♪ host: hello, thanks for joining us on "france 24." time now for 60 minutes live around the world. these are the headlines. a second day of police questioning for former french pridnichol sarkozy as he claims the 2017 president shall claim pain was illegally funded by the late living dictator mohamed gaddafi. we will be g live to ou correspondent in just a moment.

76 nigerian girls kidnapped a month ago by boko haram has been released, reportedly out of pity , but the group is also warning parents don't ever put your daughters in school again. and for the first time ever, israel confirms that it bombed a suspected syrian nuclear reactor in 2007. our correspondent in jerusalem on the way. also coming up for you this hour, the pressure is building on facebook over data. its users harvested political research firm. the latest on the troubled social media in our business update. while spring birds are starting to sing around the world, here in france, not so much. moren whfrench bird populations have fallen by a third coming up. first, our top story live from paris. ♪

host: former french president nicholas sarkozy is being held for a second day of police questioning, linked to what could be the illegal funding of the successful 2000 seven 2007dential campaign -- presence of campaigresintai. they are accusations the former president has denied since they first popped up five years ago. cap the norse trent is outside the police station -- catherine norse trent is outside the police station where sarkozy is being held at the moment. he has been held for 16 hours and has been in again since it :00 a.m. today -- 8:00 a.m. today. at ibein said? more de re no, tsquestioning now in pole

custody is carrying on for a very long time, marathon sessions as he said. nicholas sarkozy spending 16 hours of questioning behind me and it's another long day. 48 hours ofe questioning and that could be renewed for another 48 hours before police officers decide whether to have enough evidence to place him under formal investigation. that is how the legal system works here in france. at the moment, we believe they are going through timelines of itsy transfers and how alleged money may have been transferred from tripoli to paris to finance, according to the allegations, nicolas sarkozy successful 2007 election campaign for president, which he went on to win. theozy has denied allegations and has been very

vehement about that cag them disgraceful and grotesque. clearly the investigators here outside of paris are going through a great deal of evidence. we know there are witness accounts from intermediaries between the french and libyan governments. there are various accounts from different libyan officials, foreign ministers, former spy chief also seeming to confirm these allegations. while sarkozy denies these msclai, the investigators seem to be taking a great deal time to go through the details of the case. host: catherine, during president sarkozy's time in office, france actually saw some incredible changes in its relations with libya, didn't it? reporter: yes, very dramatic changes indeed. if you look at the history of under-libyan relatns sarkozy, when lydia started coming in from the cold and normalizing relations from the west starting with 2003 and abandoning weapons of mass

destruction, paying compensation to terrorism reont efforts to bring libya in from the cold. the interior minister travel to tripoli in 2005 and met with good office. -- met with muammar gaddafi. that is the question of caai as president, he brought moammar gaddafi to paris. s inven directed his tent paris and that he had the dramatic change around with the arab spring and the revolution. france became one of the first western countries to back the libyan rebels who were opposing moammar gadhafi and was at the forefront of leading the nato intervention in libya. . very dramatic change was it in any way connected to this cas, these allegations of

illicit funding? host: catherine, thank you for that cover reporting outside the police station where former president nicholas sarkozy is being questioned. nigeria, where the government says 76 girls who were kidnapped a month ago have been released back to their hometown. 30 more are still missing from that of duction. -- abduction. no ransom release was paid, but the fighters returned the girls out of pity. issued an ominous warning to parents, saying don't ever put your daughters school again. in 2014, that same group abducted 276 schoolgirls from sheba. about 100 of them never returned to their families. reporter: these are the scenes from a little more than a month ago after some of the parents of more than 100 girls were told

their children were missing. ino haram militants arriving machine gun mountain trucks open fire on the village before storming the technical school and seizing some of the students. e youngest aged just 10. abduction through painful parallels to the kidnapping of girls in 2014 could th. the incident brought attention to the insurgency and sparked a campaign for the girls relief. many still remain in captivity. on tuesday, an amnesty international report accused the aft numeroureportsf fni the cited mitants the are >> if you look at e trajecry of what happened and you compare to what happened in 2014, you will see another pattern,

basically it's like we have not learned any lessons. this is inexcusable. reporter: questions have been able to access the ko haram were town so easily. reports that the military group is on the brink of defeat after 20,000 deaths. host: for the first time, israel has confirmed it has bombed a suspected syrian nuclear reactor in 200 2007. they say the strike removed a major threat to israel and it was a message to others. let's go live to our correspondent in jerusalem. ve of secrecy over whatlife happened 11 years ago? tell us more about what happened with this. reporter: what's interesting as

many of the details are unknown because it was only here in where journalists cannot tell the story. otr investment of journalists working in the u.s. perfectly have put these details to public domain, but what we have learned today are two interesting things. first it was both a huge intelligence success and failure because they only learned very late that this nuclear reactor was being built in syria under their noses and they didn't know. when they found out, they scrambled. they found a confirmation in a very interesting and illegal ay. syriane head of atomic energy left his laptop in his room and it tells its agents went and took all th informatn back to israel. ha of politicians, they showed it to the united states.

i think hoping the united states would take military action. andunited states declined said to israel we will not stand in your way. it's being reported today that absencen asen light and what followed was first of all a decision to wait and just see to prepare for war in case it would spark a war, which is what the americans were warning. after the successful military operation, complete silence here , a silence that has only been broken today. we've not heard about it and there's been no boasting or discussion. that silence has been broken today and that is what we are hearing. host: get that silence has been broken today, the question is why? why is this coming out now? reporter:hat's a very good question and there has not been a formal answer. there has not been a briefing from the prime minister. the documents were rea released at 5:00 this morning, great excitement in the israeli press. there were a number of feelings as to wh

we did hear from israel's chief of staff that it's a warning to other nations and perhaps they're looking straight across to iran. you know the story of the israeli and iranian conflict over whether iran is buildin or should be allowed to build a nuclear reactor. the second thing is perhaps something more simple if you like. it might actually be down to israeli journalists who have been challenging the military decision in the courts for some years now. the last time the courts said to the israelis, they said we are not going to support you. perhaps it's israeli journalists who have brought this around and that's why we're hearing it today. host: thank you for that. reporting for us from jerusalem . the trial of a 17-year-old is set to resume today in a military court in the west bank. the teenager has been hailed as a hero by palestinians for hitting and kicking israeli ldiers.

she was arrested after she was filmed confronting soldiers outside her home in a west bank village last december. the trial, which of the israeli military court hasseo blic, is expected to drag on for months. to the u.s., where police in texas say the suspect in the austin serial bombs has been killed. earlier ports sa the man blew himself up. to people were killed and more were injured by a string of bombings that were targeting minorities. that began earlier this month. we have the details. isorter: the city of austin breathing a sigh of relie three weeks of apparently random bomb attacks. austin police have said the main suspect is dead. the 24-year-old white male detonated a bomb in his vehicle as authorities were moving into arrest him. >> as mberof the austin police department swat team approached the vehicle, the suspect detonated a bomb inside the vehicle. and hasect is deceased

significanturs blast that occurred from detonating a bomb inside his vehicle. reporter: the bombings began on march 2 when a package delivered on a man's doorstep blew up, killing him. since then another five explosions have occurred. on sunday, a bomb triggered by a nearly invisible tripwire injured two men. the final blast occurred on tuesday at a fedex shipping center about 100 kilometers southwest of austin. the first three bombings have targeted black and hispanic residents, sparking fears of a series of hate crimes. although the main suspect in the case is dead, authorities urging residents to remain cautious. >> as the chief said, we're not done yet. is a long day ahead. we are concerned there may be other packages that are still out there. we need the public to remain vigilant. reporter: in total, two people were killed and four others injured by this serial bomber. police said the man appears to

have acted alone and there is no known motive for these attacks. host: spring is now officially here. while birds are starting to sing around the world coming here in france, not so much. bird populations across the french countryside have fallen by a third over the past 15 years. naturalist are blaming the loss on a heavy use of pesticides. reporter: in the french countryside, sites like this are becoming a rarity -- the warbler, the red breasted partridge, and even common sky looks have rapidly declined a number. third of thest a most common species and we have lost even more of the rarer species like partridges for example. we have recorded losses of 80% to 90%. nine out of 10 birds have disappeared in 20 years. reporter: the insects that the birds the pen on for their food have disappeared because of

75% fewean the were yrs ago. fo a naturalist, the entire ecosystem of the french countryside has deteriorated. >> all bird populations are striking, but one group in particular, but birds that live on agricultural land where there is intensive farming and pesticides. than one problem is pesticides. reporter: also to blame is the rise of mono crops and the reduction of the practice of letting fields grow fellow. the biologist says the loss of the birds is just the tip of the iceberg. ofbehind the high number birds disappearing, there's also a number of plants and butterflies. this shows how biodiversity in general has been degraded. reporter: away from pesticides in force and towns, the bird populations are stable, but the number of species is limited. host: you are watching "france 24."

here are today's top stories. a second day of police questioning for the former french president nicolas sarkozy after claims that his presence will campaign was illegally funded by late libyan dictator moammar gadhafi, accusations that sarkozy denies. 76 nigerian girls kidnapped a 100, ago, that's nearly have been reall released reportedly out of pity. grp's warning parents to not ever put their daughters in school again. time now for our business update with stephen. you're going to start with the latest on the facebook data harvesting scandal with the academic that developed the app who is being made a scapegoat. guest: he is one of the key players in the story. he developed the app called this is your digital life. as a model for human behavior,

facebook says he violated their policies by passing their data onto a research firm for commercial use. he has told the bbc he was assured by the company collecting the data was legal and within facebook's rules. he now says he is being made a scapegoat by both companies. this as mounting pressure on the social media giant and its ceo mark zuckerberg to address the privacy issues at stake. parliament botht m testify out of the u.s. congress. the social network i sent officials to brief staff from congressional committees in washington, but it's facing inquiries from many quarters as we report. reporter: new was for facebook calls for investigations into what the social media giant new and when about misuse of personal data on the site. e u.s. federal trade commission has launched a probe and it forces consumer

protection laws. now it looks to whether facebook evaded its privacy settlement that said users must consent to sharing data. a fine of $40,000 per day for violation and for 50 million users, that would amount to $2 trillion. facebook represented at their briefings several representatives as lawmakers press for answers. >> there were facebook's in bed and can bridge analytica. were they aware facebook data was being ud? reporter: meanwhile, facebook ceo mark zuckerberg, who has yet to comment on the scandal, has been called to appear before congress as well as u.k. and eu parliamentary committees. >> this is ultimately abt people's private data. they had no idea was being harvested in the way it was and it's in the hands of a company like cameras an cambridge analyc

a. reporter: facebook stock has plunged, shaving off nearly $60 billion in value. >> i've had multiple friends saying we are leaving facebook . that has huge ramifications for facebook because people don't trust it. the company is also facing a class-action lawsuit by shareholders who say they suffered losses from the fallout of the cambridge analytica scandal. host: the european union is announcing its plans for taxing digital giants could guest., guest: the eu believes cpanies e trie announcing details of the proposed levy in brussels right now, it would apply to firms that earn more than 700 and 50 million euros globally or 50 million in the eu. to create this tax would require unanimous approval from member sites.

it's not clear for now how likely this project is to become reality. he says it's time to take action. the commission is proposing that we integrate digital activities into the definition of corporate taxation. to the same footing as traditional activities. at the same time, the idea is to ensure equal treatment and fair taxation. host: meanwhile, the european commission has approved a massive takeover of the agribusiness groupon santa. guest: is a 56 billion euro takeover by bayer. they have approved the deal because they has agreed to sell off some of its herbicide and seed businesses. those arwoh more than 6 billion euros. u.s. authorities will still need to give a green light to the merger. the usually work closely with european officials in cases like this. host: how are markets trading today? guest: shares up 1% after the

news for the european commission. keep an eye on facebook shares later as wall street opens. premarket trading in new york down around 1% today. that's compared to a 10% that we have seen so far this week. host: you will wrap up now in japan where researchers are using artificial intelligence to decipher the expressions of one of the most powerful people in global finance. guest: mario draghi is a difficult man to read. hiset watchers look at gestures for decisions. they found signs of sadness proceeding to two major policy changes when the bank began raining and stimulus. they captured images from every half second and said there were subtle changes i his facial expressions that could reflect a sense of frustration he may be feeling g before making policy adjustments. -- i only dread to

think what they would say about us. host: any response from mario about him. stephen care with our business update. now it's time for our press review. let's take a look awh headlines have been saying today. lots of focus of course on a big story here in france. that's the police questioning for a second day of former french president nicolas sarkozy. guest: and made the front page of the french paper here in france and also on the front page of a lebanese french language paper. they say sarkozy is caught by the ghost of moammar qaddafi. sarkozy is an police constantly -- in police custody for the scandal linked to libyan illegal financing for his 2007 presidential campaign. there is some commentary and the european press like the spanish paper.

if accusations are true, this would sack the confidence that french people have in their leaders and could damage france's international image. they say sarkozy is by far not the first french leader to be facing such scandals after he has left office. and thes have changed tolerance threshold that french people have for these kinds of scandals may be much lower than in the past. cartoonist, it's the return of the living dead in a way as you can see a skeleton of moammar qaddafi has risen from the dead and is coming back in and haunting not jus sarkozy but his former ministers , both of whom have been implicated. host: you also found a piece from the african press talking about the story. guest: totally different opinion from this piece, which is a website from guinea. in africa, they are still upset about the death of muammar gaddafi. turning of the tables from the

side of the mediterranean, we think nicholas or cosi is getting what he deserves for having betrayed the trust of mile marker toffee. host: looking at how papers have been covering the facebook ongoing privacy scandal with one big question that many papers are asking -- where is mark zuckerberg? guest: where on earth is mark zuckerberg? the u.k. is demeaning experts -- answers from the tech mogul. he is being called for answers ashe scandal continues, but he is undo litiono turn up and it's unlikely that he would. there is a big question about where exactly he is right now. host: he is getting a lot of criticism just about how he's handling or not handling the situation. guest: "the huffington post" says -- first of all, facebook released a statement saying that it was scandalized by the allegation that they manipulated users and its data. what is up with you mark zuckerberg?

says what the writer from "the huffington post" asks. he did not even turn up to a staff meeting for facebook employees, but he's been is the smashing the like button on the social media website he created. he will apparently be participating in a staff meeting later this week. that remains to be seen. one writer says it's perhaps because he can't be bothered. they say zuckerberg never shows up when the world romance -- the mantissa response to something unsavory. gizmodo says if he cannot face his own staff, how is he going -- how is he expected to sweat under the hot lights of the senate select committee? host: also taking a look at china where the government is launching a new broadcast designed to improve its global image. guest: the financial times is bringing the story and they call it a broadcasting element. the government we were just -- will be merging china national

television and china national rate appeared -- radio. ilbe as voice of china, inspired by voice of america, simply inspired to improve its image around the world. host: fema is getting a lot of critism over its alleged inaction during the rescue efforts after the hurricane in puerto rico. guest: it's been about six months now since hurricane maria. these damning emails were set by top democrat on the house oversightom, the main intelligence committee in the u.s. house of representatives. it speaks of how hundreds of people stood in line for food and went hungry in the days and weeks following that hurricane in puerto rico. yet local permarkets le walmart throughout tons of spoiled meat, dairy, and other produce because they cannot get fuel for generators to keep the food fresh. walmart officials had passed on their urgent request for fuel to fema. yet according to "the washington

post," the emergency agency did nothing for days. it's unclear how much food was lost or if ultimately fema did send the fuel. it'ot agcy's handlingf the ofhat rricane. host:

narrator: 20 million people live here at the mouth of the yangtze river, in shanghai, the city that is the pulse of china's economy. ♪ music david sutton: this is the most dynamic place i've ever lived. and it could be the model for the world or it could be a disaster. narrator: shanghai is to china what new york is to america. a symbol of success and a warning about the price that may have to be paid. professor geoffrey heal: china isn't just an economic super power these days, it's a green house gas super power too. china has now overtaken the u.s. as the principle producer