♪ >> you are watching live from paris. these are the headlines. iraqis force their way into the government palace and splash in the private pool. at least 12 killed in baghdad. this comes after the announcement of the withdrawal of iraqi politics. troops claims to have broken through the first line of russian occupied forces. safety at the region, sharply in the focus of u.n. investigators. the artemis space probe has been delayed, engine overheating,

causing the countdown to be halted. nasa says friday could be the new date to try to launch to the moon. this is live from paris. ♪ thank you very much. iraq's influential shiite cleric announced of this monday he is quitting politics. the decision comes after a nearly year-long political stalemate that has left iraq without a new government. the institutions linked to his movement will be closed except for the mausoleum of his father who was assassinated in 1999 and other heritage facilities. the announcement was quickly followed by violent clashes in baghdad's green zone were protesters faced off against

soldiers. 12 people have been confirmed to have been killed. >> a crowd of protesters stormed the iraqi government palace, clashing with security forces. shooting live rounds of ammunition. and diving into the palace swimming pool. after a cleric announced his final withdrawal from politics via twitter, hundreds of his supporters forced their way through the palace gates, prompting the cabinet to suspend the session. >> the leader, god bless him, delegated the issue to the people. we, the iraqi people are one hand against the corrupt. our leader says he does not stand with a certain political group. he retreated twice from the alliance. >> the military soon announce

the nationwide curfew, calling on the cleric's supporters to withdraw immediately from the heavily fortified government zone. iraq's government has been deadlocked since winning the largest share of seats in october elections but not enough to secure a majority government. he refused to negotiate with iran-backed shiite rebels to form a consensus. the current impasse means iraq is in its longest run without a government. in july, supporters broken to the parliament to deter his rivals. they have been staging a sit in outside the building for the last month. the cleric who led revolts during the u.s. let occupation, the has drawn broad support by opposing both u.s. and iranian influence on iraqi politics. >> ukraine says its forces have made a breakthrough. kyiv says the troops have broken through the first line of occupying russian soldiers in the region since march. moscow says it has stalled a

number of ukrainian attacks without denying the claims coming out of kyiv. >> a few kilometers from the region, mortar rounds are being fired. street by street, town by town, these ukrainian soldiers are making their way to the southern city home to 280,000 residents which is currently occupied by russian troops. >> the russians were shelling a lot. as you can see, the terrain is flat, it is hard to move around freely. there's nowhere to hide. >> despite these difficulties, a local ukrainian official said a counteroffensive to retake the city is underway, and that residents should steer clear of russian positions. it was one of the first cities seized by russian forces in the early days of their invasion.

since then, the ruble has become the official currency and russian passports have been given to the residents. but in a tweet on saturday, volodymyr zelenskyy's chief of staff wrote that it is ukrainian . a sentiment echoed by the ukrainian president who says it is only a matter of time. >> ukraine will return, for sure. this is exactly what our ukrainian flag wil symboze when we put it up in donetsk, mariupol, the peaon region, and of course, crimea. >> according to kyiv, the counteroffensive has succeeded in disrupting russian supply lines. an allegation disputed by moscow. >> the worldwide nuclear watchdog, the international atomic energy agency, says a

team of its inspectors are on its way to ukraine's nuclear power plant. the organization's chief is leading the mission which takes place as russia and ukraine are trading accusations of who have been responsible of the strikes there. >> it is the largest nuclear plant in europe. and it is now in russian hands. for weeks now, rikes have been landing in its surroundings. but who is shelling? both sides are accusing each other of repeatedly firing at the plant. propagation to threaten us with a man-made nuclear disaster. >> the information war means a similar tune could be heard from ukraine. but was the plant hit? it definitely was but it is not clear where exactly. inside the security perimeter are six reactors and areas dedicated to use fuel and

nuclear waste. the reactors are the most protected, to a point. >> the containment buildgs which are ncrete dom are there to protect the core of the reactor as well as where spent fuel is stopped. to prote them from an airplane crash, for example. they have not been designed for the risk of shelling in times of war. >> on the rest of the plant, some areas do not benefit from as much protection. that is because they are less dangerous. so, is there a risk of contamination? >> a strike on a waste storage area would lead to a more limid and local spread. a few kilometers, may be more, but not on a nationaor continental scale. >> for the time being, france's

nuclear safety agency says no increase in radioactivity has been recorded in the area. >> more context about what is happening there. we are awaiting reaction from the international atomic energy agency and its investigators, who spoke last week to france 24, going to the scene to ascertain the situation. we will get you more developments as we get them. next, the head of the european union's executive branch pledging to reform the continent's electricity market to help bring down power prices that have been pushed higher by skyrocketing gas prices. ukraine at the root of this story. the european commission president said in a speech in slovenia that soaring electricity prices are not exposing limited -- the limitations of the current market design. in the united kingdom, that is

where it gets worse. there is widespread anger over an 80% hike in energy prices. and a portion of the large increase in energy company profits. many families said they intend to keep the heating switched off throughout the coming winter. our correspondent has this from the brussels angle. >> there is a push, a new push by a lot of eu member states to change that system. that would be called decoupling. gas and electricity prices. this is a system that has been working for the past quarter-century, ever since the system was instated, electricity and gas prices are bundled in a way. it is a very complicated method of adding up, but obviously, the

result is today that the prices for electricity and gas are dependent upon one another. and the end result today is obviously the prices of electricity are soaring, obviously because of the gas prices from russia. so, the explanation today from the european commission is that they want to decouple electricity and gas prices, which is a measure that have been called for by france, spain , portugal, for instance in october of last year, and was rejected by a number of countries. among which, austria and germany which today changed their minds, saying the influence of the renewable products could provide for a cheaper price for electricity if it were not coupled with gas. this is a brand-new from these countries whereas france, portugal and spain called for

that measure because of the high part of nuclear energy in the energy mix. >> developments on the situation in ukraine and the effect it has on the millions of consumers across europe in terms of rising prices with the cost of energy. an engine cooling problem forced nasa to postpone for at least four days the debut test launch of the new rocketship they plan to use for future astronaut flights back to the moon. more than 50 years after apollo's last lunar mission. nasa says the problem emerged when fuel tanks of the rocket were being filled with supercooled liquid oxygen and hydrogen for pellets -- pr opellants. let's go to a to understand what this means. he's a space journalist at the space center in the u.s. good evening. give us some more context on what has been going on. how big of a setback is this for

nasa? >> it is not a big setback because it is really a test like of ahole new system. the most powerful rocket ver built by america. more powerful than they had for the apollo program to the moon 50 years ago. so, when they started with a window, only two hour window, ey had not too much luck. they had storms, lightning, and then they had the hydrogen leak for brief moment. then, they had other minor bugs. finally, the major problem was the cooling of one engine -- the back of this powerful -- space launch system. its shuttle engine and the cooling was bad. it was a no go situati.

because of that, they had to stop. as you said, there's another possibility on friday, but they have to understand better what happened to the cooling system. if they don't figure out exactly what happened -- very cold temperature, things are changing. they had problems on the space shuttle 10, 15 years ago. ey have to understand more. it will take 24 hours to make a decision. if they have to change the vve on the engine because of the cooling issue, they have to go back to the building and that kes several days that ty will miss the window. if they don't launch friday or september 5, they are back to the end of september or early octoberecause you need have th sun, the earth and the moon in a good position to go 42 daysround the moon and

come bk and go to reentry which is a very dangerous process for the capsule. of course, no crew on this test like. -- flight. >> we have to leave it there. we can talk all night about this because it is fascinating. your knowledge is excellent. thank you for the context. we all know that it is all about the alignment of the planets as well as getting the technical feats sorted out. thank you, sir, and do keep us up-to-date. our correspondent at the space center with the inside story as to why the nasa artemis super rocket could not take off. this is all part of the u.s. plan to rebuild access to and from the moon and may be further beyond, using the moon as a base paid it is all fascinating stuff. we will keep up with the developers for you. we've got much more coming up.

stay with us. you are watching "france 24." ♪ >> four stories that appear to be news, spread on the internet or using other media. at "france 24," our job is to provide you with information that has been verified. we check sources, we check facts. we sort what is true from what is fake. >> we verify photos and videos circulating online. if they are fake, we let you know and tell you how we spotted them. >> in fact orphic, we dig into viral stories around europe to shake out the truth from the trash. >> everyday, the team scours social networks to fight fake news about the reality of migration. >> "france 24," news based on facts.

♪ >> helmets are a symbol. i thought it was ancient history. today, they have become relevant again and i will keep going for as long as i have to. it is my contribution for ukraine, for my country, and for the people that i know there. i don't know how to do anything other than paint. >> in 2014, the revolution marked a turning point for tatiana. it prompted regime change in kyiv and an artistic awakening. she became a leading light in a country learning to express itself. today, she's a refugee in france, incensed by the war. >> putin is quite a primitive being in my opinion.

he's evil incarnate. none of his plans have worked out and it drives him mad. and it all started with m ydon. how can we grant an honorary title to those who did the honorary killings in bucha? >> like the syrian painter who shares the same room, tatyana has been given a residency at the agency of artists in exile in paris. the organization has the ambitious goal of bringing together ukrainian and russian refugees who denounce the war with a single voice. >> for me, this is what is most important in the current context. to have this sanctuary where violence has no place. we all come here looking for help. >> i have many painter friends

who protested against the war and were forced to leave the country. those who remained in russia will be arrested and punished. that's a fact. >> since the middle of march, two dedicated telephone lines enabled the agency to deal with the constant stream of requests both from russia and ukraine. >> artists who arrive here are in a fragile psychological state. first, because it is difficult to find oneself in the middle of a war. your arrive here in a country where you don't speak french, you don't speak the language. >> there are lots of requests from ukrainian artists, of course, and a lot of requests from russian artists which is less expected. these are all people who are threatened in russia for their political position, and therefore, looking for a possibility to leave the country. >> for those running the agency,

the problems faced by russian citizens are often ignored. >> it was a form of ambivalence towards russian dissidents, asking whether we should support the russians or not. we believe we should support all russians who opposed putin's policy and we have dozens, even hundreds of requests from russian artists to come to france and leave their country where they can no longer live. >> he's among those russians who exile was the only possible solution. >> i left russia because it is hard to pretend that nothing happens. because when your homeland, your home country is treated as an aggressor, which it is, it af fects you in really destructive ways. >> he got back to work as soon as he arrived in france, filming

a contemporary ballet. >> i don't blame russian people. i blame the russian regime. they are not the same. i see him as a person, not as another thing. ♪ >> i chose to draw with a pencil like my friends from kyiv who often found themselves in shelters with only what they had on hand. they often only had one color or only one pencil. >> christina only recently arrived from ukraine. >> this woman was evacuated from the mariupol maternity ward. although seriously injured. for me, it is a symbol of our country. we will be reborn despite our wounds.

>> i am very grateful to the agency for providing this opportunity after the massacres, after this atrocity, to be able to talk to ukrainians and look each other in the eye, it is very important. >> the work of tough to yana and other ukrainian and russian artists was displayed to the public in an exhibition organized by the organization. its aim was to denounce the war. not everyone welcome to the idea. >> sometimes it is not easy for ukrainians, and some artists are reluctant. i think it's going to take time. people have to be given time. but what's most important is that art manages to transcend and that we overcome this animosity and this hatred. >> another larger exhibition is

planned for later this year. the agency is still helping russian and ukrainian artists find safety in a new home. it helps to bring art and people can overcome any divide. >> from north america to the southern tip of patagonia, join us for a take of the latest political,ulturalnd socia news from the americas. >> inside the americas, presented by jeannie, on france 24 and france 24.com. ♪ >> why? >> being turned away from a nightclub because of your clothing or because you had too much to drink is nothing new. inouth kor, you might also be refused entry because of where you come from or even the

color of your skin. this is what some ex-pats have been sharing on tiktok and videos that they say reveal scrimination. we spoke with five other foreigners in south korea who say they have had similar experiences. kiersten is a black americans student living ther. she told us this discrimination is even worse for people of color. >> i went to a pretty polar club two years ago. the bouncer lked at my friend and said, oh, there are people in your group that cannot come in. the bouncer leans fward and meets ey with me and looks me and down. he's like, dress code. it is pretty common to say there are too many foreigners or you can't come in. but then seeing white individuals in the club are being let in or let out. >> no, you better not let her in. there's is no way that you let her in and you won't let us in. >> there's also clubs, you

present your passport to them in order to check your drinking age and things like that. they see -- say you're from a north african country like morocco, they will let you in. >> she told us the places that might turn you will bite for your nationality aretill in the minority but because of korea's tough defamation laws, it is difficult to speak out. instead, she decided to create a list of places where foreigners can go without being distributed against. >> a lot of times, it is on black and brown foreigners to have a sixth sense to know whether they will be discriminated against. >> they are playing black music and they are racist. >> we created this list to make it a bit easier for everyone involved. and also we are tired of seeing our communities and other communities struggle. recoizing we are here, we e not going anywhere. we are valued here. and dcrimination and racism are not ok.

>> there's no law that prohibits discrimination in south korea, whether it comes to nationality, that the city, gender or sexual orientation. > ♪ >> the collapse of a 10 story building in southwestern iran on may 23 has caused a furious reaction, and it is not stopping. two weeks after the tower gave way, rescuers in the city are still pulling bodies from the rubble. more than 40 so far. many locals blame political and economic corruption for the shoddy construction, and for the slow rescue operation. we spoke to a young iranian who we to the site soon after the collapse to help. e wanted to stay anonymous for her safety. >> the bulk of the relief effort has fallen on the shoulders of the residents and volunteers. the fire brigade and the red

crescent seem overwhelmed. no one kws what is going on at the site. there is no clear rescue plan. i a sked members of the fire brigade what was going on and they told me they don't have enough equipment to handle everything. they also told me they need a plan and some direction, but no one was giving any orders. volunteers try to dig out survivors and bodies on their own th makeshift tools. they brought out all sorts of tools that thought would be useful. hack saws, shovels, and even cooking pots to remove the gravel. the rescue teams are working with big machines to clear the area but that is a small part of the job. you have to dig and crawl under tons of gravel and cement to

find the bodies. this has to be done by hand, not done by e volunteers, not the rescue groups. brothers and fathers dig on their own to find the relative'' bodies. what is worse is that the national crisis management organization had ordered a large number of riot police to be deployed in the city. all of whom were dispatched from other regions. they have been all over the city since the building collapsed, even before the protests started. >> anger spread when local journalists revealed that the agency responsible for approng cotruction projects had repeatedly raised concerns about the building. they presented the risks for city officials but the local authorities still went through with the construction. protests broke out soon after the collapse there and in cities across iran. police shot at people. >> they used tear gas and beat them. they used to so much teargas that rescue teams and volunteers

had to suspend rescue operations. >> [speaking non-english language] >> the protests have been brutally repressed and many protesters have been arrested, including well-known activists. i think allf us have been crng out the rage that has built up in us for years. there was an ocean of people in the streets. >> iran's supreme leader ayatollah has called for those reonsible for the collapse to be prosecuted. so far, 13 people have been arrested by regional authorities, including the mayor of the city and two former mayors. ♪ that is it for this week. as always, you can find more reports from our observers on our website. see you next time. ♪

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[captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> the houses are collapsing and water is standing here. it has been ining for a week to 10 days. my house has collapsed, a total loss. i could not save anything from it. amy: a climate catasophe. pakistan has declared a national emergency after historic floods kill more than 1,000 people and leave 30 million displaced.