>> you are watching "france 24." here are the stories making world headlines,'not in the cards, with hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions at stake, both the eu and britain nursing a post brexit trade deal is looking more and more out of reach. no deal on brexit, but the eu has reached a hard-fought agreement on climate change just ahead of a u.n. climate meeting this weekend. the terms call for a cut of carbon emissions by 55% in a decade. argentina makes a step toward legalizing abortion. a draft bill makes its way through one house of congress and faces a tight vote in the other. our correspondent is standing by

with the latest. ♪ hello, everyone. thanks for joining us. it is the outcome neither side said it wanted, but i know deal scenario was looking like a foregone conclusion tonight. the eu and the u.k. are still in a deadlock over trade, business rules, and fishing rights, and there is word that four royal navy ships will be on the as of january 1 to protect britain's fishing waters from eu men states. here is what the bird -- eu member states. here is what the british prime minister and the president of the you commission had to say. pm johnson: we are hopeful, but from where i stand now, it is looking very, very likely that

we will have to go for a solution that i think will be wonderful for the u.k., getting exactly what we want from january 1, obviously different from what we set out to achieve, but i have no doubt that this country can get ready and, as i say, come out on fair terms. >> we have not yet found the solutions to bridge our differences. we will decide on sunday whether we have the conditions for an agreement or not. in the meantime, the commission has proposed four targeted contingency measures today. books earlier we spoke to our correspondent in brussels who told us how boris johnson is being rebuffed by the eu and how the options are running out before and eu deadline on sunday. >> the latest we heard this afternoon that an attempt by boris johnson to speak directly to angela merkel and emmanuel macron has been rebuffed after

that failed to an on wednesday night between johnson and the commission president, we did hear from the u.k. side that he was going to try to reach out to them to talk to them directly. but such attempts to bypass brussels have failed for the past three years, every time the u.k. has tried it, because the european commission negotiates on behalf of the 27 eu member states anything involving trade. they do so based on a mandate that was agreed by the 27 member countries and that individual countries cannot talk on their own to third countries about trade, whether it is the u.k., brazil, or america. so it was not terribly surprising that effort was rebuffed, and that leaves us not a whole lot of options for this weekend for that new deadline of sunday. i think that the u.k. set that deadline for agreeing a deal for sunday because they wanted to see what happened at this eu summit of prime ministers and presidents, which took place

here in brussels today and yesterday. they were hoping that the eu leaders would panic and would change their negotiating mandate red lines in order to accommodate boris johnson's demands, but that clearly did not happen here. i believe almost 24 hours straight, they talked on a bunch of other issues, the budget impasse, the climate impasse, and they solved those issues here at but when it came to brexit, they waited until the very end of the summit, early this morning, to talk about brexit. i am told they spent less than half an hour talking about it. the prime ministers and presidents were briefed about the results of the dinner wednesday night, and they moved on, and there has not been any indication from any eu 27 leader that they are thinking about opening those negotiating red lines in order to take away this demand for a level playing field guarantees that boris johnson is refusing to do. so i think the only way we are going to see a deal by that deadline of sunday night is if boris johnson is willing to

compromise on that issue. >> no deal on brexit, but the eu has reached a hard-fought agreement on climate change. one of the terms the block has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of the decade compared to levels in 1990. a view countries were reticent but eventually signed on. let's get the story. >> droughts, heat waves, and pandemics as the fallout from climate change intensifies, so are the efforts to curb it. the european union agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 as compared to 1990 levels,a jump up from the previous 40% target in a bid to reach net zero emissions by 2050 since greenhouse gas emissions are a key driver of climate change. >> all eu countries should benefit from the transition with economic growth, a cleaner

environment, and healthier citizens. the european green deal will be our growth strategy. >> the agreement means renewables will double their share of power production. there will be an investment in an extra three had a 50 billion euros into low, injury, and -- energy, and there will be a push for more electric cars. permits will make it more expensive for companies to pollute. the new ushers come a day before the five-year anniversary of the paris diamond agreement. protesters marked the anniversary with this socially distanced to migration -- demonstration. not enough has been done for the climate emergency, some say. >> [speaking foreign language]

the global carbon project revealed on friday that emissions in the 2020 fill record 7% due to the pandemic, but without a green transition, that reduction will just be temporary. >> to argentina where there has been a big step forward in the fight to glaze abortion. lawmakers have passed draft legislation that paves the way for the move which still needs the approval of the senate. currently abortions are only allowed in cases of the mother's health is in danger or in the cases of rape. let's get the story. >> [speaking foreign language] [applause] >> cheering and applause as argentina's lower house passes a government-backed bill regarding abortion. the debate had extended into the early hours. the legislation allows for terminations to be carried out up to the 14th week of pregnancy.

currently women who have an abortion as well as those who assist with the procedure can face prosecution. exemptions are only considered in cases of rape or if the pregnancy poses a risk to the mother's health. almost 40,000 women are hospitalized in argentina each year because of botched procedures carried out in secrecy. as was debated, campaigners from both sides gathered outside congress. >> [speaking foreign language] >> [speaking foreign language] >> to become law, the bill must

proved by the senate. the upper house voted against similar legislation two years ago. if passed this time, argentina would become the first major country in latin america to legalize abortion. women's rights activists are hopeful that friday's vote could set the tone for a wider shift in abortion laws across the continent. >> for more, we're joined by our correspondent in buenos aires. thanks for joining us. first off, how likely is the senate in argentina to approve this bill? >> will, this abortion bill now has a very good chance of being approved by the national senate. the national senate, the upper house, argentina's national congress is a 72-seat chamber, and the latest voting predictions are showing that a predicted 36 senators are going to vote in favor of this abortion bill, 35 against, one abstention. if that is true, that would signify a victory for the yes

campaign, albeit by the narrowest of margins. it would create a historic moment for argentina. it would see the homeland of pope francis, a traditionally roman catholic country, legalize abortion. it would also be a watershed moment for latin america, the world's most catholic region, and more than 420 million catholics, and which argentina could become the first major country in an america to glaze abortion, which could lead to a ripple effect across the region -- to legalize abortion, which could lead to a ripple effect. >> we saw pro-choice supporters in the streets today. argentina is largely a catholic nation, so i imagine the antiabortion movement is equally as strong. does this decision reflect public opinion or that not the ca? >> this decision does reflect publicpinion, a changing public opinion, and itees the nation's lawmakers put themselves in step with changing public opinion.

the latest nionwide polls on the issue of abortionn argentina show there is an increasing a majority in favor of change in argentina's very strict abortion laws. argentina is a traditionally roman catholic country, but it is an increasingly secar society, as well. according to official statistics, in 1970, for instance, morehan 90% of argentinian's self identified as roman catholic. now in 2019, the latest statistics show that figure has ne down to just over 60%. at the same time in the last decade alone, the number of argentinian,ccordingo national census, declaring themselves of no religion at all has almost doubled in number. in this same charge, argentina is increasingly a nation that is losing its religion. it is an increasingly secular country. there is a greaterole and greater voice being played, for instance, by women's rights

movements, the local equipment of the #metoo movement has given women of the last couple of years in argentina and organizational framework to protest and put demonstrations across those in power. it is a changing country, traditionally roman catholic, increasingly secular one. what we're seeing with the passage of this abortion reform bill and the possible passage into law, we are seeing the lawmakers put themselves in step with changing public opinion. >> we will have to leave it there. thank you from that report from buenos aires. morocco and israel have decided to normalize relations, the fourth time in as many months that an arab nation has renewed es with israel in the negotiations overseen by the united states. donald trump is taking credit with just weeks left in the white house. let's get more. >> another diplomatic deal for the outgoing administration, hot on the hills of mike pompeo's visit to morocco in february.

>> the people of morocco and the jewish people have a relationship, and everybody kns the tremendous frieship shown by the kings of morocco and the people of morocco to the jewish community. >> morocco and israel's informal ties will be rekindled after they were cut 20 years ago following the outbreak of the second palestinian uprising. both countries plan to open embassies in the near future. >> [speaking foreign language] >> the deal sealed between trump and the king of morocco has, however, received a cold response from palestinians who accuse the arab nations of giving up on the battle for palestinian states, a belief shared with other neighboring countries. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> he reiterated his support for a two-state solution, as the palestinian leader, morocco is the fourth country to normalize ties with israel this year after the uae, bahrain, and sudan. >> time magazine has selected its person of the year gala and it is two people, joe biden and kamala harris. the publication says the president and vice president elect share a vision of healing in a grieving world. >> with the months to go before they step into the white house, joe biden and kamala harris both named "time"'s person of the year after a historic election. >> it is not just about the year that was but about where we are

headed, and the next four years are going to be an enormous test to them and all of us to see whether they can bring about the unity they have promised. >> previous recipients have ranged from former u.s. presidents to mahatma gandhi or adolf hitler. the magazine honors those who have influenced the world for the better or for the worse. it is a title given to those who put themselves on the line to defend the ideals or to democracy, handed to health workers and disease expert dr. fauci, for the fntline battle against the covid-19 pandemic. the movement for racial justice also received considerable recognition with covers for activists, one whose little brother died in police custody in france in 2016. >> why was he killed? i don't know. all i know is he is my little brother. they killed my little brother, and i found his death will not become a minor news item.

>> calls for justice sparked a wave of protest in france and the move towards eliminating police violence, which has taken center stage in french politics. >> time for the latest business news. we will be talking to catherine bennett from our business desk. 's public debt -- france's public debt looks to raise even more next year. what is the government announcing? >> today, the french government said it would be raising the budget defit andubli debt foreca for 2021. that means is that the public sector budget deficit is focast to reach 8.5% of gdp, up from 6.7% in the forecast in september. this is because the government had to add extra support for companies that have been so badly affected by the lockdown, mainly by the secondnexpected lodown which was put in place in november and is set to end on december 15. the public debt burden is set to

rise to a record 122.4% of gdp next year, so that is up on an estimate of 116.4% from september. the finance ministerf france said tt 20 billion euros would be going to prop up the economy next year. part of that 2021 budget, they will be sending targeted money to certain sectors that have been suffering from the pandemic. for instance, 215 million euros to airports and 400 million euros to shuttered ski resorts. >> so chances of a brexit deal seemed to be getting slimmer by the hour, as we have been talking about. what effect is that having on the finance sector in the u.k.? >> the bank of england published a report earlier today, a financial stability report, and it said that u.k. banks are stable, that they are resilient,

that they are able touffer any crisis because since the financial crisis of 2008, they learned how to become resilient, and they will be able to continue lendingnd supporting u.k. households through the end of the pandemic and the end of the brexit transition period. the report came with a caveat that said financial stability does not necessarily mean there will not be y financial disrupon whatsoever. we can already see a hint of that financial disruption in the banking sector in particular. a number of banks and other financial companies are shifting their operations abroad to the eu. the commonwealth bank of australia said just this week it will be shifting its european headquarters out of london and into amsterdam. and bloomberg has reported that u.s. investment bank morgan stanley plans to move 100 billion euros of assets to frankfurt, and that will happen in the first quarter of next year. more widely in the sector, more

german lenders have said they will be moving 400 billion euros worth of assets to the country, to germanyby the end of the year. one of them is j.p. morgan, as well, who will be moving 200 billion euros in assets at 200 staff, and they said this is just the first wave, so we are expected to see more companies, more banks moving abroad and deserting london. >> so the u.k. has signed some other trade deals this week, but they have been overlooked. what are they? >> that is right. these trade deals seem to be lost in this noise around the eu and the u.k. negotiations. there has been very little found two trade deals were signed this week was singapore and vietnam. the reason they have been overlooked is partly because they are not new, they're essentially re-creating pacts already in place with the eu, so nothing particularly new with what the eu has done, with what

the u.k. has done, sorry. this is what happened with the first major post brexit trade deal that the u.k. signed. that was with japan in october. again, it replicated the already existing deal that japan had with the eu. the trade deal with singapore signed this week covers 17 billion pounds worth of trade in goods and services, so that means that trade between the two countries will simply carry on as normal from january 1 next year. the deal with vietnam is similar in that rpect. it cuts or illuminates 99% of tariffs in the goods traded between the two countries. these two trade deals tie in with part of the u.k.'s overall strategy to join the conference of an progressive agreement for transpacific partnership, an 11-country trade pact across the asia-pacific region. the reason the u.k. wants to join that is because iteeds to diversify its supply chains as it has lost its main trading partner in the eu.

and also joining this trading block would give it access to a market that at let prior to the pandemic was rapid expanding, the kind of thing the u.k. really needs right now when it comes to trade. >> ok, thank you for the business report. and thank you for watching. that is it for now. stay tuned for more world news here on "france 24." ♪

>> i take it the republic allows each and everyone to talk freely about their beliefs while maintaining a firm stance against extreme behavior that goes against the law, along with bannig hate speech towards religions and their followers. >> for two hours, students exchange words and ask questions. >> we have learned a lot about respecting people's views and the way we interact with each other. >> teachers are pleased with what the members of the organization managed to achieve. >> this is a catholic school, and there are muslim students here, too. they had a lot of questions and were relieved to see that dialogue is possible, that understanding each other is possible. >> some point to the fact that

the organization does not always bring up the more sensitive topics, but they strongly disagree. >> people often say we are idealistic or too naïve, but i am deeply convinced that our method is the most militant and the most difficult, as well. we have to be very careful with each and every word we say. >> moving away from this small village to the suburbs in the north of paris, familiar faces stopping by. francois hollande, the former french president, has come to talk to people's. >> we are first and foremost french citizens. then some of you are muslim. but you are first of all french citizens protected by the freedom and the rights of our society. >> freedom of speech, headscarves, feelings of discrimination, students challenge the former president's . >> you must not compare us to

others. there are always extremists. we are happy to be in france. >> one of several visits francois hollande as been making to the country. he says the growing misunderstandings about secularism in juncker circles needs to be addressed. >> teachers play a crucial role in explaining what secularism is to their pupils. the law is of our republic that allow us to live together and be free to follow any creed. >> teachers say it is essential to listen to children, especially when confronted on topics such as "i am charlie," the slogan of those killed at a satirical newspaper that published a cartoon of the prophet mohammed. >> "i am charlie" comes up a lot, and i have even had students tell me they are not charlie. what does charlie mean? it is not in the dictionary.

>> charlie means i support them and what they did. >> yes, but people who protested in the days following the attacks said "i am charlie" because they supported free speech. >> yes, i support free speech. >> there are survivors of the terrorist attack you come to meet students, so we do talk about the cartoons. but slogans like this do not actually mean anything because there is no definition for "i am charlie." if charlie means i like the newspaper's cartoons and i purchased them, then you are charlie. >> in the case, that is misinterpreted, just to make clear. i am neither for charlie nor for the terrorist attacks. >> it is not always easy. pupils are confronted with other influences outside of school. >> do you feel any pressure about french muslims in the suburbs? any pressure from reticles that might push you to respect islam

differently? >> to be honest, the young muslim brotherhood guys are always around. they come to talk to you for hours, but they have never condone violence. they're good people. i respect them. but i just feel like telling them, hey, mage, religion is between me and myself, no one else's business. >> between september 2019 and march 2020, 935 reports of nonsecular behavior were filed according to the ministry of education. 12.5 million schoolchildren in france. a stable figure says a specialized committee set up to advise the government, the group is sounding the alarm over a lack of training for teachers, and others say the success of government bears a strong responsibility for the current situation. >> the response should have been to teach the political history that led to these children being here. our colonial past is not taught properly. it is part of the country's history.

where do we think religion is all that is left, and i would say that by choosing not to teach political history, the state has literally pushed people towards religion. the only way they can share a common identity. >> secular values are for now challenging to teach, and school teachers say the issues they are faced with go well beyond the scope of religion, linked to the ever widening social divide within the country. ♪

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12/11/20 12/11/20 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> president trump, the people of israel and the state of israel will be forever indebted to you for your magnificent efforts on our behalf. i want to thank the king of morocco for taking this historic decision to bring an historic peace between us. amy: in a deal brokered by the trump administration, morocco an