>> hello and welcome to "live from paris" on france 24. ukraine's allies about to strengthen their defenses from the baltic to the lexi. speaking at a meeting in warsaw, joe biden reiterated that nato will defend every inch of its territory. vladimir putin welcomes china's top diplat to the kremlin. tensions between israelis and palestinians continue to

escalate following another deadly raid in the occupied west bank. at least 10 palestinians killed, but israel says most of the dead were militants. it is good to have you with us this evening. following his surprise visit to ukraine this week, u.s. president joe biden met leaders of the so-called bucharest nine, country -- that's countries on nato's eastern flank. most are now among the strongest supporters of military aid to ukraine, but not all. joe biden reassures the eastern partners by reaffirming the u.s.'s commitment, saying, we will defend every inch of nato. let's take a listen.

>> we have also strengthened nato. the commitment of the united states to nato -- i have said it many times, i will say it again -- is absolutely clear. article five is a sacred commitment the united states has made. we will defend literally every inch of nato. >> joining me now to talk about this is a managing director of the german marshall fund finn tech. he joins me from dallas. joe biden obviously seeking to reassure the eastern flank of nato. those countries have often been referred to as the soft underbelly of nato. how at risk are these countries feeling? >> i don't think we are the soft underbelly of nato.

we not only reassure but reinforce the eastern flank, so the region is increasingly well defended in case of russian aggression that right now focuses on ukraine very much. countries in the region are feeling very strong in terms of support for ukraine, and with the united states leading the way for the whole alliance to provide as much military aid for ukraine so we can deal with russia directly. >> you work in the organization's warsaw office. obviously, poland shares a link the border with ukraine. how threatened do people feel in poland and beyond? >> to be honest, people understand that we now live under the umbrella of not only nato, which is absolutely true, but also the ukrainian armed

forces that are fighting the russian military directly. in the beginning of the war, about a year ago, many of us were worried that ukraine might fall, and if that was to happen, we would have russian tanks right on our borders, but because ukraine was fighting so bravely and because the west is standing behind ukraine, there is not a huge concern in the population. from time to time, though, we do experience the war directly. some of your viewers probably remember a few months ago now a missile defense rocket fell in poland, killing two polish citizens. this was the first incident of that kind. nothing like this happened since, but this is the war next door. until russia ceases the war, it

will definitely feel like something is happening directly in our neighborhood. >> do you think these countries are likely to ask for more from washington to feel more secure with its commitments, or do you think joe biden's words today were enough? >> it is not only the decision of the eastern countries or the u.s. but nato as a whole with france and germany and great britain and others. we decided in the last nato summit in madrid that the eastern flank will have to be reinforced further, perhaps to the level of a brigade in each country that has to increase its readiness, and this is something that countries of the bucharest nine discussed today with

president biden, and that is something that will bring fruit in the upcoming nato summit in july of this year. >> vladimir putin thought that this war would test western resolve. i think it's fair to say that has backfired at least for now. western support seems very much with ukraine. would you say western relations are at their best now than they have ever been? >> we have had so many ups and downs over the course of the relationship, but of course, the biggest low came with the presidency of donald trump, and it is true that president biden has reversed the trend entirely. his administration focused on continui the alliance through a very dficult test. it was not given that nato and

the eu will stand together this terrible test that putin put us through. putin did think the alliance, the unity of the alliance would fall apa, and, yes, i would say that ctainly over the last few years, we have not seen relations at their strongest point, but it is the nature of the relations that it ebbs and flows, and many of us are looking to elections in 2024, seeing who the american people will decide for their next president. we will see how it goes. >> that election will have major considerations worldwide, that's for sure. thank you for joining us. >> it was great to talk to you. thanks. >> russia and china reaffirmed their bond as beijing's top

diplomat visited moscow. vladimir putin said relations between the two had reached a new frontier. the west is keeping and i out as it worries china could provide weapons to russia as it continues its invasion of ukraine -- the west is keeping an eye out. >> the cooperation in the international arena between the people's republic of china and the russian federation, as we already stressed, has a very big significance for the stabilization of the international situation. >> we are willing to work with russia to maintain strategic focus, deepen political mutual trust, strengthen political cooperation, expand all-around political cooperation and safeguard rights and interests of our countries. >> vladimir putin may time for

when ye -- vladimir putin made time for his -- for a chinese representative. wang has also met with other senior russian officials during his visit, including his counterpart, sergei lavrov, as well as russia's security council had. at each meeting, both sides have talked about the importance of bilateral ties, but it is clear that it's moscow that needs this most right now. china spoke of better ties developing in dynamic ways. masco supported the taiwan-shenzhen -- moscow supported the taiwan-shenzhen, and tibet issues. from the start of the conflict, beijing insisted on its neutrality, and beijing talks a lot about the importance of

peace and stability. beijing has been condemning the west's involvement. all the while, china has refused to condemn publicly the invasion of one country by another, and the timing of this visit taking place just days before the one-year anniversary of the war as this rather incoherent messaging drags on. chinese authorities have said they will be releasing shortly a document detailing their position and views on the war in ukraine. >> north korea has rejected condemnation by the united nations chief of his recent ballistic missile tests, saying the body ignored pyongyang's rights to self-defense as well as dangerous military drills but washington and seoul. the nuclear armed north has fired three ballistic missiles in the past days, including an intercontinental listed missile. >> the tit-for-tat continues.

south korea joi with the u.s and japan have cducted nuclear defense worship drills in stepping up trilateral responses . north korea, though, uses exercises as preparation for invasion. they come after the north fired two short-range range missiles monday as well as an intercontinental ballistic missile saturday. pyongyang threatened to go further and turn the pacific into a firing range. >> it ithe first time north korea's leadership has directly mentioned the pacific ocean. it means there's a high possibility of frequent conflict situations this year between north korea's advancement of nuear weapons and south korea 's countermeasures. >> analysts say it is unclear if north korea has perfected reentry technology to protect the nuclear warhead as it

reenters the atmosphere. >> if that technology is successful, they would be able to attack the u.s. mainland. >> relations between the two koreas at one of their lowest points in decades. the united nations security chief condemned the north, urging it to halt for provocative actions, but pyongyang described it as a counter -- as a justified countermeasure to the u.s. deployment to the korean peninsula. >> tensions escalate in the occupied west bank after another deadly raid. at least 10 palestinians were killed after a sotout on wednesday with over 100 wounded. relations between israelis and palestinians are at their worst for months following the tit-for-tat exchange of violence as america's cia chief spoke on

it. >> the building reduced to rubble and riddled with bullets. the aftermath of a deadly israeli army raid in t west bank. >> at around nine: 30 am, the israeli special forces entered the area and soon after, the sound of an explosion woke me up. after they said the forces had pulled out, some went in to expect, -- some went in to inspect, and we went in to pull out the bodies. >> israeli forces say they initially targeted wanted militants, but as the troops closed in on the suspected hideout, a shootout ensued, triggering a clash that drew in other gunman. the suspects were confirmed neutralized in the raid, which also resulted in federal palestinian casualties, including a 72-year-old man and a 14-year-old oil. since a spate of deadly violence in israel last spring, its

military has been conducting near daily rates across the west bank to arrest militants it says were involved in or planning attack >> we have seen an uick in israeli military incursions, and each time they seem to be getting bigger and bigger. i think we are seeing the west bank bubbling, and we are facing warnings. >> the heightened violence in the region has coincided with the election of israel's most hard-line government in years with ultranationalist and benjamin netanyahu's cabinet pushing for action against palestinian militants. >> turkey and northern syria are taking stock of a series of devastating earthquakes in recent weeks. at least 46,000 people were

killed, but the real numbers likely higher. in northern syria, people are picking up the pieces amid scenes of absolute carnage. >> a few days after the first earthquake, this family returned to their damaged house. when the second quake hit on monday, they ran outside as part of it collapsed. >> this earthquake has ruined our livelihoods. what can we do? we just want the kids to be safe. our house is ruined, but at least our kids are ok. >> they are now living in a tent outside the house, too afraid to go back inside. it is a similar story for people across the region. >> the feeling of fear is indescribable. women were scared. children cannot sleep inside anymore, and most families are on the street. >> the first earthquake affected close to 9 million people in

syria, killing and injuring thousands. it was so strong that officials said aftershocks would continue to be felt for a year. those in the rebel held enclave in the north of the country were already struggling, with many living in camps and relying on humanitarian aid. a united nations delegation visited the region tuesday to assess the damage and the needs of those affected, but also criticized the time it has taken for aid to arrive, given the syrian government's reluctance to authorize crossings to rebel held areas. critics say the dire situation required fs to kryst -- faster response. >> candidates in nigeria's residential election are holding final rallies. this normally two-horserace has a new contender who has gained significant support from the

country's disaffected youth with over 75% of his support being under the age of 35, prompting some to think this election could bump the trend of recent years. >> africa's most populous country heads to the poll on saturday to elect a new leader. hundreds of polling stations will not be open due to security concerns. three men have emerged as front runners to succeed the president. one of them is the former vice president, who is running for a sixth time. the muslim from the north of the country, he is hoping to break with the unwritten rule that the presidency usually rotates between the muslim majority north and the mainly christian south. the candidate of the ruling apc

party is another muslim. the businessman is named the godfather because of his influence in the economic capital where he governed from 1999 to 2007. the only question among the front runners is running with the lesser-known labour party. the 61-year-old has connected with nigeria's youth with his promise to make nigeria great again. to be declared the winner, the candidate must receive the highest number of votes at the national level and more than 25% of votes in at least 2/3 of nigeria's 36 states. if nobody wins outright, a second round will be held, something observers thing could happen this year for the first time since 1999. >> a 16-year-old has been

arrested and a murder investigation opened after he stabbed his spanish teacher to death in the middle of a class. witnesses said he was silent and very calm as he approached the teacher and stabbed her in the chest. >> after two long hours confined to classrooms, the people were finally allowed to -- the pupils were finally allowed to leave the school premises to meet their anxious parents. all were traumatized by what happened that morning. >> it was in spanish class, everything was going normally until a student stood up and stabbed the teacher in the chest with a large knife. i did not really see him get up, but he was very calm. >> i cannot really believe what's happening. i never thought i would experience this. it is not something that happens. i cannot really process it. she was a nice teacher. i mean, she did not have a bad relationship with this student.

>> this have another private haskell in the french bus country. emergency services arrived on scene quickly, but the teacher in her 50's died shortly after. police arrested the 16-year-old suspect within minutes. a psychological support unit has been set up for teachers and students. a minute of silence will be held in all french schools on thursday at 3:00 p.m. >> it is a sad day for our education system. it is a sad day, of course, for this school. the time for investigation will come. the time for possible conclusions will come. right now, it is a time for emotion, a time for solidarity. >> the suspect's classmates say he has mental health problems. he told another teacher he heard voices telling him to carry out the stabbing. over the past 40 years, there

have been fewer than a dozen attacks in french schools. >> let's have a quick round up your headlines this hour. ukraine's allies vowed to strengthen defenses from the baltic to the black sea. speaking at a meeting in warsaw, joe biden reiterated nato will defend every inch of its territory. the meeting came as two major power sources forged clor ties as vladimir putin welcomes china's top diplomat to the kremlin. tensions between israelis and palestinians continue to escalate following another deadly raid in occupied west bank. at least 10 palestinians were killed, but israel says most of the dead were militants. it is time now for business. i'm joined by kate moody. good to see you. south africa's government is trying to encourage investment in renewable energy as it deals with our ongoing electric crisis. >> about 70% of south africa's

energy comes from coal. rolling blackouts continue, putting pressure on households and businesses throughout the country. the president said that renewable energy will be a key part of the solution, but that could take years to take effect. this wednesday, the finance minister unveiled a series of new tax incentives to encourage energy providers and households to switch to clean power sources. >> businesses will be able to reduce taxable income by 135% the cost of renewables. we will introduce a new tax incentive for individuals to install rooftop solar panels, to reduce pressure on the grid and help ease load sharing. >> microsoft is defending its efforts to take over gaming giant activision blizzard in a

deal that could be worth nearly 70 billion dollars. regulators around the world are worried about possible implications on competition within the lucrative industry. to appease those concerns, microsoft has said it would allow some of its rivals to temporarily offer its newly acquired game franchises on their own platforms. >> in brussels this week, microsoft has one mission -- persuading antitrust regulators that the biggest deal in the history of the tech industry wi boost and not hurt to make its case, microsoft announced a new partnership with rifle chipmaker nvidia and confirmed another with nintendo, giving them 10-your access to games only available on its xbox console. >> microsoft will be bringing its xbox games that play on pc's to nvidia's cloud streaming service, and in addition, if

this acquisition is approved, we will also bring all of activision blizzard's titles, including call of duty. >> microsoft first announced the $65 billion deal early last year . however, the takeover has been stalled in the u.s. and u.k. over concerns it would stifle competition and hurt gamers. by requiring activision, microsoft would have control of a slew of the world's most popular game franchises, including call of duty, world of warcraft, and candy crush. sony, which owns playstation, is leading industry opposition to the deal. >> that means less publisher games welcome to sony playstation. >> the european commission opened a probe into the merger deal in november. it has until march 23 to release

its findings. >> a check in on the day's trading action now, a choppy session on wall street asked stocks try to recover from their -- their worst day of the year so far. you can see that mixed close. investors not reassured by the latest news from the federal reserve, suggesting the fight against inflation is far from over. shares of intel were down over 2% as the chipmaker cut its quarterly dividend by 65%. earlier, we saw a mixed close before the major european indices. tobacco chided phillip morris is defending its ongoing presence in russia -- tobacco giant philip morris. the chief executive said he had held discussions with at least three serious potential buyers for its russian business but felt a responsibility to shareholders to ensure they got fair value from any sale. he said he currently saw no hope

for a deal under appropriate terms. when russian troops invaded ukraine last february, thousands of western companies cut hour curtailed business tailings in russia, often taking a significant financial loss. despite what appeared to be an exodus, though, many global firms are still active in russia. their presence coming under the spotlight as the one-year anniversary of that invasion approaches. starbucks is launching a of rather controversial drinks this wednesday. cafes in italy have begun serving coffee and fused with olive oil. the chief executive has been hugely enthusiastic about the new offerings that the chief said could be transformational for the chain. starbucks only has about 20 locations across israel. when they first started opening, there were calls for a nationwide boycott, but the initial reaction from italian customers was perhaps surprisingly positive.

>>'s it's a strange idea, but there is something different about it, and in my opinion, it would appeal a lot more to foreigners and italians. >> it has a little too much oil for my taste, but i like it because the milk and the oil can be tasted distinctly. i don't know how to explain it. there are two flavors, but they mixed together and work well together. >> i have to say, i was rather skeptical when i first saw that story come up earlier today, but after hearing those testimonies, i might pop over and try one myself. it costs between 4.5 and 6.5 euros depending on what size. >> i feel like they are running out of things to do. like that of just looking around the kitchen -- like they are just looking around the kitchen. we are going to take a quick

break would be right back with your world headlines. stay tuned. ♪

02/22/23 02/22/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> a world without nuclear arms control is a more dangerous and stable one with potentially catastrophic consequences. every effort should be taken to avoid this outcome including through an immediate return to dialogue. amy: the united nations urging russia to reverse i decision to spend its participion in moscow's last