 1/4 of all blue-collar workers have tattoos. that number drops to about 13% for those in high up management

positions. we don't want to reinforce stereotypes. you can look at these pictures of quite a few powerful leaders through the ages who have had tattoos. yardstick -- the archduke ferdinand and winston churchill, who had an anchor tattooed on his left arm. they also say franklin roosevelt and joseph stalin are others that had tattoos. does have a cat 2, he would be part of a high-powered crowd. anchor: people may be able to watch former president obama soon on netflix. >> he is in talks with netflix about developing a series of shows. the deal is not final yet so we don't know what the show would look like. one idea would be to have barack and michelle obama hosting talks about climate change and health care. it is to give the obamas a global platform for sharing

ideas with the public now that they are no longer in the white house. anchor: thank you. for more, you can always go to our website. we are going to take a quick break. stay with us. the news continues on "fra

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