three day life in a regimented society. an exclusive peek behind one of the last iron curtain is. a north korean dial starting december twenty eighth on d w. this is d w news live from berlin poland on the outs with the e.u. brussels follows through on its threat to punish warsaw over judicial reforms it says are undemocratic the move could see poland stripped of its e.u. voting rights also coming up europe deals

a big blow to the right the paling company over the top court says over it is a taxi service not just an odd look at the fallout. and no word from these two journalists since their arrest and me and marvel for a week ago they were investigating alleged abuses against rohingya muslims will get an update on their disappearance from the ngong. i'm sorry so much going to thank you for joining us after months of tension between warsaw and brussels the e.u. has now started a process that could strip poland of its voting rights in the bloc now the move comes after poland's parliament last week adopted new reforms allowing it to effectively choose members of the country's supreme court the e.u. says this puts the course under political control and violates european norms in an unprecedented move the commission has now triggered so-called article seven which

paves the way to a punishing poland. or there has been a defiant reaction from the polish government the justice minister responded by saying that poland was a law abiding country and that it must continue with reforms i mean while there were more combative words from back to mushroom records spokeswoman of the ruling right wing law and justice party she dismissed the e.u. commission's move as having no merit and said that it was solely a political decision let's go right to brussels state obvious next hoffman a standing by for us hi max remind us what exactly poland has done to prompt this reaction from brussels and do you have a couple of good examples there soon we earlier they really drew the line with the supreme court laws what you just said that the polish government tries influence the composition of the supreme court by a couple of tricks for example by lowering the age the eligible age for judges which would make some of them go now which would alter the whole makeup of the

court in favor of the polish government and their political direction and that's just one example another example is that the justice minister would get get more influence over who becomes an ordinary judge by naming them directly and this of course is bad for the separation of powers the judiciary and the executive and plans to move on so we just saw there the commissioner in charge said that there was thirteen laws in total over the last two years and i quote here which can systematically politically interfere with the composition powers the administration the functioning of the judicial authorities and i think what really was the law last straw for the commission wasn't necessarily all those laws although they're bad enough in the eyes of the commission but that the polish government is quite simply refused to talk about it to come to brussels and try to negotiate something ok back so article seven has been triggered and we should say again this is never happened before what happens next. well first of all there's

a back door on still and said if the polish government implements a list of remedies by that you commission within the next three months that they might be willing to forget about all that now if they don't and there's really no indication that they will change anything the polish government that is then the european parliament has to give its ok which is probable after what we've been talking to different members of the different parties it seems that european parliament largely in favor of triggering article seven here and then the european council so the member states would have to have a four fifth's majority they will also have that to do just that and so then we have this efficiently because right now the commission is just giving the recommendations but in order to really trigger sanctions what we were talking about earlier you would need unanimity in you council so that would be another vote down the road we're talking about all member states there max and that you isn't really a model of harmony at the moment is there going to be enough backing for this to

actually end in think sions hungary has already announced that they would veto something like that but you have to keep in mind we're talking about something that would be in months maybe even in years and a lot of things change then and there's a lot of backdoor diplomacy there so hungry once something when it comes to the vote you know something in a completely unrelated field there might be a way for the others to strong arm them so poland shouldn't be too sure about that although right now it looks like unanimity would be a far shot but the thing is that the commission really didn't want this to happen they don't want to go this way and you could see it when you heard him a month earlier today it really pained him to do that but poland just took steps that the u. commission felt they could not ignore all right you know he's max hoffman reporting from brussels max the to talk to you. you're watching the w. news still to come stuck in an eastern ukraine war so what will happen to the

people in this village on the frontline if outside help cannot reach them. first benazir but is it over and out for over well it could be to some extent is the biggest name in the economy which gauges temp workers and it's just hit its biggest roadblock a european court ruling the app doesn't just connect people wanting a ride with those trying to earn some extra cash but that it is a regular transportation company and needs to follow the rules a simple app a couple of clicks and before you know it is waiting he or she drives a private vehicle and is basically just an ordinary citizen that was the original idea behind it but off to countless battles europe says come to have it that easy the bombshell came on wednesday with a ruling by the european court of justice a spanish taxi drivers association submitted a complaint of unfair competition by the u.s. company in response the top european court decided folds into the category of

transportation rather than technology services and just like any other taxi company it's therefore subject to regulation from now on all drivers need a license to work that's already the case in many e.u. countries vehicles must also be officially registered as taxis something that could put the brakes on business model. the ruling is a milestone for taxi companies europe wind they've continually protested against like here in romania at the end of november the us apps rock bottom prices meant customers turned their backs on the stock taxi companies but now it seems may be heading down a dead end street. the international monetary fund warns a breakdown in break the talks could lead to a disorderly exit from the e.u. and a shop full in asset prices is talk today about a break that delay and the detailed trade deal will take

a lot longer than thought brussels says the timetable is time. to rescind may in her speech in florence referred to a transition period that will last a maximum of two years. the european commission's position is that this would run logically to the thirty first of december two thousand and twenty. and let's get the take now from frank daniel coppa standing by for us of the frankfurt stock exchange daniel what do you think about his comments today and how did he reach that december twenty twenty deadline. well remember ben and we just also heard it in the report that the united kingdom was already in the past always calling for a more flexible transition time flexible for them of course means more time but now barney has been very clear he is talking about this death plan of the end of the

summer twenty twenty why is that the case because just like a normal country or just like a company of the european union also has sort of a financial plan that is already planned many a years ahead and after this deadline they are not counting anymore the united kingdom and they would need to have a new financial plan so that's why he has been very clear he says the transition time in general is good because the things that the wrote after breakfast is going to be very bumpy for the e.u. and also for the united kingdom but that after this date the united kingdom really needs to stand on its own feet but what about before that because the transition deal has to be set in stone along with the orderly withdrawal deal by october twenty eighth seen i'm sure of you was following us on this that's less than a year from now and i bet there's a lot still to be worked out. well many experts already now are calling this deadline not realistic and immobile have to remember how long all of this

discussions were taking throughout the last weeks and months regarding the brics and bill also regarding the rights of u.s. citizens or u.k. citizens and the topics that will be discussed from the march on will be even more intense because then they're going to talk about how trade is going to be done in the future if there is going to be a free trade agreement between the u.k. and the european union and the experts are saying that those talks are not going to be easy at all that you go from frankfurt. the u.s. senate has passed republicans one of the half trillion dollar tax reform but the house of representatives must first take another vote after procedural violations ma the first president donald trump wants to sign the bill into law before christmas critics say the package is a deficit bloating giveaway to the super rich republicans argue the tax cuts to corporations small businesses and individuals will bolster economic growth. well john the business sector is calling on bolin for

a tax overhaul of its own in response to trump's plat it says europe's biggest economy will need a competitive boost to head off industry moving to the united states. we see the u.s. tax cuts as a positive reform it also comes as a break for german firms in the u.s. they've invested more there than in any other country besides germany we're talking about seven hundred thousand jobs now that number stands to growth the tax cuts could spur investment and give the american economy a boost. in syria now has an update on the conflict in eastern ukraine that's right then a fighting between ukrainian troops and russian backed separatists has escalated to the worst level in months the past week alone as seen three ukrainian soldiers killed and at least eight civilian seriously wounded just days before this latest flare up our correspondent nick connelly visited the region and met people living on the frontline of the conflict here's this exclusive report that takes us to the

small village of. a single port told wrote it's all the connect the village of jones to the outside world the ridge that overshadows the village is already deep in separatist held territory here the front line begins where people's gardens and. because one hundred forty mostly elderly residents are dependent on outside help since public transport broke down the nearest supermarket is several hours walk away it's only thanks to this volunteer let him go that international aid is able to reach those who need it most. of the crew the weaker the village is cut off the people here have no way of getting out the people here are just about surviving mostly thanks to what they can grow in their gardens. twenty seven year old catcher takes us to her house on the far edge of the village because of the three children

left in java all the other families have long since left a single mother to relies on help from my parents and n.g.o.s her youngest son is just eighteen months old of begin. for the last two weeks they've been shooting every single day without a break i used to be scared but now you just get used to it after a while when the conflict broke out the family used to take cover in an outside cellar since that was hit they hide inside. so that the summer this is the best protected room the one least likely to get hit on that side we are protected by the house i was born and from that side we barely get anything coming at us and if there is then there are trees touch wood this house has never had a direct hit so far. one of the separatists only seventy meters away there on the next street. bridge in the distance locals tell us serves as

a vantage point for separatists night as. shows us where a direct hit brought down the roof of the cellar she used to hide in yes if i had somewhere to go that was really mine i'd leave but just to be tolerated i don't want that i've tried that twice already. beyond catches house only ruins remain and the front line trenches most of them buried deep enough to stand up in safely. we need to ukrainian soldiers on guard duty there also father and son. here where we are there's plenty of shooting mostly at night it's a bit quieter doing today but it happens. it's december and darkness falls early and with the shooting starts it's time to leave. just a few kilometers down the road is the my york a checkpoint one of only a handful of places where civilians can cross between government and separatist held territory. up to ten thousand people make this journey every day. my

father died i've just been to his funeral. here i went from my pension i live in a hole of congo to our to moscow my pension it's really badly organized particularly on the separatist side. but even the checkpoints aunt entirely safe in recent months this crossing alone has come under attack three times. it's a three hour wait in the cold for these people here queuing to cross the circle separation line that divides ukrainian government troops from progress and separatists it's now been almost three years since the front moved in this region cutting off the city just seven kilometers behind me from its suburbs and the ukrainian held. these checkpoints were set up as a temporary stopgap but with political efforts to resolve the conflict going nowhere in a hurry they've long since become a permanent fixture of life here in eastern ukraine. nicholas conley reporting

there and he joins us for more on this story now hi nick good to see you what exactly is stopping people like from getting out of this region what exactly those were going to be did really seem to be town lots of empty houses there are many people that think this is really about alternatives most people who could afford to have already left but those like us here with young kids she has three children all of them not yet in school she's on her own. in the village she's in she has a house she has a vegetable garden she can survive somehow. already has about a million displaced people conflict so there's a big strain on resources in a place that you can't go or not retracted so now people are trying to make it work . makes it look like might not be possible for much longer now nic the fighting in ukraine is now into its fourth year how serious is this latest escalation.

it is true that people list military people. for. three ukrainians those were just within. just a few days up we visited civilians. i think the. people most worried it was. from a control center that's meant to avoid accidents or misunderstanding. and russian troops that really was something that was met with. pretty much. this doesn't matter where does all of this leave the push for peace in this region. the. true. expecting the. move the saying. that was something that was introduced in the autumn.

they basically something. much potential. to play ball and the west doesn't put more pressure on what's going to be going to happen. on the west. reporting for us thank you very much. now me and maher has barred a senior united nations rights monitor from entering the country special repertoire young was due to visit me in mar in january she planned to assess alleged rights violations against the muslim minority more than six hundred thousand were hendra have fled suspected ethnic cleansing and rakhine state on the border with bangladesh march says it will no longer cooperate with police. and meanwhile

pressure is mounting on me amar to release two reuters journalists arrested more than a week ago the men are accused of violating a colonial era official secrets law they had been investigating the alleged military crackdown on the rich. committed to finding the truth but now held captive thirty one year old while alone and twenty seven year old cho so who are described as bookish and warm by family and friends. while lone joint reuters news agency over a year ago from a family of rice promised he'd always dreamed of becoming a journalist. he's also written a children's book co-founded a charity to promote tolerance between myanmar ethnic groups. and worked with orphans. was a good husband to me the hard worker and he continues to learn.

tonight. he's not a politician he's a journalist. i believe he wouldn't do anything wrong that's why i want him to be free to soonest possible. who wrote poetry before violence and his native state led him to write news. but his learns reporting on the military crackdown that which has forced more than six hundred fifty thousand muslims to flee has cost them their freedom. they've been missing since last tuesday after being invited dine with police officers and young gone myanmar's ministry of information released this photo of the two men who it said had illegally obtained documents on the violence they plan to share with international media foreign governments human rights groups the u.n.

and the e.u. have condemned the arrests we expect from your model for abuse to ensure the food production of their rights and to release the journalists as quickly as possible freedom of the press and media is the foundation and the corners or the corner stone of in the book. man mouth or a t's say police have almost completed their probe of the two journalists after which a court case against them again. let's speak to journalist david greene bomb in yangon he's been following the situation david tell us more about the official secrets act that these two journalists are accused of violating. this is a law from the one nine hundred twenty three when the m.r. then called burma was part of the british india now legal experts say that this law has a very very broad definition of what could be considered an official secret i mean basically anything that's not in the public domain through the official channels

could potentially be an official secret for example as we often see in the western press when a proposed budget is going to come out before it actually gets submitted in the legislature parliament it often gets leaked to the press well under this hypothetically if a reporter were to report on that before was officially put into parliament that could in theory be a violation of the c. of the official secrets act so it has a very very broad definition here now in this case it's quite serious i mean we're talking about possibility of a fourteen year prison sentence for these two parters reporters as your report just before said they have been reporting on the crisis and were kind state now there have been reports in the local media here connecting the arrests of these two reuters journalists to human remains that were recently found in northern rakhine state so it's leading to a lot of questions as to what happened how did these people die and is there any connection to those remains and any reports that the reuters journalists might have been working on keep in mind you want officials have accused me and mark the

military of ethnic cleansing the military continues to deny it so the big question here is will these remains a blow a hole in the military claims and if they do is what the reuters journalist is that what they were working on is that why they were arrested we just do not know at this time david it's not only these two writers journalists some several journalists have been arrested me and more recently a local journalist but also foreign correspondents how is this having an impact on the ability to report to independently especially on the events happening in rakhine state. you know i've talked to a number of local reporters here who said it's just really having a chilling effect particularly as these latest arrests or these these two are looking at the possibility of fourteen years they basically say they're really concerned that when it comes to sensitive issues but if they want to comes to the crisis or kind state they're afraid of that they do anything more than just scratch the bare surface on this story that it could lead to some more of them landing in prison and it's not just the local reporters who work for the local press it's as

we said these two reuters reporters who are they are both locals member nationals who are working for a major international news organization that has really been the been doing the aggressive job of reporting on this for kind crisis and putting out some of the best journalism on it and then also just in general a lot of foreign reporters including myself we depend on these local journalists to help us help us with their language skills their contacts and their understanding of the conflicts that goes on in this country so this is really having an impact on the local reporting will that last long term is hard to say right now journalist david greene and yangon david good to talk to you. ted for sports now and tuesday's big german cup clash was between a strong shock and a cologne side that impressed a knockout competition despite their woeful going to sink a form the game ended up being very close. now that would be in the here and shall because late to two george frankfurt in the bond as they go at the weekend and the

defender was again in the action against cologne heading over in the first half going as we're going to prove useful to shall go oh game another one in the second period lead to another good chance this time a t in the stats it was denied by an excellent save from team zero home. despite cologne offering little fret shaka fans were worried it wouldn't be their night but their fears were raised on sixty three minutes when yet another corner was met superbly by max meyer the midfielder is an outside pit for germany's world cup squad and head is light that will do his case no harm. the final whistle was greeted with jumps of delight from coach dominica to disco shell could know the cup is that best chance of a trophy this term will millett finished with meyer the hero this time what will determine and byron meet in the german cup last sixteen tonight when the remaining four ties take place holders dortmund have regained their form but host biron have

won the cup more than any other side and they'll be looking for revenge dortmund sent them crashing out of the competition last season. a change of fortune brought on by this. guy has led don't want to back to back wins since taking over in the space of a week he went from being sacked by the expulsion club for money to coaching a heavyweight of german football. so to see france use chances of silverware. like headlines when you go wants to trade fate. of course you have a chance of winning it with a team like. you do with a team like. this is this is it. but i'm informed by in munich us standing in the way you don't mince cup defense the record holders have won fourteen of the last fifteen games since you've returned as coach in october including a three one away win in don't mind but he's experienced enough to know that don't

and will up their game for the start the food supply that. doesn't follow with scripts. in a cup game i don't think there is a favorites because dortmund have shown that they can stand up to the big occasion i'm going tight games and he knows lexington english to give including his knows the stakes are high with most big teams already out of the competition the winner will be taking a massive step towards the trophy. of our top story this hour the european commission has launched disciplinary proceedings against poland over judicial reforms the e.u. says are undemocratic the move could lead to unprecedented sanctions against including the loss of its voting rights. you're watching news from berlin follow us on twitter our handle out. here at the news desk in about thirty

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