news live from berlin could it be the final battle against the islamic state u.s. backed kurdish forces ousted from their last bourbon stronghold in syria but a threatened turkish intervention puts the fight against the extremists. also coming up a u.s. court postponed sentencing for president trump's ally michael flynn but the judge lambasted the former national security advisor for selling out his country. and a shock defeat for the top team dortmund at the hands of

a promoted side delighted to the home fans by putting a dent endorsements armor will be upset disrupt your chances of winning the league . i'm sorry so misconducts good to have you with us american backed forces are close to gaining control of the last syrian territory held by the so-called islamic state the syrian democratic forces the s.d.f. made up of kurdish an arab fighters have captured the town of hygiene and are now in the process of cleaning out islamist fighters the hygiene lies in the valley of the euphrates river close to the border with iraq it was a final urban stronghold of the jihadist militia which once controlled substantial territory in syria and in iraq but as the mainly kurdish inches closer to final victory over i asked turkey is threatening to launch an assault against the kurds

further north reporter danny and sent this report from the front line in syria. these people have escaped the clutches of the so-called islamic state. they're stranded in a camp two hundred kilometers from the front line. traumatized exhausted but free. after days of rain and cold weather the conditions are atrocious but it's better than being under the guns of the i s fighters locked in regard battle on the banks of the euphrates. use does as human shields so the warplanes can't attack from the sky. planted mines everywhere and they don't want to let anyone escape. the criminals dirty thieves they took everything from us our money as well and then they left. the battle for the last bit of territory held by yes is

a tough one. the militia has lost nearly all the land has held. around five thousand fighters are putting up fierce resistance their leader abu bakr al baghdadi is thought to be among them. dozens of members of the s.t.'s have been killed in recent weeks and that's despite as support from the united states and other allies. they've put booby traps and mines everywhere we were advancing but slowly and we have to take care to avoid civilian casualties. this is what's left by the fighting the streets of hygene the former terrorist stronghold most of the people who live here have fled. the main the kurdish s.d.f. has captured the center of the town and most of the outskirts from my ass. fighting is continuing in the surrounding villages to jihadists are still managing to stay

john bush is a hit and run attacks. at the us fighters try every day to attack our units and recapture the villages but we are pushing back with all we have. the american backed s.d.f. is now facing a potential enemy on another front. victory over the i.r.s. in the euphrates valley is within reach. but now turkey is threatening to march into kurdish controlled areas on its southern border ankara sees the kurdish fighters as terrorists. these threats help yes precisely now when we're making gains in the fight for ji in turkey threatens an offensive in northern syria. and that's bad news for the people still on the ice control not everyone has been able to flee thousands are still trapped in the last pocket of virus territory. here in berlin chancellor angela merkel's

cabinet is due to approve legislation that should help skilled workers from outside the european union find jobs in germany now the country urgently needs people to fill more than a million job vacancies the proposed law would simplify the process for recognizing professional or vocational training degrees that have been earned abroad it would eliminate the requirement that employers check whether german nationals are also available to fill the vacancy and it would also allow qualified non e.u. nationals who speak german to live in the country while they look for work but what about asylum seekers should qualified migrants who have been denied refugee status to stay if a company wants them. as are black men iraqi who are skills and wants to use them here in germany. is nervous he has to give a presentation to the whole team today the forty year old iraqi is an apprentice at

an i.t. company and like most of his colleagues here ok fine she has only lived in germany for a few years. they hail from syria iran and iraq and they all came to germany as refugees i mean. this is a great chance for me because it's difficult to get a job training position here. three years ago a request for asylum was denied his official status since then has been with germany terms tolerated right to state this apprenticeship will give him a chance of staying longer the skills he's learning are in demand here there are eighty to one hundred thousand positions in the loan that cannot be filled due to lack of qualified workers. up until now the problem was if you get someone who is not european then there is a risk that they are not going to be able to stay at the end of the day you need

a visa and what am i going to do if they don't get a visa as well as the horrified. i have a job to fill but in germany where european has to do it then the whole process was a waste of time because in the moment germany needs immigrants otherwise its economy growth will slow down considerably experts estimate that in around ten years there will be a shortage of three million trained skilled workers the new immigration law now is designed to address this problem to make it easier for skilled labor from outside of the you to move here but still some questions remain how will the new immigration laws affect people working in germany whose asylum requests were denied they may be granted the tolerated right to stay status for another two years yet there is still a stark demarkation between those seeking asylum and the migration of trained professionals to germany when they were small cons in the northeast after three years we were told a colleague has to return to his or her country of origin that would be a setback not just financially or from a business perspective but also personally. with some of it from

syria as the newest instructor he has been on the contract as an i.t. specialist since april. his first apprentice he still has one year to go and hopes go well. when i was meant to complete my training and get a job and stay here in germany so that would make me really happy and satisfied. if you're going to notice. she's boss is hoping things will get simpler with the new law so he can keep his specialists and employ new ones as well. our political correspondent hans brandt is with us for more on this story hi hans good morning to you let's talk about fear us who we saw there in that report will the legislation that the cabinet is set to approve today here in germany make it easier for people like him to stay in this country that's been one of the big controversies the question has been whether or not. short people who have come into

the country for other reasons as asylum seekers. as refugees or illegally but have found a job eventually whether they should be allowed to stay on and i think what will happen we don't know the exact terms of the slow yet but father proposals that we have seen there will be some clause allowing these people to stay and in fact at the moment they are already being tolerated the stage is one of being tolerated more or less indefinitely so in effect these people will be allowed to stay i think and we have heard from german companies time and again that there is a need for skilled workers which industries are experiencing a shortage i think the what we what we talk about most most often is engineering jobs and. computer jobs i teach jobs these of companies that most desperately looking for people who fall for workers but also within things like possible to work or old age care there's a big need in germany so it's really right across the spectrum of german employment

and this legislation would allow skilled workers in the country also from non e.u. countries we should say why is the issue of migration so controversial politically here in germany well there's been a discussion especially in the side on the side of conservative policies of the christian democrats angle americans party to say that germination should not become an immigration country one of these classic immigration countries that. would normally be you would think about countries such as canada old strategy or the united states who have been. pulling in people from across the world really since the countries were founded and germany has not been like that and the conservatives have been saying that we that they would like to preserve kind of german identity within germany but they're really fighting it really got action here the situation is such that germany really doesn't need such skilled workers and that in fact a very large number of people maybe thirty or forty percent of people living in

germany today already have some kind of foreign background so in the end the reality is such that germany will need these skilled workers and making it easier for them to come in will be very beneficial for the country all right our political correspondents frank with us here this morning thank you so much. it's not some other stories making headlines around the world belgium's prime minister sharon the show has resigned after a failed attempt to lead a minority government he decided to quit after he was unable to get enough support for a united nations agreement on international migration. madagascar are is heading to the polls on wednesday in a runoff between two political heavyweights marco and undereat rational enough have both been president and are long standing political rivals if the result is tight observers fear a contested election may plunge madagascar into political crisis. luxury brand prada has withdrawn

a line of accessories over complaints of racist black face imagery a facebook post of the charms in a new york shop went viral last week in a statement prada said it abhors all forms of racism. yes president trump has banned the bump stock a firearm attachment that enables a semi-automatic weapon to fire sustained rapid bursts the gunman who massacred fifty eight people in las vegas and twenty seventeen was using about to stop. a u.s. judge has postponed the sentencing of president trump's former national security security advisor michael flynn the former general had pleaded guilty to deceiving the f.b.i. about his contacts with russia's ambassador to the u.s. in january twenty seventh teen flynn originally said he had not met the ambassador when in fact he had judge emmet sullivan said by doing so flynn arguably sold out his country now lying to federal agents carries a maximum five year sentence flynn is the highest profile culprit so far in special

counsel robert muller's investigation into links between trump's election campaign and russia. d. day for michael flynn u.s. president donald trump's former national security advisor is at the center of special counsel robert mueller so-called russia probe this was expected to be the last time he faces the investigating judge but the judge sentencing. was called lying to federal investigators about his russia contacts specifically to sergei the former russian a bessemer to the united states but flame eventually pleaded guilty and then robert mueller paid for it with the special counsel recommending no prison time for the now disgraced lieutenant general flints case concludes as washington is still dealing with last week's revelations by trump's former private lawyer michael cohen wants the president trust the fixer cohen switched sides and cooperated with

federal investigators revealing details of so-called body page to former adult entertainer stormy daniels he directed me to make the payments he directed me to become involved in these matters flew. and also this gentleman trumps one time campaign chair for our own key figures in overlapping investigations of various scope and depth all three one way or another related to the president. we've never had a president in this much trouble the us president faces more legal trouble and is busy fighting off more legal investigations than any other in the history of the united states. has to do with a total of at least seventeen investigations and court cases special counsel robert muller a so-called rusher provolone include seven distinct investigations to name just a couple from starr a moscow project and wiki leaks also investigating trump the u.s.

attorney for the southern district of new york the federal prosecutor investigated from fixer michael cohen who is now head of for three years in prison they are also looking into the finances of the trump organization and into the funding of trump's integration this is unprecedented it is and you know it was going to be a problem from the beginning and when president trout. refused to get leave hold of his business dealings it's highly unlikely for things to improve for the president any time soon with the democrats having the majority in the house of representatives as of january two thousand nineteen there might even be more congressional investigation n.c. i have just did have you correspondent my ass waiter says the judge's decision to delay the sentencing of slain could spell trouble for president. it was supposed to be a short hearing and a sentence with no jail time but the judge in michael flynn's case wasn't ready to make that concession former national security adviser is still not completely out

from under the weight of his crimes in a twisting series of events that ended in a cliffhanger today all of this does not bode well for president trump who has stood by his former employee throughout the investigation partly because the white house was expecting the judge to be lenient with flynn but also because flint has been cooperating extensively with the robert mueller investigation and a delayed sentence could mean that moller has more time to use flint as an asset. we got a rare helping of mid week but it's like a football and we have the biggest shock of the season so far last night with leaders dortmund losing two one at just let off press harrington for good from day of the sports is going to try to explain this to us that you didn't expect this happening did you definitely not expect this to happen you know dortmund has been having a service the first half of the season because they've been writing any credible way you know new coach

a lot of new pieces you know but these type of things always happen in sports teams with nothing to lose their backs against the wall literally he will do so there has been flirting with relegation danger all season and they rose to the occasion thanks to a loney from the premier league back yo and he got it right before he gets another powerhouse byron munich he scored a hat trick so you know dusseldorf has got the right two times against two big monsters but in the bright side dortmund though you know every time they've been hit my step the autumn champions they've gone on to win this season but you know as for the story let's take a look at the accident see out to the door of shocked the table leaders. it was pats on the back all round between these players with distal and don't mind on good form going into this one. marco roy's thought hit got the visitors off to a back off to just fifteen minutes. but some don't feel positioning from mary oh good so i gave the referee no choice but to really tell. just hold off spot into

life soon after kev it still go with the fit splitting cos you come back you think coolies to finishes one minute so the hosts three goals against by and now one against goldman and you come back you know certainly isn't scared of the big boys. and the home side double digit lead in style early in the second tough. joins him a unleashing a ferocious try to make it to. win the cook taking it was time for don't want to send on the big guns. and it paid off jaden sanchez with the pull to lucas mystic castle with the finish of the n.t. i mean it doesn't but what from the englishman to kid before dortmund super stop struck his twelfth goal of the season. but it was true isn't she late as this legal field owns record a famous victory. back to back but his legal wins for the promoted site full

to no flying high. are across the door and listens who benefits from that. you know the lead gets smaller you know glad buzz been second and stable for a quite a long stint now invade we're up against another minnow in the league nuremberg nuremberg has been struggling the last nine matches they've only collected three points their last win was way back in september and then when you're playing known as the foals they've been untouchable at home you know but this match in particular was kind of a snooze fest in the first half it really got things kicking in the second half in the folds you know showed the leak you know they mean business let's take a look at the report. it feels like an age since cut back the last drop the points here the falls have won seven of the home fixtures so far this season but the first big chance belonged to nuremberg a deflected shot from alexander folks on to the bar and only

a last ditch save from yan zama prevented adams put in the visitors in front of the hosts were gifted a chance just before the break after the referee and his video assistant decided that this questionable contact was worthy of a penalty. unfortunately for cut back to organ has opted for style over position and the teams went into half time left. in the second half the belgian had an immediate opportunity to make up for his mistake and he took it and unmissable tap in for has all its ninth goal of the season. at the end of a sluggish second half another quick counterattack saw the photos double their lead . listen the player beating fabby and brittle to send the home crowd into the christmas holidays happy. to know the final school.

looking strong there what about byron they're probably also looking to close and if they can go doors you know because it's their title to lose naturally you know they have a leipzig coming up which is going to be an interesting you know match up because it's looking at the table in munich only have a two point lead over leipzig leipzig you know are looking good specifically the team of any company being prolific in front of goal as of late so i think it's going to get real tight i mean with byron aside you know of course by has been struggling that's been the big narrative nico kobayashi under pressure blah blah blah you know i'm confident that they will turn things around specifically because you know eleven dogs started scoring goals he was he's typically at the top of the goal score tally you know all throughout the season but you know this season other players specifically there from dog meant you know frankfurt has a bunch of goals scored as well but as of late live and also he's been really prolific it is he scored a bunch of goals and i'm expecting things to click you know because the entire world is watching byron munich and they're waiting for them you know to fall off of

their pedestal and right now they're looking up a dog as well as glod in leipzig so you know things will get really really interesting coming at the winter break especially when it restarts i'm really looking forward to seeing the new edition by and has a new canadian alfonzo davies you know there's just signed with the team so i'm looking to see how effective he'll be i've heard and i've seen his highlights he looks pretty impressive but you know the proof is in the putting so there's a lot to look forward to. from good at least fourth as always thanks for talking to this morning ok. now penny marshall star of the seventy's sitcom laverne and shirley and one of the most successful female film directors of all time has died at the age of seventy five her agent says she passed away at her home due to complications from diabetes marshall first rose to stardom as laverne defines you know the gravel voiced brewery worker struggling to find love and happiness she then made the transition to directing her credits included box office

hits like big starring tom hanks the critically acclaimed awakenings with robin williams and robert de niro and a league of their own. ok monica is here with business on the latest in the wrangling over a italy's budget here in europe yes so we have good news sumi at least if we can believe all that an italian economy ministry spokesman says that italy and the european union have reached an agreement in their budget battle averting the imminent threat of a political crisis within the eurozone bloc brussels refused to sign off on robes budget proposals declaring it in breach of the rules it initiated moves to force it to to lower its deficit target it was the first time in history budget deficit procedures have been activated last week into the submitted revised proposals the contents of any new agreement will be made public later today.

and the debate in the greek parliament had been going on for days but on tuesday evening they finally approved their twenty nine thousand budget by a narrow majority they've based their budget on the assumption that the greek economy will grow by two point five percent next year it is the first greek budget since the end of the aid programs in august athens now has to raise its own money on the capital markets the e.u. commission has given the go ahead for the budget but of course on the greek government to implement further reforms. and the mobile division of japanese tech giant softbank has made its debut on the tokyo stock exchange. it was one of the world's the biggest ever i.p.o.'s valued at about twenty three billion dollars but shares dipped to buy as much as ten percent in early trading the public listing is a part of soft bank group's attempt to transform itself from

a japan based telecoms company to a global high tech investment firm soft banks vision fund has strong links with the saudi royal family. mumbai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world to ease its crushing traffic and pollution problems major infrastructure construction is planned but it will destroy some of the forests that provide the city with oxygen and environmentalists are up in arms we take a look at both sides of the conflict. north of mumbai is the already forest home to a wide range of one of life and a cultural group called the world devices for years the city has been steadily knowing away at the forest edges no there are plans to improve mumbai's public transport infrastructure and they include the construction of a depo and the metro station where this forest now stands. so i would mean concern . to address the traffic problem to take off or some of the load

from the public transport network this is done will provide connectivity to three million people and will give them a much better be of transport that the fourth block be other parties it will address the pollution problem and the thinking when the system is commission one for for a million we will go off. the authorities insist construction measures will only affect thirty three of the forests three thousand hectares but environmental groups think the move will still endanger the sensitive eco system here along with the benefits the forest provides for mumbai it's a dangerous situation very high temperatures and high pollution levels and these forests are the last remaining green spaces in the city of mumbai and they give you the oxygen and the lower temperatures that we need to survive in this city this it is livable only because of these forests it's the only other vastus are also under

threat the grouper advise on the forest and green spaces to survive resettling them and skyscrapers slums would rob them of both their livelihoods and their culture. that's why several initiatives are fighting the metro project they've suggested a total of seven alternate locations for the depo but so far planning authorities have rejected all of them. and here's a reminder of the top stories we're following for you. the german government is expected to approve legislation that will make skilled workers from outside the european union more welcome in germany the post nor will simplify the process for recognizing professional or vocational training degrees and approach. it watching d.w. news live from berlin coming up at the top of the hour. on

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plane we saw at full speed. in which china. always on the move. most blue today and in the future. in sixty minutes delia. how do you want to live in a way discover the back home school from house world church january thirteenth on g.w. . i'm not laughing at the gym i just sometimes i am but i said nothing which is that the german thinks deep into the german culture

of looking at the stereotype of the class that is think the future of the country that i'm playing. piano music scene ridiculous drama there you go see it's cold out there nothing i might show to join me to meet the germans on the w. post. welcome to global three thousand this week's program takes us to war torn libya where some creative entrepreneurs are making every day struggles with the food delivery service. in brazil remote communities are finally gaining access to artificial lights at night thanks to solar powered lamps. but first we head to bags.