>> welcome back and you are watching live from paris. i mark gordon -- i'm mark owen. president zelenskyy says the desire to negotiate with putin dies with each atrocity that comes to light. ukraine confirms that it shut down transit of russian gas across the dundas because russian separatists were siphoning off the product. abortion rights in the u.s., republicans have blocked a vote on making a federal law to protect a woman's right to termination of a pregnancy. the supreme court is poised to

overturn roe v. wade. an american palestinian reporter shot in the head in the west bank. he was there for al jazra. they claim the death was a deliberate act perpetrated by israeli soldiers. france, u.s., and reporters without borders are calling for an international investigation. this is live from paris. ♪ mark: thank you for being with us. today 77 of the russian invasion of ukraine. ukrainian forces mounted a counter operation against russian troops, pushing back putin's army to the north and east. the second largest city in the ukraine has been bombarded by russian forces since the start of the invasion on february 24.

ukraine is launching its own war crimes investigation against the russian occupying forces. president volodymyr zelenskyy said the want to negotiate with putin dies with each evidence of russian war crimes. for more on the situation in kharkiv here on france 24. reporter: this woman is kissing the ground after returning to the ruins of her house in a village the ukrainian army says has been recaptured from russian troops. >> i came and i kissed the ground. i simply kissed it. my home, there is nothing left. where am i to live? how am i to live? reporter: ukrainian forces said wednesday that they had taken back control of four settlements

near the city of kharkiv, ukraine's second-largest city. wanting a counteroffensive that could signify a shift in the wars momentum and have serious impacts on moscow's main advance. it allegedly shows the explosion of a russian tank after being struck by rocket fire. >> these are the best tankers in the russian federion. not just any crew, but the most trained crew. reporter: after failing to take kyiv in the first weeks of fighting, moscow has focused efforts on eastern and southern ukraine. these battlefield gains in kharkiv which has been under relentless bombardment since the early days could have consequences for moscow as ukraine will try to get within striking distance to threaten russian supply lines sustaining the kremlin's main attack force. mark: our international affairs commentator joined us earlier. this was his take. reporter: he is not only not

ready to give up, but he still has his eyes on a much harder map. -- larger map. it could stretch to the russian occupied area of moldova, the entire south coast of ukraine. they are also saying his nuclear weapon terminology, the reason heepeatedly invokes and branded his -- brandishes nuclear terminology is to keep the west deterred and intimidated. deterred from what? providing even more legal aid in the form of weapons to ukraine. we can expect intelligence to ramp up as u.s. intelligence expects putin to ramp up strikes against weapons flows. putin cannot be seen as losing. he's in no frame of mind as cia director william burns put it, putin is not in a frame of mind and is never in a frame of mind where he can afford to lose.

backed into a corner, if he sees an existential threat to russia, which is different than our definition, he will double down and he will lash out. that is the fear not in my opinion, but what western intelligence is saying. we can expect more to come, a protracted conflict. we could be talking months or years. putin is counting on the fact that he believes russia apostate termination and resolve will be much more enduring -- rush upon deep russia's -- russia's determination and resolve will be much more enduring. he believes russia will be able to play the long game much longer than europe and its allies. mark: we continue to monitor all developments on the situation in ukraine. the u.s. senate fell short of a rushed effort to enshrine roe v. wade abortion access as federal law blocked by a republican

filibuster and a display of the u.s.a.'s partisan divide. the almost partyline tally promises to be the first of several efforts to preserve the near 50-year-old court ruling that declares a constitutional right in the united states to abortion services. it's at serious risk of being overturned by a conservative supreme court. david smith, bureau chief of the guardian newspaper is standing by at a joins us for more. does this mean the 1973 roe v. wade ruling that legalized abortion is now under threat? and with that, a woman's right to have the choice to have an abortion or not? david: yes. and that was the point democratic -- they gave a floore speech.

it would be one of the worst -- [indiscernible] mark: david, we need to cut you there. there is a problem with the connection and we are not hearing what you are saying. and it's good to hear what you're saying because urinalysis is always 100%. we will check -- because your analysis is always 100%. we will check the connection and hopefully be back with you area we will try to reestablish the link with david and move on to more news while waiting so you can get a better idea of what is happening elsewhere in the world. france and the u.s. are demanding an investigation. reporters without borders are also involved.

in al jazeera journalist was shot and killed covering the incident in the occupying west bank when she was shot. a forecaster and reporter was wounded in the same incident and blamed israeli forces. reporter: she was the figurehead of al jazeera's arabic coverage of the israeli-palestinian conflict. over the past weeks, israeli forces have carried out raids inside israel. she was reporting on one of these raids and was shot in the head while a photojournalist was hit in the back. the qatari channel accuses israel of killing their reporter in cold blood. >> she was killed by an israeli sniper by a bullet in her head. the footage is clear she was not in the crossfire. she was killed by a live fire

bullet. reporter: eyewitnesses insist that they made clear that they were journalists and were met with gunfire when trying to tend to her. >> we were waiting for our colleagues to enter the refugee camp at the point the israeli army was present. we showed the army that we were press tv. within seconds, there was the first shot. i told them we were being targeted. we were being shot at. i turned and found her on the ground. reporter: israel meanwhile denies its troops targeted the palestinian-american. >> according to the polemic area data we had -- we need to conduct an area investigation. reporter: they say they are seeking a joint investigation

into shireen abu akleh's death. mark: israel's prime minister blaming palestinian gunfire. france, u.s., and reporters without borders calling for an investigation. and of course the colleagues of the journalist in question. saying they are convinced israel targeted her deliberately. there is anger amongst palestinians as you might expect. they say they are being targeted. they say it shows how little respect the israeli army has for people on the ground. [chanting] reporter: as her body is rried toward al jazeera offices in ramalah, hundreds gather to pay tribute to journalist shireen ab u akleh.

>> she was known throughout the whole arab world, so i am very sad. it is a loss for all palestinian, arab, and american journalists. reporter: earlier on wednesday, supporters gathered around abu akleh's home. those inside the house yelled at them to leave. in gaza, protesters held banners picturing the al jazeera reporter and reading "the martyr of truth." abu akleh's body lay motionless in a place where people put flowers and a flag. the israeli prime minister said there was a strong chance the journalist was killed by palestinian gunfire. >> the israelis portray us as terrorists and criminals. but we are ordinary people like

anyone. we want to live. we love life. we love peace. we love freedom. reporter: the european union and the human human rights chief have urged an independent and transparent probe into the journalist's death. israel has offered to participate in a joint investigation with the palestinian authority. mark: we will be following that story very closely here at france 24. next, a prosecutor of organized crime and drug trafficking cases was killed by a gunman on a colombian beach while he honeymooned with his new wife. she said the attackers came on jetski. the prosecutor married the journalist claudia aguirrera who had showed photos of them on the peninsula in the caribbean south of the colombian city of carta hannah -- cartagena. reporter: an attack typical of

the drug mafia. this is how a paraguayan prosecutor described the assassination of marcello pecci, known for fighting work in organized crime. he was shot by two men aboard a jetski near cartagena where he was honeymooning with his new wife. he was 45 years old and the journalist was married in april of this year. news of the assassination came as a shock to the paraguay and authorities-. -- paraguayan authorities. >> will step up efforts against drug trafficking and organized crime. this is on behalf of all the prosecutors that risk their lives every day for their work. reporter: homicide investigators have been dispatched to the island where pecci was killed. >> it is very hard. i spoke with the colombian president and he promised me

that he would give all support to look for those responsible. reporter: in a country where corruption is rampant, marcella pecci was known for his transparency. colombian police have promised $95,000 to anyone who can help find and identify the killers. columbia ranks as the world's largest producer of cocaine and is facing a surge in violence related to drug cartels. mark: let's go back to david smith, the guardian bureau chief who was giving us his take on the situation regarding the filibuster in the senate over the issue of trying to make a federal law which would enshrine the ruling of roe v. wade of 1973 which grants the right to any u.s. woman to choose to have an abortion or not. the supreme court is in the process of perhaps overturning

that ruling it women are taking to the streets in protest. joe biden spoke out against it but in the senate, republicans blocking the vote. david smith, we tried you earlier and you did your best to work on technical issues on your end. we did the same on our end. let's hope this works. over to you, sir. what is your take on what is happening in the senate today? david: as expected, the democratic senator from a very conservative -- [indiscernible] mark: david smith in washington, the tv gods are against us, i'm afraid. you are coming through very sporadically. thank you very much for trying. you did your best and we did our

best. it just wasn't to happen this time. david smith, thank you very much indeed. we will bring you developments on that story with the filibuster. republicans blocking the vote in the senate that would have passed as the democrats wanted it to two enshrine roe v. wade as federal law in the u.s. the issue is had to drag on into the summer and the democrats might use this as a way to pick up votes in the midterm elections in november. the issue of abortion is something very much on the u.s. agenda in the weeks and months to come. next, france lifts the requirement to wear a face mask on public transport. change will come into effect on monday, may 16. this is one of the last remaining restrictions to stop the spread of covid-19. a new vaccine booster shot may be necessary for the population depending on a new variant of covid that may yet emerge.

time for another item of business. the u.s. is taking euro 40-your high. -- is near a 40 year high. reporter: consumer prices in march rose at the fastest pace since 1981. inflation which excludes volatile food and energy prices was also higher than expected, up 6.2%. many analysts expect inflation has reached its peak. that's likely to provide relief for american household -- but that is unlikely to provide relief for american households. >> increasing rates substantially, we can be hopeful that there w't be a wage price

barrel and it will come back to inflation rates below 5%. the best example is energy prices which matter more for low income groups. they matter -- the rely more on gas and energy more broadly. it is particularly true for people who drive to work. the other big difference is rent. who wants to pay rent? and who is protected? reporter: that is the interview on how inflation is fueling any lady in this week's "people and profit" airing on thursday. today's trading action, wall street turned lower as investors digested the hot inflation data of tech heavy nasdaq down more than 3% at the close. the s&p 500 one point 6%. the dow jones also over 1%. investors bracing for interest rate hikes at a fairly aggressive pace and months to come. european indices closed higher on gains of about 1.4% in

london, over 2% in paris and frankfurt. eu member states remain divided over a sixth package of sanctions in russia including a ban on all oil imports. any working in the oil industry in europe are worried about their jobs. reporter: this is one of the key destinations for russian black gold. a german refinery that provides 90% of the city of berlin's oil needs including jet fuel for one of the capital's airports. it employs 1200 people for a russian oil embargo on the horizon. workers fear for their jobs. >> our existence is at stake. we all have our personal matters. we would have to leave the region. there is nothing else here. reporter: to fight the potential

exodus of working age people from the industrial town, germany's economy minister warned locals to adapt to the changing circumstances. >> the embargo is coming. it doesn't matter if you like it or not. and when it comes, is it better to stare stupidly at the pipeline -- stay stupidly in the pipeline or prepare for other options? reporter: berlin is trying to phase out heavy dependence on russian oil, gas, and coal since the invasion of the ukraine -- invasion of ukraine. one expert says a gas embargo would make half a million germans lose their jobs. for now, the eu is focusing on oil. membertates are bracing for the knock on effects. they are producing hundreds of millions of dollars to counter the impact of the embargo. athens is looking to protect its

shipping industry. >> apple is pulling the plug on the ipod. first launched in 2001, the mp3 player was a precursor to the iphone. it revolutionized the world of music and smartphones. >> 1000 songs, 10 hours of battery life. it may not seem like much today, but when steve jobs first presented the ipod 21 years ago, music devices could only store a few dozen songs. with the ipod, apple invented not only a device, but a combination of hardware, design, and services. users bought music on itunes. an all new distribution model. music companies came on board hoping to slow illegal downloading. the ipod started the meteoric rise of apple, now the world's

biggest company. it was the catalyst leading to a series of record-breaking sales hits. and the invention of the iphone. >> in 2007, we added the iphone. and in 2010, we added the ipad. reporter: smartphones quickly a clips the ipod. -- eclipsed the ipod. but the product is hailed with nostalgia as it is due to disappeared with some users tweeting au revoir, and the ipod changed our lives. >> a trip down memory lane, mark. mark: kate with all the business news. did you have an ipod? i didn't. kate: i did have one but i don't anymore. mark: the truth about kate coming out. kate: that says it all. mark: kate, thank you. let's go across the studio to a man who perhaps did not have an

ipod. >> it is probably in a drawer somewhere. mark: i can see you listening to the pogues. a good laugh. james, the truth is he did listen to the pogues. we will talk about serious matters. an investigation by the british broadcasting corporation into the identity theft and the information war in ukraine. stolen identities being used, misused to support vladimir putin. james: absolutely. this was the journalism of three journalists of bbc world service disinformation unit. and thumbs up, it was really intrepid work. they went through loads of twitter profiles and identified through reverse image searching false profiles, the stealing of identities, basically. this lady photographed here is one such victim of these

shenanigans. she is an indian influencer and she hasn't used twitter. she was quite neutral on the ukraine-russian conflict. her image was stolen and a twitter account was created in her name. that is one example of many that were identified in this particular repor this particular lady is an australian influencer. she was presented as somebody with india and miami connections. what was common to both of these , this profile was created on the very day the conflict began. what is clear is these profiles are being used to promote hashtags, #istandwithputin or #istandwithrussia. you can see a huge spike in the

creation of profiles in 2022 around the beginning of the russian invasion of ukraine. there was a lot of comment on social media. people picking up on this particular reporting. mark little, an irish journalist, commented on this aspect of the report. a lot of the time you would presume that this would be directed towards the west but it wasn't. the west was criticized white extensively -- quite extensively on these twitter accounts. there was an attempt to branch out to brazil, india, and criticized the west to stand with russia. there was a narrative playing out and a very coordinated effort. and identity theft on many of these profiles. 11 of the 12 profiles have since been taken down. there was an attempt to dismantle these false profiles. mark: you really discussed the russian propaganda used across

africa, for existence -- or example. -- for example. james: absolutely. and the bots and personnel actively trying to create these profiles in a bid to generate support. and there is support out there, but bolster that support falsely. mark: in research in st. petersburg, i suspect. next up, the death palty for women who have an abortion. that sounds pretty sick just reading it. next, the death penalty for women who have an abortion. that is the claim of one headline of social media making the rounds in the united states. james: reuters fact checking. a gop texas lawmaker introducing the death penalty for women who have abortions. that is a headline that goes back, an accurate headline.

mark: this is true? james: it was a proposition for legislation in the texas state legislature. it never got off the ground. mark: this is true? someone did this? james: the thing is, because of the current focus on abortion legislation in the context of roe v. wade, the 1973 supreme court ruling that guaranteed a fundamental right for women. people are associating the current context with that headline. the timing is all wrong. this is getting out of control, roe v. wade hasn't even been repealed yet. sadly, that headline is true back to march of 2021. but there is a tweet misleading social media users and the timing of that. mark: i can't believe that has

been in someone's head. that is remarkable. james, thank you for bringing the light on to truth. kate no longer with an ipod. still more to come, live from paris. >> with one of the world's highest population densities, rwanda is experiencing a demographic explosion. >> [speaking foreign language] >> overpopulated and poorly built cities, excessive farming and erosion. saturated john markets -- job markets part of rwanda's future challenges. programs are underway bringing hope. >> we are hoping to have water

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05/11/22 05/11/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> in the occupied west bank, israeli forces have shot and killed a veteran palestinian-american journalist working for al jazeera as she covered in israeli army raid