frfrom t the aftermamath of a gigantic explosion that has left at least fifty dead and thousands injured the blast was felt to dozens of kilometers away. and has caused severe damage in several parts of the capital lebanon is declared a day of national mourning for this wednesday. the damage is so extensive that. government has officially asked for international aid so far france britain iran qatarar and israel have offered their help. french president emmanuel michael says aid and sources are being sent to beirut. thank you for joining us here on france

twenty four it's now been about five hour concert devastating explosion rocks the city of beirut and authorities are still trying to assess the damage. from the pictures we've been seeing all your long a as large swaths of beirut if the stain severe damage from the blast that took place in cities harbor. according to preliminary reports the most by highly explosive material. seized to go store. the harbor. fifty people have been killlled thousands injured we can n expet results you do change throughout the eveningng and overnight helello crosses issue. the firm initially and then it intervieww president of proroces ththat services s have overwheld by phone calll. . lebanon's sourcing e earlier a big. catastrophe had hit lebanon and then be route was in mourning. press twenty fours layla molana allen in beirut her apartment building was heavily damaged in the explosion he tells us more about her expererience in the aftermath of the blast. often

we cannot we can a little lights are on the rise many agreed what engine has electronic that there. are not a lot of. quite terrified. the old people and children level becacause children in my area. but they kicicked out-t- we. trd to do o what we could. unity and people many y people to go out what it cracked up by try to get out. arbuckle very happy blocks of trying to out what the go to hospital on the but also. very overwhelmed as well hundreds and hundreds of people coming to hospitals with injuries i just spoke to somebody from the lebanese recall to. date that preliminary. injury currently involved in five bomb. and it could make it and i want to o gt the e exact. incrediblyy overwhelelmed. compliments of. the cubby. yeah the walking looked. across the entry subjects. as we try to make. about how serious the injuries while. something that i'm going myself i would have been. which

i treated d my with the minimum wage job press on october you think about people coming up. very dangerous hadn't. welcome to. our what very close to the end. on our lives. block away from the court one of the- is that the grocery store close too residential buildings were very. very heavily populated. residential it. just a separation. how i can feel the port weinstetein. on until about minutes okay there w was still blood loss coming out. like each fight i thoughtht he trying to. adjusted kentucky minutes because like to. without of which you could. attacked in war. our providede. our target being seen from the ads course means you can look to o the at. what to at a c college at but nothing clear on yetet at. part of it yeah about that that cools off because- authorities

or send a written letter in full. mode or i spoke to the but with the former minister of let. explained how with the right our current high handling this. officials are now. the it did the good council for defense is meeting currently in order to take steps but the most most important steps we should have been taken. we're talking. about explosives. or explosive materials in the ports of beirut. yeah eight this would have been with they need to look at the different way in order to o avoid this get this topic t t incidentt there were people are in the streets already since october there are order. unhappy about how the gogovernment is working and fufunctioning low that said if the government is telling people where you're where right because things a are not going well at all. you have been appointedd the people the people

have ordered right to be really anger and the and demand the departure of the old. for what purpose. of course this magnitude is dead for any said for any country particularly so for lebanon which is experiencing an incredibly severe economic crisis what is this explosion this damage to be re spell preferred lebanonons future in the coming weeks and months. but you know we already in. a very bad economic situation that you would do- i mean internal politics and you applied to our public finances. the coronavirus didn't help at all the clock now you're facingg or the lebanese people would would be affecting. much more the challenges to me. and with the with. very little- means entertaiainment little tools but

what what we are f fing s so ths is coming at the very best time- very bad timing. this is a this is thank god and when the government.. is not. the two people the man. seven word from hezbollah grew has this a stay so this on national contest require all lebanese powers to unite to overcome this difficult ordeal so clearly a request for a show of unity as the country tries to deal with this catastrophe that is from hezbollah- frarance twewenty for is packs the miners broken wings on the side you've been taking a look at the international. so far. yes the community right in aa five month not lost to. round eleven in this extremely challenging at time that could tell saying that it's prepared to send field hospitals to a route. that to help deal with the hundreds of injured that where we're hearing about- iran fritz prop politics pressing support

tool to cool the recipient people of lebanon. adding that tehran was. helping a b beirut sold. at similar messages coming out. at the. state saudi arabia recent. very interestingly lebanon's neighbor israel also said offered no should be over. in intermediaries at medical and humanitarian aid now the country's all still technically. at war and as recently as last week is said that it blalamed- the government in beirut for what it called a terrorist attack by the hezbollah militant group. on it north eleven sosome order at now it's eleven prime minister signed yet has in recent minutes that said that he's extremely. keen who turned. country at help blackpool. this is something of a than rebuke

towards israel willl i think become clear in the coming days. our taxi as is the case in many- most of these major events happen in this day and age social media provides a wealalth of informatation for us here in the room- what are you seeing on social media this evening. the important thing to say that so media really is awash with pictures that show us the sheer extent of the damage of course the porch with seeing these amazing pictures of. billowing smoke destroyed buildings but also in their neighborhoods across the city a window. broke and sometimes entire apollo. blocks out right to the core. she works of the damage is hard to explain what we really get a sense of on social media is the impact that this explosion is had on individual lives we've been seeing cctv image the farm is a hot thing in that- it shops it. it is blocked at terrified about what comes next a lot of

people saying they thought the regionally an earthquake and not an expert they were experiencing. one video of the two. thank you us very clear of what it is. that people experience at the time of thatt blasted like to o just take a listen. i said that he blocks roof up the horizon as you saw that the driver of that car unable to control the call once that shock wave. shockwawave tht caused a huge amount of damage across the city also at. image that push the- beirut's at governor to give an interview in which he lamented the fact that his city was destroyed that's the word he used he- might. want to not imagine that

ininto the house chantix you wat me he ref forty at cool. destroy it was innocent what was seen in here- the stating this. this evening will continue watching this developing story on france twenty four stay tuned. hello and welcome to the france twenty four interview our guest today is madonna thunder hawk she's a legendary american indian activists she is the co founder of women of old red nations thank you very much for being on the france before sets thank. so you were born in a

reservation in the south dakota you become. you became an activist in the nineteen sixties participate in- saw a famous- moments- the occccupatin the alcatraz jailed in california back in nineteen sixty nine then there was the helmet. of wounded knee in nineteen. seventy three but you became an activist is simply because you were confronted. as a very young child with the issue of being an american indian in a country where. there were tensions are on the issue. well yeah i. it started i guess when i was young. because of the federal u u. s. federal government had- they had american indian policies throrough the decades it depends on what what. he is in control of the governmnment at the time

whatever so they h had a boardig schohool system. for our people neneed itt on different divisios and they were boarding schools to take the children. away from the fafamilies and put them i in these boarding g schools whehere they're taught- basically to be a non native. right and- i mean he your recounts- old old those years- documentary w we see the t. shirt the warrior women that's the title of. the documentary and- your front and center- with- your daughter and the documentary iss by christina king and elizabeth catatholics all in theaters here in france- this week. this notion that as a child who were already. ostracized and forced- to move then led you to the nineteen sixties those. movements where-

you felt t that you had. to say something and not only to say something but to act. yes it was a progression. learning along the way because you have to remember our ancestors didn't have a writtenen language so anything that was written over the- decades was written by others other than our people so. for a long time no one really knew our history. until basically the sixties and then- all over the country in the united states was a collector's cultural people so we had a chance to start learning. what really happened to our ancestors to our people and why we were in the state we are today you know- and why. do we still have reservations diminish the land based but we still have a land base in the united states that's important. right and that this- led to

some actions i mention all good draws. wounded knene i mean wouldndn't you w were several weeks- seven to datete is two days of a sometimes filing fees- for- with the f. b. i. with the with the police- how did you look. at that time you realize that this could be a dangerous but you felt this was the thining needed to be. to yor on the map i use. american indian. we were on. it of. chips are the reservation the pine ridge indian reservation and we will go from one community to the next we were invited to go and listen to their troubles or problems-- and you know just to make contact because we were invited to go. so i had my two year old son. and we were gonna make our rounds on the reservation visit the community go back to where

we were in rapid city. right there. are basically we were kind. in the hamlet wounded knee which is a very symbolic place on this very symbolic because there was a massacre in eighteen ninety there. and it's kind of like it it was not so much now but it wawas a major tourist attraction. because many of the- us soldiers back in eigighteen ninety or givivenp medals of honor.r. for the massacre i mean that's thehe kid of history that we know what the other side. of the history so. after we were literally surroundnded. and d how there i mean when we were on our way to another village. but gunfire you know opened up in and we were we all had to runun for cover. at that hand lasted for seventy two days right i mean do you think it was a seminal moment would you say- that's in

the ensuing years- progress was made in terms of the u. s. right and- so what happens to the american indians would you say that to date- your cause is a more respected more listen to or it's still. a struggle that you feel that american indian. may have let. government than other minorities for instance. well i say we because mostly it's people are activist. and of our people that that i'd you know involved with mainly we do have tribal governments that are recognized by the federal government and that's how the nation to nation. relationship is today but know that a uninitd states government has never ever. aree honored any of the treaties thahawere ratifified by congress. whihich makes it a lot

of the land- just buy it totally i ignore thehe provisios and then violating many of the provisisions by jusust steppingn and taking land. . i am l land that's u under treaty. . so yeat it iss whatever comes in america recognition of anything for our people comes from are doing to make it an issue like standing up for example. that was a treaty rights issue of land and water. so we have to o do that you havave to. you know make the noise so that they look and it's the people and organizations in in america that make the government. notice right- the way what's interesting and we've seen this- through- move more recent- protests against- oil or gas pipelines. coda this pipe. for instance the keystone xl pipeline- we seen the kind of meeting of minds between-

environmental activist and american indian. activists even saw the now. miss a young swedish active it's great thundeder go very recently- to n indian american- reseservation o really say okay this is an important issue could this- give a new life maybe because you think it's important join hands with them we've always allies we've always made it as in my day and younger years in the six. and seventies we are yoyou m. mining that. active still we there in the way we to come in the uranium mining corporations but back in that seventies best thahat was the issue then so it't's always because we're based we're all we as a people concerned about the environment and an attractive rate all the parts are more involved as well

especially the yououth so. if y. but this could all call. well it's- you look at in tererms of i've been it for the long haul since i was young but now i'm an elder so. our generation. of activists we step back and we are there to support and advice it's a young people's time now it's their era. their their future so we look to them to step up. right it's also the era of donald trump and- chili in terms of- backing corporate interests including- those pipelines you know the administration has been pushing but more broadly- what do you make of him the way he he talks about others about minorities about american indians how would you describe him. well from our point. a man policy. has always been a policy of taking. so just the fact that

tom donald trump. it has a bigger miles. and doesn't know issues is beside the point point for us as a people because we are concerned always about federal american indian policy which changes with politics right so o for you- drowning newrump is like obama there's no difference except the big mouth. big mouth and policy the ones that are backing him up and putting in their control the senate of the united statess government that's where the real danger is it's not trump he's just a big mouth. that's all but he's been considered- as a racist- by male of course. but again we aren't we know politics and how it affects. us so you know we it's always been like i said the policy take. so the fact that bring. obama don't stop dappled. and trump. is it back

and he brings backs kicks out that's the politics i'm talking about the politics of taking we understand that for decades you know rights so it's new just as a last question- you've been an activivist of for the long haul as youths are you more optimistic today than you were. when you started. no why why because again we are land based ththis is s a contitinuing. cocontinuing up a politics of taking. so it really doesn't matter each generation of my people are responsible you're responsible. for your timeme. that youou're here to do what yu can and then you. mentor and hand off to the next generation it's a very time their future and you're there to support. okay madonna thunder hawk thank you so much for coming on the france twenty four- sets the if

you want to learn more. about the issue we've been talking about warrior women is- coming out in theaters- and friends thank you for watching this interview. seattle in america's northwest often cited as the country's rainies cities.s. that's not true these wait often wins this week down to work explores what least rain he's wreaking havoc i iits quarterly. my name is laurie james i'm an environmental

activist scuba diver and filmmaker out here in seattle washington. you just sound needed a super hero and- underwater wonder woman. he did sound is the most amazingg waters it looks kind of cool to kind of leak today but ass soon asas you go under them let killr sir. it really it's j just. of life. the life here in puget sound i believe is very much in harm's way from the pollution that comes from. stormwater runoff the w writer is there isa storm d drain storm water outftflows thahat i called the monster because the stuff coming out of this placee is so toxic it's awful it's so

disgusting and it is just relentless it's just billowing and building and billowing and even to this d day it just makes me feel so h helpless. and it became essentially my life's mission to help educate people so that we can protect these animals. i realized. i protect and preserve you just sound and save you did sound was with a camera with a camera five.. the starkly this rain was simply soaked up by the ground and clans today in cities. like seattle the water washes over the roof the roads the pavements picking up with it along the way a cocktail of pollutants. my apologies

heading. pesticides and even animal excrement most of it going on treated into the puget sound the waterways number one source of pollution. my name is jennifer mcintyre and i'm an aquatic eco toxicologist. so here in the pacific northwest we have co host salmon the reason that we study impacts of stormwater on coho salmon is because of their sensitivity so i see them as a sentinel for impacts stormwater more. broadly. we collect water for different types of experiments so willollect real storm wawar coming off of roads for example. and we will expose the face of that storm water. so right now one of these fishes gotten sick and it's showing a

loss of equilibrium at this moment it is lying on the bottom of the tank just breaeathing- on itits back. i wd guess that this message will be dead. within a half hour. so we still don't know exactly what causes this mortality i suspect that tires are the source o of the chemicalsls that seem to be causing this problem. the killer whales that live here in puget sound they feed almost exclusively on salmon. and it's simply not p producing enough fr these fish anymore for them it is tragic because these are fish that survive. to o the age ofof reproductive maturity they went out to the ocean they found their way all the way back to the stream where they were born. and then they're dying just because it rained. but it was mark gray- born and

raised in seattle washington. and i'm a commercial real estate- developer. underneath the- freeway ninety nine freeway. one of the oldest bridges in washington. i just started raining a few moments ago and this is- brake dust and oil from the cars on the bridge above- i'm treated a looks like a cup o of coffee- but its stormwater to go straight into our lake. behind me. what we've done with the story with the new property in the construction. is put in bio swells to treat the water and clean the water water retention salt put it simply. is a landscape area. you're going to find- natural plants trees bushes- bark grass- stones. water will enter into the top sales as a cascade through the cells of the water gets clean. it doesn't take- really expensive filtration-

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