>> welcome to life in paris. these are the new world news headlines. emmanuel macron wants to invite the belarus opposition to the g7 summit next month. with the distal and journalist roman protasevich still in custody, the belarus regime increasingly isolated. calls grow for stronger action against the diversion of an airline that is called a hijacking. two state solution is the only way forward, antony blinken says. leaders on israeli and palestinian sides need to make

real improvements in people's lives. alongside israel's prime minister and the palestinian prime minister, the u.s. pledges to rebuild the gaza strip. an unacceptable coup d'état. france condemns the arrest of the president and prime minister of mali by the prime minister -- military. the military -- junta says there will be elections. this is life in paris. ♪ thank you very much for being with us.

it is revealed that the french president would like to invite the belarus and opposition -- belarusian opposition to the g7 summit if the host country great britain agrees. the regime in belarus became a little more isolated. europe cut air links and calls grew for stronger action over its diversion of an airliner and arrest of a dissident belarusian journalist on board. roman protasevich remains in custody along wi his russi girlfriend. the u.n. has joined its voice to call for the release. a video was posted apparently of protasevich confessing to the crimes the belarus government accused him of. european commission president describes it as a hijacking. for more on the international pressure o belarus'president

alexander lukashenko, this report. >> in the aftermath of what world leaders described as state i received, alexander lukashenko is increasingly isolated. a growing list of european airlines have either stopped flying over belarusian airspace or have suspended flights to and from the country altogether. and though the european union agreed to tighten sanctions targeting minsk, french president emmanuel macron said the bloc may need to go further by redefining its relationships with certain countries. >> we have now reached the limits of sanctions policy. it has become clear to all member states and it has been france's deep conviction for several months that we need to reframe our relationship with russia in a very found way -- profound way so as to not simply be reactive, but to define a short, medium, and long-term strategy. >> the u.n. demanded belarus

release protasevich, adding that it fears for the journalist's safety despite his recorded statement. >>'s appearance on state tv last night was not reassuring. given the apparent bruising to his face and the strong likelihood that his appearance was not voluary and his confession to serious crimes was foed. information obtained under coercion cannot be used against mr. protasevich in any legal proceedings. such forced confessions are prohibited under the convention against torture. >> the un security council will hold an informal, closed-door meeting on belarus on wednesday. russia is likely to prevent a collective statement. >> let's get to more analysis of this story. a professor of international politics at the university of kent joins us. we have heard a lot of strong words and a lot of actions

taken. do you think any of this will make any difference to the situation regarding the safety of this journalist and the conduct of belarus and its president? >> what we see clearly is that president lukashenko shows no regard for international law or norms and european values. previously, we saw he cap domestic issues within the rder of the country. putting many people's lives at risk, with about 45,000 people now being detained, beaten, tortured, as we could see in the case of roman protasevich. now, he is lashing out inteationally. this is precisely the point where the international community could really coordinate its response in order to make sure that things are now in the open in order to respond respectively and adequately. >> in terms of how look at

schenkel now behaves -- president lukashenko now behaves, he pointed out there is a disregard for the eu and european points of view and conduct, but isn't that his position anyway given that he is closer to russia and putin anyway? >> well, to a degree, yes. because what has happenehas been not just simply approved of, but also potentially assisted by russia, so lukashenko feel emboldened in that way. at the same time, he is still very much dependent on his own finances of his regime, many of which are actuly resid coursenternational pressure, especiallyn terms of smart

sanctions, could be the right way to go forward. it is time to simply go beyond declarations because obviously the european union and the world have been very good in terms of dearations. it is time to start acting a putting sanctions regarding his finances in place. >> thank you very much indeed. thanks for joining us. >> pleasure. >> we are watching for all developments on the situation regarding roman protasevich and the people of belarus. we will have more analysis to come. antony blinken has been to jerusalem with his message that the united states sees a two state solution is the only way ahead in the middle east. he added that both sides need to make real improvements in people's lives. nonetheless, the u.s. secretary of state announced the reopening of the embassy in jerusalem,

controversially moved to thereby the trump administration. let's hear from blinken. >> as i told prime minister netanyahu and president abbas, the united states will be moving forward with the process to reopen our consulate in jerusalem. that is an important way for our country to engage with and provide support to the palestinian people. >> let's get the analysis. here is our correspondent in jerusalem standing by. what should we take from blinken's words? >> we should take that the unit states is back in this game. he was speaking in ramallah when we last heard him, what you just played. this is the first visit by a senior washington official in four years. the history, the historic low

between the trump administration -- in relations between the trump administration and ramallah, it was a very real falling out. i think now what blinken is trying to do, would biden is trying to do is to mend fences and bring the old paradigm back. >> so the u.s. standing with israel? >> standing with israel and standing with the palestinians as thenkroker. what antony blinken said was that there was a strong relationship, he reiterated the commitment of the united states to israel. he said it was a national commitment, a personal commitment on biden's behalf, having been a supporter of israel for 50 years. but he went on to say that israelis and palestinians equally deserve a good life, freedom, democracy, opportunity,

dignity, and that all those things should be available to both of them equally. i think they are back in the game and it is not the trump administration view. it is the old washington view and that is what they are letting us know. they are also making a huge commitment to gaza, funding a commitment to rehabilitating it, to funding it, to organizing funds from other donor nations. all of that together shows washington is back. >> will this help president abbas? >> it cannot hurt him. he is old, he is weak. he called blinken secretary clinton, in fact. he is also -- the people, you can see they have turned against him. you can see that from a variety of things. you can see over the past weeks from the jerusalem protests, protests where his nomees,

people are chanting against them. he is very much weekend. perhaps this and certainly the funding, but also the prestige will slightly restore his situation, but i have to say that after 14 years in office, perhaps it is time for the election he has just postponed. >> briefly, the leader of hezbollah, he has weighed into this affair. >> yes, he has. he spoke tonight and said that hamas had changed to be equation and that now any attack on jerusalem would invite a response and regionally, as well. it has to be said that while he was saying that, he acknowledged he was sick. at times, he could barely breathe. he was coughing. he did not look like a man suffering from covid while he spoke. >> thank you as ever very much indeed.

our thanks to the team. we will be watching for every development on the situation. next, france condemns the arrest of the president and prime minister of mali by the country's military. emmanuel macron called it an unacceptable coup d'état. they remained at a military base where they were taken by armed soldiers 24 hours ago. the mali military junta says they are being held for infringing on the new charter. the military junta has reassumed control. assimi goita is vowing to go ahead with elections next year. france, the eu, and the u.s. of all condemned the situation. >> back in control again, colonel assimi goita has seized power after firing the transitional president and prime minister. the reason, their failure to consult him about a government reshuffle.

>> the vice president of the transition saw himself to act and eserve the transitional charter and defend the public to renew the president and his prime minister from their prerogatives, as well as all those involved in the situation. >> assimi goita, who was also the interim vice president, accused the president and prime minister of intentionally sabotaging the transition. the latest crisis occurred after a new government cabinet was announced on tv. missing from the lineup were two fellow coup leaders, one who served as defense minister, and another who served as security minister. this slight prompted assimi goita to act, arresting the president and prime minister and taking them to a military base outside the capital.

assimi goita has promised to hold elections next year as planned. the leaders' arrests and detentions have sparked quick international condemnation. france has threatened sanctions. the african union and the u.s. have called for the men's immediate release. the unrest followed last year's military coup which deposed the former president. in the aftermath, the new leaders agreed to set up an interim civilian government as part of an 18-month transition period before fresh elections. now, there are fears the arrests could lead to further instability and compromise the fight against jihadists in the region. >> we are watching for developments in the situation in mali. let's remind you of the main world news headlines. emmanuel macron wants to invite the belarus opposition to the g-7 summit next month with roman

protasevich still in custody. belarus is increasingly isolated this week with calls growing for stronger action over its diversion of an airline which was condemned as a hijacking. two state solution, the only way forward, blinken says. leaders on the israeli and palestinian side need to make real improvements on peoe' ves. the palestinian president abbas, prime minister netanyahu, and the u.s. pledged to rebuild the gaza strip. an unacceptable coup d'état. france condemns the arrest of the president and prime minister of mali. they are being held for infringing on the new national charter. they remain at a military base, where they were taken by armed soldiers some 24 hours ago.

we are watching all those stories and more for you. now it is time for business. amazon facing a major lawsuit from the usa >> being filed by the attorney general of the district of columbia. it is an antitrust lawsuit signal -- similar to the complaints seen in the eu. the tech giant is accused of violating competition laws by requiring merchants to pay up to 40% of a product price to use the platform. >> amazon is facing scrutiny for its business practices. after similar accusations in the eu, the retail giant is now up against a u.s. lawsuit. on charges of anticompetitive behavior. the case claims the company artificially inflates prices for consumers. >> amazon wins because it controls pricing across the online retail sales market, putting itself in an advantage

over everyone else. as a result, it is increasing its dominance stronghold on the market and illegally reducing the ability of platforms to compete for market share. >> the lawsuit alleges amazon has overly restrictive rules verning sellers, blocking them from offering lower prices elsewhere. amazon has refuted the claim and is challenging the lawsuit. >> the d.c. attorney general has it exactly backward. sellers set their own prices for the products they offer in our store. amazon takes pride in the fac that we offer low prices across the broadest selection. >> for now, the case only applies to the district of columbia, but if it is successful, it could have a ripple effect, encouraging other u.s. states to start their own litigation proceedings, as they have done recently against the likes of google and facebook. >> let's check in on the day's trading action. wall street gave up some earlier gains to close lower.

amazon shrugged off the antitrust lawsuit, shares closing just above the flat line. shares of airline and cruise companies blocked the downward trend -- bucked the downward trend. a mixed close for the european indices. a rise in business confidence in germany. the leaders have made progress on a digital certificate to encourage travel. infrastructure for the health pass will be ready at an eu level from june 1, next week. member states will be able to connect to the system from mid june and will be launched for the european public july 1. the digital certificate as a platform designed to assemble and coordinate proof of vaccination or covid test results and allow the easing of border restrictions. >> this is an instrument which will help the free movement of people in the european union. this is particularly important

for the restart of our economy and its full extent, for the free movement of workers, but also free movement of tourists. for my country croatia, this is particularly important. >> and michelin starred chef and franchise continue to sell his gourmet meals in local markets even though his restaurants have reopened. his take away menus were a big hit with shoppers in recent months and are now a key part of his business. >> for months, this michelin starred restaurant remained closed due to covid lockdowns. in its kitchen, there was even more cooking than usual. this exclusive restaurant and a second one owned by the chef prepared 9000 meals per week. >> [speaking french]

>> this is where that gourmet food has been sold. in 23 local markets, a full meal at the restaurant costs 90 euros on average, the market version just 24 euros. >> [speaking french] >> the restaurants and hotels 30 employees got to keep their jobs and to bring pleasure to people struggling during the pandemic, including medical workers, who got special offers.

the experience was so positive, the chef intends to keep selling food on market stands, even though his restaurants have reopened. >> it looks like a nice meal wherever you have it. >> indeed, so long as i'm not cooking. i can't cook, but i can try. kate has never tasted my cooking. let's bring in simon with sport. he has never tasted my cooking. maybe one day we will eat together. one of the favorites for the euros, provisional squad pretty happy with it. >> the england coach with that 33 men provisional squad for the european championships this summer. the extended shortlist will have to meet requirements of 26 players by june 1. the extended list is to allow for more time and information on injuries, such as harry maguire,

and potential players' other injuries as 12 england internationals will feature this week in the europa league and champions league finals. let's take a look at that squad. four goalkeepers are included, with dean henderson set to be first choice or perhaps jordan pickford. th keepers were relegated this season from the premier league. a long list of defenders, potentially hinting at a five-man backline. godfrey, white, and james, among those that could be cut from the squad. jude belliham also makes the team. jordan henderson and calvin phillips. the forwards is where england are most impressive. harry kane makes t team, golden boot winner. of course, this not the final

squad. >> i think our situation is more complicated than any other country at the moment. we have known for a little while that we've got at least 33, 12 player still to play in the european final still this week. we were always going to ed some additional players for the first part of our camp. >> we are just 24 hours away from the final of the europa league, opposing manchester united, the english setter favorites, but villareal come with plenty of pedigree, including in the form of their manager. no spanish team has ever lost to english opposition in the showpiece of the europa league. the spanish have won two of their last five.

manchester united's main concern on the eve of the matches to determine whether captain harry maguire will be fit to play, though that does seem unlikely. his absence will mean that the team will have to be adjusted. the stars were arrested sunday as the premier league runners-up beat wolves 2-1. let's hear from them. >> every player who goes into a final has the expectation and pressure to win. you have to prepare to win. we plan to win. we expect to win. i'm sure he feels the same with his team and his players and their players. that is no different. it has been a long qualification to get here. it is 50/50 when you get to a final. and i feel, as i've said so many times, confident that we are ready for this.

in a final, anything can happen. >> that game on wednesday. the german national team after the euros, a new boss. the former boss has been in charge since 2006. the new boss engineering a remarkable turnaround two years ago to win the boone distally got german cup and the champions league cup. he confirmed he would leave bayern munich at the end of this season after falling out with the club's hierarchy. the new german manager's contract will run until 2024. still in football, luca magy rich has extended his contract for another year. it will run until 2022. the croatian captain has long been considered one of the best midfielders of his generation. he joined real from tottenham

and has been the only player since 2008 -- that was in 2019. there was speculation, but the rumors have been quelled and he will feature against england in the opening game of the euros against croatia -- for croatia. we finish with tennis. novak djokovic continues his clay-court preparation for roland garros with a tough opening-round in belgrade, serbia. he had to fight hard against the lucky loser, the 253rd player in the world. very hard striker of the ball. he put djokovic under essure. he did receive a point penalty from the umpire for breaking his racket. eventually, it was a 6-2, 7-6

victory for the world number one, who next plays his argentine opponent in the second round. france 24 will be covering roland garros, which starts on sunday. >> is that a cue for it to rain? >> i think it is already raining. [laughter] >> already shopping for an umbrella as we speak. great to see you, simon. kate with the business. we could send you, business and sport at roland garros. that would be fantastic, wouldn't it? >> i've got an umbrella. >> i will stay here, of course, in the dry. more to come, life in paris. ♪ >> sovereignty to panama over the canal that they themselves built, the amerins also ga it bk the zone but for almost half a century had lived on american time. >> this was small, artificial

country led by engineers, signed by engineers. >> despite the departure of the have remained and memories,ns sometimes bitter memories. watch the children of the canal, panama revisited on france 24 and france 24.com. ♪ ♪

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05/25/21 05/25/21 democracy now! [captioning made possible by demoacy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> i was fired from the associated press lasweek after a summer campaign exposing the history of activm for palestinian human rights while i was at stanford university. amy: we speak to reporter emily wilder who was fired by the associated press last week after