Continues [inaudible] watching live. Thanks for joining us now joint lobsters five hundred euro bottttles o of winee phonenes ir administer a is in hot water for hosting luxury dennis. Which allegedly had little to do with his official function. But according to invested Website Media part which says forms whilele the ruciane as journalists wife held a thousand such suauarez a for r two year period. Yeah i was on to his job for now after promising frances Prime Minister. The pay back any unjustified expenses. But he remains in the spotlight said this evening here in paris amid another media pa story saying hes also been renting a Council Property social housing. Which he saw as well paid misstep not entitled utility has more. Leaving with his job in tact Prime Minister edouard feed someone differences environment mininister to discuss a deepenig expenses scandal. Lavish dinner that the taxpayer cost and a sixty three thousand youre a renovation of this ministerial apartments. Feet says divisions expensese willll now be examined under a magnifying glass. If the slightest ambiguity remains even after the investigations francois diversi is committed to pay back every euro. Off the french investigative website made yet back to publish the allegations one by one divisionon admitteted that the situation looked bad. She can call too i undererstd that the public could be a littttle shocked by some of thee photos. I must add to ththat that these images w was stolen five says. I dont know hohow media park a hold of them. But well thats life. A meter box the calculus level from city. But to division insists that hes done nothing wrong saying that the dinner that the National Assembly with links to his job at the time and parliament. And that the renovations were legal. Meanwhile his team at the towns a nother fire on wednesday his chief of staff me good clown resigned after it was revealed that she kept social housing in paris for twelve years. Despspite not living in t the capital this followingng a nothr report by may get back. The embattled environment minister has fought off calls to step down the scandal comes at a difficult time for manual michaels governments. Yeah t the vest protesters stagd months of demonstrations angry at budget cuts in a quantity and the increasing impression that the ruling party is out of touch with ordinary french people. More im joined by paul smith is associate professor in french the university of it nothing im in the United Kingdom thanks very much for talking to us about how serious all thesese allegationss particularlyy. In l light of what is now the second story. About his social housing. Well i think that the very serious for him on the very serious for the government remember this is a government the when it came to power. Was alll about micichael was abt changing politics a clean break with the pols transparencyy that was certain m ministers who your point y you to anyone who n fact had to stand down because they didnt call us the the proper persons control so this will be an embarrassment for the government and its very very serious school full full salute we she theres no theres no getting away from last. So y you think despite the fact that its he remains in n office ththis evening the writing my be on the wall for him. She well i think hes a little explaining to do obviously the the expenses that the thesese expensive dinners that he allegedly has a put down to hes officially expenses these these. I mean what hes being accused always throwing probably dean is the pretty did own only expenses that hes looking title to do. What wilill happen is the Natiol Assembly well look very closely the the officials who look at these things look very closely the expenditure if they challenge that he has. More to use public funds which all members of parliament have to entertain suppose that entertainment skis is above board. If hes misspent the money that i think it will bee i know hes talking about reimbursing i think thats good he would still be in a vevery difficult positi. In terms of the the macro on administration as you said part of that stake in getting elected was gonna sayaying thingngs up t ththeir gonna turn the p page. How s some guy this managed to t throrough what is supposed o be a tougher system . Wewell thats a very good quest i think the you know its always easy to do is you didnt read the memos beginning of his term of office as speaker. Anand i can imagine the so the dressing down eagle seeping from the Prime Minister was pretty pretty car stating t that it wod have stripped the the paint off the tools you know i think thats i think the will have what is happened here and the other thing that surprises me is the this wasnt picked toppling people nobody went intnto truman said look you just called jamie this that this was. This was h happening and nothihg was being reportrted to the or e toto the Prime Minister willl to michael so i think that this is also. Bebeen our affair in ththe sense that this nobodyys hes connet to mold plates together across the administration. So i think that theyre all some some v very seriouss questions feels within the administration as well. Thanks for joining us and like if the ban allah. Fast we were saying a second story media pots a lot of f an offense that might continue. Moving on now so your phones we were ready to lead and guide us with that was fast so long bass and nephew off his uncle pasta wife is thursday. Forty two year old o of being at the center of a mass invites died bites. His case causing preservations among his family as they went through multiple legal procedures its an awesome job details. The waiting if not the fighting or the debate is over thats on on ballot forty two has passed away. Over a decade ago in two thousand eighty suffered a near fatal car accident. In a vegetative state doctors tried for years to see signs of brain activity. Then in two thousand thirteen they in on bills wife decided to pull the plug. With the support of six of the young man siblings. But his parents both devout catholics challenge the decisio. Arguing they hadntt been properly consulted. It ruled in their favor and all bill was kept a line. Two years later the European Court of human rights made a landmark judgment ruling that french doctors could take him off life support. Once again his parents launch legal appeals even tryingg to take the case to the u. N. But after much legal back and forth the French State Council and then the highest case of appeals r ruled on june twenty eighth to enend life support. Bills parents have since filed a suit for attempted murder. They said in a statement they were quote resigned that this was the end. That would be called in france ththat left elephants on on bail the case has been followed nationally for years. It has created a debate about euthanasia. If it is akin to murder as some see it. Or if it should be made legal in france because for others such a step should be a dying persons choice. In france a two thousand sixteen law does allow terminally ill patients to be sedated. But there is no legal lethal injection to end suffering. Then someone bills case does prprovide a rare lesson. For an entire natioion though. One of e importance of writing down even when young an able bodied your views on how. If Tragedy Strikes you wish to don. For legal experts agree had well some long bill written down his wishes his care would not have been up for debate. Thats where us President Donald Trump mistreated he set to hold a News Conference as he pushes ahead with controversial plans to include a citizenship question. On the twenty twenty census. And if the Supreme Court temporarily a blow the efforts with more his from twenty four charlie checks. Are you a United States citizen that one question has become politically explosive. President donald trump once it asked to every person living i n the u. S. As papart of the tweny twenty census. But his rival party the democrats say the question would scare immigrants out of participating for sending. One eight billion dollars. A census. Were doing everything with finding out everything about everybody thank you. The the twenty billion dollars. And youre not allowed to ask. Are you a citizen. The Government Survey happens every ten years and the resulting population counts are used to draw congressional districts and allocate hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending. Immigrants legal and undocumented are included in this count and immigrants arere under c counted demococrats fear that would pull moneyey andnd popolitical power away from democratic led cities were immigrants tend to clcluster. Shifting it to wider rural areas where republicans do well. The Drug Administration unsuccessfully argued its case in front of the Supreme Court. Democrats say its setettled. We have been printing the census forms. June thirtieth was the deadline so were printing the forms we fully expect the senses to go forward the president s effort to put the citizens question. System second question on the centers will continue to be challenged in court. But this question is connected to several of trumps for political issues immigration identity and winning elections. And the president doesnt want to be seen as g going down witht a fight. Now mounting tensions in the straits of whole movies for the u. Casing is navy was forced to intervene after three iranian pipes trieded to intercept a british tonka. Is the latest in a string of instances in around other key shipping channel. Comes amid heartening rhetoric between washington and tehran. And the uk seizure of an iranann vessel off gibraltar last week. With d details his foster to foe charlilie james and erin okay. Contradictory claims against around escalating tensionon in e persian gulf. British Officials Say that early thursday three iranian vessels attempted to prevent a British Oil Tanker from crossing into the strait of more moves. Until the british warship hms montrose intervevenes uk officis say the navyy frigate which had been e escorting the tanker issd verbal wararnings to the runny d shipshich subsequently t turnedd away. Britaiains foreign secretary praise to the navys action. Obviously very concerning developments but also v very prd of the role navy and the role that they played in n keeping. British assetets british shipppg safe well continue to monitor the situation very very carefully. Iranan is denying the confntntation hapappened at all foreign minister javad the reef described the accusation as false claims with quote no valu. Thursdays flare up comes amid already strained relations between london and tehran last week british royoyal mararines helped intercept he runs grace one tanker asserting that it was transporting oil to syria in breach of the u. Sanctions. And just wednesday iranian president H Hassan Rouhani issud a warningg directly to britain over that incident my main give you show me im sure wellll youn the news. In s security and you will reale the consequeuees later this time the dread that connie. Now you were so hopeless that when one of your time becausese wants t to move in the region yu have to bring your records to escort it because you are scared as tacit tune. The uk Prime Ministers office has called for a de escalation of tensions but both episodes could bolster the United States effort to create a coalition. One tasked with enforcing freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf Region to counter what us Officials Say are growing threats from tehran. Sneeze coming on the wise now from reuters quitting sits on security and defense committee. As saying that the coup attempts aree being supported giving no more details that if the moments of that committee is part of the routing transitional no minute tree a council member. Agreements i had just been reached innocent on on power sharing. With between the ministry and civilian admins all status duriring a transnsition period l give you more detatails on thats when they come in. Also seven people have been killed in these twenty three inches off the hail stones and Gale Force Winds rip through one of greeces most popular tourist areas. Witnesses describe scenes of panic in how the team in the city of thessalonica. As the freak storm which also just twenty minutes overturned because of my routine trees and caused mudslides. Officials describe the conditions which came after a period of very hot weather. Its unprecedented. We will evacuations underway is the us state of louisiana prepares for potentially the first hurricane of the atlantic this season tears garland has more. Prepare to shelter for long periods of time and secure properties the message to the citizens of new orleans as Tropical Storm barry approaches louisianas southern coast. Its expected to make landfall early saturday and could develop into a hurricane. We cannot pop our way out of the water levels in the water falls that are expected to hit the city of new orleans we need you to understand this. And again be prepared to shelter in place. Heavy rains hit new orleans wednesday flooding streets off to just three hours. For the down pool could cause the Mississippi River to crest at about six meters around the same height as the levees protecting the city were talkiking about amounts anywhere ten to fifteen with locally higher amounts pushin twenty inches with rainfall over the course of friday saturday and maybe even lingering into sunday. Again rainfall and flooding is going to be the number one threat with this. Louisiana is no stranger to serve the about whether a hurrrricane katrina devastated w orleans and its region fourteen years ago. Killing eighteen hundred people. But today Authorities Say they stand ready. Your watching live presiona frost twenty four time now for a Business Update with coast angle i co starting off with something which is caused. A little bit of tension between our phones the United States these french plans to tax tech giants and theyve gone through Parliament Today right its not here as the gas attacks that stands for google amazon and facebook and apple giving some indication of just who this taxes aimed at francis and it gave the green light on thursday aiming the bill is about to com. In to live just waiaiting on the signgnature of president emmanul my call. The reference is the first country to pass the measure like this. Selena sykes has the details. Google apple facebook amazon these multi billion dollar tech giants are the main targets of frances gas attacks. An initiative that to make digital comompanies with the e. Bases elsewhere usually in low taxx countries such as islands and luxembourg pay more on the money they make it from. The tax will apply to free percent of didigital turnover generated i in france defined by the french governmentss as earnings from digital platforms for user to user transactions such as ibm be on the amazon. And Digital Advertising services notably targeted ads sold by google and facebook any tech company with a Global Digital revenue of more than seven hundred and fifty Million Euros. Of which at least twenty five million is generated in france will be subject to the tax not only the big four will be afaffected. Around thirty companies m mostly american but also chinese german and b british will be paying up. As well as thehe french Digital Advertising platform could tell you the french government is hoping the tech tax will generate up to fifive hundred Million Euros by. Twenty twenty paris decided to press ahead with the measure off to the European Union failed to agree on a coincidence whites digital levy. Most countries agree thats an ovalal hole on how old is too farms all text is long life its you. Some including the United Kingdom spain and austria have announced plans for their own Digital Services tax. Office one to wait for a proposal from the organization for economomic cooperation and developmentss thats could also apply to countries outside t the e. U. Such as the u. S. Canada and japan. Byby making the first move for l types of a countrys will follow its lead. Turning now to the e markets whe there were some losses in europe earlier on thursday. The mostly positive day on wall street the dow jones finishing thursday up momore than point 8 you can see right here the s. And p. Also about a 51 . Tech heavy nasdaq on the other hand saw some slilight losses investors the overallll clearly excited about the prospects of a decline in Interest Rates this after Federal Reserve chairman jerome powell. Suggested a drop could be coming soon. At Home Furnishing chain comply my here in france is moving ahead with mass layoffs. Frustration for wororkers. I got outside a key Company Meeting on thursday where they let their presence be known. To me on that elect has more. The store will confirm my exact spoke with Union Representatives of that plan to let go one thousand nine hundred employees and close thirty two stores. The people working in the shop youre going to close here talk to them. Tensions run high as employees fearing for the future best into the room to confront their bosses. One thousand nine hundred people jobless with going in that and this was the man they were most angry at the new ceo of conformal. I want to save conformer. Destroyed nineteen hundred jobs. I want to save six thousand eight hundred jobs. Confirm my later claimed in a press release that security employees were hit in the scuffle and plans to suit the intruders. Rons rocks out five hundred Million Euros worth of losses since. Twenty thirteen the shop closures calm after drop in sales industry wide. Which the federation of french furniture but to almost 3 in. Twenty eighteen traditional friends to stores that coconform out aa struggling against disruptors like im missin. 15 of furniture is books online a figure thats likely to rise i kia is also off your slice of the pie. Its new strategy of setting up show rooms in smaller towns to encourage people to then buy online looks like its paying off. Talks between conformal and Union Representatives are expected to resume on friday. And finally the co founder and head of one the worlds top low Cost Airlines is stepping down. Here in co es is been at the helm o of nororwegian airlines r seventeen years. On thursday he said hed be resigning as chief executive how we saw the transformation of no region from a Small National care into o a global low cost giant. So the First Company to take the low cost model into long haul flights. That has run into some turbulence as of late region has seen declining profits and has been hit by h hit hard by the worldwide grounding of boeing boeing seven thirty seven max jets. Course not the only company christensen Airlines Across the sector all suffering from that very same problem. Cool thanks very much that was to business person him from twenty four ton a sailor to James Crayton of four major what chris plenty going on in phones the james thats what were staying for me i was startingg off with reactioions to the deah of a van so long back. Thats right and lots of reactions or from newspapers on social media at reactions are in the world as well the starting over the border in belgium where they have free care legislation. For euthanasia on like just point out this is a real test case on by to die thats right and here in france. Things are less clear so what theyre saying from the point of view of a country that has legislated for euthanasia where you do have the right to die is that this is a french. Tragedy and that his face even blurred out there out of respect i suppose far at the fact that over a week or so he he his food and his water stopped and thats what led to the well is it appears to be what led to his death is gonna be an autopsy. To be sure of that and this is a piece of care doctor who is very critical of what he calls a hypocriticalal situation. Hes also saying that this could i am open the wait for people who are severely handicapped i had to have their at treatment stopped so thats the fear that this could be kind of a a Tipping Point they could open it at the floodgates far at cases such as this effort the ones left i suppose life not being protected by. The law this is energies will be advancing on them the found that he was not actually dying so it really to it. Its a very its a very tricky case there were many different interpretations as to what his status walls at those who called that he should have been left delight said that he was in a vegetative state. And he was a effort for for many many years he hadnt written down his expressed desire. To not be kept alive and as such at because it you cant. French law doesnt allow for i suppose the morphine to be kind of rump all for you to actually be i suppose your life to be ended to medically speaking at then it had to be done in this very sort of you could say grizzly way were of food and water was tossed. At stopped at so as this is another i patient care doctor any hole there saying that improvements need to be brought to at the little the current law that manages all of this is known as the other one case lynette t. Ab i put it does cover 99 a situation of course and 1 situations are and are still very important to be covered now i i have. Loads of people chiming in on social media and at at depending on their position on this at taking at i suppose revlon our reflection of their stance not regard turning for us is very well known as a feminist writer here in france and very vocal in her defense of the right. To die at maintains that vasselin there was being held against his will in this in this as steaks adventures station that was a form of torture a and abubuse. At finally now being brought to an end to gianluca home able who is a local a politician here in paris at a very well known activist for lgbt rights and the rights over at the end of life rights as well. He also said that this long torturous path of eleven years is no compulsion and prevents on on that its a reminder for everybody to lead to let that the legislation needs to be updated and in this regard. And we need to add also communicates our desires i vis a vis in written form about what we want then others at took a totally different point of view france does not execute its worst criminals frontnts i keep execututes its m most vululnera. Andd its innocent and as you know in on North Country on earth does it count to to you see starvation and dehydration of of criminals yet this is what was on for nine days so its a very emotive to base. At chris at a others chiming in on this as well. This is a well known african activist who is of who is in favor all that was against very much against euthanasia find something that has been lumbering land there has been killed by french court order. At thats her taken on the pope chimed in Catholic Churchs position on this it is no surprise to anyone at their total against euthanasia and so he had his word to say on march in the language of the of the pope as you would yeah divisive and of course countries a very different approaches to even within the e. You also in phones james the environment Story College administrators say. Is in a bit of hot water. This one and it is going on and on what we saw earlier today it was these are the headlines french farm minister argues that dinners of giant lobster in five hundred euro vintage wine were crucial for staying in touch with civil societyty. These were revelations by media which are. Where you know lava hundreds were held and at it m media p ps as these were private dinners he claims that they were dinners to kind of meet the public and whatnot. But then it it also emerged at this only because if hes of the guardian it with her kind of ascorbic tone and this is a left wing politician saying this is what my meal laws. And this is water flows with who jesus is using gee isnt it i suppose to some extent the optics are rolled on fortune is in the current. Context of judicial and what not yeah i it worth pointing out that because they were meant there was a series of revelations. At that he left his chief of staff goal because it turned out that she held on to a social has an apartment for twelve years despite not living in us. No he did not to sort of strength in his own position so that he wouldnt have to stand down in light of accusations of abuse of public funds. It has now emerged in another revelation this evening after he went before the Prime Minister and kind of was given the all clear if you like. That he himself. Was still in possession of an apartment that officially is could be qualified to socializing of he says hes paying full market rate for this apartment he was never informed. I inin any wayay shahape or r fe wallss offfficiallyy sociaial h. Hes publishshed all t the documentnts withh that with thte estatate agent o on his facacebk page hees maiaintainingng thas is a f form o of harasassments y media part it is interesting to note that they add that they came up with this revelation very late in the day after hed already sort of try to clear his name certainly there is a bit of a back and forth there. With the media parts on the environment minister and theres light should be more on friday morning yes i in paris wl not think my honest james a crane that 07 11 19 07 11 19 [captioning made possible by democracy now ] amy from new york, this is democracy now i am here today because i dont want any more Little Angels to suffer the way mariee did, the way i am now. I dont want any more mothers or fathers to lose children. It cant be so hard for a country like the United States to protect children. Am g