>> i'm mark owen. these are the headlines. turkey and russia could begin pulling out of libya in the coming days. there was this are on rival sides of the conflict ravaging the state. a special summit in berlin is examining the roadmap toward possible peace. hungary under pressure on and off the field over its stance on lgbt rights. you a that is investigating hungarian fans -- uefa is

investigating hungarian fans for racist and homophoc chants. the draft report of the united nations' climate science has grown more serious. this is "life in paris. -- "live from paris." ♪ thank you very much for being with us. the second special summit on libya is being held in berlin. germany and the united nations are the organizers. turkey and russia have received the most criticism for their involvement on either side of the conflict. this wednesday, they are vowing to pull out step-by-step. meanwhile, libya's foreign minister says there's progress

on the issue of foreign mercenaries in the country. some 20,000 foreign fighters acted in the conflict, but this event in many ways, a debut for the new government of national unity in libya. >> today, we have entered a new phase in our efforts toward peace and stability. the libyan transitional government and the unity is at the table. we are no longer just talking about libya but with libya. when it comes to the sequencing, we know the withdrawal of foreign forces will have to be done bit by bit. mark: the spokesperson for the national transitional government of libya joins us. are you feeling this evening

optimistic? >> good evening. percival, this second -- first of all, this second berlin conference came after we witness stability and one representative for all libythroughout the government of national unity, which is already a step forward. we, of course, have lots of challenges ahead of us, and we think that unifying the international community and the friends of libya toward supporting us to achieve the election of the end of this year on december, but in order to do

so, we need to tackle the hard issues, and we need more commitment from our friends. mark: would you like to see turkey, russia, the foreign ministries, these other people involved in libya pulling out almost immediately? would you like that to happen? >> this is the standard of our government and of libya. we need libya free of any mercenary attacks, and this is an important step to achieve safe and transparent elections because the existence of those mercenaries will definitely threaten the stability and sustainability of the piece.

mark: the mercenaries getting involved, turkey and russia getting involved perhaps because they see some gain after the conflict is resolved. clearly, there has been problems since the fall of gaddafi, but with the government of national unity, do you feel there is a united front within libya going forward? >> there is progress on the level of the government. now, the body is reunited d starting to operate again, but we are still divided and we need to do more in order to come to a unified army will protect the country and the people and its constant tuition.

on that front, the mercenary forces are an obstacle. mark: clearly, one could up about the potential libya has for what it could become. for you and your colleagues in the libya government, where do see libya going on now, 10 years time, 20 years' time? >> libya is a beautiful, rich, and vast country. we -- i spokes the government before, but we as libyans aim to live in a peaceful country that can enjoy its wealth and its beauty and to be an active

country, and that is not very difficult. we need just to get together, and we need our friends to stand behind and for libya to deal with these obstacles we are facing today. mark: thank you for joining us. thank you for sharing your thoughts and analysis on the situation. we wish everybody, no matter which side they are on in libya, peace going forward. next, hungary still under criticism for its controversial laws branded as homophobic or the eu. a plan to light up the stadium

where germany is playing hungry was blocked by uefa and deemed political. hungary's stance is also under investigation for racist and homophobic chanting at the match with france last saturday. >> in what has been dubbed the rainbow row, the european commission is stepping up its criticism of the hungarian law. >> this bill clearly discriminates against people of ghent -- on the basis of sexual orientation goes against the fundamental values of the european union. >> the hungarian prime minister slammed for comments as shameful and based on false allegations.

the hungarian parliament passed a law last week banning sex reassignment to anyone under 18. more than a dozen eu member states have called on the european commission to take legal action by referring the matter to the european court of justice. >> [speaking foreign language] >> meanwhile, the spat has also spilled over into sports, with the european football championship under way. munich had called for lighting up its stadium in rainbow colors ahead of wednesday's match between germany and hungary, but uefa rejected the request, describing itself as a politically neutral organization. instead, it added the rainbow to

its logo. mark: the final for the year in the football tournament is set to take place at wembley next month. the go-ahead has been given for 10,000 fans to be in the stadium. cases of the delta variant of covid are rising fast. boris johnson, the u.k. prime minister, is being accused of mixed messages. he postponed reopening in the past. >> across europe, the euro football championship has been the scene of joy, fans celebrating the return of sport and a sense of normalcy, but among health authorities, doubts

are emerging. the who has become the latest question its safety, saying in a statement that it was concerned about the easing of covid restrictions in a certain host countries. the yuan body did not mention names, but it comes after britain announced that 60,000 fans will be allowed into wimbley stadium for the semifinals, up from 40,000 people. this as the delta variant continues to gain ground in the country. german chancellor angela merkel has called on football authorities to behave responsibly. >> i don't think it is a good thing that stadiums are full there. i support any initiative by the u.k. government to enforce sanitary measures. it is a variant zone, which means travel is very limited. >> meanwhile, the u.k. government has insisted that all ticketholders will undergo strict health checks, including

providing a negative test or proof of fullback's and a 14 days before the game. elsewhere in europe, other countries have decided to maximize capacity inside stadiums. in budapest, the arena can welcome 68,000 people. in denmark, the permitted audience has increased from 16,000 to 25 thousand. while authorities say that at least 29 new infections have been recorded in connection with the euro. mark: we wait to see who will be in the final, but it is set wimbley. for nearly 60-year-old embargo on cuba has been condemned. the united nations called for her to end. only israel voted with the u.s. against the resolution. three other u.s. allies,

ukraine, columbia -- colombia, and brazil chose to of same. the embargo is an enduring legacy of cold war hostilities between the u.s. and cuba. climate change will fundamentally reshape on earth in the coming decades even if humans contain planet-warming gas emissions. species extinction, more despread disease, unlivable heat, ecosystem collapse, cities menaced by rising seas -- the and other destating climate impacts are accelerating, bound to become painfully obvious before a child or an today turns 30. >> life on earth may recover from a dramatic climate shift.

humans might not survive. that is a soberingonclusion from a united nations report, and it confirms what man scientists have an saying in the last few years. climate change is happening faster and hitting us harder than expected. early models predicted it was unlikely we would see the worst consequences for the year 2100, but according to the report, that could be the reality when a child born today turns 30. currently, the world has already warmed by one degree celsius. current trend, we are heading for three degrees of warming, but even if the world sticks to the ideal target, the united nations climate body says conditions will change beyond our ability to adapt. 350 million people living in urban areas will be exposed to severe drought, ravaging crops. millions more will suffer from malnutrition. coastal communities will be at risk from floods and deadly

storms. the report also warns these changes could be irreversible and lead to cascading impacts with some regions experiencing multiple calamities at once. the report was not due to be released until february 2022 but was leaked to the media. this as world leaders prepare for the climate summit later in november, described as a make or break moment for the planet. mark: nine separatist leaders -- nine catalonian separatist leaders walk free this wednesday and vowed to win independence from spain. the group was jailed for sedition after the unrecognized referendum for catalonian independence. >> these are the leaders of the catalonian separatist movement. they were released wednesday to

the cheer of supporters. they came with a united message -- a valve to win independence from spain. >> tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and until victory day, we will continue working with everyone in this country to make the dream of a catalan republic reality. free catalonia. >> the release comes a day after the central government in madrid granted the nine parlance, but they remain blocked from holding public office. >> the spanish government has made this decision. it is the most compatible with the spirit of harmony. >> however, these men who were jailed for their links to a band referendum say their political

views are not stronger than when they were first presented in 2017. that said, meetings have been arranged on june 29 to bring the two sides together, but it is a risky bet for the prime minister. one recent poll held that 53% of spaniards were against the parties. market: the french government has overturned says are product linked to cannabis. >> cbd is derived from hemp and is increasingly being sold around the world. france's highest court has not ruled that cbd sales are legal or not but has overturned a decision banning them. this paves the way to a major sales have. >> measured, weighed, ready for consumption. these are derived from hemp

plants. -- until now, it was illegal for them to be sold in french stores, but the country's highest appeals court has overturned the ruling, allowing sales of cbd as long as it had been legally produced by a member state of the european union. >> today, it allows us to be more legitimate, saying these people laws are enforceable in member states in that member states have to love them. >> cbd has long been research for various medical applications. it has also been found as a relaxant. now cannabis stocks have attracted interest across world markets. in 2020, the global trade was valued at $2.8 billion and is said to increase over 25 percent this year. french distributors to say the new law will help them latch onto this growing trend. >> it is a good thing because france is finally allowed to grow cannabis for purposes other

than the textile industry. this will give work to farmers who are struggling. for distributors, this will provide jobs in an economic situation affected by the health crisis, so there are only positive things. >> cannabis in general is still outlawed in france, although the country's economic counsel has advised legalizing use would have the potential to create 80,000 jobs and billions in revenue. >> france is the latest eu state to get the green light for its covert recovery funds, what he billion euros, as a key part of the government's 100 billion euro recovery plan. 24 of 27 member states have submitted requests so far, estonia just last week. along the way, ursula von der leyen has been highlighting the eu's digital health certificate. italy, germany, spain, and

portugal are among 12 countries that had their final proposal approved. >> [speaking foreign language] >> france has earmarked more than half of its 40 billion euros for green projects. the eu is requiring a minimum of 37% of funds be years for so-called green transition investments -- be used for

so-called green transition investments. authorities hope it will create jobs and a more resilient, sustainable economy. ants and other member states are set to start receiving money in the coming weeks. about 30% in the first round with more to follow in the second half of the year. let's take a look at the day's trading action. a fairly muted day on wall street. we have seen the s&p 500 snap a winning streak. the nasdaq slightly above as energy and tech stocks outperformed. bitcoin recovered the losses that pushed it below the $30,000 mark on tuesday. in europe, investment growing at its fastest pace in 15 years. the investment bank morgan stanley has told staff and clients they will not be allowed

to enter its new york offices unless they are fully vaccinated. the new policy will come into effect next month and in return, some covert restrictions currently in place will be lifted, like the requirement to wear masks indoors. j.p. morgan, meanwhile, is instructing staff to report vaccine status in an effort to reassure workers it is safe to come into the office. this part of the growing debate in the finance world about the ideal balance of working from home and coming into the office, a debate set to continue even as we head into this sort of hybrid model. mark: more and more people back in our office, still cleaning at the surfaces. it is important to keep up with these strict hygiene measures in order to stop any transmission of the virus, but it is a difficult worry. thank you very much indeed.

time for "focus." the row over the olympics in japan is becoming more and more bitter. polls are indicating a majority of japanese people are opposed to the games taking place at all. >> this is what a baseball match in japan used to look li. today, due to coronavirus restrictions, just a few thousand spectators have been allowed into the stadium. they are all wearing masks and have been asked not to cheer. the tokyo olympics will look and feel very similar. >> normally, it is much livelier. everyone would be rooting for the players, but these days, it is just not possible. >> before, we could cheer every player. we even had a song for each player. there were chants and trumpets.

my daughter that she could support her team as usual today, so she is a bit disappointed. >> the olympic committee has decided to cap attendance at 50% capacity for up to 10,000 people. these rules already apply to more sports events in japan. security guards are on hand to remind people to observe the rules. >> someone from security just came over to give us a warning, but we don't care. we want to have fun, and the players cannot win without our encouragement. >> the tokyo games will be the least festive done -- the least festive in olympic history. instead, organizers hope they will demonstrate human resilience in the face of the virus. these people agree. >> we are going to beat the virus. >> to reduce risk, spectators must stay behind these lines. there is hand sanitizer everywhere. tens of thousands of people expected to arrive in japan will

be cut off from the rest of japanese society inside an olympic bubble. >> what are the rules? >> the rules are to stay distant. sorry. >> many people in japan are anxious. recent polls indicated as many as 80% want the games to be canceled or postponed. >> and worried. the arrival of all these people will surely have an impact. there is a real risk variants will spread. >> much of the concern is for japan's elder population, many of whom have not been vaccinated. while its health care system is among the best in the world, is vaccine rollout lags behind those in other major economies. these tokyo residents have

waited for months to be vaccinated. >> i'm relieved. now i want to go to a restaurant, maybe stay in a big hotel. for why not -- or why not go spend a night at disneyland? >> japan was slow to approve covid-19 vaccines because at first had to conduct its own clinical trials. it started using the moderna and astrazeneca vaccines five months later than britain. some health workers believe that is nothing short of scandalous. >> we, the doctors, wanted the vaccine as early as possible, but we did not know when doses would be available. we ask the local government, we asked the medical association, but no one could tell us. they did not know. >> our government is really running late. >> yes, they should have given money to clinics and medical

companies to help them prepare better. >> some people insist the olympics should be canceled. these residents of tokyo have in protesting against the games for months. >> olympic games are supposed to be a peaceful event, but we are in the middle of a pandemic. now is not the right time. >> the priority should be people's lives, but the government is not helping hospitals and is instead using public money to enable a small group of people to have fun. this is our tax money, and i think it should be used for the people and the commonood. >> it is as if they are sowing the seeds of the virus. the epidemic could get worse by the autumn and get out of control and could turn into a full-blown disaster.

>> the protesters take their message to city hall. >> [speaking foreign language] >> so far, their demands have then ignored. the government insists the games will go ahead. >> i believe we have to hold the olympics. it is our country's responsibility. >> with the number of new cases slowing in japan, it seems nothing can stop the olympic games from opening on july 23. nemark: anger there on the stres of japan over the staging of the olympic games. that was, of course, our "focus" feature. stay with us. more to

06/23/21 06/23/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] y amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> this vote, i am ashamed to say, as further evidence that voter suppression has become part of the official platform of the republican party. amy: senate republicans have used the filibuster to block debate on the most sweeping voting rights bill considered by congress in decades. we will look at the for the people act and the fight over the filibuster with the reverend william barber of the poor