anchor: welcome to move from paris, world news and analysis from france 24. these are the main headlines. this monday, hope fades for those still missing where russian missiles destroyed an apartment block in ukraine. president zelenskyy says the search will continue. the death toll of at least 40 is expected to rise and the united nations says the strike could be a war crime. the u.k. has condemned the hanging of a british iranian national in tehran. he was convicted of spying for

british intelligence. amnesty international has condemned the execution, as well as criticizing the court case and charges. a mafia boss on the run since 1993 arrested at a clinic in palermo. he had been hiding in many parts of italy. he is said to be a key figure in a crime syndicate. this is live from paris. ♪ thank you for being with us. we start with the situation in ukraine. hope is fading for those missing at the scene at this -- at the seat of a russian missile strike, in the city far from the fighting.

rescue and recovery continues at the site. the death toll is at least 40 but set to rise into the victims are all civilians, families. over 30 people unaccounted for. president zelenskyy told ukrainians they would fight for every life and he confirmed six children were pulled out of the rubble alive. reporter: a nine story apartment block once stood in this part o dnipro. now after a deadly missile attack, all that is left is a gaping hole and rubble. emergency services racing to save people stuck in the wreckage. inside the parts of the building still left standing, residents trying to pick up the pieces. this woman was outside when the missile struck but her mother was at home. >> my mother has cancer. she was doing housework and took

a rest here. it saved her life. if she had been on the outside of the apartment, it would have been much worse. reporter: others were not so lucky. the strike on this apartment block is now the deadliest civilian incident in this brutal war that moscow claims is not about attacking civilian targets. >> the russian military doesn't strike residential buildings or social infrastructure. the strikes are launched at military targets, obvious or hidden. you saw yourself conclusions made by ukrainian representatives who said this tragedy resulted from the use of air defenses. reporter: ukrainian forces deny any involvement in the attack. they insist the apartment block was hit by a russian ship to ship missile, which kyiv says it doesn't have the capability to shoot down. ukraine is using this incident

as a basis to demand more weapons from the west. the kremlin warns that tanks will born and the supply of more advanced weapons is unlikely to change the war. anchor: the british defense secretary confirms the u.k. will send 14 challenger tanks to ukraine. it is the most significant package to date to accelerate ukrainian success, including ammunition, guns, and adjustable aid to move across minefields, as well as tactical missiles. moscow's reaction, the tanks will burn on the battlefield. germany wants to send leopard tanks to ukraine and poland wants to send its tanks but berlin has blocked move so far. they are meeting on friday. let's bring in the head of

regional security and conict study at the democratic initiatives foundation. good evening and thank you for being with us. can we start with the situation in dnipro, the scale of civilian deaths and injured? is this likely to change how allies see the situation in ukraine? >> unfortunately, we get another portion of support from western allies like the tragedies -- after the tragedies like what we just saw in ukraine. we expect it will change the position on tanks, for instance. anchor: clearly the u.k. has announced 14 challenger two tanks will be on their way to ukraine. there will be an aspect about training for the tanks, but at least they are on their way. the main issue is the leopard

tanks and germany's situation, germany's stance. what can you say on that? maria: we expect there will be some kind of chain reaction, chain process, starting with the light tanks, which are armored vehicles from france, followed by the decision of the u.k. to send the challenger two tanks. this is the beginning of a new page in military support from western allies. the question is not about how many tanks u.k. or large tanks france will send to ukraine in the nearest weeks and months, this is another type of weapons under a so-called political band before, -- ban before, when it came to military support for kyiv. now this obstacle is overcome

and pressure on germany is being made not just by kyiv itself but by a coalition of nato member states. we know that finland and poland are waiting approval from germany, and three more countries according to ukraine, their defense minister, are ready to send their fleet of leopard tanks to ukraine but they don't want to be announced right now. anchor: president zelenskyy, i am sure you are aware, says that what happened in dnipro shows the need for faster and coordinated decisions on supplying arms for ukraine. it's almost what he's been saying since the start of the invasion on february 24, he has consistently called for arms, quickly as possible.ms as maria: exactly. what happened in dnipro is an example that ukraine still doesn't possess any type of air

defense system caple of intercepting ballistic missile because this is believed to be a ballisc missile from russia. this is not just about the condition of the armed, it's about the civilian population. so for protecting infrastructure , tanks don't need to be considered offensive weapons becausekraine is liberating its own territory and not going to offend anyone ee. anchor: as we speak, we know something is bubbling on the border between belarus and ukraine, the possibility of something happening there. a battle continues in curse on -- kherson, as well as in the donbass. what is your reading of what happens next there? clearly russia says it has the

town and ukraine's has it doesn't and the fighting continues. maria: we still have reports on the ground, so if you follow the local news, you will find fresh videos from ukraine military, still present in the town. the question is not just about that city, it's if ukraine can push forward and have progress in the donetsk region. they need at least some success. this is a small city with about 10,000 population before the large-scale invasion. it is not that strategic on the map. what russia will do next, they will try to push forward in donbass at least in solidarity. if they don't have a significant success there, in my opinion, we

should have a maneuver on the other front line, maybe not necessarily to occupy kyiv, but a position of were in another place in order not just to distract the ukrainian forces from the existing frontline. anchor: this is reminding people that this is happening in the donbass, which vladimir putin in february said basically his troops were going to liberate it to help the people there who want to become russian. maria: russia has wanted this since 2014. i am from that region and 80% of the residents in our region consider ukraine their homeland. ricardo of the language, no one expected that kind of liberation, let's say. the problem for russia is people

in the recently occupied parts of different regions, they are not treating russians as liberators. they have lost about 95% of their population in the face of russian occupation. people left ukraine while being afraid of occupation of the region by russia. that is actually the evidence of how people, they said they were waiting for russia. anchor: we know you've been tracking what has been happening in that area since 2014, so clearly your statements very much based on hard evidence. maria, thank you so much for joining us with that assessment. we will continue to look for all developments for you on the situation in ukraine. next, u.k. sanctions iran over

the execution of an arabian -- u.k. iranian citizen. alireza akbari was hanged on saturday. it was revealed the iranian ambassador had been summoned. reporter: it is considered the most powerful military force in iran. the revolutionary guard was graded shortly after the revolution in 1979 to uphold the country's islamic system. serving as a counterweight to iran' tradition army, it has over 150,000 personnel. oversees strategic weapons, including ballistic missiles. it is known to exert its influence through the middle east. over time, it strengthened its grip on iran's most powerful businesses and industries. it was one of the reasons the trump administration used to label the body a foreign terrorist organization a year after abandoning the nuclear

deal with iran. >> the trump administration is simply recognizing a basic reality. the irgc will take its place on the same list as terrorist groups it supports. all of which are already designated as foreign terrorist organizations. reporter: the irgc has a strong presence in all aspects of iranian society and is known for quashing dissent. it's a paramilitary force succeeded in stifling protests in the after nine -- aftermath of the 2009 presidential election. last september, its volunteers took to the street to block protests, actions that continue today. >> rather than using this opportunity to reform the laws on compulsory hijab, instead there has been a hardeningf positions and the government is

encouraging the morality police and others to crackdown further. reporter: four months after mahsa amini's death, there is a call for states to do more to counter iran. canada sanctioned members of the irgc leadership and froze assets. the united kingdom is expected to label the irgc a terrorist organization, witpressure mounting on the european union to follow suit. anchor: let's bring you more on that issue. there have been a number of demonstrations, peaceful, here in france, one in particular at the eiffel tower in memory of mahsa amini, she is the kurdish woman who died in police custody in tehran last year. she had been arrested by the so-called morality police over how she wore a headscarf. the message on the eiffel tower, women, life and freedom. mp's signed a petition about the

crackdown on the protests. italian police are hailing the arrest of one of the most notorious mafia criminals of recent times. messina naro was caught as he went to a clinic in palermo for treatment. he reportedly boasted he could fill a cemetery with all of his victims. on the run since 1993, italian police say he surrendered without a struggle. repoer: after a 30 year chaise, italian police finally caught up with the country's most wanted mafia boss, messina denaro. >> as part of operations coordinated with palermo, messina denaro was arrested inside a health facility where he had gone to undergo clinical therapy. reporter: he was arrested at

this private hospital, where the 60-year-old had been undergoing treatment under a false name the last year. police had secretly moved officers into the building overnight to safeguard other patients. the prime minister flew to palermo to congratulate officers and investigators, paying her respects at a memorial site for officers killed in a mafia bombing in 1992. >> this is a day of celebration when we can tell our children the mafia can be beaten. we have not defeated the mafia but this was a fundamental battle to be one and it is a hard blow to organized crime. reporter: messina denaro was a leading member in the sicilian mafia. he has been sentenced to a lifetime for his role in the 1992 murders of two prosecutors and faces a life sentence for his role in bomb attacks in

florence, rome and milan that killed 10 people the following year. he is also accused of being responsible for multiple other murders in the 1990's. police say he was still able to issue commands in recent years despite his long disappearance. anchor: time to turn to business. brian joins us, the words premier economic conference gets underway mid challenging times for the global economy. brian: political and business leaders are gathered in davos for the world economic forum. the mood is a bit gloomy amid what is being called a poly crisis, worldwide economic slowdown. the war in ukraine and the mounting effects of climate change. this year's theme is cooperation in a fragmented world. economic ties have been rendered severed due to the pandemic and increasingly mounting

inequality. oxfam is calling for higher taxes on the wealthy and corporate profit. two thirds of the wealth created since the emergence of covid-19 has gone straight to the top 1% of earners. france 24 business editor kate moody is in davos and spoke with the oxfam executive director about how economic realities disprove trickle-down economics. >> the situation is getting worse so it allows us to see this idea that if you let corporation, and have less taxation, it will trickle down and everybody will benefit, we have seen this is not the case. that is the positive of this difficult situation we are living. we need to rethink, and several countries are rethinking, and they have been taxing wealth for some time. also taxing corporations at the right level. so there is opportunity to rethink and that's what this

type of event is about. bryan: now for a check on trading, wall street close for the martin luther king jr. memorial holiday. european indexes gained ground monday as better-than-expected economic data from germany and the u.k. last week leads to predictions of a shallower than expected recession on this side of the atlantic. falling energy prices and china's reopening also helping to lift investor sentiment with all major indexes closing around 1/5 to one third of a percent on monday. pakistan's physical info structure still reeling from devastating floods this past summer. the country's economy is teetering on collapse amid plummeting for exchange reserves. imports of crucial aid remain blocks, as does a $7 billion bailout loan from the international monetary fund. with elections planned this year, the government is loath to impose austerity measures on top of dire circumstances.

reporter: pakistan has barely begun the recovery efforts after last summer's devastating floods that left nearly one third of the country underwater. but a worsening cash crunch continues to hammer the economy. combined with an enormous national debt pile and political instability, it threatens to push millions more pakistanis into poverty. >> the common man can't afford to buy milk, sugar or legumes, they are beyond our means. reporter: pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have plummeted to $4.3 billion, the lowest level in nearly a decade. the shortage has hit eight imports hard. thousands of -- aid imports hard. thousands of containers wait guarantees, they are filled with

food, medicine and equipment. >> we have barely 25 days of stock left. if they are not released immediately, there will be further suffering. reporter: pakistan has append hopes of reviving the economy on a $7 billion bailout from the international monetary fund. but payments stalled in september as islamabad failed to fully implement tough measures, including cuts to fuel subsidies and raising taxes. the government has pleaded for leniency as a struggles to rebuild after the floods that killed 1700 people and killed more than 2 million homes. it caused over $30 billion in damage. bryan: siemens has signed a $3 billion euro contract to supply freight trains in india, it is the largest locomotive deal in the company's history. they will liver 1200 electric

trains over the next 11 years, along with maintenance over 35 years. executives say they can replace the capacity of 500 thousand to 800,000 trucks. that deal, good news for indian air quality as well as siemens. anchor: brian, thank you. all of the business. time for truth or fake, we are ready to go. catalina, good evening. nigeria, there has been rising fake news ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for february. tell us more. catalina: they had to the polls in february, and before any election it is common to see a rise in fake news surrounding elections. this time targeting a labor

candidate, who has emerged as a top presidential contender in nigeria. he is predicted to have the highest chances of becoming nigeria's next president, according to an opinion survey and posted by business day, a local newspaper. his opposition has been sharing this video that originated on tiktok and has now been deleted. we have a screenshot that has been archived. we see the nigerian presidential hopeful, who allegedly claimed he pulled 439 million nigerians out of poverty when he was governor of a state, rarely an exaggeration, since the nigerian population has an estimated 200 million people. this video has been widely

shared online. we have these posts on twitter, or they claim, in his usual ways of making false claims and lying effortlessly, here he is again coming he pulled 439 million people out of poverty. is this your new order? another post as well, peter obi strikes again, where users claim the candidate was caught lying. anchor: where does this video come from? catalina: here is the full text or video of peter obi's original speech used for the fake claims on social media. right here on this youtube account, the speech was from october 2022, it took place at a

joint committee dedicated to fostering development in northern nigeria. we have this speech, the original speech, where peter obi was speaking about china's adoption of a millennial development goals that lifted 439 million citizens out of poverty in china. this video right here that we see on tiktok, this video, he was referring to china in the speech, not nigeria. anchor: we conclude that mr. obi has been the victim of a widely viewed set up. let's hope this has gone some way to setting things to rights. thank you for watching, more is to come, live from paris. ♪

>> 200 years ago, a unique country was born, liberia. founded to welcome a emancipated american slaves, a dream that rapidly turned into a nightmare. >> when th came to this place, they u aun to subdue the natives. >> what followed was a battle for domination, civil war, corruption and massacres. >> is the result of not only the war, but social inequits that created conditions for war. >> what is the situation today? our teams went to find out. watch liberia revisited on france 24 and france 24.com. >> the best of culture every day on france 24, with exclusive interviews with the most talked about people in entertainment.

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from new york, this is democracy now! i knew that i could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government. today, a democracy now! special, dr. martin luther king in his own words. we hear excerpts of two historic speeches, "beyond vietnam" and "i've been to the mountaintop,"