>> tough questions and answers that may just surprise you. >> down to earth on "france 24" and france24.com. glad to have you with us. i'm michel ferguson. these are the top stories. the british prime minister tells mps that their choices clear, back up brexit deal or leave with no deal. protest.ters resign in news, northern californian troops join to search for victims after the

deadliest wildfires in the state's history. also coming up, will they be repatriated or won't they? from bangladesh last year during a military crackdown have to head home or not. ♪ rochelle: but first to our top story. the house of commons. british prime minister theresa may has told mps that their choice is clear. back her brexit deal or leave with no deal. come after the draft divorce deal with the eu. dominic rob was the first to quit saying that he cannot in good conscience support the terms of the draft deal. he was followed by pension secretary esther mcveigh.

two others stepped out. the most high-profile to resign it replaced david davis that quit back in july, you might remember, over the checkers agreement. saysg after theresa may she has the cabinet's collective backing of the text. theresa may: it would mean more sent -- more uncertainty and more division. if we get behind a deal, we can bring our country back together and seize the opportunities that lie ahead. the choice is clear. we can choose to leave with no deal, risk no brexit at all. [cheering] or -- or we can choose to unite and support the best deal that

will be negotiated. rochelle: the leader of the labour party jeremy corbyn says the deal fall short of what was promised to the british people. jeremy c corbyn: this was not te deal promised. parliament cannot and will not accept a false choice between this bad deal and no deal. prime minister theresa may has sent the draft is in the best interest of the entire u.k. , a sentiment echoed by the eu that talked about decisive progress. france 24's reporter has details in this next report. reporter: it is finally here. 585 pages aimed at ensuring a smooth departure between the eu and the u.k. after a marathon five-hour meeting with the cabinet, theresa mayay got a major breakthrough on brexit. it >> this was the result of

thousands of hours by hard negotiations of u.k. offfficial, help with our eu counterparts. i firmly believe the draft agreement is the bestst that can bebe negotiad.d. reporter: the draft withdrawal agreement is about how the u.k. leaves the eu, not about future relationships between the two. as anticipated, it sets out the small print for the divorce bill. expected, britain is to pay between 45 billion and 45 -- between 40 billion and 45 billion euros. there is a 12 month transition period, during which eu law will continue to apply in full. this is to allow time for the two sides to negotiate their future relationship. maintains social security rights of more than 3 million eu citizens in the u.k. and about one million u.k. nationals living on the continent.

last but not least, a commitment majorwhat has been a sticking point, the future of the border between northern ireland and the irish republic. should the two sides failed to agree, there is a free trade pact after 2020. >> to agree to create the eu-u.k. customs territory. therefore, it will remain in this same custom territory as the rest of the u.k. sayrter: eu officials decisive progress has been made during the negotiations but theresa may promises a rocky road ahead. the deal is set to go before the british parliament sometime before christmas. government will have 21 days to put forth a new plan. let's bring more on brexit. i'm joined by catherine nicholson. good to have you with us.

theresa may is clearly under pressure. catherine: those resignations came fast. the brexit minister himself, the man leading these negotiations since the summer. , pensionseigh minister, a big name. and another junior minister within the brexit department. there are a few more that journalists have on a watchlist. we are told that the agreement that theresa may's cabinet gave was not night unanimous. we know that the meeting was meant to last three hours and went on for five instead. clearly, we knew there were signs of divisions within the cabinet. theresa may is speaking to parliament, defending her deal. she says it does defend the

u.k.'s national interest. but we have heard almost zero support for theresa may from both sides of the house. her own party is concerned about, for example, the transition period. tech can be extended, currently, and an open date on that transition period. they are concerned about that. that scotlandrn isn't mentioned. significantly as the democratic unionist party from northern ireland which supports theresa may in parliament say they are not supporting theresa may. written ine what is this agreement could lead to the breakup of the united kingdom,'s specifically -- kingdom, specifically northern ireland. rochelle: it is interesting

because there has been so much talk about this. we said earlier in the show that thousands of hours were behind this. said there was decisive progress. has there been any other reaction from the eu at this stage? theresa may was outside darrington street -- downing street last night. we sought relief from around the european union. this morning, angela merkel saying she is happy that a d drt brexit d deal has been reached. and let's not forget the prospect of a no brexit, it would be damaging for the u.k. and are the european union. and as time marches on, there was growing concern that we could be heading for the cliff edge, for a no deal brexit. side, thispean

should be, according to this --eement, and orderly exit an orderly exit. i doubt that is going to happen. there is a clear vision for what the future of the relationship between the u.k. and the eu would look like. that was never going to be the the case.is point -- at this point, we have seven pages. side, thereuropean is a welcome fact that there is a deal. said that he is sad the u.k. is leaving the european union but the wheels are in motion to organize a summit to get the process going on november 25. after a decades long relationship, it will be tough. our business editor joins us in the studio. you have been watching reaction to this cabinet, agreeing --

stephen: everything that has happened when the deal was first agreed by theresa may, we had the value of sterling plummet. the pound dropping sharply. and followed by other resignations since. this was the market a couple of minutes ago. the count was $1.28, down 1.5%. was $1.28, down 1.5%.. the sterling was much stronger this year. a drop in what we have seen in trading. in the stock markets today, markets turning to the red. pretty close to the flatline, we will get to that in a moment. focusally, the domestic shares, construction companies

are seeing greater full -- folds. rochelle: the deal looks pretty shaky at this state. comment sayslatest they will look forward to further clarity along with old businesses to prepare a plan for the future. that is the message widely echoed across various business groups. the cbi is the biggest business lobby group and they say they will compromise for business. the central transitional period is a step back. they talked about the nightmare precipice of the no deal. and there is a cautious welcome for the agreement. but the state of the agreement very much in doubt. there is a that milestone but needing clarity and precision.

they are working with some normal changes to trading conditions. for business, investment, and confidence. -- really echoing echoing what we're hearing across the business world. we're fairly certain at this case in time. companies that are in that political declaration as cat was just talking about. it would be after the end of the transition period in 2020. things like financial services which was a huge deal with the negotiations started. the u.k. was keen to maintain passporting for financial services to allow them access to those markets. that has been scaled back somewhat. there seems to be an acceptance of the city of london as a financial powerhouse with a reduced status after the transitional period.

and they talk about the equivalent for you have the eu and the u.k. mutually recognize that their rules are aligned and allowing them to do business. the key worry is that either side can decide with a month's notice that they will and that equivalence -- end that equivalence. people don't like uncertainty. into political declaration, we have a call for zero tariff trade. they want trade to be able to continue in the most frictionless way possible. the opening that theresa may says will be able to negotiate trade deals with countries outside of the eu. it is very uncertain what kind of margin they will have to be able to maintain that negotiating power because it will be so many steps down the road from where we are now. we will have a look at greater detail to market reaction and what has been happening in london.

we speak to joshua joins us from london. thanks for being with us. we have been talking about a fall in the value of sterling. put that into context for us. how significant a fall is that today? josh: morning. earlier today, people said we will see the biggest fall in the pound in two years. historically, it is a big drop. i would say this is not necessarily par for the course because it is an extraordinary day but markets taking it in stride even though we see weakness. not huge amounts of losses, just a 1.5% downside. market: what about the reaction to what investors are thinking today and what looks like a very uncertain state in the brexit negotiations? josh: certainly. that is the sort of bill whether you want to see the market reaction -- the sort of

inlwether you want to see the mamarket reaction. we are in a very indecisive period. i think we see at the moment a stepep towards a possisible no l .rexit or no brexit whatsoever i don't think we will see it pass through parliament and if it happens, it seems we will either get no deal or no brexit. market banksstock in particular are under pressure. what is driving that? josh: this has a lot to do with the financial passporting. bear in mind that the banks should benefit if we did see this eel actually pushed through. by and large -- this deal actually pushed through. people resigning from positions so the likeliness of the deal passing starts to deteriorate.

we will have stricter rules between the u.k. and the eu and that is not something that is good for u.k. banks. is there enough to be optimistic about? or are we in for a rough you days as the political ramifications play out in the markets? said, to some extent, it will come down to whether we get theresa may coming through in parliament. if we see parliament vote on one side, if they did vote for it, therere will be a lot of leverae to say that if you don't vote for it, it will be a no deal brexit. i don't think it is time to start negotiating again. we are faced with two options and for the markets, there are completely different. there is no brexit that will be horrible for the pound, or we could see a referendum and i could see the u.k. vote to remain within the eu.

sudden, we would be battered and bruised, a little worse for wear, but we would be in a more positive position when it comes to the pound. there is huge uncertainty ahead. stephen: 20 to watch there. rush, thank you for john -- plenty to watch there, josh. thank you for joining us from london. allie has been looking at what the consequences are and the potential elements of interest for the business community. allie: after over two years of wrangling a draft brexit deal, itit is finally on the table. but what w with this divorce settlement mean for business -- what would this divorce settlement mean for business? hope is that a new trade deal could be agreed to by this time.

it would allow the u.k. to trade deals with other countries. it doesn't happen, the customs union would be e extendd indefinitely and the banks would avoid a hard border in ireland. it also covers geographic indicators, a special eu protection for products like champagne and feta cheese. according to the draft text, the u.k. will stick to these rules until a new trade agreement is done. ther the transition period, city o of london could face a downwngrade as manany banks exi. financial services will be governed by the same rules as countries outside the block. a framework known as regulatory equivalence, meaning the eu country's regulations in equivalent to its own. able to withdraw

from the arrangement unilaterally. with the exit coming closer, they plan for the worst and hope for the best. rochelle: thank you for the round up of business and the impact brexit could have on those businesses. storieser international , national troops are arounund 0 people searching for victims and the deadliest wildfires in this state history. state's history. and 130e are dead others are reported missing. and many of them elderly. 50,000 people have been evacuated. the california government, jeremy brown had this to say. brown: this is so devastating, i don't have the

words to describe it. it looks like a war zone. it is. devastation only fires of this kind can bring. nobody is expecting it, but it happens. brian thompson is that the town of paradise. asan: the house behind me one of the lucky ones in paradise. it survived completely unharmed. but neighbors were not as lucky and will now face the dilemma whether to rebuild again or not. most people we talked to say they are planning to rebuild. anticipate $2 billion to $4 billion in claims to be filed over the next year. experts warn about moving so fast. a high density forest area, full of large oak trees that burn hot and fast. if people choose to rebuild, they w will have to o take into accoununt that another disaster could be imminent. growing uncertainty if

thousands that fled in bangladesh under the repatriate -- will be repatriated are not. thousands were scheduled to head home this thursday. report saying many have fled to to avoid being forced to return. they say repatriation is entirely v voluntary. >> the entire process is a ceremonial thingng. we will take refugees andd myanmar will receive them on the other side. after that, there will be a verification process which is a regular custom.. change in: time for a pace. it is our press review. ♪ rochelle: a look through the a lot of'm joined -- bold and black headlines. mixed reactions from the british press over theresa may's draft brexit deal. reporter: the deal has been

approved by the cabinet, but it has been a hard slog already. there is a way to go. it has left the government ever more divided. it is reflected in the front pages of the british press today. a compilation, the daily mirror calling it a war cabinet. mayo says back may or sac -- sack may . she says she will fight for the deal. rochelle: what do the other papers say? reporter: the guardian says that her deal is doing nothing to heal divisions. a split cabinet, split party, and a split nation. this extreme the eloquent headline from the sun is the itndout front page, calling a soft one blasted by all sides. they have been

national protests following a court ruling in favor of a rape accuser after his lawyer argued the victim was consenting because of her choice of underwear. reporter: pretty shocking. just to give you an idea of how much national anger there is, there were nationwide protests. still reacting to this decision. among the arguments, since the victim was wearing a lacy thong, she was attracted to the defendant and open with being with someone. to jury took 90 minutes reach the unanimous not guilty verdict, sparking concerns about victim blaming that might dissuade women from coming forward in the future and also calls for better ballistic training. barista training. as i mentioned, nationwide protests on wednesday. 400 women marching to the courthouse where the trial took place placing underwear on the

steps of the tribunal. been mobilization online, social media propagating the anger. wondering which of her underwear is less rapey. rochelle: to brazil where the president-elect has a diplomatic crisis by criticizing cuba's doctors. reporter: they have some of the best doctors in the world so it is surprising he would attack the quality of their training. cuba started sending doctors to impoverished and remote parts of brazil. it was under an initiative that was wildly successful. they demand cuban doctors credentials be revalidated in criticizing the cuban government for not allowing doctors to bring families with them. rochelle: what is the reaction? reporter: it has played out in

the cuban and brazilian press. the official communist website for the government, where they talk about how cuba has ordered its doctors to come back home. the government accusing them of contentious and threatening , reminding them that cuba was filling in vacancies left by brazilian and foreign doctors. when asked how he would fill that demand, he doubled down on his comments. he asked reports that if they would like to be treated by cuban doctors. rochelle: another white house staffer has resigned or forced to leave. the decision came from millennia trump. trump.nia last month, she went on her solo

trip to africa, traveling with her press corps. the then deputy national security advisor had to travel separately and threatened to revoke national security council resources in revenge. trump publicly advocated for her ousting confirmed on wednesday. it could be a power move from the first lady to show she is in charge and can make decisions. it is more likely that she is taking a leaf from her husband's book. you have been asking and queen respectively. saying, off with their heads and donald complaining she stole his line. rochelle: thanksgiving is just around the corner. and if you don't like turkey, watermelon ham is an option? reporter: it is part of a growing trend to create vegetarian meat looking food like leading burgers.

gers.eding bur it is cooked like real ham. it is bright, cooked, seasoned with spices and basted.

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