our main headline is of course the announcement by francois hollande of a reshuffle after the disastrous showing in local elections for the socialist party. speaking for the nation an hour ago, francois hollande, concerned that france's interior minister was to become its new prime minister, manuel valls, who is the most popular of france toss ministers, is to lead a new -- france's ministers, is to lead a new, tighter government. francois hollande said he heard what the french electorate had to say. >> the primary injustice is unemployment. this is why i've proposed a pact of responsibility which is ready to go. this means less to pay for businesses, especially those on low incomes. and on the other side, more investment and more hiring. and finally, an increase in purchasing power, with a decrease in taxes for french people starting in 2017, and a rapid decrease in contributions paid by employees. >> francois hollande making that announcement earlier. very much focused on the economy. still trying to balance out the message for those who voted for the right and the left. the results we

now what does it mean for francois hollande? hollande said he will listen to the message from the french people, therefore we are expecting a government reshuffle that should take place as early as today. according to some sources of the senate, hollande is going to make a speech on television lighter today. it's not confirmed at this stage yet, but we can reasonably think that francois is going to make a statement and could replace the prime minister and the minister for the economy and the foreign minister of the economy and the prime minister. there is intense speculation about who could be the next prime minister. according to plenty of newspapers, the current interior minister could become the next prime minister. he's more centerist and would be a relevant response to the outcome of this election. it's also in the newspaper this morning. the former wife of francois hollande could join the government with the justice minute industry. and there was a lot of speculation over the last week as francois hollande made a lot of co

i was enlisted at the end of '92 and my wife francois was brought in later. when francois and i got back from ground zero -- >> you lived near ground zero? >> about ten blocks from ground zero. we saw the plane going into the building. went running downtown, managed to extricate our daughter and started walking up the west sidesidehe esplanade as the other tower fell. as soon as we were back in any kind of phone contact there is a message for francois saying, get up here we're putting out a special issue. i didn't know what to do but figured out what a cover might be and between francois and me covered that black on back cover. that cover looked black on black, but you could see the phantom limb, the ghost of the towers that had just fallen. the only clue was a pierced cover. >> what were you trying to say on that? was there something you were trying to say? >> in a moment where most any imagery would be too much, it seemed pulling back towards minimalism was a good idea. my house to my studio which was two blocks further north, i had to keep turning around t

francois hollande may decide to sacrifice them. who replaces him. a huge number of candidates out there don't come with their own set of handicaps. areregory viscusi, bloomberg reporter on the scene. joins us nowote with details from these talks. >> the main take away from these talks, the main conclusion, is that the two sides agreed to talk. the second would be an observation for me. you have two cold war powers discussing a third country, in this case ukraine. it seems an awful lot like the old days. what do they want? this meeting happened that the initiative of the russians. it was president putin you call president obama he was in saudi arabia. the russians want three things. one, they want to see the russian language on equal footing as a state language in ukraine, along with ukrainian. they want to see devolution. thee, they want to see ukraine will never be part of nato. the u.s. wants pullback of russian troops from the ukrainian border. there are about 40,000 according to u.s. estimate. they are potentially ready to move in. secondly, the

firsty were the nationwide voter test for vote -- francois hollande. the results have been disappointing for the president's socialist party, prompting his prime minister to acknowledge voters have voiced concerns over france's finances by switching camps or not voting at all. >> the first round of the local elections took lace in a difficult economic and social context for the french people. periodis going through a of necessary but demanding reforms. some voters express their worries and doubts at the ballot box or by abstaining altogether. >> hollande has recently introduced controversial labor market reforms in a bid to revive france's struggling economy. but unemployment still stands at 10%, and polls show he is the most unpopular president since the 1950's. vote have seen a protest that plays against the left and in favor of the right. we have also seen a vote that is a split in france between working-class voters and the elite. so it was like having to elections in one. >> for years and the last local elections six years ago, the runoff vote on

an emergency meeting in brussels, and british prime minister david cameron and french president franÇoisaland -- franÇois aland talk about what will be on the agenda. >> we have got to make sure we get russia and ukraine talking to each other. second, we have been to demonstrate here in the european union that we will help the ukrainian people in their hour of need. third, and just as vital, we need to send a very clear message to the russian government that what has happened is unacceptable and should have consequences, and were further action indicating, that would be even want acceptable and require even more wesequences but that is what will be discussing today and i hope for a positive outcome. there is the possible use, ut pressure to do what? it could raise tensions even higher. on the contrary, opening the way for dialogue. we go live to brussels. , and thetlantic action dish diplomatic action, and the e to be rolling out the cup it for the -- lots of diplomatic beion, and the eu seems to rolling out the carpet for the new meter. >> the move carries huge political significance be

aware that she supports francois hollande's policies.message.e one simple hollande's accomplice is her. people should vote against her. >> it is not the only, could swing back to the right. this town has been held by the socialists since 2008, but industrial policies have been put to the test. one of the factories now faces closure. and then on the right -- a former sports journalist was born and bred here and knows how important it is to the town. as workers leave the plant for the day, he stresses he is one of them. legs for a while i was living there. >> just like me. >> where were you yesterday? what number were you at? >> number 65. >> i was 71. >> he says he's ready to do anything to save jobs, something he believes the current mayor is not willing to do. fight for the factory. >> confident he will be reelected, he is not phased and offers a much quieter style of campaigning. >> i spoke to the director general on the phone and he guaranteed it would be closing tomorrow. -- i do not need to go around screaming of this in the streets

some the things that francois mentioned are right.e need to understand what we're doing about energy. on the other hand, the shell corporations has just at least said before the trouble started they would invest $5 billion, no, $500 billion in ukraine to develop shale gas. they be that's under way. we need to have an agenda when you do the legwork. more than that i don't know what to say. on the question of federalisfederalis m, well, you take for my comments i do not believe european federalism is the right future for europe. i think it's a dead-end. europe is a beautiful, wonderful the first place which doesn't have the push towards a federalism which the united states had come and we got, as francois and others were saying, we've got a wonderful description of american federalism from professor wood down in williamsburg let's not forget american federalism has been a fight from the beginning to the end. and we had a civil war in the middle which still the worst for the united states was ever involved in. and you don't want to take

i was enlisted at the end of '92 and my wife francois was brought in later. when francois and i got back from ground zero -- >> you lived near ground zero? >> about ten blocks from ground zero. we saw the plane going into the building. went running downtown, managed to extricate our daughter and started walking up the west sidesidehe esplanade as the other tower fell. as soon as we were back in any kind of phone contact there is a message for francois saying, get up here we're putting out a special issue. i didn't know what to do but figured out what a cover might be and between francois and me covered that black on back cover. that cover looked black on black, but you could see the phantom limb, the ghost of the towers that had just fallen. the only clue was a pierced cover. >> what were you trying to say on that? was there something you were trying to say? >> in a moment where most any imagery would be too much, it seemed pulling back towards minimalism was a good idea. my house to my studio which was two blocks further north, i had to keep turning around t

law and -- franÇois aland and his rock-bottom approval ratings. >> they will be raising taxes over -y won't be raising taxes over my first her because i think the tax level is already high enough. her main campaign promises in could building up to 10,000 new , anddable homes every year steeper housing prices are a major concern. the existingextend car and bike to include scooters . transport is a key election issue for her arrival as well. he has -- she has vowed to the prolongr the road to metro operating hours. ministerr environment wants to help the squeezed middle-class pitch she is seen as number two in the race but is hoping to capitalize on brought disillusionment with the hollande administration. >> when she promises not to increase taxes, it is as credible as he promises hollande made in 2012. >> polls show the woman's neck and neck in the first round of elections on sunday. following that mayoral election for you every step of the way right here on "france 24." do stay tuned. today, it ended in disappointment. thai, four minutes on the clock, oscar open to the defense. tim

speaking for the nation an hour ago, francois hollande, concerned that france's interior minister waso become its new prime minister, manuel valls, who is the most popular of franos

. -- francois hollande. >> there will be the maximum pressure on russia for de-escalation. there is a possibility of sanctions. not looking to raise tensions but to open a path for dialogue. that is what we did in paris yesterday. now we need pressure from europe to increase tension and allow ukraine to decide their destiny. >> friends resident francois hollande. of sanctions has not been working on russia. russia's force has not worked on ukraine or the u.s.. henry peace laureate kissinger says they are going about it all wrong. in "the washington post," he wrote the ukrainian issue is posed as a showdown. whether ukraine joins the east or the west. side,e must not be either it should function as a bridge. he spoke to charlie rose last night about russia's moves. >> russia is no longer very strong. no longer in a position to threaten its neighboring countries. conducting a policy in which he is both authoritative and defensive at the same time. to russian i have ever me has found it easy or possible to consider ukraine a separate country. for 300art of russia years. the hi

the strategy--some people say that franÇois hollande wants to be against mary lapel, the far right leaderi think it's a very dangerous card to flay. >> now today is international women's day. 80% of the 1.8 million children trafficked into slavery are girls. girls are more likely to be denied an education. two-thirds of the adults that can't read or write will be women. and one in three women will be beaten or raped in their life. >> not many topics are off limits in denmark. in this women's event in copenhagen abortion is up for discussion. but what's really got people talking is a report about violence against women, and in particular danish women. >> when you see a report like this, and you hear there are a lot of sexual violence against women, that's a huge sign we are not equal in denmark. >> i was flabbergasted. i didn't even imagine that. >> reporter: for a country that prides itself on being a fair, equal, and safe society, this survey on behalf of the european union has come as quite a shock. it shows that women in denmark reported the highest number of incidents of sexual, physi

the news and bad news for francois hollande.hief european economist on barclays joins us from paris. how big of a surprise was the french number this morning and is it relevant thinking about pointing toward an economic turnaround in france? >> good morning. i think actually we have been waiting for this rebound for a while. we don't really understand what has been happening with pmi numbers. you look at pmi numbers in france since last summer, they pointed toward recession again where as the economy was holding up pretty well. i think there has been a diversion between really --nomic data and the way filling the atmosphere in france. the economicebound activity. just a confirmation that economic activity has been holding up quite well. and that france is still growing despite the week pmi we have seen the past couple of months. should we read into the pmi figures? are you a believer this indicates a trend we have seen the last couple of weeks? i had someone from deutsche bank early on saying you should almost ignore the pmi fig

hollandeurse, francois has to react quickly and cut taxes.oduce payroll tax cuts for companies. in order to do that, he has to find the money. back to you. much.nk you so coming up, the pulse is just 15 minutes away. it is going to be an exciting show. guy, we have a heavy weight of the retail industry on. >> we do. have you forgotten that it was 15 minutes away? moving on, we are going to talk about tires today. it is going to be an exciting conversation. here is why. this is an interesting company. it is called black circle. to what is atech fairly mundane piece of equipment that we all have to use. the industry thing now is there is a guy, you may know him, he used to run tesco. he knows a little bit about the retail sector. he is a significant stakeholder in this business. he is now on the board of this business. what does terry ;eahy -- terry leahy make of the tire business? we will talk about the overall retail environment at the moment. credit growth, etc., all of this, we will take on. a big chunk on the tire industry coming up. i kno

polls have just closed in france and municipal elections that are seen as the first real test of francois hollande and his socialistic government since they came to power two years ago. his personal approval ratings have been at record lows. with the mainstream conservative opposition embroiled in scandal, analyst expect the e.ui-immigrant and anti-- national front will pick up many votes. a second round will be held next sunday. an oil tanker intercepted by the u.s. navy off of libya husband returned to the capital of tripoli. the morning glory was captured almost a week ago. it had been it legally loaded with almost 200 barrels of crude. the ship's crew have been detained and are being questioned. libya's prime minister was sacked over the incident last week after his government failed to stop the ship. former spain prime minister adolfo suarez, known as the father of spanish democracy, has died at age 81 after a long battle with dementia. the politician was the first democratically elected politician after the end of francisco franco's dictatorship. he served as prime minister from 198

ambassador ammon, ambassador westmacott, and ambassador francois delatre.e appreciate your time. >>> ahead, u.s. intelligence officials are leaning toward a theory saying the pilots of malaysian flight 370 were responsible for the jet's disappearance. next up, the clus leading them down this path. not that one. that one. the one who seems like he's already got the job 'cause he studied all the right courses from the get-go. and that's an accountant, a mom, a university of phoenix scholarship recipient, who used our unique --scratch that-- awesome career-planning tool. and that's a student, working late, with a day job, taking courses aligned with the industry he's aiming to be in. ready to build an education around the career that you want? let's get to work. tthe will..., mobilizing to take on the world? you don't know "aarp." aarp and its foundation are taking on hunger with 29 million meals donated. drive to end hunger teams with local agencies to reach the hungriest among us. if you don't think feed the hungry when you think aarp, then you don't know "a

and one -- the best thing is that francois hollande doesn't have a wife right now.france is. the question was who was going to sit with the first lady? because michelle obama had nobody to sit with her. and so we're going through the receiving line. i said to the first ladies, i said thank you for inviting us. me and my wife evy. and i said, so fun, this is gonna such a fun night. she said, "oh, it's going to be great, you're sitting with me." i went ha ha ha. and i walked away. >> jimmy: you laughed. >> i did. i went ha ha ha. [ laughter ] >> you've got to be fairly formal at the white house. >> jimmy: that's the only way your allowed to laugh? >> they will also accept tee hee hee. so, anyway i walk away and my wife said i can't believe we're sitting with the first lady. and i said, "honey she's clearly joking." i think that's so adorable your husband would be able to sit with the first lady. that's really sweet that you would think that of your husband. besides we're at table 19. i think the president's at table one, don't you? so, we go in and give our card to th

francois hollande is currently speaking.utch prime minister saying we should do everything to give roots of de-escalation a chance. sanctions are back on the table if the de-escalation route isn't taken. another japanese beverage producer suntoi holdings is looking at investing in india's major liquormaker. hi, makiko. >> hi, ross. yes, suntory is looking to spend around $1100 million for a stake in a new liquor unit. ricido's main products are whiskey and gin. their work together seems to be making it a double. demands for liquor in india have reached around 300 million cases in 2012, more than double that of japan. radico is expected to supply suntory's marketing techniques and suntory is hoping to take a shot at the markets through radico's markets. the firm made headlines in january when it reached agreements to acquire jim beam in the u.s. that's all from nikkei business report. back to you, ross. >> thanks very much indeed for that. some of the other stories we're following in asia, china's key market rates with more t

french president franÇois hollande said that the deal will go through because his country does respectcontracts. the vessels are capable of carrying 16 helicopters, 13 tanks, four amphibious vehicles and hundreds of soldiers. the ships are part of an investment by moscow, that has been building up its military since georgia six years ago. russian defense spending has risen 31% between 2008 and 2013. that makes russia now the world's largest spender just behind china and the u.s. the size of the russian military isn't so clear, but institute says russia has 845,000 troops with a reserve force of 2 million people who have had recent military training. the ukraine is estimated to have 130,000 troops but those forces are underfunded and i will equipped. >>> japan's prime minister visits fukushima nuclear power plant. it comes days after marking the third anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that triggered multiple meltdowns and widespread contaminations. japan's leader said he'll begin making steps to revive an area still devastated by disaster. >> a journey into the heart of japan's

. >> a potential setback for french president franÇois hollande, the far right national party looks like will win elections in several cities all across the country defeating hollande's socialist party. it comes as unemployment surges to a record high. >>> today's announcement comes days after army chef general general al sisi resigned and announced his candidacy. if no one gets more than 50% of these first-round votes, then a second round will be held in mid-june. >>> meanwhile, turkey's prime minister faces corruption allegations the country's voters head to the poll. even though those elections are local, prime minister erdogan said that the vote will affirm his legitimacy. we have reports from istanbul. >> reporter: a constant stream of voters eager to make their voice count. for them this is more than local politics, and people are bitte bitterly divided. 85 years old, he believes turkey needs a new political direction. >> thpeople are waiting patient. and for some it's a duty to support the government. >> there are internal and external forces that are trying to effect us. it is ou

china's president hu teaching painting and french president francois roll and cut down to the real business of the state visit on wednesday the signing of the lucrative deals. having declared his intention to rebalance from this trade relationship with china one dollars and said boss and passion agreements will make a dent in the deficit the media do all the eighteen been in use in contracts means employment growth and especially the prospects for growth in the us to count all the cool isn't it cute china and for the two nations with the influence and we decided to reinforce the calibration and proposing new ride is to establish a new international critical or devotees more equitable. if the agreements were eventually signed to represent fifty years of diplomatic relations between the two countries where old is relying on them to help take from south to this economic slump into seas and diminished popularity the consumption of the same input delicacy mckinney has begun but the authorities in an effort to contain an outbreak of the abode of honest. having identified what they think is one of

this is the first real electoral test since francois hollande struggled in the polls.conomy and security and that two women are leading the race. politics here like in many places it's at this time dominated by men. and at times, during this campaign, the two main mayoral candidates have been scrutinized in a way they wouldn't have been if they were men. >> and compared not only on their politics. >> translator: the interest in the fact that the candidates are women could be seen in the media. for example while they talked about the color of their hair, how they dressed, in fact they have to play on a double level, which is one on sai seduction ad the image of the mayor. >> both hidalgo and morrissey, could lead to greater equality in politics here. emma hayward, al jazeera, paris. >> that is it for us here on "america tonight." please remember, if you want to comment, log onto our website, aljazeera.com/americatonight. or twitter and facebook. we'll have more of "america tonight," tomorrow. >> hello and welcome to al jazeera america, i'm tony harris. the search has be

this is the first real electoral test seven francois hollande who struggled in the polls. this is an election dominated by discussions about housing, the economy and security. and that two women are leading the race. politics here like in my places is still dominated by men, and at times during this campaign the two main mayoral candidates have been scrutinized in a way they wouldn't have been if they were men. compared not only on their politics. >> translator: the interest in the fact that the candidates are women could be seen in the media. for example, when they talked about the color of their hair, how they dressed. in fact, they have to play on a double-level, which is both one of seduction to the parisian woman but also on top of that to represent the image of the mayor. >> reporter: both of them want to revitalize paris. if gender isn't the main issue in the ballot booth this weekend, then just maybe it could lead to greater equality in politics here. emma hayward, al jazeera in paris. >>> speaking of politics, the first lady and her daughters visited the great wal

one of the most celebrated rococo artists was francois boucher, court portraitist and painter of allegoricalomances. boucher's works were designed simply to give pleasure, fitting objects of delectation for an aristocracy with so much time and money on their hands. but time was now running out. this is boucher's rape of europa. in the literary and philosophical salons where they met, the middle-class intelligentsia opposed what they saw as a decadent order. they called for a return to universal values based on nature and reason. they held that art should not be for art's sake alone, but should have a moral and educative content. this viewpoint, which heralded the role art would play in the revolution, was shared by great french thinkers of the time-- voltaire, who spent his life opposing the tyranny of church and state. rousseau, who believed nature to be the source of all good. for him, society was the reason man was born free, but everywhere is in chains. didederot, who in his encyclopea attempted to scrutinize all natural phenomena in the light of reason. diderot's attack on boucher's pro

francois duke spoke to in each case he said the incident is regrettable. i knew what would it be that we will respond and sternly when all the facts have come out to a predictable. police arrested the attendant on suspicion of attempting to carry stolen close to vietnam. she has denied the allegations police suspect more crew members may have been a ball. the vice president said his company has question some employees they have been avoiding light duties to japan since the allegations emerge he said the airline will share information gathered with the police. people in myanmar getting ready for parliamentary elections next year one big issue is amending the constitution to reduce the military's for all the kiddos and joins us with the latest. it was our forces on thursday in myanmar people around the world are keeping a close eye on whether the country to make the transition from military political rights democracy leading members of the opposition like constitution want to end the dominance of the military that is enshrined in the constitution. top milita

he spoke with british prime minister david cameron, and france president francois holland hollande, and the pressure was just as much about ramping up assistance to crimea as it with was to impose questions on russia. they essentially say that the russian troops would constitute that to the region the united states has provided six u.s. fighter jets to the region, and the leaders of the states are essentially concerned because they border russia, and concerned about all of this activity. now sh now, on top of that, secretary of state john kerry also called russian foreign minister sergey lavrov today, and he said that if the provocation continues, then there is no room for a diplomatic solution, and the united states has remained optimistic about solving the crisis through diplomacy, but it is clear that the tension has been ratcheted up this weekend. erin mcpike, cnn, white house. >>> and new york times columnist nicolas christoph is weighing in on the critics that say that president obama's so-called weakness in foreign policy led to the situation in ukraine. and rosa flores is joinin

a rough night for the socialistic those that result didn't come as a complete surprise socialist francois vote on it currently has the lowest recorded ratings of any french president in history. voters in france are angry over many things including his failure to tackle france's high unemployment that many people not even turning out to vote at all. every rose has more on just where the socialists playground. i will savor the last nationwide for two tests for fun spot on the results of the connections between disappointing for the presentation is on team prompting his prime minister to the knowledge that is to police that consent of both houses finance is by switching camps. i'm not editing tool. new buildings into music but are trying to broker the elections took place in a typical economic and social context for french people. posted on to the building would be the front is going through a period when necessary. but demanding reforms. so does in some voters expressed their worries and died at the ballot box or by abstaining altogether. well too. qantas recently introduced one hundred na

i will be speaking with president obama and meeting with angela merkel and francois hollande to discuss further steps. >> we welcome further talks. does he agree that part of the way forward is providing the ukraine with that support, while making clear to them that government needs to protect the rights of the russian speaking public in the ukraine. >> i think it is important that this should not be seen as a tug-of-war between the european union and russia. we should be in favor of the ukrainian people being able to choose their own future. in my view, this has been as much about the ukrainian people wanting to lean towards a better relationship with the eu as wanting to get rid of the appalling levels of corruption they have had to put up with in their government. that is the key thing. it is absolutely welcome that the foreign secretary was the first international leader to go to kiev and meet with the ukrainian leaders. made two important points. they must make sure they have an inclusive set of institutions and rules and laws and the ukraine and they do not discriminate against mi

country the far right policy is hoping to capitalize on prolific disillusionment with president francois loans say swiss government to make a gain sympathy in the medical bodies and in european parliamentary elections in two months time on tv dinner in the hand sees sunday's contest as the first of a string of an ex world says she hopes it will push apology to the forefront of national politics in bronze the band's manifesto calls for a sharp reduction in new immigration and tough treatment for illegal migrants who she says are costly burden on the welfare state and in going skepticism and european union's handling of the financial and economic crisis prone to russia now has seen support grew for its anti eu line. similar patterns have been seen in other european states including with the far right going and going on see increased and the deal the cards in hungary they too are expected to do well in european parliament elections in may. and when the meaning of the news and the boys could yet go bar check is not your typical hip hop artists he is a catholic priest about his rap attitude b

france's ruling socialists have suffered heavy losses in the first round of local elections president francois along party won just thirty eight percent of the vote. all that conservative ump to forty seven percent of the big winner though in all of this is the far right national front who don't live to our correspondent there is a moment. first as this. few expected that france's anti immigration anti eu national front can release this far socialists and conservatives voted on in stunned silence as a reporter announced that in the former mining town of inaudible on a national front candidate had been elected mayor with an outright majority. the party led by not being a parent has benefited from widespread dissatisfaction with on top of the government the national front hopes that i can bring more than a dozen me or ships and the second round of voting. vehicles to store all the towns where the national front is in a position to win the second round. all the support democracy and the republic or have a duty to prevent that from happening to all. pour over cake. a large number of french voters

francois economy and oppressing us to make that decision. as soon as possible and guarantee security. this exodus has also agreed to retain to die that the situation he on the peninsula is now told to me on the control of local authorities and security is provided by police first and second by so called self defense force is made up of locals from the ministry has sought troops and also some volunteers from russia and its extended sad but he isn't happy with how some less to me dad described the situation here the western media is feeling tension here trying to show russia is using phones to manipulate decision. i assure you it's not true. well in our report in from center often think that all crimea which these till today pontiff ukraine but again the referendum although crannies to tuesday's scheduled for months at sixteenth and maybe in ten days we concede another country here. the crimean common thinking to join the rush of the puppy debate is expected on the sixteenth of march said in ten days said the colts will have to choose between

captain francois moeller read from the texts in court, including one where steenkamp said she was sometimes scared of pistori pistorius. the defense is expected to cross examine him today. >>> five new convictions monday in the bernie madoff scandal. former madoff employees found guilty of conspiracy for helping conceal a massive ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of some $17 billion. madoff was arrested in 2008 and has said he acted alone. prosecutors argued that the fraud began as early as the 1970s. each of the five defendants faces decades in prison. >>> all right, let's get an early look at our weather this morning. chad myers has that for us. >> and good morning. kind of a complicated forecast for the northeast. a couple of different storms trying to interact. i just don't think they're going to get their act together here with big snow, although it's possible with the european model predicting more than anyone else. there is the low heading up the east coast on the american model. some light snow in the cape and also in parts of maine, 4 to 6 inches probably on the extreme easter

rangers polish and minister for tourism and kill morris held talks in paris with the french president francois long. gilmore said the issue violent legacy bank debt the interviews all found that france's support all this has been consistent. the morning the team in pvc pants that were stuck in the french president. along the silk says groupie in europe they're focusing on tackling unemployment and both are facing the chairman of protest. not surprising then that the upcoming european elections and economic matters. the gdr and they can see that desk telling me to teach and dan hynes and stories. we still need to trust god to show results. we hope lunch. european union when protests the nineteen year olds. very quickly so we can achieve with the legacy the shoes. when arrested at the french and irish governments differing approaches to tackling their economic issues that bush has said they had different starting points. he wants to concentrate on what they have in common their support for martin shelters tennessee pressed into the european commission. he was a friend to us. we didn't have many

and presidents of the main opposition leader to tie the klitschko after meeting french president francois online did say that sanctions against russia were the only way forward into the solution i did not live with politicians here in kiev or in crimea but that everything you read it depends on maths talent as you may note mosque was very much opposed to any talks of sanctions the foreign minister there ushered in law prompted say he would even russia would even take back situations more sanctions be imposed on the country by the us and eu are encouraging this. this air of dialogue and to get that this diplomatically in one scene at the new government in the ukraine in moscow to sit down face to face and crafts this out so to speak of the prime minister as he mentioned that is very much doubt open to this under those conditions though that most of the tree its troops from crimea. i bet it abides by international agreements and sad that it stops supporting what he says are separatists and terrorists today all those pallets of politicians are back here in tn so we may hear more from them la

sarkozy pay the price for meeting with him and francois hollande is making up for it.h --nping is about christy restige.ach -- p that and alot of discrepancy between brussels and the member states. most significant partner politically and economically in the euro zone. once that is what they're trying to change. they're trying to sell more to china. will this strategy work? are going to see sharon ties in trade and export? >> it is highly likely. diplomatic relations. is moreilateral trade important. they have the capacity to move way from traditional sectors and gradually towards health care, agriculture, infrastructure, things that chinese need for the message reform agendas. frenchhe chinese see the -- to do business with. the tax rates in french are a little penal. offero the french have to ? >> competition. they compete against each other. the chinese are coming to terms with european legislation and more stringent regulatory practices. added ins higher value the financial sector. they're putting one against another in a financial. the chinese market is big enough

certainly good news for president francois hollande. german numbers coming out in about 30 minutes. i will be back with more analysis. >> thank you very much. david tweed with the latest european pmi figures. according to a preliminary march, the nation will miss its target for growth. we have europe, ukraine, and china. >> and we have socgen this morning saying to expect some form of monetary loosening. there is no way they will get to 7.5% growth in china unless they take some action. they shrugged off the market and chinese data. uptrading began to pick momentum in the hour before the markets opened, we saw europe take a little bit more pressure. the french number, we will check in in terms of what the euro is doing. china is underwhelming. complex, we saw some additional moves, but they seem to have come undone. hedge fund managers have reduced their bullish bets by the most in nine months on wti. copper has turned up. in 2013.own 13% this was the worst-performing base metal. it had been a little bit lower, but look at gold. positions dropped for the fifth week in a war -- in a

china's president arrives in paris today to meet with president francois hollande.ting is to bridge the waning trade gap. and in the bloomberg exclusive, he qatar air ways says it will -- and the c.e.o. talked out the all-business class section that will travel to heathrow. we decided to have an aircraft that will be fitted with all business class which we will operate. unfortunately we will not be able to operate from london city because the aircraft is a bit heavy. >> and president obama continues a european tour that has been dominated by the crisis in the ukraine. hans nichols has been following white house for over a decade. what was the take away from the summit in the hague and what is coming up today? >> the take away from the summit at the hague is no new sanctions . there was harsh rhetoric. obama really throwing some bombs calling russia a regional power but at the end, he said the choice was russia's. >> it is now up to russia to act responsibly and show itself to be once again willing to abide by international rules. >> francine, it wasn't lost on any o

was a phone call about the national security agency spying between president obama and president francoisande of france. from the readout it sounded like they were on different phone calls. all that is important is for the report look at the summaries. leonard. owings mills, maryland. democrats line. how often does the president choose videoconferencing? it seems as he may face would always help relations. if it is not that often, is it because of technology issues, or would it be more security concerns? guest: super question. that is the other popular means of communication, the secure teleconferencing system. the president uses it quite a bit, but you are right, not every leader has that kind of secure set up, and i was told many leaders have it only because the united states set it up. you can find photographs of president obama on secure videoconference is in the situation room. the people that really like it a lot, while the united states had a large troop cousins in iraq, troopent bush would do -- presence in iraq, president bush would do conferences on wednesday. it is a different

there really has been an important goal for the government of francois hollande.he hosting companies and they have been talking about the importance of rebalancing the relationship between france and china. china is invested. there is only one percent of all foreign direct investments. they were saying that they were the eighth biggest investor in france and they have to aim to do that. , there are 70ls planes sold by airbus to china. there is a deal with a nuclear power constructor to recycle nuclear fuel. for ahas been a signing 14% stake. they say it is vital. could lead tot job creation in france. .> it is not only about that france is trying to woo asian countries. >> you could describe this as an economic of it towards asia. even today, you can see an example of this with the announcement by the japanese airlines and said they are going to do 16.6 billion claim it is key.nd it is the first time that have ever bought the planes. year, they decided by from airbus. it is a signature deal. there are other deals in the pipeline. jet fighters were sold to the indi

. >> a test of president francois hollande's popularity. most of those did cast their ballots for opposition or for the far right, a slap in the face of hollande and the ruling socialist party. 37% of the vote compared to 47% for opposition forces. made big strides, securing 5% support, and taking control of a former socialist bastion in the north. >> translator: analyzing those odds it shows the return of the national front in the big cities. i have good reason to congratulate myself after these first round of results. >> reporter: to head off the national front the socialists say they will join forces with the greens and the party. the french prime minister is appealing to the parties to close ranks. >> in a few towns, all who support democracy have a duty to do so. >> the increasing popularity of the national front, hollande has approval ratings around 19%. high taxes and national disappointment. >> people just rejected the socialist party at all. i don't think he can respond truly to the opinion of french people. >> it's a logical resul

french president franÇois hollande made those comments, saying sanctions are set to be discussed on mondaythe european council has agreed on a scale of sanctions. these sanctions will be implemented if there is not deescalation by monday. and i hope we can de-escalate and we can find the links that exist between russia and ukraine. >> now in other news from europe serbia holds elections on sunday, the center right progressive party is believed to do well. >> reporter: they have lived in the city for decades as once vibrant economy has collapsed around them. finding a job in their hometown proves to be a difficult task as for so many here. they are beginning to lose hope. >> we have more and more faith here nick comply, physically, every possible way. we feel we are deprived. we don't think that sunday elections could bring any change to us here in niche. >> these dilapidated buildings that once employed thousands are now empty and rusting. the city authorities in niche continue to fight economic decline but see it as a national tragedy that requires action from the government. >> i hope an

contract if economic sanctions were imposed, and that seems to be on the cards, then french president franÇoishollande answered this way: . >> reporter: now the ships are part of a seriously expensive investment by moscow. vernow in this five-day conflict what happened was the russian troops evicted their counterparts, but they suffered losses at the hands of more technically advanced georgian troops. and moscow was irked by that. according to the international institute of strategic studies, moscow's budget has gone up for $62.000000. the world's third largest military spenders. who are the first two figures? it doesn't take a genius to guess, china with $112.2 billion, and the u.s. with $600.4 billion. now the size of the military. what do we get with the money they're spending? it's long been unclear how many military personnel russia has to call on. russia struggles to attract and retain conscripts and professional recruits. now the iiss estimates russia has 845,000 military troops to call on and then another 2 million personnel in reserve who recently serve in the russian forces. kiev has

francois hollande said it will be cut by a third in 20 years's time.he uk remains committed to new nuclear power plants. so three years on what is the future of nuclear? could something take its place or one way europe can be too dependent on russian gas, russian energy? more on that throughout the rest of the day. follow me on twitter. you can find me @bbcaaron. >> thanks very much indeed. just picking up on what aaron was saying about fukushima japan marking three years since the terrible disaster, our correspondent rupert wingfield-hayes is in tokyo for us. rupert, you have been filming with incredible numbers of people still suffering as a result of that disaster. >> yes, there are. there are perhaps around a quarter million people still displaced from their homes, geeta, both from the fukushima nuclear disaster and the tsunami that destroyed so many small towns. over a stretch of 500 kilometer thes, many of those people three years on have not been able to go on. the towns around the nuclear plant are still completely off-limits because the radiat

. >> we have the news from europe, including the french president franÇois hollande courts his chinesecounterpart with billion dollar deal on the table. and the bishop of bling steps down from his post in germany. >> the u.s. president said the ukraine crisis has highlighted the need for europe to increase it's spending on defense, speaking at a meeting with european meeting in brussels, barack obama said some n.a.t.o. members are not pulling their way, and for n.a.t.o. to work effectively all allies need to invest, not just britain and the u.s. it was president's first visit to e.u. headquarters and one dominated by russia and the west after the annexation of cry ma . obama warned russia that it will be punished for its actions in ukraine. >> the situation reminds us that our freedom isn't free. and we've got to be willing to pay for the assets, the personnel, the training that's required to make sure that we have a credible n.a.t.o. force. one of the things that i think medium and long term that we'll have to examine is whether everyone is chipping in. this can't be just an u.s. exer

. >> reporter: yes, the french president franÇois hollande has spoken with russian president vladimirputin, and calling it an unacceptable annexation to the international community, and he said there was still time to avoid dangerous escalation. germany chancellor angela merkel has been holding meetings wondering if there is no progress on russia, that further sanctions must be considered. >> if we can't succeed with talks with russia in the next few days then we need to consider a second level of sanctions. six days have past. now we need to see if we will try to set up the contact group with moscow. so we need to prepare for the second stage of sanctions. >> reporter: we have more from berlin. >> reporter: the biggest development coming out of the meeting of the german and polish leaders are the decision to have ukraine sign the association agreement that was the cause of all the turmoil in the country. it is an agreement that will be signed, said the two leaders, next week in brussels, what that means in the immediate future is that trade tariffs will be taken off over $500 million

economic sanctions were imposed on russia for what it is doing in cry maya, french presiden crt franÇoishollande said they will honor their contracts. >>> five or six years ago russians going into georgia, it was very violent, very short and suffered hat the hands more technically advanced georgians, and that irked russia, so russian defense spending has increased to $68.2 billion, and that figure establishes russia firmly as the world's third largest military spender. who are the other two? well, you don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure this out. china spends $112.2 billion, and the u.s. spend $600 billion. i knew we spent a lot, but i didn't know it was that much. it's unclear say western analysts how many men russia can call upon. in practice, russia's ability to attract and train conscripts and professional troops, they have 845,000 military personnel they can call on right now and another 2 million who are in the reserves. according to kiev, they have 129,950 military personnel to call on, that's a considerably smaller number. and ukraine is a very poor country. it struggles t