from berlin. dear mary prepares -- germany prepares to bind advanced missile system. the u.s. approves israel's sale of arrow-3 interceptors to shoot down high altitude missiles as germany seeks to build a sky shield in response to russia's attack on ukraine. also, survivors of a nightmare boat journey are rescued off cape verde in the atlantic. more than 60 people are believed

to have died on the five-week voyage as migrants try and reach europe. police in pakistan arrest more than 100 people after mobs attacked and set fire to churches. they are angered by the alleged desecration of the car on -- the karana. and a storm strike southwest journey causing flooding across -- thousands of passengers stranded. ♪ i'm pablo foley elias. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome to the program. germany is set to buy the advanced arrow-3 missile defense system from israel following u.s. approval of the sale. it is part of german efforts to build up a sky shield in

response to russia's invasion of ukraine. giulia -- developed jointly by israel and the u.s., the arrow-3 is capable of intercepting high-altitude ballistic missiles it is used in israel's so-called iron dome. reporter: arrow-3 is the jewel in israel's military defense crown. the system has an extraordinary range. it can destroy targets 100 kilometers above earth in the stratosphere. its sale to germany to $3.5 billion is the biggest deal of its kind in israel's history. and more. >> this is not just a defense -- israel is selling germany the sophisticated arrow-3 missile defense system. 75 years ago the jewish people were -- 75 years later, the jewish state is giving germany, a different germany, the means to defend

itself. such is really pride. -- such israeli pride. reporter: germany launched the initiative last year would 17 other nations. russia's invasion of ukraine magnified the need for a jury -- a joint european air defense system. >> with the european sky shield initiative we are bringing together european states to join the increased protection against missiles and drones. reporter: once fully upgraded, germany's air defense system will feature six iris t surface to air rocket systems to target short-term missiles, a dozen patriot systems to intercept medium-range missiles, and the arrow-3 system to defend against attacks from much, much farther away. >> arrow-3, according to calculations, will have a footprint of a couple thousand kilometers.

so it can defend a pretty large area. reporter: that means arrow-3's radar system could also monitor the skies above poland, romania, and the baltic nations. data from three sites in germany would be transmitted to a central location, where soldiers would be watching for threats around-the-clock. if a rocket attack were detected, an arrow-3 defensive missile would be sent up to intercept and destroy the target in space. the sale has yet to be approved by both country's parliaments. once that hurdle is cleared, the stage will be set for the world's most advanced missile defense system to be fully operational in germany by 2030. pablo: mattias eken is an analyst in the defense and security research group at the rand europe institute in

cambridge. i asked him if berlin's decision to buy the arrow system is the right one. mattias: yes. the arrow-3 is a very capable inter-ballistic missile defense system. what russia's phil scale invasion of ukraine in february of 2022 showed is there was a lack of ground air defense missile systems in europe. and so, the arrow-3 will complement german air defense capabilities and by extension wider nato. pablo: are we talking about other european countries like the baltics? mattias: potentially. the arrow-3 is very effective at medium-range altitudes, for example, at intersecting missiles that would be launched from kaliningrad. but yes, this is a very capable

system that would be able to protect, in the first instance germany, but also potentially allies further afield such as in the baltics. pablo: israel says arrow-3 is the most advanced system of its kind, but what can and can't it protect against? mattias: the arrow-3 is primarily designed to intercept ballistic missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles during what is called the atmospheric part of its flight. i.e., during part of its space-based portion of its flight. what makes the arrow-3 unique is it can change direction very quickly, which makes it a very capable intercept. that is what makes it unique and is its unique selling point. pablo: essentially with arrow-3, germany is planning on building up a sky shield for a huge part of europe. how will this actually work, exactly?

how will the other european countries with their air defenses fit into the system? mattias: that is a good question. that is one of the challenges facing sky shield, is how to further this european integration and cooperation through sky shield. what arrow-3 does is gives sky shield much-needed evidence -- emphasis and confidence in the high-altitude air defense system. but i think it's no secret that other european countries might have wanted to see a european system or possibly even a u.s. system to further closer defense cooperation in europe. but the arrow-3 is still a very capable system for european defense. pablo: you have touched on it there. how are germany's european allies and partners likely to react to this deal? mattias: we will have to leave that to the allies and the partners to respond for comment. but i think france has made no secret of its fact that it would

like to see greater cooperation on missile defense in europe. nevertheless, i think this is -- the success of arrow-3, or the fact germany is buying arrow-3, gives a much-needed boost to sky shield and shows sky shield is a viable platform for european missile defense, if not indeed the only viable platform for missile defense cooperation throughout europe. pablo: it is going to take some time until arrow-3 is delivered, and it will not be fully operational until at least 2030. does that leave germany exposed until then? mattias: i would not say so. a russian attack on nato or germany is still very unlikely, especially given russia is bogged down in ukraine. even in a worst-case scenario there are other air defense systems available. germany already has the patriot missile system deployed in ukraine. that is capable of intercepting

ballistic missiles, both at medium and high altitudes. and the u.s. army uses patriot and anti-ballistic missile defense as well. germany is not defenseless in the lead up to arrow-3 coming online. there are other systems available. and an attack on germany and nato is still very unlikely. pablo: we will leave it there. mattias eken from the rand europe research institute, thank you for joining us on dw. mattias: thank you very much. my pleasure. pablo: let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the world's second-largest fashion retailer h&m has decided to gradually stop sourcing from myanmar after reports of labor abuses in garment factories. h&m is the latest brand to cut ties with suppliers in myanmar. others include in the text,

primark, and marks & spencer. after an explosion in the dominican republic, officials say all missing people are not counted for. 27 have been confirmed dead. because of the blast is still being investigated. the president there has declared a national day of mourning. spain's lower house of parliament has chosen a new speaker. she's from the prime minister's socialist party. the vote in thursday's opening session was seen as a test for sanchez in his bid to form a government. he's hoping to lead a coalition administration with smaller parties after coming in second behind the conservatives in last month's election. more than 60 people are believed to have died in a boat carrying migrants found drifting off the coast of cape verde off west africa. an ngo said the boat left senegal in july. cape verde plans to return the

migrants to their countries of origin. almost 2500 people have died this year trying to reach europe by boat. the atlantic crossing is considered one of the most dangerous. reporter: finally brought ashore in cape verde, after weeks drifting at sea. these few survivors are the latest to attempt to reach europe from west africa. most of the passengers are now believed to have died, and the survivors will be sent back to senegal. the u.n. says safe pathways to migration are sorely lacking worldwide, leaving many to seek out the dangerous journey by boat. >> it comes with a lot of pain. we know that migration issues are global issues which require international cooperation, a lot of discussion, and global strategy. given what the world is going through right now with migratory issues, it means that all of us,

all countries have to sit down at the table and see what we can do so that we don't lose any more lives at sea. reporter: the fishing vessel left senegal on july 10 carrying around 100 passengers, mostly senegalese migrants. more than one month later, the coast guard in cape verde has rescued just 38 survivors. the atlantic migration route from west africa to spain is one of the world's deadliest. already this year, more than 300 people have died or gone missing while trying to make the crossing. despite the risk, the number of people leaving has surged, driven away from home by climate change and economic and political instability. pablo: the west african bloc ecowas says it is ready to launch a military intervention in niger should diplomatic

efforts to reverse a coup there fail. defense chiefs from the bloc have been meeting in ghana to address the crisis. niger's really junta has repeatedly defied international efforts to restore the president to office. last week, ecowas activated a standby force for potential deployment in niger. reporter: ecowas military leaders are facing a dilemma. use force and risk regional instability, or back off and al low another west african nation to be under military rule. the bloc leaders have once again emphasized that armed intervention in niger is a last resort. >> let no one be in doubt, that if everything else fails, the forces of west africa, both

military and civilian companies, are ready to answer to the call of duty. >> by all means available, constitutional order will be restored in the country. this meeting today bears testimony to that. reporter: but when and how west african troops could intervene remains unclear. niger's junta has already ignored an ecowas deadline to restore democracy. meanwhile, the ousted president and his family are under house arrest in the capital. ecowas have called on the coup leaders to release the president. yet another demand rejected by niger's new rulers. >> [indiscernible]

let me repeat, nobody in africa is safe. reporter: it is not only the -- at stake is not only the future of nigerian democracy, but also the credibility of ecowas. the bloc is running out of time and options to restore constitutional order in niger. pablo: kabir adamu is a security analyst and managing director at beacon consulting in nigeria's capital. i asked him if any decisions have been reached at this ecowas meeting. kabir: yes. what we're hearing from the venue of the meeting is that the participants, about 11 countries, have committed themselves to a military intervention if it comes to that. in other words, they've endorsed the outcome of an earlier meeting they had held in a bushehr -- in abudja where they

charted out the course of military intervention. there were concerns before the meeting. the members were divided. so this meeting was -- to go ahead with a military intervention if it comes to it. pablo: is a military intervention really seen as a viable way of restoring democracy in niger? kabir: it is an option. there are several options being considered. most of them are diplomatic options. economic sanctions have been impose. from what we are hearing in niger, the effects of the sanctions are being felt at the moment. the idea is they would lead to lesser support for the military junta. if that support reduces they

may be able to continue to discuss. pablo: let's talk more about the sanctions. germany's foreign minister is calling for eu sanctions against the coup leaders. do you think they would actually be effective? kabir: if there is unison in terms of bilateral partners supporting ecowas to impose and enforce sanctions, then yes. niger is a landlocked country, it is usually impoverished, it depends on aid for almost 40% of its needs. like i said already, the effect of the economic sanction by ecowas and the rest of the world supports that move. if more sanctions are imposed the effect would definitely be felt. the junta have been able to

control the narrative and make ecowas look like the bad friend here. in other words, most nigerians are not seeing the junta responsible for the unconstitutional change in government. so i think more effort and strategic communication, the type that would redirect this type of thinking so that nigerians see the unconstitutional change in government and then of course the role in the junta in doing that would probably help achieve that better. pablo: we will be keeping a close eye on developments there in niger. dr. kabir adamu, thank you for joining us. kabir: thank you for having the. pablo: in muslim majority pakistan, rampaging mobs have attacked and set fires to churches after reports the koran was desecrated. the alleged desecration, if true, would violate pakistan's

stringent blasphemy laws which provide for the death penalty for insulting islam. reporter: a mob goes vigilante. brandishing sticks, hammers, and stones. to punish pakistan's christian minority after two men were accused of desecrating the koran . >> our police have done nothing. when a man smuggles cocaine, he is got within hours. but the person who has polluted -- committed blasphemy has not been arrested after 24 hours. the police should side with the muslims. reporter: many christians had to flee as the muslim mob ransacked their homes. the walls of a cemetery were vandalized and churches set on fire. christian protesters gathered in karachi, calling four-bagger -- better protection of their people.

>> the homes of our christian community were burned today. our churches were attacked, and our religious artifacts were destroyed. this isn't the first time such incidents have happened in pakistan. they occur frequently. we've always sought peace. we gather today to urge the government to protect our people. for the love of god, provide justice to our community and ensure our right to live. reporter: pakistan's internal prime minister has addressed the violence, saying he is gutted by the visuals coming out. stern action would be taken against those who violate laws and target minorities. all law enforcement has been asked to apprehend culprits and bring them to justice. rest assured that the government of pakistan stands with our citizenry on equal basis.

pakistan's blasphemy laws are known to be some of the harshest in the world. but reports show that vigilantes often take over before the police or local courts can take stock. leaving those accused at the mercy of a mob's anger. pablo: let's take a look now at some other headlines this hour. india says at least 72 people have died following days of constant rain in the himalayas. a monsoon triggered landslides and flash floods that have submerged roads and washed away buildings. rescuers have saved people trapped under mud and debris. firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire on the spanish island of tanner reef that has forced road closures and the evacuation of five villages. the wildfire broke out in a mountainous national park and has since spread over 22

kilometers near a volcano, spain's highest peak. a huge wildfire in canada has prompted officials to order the evacuation of all 20,000 residents of yellow life, the regional capital of the northwest territories. no deaths have been reported but several structures have been destroyed. canada is going through its worst ever wildfire season. more than 1000 fires are currently burning. more than one week after hawaii's deadliest wildfires, the death toll has risen to 110. but officials are struggling to identify the victims, with only five confirmed so far. relatives are being asked to supply dna to help. meanwhile, herman, who head maui's emergency agency, defended the decision not to use a tsunami warning sirens to

raise the alarm about fast-moving fires. reporter: as hawaiians pick up the pieces after fires scorched their homes, their anger and frustration is directed at the official response to the disaster. but officials maintain they did what they could. >> the regret not sounding the sirens? >> i do not. had we sounded the siren that night, we're afraid people would have gone malca. if that was the case, they would have gone into the fire. reporter: under -- on the ravaged island where hundreds are still unaccounted for, community-led initiatives are helping deliver food, water, and clothes to survivors who have lost it all in the flames. >> we've gone through a lot. we're still looking for family members. but this is important, too. everyone needs to be fed. reporter: with the u.s. president biden planning to

visit, many hope the media attention will be accompanied by much-needed relief. biden has promised to help. many say they are now waiting for action. >> we will see it when he comes. we will see it when he doesn't. we will see it when he helps. reporter: with less than half the affected area searched, the people of maui help the president -- hope the president's visit will help bring more donation to the islands, as they wait for devastating news on the fate of their loved ones. pablo: dw journalist contee mallya is on maui and told us more about efforts to identify the victims. >> numbers are very low and that is something we were wondering about because people on the ground expect the number of deceased to be way higher. the police officer explained

they want to be very respectful of the families. they have gathered teams of experts, also from california, that are helping with dna identification. they want to notify the families first. they want to be respectful and that will take a lot of time. pablo: thousands of passengers from around the world were left stranded at germany's busiest airport in frankfurt after a massive storm flooded parts of the city wednesday evening. more than 100 flights were canceled or rerouted while underground train stations and hundreds of buildings across the city were inundated. reporter: a waterfall in the frankfurt subway. underground as well as overland train services were interrupted by flooding throughout the city. at frankfurt airport, flights were delayed. this, after more than 60 liters per square leader -- meter fell

in a short time, leaving parched of -- other flights could not depart. over the rhine main region there were more than 25,000 lightning strikes in one hour. that is twice as many as in all of 2022 for the entire surrounding state. >> we saw an anomaly last night. a so-called weather cluster. a combination of a number of smaller storms which can span 100 to 300 kilometers and move over multiple states. and this is what we saw last night. reporter: the neighboring state was also hit hard. streets were flooded, like these ones. authorities had to rescue a number of people from their vehicles. sellers and many properties were flooded. pablo: you are watching dw news.

here is a reminder of our top story. germany will buy the advanced arrow-3 missile defense system from israel, following u.s. approval of the sale. the system is capable of intercepting high altitude missiles. germany wants to roll out a sky shield similar to israel's iron dome in response to russia's invasion of ukraine. after a short break, i will be back with an in-depth review of the world's top stories from today in "the day." i will be seeing you very soon. i'm pablo foley elias. from me and the team here in berlin, take care. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> wildfires in canada because a mass evacuation of the northern territories. thousands of people have been told to leave the town of yellowknife. in british columbia, fires are burning across vast swaths of woodland. more than 60 migrants are feared dead after a spanish fishing vessel rescued a boat off the atlantic archipelago of cape verde. it originally had more than 100 people on board.

the latest from ukraine. we will be joining our correspondent. two women were killed when russian missile strikes hit kharkiv over the last hour. will new supplies tip the scales in kyiv's favor? thousands ordered to fleet wildfires advancing on one of the largest cities in canada's far north. people crammed into a local airport this thursday hoping to board an emergency evacuation flights. the order came wednesday to evacuate yellowknife, continued throughout this thursday. yellowknife in the northwest territories on march the latest chapter of big some are terrible wildfires with tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes. vast swaths of forest lands in danger, people forced to try to find safety on the only open highway. let's bring in our correspondent

from vancouver, british columbia, where they are fighting their own wildfires. a very good evening to you. tell us what it is like where you are. >> where i am in vancouver, amazingly, it is smoke-free right now. that's not always the case. the last few years, we have been getting smoke either from alberta, washington, or california, so that is what it has looked like. right now, we have 368 active fires. 314 are caused by lightning, 19 by people and 35 are unknown. not all those fires are being fought. a lot of them are just natural ones where there is no population. there's quite a few fighters, and people up near west kelowna or cologne are on standby for evacuation of the fire out there. that's especially noticeable

because less than 20 years ago, over 300 houses were burned down in that area from another wildfire that happened back there. >> as you point out, 368 active fires where you are. climate change is what some people will .2. some say that's not the case. i'm just wondering if there is an issue about if this is made worse by global warming or if there are some kind of factors authorities are not seeing which may be could help prevent this. >> that's a simple question that has probably many answers from many different people. the union of british columbia indian chiefs, which is a group of first nation leaders in british colombia, are saying it is the things we do as humans that are creating these fires. they talk about the fires in the territories and british columbia and even referring to the incredibly devastating fires in hawaii as the that greenhouse --

as signs that greenhouse emissions are not doing us any favors. we are the second largest country on the planet, so you have a lot of these fires that just burn and know whatever bothered with them, but then you have up in yellowknife where as human population spreads out and as we use more and more land and resources, those fires are going to become air-based fires and hit us a lot more when they come into human-populated areas. >> i know you are not a clairvoyant and you cannot tell us when this is going to stop, but that is the question. we appreciate your analysis and insight. do you have any sense about if this will be brought under control? >> my mother, if she had to live her life once again, bless her heart, would have been a

meteorologist. a cold front is expected on a much more deliberate pattern up in yellowknife. i checked the forecast just before coming on air. it was 15 degrees celsius there and 27 degrees celsius down here, but that cold front is expected to perhaps bring rain, but that might also bring lightning, and it also will bring in wind, which is not going to help the situation out any more either. it all depends on what type of weather happens, and of course, the big thing is -- will it actually reach yellowknife? then, of course, we are off to the races. >>'s it's a very finely balanced situation, is not it? thank you very much indeed for joining us from vancouver. thank you so much indeed. we are watching all developments on the situation in canada. thanks again. weather forecasters predicting

the hardest period this summer here in france to come over the next week. the prime minister held an interministerial crisis meeting to discuss how to best prevent distress or even loss of life during this upcoming extreme heat period. temperatures are set to reach the high 30's. wildfires clearly a risk. some 500 hector's were scorched in the area bordering spain on monday night. thousands of people had to be evacuated from campsites to safety. perez has been stepping up hot weather protection measures -- paris has been stepping up hot weather protection measures. an earthquake struck columbia -- colombia followed by an aftershock 5.9 magnitude.

our staff and our channel there confirm the situation. france 24's spanish channel was temporarily off air as a consequence. as you see, many people are distressed and we bring you more as we get it. we understand there is no great extent of damage or loss of life, but we are still waiting to fully assess the situation. more than 60 migrants are feared dead after a spanish fishing vessel rescued a boat off the atlantic island at the base of cape verde. they originally had more than 100 people on board and were trying to reach the canary islands from senegal. here at france 24, brian quinn with this. >> back on dry land, severely weakened after more than a month at sea, these are the lucky ones. 38 survivors found by a spanish

fishing vessel as their wooden boat drifted off the coast of the cave verde islands, some 26 km from the coast of senegal. among those rescued, numeral four children between 12 and 16 years old. >> at this time, we have 32 people here. six others are still being treated in hospital. those who are here are in a more or less favorable situation. >> nearly all of the boat's passengers reportedly came from the small senegalese village north of dakar. their destination -- spain's canary islands and the promise of a better life in europe. it is and especially dangerous voyage. more than 1000 migrants have died in the first half of 2023 alone trying to get to spain by c -- by sea.

>> given what the world is going through now, all of us have to sit down at the table and see what we can do so that we don't lose any more lives at sea. >> spanish authorities say nearly 10,000 have made it to the canaries from northwest africa so far this year as poverty, political unrest, and extremist violence push increasing numbers of people to flee the continent from its western shores. >> let's get the latest on ukraine. russian strikes overnight killed one woman and injured another. the target was in the northeast of the country. on the ground, russia says troops are advancing towards that area, which ukraine took back last year. meanwhile, the ukraine defense ministry has released footage of fighting near bakhmut, the donbas city that has been the focus of the bloodiest battles since last july. footage cannot be independently verified. ukraine said it had received new

antiaircraft systems from germany. kyiv is seeking to bolster air defenses in the face of increasing russian missile strikes. the counter offenses are making slow progress. experts say ukraine's lack of airpower is a key factor in that. on the diplomatic front, nato's secretary-general says only ukraine can decide the terms of any future peace agreement. this is a reversal from what they stay that on tuesday. president volodymyr zelenskyy has been consistent since the russian invasion was launched that there must be a return to the borders of the year ukraine declared independence. we mentioned missile strikes on ukraine. our correspondent is currently sheltering from one of those. what you're doing right now, sheltering from the raids, a reminder that people hour-by-hour are at risk where you are. >> good evening, mark. yes indeed, this is the fourth

such alert, the fourth general air raid alert over ukraine today only. you mentioned earlier those two women in the kharkiv region, one dead, when entered, following a missile strike. for now, we do not even know if we are sheltering from missiles or from drones. usually, those attacks are hybrid attacks over ukraine. russia says it is not targeting civilians. it is targeting strategic infrastructure or military infrastructure, but even when they are doing so, there are casualties within civilian populations. we mentioned those two women earlier this week. a whole entire family died under missile strike. the parents and two children, including a three-month-old baby on monday in lviv region.

near the polish border, and 18 -- an eight-year-old boy died. this is a daily occurrence in ukraine where nowhere really feels safe. we see general staff of the army reporting today that almost 40 airstrikes were registered in that area alone. mark: the counteroffensive -- i suppose it depends who you ask what the reply will be, but tell us the latest. >> the ukrainian army said that it had liberated a village. at first said that in -- at first said international observers could see from ukraine at the gates, from geo-localization.

it is continuing trying to liberate territory occupied for over a year by russian troops. what has also been said today, and it is quite noteworthy at a time when ukrainian forces are under such intense pressure from the russian army, is that russian offenses, russian assaults have occurred in three areas today, in zaporizhzhia region, near bakhmut as well, and also in the donetsk region in the northeastern area of donetsk, so the counteroffensive might seem slow from the outside, but we have to keep in mind that ukrainian forces are advancing on mine fields they are advancing against defense lines that have been fortified for over a year, and this is actually why president zelenskyy

who just comes back from both fronts said that it was crucial that his soldiers are getting more ammunition, more equipment, but also more drones to try to fight off this russian aggression. mark: do stay safe, please. your correspondent there in kyiv with the latest on the situation in ukraine. thank you very much indeed. before we leave you, a man arrested in paris on thursday after jumping off the eiffel tower with a parachute. police said tower operators confirmed the story. the man apparently an experienced climber, enter the tower perimeter shortly after 5:00 a.m. well before the eiffel tower's official opening. he was quickly detected by guards but still managed to get to the top before anyone could stop him. once he got there at the top of the 330-meter-high structure, he jumped. the man landed in a nearby stadium, and i know that stadium quite well. i played football there. he was arrested for endangering

the lives of others. for more news, stay with us. you are watching france 24. ♪ >> hello and thanks for joining us. our guest today is a multi award winning author. his last book won this year's prestigious blitzer prize for fiction. he is in france as it is out in french. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> congratulations on the success of the book. it is about the subject of

money. writers famously have very little of it. why did you choose that as a subject? >> i thought how bizarre that our culture, american culture idolizes and initializes money and elevates it to this kind of transcendental place, and yet, we have kind of consistently refused to talk about it. that's the first reason. the second is that i feel all of our social relationships are mediated to some extent by money, and yet again, we feel very priggish around that topic. we just don't talk about it, so this omnipresence together with this feeling of it being a taboo was, to me, very compelling. >> both of your novels explore iconic moments in american history. "trust" was set in the 1920's and 1930's. the other side in the california gold rush. what draws you to these?

>> honestly, it was not intentional. the first book, yes, takes place during the gold rush, and it seems like there is continuity between the first and second, and for sure there is, but there is not, like, a hidden manifesto someplace and there was not a master plan. it just unfolded that way. i think i'm drawn to these moments in history that we fetishize and that we think we know about, but, you know, on closer inspection, we don't. this allows me as a novelist also to play with these preconceptions readers may have end up in them -- and up and then -- and upend them. >> this was written as a diary, very unique. that must have been planned from the start. >> it wasn't.

i'm really drawn to framed and nesting narratives. i cannot explain why. it is just the thing i like. the book i discovered very quickly became about something else. i confirmed -- it was not a shock, but it was intense to see it so eloquently that women have been completely erased from the story. they never have had a voice in these grand narratives, so i thought the issue of voice, who has one, who has been denied one, became very crucial to me. instead of the amortizing it, i thought it would be more interesting to enact it formally , hence this four-part structure in different voices. >> the title of the book "trust" is a financial term, also a legal relationship. what do you think is the role of trust between the reader and the

writer? >> it is essential as it is essential also in any kind of financial system, by the way. they all collapsed without trust. i think reading is always an ask of trust, and that's why i as an author try to be very mindful of that. i trust that -- a trust that the reader is placing in me or in the book, rather. although this book shifts very drastically from one point of view to the other, one view to the next, i am very respectful of the reader's intelligence and all the elements to put together this puzzle are there. they are available. there is no rabbit coming out of any kind of top hat. >> one thing i had not realized before is there are many financial terms like trusts, bonds, securities, futures also have much bigger life meanings, do not they? >> yeah, i like the sort of

portmanteau's, these terms that are semantically layered that have many meanings. indeed, the titles of the book within the book have this double resonance between some kind of financial contract transaction or operation and emotional dimension. >> who are the couple in the book, for people watching at home and want to know a bit more about the characters? >> this is the story of potentially the wealthiest couple in the world, in the 1920's in this crazed economic bubble. how they got to that place is exactly at the core of the enigma of the novel, and these competing narratives, you know, someplace between these competing narratives lies the truth, and everyone has their own version of the story.

>> when you started writing this book, how much did you know about financial markets? >> am an academic. i come from the humanities. there's nothing farther removed from the world of profit than that, so i knew very little, and i had to school myself in this, and i did so, thankfully, again, i am a scholar of some sorts, so i have some training in archival work, so i read a lot of financial treatises and books and press and congressional hearings. you have no idea. it was so intense, and a lot of it very dull, but a lot of it quite fascinating, and i learned about finance, but also in the vocabulary of that period, the 1920's and 1930's. >> the book has been a tremendous success. did you know your book is on

booktook? the book version of tiktok. >> when it comes to these things, it feels like i live in the 19th century. >> you have been for a while. lots of people have been talking about your book, and the platform tiktok has become a powerful tool to promote new book releases to young adults. many young readers promote their favorite reads and authors. >> chloe has a passion in life. she can't resist a good book. >> you can try talking to me for hours, but i'm not listening. i'm in my own world. >> the 21-year-old has a career in communications, but her pastime is to share her favorite books with her 40,000 followers on tiktok. >> today, i am going to share the books that touched me the most. >> about half of tiktok's users are between the ages of 16 and 21, a young public discovering

literature thanks to the influencers of their generation. >> you record your post in your bedroom and don't really realize it's going to have such an impact. then you have people tell me i read this book thanks to you and i loved it, and you realize the impact it can have. >> chloe is not alone. she among thousands of other young adults sharing their favorite reads. there were 900,000 such posts on tiktok last year, generating some 3 billion views. born during the pandemic, the movement was dubbed booktok, and the platform even made its own commercial to publicize the platform. >> [speaking french] >> if one genre dominates over the others on booktok, it is the romance novel, something we found evidence of in this parisian bookstore.

>> i think i'm going to buy this one because i saw a recommendation on tiktok. >> i saw the little tabs at booktok that gives new trends and i discover new books that way. >> book editors and booksellers have both taken note of how booktok can impact sales. >> there's a new audience interested in literature, and we have probably doubled sales of certain books. >> this year, tiktok partnered with the literature festival of paris, attracting new readers by word-of-mouth, the oldest trick in the book. >> it is quite a powerful promotional tool. what you think about that, the idea of promoting books on social media? >> i think anything that draws people to books, i am all in. i'm totally in favor. it is fantastic. >> before we finish, i want to talk about your background. this is your second novel. you were born in argentina.

you grew up in sweden, now in brooklyn. is it true that you write with a pen? >> it is true, and it comes with me everywhere, yes. >> is it the same pen you have had for a long time? >> i have had this pen for almost 30 years now, 27 years or so. >> holding onto the traditions of writing, writers gone by. before we go, we always end the show with our guest's cultural pick of the moment. what have you chosen for us? >> they have just discovered -- they have found recordings of john coltrane with eric toll-free from 1961 live at the village gate and it is a very rare thing. it is an astounding recording. it would be released by impulse very, very soon, like, in a few days, but you can listen to it online already, excerpts. >> we have an expert now and we are going to end the show with

it. thank you very much for watching. the book is out in french in august, called "trust." see you next time. ♪ >> follow our international journalists on france 24. douglas herbert, angela diffley, robert parsons, philip terrill, and allman georgia.

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08/17/23 08/17/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> reveals new evidence published for the first time since what happened from the official document of dispersal, a document that