>> thanks for joining us here on "france 24." this is live from paris, and these are the headlines. in sudan, a cease-fire is over almost as soon as it begins as explosions rocked the capital of khartoum. nearly 200 people have been killed since fighting broke out on saturday. civilians caught in the middle. the defamation trial of fox news opens up in the u.s. state of delaware. voting machine maker dominion is suing the network for 1.6 million dollars over false claims during the 2020 election,

which could have huge implications for press freedom. tunisian authorities shut down the officers of the islamist opposition party and banned it from holding future meetings. the latest move in a crackdown by the president. thanks very much for joining us here in paris. we start off in sudan, the 24 hour cease-fire has ended just after it was due to take effect. loud gunfire and explosions were heard in different parts of the capital, khartoum, which continued into the evening on tuesday. it's the fourth day since heavy fighting broke out.

reporter: billowing smoke filled the sky in khartoum on tuesday morning is fighting between rival factions entered its fourth day. as the fighting rages on, many residents remain trapped indoors. >> the violence usually started around 4:00 a.m. and they continue on for a few hours. today they haven't stopped. you can hear in the background, this has been the story for the last four days. reporter: washington said one of its diplomatic convoys was fired upon. the use saying its ambassador was attacked at home. international calls have been mounting to end hostilities with the u.s. and egypt weighing in as a mediator to settle the crisis. >> we are ready to talk with our brothers in sudan in order to reach a truce and negotiations.

this is still standing. our contact with the sudanese army is ongoing. reporter: an internationally brokered 24 hour truce deal was due to take effect at 6:00 p.m. local time, but gunfire continued to ring out in the streets when our came. the situation is quickly becoming critical. electricity and water have been cut off in some areas with rude supplies starting to run short. james: next, to the united states where a defamation trial against fox news has just been coming out to us. the case was expected to have huge implications for press freedom. the company dominion, which makes voting machines, was suing for 1.6 moving dollars. it said the fox network deliberately broadcast lies about the 2020 election and its machines, including false claims by donald trump that they were

used to rigged election by joe biden. were joined by frederick davis, former federal prosecutor and member of the new york and paris bars. thanks so much for joining us this evening. as we've heard in the past minutes, the case has been settled. what have we heard so far? >> i just found out it was settled three or four minutes ago, so i have yet to hear the amounts or the terms. i guess my quick reactions are two, one is, i think this is a smart move for fox moved -- fox news, for reasons that may not be relevant anymore. i think the case against him was uncommonly strong in the trial would have been a huge embarrassment for them, with -- having all sorts of internal emails discussed and having rupert murdoch probably testify. i think either the settlement

itself -- i had thought it would not settle because they will have to at least implicitly and may explicitly admit that what they were telling their viewers in the fall of 2000 was wrong -- in 2020 was wrong. what we saw was they didn't want to tell the truth to their viewers during the election of 2020 because they started losing viewers when they started reflecting that biden really had won. people hung up on them and went to another channel. it will be interesting to see how they settled, the degree to which they admitted they had been misleading their own viewers and kind of what the reaction will be. i'm really looking forward to seeing that. james: on the other hand, we heard the trial was originally supposed to start on monday and was delayed. to what extent is this an example of dominion perhaps not

feeling as confident as it may have? >> i frankly doubt it. everything i know about their lawyers and how they prepared the case was meticulous. they got some good news this morning, the judge appointed a special master to look into the degree to which fox had not been fair and terms of their discovery. every case settles, meaning neither side gets exactly what they want. dominion obviously ended up accepting a deal, if not 100% of what they wanted. this saved on the risk and they saved on the cost. but i will be surprised if this can be painted as seen thing other than sort of a shocking defeat for fox. but we will have to see, that is certainly my guess right this minute. james: so no details yet on how much the settlement was for. the question still remains, even

before the trial, what sort of implications could this have for press freedom in the u.s.? >> i will tell you my view. i've represented companies in libel and defamation cases. my personal view is that this case would not of had a huge impact on press freedoms. the notion of press freedom is you are at liberty to say anything for which there is an actual basis to believe it is true, and there should be some flexibility in that. this struck a bunch of people in the industry, including many people who strongly defend press freedoms and press rights as a company that stepped over the line. when your guiding principle is, we are going to report, not what we think is true or have reason to believe is true, we are going to report what our audience wants to hear. that's not journalism, that is something else.

my view is that this is an important case. i did not view it as a threat to press freedom. james: mr. frederick davis, former u.s. federal prosecutor, thank you for your insights on this news that we've just been getting updates on. of course we will keep you up-to-date as we get news here from paris. we move on to tunisia where the authorities have shut down the offices of the infamous party and band future meetings. comes a day after the arrest of its leader. take a listen. >> first, its leader was arrested, and then its headquarters were rated overnight in the capitol, tunis. >> in the clear violation of the freedom of political parties to operate and organize, they headquarters are being cleared out, in principle, for a few

days, in order for the authorities to search the premises. >> according to local news reports, the interior minister has banned meetings at offices across the country. the latest developments come after the leader was arrested over charges of incitement. the arrest was due to recent statements he had made to the media. >> without political islam, without the left, or without any component of its political life, it is a recipe for war. it is a crime. >> the 81-year-old has been detained in the past and interrogated over charges including money laundering and fighting terrorism. -- funding terrorism. more than 20 political opponents and figures have been arrested. despite the president's insistence that those who were detained or a threat to national security. >> we respect the law. we do not want to cause harm to

anyone. but we will not leave the state as prey in their hands. >> his critics accuse him of using the fight against terrorism as an excuse to revive autocratic rule in tunisia, which was the sole democracy to emerge from the mass protests in the arab spring over a decade ago. james: members of the g7 group of top economies have warned of severe costs for those who helped russia in its invasion of ukraine. at a meeting in japan, the foreign ministers also issued a warning to china over taiwan and its military activities in the south china sea. meanwhile the ukrainian president visited the heavily shelled town in the country east. he wished a happy orthodox easter to troops on the front line. it comes after vladimir putin also paid a visit to his troops in two cities.

charli james has the story. reporter: another day of death and destruction in a southern ukrainian city. russian shelling struck a market tuesday, killing at least once a billion. -- killing at least one civilian. >> everything was flying apart. >> just one day before, on monday, the kremlin's has better murder luton -- vladimir putin was in the province. he is attempting to show he is not disconnected from the reality of his war. >> it's important for me to hear your opinion about how the situation develops, listen to you, exchange information. >> according to the kremlin, food and then flew to the russian national guard headquarters in one province in eastern ukraine. russia claims to have annexed

both of these ukrainian regions, but did not appear to tour any of the cities destroyed by his military. just hours after the kremlin released that footage, ukraine's president was on the war's eastern front lines as well. president zelenskyy met with commanders and troops in the donetsk region, another area russia claims to have annexed. >> it's a pleasure to see you, shake your strong hands and know that you hold the future of ukraine in your hands. >> zelinski has visited troops several times in recent weeks ahead of a widely expected ukrainian counteroffensive using western supplied weapons. james: next up, according moscow has rejected the appeal of an american journalist against his pretrial detention. he was also denied they'll. the correspondent for the wall street journal is accused by rush of spying.

he faces 20 years and jail. >> in a moscow court room, looking tense and anxious and facing the cameras, he is awaiting his appeal hearing, and paces back and forth. his future in the hands of a russian judge. prosecutors here claim he is an american spy. his newspaper and the u.s. say it is a political attempt to crush their voices. he was taken to moscow accused of espionage of her claims he tried to obtain classified defense information. the wall street journal denies that and says he was covering the russian mercenary group wagoner in the city. the journal and international colleagues described him as a trusted and dedicated russian speaking reporter. the u.s. secretary of state speaking in japan said his case is a priority. >> our chief consular officer

and the ambassador able to see evan in prison in moscow. i can report based on what ambassador tracy has said that he is in good health and good spirits, considering the circumstances. reporter: since the start of russia's invasion of ukraine, there have been clear signs of an increasing clampdown on independent voices questioning the kremlin. on monday, a russian dissident who criticized the ukraine war was jailed for 25 years on apparent corruption charges. a prudent critic, alexey navalny, is serving a nine-year term, also on corruption charges. his condition is said to be deteriorating. back in the courtroom, after a brief hearing, the court says it rejects evan's review and he will now face a full trial. >> i can only say how troubling it was to see evan, an innocent journalist, held in these circumstances. the charges against evan are

baseless, and would call on the russian federation to immediately release him. reporter: the u.s. says it special envoy for hostage affairs is now handling evan's and pushing for an end to his detention. james: in other developments, in the case of alexi navalny, moscow has opened a new criminal case against him. a spokeswoman said the charge was a result of the staged provocation against navalny after prison authorities placed an inmate with personal hygiene problems in his cell. he could face an additional five years in jail in addition to the nine he is already serving. here in france, in response to president emmanuel's matt -- emmanuel macron's address to the nation on monday in which he said he understood people's anger over his unpopular pension reform. he has proposed a number of projects to tackle the next 100 days.

take a listen. >> a presidential address aiming to soothe a discontented nation, speaking for 30 minutes, emmanuel macron said he did regret that he couldn't get people on board his pension reform plan. was the reform accepted? by the evidence, no, and despite the months of consultation, a consensus couldn't be found, and i regret it. we have to learn lessons from it. the morning after the speech before opposition party showed no sign of being swayed. >> we will continue to fight this with the workers, retirees, with the youth against this reform. macron will not silence france. >> he didn't answer anything. he did not take into account the level of anger or reflect the change on the street. >> he is said to be keeping in place the same team that fronted the crisis.

he speaks of a 100 a plan to set a new roadmap for france, focusing on work, justice, and progress. >> improve the wages of workers to help advance careers, to better share the riches of companies and the working conditions to find a solution for people in the workplace. >> but there are expected to be big obstacles in the road. unions are preparing more pension reform strike action. >> don't forget, we've been shouting for two months to find a solution out of this. the president didn't take it, so now, for the moment, we have a day of action on the first of may, and we will continue to mobilize. >> but for the president, speaking at a meeting, he sounds confident the crisis will now calm. >> the door remains open. i understand that after may 1, some will be ready to come back around the table to move forward. >> is what happens here on the street in the next few days and

weeks that will indicate whether france is ready to turn the page. james: time for the business news. good to see you. poland has agreed to restart transporting grain through its territory. >> the shipments will start by friday, according to officials. the deal comes days after poland and hungary banned imports of ukrainian grain and some food products at the weekend with slovakia joining in and joining the move on monday. they have faced domestic pressure from farmers who complained that imports from the country at lower prices and reduce their sales. at a press conference, poland's agriculture minister said gps tracking will be implement or to protect farmers and prevent cranium food from entering the local market. and the import bands themselves will remain in place.

>> i'm very pleased that we managed to come up with such mechanisms that will ensure that not a single ton of grain will remain in poland, that the cargoes will be transported through poland, and that is perhaps the most important information for us. >> the european parliament has approved some key reforms to the e use carbon market. it is able to cut emissions from 1990 levels by 2030. and still reach net zero by the middle of the century. they will make it more expensive for companies to pollute. they also backed the plan to impose a border tax on high carbon. >> hailed by e.u. officials as another milestone in achieving the targets, the european

parliament on tuesday voted to approve reforms to climate change policy. >> this is good for the climate, it's good for people, and it is good for our jobs in the industry. >> the changes will further tighten rules of the emission trading scheme or carbon market which forces factories and power plants to buy co2 permits when they pollute. under reforms, the shipping sector will also be included in the market from next your. certain sectors will no longer have free allowances to emit co2, like aviation, but if airlines use sustainable fuels, they will be compensated. the law would force industries covered by this scheme to reduce their carbon emissions by 62% from 2005 levels compared to her previous target of 43%. lawmakers also backed a world first plan to phase in a levy on high carbon imports from 2026,

targeting things like steel, aluminum, and electricity. >> these laws will put a price on the carbon we produce. it will also put a price for non-e.u. producers, providing a level playing field so that we will not leave our industry at a disadvantage because of their external competitors. reporter: the reforms now need to be approved by the 27 member states for they can become law. >> the united nations says a staggering 34 million afghans or about 85% of the estimated population are now living below the poverty line. that's more than double the number reported back in 2020 before the taliban seized power from the government. foreign aid governments have traumatically cut back in the wake of the takeover activities are limited after the taliban banned afghan women from working for them.

undp says it is ready to take the heartbreaking decision to pull out of the country next month if it can't persuade the rulers to let local women work for the organization. finally for business, a dinosaur skeleton went under the hammer today for about $6.1 million. measuring 3.9 meters high and 11.6 meters long, the composite skeleton is made up of hundreds of bones from difference -- different tyrannosaurus rex is. the bones were discovered in the u.s. state of montana and wyoming. the successful bidder remained anonymous. it was the third time worldwide that entire t-rex skeleton sold at auction, the last one back in 2020 fetched $31 million. james: next up, it's time for

truth or fake, our daily fact checking segment. good to have you along with us. france 24's observers were contacted on twitter with the fact check on a video that has been doing the rounds on twitter. supposedly showing a group of migrants throwing rocks and blocking a motorway. truth or fake? >> user said the video has been shared among supporters of a british far right party. the party's written first, which is exactly what it says, and it was shared to the video by none other than its leader, paul golding. in the video we see a topless man throwing rocks on the motorway. so they can jump on board and sneak into britain. he is the former leader of a

party and calais is in northern france and is kind of the setting out point for a lot of migrants are trying to reach britain. the tweet got over 200,000 views and was shared in french as we can see here where they repeated the line that it was in calais and showed migrants. it's not the first time the video has emerged. the first time was in 2019 when it spread across europe over the summer and was actually fact checked by france when he for observers at the time after it went viral. here you can see just on facebook how many times it was shared in different languages at the time. among them, notably, there was this young national rally politician from the far right in france who described it as

everyday scenes in calais, and also's the sense that a civil war was coming. that is not what this video shows. in a moment i will expand to you how we know that. i can 2019 it went so viral that the city council of calais threatened to file a complaint against the national rally for stirring the pot and manipulating the information and also portraying calais in a bad light. james: so what exactly does this tell us? >> let's have a look at it. we can see a topless man throwing stones, and it doesn't really look like northern france , especially not at this time of year. you can hear a language we cannot really distinguish, and

it doesn't sound like french or english. france 24's observers were scented by several people based in israel and generally -- in early july 2019. demonstrations were kicking off across the country after the death of an ethiopian man at the hands of a policeman. protests then broke out amongst the east african jewish community that numbered about 144,000 in israel. at the time, some googling lettuce to this post of the exact video. this is israeli media and you can see the translation tool that they locate the video at an interchange, so we decide to look it up on google earth to see if we could identify or recognize the location from the video, and here we have it.

there's a couple of angles, neither of them are exactly the angle in the video, but we can see that they do look quite similar. if we zoom in in particular to this one here, you can see that there's a lot of similarities with the video, the banks here on the side and the shrubbery, and the grid markings are all the same, so it gives us confidence to say this is actually in israel. so the video has been taken out of context for political reasons and it shows how it has a way of coming back around. sometimes fact checking it once just isn't enough to make it go away. james: more news coming up in just a moment, stay with us on "france 24."

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04/18/23 04/18/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> was not fit for a diseased animal. i have photographs and i want you to take a look at this of the cell he was held in. this is inexcusable and deplorable. amy: several top officials at

the fulton county jail in georgia have resigned after a