>> you are watching france 24. united nations says a french airstrike raises significant concerns. a report accuses france of killing civilians. the french government strongly denies it. 14 nations come forward expressing with the rations -- reservations on the origin of the coronavirus. myanmar international pressure is mounting. the un security council is set

to meet tomorrow to discuss the situation as armed ethnic groups aim to join protesters in the streets. ♪ thank you for joining us. the french government is strongly disputing the findings of u.n. investigation. the probe found a french airstrike killed civilians in my life -- earlier this year. it expressed concerns about the methodology used to compile the report. >> one airstrike, two competing narratives. what happened on january 3?

what is not in dispute is that on that day, a french airstrike killed or 20 people nr the small village. the french army says it targeted a group of armed islamist militants. an investigation reached a different conclusion. >> it is able to confirm that a wedding celebration was held that brought together 100 civilians at the site of the strike. there were five armed individuals among them. >> it is a jihadi group affiliated with al qaeda. according to the report, three of the members present that day were killed in the strike. the u.n. says the majority of the crowd on hand that day civilians should have been protected under international humanitarian law. france continues to deny any error saying the strike killed several dozen armed jihadists

that it identified through robust targeting. the french ministry has singled out the french methodology saying it relied on contradictory local testimony. >> the french ministry is definitely considering that all the process the rules of engagement have been restricted --espected in terms of humanitarian law. >> the u.n. and humanitarian ngos are now calling for two more independent investigations. one by the french and one by the military. >> earlier, we spoke to our french politics editor who told us how this report may affect the view of france's presence in the region. >> the u.n. is calling for an impending investigation into the tragic incident. there have already been some

quarters calling for the french departure. the military has been there for eight years now. they believe the country is still under dire straits and the presence is clearly a reality of daily life. it is mostly airstrikes, helicopters, and not so much boots on the ground. we have seen some demonstratio agnst the french presence several months ago. this could resume, because if the french are not sceeding enough against jihadist groups, that's one thing you can say it's a military objective that is not being achieved. if there are reports cfirmed that civilia are being hur dung this battle, ts could turn the tide against the french presence in the region. thiss something that the french authorities will be watching. we are waiting for an addition

-- another reaction from the government. there in the favor of therench against public opinion,t go especial because the regime is very fragile there. >> 14 nations are expressing concerns about a report from the world health organization on the origins of the coronavirus. the report was published today and is says the virus likely came from a bat passed to another animal than to humans. it discounted the idea that the virus originated in a chinese lab. some say the report was delayed and incomplete. here is how the who responded to the criticism. >> we look at the different hypotheses about the lab incident possibility, because that was the assessment that it was not something where we could see strong indication that that was something we should look

into. therefore, it was right as -- ranked as the least lockley -- least likely pathway. not saying it was impossible, but it was not the one we would start initially going deeper into. >> the chinese government also reacted. our correspondent in beijing has that part of the story. >> the chinese state media cherry picking the findings and conclusions of this report on the origins of covid-19, finding the elements best suit the narrative of event. this means for instance that the fact that the lab leak theory has been judged as being extremely unlikely has been extensively clearly -- covered. so is the likelihood that it was transmitted through frozen food packaging that it earlier dismissed.

also pointing to the fact that the report says that other early events of covid-19 around the world should be investigated. all of these things have been relayed by the ministry of foreign affairs as well as praising china for its handling of pandemic and or its openness and transparency in cooperating with the who and calling on the world not to politicize the origins of the disease. there is no official reaction to the statements from the head of the who who seem to contradict some of the findings of the report saying for instance that there needed to be further investigation into the lab leak. and criticizing china not giving enough access to raw data to the investigators who went to wuhan at the beginning of the year. the who is between a rock and

hard place holding china accountable and also hoping for continue to cooperate. here, the number of people in intensive care with virus has reached 5000. francis health minister said the next they are to would be key in deciding if new restrictions should be put in place. italy has decided to impose a five day quarantine for people arriving countries inside the eu. previously, the restriction was in effect for countries outside the block after the five days a coronavirus test is required. the countries is struggling to contain the number of viruses. our correspondent in room --

rome explains what led to the decision and what travelers can expect. >> essentially, you have the health minister thing this decision, signing a decree saying that all people from the eu who are coming into italy, whether they are local residents returning or visitors, they have to test before arriving, they have to have a five day quarantine, then they have to test again after those five days. the quarantine measures have already en put in place in non-eu member countries. what has happened is some might say lobby groups even those representing local hotels were very frustrated with the mandate

and that essentially means people cannot travel to towns within their region. they have to stay within the region and nobody can travel between regions. it has been in place in the country for some time now. what that means is that people cannot travel over easter. but they can travel aoad because even if they have advised against foreign travel, it is not banned altogether. some have been sharing this as a loophole around the restrictions. now they have put in place this quarantine hoping that that will deter people from taking the easter vacation or short legal break over ththe ds that have been put in place and over the time as a whole. the hope is that if they limit travel and limit movement, that will contain the spread of covid-19 in italy. >> world leaders for more than

20 nations are calling for an international plan on how to respond to future pandemics. the call for a global treaty was published in newspapers around the world aimed at preventing the pitfalls during the covert outbreak. the statement is short on details on how such a plan would work. >> from european leaders like oris johnson, angela merkel and emmanuel macron and heads of state, and all 24 heads of state side this editorial published across the international press. in a call for shared global response. there will be other pandemics and other health emergencies. no single government or agency can address the threat alone.

>> presented the initiative this tuesday at a meeting with who officials. >> it has taught us one lesson. no country, no continent can defeat pandemic alone. it requires a global approach. the us rather than the me and a commitment at the hight level. >> agreement would be rooted in the u.s. health agencies constitution. >> the pandemic has thrived in the equalities -- inequalities of our societies. it is also allowed us to identify opportunities to strengthen the international health architecture. the time to act is now. >> formal negotiations on the final details of the agreement

have not yet begun between participating states. the leaders of the world guest powers -- biggest powers did not sign the agreement. >> that's in myanmar where international pressure is mounting. un security council is set to meet tomorrow to discuss the situation. raids have driven members of an ethic minority into thailand. >> threatening the junta with kelly issue. in a rare joint statement, free of myanmar's groups called on the military to end the bloodshed. >> if they do not stop and continue to kill the people, we will cooperate with the protesters and fight back.

it was an unusual show of unity by armed groups in myanmar, a country long divided. after gaining independence from britain in 1948, myanmar was left fractured between a myriad of cultural, ethnic, and linguistic minorities. dozens of rebel factions ok up arms and began to fight over resources soon overwhelming the central government. in 1962, the army took advantage of the chaos to stage a military coup and sees power. largely dominated by one ethnic group, it presented itself as the only force capable of ruling the country. it also prevented various armed actions from pursuing joint interests, instead preferring to cut individual deals behind the scenes. in 2015, 10 of the biggest arms groups signed a nationwide

cease-fire and agreed to lay down their weapons in exchange for greater autonomy. one third of the country is directly controlled by these individual factions which had until recently largely stayed out of national politics. the fragile status quo was shaken by the latest coup which drew swift condemnation. with three of these factions now threatening joint action against the military, experts warn the conflict could escalate further and even spiral into civil war. >> the eu is promising more action against the military junta in myanmar. they imposed sanctions a week ago and now the foreign policy's chief warns that more sanctions are on the way. >> we have the tools that we have. we can impose sanctions, we will do it to the persons to the responsible to the military to the physical persons.

now, we are going to sanction economically to the french or to the military. these are our tools. can you imagine -- we have to use the tools that we have. >> you can see the full interview this wednesday at 2:15 a.m. paris time here on france 24. now it's time for business with kate moody. you're looking ahead to the biden administration's plan to rebuild america's infrastructure. >> the president on wednesday set to begin to outline the details for what he says will be his second major piece of legislation following the conavirus stimulus bill. people travel to pittsburgh to promote what is expected to be $3 trillion in spending on roads, bridges, with up focus on environmental systems.

all recent u.s. presidents have tried to overhaul the system. part of the reason the spending is so complicated is that most roads and public transport systems are owned at a state low -- level. even a national program has to go through regional governments. the biden adminiration has proposed paying for part of the plan by raising the corporate tax rate. one organization which will released a forecast in a months time says the economic recovery would accelerate thanks to a strong expansion in the u.s. and china. even though many european countries remain mired in a third wave of infections, the ims managing director says the outlook for the second half of the year is looking up. >> speculation iwe would see the european economies on a sound recovery path.

we do see it now being ncentrated on accelerating vaccinations and rightly so. >> wall street ended lower today. the nasdaq recovered from earlier losses. apple and microsoft shares are among those slipper -- slipping. investors in europe are encouraged by a sharper than expected increase in economic sentiment across the eurozone in march. the london stock exchange could see its biggest debut in a decade when the food delivery service goes public on wednesday. the firm expects to be valued at 8.9 billion euros. it is priced at the lower end of its initial range citing market

volatility. it is likely been shaken by the announcement from major firms that they will not buy shares because of bad working conditions. the company has faced criticism of the treatment of its self-employed drivers. more than one year of travel restrictions have taken their toll in par. the french capital and its surrounding region have lost over 15 billion euros as tourism pedroia. -- dried up. >> is quiet in paris with travel restrictions still in place and a third coronavirus lockdown, the usual crowds of tourists are absent. [speaking foreign language]

there were only 17.5 million visitors to paris in 2020. that is down from 51 million in 2019. the president of the greater paris region is asking the government for rescue fund of 10 billion euros. it would be good for this local business. [speaking foreign language] it is the same problem for hotel honors. one into hotels mains closed. overall, the region has lost over 15 billion euros. [speaking foreign language] to help the sector rebound, the

president of the region is also calling for tourism workers to be prioritized for covid vaccines. >> no sign of when the tourist will be back in great numbers. >> think you so much. it's time for our focused report. we look at the french governments effort to limit homeschooling. a new law would require parents to get permission to teach their children at home and would only allow it in certain cases. our team has a closer look. [speaking foreign language] >> a school day is beginning in this families living room. she and the husband have chosen to homeschool therefore children. half an hour of world history is followed by educational projects. the children are more or less left choose their own activities while being closely monitored.

we live our life while also making sure we work toward the official expectations. if we don't finish everything, then so be it. it doesn't matter. the lack of a strict curriculum allows the children to require -- acquire a list of skills set by the national education system. today, they are off to school. [speaking foreign language] over three hours of interviews, the team of three inspectors and a psychologist check up on what she and her children have covered over the past year. the inspector's aim is to discern how much progress the three children have made. >> we really just want to check that the child is being taught the core lessons. they are progressing and everything is being done to ensure that they progress. we got them to write something.

it wasn't really an exercise, but to see how they express themselves then to see if the handwriting is up to scratch. >> families like this one have found themselves in the crosshairs of the french government. a new law wants to prohibit homeschooling. the government claims the practice has allowed families to get around national principles such as secularism. the family says they have been conflated with independent schools. >> children who are homeschooled are considered to be ghosts of the republic or dangerous separatists. or even like the education minister said, savages. >> words which have offended this family when the mother has chosen to become apparent instructor. >> who is most able to help children to choose what is best for them? i would say it is those who love them and live with them. i'm sorry mr. macron does not

know my children and he doesn't see them on a daily basis. he doesn't understand their needs. >> in the senate where the right holds a majority, an amendment has just removed article 21 which established certain conditions for homeschooling. senator and member of the education committee said the article contradicted -- and was aimed at the wrong targets. >> the obligation follows with state schools private schools or homeschooling. freedom of education is a constitutional right. >> think that this law is an emotional law. it allows the minister to flex his muscles. really, the government would do better implementing laws that have already been passed. >> 0.5% of people in france are homeschooled. a small minority.

cases of radicalization are rare . the figure is far too low to be sociologically significant. >> the situations that some of these inspectors have encountered are exceptional. the numbers are so small that it is impossible to draw any conclusions. it would be awkward to claim that in a given environment or situation, there are radicalized families. it is too rare to say that. >> there remains exceptional. homeschooling is gaining followers. this family has invited over another family that recently took lunch. a former teacher said she was attacked by the supportive community. >> it's important for us parents and important for the children. it gives them the opportunity to make friends even if they keep in touch with friends through school.

>> while senators voted against more requirements for homeschooling, the ministry of education insists that every child must obtain a compulsory national id number. there are many thousand children unaccounted for. >> that's it for now. stay tuned for more world news here on france 24. ♪

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amy: from new york, this is democracynow. >> the most important numbers you hear, what happened in those nine minutes and 29 seconds when derek shaaban -- chauvinist was applng this force. amy: a former minneapolis police