d.w. you're an expert on germany's bundestag religion two thousand and seventeen. mistake germany decides german bundestag election two thousand and seventeen on d w. this is due to every news coming to you live from berlin a day after u.s. president donald trump threatened to destroy a north korea germany's chancellor all first to help results in north korea crisis . even though this conflict is far away from germany is also affects us or not is

why i am prepared to us as the foreign minister to assume responsibility for. an exclusive interview merkel tells d.w. diplomacy is the only way forward with pyongyang also coming up a desperate rescue effort underway at this hour in mexico city at a primary school that collapsed during tuesday's earthquake the building is one of hundreds destroyed what's being called mexico's deadliest earthquake in a generation. and protester rocked in barcelona after spanish police detained a regional had a lot of officials there alleged crime organizing an independence referendum that madrid says is illegal. and sarah harman welcome to the show it's good to have you with us. germany's

chancellor has spoken out on the north korea crisis just days ahead of germany's general election and the americal said she disagrees with trump's military ultimatum to north korea in exclusive interview with g w miracle offer germany's assistance in the go shooting into full not exclusion yesterday trump told the un that the us would destroy north korea if it continued to threaten the united states or its allies. i promise you is the only way to solve the north korea conflict according to the german chancellor in an exclusive interview with g w hunger merkel spoke out in favor of multilateral negotiations involving international partners such as china russia and the united states even if this conflict is far away from germany it's one that also affects us that's why i'm prepared to assist the foreign minister to assume responsibility here. we took part

in negotiating the iran agreement which i think is good and better than having no agreement at all. it took many years but in the end it did limit iran's possibilities for nuclear armament them. from. addressing the u.s. president's threats to destroy north korea angela merkel had a special message for donald trump. we consider any type of military solution to be absolutely inappropriate and we're counting on diplomatic efforts this must be vigorously implemented in my opinion sanctions and enforcing these sanctions are the right answer but anything else with regard to north korea i think is wrong and that's why we clearly disagree with the u.s. president. with a pulse in her favor and can feel confident that she'll be reelected as chancellor of the a if he is likely to win seats in parliament for the first time medical

ruled out ever cooperating with the far right party and she promised to take the concerns of those who feel disadvantaged seriously. my you know and my answer is clear to solve people's problems the worries they have having their own jobs as well as decent schools and doctors to really take care of these issues but on the other hand to signal a clear stop to hatred and violence. the interview with chancellor merkel was the last in a series of seven that included all top candidates of germany's major parties and recent surveys are correct on sunday on the american conservative c.d.u. c.s.u. will become the strongest political power and she could become one of the longest serving chancellors in german history. more i'm joined now by our editor in chief polls they conducted that interview in

his great to have you in the studio today this offered to mediate with north korea it's big news is germany the white country to play that role i think so the germany has something to offer let's start with the then divide the germany i mean we have an experience to live of the wall that we had east germany investment under the mcclellan chancellor grew up in the east so you know she really has experienced that. the other thing is that because of the close tie it's from east germany to russia we have a traditionally closer relationship to north korea because russia then you know was a partner in the korean war with north korea so there is some relationship from germany to north korea and i think this is what i'm going to mecca refers to so there's some history there but we do have to remember of course that we're four days away from a general election how do you think americans comments about trump are going to play out with german voters because talking about about trump is sort of sometimes a way to score points or that's absolutely right everything i'm going to assess now

four days before the election is connected to the election she's always come paining so she is and indeed i mean germany love president barack obama they just found him so cool especially after the bush is it was really a change you know those donald trump we just don't know what to do with them you know one day he says so the other day he says so and just his attitude is arrogancy to say always let's put america first many many germans do not like this and this is also something i think an america reacts to this is really. speech he gave at the u.n. about north korea that's a reaction i think for her to stand up hey listen i don't agree with you i take my own stance and i criticize you in public yeah she has that kind of showmanship style that doesn't necessarily go down well in germany but let's talk about meryl for a second she's going for her fourth term that's sort of unheard of in western democracies is it something specific about her that resonates with germans or do germans just

not like to change a good thing. very good question indeed we actually asked her that specific question really it's really worth watching the interview. i mean she stands really for continuity you know in a world which is shaken she's kind of a solid rock that's what germans sure won because germany is doing fairly well compared to other countries to other european countries but one has to be fair you know she really thought about it and she spoke openly about it that she didn't make herself an easy decision she really was debating on oh should i run for fourth term i mean she's in office since twelve years there's a whole generation who doesn't know anybody else but i'm going to america as a child but she's strong she's still powerful and she obviously also wants to take the responsibility now to keep leading germany she's known as an individual for being reserved for being calculated during your interview did you get the chance to ask her anything personal. she is reserved and she was reserved in the interview

even so she was very friendly she's very bright she's very then the moment i asked her you know how she handles this burden which is laying on her shoulders i mean the whole world has all these expectations for her kind of to be the rock in this shaken world as i said early on so i asked her there's a chance you worried about some things what are you off is do you sometimes not sleep well at night and she gave us some answers so what show interview and you get them now and honestly. i don't know i said. it's easy no but she talked about it and she said sure it's she feels too good and. bored about the situation in all the crisis countries around us all right so a lot of interesting information coming out of that interview poll editor in chief thanks for being with us in the studio and as you know as mentioned you can watch that full interview here on d.w. beginning at two thirty a.m. u.t.c. you can catch it again at six thirty a.m. u.t.c. and they'll be repeating later in the day and of course if you just can't wait

you'll find the whole thing on our website w dot com and remember just four days to go until germany decides and we want you to join the discussion on the election you can get more of our coverage at g.w. got com you can also get updates on our facebook page and of course follow us on twitter and tell us your opinion using the hash tag germany decides our social media team can't wait to hear from you. well turning now to some other world news in mexico at least two hundred twenty five people have been confirmed dead after tuesday's earthquake rescue workers are frantically searching for survivors trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings and one of the most desperate rescue efforts right now is under way at a primary school in mexico city. it has become the focal point of the latest natural disaster to hit mexico rescue workers and emergency crews have flocks to this primary school in the desperate search for survivors they're exhausted after

working through the night but while there's hope they'll keep on going. as well it is possible there are survivors because we confirmed this with a thermal camera which detects human heat the conditions aren't optimal but we're doing the best we can all these people are. looking at is that. of all the buildings to have collapsed the school story is perhaps the most harrowing many children have already lost their lives under the rubble here and many more are still missing some panic stricken parents have reportedly received text messages from their children trapped inside. in a cruel twist of irony the seven point one magnitude quake struck just after many in the city had carried out an earthquake drill like every year that drill was shadowed on the anniversary of a nine hundred eighty five earthquake that killed more than ten thousand people. this latest adversity has united the city in both grief and determination people

from all walks of life are formed human chains to help path out rubble with. you that is sad because you want to help out but you can't do anything you want to do everything quickly it's like a human survival instinct but you can't do anything. but the sheer number of people involved is also complicating efforts. rescuers regularly call for silence and he sounds missed as a possible life lost. as the search for survivors continues many in the city have taken refuge on the streets the second quake to hit the country in just two weeks left them with nowhere else to go. mexico's president enrique pena nieto says mexico is facing a new national emergency he's declared three days of national mourning to honor the victims. while more i'm joined now by mark handy he seismologist at berlin's

free university thanks for being with us in the studio today a seven point one magnitude quake absolutely devastating to the people in mexico how much advance notice was there that this was going to happen when did seismologists like yourself know north korea is coming well had they known i'm sure they would have said something had they been sure the trouble is that it's very difficult based on size seismic events that are small to predict exactly when the big ones going to happen so that's why they probably remain silent it's very it's not like the weather then is that you can't say ok we're expecting a massive earthquake here in two days and that makes it all the more tricky to warn people do you think so that people in this region can look forward to more seismic activity in the coming days well certainly after a big event it's usual to have aftershocks so that people will become very nervous i'm sure they will feel quakes coming more frequently and then these quakes can die off with time so the frequency will decrease but there will be quakes next few days

and this wasn't the first major earthquake in this part of mexico are there particular areas that are more prone to earthquakes yes there are. i mean mexico city has been hit before nine hundred eighty five is a very big one that killed almost ten thousand people so it's not exactly unexpected the trouble is that. can't say exactly when it's going to happen within three or four days the time that it would take to evacuees city it's just not possible so we can't really about where in advance of an earthquake what can we do if you feel an earthquake should you i've heard different things should you get in a door frame go into the table go outside what's your professional advice well you pens where you are in the building and it depends how severe the shaking is instinctively i would say you disappear under something heavy something so that if the roof falls down then it doesn't fall in your head or at least the fall is broken so there are steps you can take that can anything be done on a larger scale to prevent the kind of death and destruction that we're seeing right now in mexico city well in mexico city in fact is already under take

a number of steps they've they have a fairly good advanced warning system that is to say monitors they monitor the seismicity and they've also introduced building codes that are much stricter so that the buildings don't topple down quite as easily want to be given to happens but in the end like that nothing can really prevent. being destruction a lot of this unfortunately does markandey as a seismologist at berlin's free university thanks for sharing your expertise. well turning now to another natural disaster hurricane maria has been wreaking havoc across puerto rico the storms now weaken slightly but not before its two hundred forty kilometer per hour winds inflicted some serious damage the storm was the strongest one in eighty years and it triggered heavy flooding and knocked out power across puerto rico u.s. territory was already in a financial crisis and this devastation is likely to only make things worse earlier maria left the island of dominica strewn with debris the government there said most

housing had been significantly damaged or destroyed at least seven people are confirmed dead. here's a brief look now at some other stories from around the world iran's president haasan rouhani is hit back at u.s. president trying threat to scrap the iran nuclear deal he told the u.n. general assembly it would be a great pity if the deal were destroyed by what he called rogue newcomers to the world of politics he also said the u.s. administration would only destroy its own credibility if it violated its international commitments. at least twelve people have died more than a ninety are missing due to flooding in eastern congo local authorities say emergency teams have been sent to the town of been a drenching rains calls a river there to burst its banks going to supreme court has been delivering its reasons why it notified last month's presidential election result judges said the

counties seized me the country's electoral commission made a number of procedural errors president who cannot it was declared the winner of the vote before it was an old a rerun of the election will be held you know twelve work. in spain tensions are running high over plans by the catalan region to hold and an authorized independence fell to were first spanish police raided several regional government offices and detained fourteen catalog of fishes as part of a crackdown on the planned referendum and that prompted protests in barcelona the capital of the region where independence is a hotly contested issue. thousands of protesters take to the streets of pass alone or the target of their fury at the police when they crossed the red line today. earlier the offices of the catalan regional government were searched and fourteen people arrested their alleged crime preparing for the independence referendum on

october the first. special spain has effectively lifted catalonia is autonomous status and imposed on us a state of emergency. the police operation marks an escalation the spanish government is doing all it can to stop catalonia and economic powerhouse from breaking away madrid views the referendum is illegal and spanish unity is a cornerstone. all responsibility. to the protagonists in the cop line regional government who are behind this threat to our coexistence i demanded that you stop your illegal acts that you abandon your proposals. you already know that this referendum you won't be taking place. it was never legal nor legitimate now it's just an impossible dream or what's worse an excuse that some are looking for to cause a deeper rift that they've caused in cattle on society. pro

independence campaign is a determined the referendum will go ahead police who were supposed to prevent the ballot have been banned from taking any holiday. you're watching t.v. news still to come on our program two giants of the steel industry are looking to merge germany's teasin and india's tata steel but unions are warning that thousands of jobs could be on the line to take a closer look at the business logic. but first some business is javier the us dollar set to rise again that's right after we heard the latest statement by the us federal reserve as usual highly expected the us federal reserve has left interest rates unchanged but signaled a hike could be on the cards before the end of the year fed chief janet yellen now also announced a reduction in the central bank's bond buying program analysts say she's facing

a tough balancing act between embracing an ongoing economic recovery and worrying over a recent drop in inflation. and when yellen speaks the business world is listening and so is our financial correspondent at the new york stock exchange was there is that ohio's degrees good to see you all right so based on what you've heard and what we've heard will we see a further rate hike this year. it seems so javier over the last couple of days and futures were already discounted maganda possibility of up their interest rate a high does year probably in december after conversations in washington about the tax cuts and our fiscal stimulus hit it on a day after the following see published its stock plot and economic projections those of spectators have skyrocketed to over seventy percent in favor of a twenty basis twenty five basis point increase by me december that will lock short

term interest rates of between a range of one point twenty five on one point five percent india and yelling come from the present conference about the pot will continue to increase at barter but if you want to listen exactly to what she said we have raised the funds rate four times. we believe that we are on a path where thier will likely be further increases over the next couple of years which will give us greater room. and we think the recovery is on the strong track so the reason for our actions today and beginning to run down the balanchine is we think the economy is performing well and we have confidence in the outlook for the real economy. janet yellen there clearly stating why she is also reversing the so-called quantitative easing program now series back to you is this a bold move or rather playing it safe. what i would say how here is

a very cautious move into the unknown and let's keep in mind there is no historical president on such a reduction in defense but it is true that yellen and fed members have done an excellent job in said india structure for the market to know exactly how this process is going to war again please on the bad side that nobody knows the real impact this will have on the bond market especially in treasury revealed and we do need to figure out where does a debt betsy's the appropriate level to a stop this process. at the new york stock exchange will follow that up with you thank you very much. back to europe now where shares in german lender spike briefly on wednesday after renewed speculation that a merger could be on the cart's according to the reuters news agency italy's unicredit recently approached the german government with an interest in merging with the state backed lender it's still early days but such

a move could go ahead and it would be in that case one of europe's largest ever crossed for mergers. and speaking of fusions it's the latest move to counter europe's steel crisis german industrial giant isn't cope as merging its european operations with its indian competitor to are better than one they say but employees are not really that enthusiastic about the news as the fusion will likely cost thousands of jobs. protests have already begun at this to plant where workers have set up a vigil for the jobs they're afraid to lose two thousand in management and another two thousand in production split evenly between the two companies some fear these cuts are only the beginning. of not to move from i don't expect much good to come out of this it seems that after initial cuts there's also a restructuring planned but probably not the problem is that we have to shoulder the burden of the merger we definitely stand against this if we can't stop

a merger at least we'll try to get as many concessions to workers as possible. consideration is most important for us is how many jobs will be left where they keep all the plants open can we get our trainees into employment that's what we're fighting for. with workers worried to some cop c.e.o. highly he zinger is defending the move. when we had a line of mine if we had continued on our own the risk to jobs would have been far greater and the extent of restructuring even farther reaching than without the joint venture ventures that's because cheap steel imports from china have been challenging the european market in recent years and while it just won't break the top ten of global steel producers even after the merger there will be a better position to in europe set to produce twenty one million tons of steel per year that's a clear shot at second place tested only by luxembourg's our sell on mittal.

markets responded well to the merger news with shares. both companies rising on the prospect of six hundred million euros in synergies also the two companies complement each other well ta-ta a strong and industrial steel plant just in steel for auto manufacturing. and auto manufacturing is important here in germany but it's not the only thing they do right it's not how we're we're going straight to china where a new exhibit of german art has just opened in beijing art both old and new is being shown eight different museums throughout the city bringing germany's art see to chinese audiences there's more. this something new within the walls of beijing's forbidding city german ont more of it than has ever been displayed in china from postwar paintings to contemporary works to photography of hilla and bent

under a secure ski and the political portraits of andreas moore the exhibition includes three hundred twenty works by fifty five artists spanning seven decades and it's a sensation visitors to beijing can see the city transformed into a temporary german art gallery. is displayed in at different locations throughout the city in cool gallery districts and old factories and there are plenty of young artists involved the chinese people are obviously curious they want to know what distinguishes germany what is real what is illusion sebastian female makes negative images from the paintings of cats but david fled to this. yeah as if you know china you can best sing someone's praises by copying them the copy becomes a tribute to the original and i think visitors here will be alert to what i'm trying to say. oh isn't it. kind of hazy it looks pretty

simple but actually there's a lot behind it it surprises me it's very precise i like it a lot. david chanel's landscapes and here with a hint of cyberspace new view points all the way from leipsic. sized office cloud of truck tire in the troops gets its inspiration.