mark: welcome to "live from paris" world news and analysis from france 24. at the world cup, france loses to tunisia. already qualified, though, but is it's a winek cannot take the north africans through. australia go to the knockout phase. argentina and poland facing off. the salaries and mexicans -- the 70's -- the saudis and mexicans

facing off. the french president will have three face-to-face talks with his american counterpart. easing financial pain for european businesses in the wake of the financial conflict is top of the agenda. they get gets world heritage status. the iconic french loaf is being added to the united nations list of intangible cultural heritage. we will be taking a slice from that in this program, live from paris. ♪ thank you very much for being with us. we go first to qatar. let's give you a little context before we go live to our reporter, simon harding. france fielding lesser 11.

what happened in the other game was more influential in terms of who went through. the pressing incident is that at the argentina-poland game, which is coming to a close roundabout now. at the same time, saudi arabia versus mexico. simon, you've got a lot to get your head around. >> it has been an absolutely enthralling day of football. a 2-0 victory for the albee. frustrated in the first half by a very resilient polish side. lionel messi had a penalty save, but it was a really horrific

v.a. are decision, incomprehensible v.a. are decision, so argentina get the job done and qualify first of the group with six points in the other, and right until the last minute, it was all for grabs between poland and mexico. it was actually the yellow cards in the discipline criteria until saudi arabia scored a 95th-minute goal. mexico 2, saudi arabia 1, which means it is: who despite using against argentina still go through, and they will set up a match with france in the last 16. it is a match that will give lynn to give confidence. tunisia will try to get one

preston. in the next round, argentina take on australia. mark: thank you very much indeed. argentina and poland going forward from that group. of course, france already qualified, joint but australia going into the knockout phase. that's when it gets serious indeed. let's bring you more from the world news agenda. emmanuel macron telling journalists there will be direct contact with vladimir putin in the coming days. the french president is in washington at the start of a three-day visit. he will have direct talks with joe biden, the u.s. president, on three separate occasions. central to the agenda is getting cooperation from the u.s. on the tariffs on eu businesses. this is macron's second state visit to the u.s.

let's get analysis from the former advisor to president obama, senior fellow at the council of foreign relations and the president of international affairs at georgetown. thank you very much for being with us. can i start by asking you, from macron's perspective, what is the key objtive of this visit, do you think? >> i think this isainly a visit that celebrates the franco-american partnership and which s really bounced back om theays of president trump. i think europe was delighted to have biden. and then you have the russian invasion of ukraine, which really has breathed new life into the partnership. macron is now the go to partner. he is at the head of the queue, surpassing the u.k. and germany as the partner of the united

states. there are some talks to be had on trade, on next steps in ukraine, but this really is a celebration of a partnership between the u.s. and france that goes back to 1778. mark: macron, of course, has always been favorable to talking to either side of any particular argument, and his announcement that there will be talks in the coming days with vladimir putin, how do you think that conversation is going to go? >> in washington, there has been a bit of a shift over the last few weeks. not necessarily toward opening a ukraine, but at least saying, on let's bring diplomacy into the mix. given that emmanuel macron has had conversations with mr. putin since the war began in february, i think that channel is now of more interest to the united states, and i think the question

will be -- what is the substance of the discussion? is there a diplomatic play that should begin? i do think there will be an in-depth conversation between these leaders about what is next for ukraine, continuing with economic military support, but also begin to elevate the possibility of a diplomatic endgame. mark: indeed, the economic support, monetary support. the military support has been massive from the united states. i don't think anyone can disagree with that. there was a feeling between biden and macron. there were some key decisions being taken between these two men about how this evolves next. do you think that's the case. >> i think a lot of that work has already been done. you have a situation in which the main lines of effort supporting ukraine, reinforcing nato's eastern flank and

bringing sweden and finland into the alliance, sanctioning the russian economy -- all of that has been really, i think, impressive from the beginning, and there are no signs of either the united states or the europeans going wobbly, but i do think there is a discussion about there we go next, and that will include air defense, which ukrainians need now that the russians are attacking civilian population centers and infrastructure, and i think the united states would like europe to do more. there has been an asymmetry when it comes to assistance to ukraine. there's also the question of what do we do now that winter is setting in? might we be able to supplement energy supplies and bring down energy prices in your -- in europe? this is obviously a big concern, particularly as temperature drops.

mark: we have reports of the temperature going subzero in ukraine at this moment in time. i'm sure you are aware of people taking risks in order to try to keep heat in their homes and some tragic results, sadly. can i just wrangle our conversation towards the business angle of all of this? because macron is going there in a sense as a figurehead for the european union to try to get some kind of an easing of the kind of restrictions the u.s. has put on certain companies regarding how they do their trade. of course, all this against the background of what is happening in ukraine. >> if there is a toughest part of the conversation, it's going to be on the inflation reduction act, and that is one of the major pieces of legislation that mr. biden was able to pass during the first two years, and it has a component in which there are subsidies for the electrical vehicle market here, which to some extent has

protections and i think mr. macron is worried about french and other companies being shut out. i don't think they are going to see a change to that legislation, in part because it is a signature accomplishment of mr. biden, particularly when it comes to fighting climate change, but there will be a discussion about workarounds, about opportunities for european companies in the united states. no question this will figure prominently into the conversation. mark: thank you very much for sharing your analysis with us here on france 24. we greatly appreciate it. we, of course, are watching for all the developments of president biden' -- president macron's visit to the u.s. ukraine state emergency services

said this wednesday nine people have been killed in fires in the past 24 hours, the very issue we have just been talking about with our guests. in subzero temperatures, people breaking safety rules to try to heat their homes. the number of fires has arisen. ukrainians increasingly resorting to using emergency generators, candles, and gas cylinders in their homes because of power outages. for your chief foreign editor sent us this. >> the power grid is essential to the ukrainians at the moment. they are being devastated by these aerial attacks from russia . the situation in kherson's pretty dire.

though the administration says about 40% of the city's electricity grid is now back up and running. i have to say that around the town, it is pretty grim. there are areas where the electricity is coming back, but people are cold and hungry. along with the absence of electricity, there is often no heating, but for many of the elderly, that makes life difficult. they are struggling to find food because they don't have much money. the price of goods has gone up, and they are struggling to keep warm. as the ukrainians fix the problems, as they fixed their electrity grid,ussians continue to attack. while we were there this afternoon, we could hear ukrainian artillery firing out, but just after we left, there were russian artillery sikes on the cter of the city. one of the things they are trying to do is make sure that

when the ukrainians do repair the electricity grid that they knock it back again. this afternoon in russia when they were striking, i know a man who was killed, but this seems to be the likely way things are going to develop over the next days and weeks. mark: we will bring you more from ukraine throughout the program. next, giant chinese cities announced an easing of covid curbs this wednesday, a day after demonstrators clashed with police in the street in protest of the government's toughest covid restrictions. >> this shanghai resident took part in a rare street protest against china's strict anti-covid measures.

>> i'd never seen a protest like that in shanghai. it is because of the health restrictions and general oppression we have reached our limit. >> the protest was peaceful, but police have started to detain more and more people. >> i saw someone who just said, i have the right to be here. it is illegal. and a dozen police officers surrounded him. they beat him and took it away. we did not want to film it. we were too scared. i'm pessimistic that things will change. in our country, there's no freedom of speech. we feel totally powerless. >> here where the protest took place, there are new cctv cameras, patrols, and barricades. the ones lively shopping street is now barely recognizable. to, shanghai police check

passengers' phones to look for pictures of the protest. some are intent on showing their exasperation. tuesday evening, antiriot police clad in hazmat suits clashed with demonstrators. to appease citizens, local authorities have announced a slight easing on covid restrictions, but on an national level, beijing has not yet changed the principle of its zero covid policy. >> we are watching developments on the situation in china for you. the islamic state jihadis group said that its leader has been killed in battle and announced a replacement. the iraqi was killed, but a spokesman did not elaborate on the date or the circumstances of his death. the spokesman identified the new

leader. a long-awaited trial open in ivory coast of 18 people accused of conspiring in one of west africa's bloodiest, jihadist attacks. the machine gun attack left 19 people dead. >> these are only four of the 18 men accused of ivory coast's worst terrorist attack. they are charged with involvement in the jihadist attack on a beach resort in 2016 which killed 19 and injured 33. the other 14 are either still on the run hour being held in mali. three government storm the hotel, a beach complex 40

kilometers west of azerbaijan, popular with foreigners. they killed 16 civilians and three members of special forces. after a 45-minute bloodbath, the three men were shot dead by security forces. several dozen people were arrested in mali, but her lawyer for a relative of french victims says those on trial are small. mark: the french baguette has been awarded in this cultural heritage status. president macron went a little further. 250 grams of magic and perfection.

>> it is one of the most iconic symbols of france. the ingredients are very simple -- flour, water, yeast, a little bit of salt, and a lot of experience. fresh gets out of the oven every 20 minutes. >> there are millions of secrets to making a good bucket, but we cannot share them. there are a million things that make a difference. it even depends on how humid it is. when a baker leaves the house, they look at the weather to see how humid it is. they adapt third joke -- tired to -- they adapt their dough to the temperature outside is -- outside. >> 6 billion brackets are sold every year in france. that's 320 and a second. if you ask the people who buy baguette every day, they will tell you they are very proud of

their bread stick. >> when we go on vacation, we always check where the nearest bakery is for we take one. >> it is a purely french product. it is a national treasure we are proud of. >> we have to protect artisanal bakers. >> clearly, the baguette is very popular, and yet, it could be in danger. artisanal baguette makers say it needs protecting from global competition, but especially industrial baguette makers. about 20,000 bakeries in france have disappeared since the 1970's as people change their eating habits and also go and buy baguette in supermarkets. bakers hope this new status will finally safeguard the baguette. mark: vive la baguette!

let's turn our to business. kate moody joins us. tell us some of the issues that may be addressed through emmanuel macron's visit to the u.s. >> it is subsidies and tax breaks included in joe biden's inflation reduction act that are worrying paris and brussels. the president has reportedly described the policy as super aggressive for french and european businesses. >> the u.s. congress passed the biggest investment in clean energy transition back in august, known as the inflation reduction act. it is the biden administration's signature green industry policy. the aid package, 433 billion

dollars in total, contains $64 billion earmarked for the affordable care act, but the remainder, $369 billion, is devoted to green energy and fighting climate change. it is this component of the act th is ruffling feathers overseas. critics in both paris and brussels have called some of the measures to protectionist, such as the tax credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of an american-made electric car and tax credits for companies producing or investing in electricity, wind, or solar power provided that occurs in the u.s. this means for consumers not buying american will end up costing less, something that the europeans say is unfair. >> eopean manufacturers say what do you want? we are hurting, you don't want us to play with china and now you are not buying our stuff anyway. we are going to die.

>> russia is responding with subsidies that could promote european-made goods, but it could risk starting a new trade war. president macron is seeking exemptions for european businesses, similar to those granted mexico and canada. >> wall street has closed sharply higher. the dow jones soaring 700 points at the closing bell. the nasdaq up 4.5%. investors cheering remarks from jerome powell who suggested after three consecutive interest rate hikes up .70 5%, america's central bank could slow the rate of hikes, possibly at its next policy meeting. signs inflation in the eurozone may have peaked lower-than-expected in november. activity in china's

manufacturing and services sectors has dropped again, underscoring the economic impact of the country's zero covid policy. factory output dropped to its lowest reading in seven months. strict restrictions mean plants may have to shut down in areas where there a only a w covi cases detected. i have been speaking about the cost of beijing's zero covid strategy with a professor at the university of chicago's booth school of business. >> there's no question that it is an unmitigated disaster. the growth in the past year is down to levels that we have not seen for decades. you see more and more internationalorporations leaving china because it is virtually impossible to operate in a zero covid environment. you see youth unemployment rising to leve that, frankly, we have not seen for decades.

it is reaching 20%. i think that economically, it has been an unmitigated disaster for workers, an unmitigated disaster for chinese companies, particularly chinese companies in the service sector, and it is a growing problem for companies that used to be able to manage it, like this taiwanese company called foxconn, but it looks clear that they also cannot deal with it anymore. just rationally, i don't see any way out other than backing away from zero covid, although i understand that for purposes of political messaging, they cannot explicitly say that. >> both european union and united states are showing signs of turning up the heat on

twitter and its new owner, elon musk. a number of media outlets are reporting on a video meeting held today between musk and the eu's digital affairs chief who said that twitter could be banned or face a hefty fine if it does not meet a strict list of operating requirements, including transparency over accounts that are banned. neither side has commented on the details of the meeting, though earlier on wednesday, stopped enforcing a policy on misinformation about covid-19. musk has also made the controversial decision to allow donald trump and other users back onto twitter should they choose to. meanwhile, treasury secretary janet yellen said she had

misspoken in previous comments which downplayed the chances of an investigation. president joe biden had said musk's international investments and cooperation with other countries were worthy of being looked at. continue to watch this space on this oversight. as we know with elon musk, we can never predict what the latest news is going to be. mark: absolutely remarkable state of affairs. thank you very much indeed. as ever, on the money with the business. thank you very much indeed. take a short break. after that, the news continues live from paris. stay with us. >> special events. the titans will clash in qatar. the world's just players battle

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