starts december twenty ninth on t w. this is d w news live from berlin the president truck pulls american troops out of syria and provokes a storm of protests from fellow republicans the president declaring victory over so-called islamic state in syria but senior republicans condemning the pullout as up from the chair and costly mistake we're live in istanbul also coming up. back to earth the international space station's three man crew makes

a safer turn after more than six months in orbit. and the award winning photographs of luke was going to make uncomfortable viewing for chinese officials they zhang has now confirmed that luke wong has been put under wraps. and in the german bundesliga by in munich continue to put pressure on dortmund at the top of the table it wasn't pretty though with two red cards the binah fought their way to a tightly contested one though victory over leipsic. i'm brian thomas a very warm welcome to the show the decision by president trump to withdraw american forces from syria has been met with surprise in washington leading republicans have been criticizing the move calling it. a premature and costly

mistake one that would benefit iran and russia but the move is expected to be welcomed by turkey which opposes american support for kurdish militias dug in in northern syria and. if president trump gets his way the american troops currently in syria will start leaving the country as soon as possible trump posted a video on twitter hay explaining his move i've been president for almost two years and we've really stepped it up and we have won against isis we've beaten them and we've beaten him badly we've taken back the land and now it's time for our troops to come back home now we've won it's time to come back they're getting ready you're going to see him soon these are great american heroes about two thousand american soldiers are currently stationed in syria officially as instructors and advisors to rebel forces that includes kurdish troops with the city and democratic forces the

s.t.'s who have led the fight against the so-called islamic state the move has sparked surprise and outrage from republican lawmakers who called chums actions rash and dangerous. it's a terrible thing for our nation and it's a terrible thing for the. for the allies that we've been working with this terrible thing for the s.d.f. and it's just. it's hard to imagine that any president would wake up and make this kind of decision with this little communication with this little preparation i mean monder standing is we're like beginning to move out right now. yes. entirely. the withdrawal of u.s. troops is also called the other nations involved in the coalition also got britain for its part said it continued to dui us as a threat. or the united states has been relying on kurdish forces in the fight against islamic state in northern syria and that has angered turkey which sees them

as an arm of the outlawed kurdistan workers' party during jones joins us now from istanbul dorian is the news from washington being seen in turkey is a green light for it to move forward with a major military offensive its threatened against the kurds dug in in northern syria. i think that will be the expectation in korea in fact in the days following the president took president reject type earlier ones conversation with the u.s. president he had been saying that they had received this green light now we've had this confirmation from u.s. president he's pulling out the troops and the u.s. troops were seen as a major obstacle to turkey carrying out this operation now turkey is expected to carry out this operation although there are players in the region and particularly countries like iran and iran behind the scenes has been saying very little about this threat and operation by turkey and the fact is they were probably banking if

turkey did go ahead this could lead to a third a rift between these two nato allies now that possibility has been removed iran will likely be recalibrating its position it does see turkey as a rival in the region and will be concerned that any check to this operation has now been removed and in fact yesterday we got reports from tehran. tehran had warned needed the permission of damascus to carry out such an operation the iranian president by coincidence some rouhani is in talks with his turkish counterpart today and they will feature highly on. those talks that are expected to focus on syria and i think the syrian kurdish forces will be now looking for a new protector and really the only back of that can protect them from turkey is damascus and damascus too will now expected to be into the mix there is a vacuum now in the north east of syria a huge wave of territory maybe a quarter of the country is now up for grabs all players a quarter of the territory that is a huge vacuum i'd like to pick up on that dorian what would

a rapid american withdrawal from syria mean for the dynamics on the ground would it be turkish troops that would be filling that vacuum left by the americans. well that is the big question now and it's unclear whether. to give some concessions to washington for the us to pull out its troops there is speculation that yvonne created intervene and sweep the kurdish forces out of the region they too could they could replace those goodish forces as a possible tail meant uncontrolled on growing a rainy and influence unclear whether that was part of the talks and i think that will be a factor of concern in tehran and damascus turkey already controls a large part of syrian territory and there is a concern that turkey is taking an increasingly powerful role in syria will use that role for at the moment it is called closely with moscow and tehran could turkey now be changing its position could it be moving closer towards washington

i'm playing a closer role with the u.s. that will be a major concern for both moscow tehran and damascus ok hopefully next two days will have an idea on which way this is going dorian jones for us for now in istanbul thanks very much on other news three astronauts from the international space station have safely returned to earth after spending more than half a year in orbit breathing fresh air for the first time in months the trio landing in a snow field in remote kazakhstan the soyuz capsule included the german expedition fifty seven commander alexander gases nasa flight engineer serena chancellor and the russian soyuz commander sergei. while gas was the first ever german commander of the international space station six more let's talk now with a member of the european space agency joining us from cologne antonia fortunato is operations and management support officer of the european space agency who just

watched it and joins us now live from cologne were you happy with the way the landing what. i'm going to mine yes we were extremely happy the landing was completely nominal the capsule land upright and it was great to see the smiling face of alex somber as he came out of the capsule is in very good shape enter this is the second time a european space agency astronaut has led a mission to the what the future plans for european space travel. well the immediate future is still the international space station we want to keep flying our astronauts to the u.s.s. we want them to keep performing stuff not science but of course they're already looking at them overheard looking at the further exploration of the solar system and the same the next ten years are going to be very very interesting for space in general and for space in iraq in particular ok for europe where do you see the focus being over the next ten years out of out of all those areas you mentioned.

well it's probably going to be still very much oriented to the lowest orbit for the s.s. but we should have the first missions to the moon already may be to work the second half of the front that runs this so really interesting and exciting times ok in terms of this this mission the science says mission antonio what do you have hoping to learn from the experiments that were carried out onboard. well the i assess is. a lot about human physiology fishing us a lot about the mechanisms for underpin the process already doing but there are also are also conducting a ferment further on for exploration systems that will be necessary on tunnels to the more land on to mars so the i assess is an incredible force for science and for exploration what about alexander dare's personally he's been in

space for about half a year now will he be able to celebrate christmas with his family yes absolutely he would love very busy schedule the first three weeks after landing are deeply very very busy but we have managed to find some time for him to spend to spend time with his family it's it's a very well deserved rest after an incredibly busy mission in space went on air force an auto support officer at the european space agency management support officer actually thanks very much for joining us thank you. well there was a german commander alexander guess second mission with the r.s.s. he gave us some insights into his life and work on the space station over the last six months. from here alexander guest has enjoyed an unparalleled feel of. just six months he shared his impressions

with millions of fans his photos have documented a planet under stress the end usually try summer in europe and the devastating wildfires in california. it's crystal clear from up here that everything is finite on this little blue marble in a black space and there is no plan of being. this is the second long term i assess mission for the german astronaut and vulcanologist in the laboratories on board guest has taken part in about forty scientific experiments in some he himself has been the subject of medical tests this device analyzed his breath to search for inflammation of the lungs the results could result in a fast track test for ass ma. in the fluid science laboratory

studied how granular it's hold themselves together the results could help improve the precision of ingredients in medicines. simon wake up he took part in the world premiere of the artificial intelligence robot named simon crean. i am nice he's accusing me of not being. as well as watching his man as simon helped alex undertake his experiments i hereby relinquish command of the international space station to you alex of the european space agency after four months in space became the first german to take command of the i assess there were a few disappointments i guess should have made two space walks but both were cancelled due to technical problems he had to stay inside while two cosmonaut colleagues repaired a hole in the capsule that would carry him back to earth alexander guest it's been

two hundred unforgettable days in space. now for some of the stories making news today brazil's president michel to america has been charged with corruption and money laundering he's under investigation for allegedly taking bribes in exchange for allowing two port contracts to be extended for up to seven years america is due to leave office on the first of january denies the allegations . the european commission has unveiled plans to handle a no deal brax it these include measures to avoid disruption in key sectors like air traffic and financial trading british citizens residency rights and the would also be protected but new restrictions on trade and travel would come into force the un general assembly has agreed a long debated migration pact a non-binding deal him soon assure the safe passage of migrants around the world and promote cooperation among nations five countries voted against it including the

u.s. and israel austria and australia were among the twelve nations who abstained citing concerns about sovereignty. including the new york romania is due to take over the rotating presidency of the european union on the first of january but as a prepares for that task there is a crisis brewing over corruption many in president close your highness has vowed to do all he can to keep anti corruption laws in place now that despite attempts by the government to overturn them the european commission is also boys in its concerns. this is the floor e.s.q. hospital in northern bucharest it's a constant source of frustration for staff and voice he's angered that millions of euros meant to patients is wasted on overpriced medical equipment. the corruption has wrapped his tentacles around the entire romanian health system and crippled it. is an anti corruption detective and

a former advisor to the health minister in that position he was struck by the fact that different hospitals were paying different prices for exactly the same pieces of equipment. he shows us a white the burial chamber used for example to help treat wounds which won't heal properly. the florey ask a hospital paid seven hundred thousand euros to buy one instead of the usual price of around one hundred thousand euros the other six hundred thousand euros siphoned off by middlemen hospital managers and doctors he says that's typical says them while the. system of bribery is a remnant of communist times than in the common ways she sent them all back then you had to pay for everything if you wanted it to work thirty first there was the quite. generous tips of the order of the day when dealing with officials at schools universities and especially with doctors this petty corruption reaches all the way to the top it's not the case that remaining i wasn't aware of the problem in the

past it's for hard against it the country was seen as exemplary. here appeared commission was impressed with our own to corruption fight in places like bulgaria were less efficient unfortunately things have changed. and that's largely because of this man levy oh dragon you're the most powerful man in romania and leader of the governing social democrats he's already been sentenced once and is banned from holding office now he's facing a potential prison term for investment to avoid jail he's pushing a judicial reform which will roll back anti corruption efforts. i'm that sparked massive street protests which have had little effect but young romanians especially have recognised the advances made in the fight against corruption and now feel frustrated. with. this corruption everywhere the reason is a mentality of people here get used to it. yeah i know i hear corruption goes as

far as god and back again the government is the worst not i. believe you are dragging his influence on the government and law makers has provoked the intervention of president klaus your highness he cast doubt on remaining his readiness to assume the e.u. presidency it's not an encouraging start to remain his tenure at the head of the european union. to china now where authorities have confirmed that the prize winning photographer lu is under arrest he was taken into custody by police in the shin jang region that's where there's been a massive crackdown on the we go our muslim population whose work is focused on issues that the country's government press for first to avoid. these photos show the tragic face of china images that tell the recent history of the most populated country on earth and the high price it has paid for its rapid industrialization decades long environmental damage and the careless poisoning of

its own people. is the man who captured these pictures. coming to us with the shit when they make a mistake i have to report on it. they tried to prevent me from filming with their president has often been caught taking photos i phone will i would use various tactics to get away. but in november luck ran out he was traveling in the she was young province where a vast number of muslims and other minorities are being held in reeducation camps an area where press are not allowed here he was arrested. been. for the state the lure is flexible and tree like inching jang today where a million people are being detained oh who's crying is now one of them that's very

troubling. the photographer has won numerous prizes has documented chinese infected with hiv through blood transfusions drug attics condemned by the state villages suffering from cancer and pollution since the early one nine hundred ninety s. has been highlighting their misery. the space for. disses him in china is getting ever smaller most of the people i know who have dared to criticize in prison the rest of fled in the living in exile like me or they don't dare to speak out anymore . as. luke wants photographs are uncomfortable viewing for the chinese state too close to reality to clear in their depiction of failure and injustice in his homeland. his wife and human rights organizations are campaigning for his release so far without success.

we have some sports now and then the bonus les go and buy a new nick headed into their match wives say they knew they could cut the gap at the top of the league to six points leaders dortmund slip up on tuesday and that gave byron the chance. coach's new this was a chance for their teams to claw back some ground at the top of the table by and enjoyed the best of the opening exchanges and they were a whisker away from going in front of a breakthrough the first half robot leverage off key for a free by session gnabry but tonight by the post pics of you lashing the lights go with an all important touch my at the other end leipsic had their own encounter with the woodwork macondo headed against the crossbar to beat mats hummels to the ball but unfortunately for the visitors without rewards. the tight fast how often not much for these fans to discuss during the break she's fingertips

helping to keep things level and he was busy again in the second half thomas miller played the ball end and he's eventually found its way to us they were kimmage of last she see her reflexes catch a mouse. the hosts were ramping up the pressure it was only so much you rashly could stop when he's out. docking renounces sanchez no it's from pre-birth i cool touches by the french ones control once you take it pasta is mine and wants to finish with seven minutes to go joy unconfined in munich . a match and did an ugly scenes stefano sanker was given a straight match for the strauss. time she's also given his marching orders for his role in the ensuing medway i just finished one mail

a vital three points for brian. ok let's get our business monica now in the markets do not like the latest fed decision yeah they don't like high interest rates why is that if it's yes asian stocks certainly are heading south this morning the nikkei in tokyo shed more than three percent china and hong kong stocks also a down by a around one percent and this following massive losses on wall street following the latest rate hike by the u.s. federal reserve the fed hiked its benchmark interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point and lodging maintained its outlook for more hikes next year despite signs pointing to lower growth next year the u.s. economy remains strong and is expected to post three percent growth this year that combined with low unemployment paved the way for the latest rate hike two thousand and eighteen has been the strongest year. since the recovery since the since the

financial crisis and during that period be that low unemployment and strong growth and inflation that still remain just a touch below two percent so i do think that gives the committee the ability to be patient in moving forward. wednesday's rate hike was the fourth this year and the ninth since fed policy makers began tightening credit three years ago meanwhile the european central bank has left rates unchanged at zero since early two thousand and seventeen the federal reserve made the move despite vocal opposition from president donald trump you know political considerations have play no role whatsoever in our discussions or decisions about monetary policy we're always going to be focused on the mission that congress has given us we have the tools to carry it about we have the independence which we think is essential to be able to do our jobs at a nonpolitical way and you know we are we have the fed or absolutely committed to that mission and nothing will deter us from doing what we think is is the right

thing to do the fed's updated forecast projects just to benchmark increases next year amid concerns about the trade dispute with china signs of a slowing global economy and financial market instability the latest increase will make it more expensive for businesses and consumers to borrow money. now germany's last deep shaft coal mine will shut down on friday for two hundred coal was the main source of energy in west germany says industrial heartland many open pit coal mines still exist in germany's east but the closure of the prospect on the ground coal mine bottom up in the western region of north rhine vesta fadia marks the end of an era where mining shaped life there and power to the postwar economic boom for the rest of the country. one last photograph many coal miners remained true to traditions even as the decade saw

a dramatic changes in the industry at a miners' association event in november they said a final farewell to the community where the industry has always played a central role it was a moving moment. he put on the hats and. really hits you hard to realize that it's all coming to an end a lot of the guys have tears in their eyes right now you know. in the heyday of coal mining there were one hundred sixty three pits and germany manager you closed two of them. is this third and last. the other day when i was down the shaft i thought this is probably the last time you'll be down here with the crew the last time your come down to the coal face the world has really moved on. the miners will continue to descend the twelve hundred meters end of the earth until the end of next year but instead of bringing machines cables and

old iron most of the equipment will end up in turkey or china many of the miners are bitter that their machines are being sold off to competitors will end up supplying germany with cheap imported coal. this is the only minor in the german parliament that. he worked in the mine for decades and believes germany's move to end the end history is a big mistake. we're going to miss germany. the fact that we're no longer producing it in germany doesn't mean coal fired power generation will cease so we'll need coal from other countries and their prices will clearly rise and the standards that we introduced here don't exist in those countries. the landscape is still marked by winding towers and coking plans but other companies also moved in here long ago but top is betting that by developing something new on the many areas once dominated by mining it'll be able to secure jobs for the future. to

mystic because we have good projects to develop further areas first will clean up contaminated old mining sites and then we'll help new companies to set up here it's a big project. europe's largest chamber of horror. hers has set up shop in the old pits historically listed laundromat a positive investment in the region in the post called wage. and here's a reminder of the top stories we're following for you. u.s. president has declared victory over so-called islamic states and is pulling american troops out of syria but the move has provoked a storm of protest with senior republicans condemning it as a criminal and costly mistake. you're watching to see in using live from burnin more coming up at the top of the hour let's see you then. cut cut cut cut. cut cut cut cut

cut. cut cut cut. cut. cut cut cut cut cut cut. cut. cut cut. center of the conflict zone confronting the powerful three years ago the philippines began a brutal war against the drug gangs in which thousands of people died human rights activists and journalists charged the police with illegal killings charges which president detested was vigorously denied for years this week here in manila uses legal advisor salvador camo welcome to come to the conflict zone. all

the details. to hello. to friendship. too long. we don't only drink when we. thirsty. but how much is pleasure. and what are the risks. the research is surprising. drinking our topic and to our lives today. sixty minutes w. . here. you know this if you will five minutes or minutes.

past the hour and a beauty. pageant all. the feats in the pantheon of great tennis certainly he's one for the ages. but i'm. ten or twenty years starts december twenty second w. two years ago the philippines began a brutal war against the drug gangs in which thousands of people died human rights activists and journalists charged the police with illegal killings charges which president do territory as vigorously denied my guest this week here in manila is his legal advisor salvador upon the low is the administration actively sanctioning and even encouraging mud.