>> welcome to live from pairs world news and notes from france 24, these are the headlines. around 300 boys released by the islamist terror group, they were among the group kidnapped from their school in northwestern nigeria last week, crossing out to our correspondent in laos with the latest. man u macro has tested positive for cova 19 currently isolating at the palace where he is reportedly still able to work, he caught the virus at a meeting with european heads of state. 10 years on, the impact of the arab spring, we will be visiting the place where it began in

tunisia where in angry market trader burned himself alive in protest of police brutality triggering a movement across the arab world, this is life in paris. ♪ thank you very much for being with us, around 300 schoolboys have been freed in nigeria, they are reportedly among the group kidnapped by terrorists last week. video reported from boko haram published in it, a teenage boy surrounded by younger boys said they had been taken by the game -- gang, this the first proof of life of the boys since they disappeared. they were snatched from their school last friday, these are the chilling images of the school after. they had been taken away, at

first they thought they were local gangsters, later there was a claim of responsibility from boko haram. our correspondent is standing by for us now, good evening to you. what is the latest you can tell us on the situation? >> what i am hearing is that these boys have been brought back. we are sure that they were actually taken very far away and that indicates which group abducted them. we are still waiting for information of their arrival, but it is likely these boys will be arriving sometime later tonight. marco: i'm just double checking, i am correct in saying the boys actually have been released? >> not rescued, the word that is

used is released. there is an agreement between the government and whoever it was the word on the agreement is difficult to know, but we know in the past when groups like this abduct people including schoolchildren, ther is -- and it is believed that su deals willnvolve the payment of ransom and the release osome ofhe membershat he been arrested. a particular group in that area, we know that the son of the leader of their group was arrested not long ago and many members of that group were also arrested. it is not clear whether that

group was involved in the subduction, but if that group was involved, one would assume that part of the deal would be the lease of members of this group. it is unclear which particular group on the ground was involved in this, but what is believed is that this group did not just moven there and abduct these children, the boko haram group might have worked under the table to carry o this abduction. marco: so possibly analyze involving boko haram, backing up the video earlier today when the young boy said he was taken by the gang again pointing to boko haram. in terms of a ransom being paid obviously that is part of the speculation, part of what might have happened and as i think were saying, if it is not boko haram, who else could it have

been? the things we know, the boysb are being freed whichoko about their condition? do know if anybody has been harmed? >> that is not clear, but fr the video we s, one of the abductors said this is to assure the governor that these children are in very -- condition, although we have had reports from some children who escaped from the abductors who said at least two children were killed. the abductors are saying that nobody was hard, the children are in good shape. we know that past abductions like this have not ended all too well most times, one or tw

people and up losing their lives either because of the harsh condition under which theyere held, he saw the video, you saw that the boys were not in very go shape. we heard the boys crying even though they have been indicated to be happy. at has happed --his is an indicator of what might happen next if indeed boko haram was involved in this, then it is very interesting because they have a rival in the northeast, that is the islamic state west africa, if boko haram moves to this area, the islam state will definitely want to go to the northwest where this event happened.

i think that might turn this area into one of shock for fighters. we know there are lots of groups in this area that are very well armed, the difference between these groups and boko haram or the islamic state is that these groups are not radicalized, but for the first time we are seeing a group of people being abducted in central nigeria talking about islam, talking about the groups like that. this has happened in the northwest and i think it is setting a dangerous trend that henceforth it is likely that the fighters, -- enterprise might be radicalized and we might see another scenario of boko haram in northwest nigeria.

marco: let's hope that these boys are safe, you pointed to the fact there could be a kind of unity among terror groups across the northern region of nigeria, is this likely to make the regional governments there that have the task force working together think again about renewing that, pushing forward and making that law united to try and combat this problem? >> i think the governors are very badly. what the governments envisioned was for payment and people around them said if you pay this pete -- these people, they will come back for money. people know it will be a matter of time before we have things --

i think what has happened now is that where we are coming from, this stage at which the governors paid off this group, now they have been paid, they have come back again and made an alliance with the boko haram group and we have seen the result. it has created quite a lot of problems in the region. >> thank you very much indeed for confirming a lease that the boys are on their way back. we don't know what precisely condition they are in. we will keep watching for all developments and bring them to you as soon as we know, but the headline of the 300 or so boys kidnapped last week by boko haram in nigeria we are told have been released by the group. we are waiting for confirmation of all the details and will bring that to you as soon as we can. moving on, positive for

covid-19, emmanuel macron is now self-isolating in paris. the news broke this afternoon, the first lady testing negative. she is self-isolating as a percussion. possible links were pieced together, they include the prime ministers of portugal, spain, as well as the president of the eu council. >> it has been a week of high-level meetings for emmanuel macron, wednesday, the french president met with portuguese prime minister and on monday with the eu councile president and the spanish prime minister. all three leaders are now self-isolating after he tested positive for covid-19 on thursday. several french politicians including the prime minister ought to do the same after being in close contact with him. >> i wanted to inform you that after speaking to him on the

phone, the prime minister is potentially a contact case, he is doing what is asked of people and there is a precautionary measure he will self-isolate as he awaits test results. >> the palace said he will isolate for seven days and continue to carry out his duties remotely. this comes as no surprise different people who say the virus should not be taken lightly. >> president or not, and my opinion, everyone is at risk. in any case, we have to be careful but i hope we will be ok. >> it is not at all surprising, these are people who have to meet lots of people despite the pandemic. it will be a good argument to say that maybe you should get vaccinated. >> the result comes at a tricky time for the president as well as trying to contain the pandemic in france, macron is also keeping a close i on brexit negotiations and other issues. he has had to cancel all other

trips including one to lebanon next tuesday. >> we are watching for develop ends on the health of the president who is in a stable condition, but covid-19 positive. next, and islamist militant who opened fire aboard a train traveling to northern europe, but was then overpowered by three americans has been sentenced to life in jail by a french court this friday. he was heavily armed when he launched his attack, most after the train crossed from -- into france rather from belgium. a paris court found him guilty of attempted murder with intent to commit terrorism. >> there was relief and satisfaction outside the courtroom here in central paris after one of the passengers who overpowered the attacker on board a train to paris in 2015

spoke out after the guilty verdict in this trial. a french american national me this -- i'm just glad this is all over and i hope these guys spend as long behind bars as possible. the attacker, a iraqi national was sentenced to life in prison -- a moroccan national was sentenced to life in prison, the judge said he had been poised to carry out a mass killing on that train from amsterdam to paris in august, 2015. he was overpowered by passengers after emerging from the toilets armed with a rifle, a pistol, knives, and 270 rounds of ammunition. his accomplices were sentenced to around 27 and seven years for aiding and abetting a terrorist organization for helping him with logistics, but also helping

the man who the prosecutors said was a coordinator of this attack as well as the november 2015 attacks on the cafes in the city which killed 130 people. >> it is 10 years today since the moment the start of arab spring, the tunisian market -- burn himself in protest after his cart was confiscated. this act came from anger and frustration that was much deeper. as word spread, it became aware that this feeling had been fermenting across the borders and neighboring states. >> this is where the arab spring was born on december 17, 2010 in the tunisian city. this man let himself on fire after police confiscated his fruit cart. an act of desperation and defiance that sparked nationwide

protests ainst the president and his 23 year rule. as demonstrators rallied against corruption, on, and inequality. the movement, led largely by the youth ultimately toppled the president. on january 14, 2011, he fled to saudi arabia. the uprising had become a revolution. >> transitioning from a dictatorship to democracy is difficult, these people will not be killed or injured for nothing. >> 10 months later, the first free elections since the country's founding in 1956 were won by the islamist party, but political deadlock and the assassinations of two opposition leaders forced the parties to step down in 2014 handing power over to secular opposition groups just as lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a new constitution recognizing democratic freedoms. later that year, -- became the

first michael leavitt a lot -- democratically elected president. the secular leader is remembered by guiding the country to democracy. 10 years after the jazzman revolution, tunisia remained gripped by political deadlock. for many, hope has turned into dissolution. >> the slogan, employment, freedom, dignity is just a slogan, nothing more. it is what we called for during the revolution, but nothing came of it. >> tunisia's long-running economic crisis has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic crippling the tourism industry which had been suffering following a spate of terror attacks. the imf predicts the company -- country will contract by 7% this year. >> let's bring in the director of the institute for middle is -- middle east studies.

has the arab spring changed things enough in your view? >> in some ways, yes. undoubtedly, the political situation now is different to what it was when the revolution began, but arguably there are still very serious economic albums -- problems and there is frustration amongst the general population about the situation and about the country's economic prospects and if and when the country's porches -- fortunes will improve. >> it is safe to say this is not over? >> no, not at all. obviously economics is different from politics to our closely -- the two are closely interlinked. the success of the revolution and this democratic project

rests at least in part upon his ability to provide tunisians with an adequate standard of living which at the moment, for a variety of reasons is struggling to do. >> this is one of the problems, perhaps a nostalgia for wt people might see as the good old days. >> i think within parts of the population, there is. nostalgia perhaps for -- who is looked upon with an increasing fondness by parts of the population particularly those that can remember him directly, but also younger groups within society -- not all of them welcome the revolution because of the uncertainty it has created around their economic prospects and the loss of

certainty that they think they would have had if he was still in power today. >> it is about that perception isn't it? this is obviously part of the disgruntlement many people are feeling. >> yes, absolutely. it is very hard to disprove your arguing accounts are factual, but certainly amongst sections of population, there is a sense if he was still in power today, that the situation would not be as bad. obviously the coronavirus crisis has complicated matters, but even before that began, there is a sense that if he was still in power that the situation would not be as bad as it is now. then it is impossible to say and

that the political progress has been made and changes have been implement it. >> director of the institute for middle eastern studies at queens -- king's college. 10 years today the arab spring began in tunisia and we will keep covering in-depth every event from that region. time for business, i am pleased to announce google is facing another major antitrust lawsuit, what do we know so far? >> a group of 38 u.s. states and territories want to take google to court accusing it of shutting out its rivals in the online search market. the colorado attorney general who announce this federal lawsuit in washington, d.c. said the company's practices quote, deny consumers the benefit of competition including the possibility of higher quality services and better privacy protections, advertisers are harmed through lower quality and higher prices.

he described google as setting itself up to be the gatekeeper of the entire internet, shutting out potential rivals and preventing them from accessing community -- consumers directly. it essentially claims google is so dominant when it comes to search engines that it can make deals to ensure its systems and advertising are present in nearly everything we can buy today from smartphones to cars. the lawsuit alleges that google's contracts have secured its default searc engine in some 80% of web browsers around the world. google has responded, is that the lawsuit would seek to deprive americans of helpful information it has long maintained that it does not breach antitrust law, but this is just t very beginning for what is likely to be a long legal battle. >>eá walk us through some of the other cases against google and other tech giants, who is leading them, what are they accused of? >> this is the third major lawsuit against google in as little as two months.

yesterday, 10 states, all of them with republican attorneys general targeted googles, and it's in advertising, that accused them of anticompetitive behavior in what is really the moneymaking part of google's business. back in october, white or reaching federal lawsuit was filed by the department of justice and 11 states. if august on operations in markets for general search services and advertising. what all of tse cases come down to is that google is too big, has too much power, and hurts the would-be competitors and consumers. it is far from alone in facing these criticisms, fast -- last week facebook was hit by a double lawsuit by the federal trade commission and 48 states and territories focused on the acquisition of whatsapp and instagram. that is aimed to break up the world's largest social network somewhere down the road, forcing it to divest those formal rivals.

there have been investigations and winds around the world notably by the european commission that is leading the global fight against -at least in trying to contain silicon valley. the commission outlined new proposals to curb both the power and content of big tech giants, there is also a crackdown around the globe from australia to india and even on capitol hill where there is growing and indeed bipartisan support for more regulation of the tech industry. >> take us to wall street, how have the stock market faring today? >> markets of close starkly higher, dow jones, s&p 500, and the nasdaq. shares of google were down about 1% at the close. after the closing bell, there was no broad leak through on another round of relief and stimulus funds for american household and businesses although investors have latched

onto optimism that lawmakers are reaching a deal. markets once again did shrug off largely dappoinng employment data, 885,000 americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, the highest level we have seen since early september. this ties in with what we have heard from economists. on a plane is likely to remain elevated for quite some time, there has been --n the lemon is likely to remain elevated for some time. the u.s. is likely to remain weak until vaccines can remit -- be distributed widely in the pandemic is under control. >> thank you very much, joining us socially distanced in these days of covid of course and trying to keep ourselves, and colleagues as safe as her can. let's not forget emmanuel macron is testing positive this thursday and things happening along those lines, so it is important to stay safe.

letter monday of our main story at this moment in time, the kidnapped boys in nigeria, we are told are being released. some 300 or more according to our correspondent are being -- currently in the process of being freed by the group that took them last week, we will report more as we get it, stay with us, this is live from paris. ♪ >> [speaking foreign language]

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12/17/20 12/17/20 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> it is incredibly important the people in india get it, can you comment united states, china get it. that is going to require some global coordination. certain amount of global solidarity. amy: as the united states shatters world records for daily coronavirus cases and deaths