it's all about george chance to discover the world from different perspectives. join us inspired by distinctive instagram others at d.f.w. stories new topics each week on instagram. this is the daily news live from berlin germany on edge at the moment after police evacuated a christmas market suspect package spark to panic in the city of potsdam just outside berlin or thought he say it contained nails and fireworks we'll bring you

the latest in just a second. also on the program fresh pressure on the trumpet ministrations federal investigators charge another senior official this time it's former national security advisor michael flynn he's pleaded guilty to lying to the f.b.i. about his conversations with russian officials. and the countdown to next year's soccer world cup in russia has begun officials making the group stage draw in moscow earlier today we'll find out who's playing who and what that means for the favorite. hello and welcome my name is christopher spring a good to have you with us and we begin with breaking news here in germany bomb disposal experts have secured and destroyed a package found in the eastern city of potsdam nearby lin they say the package contained nails and a powder. the substance it's unclear though whether it was part of an explosive

device the package was delivered to a pharmacy in potsdam leading police to evacuate a nearby christmas market. pot stirrers the capital of brandenburg a short while ago that state's interior minister and local police had this to say. as it isn't guarded by right now we're checking what this device was filled with our experts are taking it apart and we know what some of it consists of the rest now leads to be tested the question to be answered is whether this was an explosive or was the device filled with plaster or another fake material. and then of course we need to find out if it was capable of exploding. and we're only beginning this analysis now and. just what he thought about this you know that the parcel looked suspicious so the pharmacist noticed that it contained wires and a cylindrical object with this of course of the german federal police we x.

rated it and confirmed that there was indeed a cylindrical object inside and it contained nails. standing by in part some forests linda a few. linda we've just been listening to the police there they've destroyed that suspicious package what more are they telling you. my we're right at the sport here if you look behind me two hundred meters there's a pharmacy where this package got in the afternoon and this is where the police also evacuated the area and what they are telling us just a little while ago is that the package contained nails and batteries and why use but they didn't find he did tonight or so it's not really clear if if it's just if there was anything in there that could have been really explosive so nothing no proof yet this is what the police is telling us they have evacuated all the area and it stays like that there are still people here they can't access their houses

this is what's happening here in potsdam ok and linda i don't know whether you've had a chance to talk to some of the locals there. as you say there is evacuated into many people walking around have you been able to talk to anybody are people anxious. yes there's a couple of people around here waiting to access the their flats this is actually a residential area here and i mean put some is right at the steps to berlin this is actually the area where you live when you want rather a quiet life compared to the bustling city of burden so people yes people are anxious but people also very calm and say ok let's wait what's behind that and police is on high alert. and linda you know memories are still fresh off the track on a bulletin christmas market. roughly this time last year so people are still pretty nervous something. people are definitely nervous this is

a topic at all the christmas markets around germany and basically yes there are a lot of christmas markets and there are loads loads of police around there right now police is on high alert and this is actually also before this incident something that police had on their mind people were thinking about that but. the incident of today shows that there's no no no such thing as one hundred percent security people know that life is like that things like that can happen but we don't know what's behind it yet linda just tell us a little bit more about the security provisions pottstown a christmas market many of. i think almost two and a half thousand christmas markets across germany have put up fairly big barriers to stop any vehicles. accessing them is that similar import stuff. i couldn't i hadn't had the chance to get any closer as you can see there's

a very here we can't access the area i haven't seen any concrete barrier yes close here. can't say it hundred percent but there's a lot of police here even in the tiny town around here where actually i'm from there's a police presence of the christmas markets with it which is something i think the germans are not really used to maybe in berlin but not in tiny cities or rather tiny cities like here in pottstown ok linda many thanks for that linda fear reporting from pottstown. turning to our other top story tonight donald trump's former national security advisor michael flynn has pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the f.b.i. flynn left the courthouse earlier today the charges against him part of a special investigation into suspected illegal contacts between the trant team and russia before donald trump entered office and prosecutors say flynn lied to the f two f.b.i. about his contacts with russian officials he is the most senior member so far of

the trump team to face charges. i'm going to pull in our washington correspondents and all this cost and phenomenal cost and flynn has been investigated for quite a wide range of allegations but he's only being charged with a single count of lying to the f.b.i. how closely is he cooperating but this investigation well we don't know that for sure because. special prosecutor appointed by the apartment of justice here is keeping his cards very close to his chest but as you said there are many observers yo believe. much more on flynn than just this one. this one point of making false statements to the f.b.i. is so there is clearly occasion. back to flynn is cooperating with them or look to get. punishment for what he did and that he's now effectively

a witness for the prosecution in this ongoing investigation and person that would that would suggest that he is providing information on potential suspects or persons of interest in this investigation in exchange for that leniency. we can expect that even though michael flynn himself has not said that in public in a written statement published today he said he accepted full responsibility for his mistakes but also rejected what he calls false claims that he had committed treason but again you know he didn't implicate other people in his statements so far but some kind of deal probably has been struck behind the scenes and after pleading to pleaded guilty there was a pretty swift reaction from the white house. yeah indeed lawyers for

trump's. nothing that flynn had state to so far indicated anyone know it's special in the white house and that of course is true still. some people around trump for instance jarrett cushion his son in law and advisor also the attorney general even jeff sessions both men had problems in the past remembering exactly what they talked about with the russian officials and how many russian officials they met so they might be very we don't know yet how many people are still in the focus of robert miller i don't think he's finished yet and. how close is this getting to president trump himself. i think we're not at the point where the president is implicated for his personal dealings with the russians it's more about how he has handled the investigation so far only

people around him have been implicated for things they have done wrong when dealing with the russians but the president's. focus because he might have obstructed justice at least that's what his opponents are claiming when he leaned on then f.b.i. director cole me to back off from flynt to let flynn go as he put it himself and then of course he fired it james called me because he was not happy about how this investigation was going which in the end triggered the installation of robert mueller a special prosecutor which is now giving him so many headaches ok cost to many thanks for that custom for reporting from washington. well it's been a day event is a patient for soccer fans around the world the wait is now of the draw for the group stage of next year's world cup in russia is complete all thirty two teams now know who they're going to be facing next summer the draw which was conducted inside

the kremlin in moscow with eclipse the affair as usual featuring musical and don't performances before people got down to the business of making the draw hosts russia were drawn first in group eight along with egypt europe why and their opponents in the opening match saudi arabia. and to take a look at a couple of the other groups for you defending champions germany handed a tricky draw in group f. they're going to be taking on mexico in the opening match before facing sweden and former semifinalists south korea. and one of the toughest groups will be group b. where reigning european champions portugal face next door neighbor spain as well as morocco top ranked asian side iran. ok yet expect from d.w. sports is here to give us a little bit of analysis about all of this so we're just looking at group b. there is that the toughest one you think yannick i think it's one of the toughest but i mean every world cup fans media are like looking for the toughest group the

group of death as they call it this world cup it doesn't seem like it's their group is a tough one as well as germany's group group if i think you said tricky i think that's an apt word to describe it mexico are a good team even though they were defeated four one by germany earlier this year than you have swayed and who of course knocked out is lee in the playoffs and in korea who have faltered a bit in recent years but they were so a finalist back in two thousand and two so they have pedigree always a very hardworking team indefinitely and which teams will be happy with the draw shall we say i would have to say england england have to be the happiest team out of every one of the world cup i think they got drawn with belgium who are tough team but then the other two are tunisia and panama and i think everyone can see who the top two teams not group are in england for through you never know with england you never know if they will mess that up as well what about russia their friends probably feeling quite confident yeah i think so i think it could have been a lot worse for russia but with their group of saudi arabia egypt in oregon where

they have a big chance of going through in the top two they should be confident and they should expect the host nation to go through into the knockout stages ok well that be good for the tournament of course let me ask you to put your reputation. on the fence if you want to looking at the draw who do you think is going to make the running i mean could could germany become only the second time in history to successfully defend a world title i think they have the group to go through the knockouts that's the first first. and they have the players to do it but that historical fact it's just very tough for a team to defend their toddle i think the pick for me has to brazil has to be brazil they have a fairly ok group that they can get through and they're an exciting team i think they're more picked for making it to the form they've they've had an incredibly strong record in qualification and in rishon matches i think it's forty one goals in eighteen games and the managed to nil nil drop in there who say it was the against germany as well you know from sports many thanks for for all that.

just a quick reminder for you of our top stories at the moment police in the german town of pottstown have destroyed a suspect package sent to a pharmacy in a controlled explosion it's now been revealed that package contained nails and cables batteries and a firework with origins evacuated to nearby christmas market as a precaution. and former u.s. national security advisor michael flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the f.t. beth beyond that's after he was charged as possible of a special investigation into russian meddling suspected russian meddling in the twenty sixteen u.s. election. now don't forget you can always get d.w. news when you are on the go just download on from google play or from the apple store that will give you access to all the latest news from around the world as well as on push notifications when we have breaking news for you as we do tonight

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