anchor: you are watching live from paris on "france 24." here is what is ahead on the program. i historic terror trial over the 2015 paris attacks. 20 suspects accused of killing 130 across the city. we bring you a recap of the first day. dozens of women protest in kabul , demanding representation and rights under the taliban. the new rulers have banned all protests without permission from authorities. the covid pandemic has had a devastating impact on the fight

against hiv, tuberculosis, and malaria, according to a report from the global fund. we examine why. ♪ here in paris, a long-awaited trial over the november 2015 terror attacks began wednesday, under high-security and with high emotions. survivors and relatives of the1t in the courtroom. the scene was tense from the onset. the only surviving attacker from that night shouted in court and claimed the group was being treated like dogs. this is expected to be the longest trial in france's history, around nine months, most of the accused facing life

in prison. it is france's deadliest terror in modern times. our reporter was on-site. this marathon trial is expected to last nine months, and takes a look at the key moments of the very first day. reporter: police convoys transport suspects in paris. among them, the only man to face murder charges for the carnage in 2015. the 31-year-old is the sole surviving member of that night, making him a key suspect. judges are seeking to find out if he abandoned plans to blow himself up or his bomb failed to detonate. on day one of the trial, he wore a black t-shirt and thick beard. his first words were a prayer, then was asked to state his profession, he said he gave up

working to become an islamic state fighter. 13 other men are being cold to the stand coming accused of planning or financing the attacks here at five are presumed to be dead, and one is still on the loose. on the plaintiff's side, some 1800 victims and 330 lawyers are taking part in what has become france's biggest trial in history. [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] translator: here we are, almost six years, so now we will be able to know the rest and get some answers to our questions. maybe not all of them, but this will help us move on. [speaking in foreign language] they won't get the answer to many questions, why is the question, why target young french people in these conditions emma white target people who may believe in the same religion as themselves emma white so much violence -- themselves, why so much violence. reporter: the crucial witness testimony is to begin september

28 in the trial is to last nine months. anchor: for more on the trial, we welcome french politics expert, paul smith, to the program, a lecture at the university of nottingham. thank you for being with us this evening. nearly six years is a really long time for survivors and family members of the victims to wait. why did it take so long to get this trial underway? paul: you touched on the subject yourself, so many people are involved, so many thick rooms, and so many thick rooms who survived were victims who were the families of the ones, so it is an enormous dossier, bringing together what remained of those, the network that perpetrated those acts, a huge piece of work for the authorities and the whole judicial process, and laying out, looking, exploring ways that could happen, then of course, the physical building of

the space in which this is taking place. that can't happen overnight, so it has to be meticulously prepared. anchor: is this level of detail of the number of lawyers, victims, testimony, the hearing, is this part of the states strategy, or just due diligence? paul: it is both, due diligence, in the face of terrorism, what does a democracy have? it has the law. so you have to make sure that used to the letter of the law, that you have two diligence, that the whole process is carried out thoroughly -- you have due diligence, that the whole process is carried out thoroughly, that this goes forward, that the conditions are not ideal, not an ideal situation, but at least some kind of semblance of fair trial and justice can be seen to be done. anchor: there had been high profile terror attacks in france

before, the charlotte hebdo attacks, before november 15, this attack was by far the largest, a huge scale. what lasting effects have we seen on french society after the november 2015 attacks? paul: there has been a political and social impact. it is clear that from that moment, charlie hebdo was focused -- that's not to say there wasn't a nation or it was excusable, but it was focused, but what happened there and elsewhere was larger in scale, as you say, but the consequence is that it touches far more people. those people in france can remember where they were when they heard about what was going on. you almost lived it in real time because it went on so long, but that responsive politics, where

you have seen, even on the left, a more security focused discourse, tough on terrorism, but that leads to other things, a particular kind of terrorism, islamic fundamentalist terrorism, so that space has become what is inhabited by a lot of political parties, and we will see this, and one of the coincidences is that this trial will play out pretty much all the way through until the second round of the presidential election, but the background to that i that there is a much harder attitude it seems to me in french politics, but also generally in french society over questions of identity of immigration. anchor: could we say that all of these changes from politics, society, policing, has it made france safer from these types of attacks? paul: for the moment, it seems

to have, but we hear regularly that certain acts of terrorism have in dismantled, that they have come apart, but we also need to remember that there are moments when terrorist organizations are stronger or weaker, and one of the questions going on around this trial is why did he not to his vest? this question of thinking about here is this recruitment and so forth, that once you have a network commit suicide, how do you reconstruct the network? so it may be that we are going through a phase, but with the collapse of the situation in afghanistan we could be well looking towards continuing events in syria, will be looking towards another wave of potential recruitment as well, and that will feed all kinds of tensions all over the place, not

just france, but in europe. anchor: the alarms being sounded by many governments across the world when it comes to what we see in afghanistan recently. paul smith, french politics expert, thank you for your time. a new interim taliban government formally began work on wednesday in afghanistan, with key posts filled exclusively by loyalists and hardliners. small protests against the taliban continue. no women are included in the administration, and dozens turned out in kabul to demand representation and rights, but the protests was swiftly broken up. the taliban previously promised to for an inclusive administration for all afghans, but it remains to be seen how the country will ultimately transform under taliban rule. daily life however has already changed for many afghans, notably women.

reporter: the taliban promised to maintain women's rights in afghanistan, but that is far from the reality on the ground. women seen protesting in kabul wednesday against the government's all-male cabinet say they have already expense repression by the new regime. >> we are not talking about islamic dress, we want the right to work and education, and the international community that has been silent for these last few days, we want you to hear our voice and stand with us. reporter: free speech is under a crackdown. two american journalists covering the same protest were harassed by the taliban, and a number of afghan journalists were placed under arrest. at schools and universities there has been a sense of confusion despite 1000 to maintain the status quo. there are reports that taliban officials have informed universities to divide students by gender and make separate

classes. one university professor says restrictions against women are already evident. >> i saw a number of female teachers and students were not allowed by the taliban security forces to enter the university and told to wait until the taliban could ensure their security and make separate classes for men and women. reporter: there is also uncertainty in the workplace. last week, the taliban ask all women in the health care sector to return to work, but others have been turned away from their offices for so-called security reasons. as afghanistan faces its next chapter, and public, the tele-banner making promises of inclusion in moderation -- taliban are making promises of inclusion and moderation. it is something you can see playing out on the ground. anchor: israel's army has sent reinforcements to the occupied west bank to capture six palestinian prison escapees.

six militants broke out of a maximum security israeli jail monday, exiting through a hole in the floor. they have either been convicted that are suspected of carrying out deadly attacks against israelis. the escape has alarmed the israeli public, but boosted spirits in palestine, where rallies have been held in support of prisoners. brazil's supreme court is meeting to decide a key case over the protection of indigenous land reserves. the country's rain forest is at stake. if the court strikes down book law governing the boundaries of huge indigenous reserves, it could spark a land grab by businesses eager to exploit the rain forest. our correspondent reports from the capital in brazil. [singing] reporter: more than 170

different ethnicities are here, close to the supreme court, where they are awaiting a decision indicates that could have huge repercussions for indigenous land claims across the country. itnvolvethe people from the south who lost their claim to unsettled lands, because a judge said they were not occupying those lands in 1988 was brazil's current's competition came into effect, however, they argue they were expelled from those lands in the 1950's. they are worried that if they lose the appeal that it could set a precedent for a rollback of indigenous rights, something resident bolsonaro and his powerful backers in the agricultural lobby are hoping for. [speaking in foreign language] translator: why do you want to take our land now? is it not enough the farmers have taken most of it? and now you want more? we do not agree. i am here to support our people and fight with them. [speaking in foreign language] translator: if the vote does not go in our favor, it will be a

sad and painful loss for all people, not just brazilians, because the majority of the world's forests and animals are in the amazon. >> [speaking in foreign language] translator: if to win peace that we have to go to war, then we are ready. reporter: today's decision could will aggravate president bolsonaro's argument with the supreme court, that comes one day after he made inflammatory comments to crowds of his supporters. he asked for the removal of one judgand said he would no longer abide by that judge's orders in response to his comments yesterday, all the main political pties of the opposition in congress have decided that they will meet to decide whether to go ahead with impeachment proceedings. anchor: over to hong kong, where four members of a pro-democracy group were arrested wednesday. that is one day after they refused to cooperate with the national security investigation. the u.k. cold at the latest

attempt by china to use a security law to stifle dissent in the former british colonies. we have more. reporter: it is the latest blow to hong kong's democracy movement peered surrounded by police officers and in handcuffs, the prominent barrister was removed from her law offices and taken into police custody. her arrest and that of three other dissidents comes a day after she refused as vice chairwoman of the hong kong alliance to hand over the financial and operational records of the group. the group has organized for decorates, honoring victims of the tiananmen square massacre. this person has flatly denied the accusations, and the alliance was working. in refusing to handover the group records, she risks a 10,000 euro fine and prison. >> [speaking in foreign language] translator: the more we resist, the more the government will repress us. the government has been chasing

disbanded groups of us that the only thing we can rely on is our own strength, perseverance and doing the right thing. there is power in doing the right thing, and we are using the spirit to face all of the risks. reporter: the hong kong alliance is one of several pro-democracy groups targeted by hong kong's national security law, one that beijing has been using to stifle dissent as it tries to remold hong kong to its own authoritarian image. anchor: next, a new report outlines how covid-19's devastating effects extend beyond the virus itself, the huge demand in resources and manpower that has impacted the fight against other infectious diseases. the global fight against aids, tuberculosis, and malaria says the results have been catastrophic. reporter: as the world is focused on covid-19, other infectious diseases continue to

take lives across the globe, by the hundreds of thousands. tuberculosis remains the world's deadliest infectious disease, killing some 1.5 one million people just last year. -- 1.5 one million people just last year. it continues to spread across the globe, and for the first time in 20 years, the fight appears to be losing ground. >> so many lives, so much effort over so many years, so many billions of dollars have been spent to get us to where we are today and we can see all of that reversed. we cannot let that happen. reporter: the global fund is a consortium of governments and private sector groups that funnels billions of dollars to fight infectious each year -- illnesses each year. in 2020, the group said the number of people treated for drug-resistant tb fell by 10%, testing for hiv dropped 22%, and

the number of people tested for malaria was down by about 4%. with money shifting towards the fight against covid, the global fund says the results have been nothing sht of cattrophic, costing hundreds of thousands of lives. the report did contain a few glimmers of hope. the number of people who receive lifesaving anteroom retroviral therapy for hiv -- anti-retro viral therapy was up 90% and prevention measures against malaria were stable last year, compared to 2019. anchor: it is a difficult day, in the newsroom. one of our colleagues sadly passed away wednesday. he worked with us for over a decade doing culture shows where he commented on music and film with passion. he previously worked for our sister radio station, rfi. he died at the age of 52 from

severe malaria and is survived by his wife and two children. his curiosity, heart, and humor will be sorely missed. now it is time for our business report with our business editor, kate moody, hello. you are starting off with a high-profile trial in the united states that has captured the public's attention, the trial of elizabeth holmes, one of the founders of their notes -- that a company? reporter: it has shaken silicon valley. opening statements have begun in that trial. she founded a discredited medical testing company and was hailed as a visionary, but allegations she deliberately deceived investors and patients alike left her tech in tatters. she and her partner face 20 years in jail. both have denied the charges against him. we have this report. reporter: when she founded the

company in 2003 at 19 years old, elizabeth holmes promise to revolutionize medical testing. she claimed that her diagnostics company's devices could run a range of test from a single drop of blood, producing results faster and cheaper than a traditional lab. >> it had a lot of promise. it was one of t most exciting companies to emerge, and many people condered elizabeth holmes to be the next mark zuckerberg. reporter: lauded as a visionary, she became a celebrity in silicon valley. her net worth was estimated $4.5 billion in 2014 by forbes magazine, making her the youngest self-made female billionaire at the time. the company drew multiple high-profile investors, but years of hype and billions of dollars later, it crashed and burned when the wall street journal alleged its testing machines did not work. >> what the company was doing was misrepresenting the truth

about how effective their tests were. they wento the extent of using traditional machinery, then pretending icame from their machine, so they were lying, knowingly lying about the efficacy about the quality of their test results. reporter: prosecutors say she defrauded patients and investors. the 37-year-old now faces charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. she has pleaded not guilty. anchor: the biden administration has unveiled the blueprint to use solar panels for half of america's energy needs for the next three decades. he underscored the need for clean energy as he toured parts of the east coast hit by hurricane ida. he said one in three americans has recently been hit by extreme weather thanks to climate change. only 3% of the country's electricity is currently produced by solar power, but a new rept by the energy department suggests that could be increased to 45% by 2050.

in order to reach that goal, the u.s. would need to double the installation of solar energy every year for the next four years. there are more jobs available than ever before in the united states. 10.9 million job openings were reported in july, up from a previous record of 10.2 million the previous month. the labor department said hiring had dipped slightly, as potential recruits expressed concern about going back to the workplac or look for different opportunities. the labor market recovery lost momentum in august, adding just 235,000 jobs. that's check on the day's trading action. losses on wall street saw the dow jones and s&p 500 ending in the red for a third day in a row should the nasdaq losing a little bit more at the closing bell. shares of bitcoin exchange coin base dropped 3%, after u.s. regulators warned of a possible lawsuit against it. major european indices closed lower.

everyone will be watching thursday's meeting of the european central bank to see if officials will revise the forecast with growth and inflation or indicate a shift in monetary policy. the price of bitcoin continued to slide in the first 24 hours since el salvador became the first country in the world to make it legal tender. that bunch was marred by protests and technical difficulties, all contributed to a sharp fall in the price of bitcoin. it had topped $52,000 early tuesday, then fell to 46,000 dollars wednesday. the price of bitcoin is highly volatile in the one of the reasons that organizations like the imf warned the move could destabile el salvador's economy, and economists suggested it should be viewed as an investment and not a currency. a cold snap in the spring here in france had a big knock on effect for beekeepers. many flowers that help to sustain their hives died, the result is a significant drop in honey production this year and

higher prices for consumers. we explained. reporter: this beekeeper does not need his protective equipment for these beehives. he faces no risk of being stung. all the bees have disappeared, giving away to a different insect. >> [speaking in foreign language] translator: as youan see, wax moths are taking over. reporter: he lost nearly 1.5 million bees this year. he is not alone. due to unusually cold temperatures, french honey production has fallen 40%. >> [speaking in foreign language] translator: all i can do now is clean the beehives, store them, and prepare to try again next year. reporter: without enough flowers to pollinate in april many bees simply start. this person was nonetheless able to extract four tons of money compared to 2020, increasing his prices by $.15 per jar. >> [speaking in foreign language]

translator: thanks to last year, i will survive, but if it were up to this year alone, i would be ruined. reporter: all hope is not lost. it flourishing beehive is proof that part of his harvest did survive down to some flyers which thanks to a ban on pesticides and 2017, are less harmful to bees. >> [speaking in foreign language] translator: i am hopeful about the fact that this year we did find healthy-looking colonies. i did not feed them today and they produced honey. reporter: experts warned that there could be shortages of french honey, predicting consumers may have to rely even more on foreign produced batches. 70% of honey consumed in france already comes from abroad. anchor: that is all for now. anchor: kate moody without update on the biggest business stories of the day, thank you so much. we are going to take you back to the united states for one more story before we take a break. the father of britney spears has filed a petition to end her controversial conservatorship.

jamie spears is one of two conservators who have controlled the life and finances of the 39-year-old singer for over a decade. she and her fans argue the system is abusive, and jamie spears had increasingly come under fire for his role in enforcing it. we have the story. reporter: it is a surprise twist in the free-brittany saga. the man who had until now argued a court conservatorship was in britney spears's best interest has done a u-turn. her father says it is time to rethink the arrangement altogether. >> as he has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter. if she wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, he believes that she should get that chance. reporter: her lawyer has called the filing of indication, but added that his

investigation will continue, accusing him of trying to avoid justice. a u.s. court granted him control over his adult alters life into thousand eight, this after the popstar -- daughter's life in 2008. he took a step back into thousand 19, sharing the role with a professional conservator -- in 2019, sharing the road with a professional conservator. she said she wanted to press charges against her father for conservatorship abuse. she also detailed how she was not allowed to stop her birth control. she and her supporters argue that the oversight on her life is disproportionate. >> free brittany. reporter: in the u.s., conservatorships are granted by courts for individuals who cannot make their own decisions but typically elderly people suffering from illnesses such as dementia. her case is to be discussed in court on september 29. anchor: we will take a quick break.

stay with us here on "france 24." we will be back in a couple of minutes. ♪ ♪ >> this is a land where resilience grows, where companies who put their faith in us know that they are on firm ground, note thathe roots they put down here are growing stronger again. this is a land where confidence grows, as we continue to open doors for existing and new investors to work with us. though we open to a change world , this is a land ready for the future. this is ireland. ♪ ♪

09/08/21 09/08/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> thank god our country regain its freedom from occupation. all the causes of the wars were destroyed. our compatriots enjoyed security anfor the first time the crowd is prepared for the coming of the strong islamic government. amy: as the received email -- taliban takes a major step in