>> the u.s. presidential impeachment inquiry steps up a notch as hohouse democrats publish a 300-page report. they say they have overwhelming evidence donald trump abuse the his powers by asking ukraine to investigate a political rival. and the u.s. congress approves a bill aimed at pressuring china over a brutal mass crackdown on ethnic muslims. the second human rights legislation against beijing. china now saying a price must be paid. also on the way for you this hour, in business, the official end of an era at one of the internet's most successful companies as the founders of google step down from their roles at the top of parent

company, alphabet. and we'll look at how france is getting ready for the biggest transport strike in years planned for tomorrow. nearly all trains, metros and buses set to shut down thursday. that's all on the way. first, our top story live from paris. >> world leaders are in london today for the nato summit. they're meant to be celebrating 70th anniversary, but it's already been dragged down by criticism from some of its biggest members, including the u.s. and france. here's more from french president, emmanuel macron. >> we need to clarify many topics, especially after the end of the i.m.f. treaty t. concerns us all. who is our en snow how do we

act together against international terrorism in particular? so many subjects that we're not sufficiently settled. and i think that our debate should not be simply on the budgetary and financial matters, and france is meeting its commitments. i think our responsibility is to raise ambiguities that could be harmful and to take on a real strategic debate it has started. i welcome it. and it will continue. >> we go to the nato summit in london. we just heard the french president saying this strategic debate is starting. is he actually really getting to what he wants to be talking about? >> well, the main working session is actually in progress right now. it's hard to tell. as things stand right now whether macron is getting his way, but he's certainly trying to shake things up on the 70th anniversary gathering. he reiterated his view a little

earlier this morning that sending on nato isn't really ultimately the issue. essential he's saying what's the point of just talking about spending and spending more money if we don't understand what it is we're actually trying to achieve with that spending, if we don't know who our enemy is, if we can't define the enemy. now, who is the enemy for macron? he made that plain yesterday in the bilateral he had with president trump. that is, jihadists. and he wants to focus minds here on the threat from jihadists. particularly to finish the job against isis in iraq and syria, and of course, what still rankles with macron are side dealings between trump and president erdogan of turkey, which led to, in macron's view, a weakening of the fight against isis.

so that's a priority for him. we'll see whether he manages to successfully include that in the final communique and whether he also succeeds, and including in that final document, and if you ask from now, a commitment to a new strategic review, because nato had one in 2010, but that document has not been updated in nearly 10 years, and that is certainly a goal of the french presidency. >> earlier today, the siment hosts boris johnson and the nato secretary general. both spoke. what message are they trying to get across? >> well, they're trying to paper over these various cracks and emphasize the solidarity and the unity of nato as they would like it to be. there were a lot of boiler plate tributes to nato keeping the peace over the last 70 years. a lot of generalities, not many

specifics, though, about what , what going to do next is its vision for the future? except perhaps on one element where the secretary general of nato gave a little bit more detail, he said for the first time in this kind of obsessing nato leaders will address the rise of china. he mentioned that china is the second largest defense spender in the world, and he's alluding to the concerns that some nato allies have about how china is investing in military technology, and what that could mean for nato in the future. but whether any of this will translate into a coherent or specific strategy on countering china, that is really very unclear at the moment. >> thank you for that. now in the u.s., lawmakers will start debating today whether to

drop articles of impeachment against donald trump. those talks coming after the house intelligence committee published a 300-page report tuesday. that accuses the president of subverting national security by pressuring ukraine for dirt on democratic election rifle joe biden. the white house is calling the report a sham. >> overwhelming evidence of misconduct. the claims of a key report released by the house intelligence committee as part of its impeachment inquiry into u.s. president donald trump. >> this s report chronicles a scheme by the president of the united states to coerce an ally, ukraine, that is at war with an adversary, russia, into doing the president's political dirty work. it involves a scheme in which donald trump withheld official acts of a white house meeting, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars of needed military assistance in order to compel

that power to deliver to investigations that he would believed would assist his reelection campaign. >> the report spells out two main areas of wrongdoing by trump. firstly, abuse of power. it alleges that trump withheld military aid to ukraine and a white house meeting with its president in a bid to strong-arm kiev into opening an investigation into joe biden, trump's demomocratic r rival in 2020 presidential election. secondly, the report claims trump obstructed justice by refusing to provide documents to investigators and preventing some witnesses from testifying. democrats believe the 300-page report lays out grounds for impeachment, but republicans think otherwise. >> the impeachment process slowly drives home with no direction, no focus, because they're having one big problem, and the big problem is the president did nothing wrong, and they can't prove it. >> the document will now be sent to the house judiciary committee, which will hold its

own hearings and decidede whehe to draft articles of impeachment in the coming weeks. if that committee does draft articles of impeachment and the democratic-led house passes them, the case will go to the republican-led senate, where a 2/3 majority would be required to convict trump in order to actually remove him from office. the u.s. president has denied all allegations. >> also in washington, the u.s. congress has overwhelmingly approved a bill aimed at pressuring china over a brutal mass crackdown on ethnic muslims. 407 votes to 1 to approve the uighur human rights policy act, condemning the detention of other minorities in so-called reeducation camps. the legislation comes after a similar measure over human rights abuses in hong kong that angered the chinese government. tensions over the bills have cast doubt over the potential for a trade deal between the two countries, which happened in a tariff war. china now saying a price must

be paid. >> we asked the u.s. side to immediately correct its mistake and prevent the bill from becoming law. as for what action china might take, everyone can stop being so anxious. the price that must be paid will come eventually. >> morore reaction from china, let's bring in our beijing correspondent. charles, what more can you tell s about reaction from there? >> a lot of anger and condemnation from beijing, with statements coming from the ministry of foreign affairs, from the natural legislature, as well as countless editorials in the state media, and the gist of the argument here is first off that these u.s. accusations against china are basically lies. the official version here in china is that these camps are actualally vocational training center where peoplee who are

suspected of terrorismsm or lin with terrorism are able to learn to reintegrate society. there's also an argument made that this is a legitimate coununterterrororism tactic and that it's proved to be quite efficient as there have been no terrorism incidents in the past few years. a third element is that the accusation of foreign mettling in china's affairs, always a favorite, and fininally, , this all part of a, according to the chinese mededia and statements here, all partrt of a larger u. plot to undermine china's rise as a superpower, explaining that the united states has double standards when it comes to human receipts around the world. there has been talk of reprisals. we don't know whatat this will exactly, but we can knowledge visa restrictions against key officials s trying to enter china. the global times mentioned the possibility of an unreliable entity list. that's sort of a blacklist of american companies that would

be heavily sanctioned or stopped from doing business in china. and finally, there's an impact on the trade war between washington and beijing, and actually donald trump has already said that the so-called phase one agreement will probably be pushed back till next year, till 2020. >> can you tell us a bit more about the situation of the weaker muslims -- of the uighur muslims at the moment, particularly concerning the so-called reeducation camps? >> w well, just to restate theh facts, over a million uigighurs ddther muslim minoritieies are in these camps, these so-callel vocatitional traingg centers as the chinese authorities like to call them, and they're basically going through a process of polititical and cultural reeducation, where th'r're taught to embrace anythihinghat is eththnic chinese, whether it's the language or the cululture or evn the loyaltlty to the e chinese communist party, , in part to

push b back from anyny of their sort of like particular cultural trades s or languages their religion, and all of this through various brain washing techniques and methods. and in these camps, there have been reports of torture and forced labor, especially in textile industry, it's been exported around the world, and also reports of several deaths. as a whole, it can be described as a police data, surveillancee data, everyone is monitored 24/7, whether it's virtuallyly their phones o or with regular check points or policemenen asking people to check ththeir phones, a and also in person where some famililies have chchinese, ethnic c chinese min come livive with them to try to monitor how they live a and whether this is in accordance with what beijing finds acceptable. >> charles, thank you for that, reporting from beijing.

the democratic race for the u.s. presidency just got a little smaller on tuesday, as s u.s. s senator kamala harris decicided to endnd her 2020 presesidential bid. she abandoned the campaign, saying she simimply doesn't hav enough cash. the 55-year-old was hoping to be the first woman and second black u.s. president, but her campaign got dragged down by her waffling on issues like thousand solve the nation's healthcare problems. >> so here's the deal, guys. my campaign for president simply does not havave the financial resources to continue. and the financial resources we need to continue. i'm not a billionaire. i can't fund my own campaign. and as the campaign has gone on, it has become harder and harder t to raise the money we need to compete. but i want to be clear witit you. i am still very much in this fight. and i will keep fighting every day for what this campaign has been about, justice for the people.

>> to nigeria, where the corruption trial of two former prems, several former high-level government officials, and automobile business mogul social security underway. the trial was supposed to start two days ago, but was delayed due to massive crowds outside the courthouse. >> it's among the most anticipated consequences of the resignation, after 20 years in power. accused of corruption, former members of his government and other high-r-ranking o official will have to answer for their actions in a courtroom. among them, several automobile industry leaders and two former prime ministers. >> we came they're judge the corrupted gang, and they are somehow and the others. they know them. they destroyed the entire country. >> originally scheduled to open

monday, at the struggled to contain the hundreds of people who are outstse the courthouse, prevenngng seval lawyers f from entering. the defense team vowed to boycott the postponed hearings, decrying what they view as a biased show trial aimed at political score settling. it's a vieiew shared by many protesters, thouough not fm m t same reason. for them, wedednesday's trial only addresses the tip of the iceberg. >> these thieves stole the country. they said they would be judged immediately and publicly on television. we've seen none of that. there's nothing. it's a circus. they stole and looted the country, and that gang is still in power. >> the trial and the presidential election set for december 12, however, are far from convincing anti-government protesters. they insist all five of the presidential candidates are a part of the ruling elite they seek to dismantle. protesters are demanding a transition period, as well as the entire overhaul of

algeria's political class. >> let's come back to france now. if you are planning on being in this country tomorrow, be prepared. the country is gearing up for its biggest transport strike in years. 90% of high-speed trains are expected to be shut down, and the french rail operator is warning international t travele o prepare for the worst. >> by law, employees must be given 48 hours notice of their intention to strike. this allows the french railway operator to announce its traffic plan at least 24 hours before disruptions begin. based on the information it received, the company has warned about major transport chaos on thursday with only one in 10 trains running as normal. the best served routes will be the high-speed lines between paris and other major cities in france, including marseilles.

meanwhile, around half of the eurostar trains, including 16 between paris and london, have already been cancelled according to the company's website. also striking are employees of ratp, which runs paris' public transport system. only two lines on the metro will be operarating as usual. 11 lines will be closed. and three will be running during rush hour only. regional train, bus, and tram lines will also be badly hit. last but not least, air travel will be affected. three of the unions representing ground crew for air france have joined the strike, along with air traffic control staff. 20% of flights, most of them short haul, have been cancelled on thursday. >> a later note for you now from the art world, where a painting by french president post impressionist artist brought in a whopping 9.5

million euros in an auction on tuesday. it's called -- it depicts a stream with birds and flowers and blues and greens. it was painted in 1897 when he was fliving tahiti. that's a lot of money for a painting. all right, we're going stay with the money theme now with our business editor. you're going start with an official changing of the guard at the top of alphabet, which is the parent company of google, as the founders step down from their executive roles. >> larry page, c.e.o. of alphabet, and sergey brin, both relinquishing their roles, taking over as c.e.o. will be current googogle chief. the move extends what's been an ongog g withdrawalal from publi and acactive management roles f page and brin, butut they won't be out of the picture completely.. >> the end of an era at google. he online giant's copy

founders are taking a step back from parent company alphabet, leaving their roles as c.e.o. and president. the pair said they would remain actively involved, but says it was a natural time for change. >> while it's been a tremendous privilege to be involved in the day-to-day management of the company for so long, we believe it's time to assume the role of proud parents, offering advice and love, but not daily nagging. >> after foundingg google asas stanford graduate students in a garage over two decades ago, page and brin went on to become one of the tech industry's most successful double acts. the silicon v valley duo moveve from google to f follow bet whe it was created in 2015 as part of a restructuring to include new initiatives, such as self-driving cars. the pair have been p pursuing a more hands-off approach for r some time, a move that's drawn

crcriticism as google faces pressure over anti-competitive practices and tax avoidance. ter taking over the reins at google, pichai has become the face of the firm and now become c.e.o. while the move is the most significant leadership change at google since its creation, page and brin aren't giving up their ultimate power. between them, they still control 51% of voting rights on alphabet's board. >> it looks like the u.s.-china tre e war coululd drag o on thr next year and even beyond that. >> remainsns to be seen. we nevever know, do we? donald t trump said d tuesdayy wouldn't mindd waiaiting until after nenext november'r's u.s.s presidenti elelection to cut a trade deal with beijing. bloomberg is reporting today that washington and beijing are getting closer to an agreementn on just t how muchch of the existing u.s. tariffs would be rolled back in a limited p phas one deal. that, howowever, as trump i is

expanding trade conflicts elsewhere with new tariffs on metatals from brazil and argentina. u.s. commerce secretary will already ross defended the administration's use of tariffs. here he is. >> well, tariffs are the core of international trade, the mechanism that you regulate trade with between countries as a combination of tariff and nontariff trade barriers, or their removal. so tariffs are integral to trade, and they're a very important element of the whole system. >> how are the markets reacting to those trade developments? >> european indexexes are gaini on wednesday amid fresh hopes for that phahase onene deal. on the f ftse 100, it's lagging as the latest p purchasing managers survey for thee u.k. services sector shows itsts sharpest decline since march. ftse 1 100 up just a ququarter percent. cac in paris up nearly a

percent a and a half, despite a neararly 5% fall for french telecom giant t that announced disappointing dividends s amid plan to spin off towers. frankfurt dax up 1.2% at t midday. with more of the business headlines we're following for you at this hour, united airlines says it has ordered 50 airbus a-321 planes to replace an aging fleet of boeing 757. the deal is worth roughly $6.5 billion with delivery scheduled to start in 2024. it's yet another blow for boeing, whose workhorse 737 max jets remain grounded worldwide following two crashes. and the dutch government is calling for new e.u. powers to fight unfair competition from foreign state-supported companies. the "financial times" reporting the netherlands wants a sixth branch of e.u. competition law to stop foreign firms from buying e.u. competitors at inflated prices or undercutting

them with artificially low prices. >> next to ar general too, where a group of lawyers are attempting to challenge the country's bailout deal with the international monetary fund. >> in 2018, buenos aires reached a $57 billion financing agreement with the i.m.f., the largest in the fund's history. that deal includes public spending cuts that hahave hurt household and businesses unlike as they brace ongoing recessions and inflation as high as 53%. the argentinian lawyers are arguing the government of the outgoing president exceed its authority in signing the bail justice. the i.m.f. has already released $44 billion of that bailout. the lawyers to want make sure the rest of the money stays put. >> the main problem is we cannot sue the international monetary fund in argentina, so we're proposing a domestic case with local law. knowing we cannot go back and trace parts of the $44 billion that h has already been

dispersed, the objective is for this credit to no longer continue to hurt the argentine people and for this to not happen again. >> we were talking about it just a moment ago, near france, everybody's getting ready for tomorrow's big transport strike t. is depopped shut down the majority of public transports, including businesses. >> promising to be a nightmare for plenty of french companiese t t not for all o of them, f fo alternativive transpsport bubusinesses l like eleleric, scscooter and c car-shariring a e strtrikes are already proven a sales bonanza. >> selling electric bikes and scooters in paris, the phone has been ringing off the hook. >> it triggegered a substantial increase in sales. it was up by hoe% since the strike was announced at the e e of november. >> while a pain for commuters and many businesses, the strike does have some winners. companies offering alternative momodes of transport have seen

business rocket, such as this company. >> we're receiving a lot of last-minute requests from businesses, schools, and associations who are urgent until need of alternatives. >> the company says it won't increase its prices during the strike, but that won't be the case for all prices of journeys and coaches and rented cars, unlikely to go through the roof. passengers shared taxi rides. this startup is offering a fix and had reduced price and has put specialers in place for the strike. originally created fororolicy sharers to share rides home, the app has found a new demand. commuters in the greater paris region will be encouraged to hop a bike. a new service offering electric bikes for long-term rental will offer a free month for new signup. ththe city hall is also offerer financial incentive to those who purchase electric bikes of their own.

>> a look at tesla c.e.o. elon musk, never been shy about shooting his mouth off on twitter and once again come back to haunt him. >> he found himself in court tuesday testifying in a defamation lawsuit brought by a british cave diver. he was taking part in the rescue of a dozen boys and their soccer coach in thailand last year. he publicly ridiculed musk's plan to send a mini submarine into the cramped system where they were trapped. that led musk to label him pedo guy on twitter, that an apparent reference to a tear yo type of older british men fliving thailand. musk testified in court that he wasn't actually accusing him of pedophilia, simply responding in kind after he tweeted he should stick his submarine whwhere it hurts. might cost him some money. we'll see about that. >> you got to watch what you say on social l media. thank you for that. that's a look at the business news. coming up after the break, you will meet a young environment

activists from kenya who's been behind the plantnting of over 20,000 trees. coming up after the news.

[birds chirping] [alararm clock blaring] [alarm fadades] man: as soon as i start my sake productionon, i have toe here every single day. that part i wasn't quite ready for. sake-mamaking is a lot about the