♪ >> welcome to "live from paris," world news analysis from france 24. france has canceled a gala in washington in protest over the new defense deal between the u.s., u.k., and australia. china has completely condemned the move.

a stab in the back, says the french foreign minister. we have analysis to come. angela merkel's last scheduled visit to the lycee palace as german chancellor. europe says all workers will have to have a health pass in the next month. this is "live from paris." thank you very much for being with us. we will start with this new defense deal, touted as the deal of the century by some and as a stab in the back of the french foreign minister -- by the

french foreign minister. china clearly in the middle of all this, denounces the new partnership between the u.s., u.k., and australians. the new partnership will see u.k. make nuclear submarines and supply them to australia. it has been hailed as the defense deal of the century. france, which as a consequence, loses this deal to buy the subs, has called it unpredictable. >> the u.k., the u.s., and australia will work together in such areas as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and underwater defense. >> we all recognize the importance of ensuring peace and stability in the indo pacific over the long-term. we need to address both the current strategic environment of the region and how it may evolve

. >> the announcement infuriated the french foreign minister, who said it was a stab in the back. >> i'm really angry. what worries me is the behavior of the americans. this unilateral, brutal, and predictable decision looks a lot like what mr. trump used to do. >> for friends, it was also the cancellation of a contract to build a new australian sub fleet worth 30 billion euros -- for france. china described the new alliance as extremely irresponsible. the australian prime minister invited beijing for talks. >> there is an open invitation to discuss this and many other matters, and that has always been there. australia remains open to discuss this and all issues that are important. >> tokyo, meanwhile, welcomed the creation of the deal saying

it was crucial to peace and security in the indo pacific region. mark: australia's new security pact might not have singled out china by name, but most analysts agree that the new deal is meant to contain china and its expansion across the south china sea. andrew: good ties with china was once a cornerstone of australian foreign policy, but while china remains the country's biggest trading partner, relations between the two have sunk to an with tit-for-tat msuresyears sparked by australian calls for an open investigation into the cause of coronavirus last year. beijing responded with tariffs on key australian exports. now, canberra appears ready to throw in its lot with washington

and london to contain what it calls chinese aggression in the asia-pacific region. >> there was a time when australian leaders would say our security was tbe found in asia, not from asia, but this agreement does not look like that. it looks like a throwback. >> china has been rapidly building up its military in the region. there are also fears a military confrontation in the south china sea coulspiral into conflict. western countries are also wary of china's growing investnt in pacific island nations. in the short-term, ties between australia and china will sink even lower. the reement could also tie australia to u.s. policy on china, omitting canberra's freedom of choice. while an economic response could be on the table beijing's

thirst for resources means such measures could back fire on the economy, limiting china's options. mark: angela merkel has been to her last scheduled visit as chancellor to police a palace. latest polls for germany's chancellor show the csu party trailing. what is happening next? let's bring in for analysis the senior policy analyst at the european policy center. good to see you. the intimate era for germany and, of course, for europe. >> yes. we will see a lot of uncertainty, i think, coming from germany after the election

because at the moment, it is likely three parties will be involved in negotiations, so do not expect to have a german government by the end of the year, possibly even longer. in mid-2022, also the french election will be over. mark: do you expect the change of partyo mean t change of policy? rex one should not underestate the differences we can see in thcandidates, especially when it comes to fiscal and economic policy between the democrats and social conservatives, but also the commenting there will be much stronger focus on climate policy. there will also be a lack of experience. as we know, merkel has 1years of experience. that will be missing. mark: 16 years experience.

if you were writing about it in different context, you might be looking at that as kind of totalitarian, but we know, of course, this is 100% democracy. i just throw that in anecdotally, of course. i'm not going down that road at all. do you feel the accident angela merkel will tilt europe towards emmanuel macron? will he become more of a player? >> in the short-term, that is what we can expect. macron is known to be extremely pro-european and ambitious. at least it's what he likes to portray himself as. you have presidential elections in april, but the first three months of 2022 will be an opportunity to bring forwardhe open agenda when it comes to digital affairs and climate change. in the short-term, we will see

emmanuel macron coming up on the european sta, bu without strong lines, nothing really moves forward, unfortunately, so we will have to see what happens in europe, and it is hard to predict at this point in time. mark: i like that slightly veiled cynicism as emmanuel macron's view of himself. you are exactly right to put it that way. france may be keen to play partner, both putting boots on the ground as it were, but also supplying hardware, given france's defense schedule, defense market that it has. >> on defense, i think the one thing that is important to ne is we had von de leyen's speech only yesterday, and she said there was going to be a defense summit planned, so i think we can see a bit more what is happening on that side.

from a european perspective and a brussels perspective, i think if we want to see a stronger eu and stronger capacity to act at the european level, we also need to act because in defense, we have not moved forwardhat much. also because of german red is its -- reticence. mark: can i bring you back to angela merkel? clearly, we are talking about her exit. it is hard to imagine that someone with that stature, that kind of influence, that kind of knowledge and experience will ever really leave the stage. what you think she will do nt? >> that is hard to predict. she said she is going to retire, she does not tend to live too much -- to lie too much,s

far as i see her. she has been in power for a very long time and i think that also has an impact on her personal life, so i can imagine she is quite happy to go back to civilian life as well. >> dotson who will take on her mental and follow in her footsteps? can you give us an idea who will be like -- i was going to say merkel 2.0, but who do you think will be the natural follower in terms of the track angela merkel has already set down? >> it is quite interesting to see that you have two who like to portray themselves as the successor to merkel. one is the federal finance minister, but from the sial democrats. both like to say they will continue in this pragmatic negotiating style.

we will have to see how the next chancellor will position himself or herself. also at the european stage, i think it is very difficult to get into merkel's footsteps, so we also need to make sure to give them time to develop a little bit of style. mark: thank you for giving us that analysis, and thank you for answering my questions, which were quite wide-ranging. thank you very much indeed. the german federal elections scheduled for the 26th of september. thanks again. next, french president emmanuel macron has announced that the leader of the islamic state the greater sahara has been killed. he was wanted over terror attacks that claimed the lives of u.s. and french citizens

fore theerror group he led in 2015 pledged allegiance to islamic state hour -- -- islamic state or daesh. it was one of two people killed by drone strike on a motorbike. >> he was france's enemy number one. his death was confirmed thursday by french authorities and was hailed as a victory and vindication of the much criticized frenc presence in the region. >> it is military successes like this one that are the determination to continue our fight against terrorism. >> the leader of the islamic

state in the region, which pledged allegiance to islamic state in 2015, was killed in a drone strike last month after french intelligence services never down his location using insurgents.tion from captured it took special forces several weeks to identify his body. an elaborate operation which the french military said would deal a major blow to the insurgent group. >> this death represents a massive setback for the united -- for the islamic state in the region. >> many worn the threat in the region remains high with a successor likely to emerge in the near future. >> you're taking chances to see who will come and take over

after him. >> also worry's death came months after france announced plans to downsize its operation. mark: at least 50 rebels and pro-government troops, including a high-ranking officer, have been killed in clashes in yemen's central province. a convoy of tanker trucks carrying iranian diesel crossed the border from syria into lebanon earlier this thursday, delivery organized by hezbollah to ease crippling fuel shortages in the country. the delivery violates u.s. sanctions after former president trump pulled america out of the deal three years ago. it was portrayed as a victory by

has below, which stepped in to supply fuel. the question now, of course, is if lebanon will suffer sanctions . we will wait to see how that develops. we have people living under the worst financial crisis of the country's history. >> jubilation in lebanon as dozens of tankers carrying iranian fuel cross into the country from neighboring syria under the banners of leaders from has below, syria, and iran, people lined the streets. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> [speaking foreign language] >> some lebanese fear the move could trigger retaliatory measures from washington, which has imposed sanctions on the sale of a rainy and oil, but has below hopes to avoid getting slept with sanctions by importing the fuel via syrian ports. the arms gup, whic orchestrated the move without peission from the lebanese government, insists deliveries will ease lebanon's crippling energy shortages. 90% of its value and threes lost quarters of the population living below the poverty line. queues like this at petrol stations have become the norm. power cuts are the norm every day, and even hospitals are struggling to stay open.

mark: italy has made it obligatory for all workers to have a health pass specifically showing they are vaccinated against covid-19. the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting and is due to come into force on october 15. the move is to stop the spread of covid. over 130,000 people have died with covid in italy since the pandemic struck with italy being the first place in europe be badly affected. >> a quick scan to get into a special venue. they show thr covid passes, proof that they are covid negative. the ritual becomes second nature when it comes to cultural outings, but talk of extending into the work place sees opinion divided. >> the green pass is an important tool to deal with a serious situation.

in such a serious situation, we need effective solutions. >> in my opinion, it is not fair. if i am a free citizen, i can decide on getting the pass. >> the digital certificate was first launched across the eu to facilitate travel and then became mandatory in many countries including italy for entry to museums, gyms, and restaurants. that is, optional indoor leisure and entertainment activities. eyebrows were raised when the measure was introduced for teachers and school aff last month. now, workers who failed to present a valid pass could be suspended without salary but cannot loose their jobs. unions are disputing certain details, such as the cost of testing for those are not vaccinated. applying the system to public or

private workplaces is a first for an eu country, but one authorities say is necessary. italy has the second-highest covid death toll in europe with more than 130 thousand casualties, second only to the u.k. mark: 3000 health workers have been suspended here in france because they refuse to be vaccinated against covid-19. 24 hours ago, france introduced a new rule of pledging health workers to be vaccinated. some 2.7 million workers across france are covered by this. 88% of them have already had at least one jab. emmanuel macron this thursday unveiled a new arc de triomphe. plastic wrap has made the landmark into an art installation. brian quinn has been taking a look.

brian: opening day in paris for a monumental new public art installation, but no curtain raised. on the conary, this is the arc de triomphe wrapped in shimmering, recyclable, polypropylene fabric. french president emmanuel macron given a personal tour by the project director. for the artists, both now deceased, the meaning of their work was always in the eye of the beholder. >> people can make out of it whatever they want and feel. ultimately, artwork is about freedom. >> for those who actually beheld it thursday, varying interpretations. >> it reminds me of an elephant. >> first imagined decades ago, the project was put on hold at

least twice over recent years due to environmental concerns and the covid pandemic. krista- christo died before seeing its completion. visitors will not only be able to admire it from below but also above via the panoramic tempest. -- panoramic terrace. mark: it is a remarkable thing to see the arc de triomphe as we have never seen it before. let's turn to business now. you are looking at the allegations linked to the current head of the international monetary fund. >> that's right. she's denying allegations that in her previous job as ceo of the world bank, she pressed

staff to alternate boards in a bid to avoid angering beijing. a survey ranks countries based on their business regulations and economic reforms. an independent inquiry found china had mplainedbout a previous low rank in the list when it came in in the 78th position. the french government is seeking to limit they hit -- limit the hit from the cancellation of a contract to build submarines. >> it's going to cost a major france contractor billions of euros. france's defense minister

abraded australia for backtracking on its plan to buy 12 million french 7 -- two by 12 french submarines. >> [speaking foreign language] >> in 2016, australia selected a french contractor to build a new submarine fleet in a deal worth at least 55 billion euros today. only two weeks ago, australian defense and for the ministers had reconfirmed the agreement to france -- australian defense and foreign ministers. now australia has scrapped the plan, instead joining forces with the u.k. and u.s. french unions say the move will

make their workers pay the price as the contract could have created more than 100 long-term jobs. >> [speaking foreign language] >> france is seeking compensation from canberr. >> british retailer marks and spencer is to close over half of its stores in the country. 11 partners will shut their doors by the end of the year. nine of them, located in train and airport stations, will remain open. supply chain complexities since the u.k. left the eu have made it nearly impossible to serve fresh and chilled products to

the standards of -- to the standards customers expected. let's hear now from some disappointed shoppers in paris. >> [speaking foreign language] >> [speaking foreign language] >> time now for a quick look at the markets. the dollar rose to its highest level in nearly three weeks against a range of currencies earlier after data showed u.s. retail sales jumping in august, catching most economists by surprise. the dow jones and s&p 500 down slightly while the nasdaq rose. the ftse 100 in london was up slightly, as was the cac 40. social distancing, working from home, and the wearing of face masks have led to sales of

chewing gum coming unstuck. sales of the product fell by 21% during the height of the pandemic last year. france is one of the biggest markets in europe for gum, but demand for the product had already been falling before covid. sales were down more than half compared to where they were a decade ago. manufacturers are also chewing over a similar decline in spain and russia, where analysts say chewing gum is no longer seen as an act of rebellion. there you go, mark. mark: thank you very much indeed. does that mean less chewing gum on our shoes? that would be a good thing. stay with us. more to come here "live from paris." ♪ >> the planet is suffering, climate catastrophe is at our doorstep, and missions are

disappearing. a mass movement is under way to make things right. scientists, engineers, politicians, business leaders, and of course, teenagers. we give them all a voice. >> a major driving force is the good we could do at the end of it. >>down to earth," on france 24 and france24.com. ♪

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09/16/21 09/16/21 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> the people of afghanistan need a lifeline. after decades of work, insecurity, they face perhaps the most perilous hour. amy: a month after the taliban seized power in afghanistan, we look at why many in the afghan countryside have hopes the withdrawal of u.s. troops will finally end decades of violence.