>> welcome to live from paris. world news and analysis from france 24. these are the headlines. biden says u.s. tanks for ukraine are not a threat to rush the move by whington follows the decision by germany not to stop its leopard tech speak -- leopard tanks to back the efforts to seal prudence invasion. zelenskyy says this keeps ukraine on the path to victory. take into the streets in beirut in protest as a row breaks out over the reopening of the investigation into the 2020 port explosion. the public prosecutor orders all

-- to be freed and issues charges against the investigating judge. -53 degrees celsius. a cold snap across asia has brought a record low temperature to the north of china. the area along the chinese russian mongolian border is now in an almost arctic landscape. this is live from paris. ♪ thank you very much for being with us. joe biden has confirmed american tanks are to be sent to ukraine. the u.s. president was the first to break the news on wednesday. it follows the change of heart from germany over the supply of its leopard battle tanks. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy thanked the german chancellor by phone and said he was sincerely grateful to the

chancellor and all our friends in germany. >> following the german allies, the united states on wednesday pledged to send their own battle tanks to ukraine with 31 american m1 abrahams said to strengthen key of war efforts. >> the tanks are the most capable tanks in the world. they are extremely complex to operate and maintain. we are giving ukraine the parts and equipment necessary to effectively sustain the tanks on the battlefield. >> it represents the latest cornet a response by the west to help kyiv prepare for a possible spring cnteroffense. also on tuesday chancellor olaf scholz agrd to send 14 tanks from germany's on stocks having discussed at length with the leaders of france, italy, the u.k. and the u.s. berlin had stalled on the decision for fear of incurring russia's wrath waiting for washington's commitment before sending their own tanks. >> we will also supply a leopard 2 -- leopard two battle tanks to

ukraine. that is the result of renewed consultations with our allies and international partners. i would like to underline it was right and it is right we did not let ourselves be driven and that we instead countered and will continue to count on" for such an issue. >> enough tanks have now been promised by european allies to equip two canadian battalions. president zelenskyy praise the latest additions despite the total number still falling well short of the 300 tanks requested. >> the key now is speed and volume. the speed of training our military. the speed of supplying tanks to ukraine. the amount of tanks support. we have to form a fist of tanks. a fist of freedom which will not allow tierney to rise again. >> remains unclear how the new batch of american tanks will be transported and how long it will

take for them to have in the impact on the battlefield. the kremlin has responded to the intentions by the u.s. and germany. describing it as a waste of money any disastrous plant which shifts the conflict to a new level of confrontation. >> tonight there are air raid siren sounding across the ukrainian capital. our correspondent joined us for more. >> we don't know exactly when the tanks will arrive. this is something ukrainians are very worried about. they need heavy weapons. they have been asking for them for nearly a year. it took them a year of convincing of diplomacy with their western allies to convince them to send those- that hvy aponry towards ukraine. this news was welcomed with relief but people on the ground need it now. we are talking about the front

line spread on a thousand kilometers. it is not just one pocket of fighting happening. he have has said -- kyiv said time and again it would not use the tanks outside of its border but it needs to defend itself against the russian aggressor. there is relief in kyiv. there is a big hope it will be a big game changer even if people are a bit disappointed at the number of tanks. two tanks in particular promised by germany. it is not as many as ukraine would have been expecting. this is why we had the first direction of the government which is to say they welcome the first step. they expect more heavy weaponry to be delivered because of the colossal task ahead to defend themselves against the russian aggressor. >> our correspondent in kyiv.

the u.s. sending tanks. all started when germany made their decision to go ahead with the supply of leopard tanks. that decision reverses a previous call to not even allow third-party countries to send their stock. poland was chief among those first offering leopard tanks to ukraine. >> germany's belated decision to send leopard two tanks to ukraine means there could be up to six european countries supplying kyiv with the much-needed hardware. poland had already been given the all clear to send the german built tanks to ukraine with polish prime minister matteo's view of ascii saying it would be a big step toward stopping russia. the other four countries need to make a final decision. finland has previously said it would send leopard's while spain and norway are expected to. the netherlands does not own any leopards but licenses them off germany and is expected to request permission to send them. as with the other countries, they need germany's consent to

send the tanks to a non-nato country. the leopards are ud by aies across europe and are widely seen as the best option for ukraine as they are available in large numbers and a relatively easy to maintain. more so than the abraham tanks washington is to send. from moscow, the deployment is evidence the west is escalating the war against russia. >> the countries across europe to watch in terms of where the leper tanks would be coming from. on the front line, there are measures taken to improve conditions for the soldiers. while allies have provided ukraine with additional weapons, authorities have constructed brand-new underground shelters. >> here on ukraine southern frontline, the threat of shell attacks is constant. as the conflict drags on, soldiers have welcomed new shelters designed to protect them from shelling and provide them with a bit more comfort.

>> let's take a look inside. here we have a shelf for weapons. we can put rifles and ammunition here. the woodstove is based here. there is a special compartment for and holes for the chimney. this way the personnel do not get cold and can keep warm during the heating season. >> perhaps more importantly, the structure protects the soldiers inside with russian positions not far away. ey have to be on constant alert. >> this shelter isesigned for the servicemen to be able to dig inside the trench and cover it with wood. this is a protective structure that can withstand a hit of 152 millimeter artillery shell. >> with almost a year of fighting behind them, life in

the trenches has become routine for soldiers on the southern and eastern front lines. as winter drags on, both sides continue to hold firm positions as they brace for the prospect of a long battle of attrition. >> a look at life on the ground in the trenches in eastern ukraine. we will continue to look at all sides of the conflict for you. we will give you updates as they occur. we understand air raid sirens are going off in kyiv right now. next, anger on the streets of beirut over the row about the reopening into the investigation of the blast that destroyed the city's port. protesters called for the investor getting judged to be removed from the inquiry. this ended the wake of the explosion of 2020 which was one of the biggest nonnuclear explosions in world history. at least 215 people were killed. over six and have thousand injured. the repercussions are still

being assessed the investigation was suspended in 2022 over allegations of political interference and complaints against the lead judge. >> two at half years after an explosion that killed more than 200 people and injured thousands, the man investigating those responsible for the blast finds himself in hot water with lebanon's top prosecutor. on wednesday, he was summoned for questioning and judicial sources said the prosecutor had charged him. he said he would stand his ground. >> i am still of the investigative judge and i will not step down from this case. the prosecutor has no authority to charge me. >> tensions began two days ago when he made the surprise announcement he would resume the probe which had been set -- had been stunted for more than a year due to legal challenges. the judge said he was charging a

host of senior and current former officials including the former prime minister and a prosecutor. he also ordered five of the 17 people held in pretrial detention to be freed. on wednesday the prosecutor released all remaining detainees. while lebanon's ruling elite is less than impressed, many beirut residents are heful for closure. >> we want our right to know what happened. if i did not die, someone else did. some got maimed. some are in wheelchair stair today. we want the truth and to understand why this happened. what was the cause? who is responsible? >> lebanon's political leadership has accused him of bias with some demanding his removal. the probe threatens the ruling elite rifled with mismanagement and corruption that helped push the country into an unprecedented economic crisis. >> this is a story france 24 has

been covering since the act of that explosion detonating in beirut's port. the damage is something our correspondence reported on as it has emerged. let's join our correspondent in beirut with this. >> a very tough battle against the entire ruling elite. this is the first time the lebanese judge was facing a real tough battle against the political establishment. the judge has prosecuted a number of politicians, key ministers, key personnel in the security apparatus. this is unprecedented. the most important thing for the judge in the general public is the families of the victim of the blast who have formed associations that have called for justice. on the other hand, supporters of

the traditional political parties and hezbollah have been trying to replace him for the last year and a half. they are supporting the decisions. in an unbiased approach i would say a big portion of the lebanese public see the judge as a hero and they want him to try to reach a final verdict. >> our correspondent in beirut. france is to withdraw troops from burkina faso last month. it is after the military asked france to leave. this confirmed by the foreign ministry in france this wednesday h. facing a growing islamist research and see. france retains some 200 to 400 special forces. it withdrew troops from mali last year on the order of the

military that paid for russian military mercenaries to patrol the country. the cold snap has claimed lives and afghanistan. human tarrying agencies have raised an alert after at least one hunter 24 deaths caused by the low temperatures. in china's far north, there has been a record low -53 degrees celsius recorded. >> -53 degrees celsius. this town in northern china has been experiencing record low temperatures for the past three days. >> at 7:00 a.m. the temperature dropped to -53 degrees which beats e record of -52.3 in 1969. >> the town has come to a standstill. tons -- to unfreeze the pipes loca use boiling water or blowtorches. the priority is to make sure inhabitants continue to access electricity and running water. >> we are keeping emergency repair teams on standby around-the-clock with tankards

full of hot water or equipped with generators. >> elsewhere in east asia temperatures have been plummeting. whether authorities in japan and the korean peninsula have issued warnings over freezing temperatures and gales. in japan, heavy snowfall and strong winds have been wreaking havoc blanketing towns in snow. authorities say the next day or so could be bringing up to 60 centimeters more snow to the region as the country faces its lowest temperatures in a decade. >> a cold snap across asia. -53 degrees celsius in the far north of china. let's turn awry to business. brain quinn joins us starting with a big financial hit for asia's wealthiest man. companies are accused of corporate fraud. >> the billionaire founder of india as a donnie group. a vast corporate conglomerate with operations and everything

from coal mining to construction to telecoms. on wednesday ended big research published a report accusing him of the largest common in corporate history including stock price manipulation, the cades of accounting fraud and misuse of offshore tax havens. edinburgh is an activist investing firm that made its name betting against the stocks of companies like nikola and lordstown motors. the latest report comes ahead of a two and a half billion dollars stock offering set for friday. the fortune estimated at nearly $120 billion. the stocks have lost around $12 billion in market value wednesday. the cfo calls vandenberg allegations baseless. here he is. >> the investment committee has always imposed faith on the group on the basis of detailed analysis, disclosures and reports published by financial experts and leading national and international agencies. our informed and knowledgeable investors are not influenced by

one-sided motivated and unsubstantiated reports with vested interests. >> the outlook is brightening for europe's largest economy as germany announces it expects to avoid recession in 2023. in october of last year the german economy minister was projecting for tens of a percent decline in overall gdp this year. natural gas prices hitting record highs amid market disruption caused by russia's war in ukraine. after a relatively mild winter in high european storage rates have brought gas prices down helping to curbecord inflation. a 200 billion euros government support package has reassured businesses and consumers. the government projecting to tens of a percent growth this year. officials caution will germany may have avoided the worst case scenario, it is not out of the woods just yet. >> the message of 2022 is we

made the prices manageable. the crisis is not completely over yet. but we were able to avoid the worst scenarios. >> time for a check in on the day's trading action. european indexes and the day slightly under the red display improving business sentiment across the eurozone. shares in german arms manufacturer awry mattel and jumped on news that germany would be sending leopard to tanks to ukraine. though shares have fell back down to close nearly 1% in the red. wall street managing to climb out of deeper earlier losses to close mostly flat amid a gloomy outlook and quarterly earnings reports. microsoft issues a disappointing revenue forecast on the same day as a major outage in the company's cloud services. the nasdaq down around two chance of a percent at the close. as the u.k. faces what can be its deepest recession ever, toya

sales have can can you -- have continued to decline to even in such grim economic times there are bright spots for the sector. teenagers and adults treat themselves to toys and games instead of perhaps more expensive outings. jenny chin takes a look at a few things on display at london's toy fair. >> the soft and squishy friends are taking the crown for the fastest-growing category in toys lacking a millions of sales in the u.k. >> the plush part of the plane market which are very much the soft squishy toys, teddy bears etc. was the fastest growing sector of the toy market last year. it grew by 29%. >> these pillow shaped toys sold close to 3.5 million units in the u.k. last year. some 500% increase in sales. behind its popularity is its multigenerational appeal. analysts say more than one in

one showed toy and game purchases last year were made by adults and teenagers. >> 18 to 24, the gen z demographic are buying into this brand. the space is no accounting for almost 30% share of the overall toy market. >> to reflect the current climate, the industry is pushing heavily from more ethical ranges. a large percentage of self toys are made from sustainable material like recycled plastic audibles or food containers. the uk's toy market shrank by 3% amid the cost-of-living crisis encouraging consumers to rethink nonessential purchases. despite the decline, the industry is still worth 3.6 billion pounds in the u.k. alone. >> consumers comforting themselves a bit hugging their teddy bear. >> do you have one? >> i cannot say i do. i have a dog though. >> that is the nicest possible squishy thing to have in the

house. thanks to brian and to his dog for the business. now for some true thing or thinking which means we are going to join catalina at the big board. a video to start with. that would be proof that germany sent leopard to tanks to ukraine long before today's announcement. i'm sensing a fake element to this but i know you will clarify for us. >> after months of debate germany announced today they will supply ukraine with 14 leopard two battle tanks. a decision germany was delaying out of fear delivering these tanks could result in conflict escalation. these tanks have also been protagonists in misinformation claims online with a poster colluding on twitter and facebook that claimed leopard to tanks were already on their way to ukraine before today's

announcement. this example where this user on facebook claims the video is already online. apparently the decision was made long before today. we see a leopard to tank here in what seems to be a train station in germany. much of the similar claims right here today. this user claiming on january 23 german liquids -- german leopards crossed poland toward ukraine. all this talk is a narrative to full the public. it was decided by washington behind the scenes and the tanks already being delivered with the same images of these tanks right here. the same claim here with this to weight with over 37,000 views claiming leopard to tanks at a train station in germany. let's take a look at the video where we see leopard to tanks allegedly on their way to ukraine. in this german train station.

for many, proof germany had already taken the decision to send these battle tanks to ukraine. >> is this the first time these false claims have been spread? i think i know the answer already. this >> video right here has nothing to do with germany's recent approvals to send these tanks to ukraine thanks to a reverse image search. we also found this was not the first time the same false claims have been using the same video. furthermore that these false claims have been spread since spring last year. in this tiktok account we have the same video that was posted right here on april 2022. the caption in german read something like policies are implemented so quickly. decided today and already loaded with the image of this tank. there is and other similar to

wheat from may 1, 2022 with the same video claiming dozens of german leopard to tanks spotted at a railway in germany reportedly heading east. the same false claims have been made by russian propaganda in these news reports that we see were also published on may 2022 claiming the tanks from germany were sent to ukraine. false claims that were already spread since spring last year. >> this video, the one used in the false claims, do we know where it comes from? >> in this facebook post from a rural 27th, 20 right here posted by a german member of parliament he explains where this video comes from. in this video he affirms these

troop transports are not related to the war in ukraine or arms shipment and this video shows battle tanks at the train station that belongs to the tank battalion in germany and these tanks were part of a military exercise. we already see efforts in 2022 to debunk these false claims. a military exercise entering germany that was already in news reports in april 2022. april 3 of 2022. a video in these false claims that shows a german military exercise, not germany sending hudl tanks to ukraine as these false claims out of context one us to believe. >> we know the real ones will be heading there soon. the truth or fake.

thank you very much indeed. thanks to brian for the business and thanks to you for watching wherever you are. more to come here. live from paris. >> revisiting the fight. the president of the association of peruvian women subjected to false sterilization in the 1990's. >> we have been fighting from within 25 years and we will continue until we get the truth, justice and compensation. >> she listens. >> these are the results of other medical exams i have had because i have not and well since my tubes were tied. >> she supports. >> we need to be respected. because you are not alone. >> above all, she does not give up. >> now is the time to apologize. >> watch her quest for justice in revisited on france 24 and

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01/25/23 01/25/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> battle tanks are important both to be able to repel russian offensives but also for ukraine to be able to retake territory, to win and prevail as a sovereign, independent nation in europe. amy: germany and the united states have agreed to send dozens of tanks to ukraine, ending weeks of debate between nato allies.