Unions are stepping up their battle against proposed pension reforms. This is the largest industrial action france has seen in decades. From brexit to mexit. Harry and meghan saying they will step back from real duties. It seems they have forgotten to tell the queen. We will take a look at the royal fallout. Brent im brent goff. To our viewers on pbs in the United States and around the world, welcome. In the last few minutes, the canadian Prime Minister has echoed u. S. Reports intelligence officials indicate iran likely shot down the Ukrainian International airlines plane, which crashed on wednesday. The plane was on its way from the iranian capital to the ukrainian capital. Unnamed u. S. Officiaials have td u. S. Mededia iranian air d defee systems may have accidentally shot down the plane. Ukraine has asked western nations to provide any evidence, intelligence or whatever they can that could show or corroborate these allegations. The plane was carrying 176 people. 63 of them were canadian. Here is what canadas Prime Minister, justin trudeau, said in the last hour. We have intelligence from multiple sources intrude including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates the plane was shot down by an array knee and surfacetoair missile. This a well have been unintentional this may well have been unintentional. Brent for more, we want to go to larry. He is a pilot and former aviation investigator with the canadian Transportation Safety board. Justin trudeau confirming he also has intelligence that the plane was downed mistakenly by an iranian missile. From what you have seen, what are the indications this plane was shot down by accident . Larry it has all the signatures of that eatingng very possibibl. They obviously have informatitin that is not availablble publicly they are using. The president of the United States and the Prime Minister of canada do not throw the stuff around. They have information and they are very convinced that is what happened. In my book, that makes it very likely. The signatures of that happening are all over this. This aircraft was disabled very quickly by something very dramatic. That just does not happen to a modern airplane like the boeing 737 80800 flying along g from an airport. It is somethingng t they cant f something mechanically did happen, it would be something brandnew we have never seen before. Brent we have information that tells us the plane turned back and was heading towards the airport is what we have been told. There was no call by the pilots. In terms of communication, there was a sudden blackout. Does that tell you there must have been an explosion . It cannot b be something mechanical can it . It is notot likely to b be something mechanical. That all of a sudden totally didisables the airplane. That would come from Something Like an explosion or a complete disabling of the electrical system from something dramatic. There is no history of that in that airplane or any modern airplane like that, and engine blowing up. You have another engine that could fly the airplane. This airplane lost communication. It was on fire before it hit the ground. That has all the spells and tastes the smells and tastes of a missile or an explosion inside the airplane rather than a mechanical event. Brent we know a third of the people on the plane who died were canadians. We have a call from canada, a demand that its own experts be allowed to join the investigation. Iran has indicated it will keep the black boxes but will grant access to ukrainian investigators. What is your feeling about the credibility and the integrity of this investigation . Larry i think the iranians would be very wise to open the investigation up to those who have been interest in its outcome. Canada has a tremendous interest because of all of the citizens who were on the airplane. If they want credibility for what they are going to release as findings, they are going to have much more credibility if they open it up and allow people to come to a consensus as to what happened r rather then cloe it o off and come e to their own conclusion andnd try to convince the world. They would be very wise to open it up. Brent until that happens, we have to rely on people like you who have experience in investigating crashes. As a former investigator, tell us how your colleagues in iran would normally proceed. What is s happening nonow . Larry they would g go into the wreckage. They would go into the data recorders. Hopefully, they have the data recorders downloaded already. They would go into those and see what they could find as far as systems failures and all of the parameters. What that would tell them a what story thahat releleases to them. They would go into the wreckage and look for signatures of an explosive device and so on. They would take swabs and do lab tests. They would be able to tell quickly if there is residue from an explosive device or missile. I would guess i would hope they would already know in irirn whether or not a a missile brout the airplalane down. N. It w would not bee hard to figue out as it would be ifif it was a memechanical failulure. It would be quite somomething astounding. That would take a long time. A mimissile would not t take tht long or a bomb wouldld not take ththat long to f figure out. If it was a missile or r a bombi would suggest they already know. Brent a former aviation investigator with the canadian Transportation Safety board. We appreciate your time tonight and your valuable insights. Thank you. Just before the canadian Prime Minister spoke about the crash, u. S. President donald trump had this to say about the crash in tehran that killed everyone on board. I have my suspicions. I do not wanted say that because other people have their suspicions also. It is a tragic thing when i see that. Somebody could have made a mistake on the other side, could have made a mistake. It was flying not our system. At has nothing to do with us it has nothing to do with us. It was flying in a pretty rough neighborhood. Some people say it was mechanical. I personally do not think that is a question. Brent lets go now to our washington correspondent. Good evening to you. Apparently, the u. S. President and the canadian Prime Minister have shared information or have the same information. Do we know anymore about the intelligence they are using to base these statements on . Here in the United States, we have not had any confirmation from the pentagon, but we do know the United States and canada do share intelligence information. They are part of the five eyes intelligence alliance. We can assume from that statement from President Trump that he had information at his disposal that he did not die a bulge in greater detail. That he did not divulge in greater detail. We have to wait to see if the pentagon comes out and says something. The canadian Prime Minister has confirmed a lot of the rumors that have been circulating here in the United States. Brent we know the plane went down on the evening or Early Morning when iranian airstrikes took place that hit bases in iraq that housed u. S. Soldiers. There has been a lot of speculation in the United States that the u. S. President maybe has welcomed this tragedy or information to distract from the intense criticism he has been getting in washington for his decision last week to have an iranian general killed with a drone strike. Have you been hearing a lot of talk about how this is all possibly connected . Certainly. At the moment, there is a lot of criticism in particular from the democrats. There have also in some grumblings from the republicans on how the situation was handled with regards to the whole issue with the iranian general. At the moment, what is being discussed is how a lot of this information was made available to President Trump. U. S. Media saying u. S. Officials had been monitoring the situation in that region because they had been expecting an attack in the region following the assassination of the arabian general. What they are saying and what it seems to be confirmed is that this looks like it was a surfacetoair missile. That is what a lot of officials are saying in the u. S. Media. What they would need is information with regards to the black box. Access to the wreckage would confirm this. The attention has shifted more to this actual aircraft going down and what exactly and how exactly it all worked out. It looks like americans will not be having any access to the black box. They more than likely will not have any access to the wreckage. Brent our correspondent with the latest from washington. Thank you. Here are some of the o other stories making headlines around the world. At least 20 people have been reportedly killed in a militant attack in northeastern nigeria. The attack also sparked a fire that lefeft hundreds of f alreay displaced people homeless. An Extremist Group linked to the Islamic State has claimed responsibility. What is lawmakers have approved the withdrawal met the Withdrawal Agreement that allows the u. K. To leave the e. U. This month. It is expected to become law in the coming weeks. In france, hundreds of thousands have hit the streets in an other day of strikes and protests against president emmanuel macrons proposed pension reforms. His push for change has unleashed one of the longest strike actions in france in decades. Police are using tear gas to control protesters. The strikes have caused weeks of travel chaos across the country. Earlier, our correspondent said more on the event from paris. Lisa hundreds of thousands of protesters have been marching against france it is between 200000 and 600,000 depending on who you listen to. That is about a third of how many people are out protesting on the 17th of december. That is the last day of protest against the pension reform. Today was the 36th day of strikes here in france. The strike is happening in different sectors across the french economy, especially in the transport sector. Very few trains are running. In paris, the local transport, which is running the metros, has largely ground to a halt. This is the Longest Railway strike since the 1930s in france. Brent that was lisa louis reporting from paris. Now to the royal resignation. Prince harry and meghan margos announcement Meghan Markles announcement they are going to step back from the real duties has sent shockwaves across windsor. The news apparently took print charles by surprise. Harry and meghans wedding in 2018 hailed as the start of a new chapter for the start of the british family. They say they want to become financially independent and spend more time in north america. It is a shock announcement it is getting a lot of press attention. Im joined by my my colleague by my colleague who guys been tracking reactions online. One british newspaper today dedicated the first 17 pages of its addition to this announcement. This is explosive. It is a move over brexit. It is mexit. Reactions it has been a mixed bag. Have some saying they have gone too far. Onee sank they did d not bother consulting one saying they did not bother consulting the queen. Others are saying they have not gone far enough. Calllling the royall family, an Outdated Institution that ruins the lives of most people in it. If harry and meghan are going to quit, they would have to ditch the royal titles. They cannot have it both ways. Others are respondnding more tongueueincheek. Saying, wait, you can resign from your family . The famous Madame Tussauds wax museum in london has taken the resignation dated very literally, reassigning them to a different part of the museum. These days, life comes at you fast. Brent you cannot resign from your family. This amounts to prince harry saying, i am resigning from my public job as a royal. From what we understand, he has said he does not want to be paid anymore. That does not sound like a spoiled brat. That sounds like a man who thinks he has a better income source in the future. It just reinforces the fact this is a big deal in the u. K. It is a huge deal. Harry and meghan, they were the most popular couple of the royal family in terms of sheer favorability. This is a huge blow to the family. They were seen as this new bright hope. They had just the right mix of pomp and progressiveness. For other people, they felt a lot more relatable. There was this hoped they would bring in this new era for the royal family. That was something that was needed. We saw a slew of scandals last year. Lastly, and this is something who a lot of people who did not grow up in an arc east thahat nt fully u understand. In times of political turmoil, the royal family is who you look tour for a sense of stability you look to for a sense of stability. Brent sounds like you have been writing for the crown on netflix. What about the money . Harry and meghan say they want to become financially independent. How does a prince go about becoming not a pauper, but not financed by the crown . That is the gravestone they find themselves in. You not half you do not have to worry about them ending up in the street. They are going to keep their cottage. Security is going to be paid for. What is happening by stepping down as senior members, they are giving up access to the sovereignty grant. It is an annual funding mechanism of the monarchy. It means they are free to earn their own money. Shortly after announcing the decisionon, they launched this w website. It is called sussex royal. Com. They trademarked the name in december. That fueled a lot of speculation that they were up to something. They are relaunching themselves as a brand. That is not unlike the obamas or the clintons. They went to use that name recognition to launch this big new charity. If that does not work out, looks like there is a job opening at the daily show. Brent what you are telling us is they are not going to have to worry about paying off a mortgage because they keep the cottage. I think they are going to be set for the foreseeable future at least. Brent we appreciate your reporting and your royal watching. Thank you. Prosecutors in lebanon have banned the former nissan boss from leaving the country after interrogating him for the financial misconduct charges he is facing in japan. Despite that, his lawyer says his client is comfortable with lebanons judicial system. A big contrast to what he said about japan yesterday. Beiruts this is where carlos cohen was questioned by prosecutors for nearly two hours. His lawyer says he trusts the Lebanese Justice system. There were two sessions. One related to the interpool request and the other regarding israel. A group of lebanese lawyers have accused him of normalization with israel. Lebanon deems israel an enemy state. He does not have to fear going back to japan because lebanon has no extradition agreement with tokyo. In japan, his arrest triggered a heated debate about the countrys he alleged he was held in inhumane conditions. The charges against him include underreporting earnings. His criticism of japans justice issue has struck a nerve. For years, a federation of attorneys have complained they are not allowed to be present during the questioning of suspects who are put under enormous pressure to confess. The conviction rate is 99 . Even a judge wouldld think the defendant is guilty. Right from the beginning, even though the defendants lawyer says he is innocent, the judge does not think so. Japans Justice Minister rejected the allegations. Brent china says a new type of virus could be the cause of a mysterious pneumonia like illness. The virus is related to the one a caused the one that caused the deadly sars outbreak in 2003. It has been linked to a seafood market. Manany off the patieients wod at worry visited the seafood market. The city is about 900 kilometers inland. Officials have put precautionary measures in place. The border entry exit control points have enhanced Health Surveillance and inspection. Medical personnel have beeeen advised toto stay alert and corentin suspected cases as early as possible. The Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau will keep in close contacact with the e world healh organization. China has been hit hard by paththogens in ththe past. The sars outbreak killed over 700 people in the region. Experts have confirmed this is a different disease. So far, there have been no fatalities among the reported 59 people who contracted the illness. Health officialsls remain on hih alert. We have conducted a risk assessment. Wewe have acactivated d the seve response level. Under this, in r relation to new infectious diseases, the immediate effect on Public Health is moderate. In the meantime, the number of confirmed patients has remained steady. Chinas state broadcaster reports eight patients were released on wednesday. Brent it was a matter of minutes when the waves arrived and changed lives forever in indonesia 15 years ago on the 20 in indonesia. 15 years ago, waves of up to 30 menieres were recorded as they swept through 30 meters were recorded as they swept through indonesia. The tsunami unleashed its destructive force. As the years have passed, some survivors have t turned to the ocean as a way to heal and find meaning after losing so much to the waters. Some people run from their fefears. Gary sururfs on hisis. Thee waveses bring fun and thri, but 15 years ago, a tsununami inflicteted the cruelest pain, killlling almost half of h his family. Nonow traumatized, for him, surfing is about surviving. We no longer feel this wave was the one that destroyed us. We just do not think like that anymore. In fact, the waves are now our friends. If you are wondering, how could we serve a wave that killed us, we have not t ought abouout tha. We treat the waves like our bodies hang around us every day. Nowhere was movre debit no one was more devastated in the coastal community. Graveyardsds are now filleled wh those whwhoave perished. Some victitims have nevever been found. I keep praying for the best for my family members. The reality is they have passed away. Hopefully, they are now in heaven. Jarring memories are everywhere. A 2600 vessel was flung ashore. Now open to visitors, a permanent exhibit turned coping mechanism. In the early years after the tsunami, it was hard. I cried almost every day. I was grateful the people around me made me strong. My friends were with me during those d days. They made meme mentallyy strong. It has been rebuilding and regenerating. At the mosque, they are welcoming worshipers again. Some of the damage is left untouched. Do not forget the synonymy reads this site do not forget the tsunami reads this sign at the mosque. Brent you are watching dw news life from berlin. After a short break, i will be alive to take you through the day. Stick around after that for that. Want to live in paris on front twenty four the headlines this hour. Us intelligence Officials Say the ukrainian passenger jet that crashed yesterday outside tehran was brought down by iran by mistake. De crane is callilig for more evidence iran says the plane crashed because of it. A full day of mass rallies in franzs unions continue to fight president macrons Pension Plans hundreds of thousands of march across the country and the transport strike is now in its fifth week. And the United Kingdom is on course to leave the European Union at the end of six months and days of voted