this is d w news live from berlin president donald trump pulling american troops out of syria and provoking a storm of protests from fellow republicans president declares victory over so-called islamic state in syria but senior republicans condemn the pullout as a costly mistake to go live to washington also on the show. back to earth the international space station's crew returned safely after more than six months in orbit. and the award winning photographs of luke long and they've long made

uncomfortable viewing for chinese government officials beijing has now confirmed that he has been placed under arrest. and in the bundesliga bind munich put more pressure on dortmund at the top of the table it wasn't pretty with two red cards but by and fought their way to a tightly contested one nil victory over leipsic. i'm brian thomas a very warm welcome to the show. president trump's surprise decision to withdraw american forces from syria has been met with criticism from both sides of the aisle leading republicans are calling it a premature and costly mistake one that would benefit iran and russia. 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 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 advisers 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 chum's actions rash and dangerous. it's a terrible thing part nation and it's a terrible thing for the. for the allies that we've been working with this terrible

thing for the s.p.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 allied nations involved in the anti i asked coalition offguard britain for its part said it continue to view i.s.i. as a threat. for the very latest on this let's bring in our correspondent stuff on simone's in washington good morning stefan republican congressman defense officials urging the president to reconsider will there though in the end be a quick and complete withdrawal of american troops from syria. all i can tell you that there's a lot a lot of noise in the foreign policy and military circles in washington in side the

g.o.p. the republican party and this noise is only distain for the decision made by the president which came as a told surprises you have already said and reported and distain for the way of how he communicated his decision because guess what he didn't communicate his decision pops up a twitter two thousand u.s. troops are coming home so there's no love for the president even by his own party at the moment now through your questions will pressure from for example the pentagon brass or the state department convince the president to actually reverse course. we're talking about donald trump here so chances are no he's sticking to this it was seen as a sign that he announced this on twitter so no address to the nation about bringing troops home. and sticking to a campaign promise just a twitter video that wrapped a lot of people here the wrong way and also made

a lot of people believe that he's not going to go back from that decision putting those troops out ok now is in that video we see the president saying that islamic state has been defeated in syria have american troops though achieved that military objective. well those two thousand u.s. troops there have a support role and support and training it's not like there are some special forces surely there they're involved in combat missions special combat missions but overall this is support and training what they do now will this will this in any way or form. make a difference for the region that the u.s. troops are out there maybe not however the worst part for and that's what many many people say here many experts military experts say is that the u.s. is losing a window and a view a direct view on the region and what's going on there so again there will be the

president will be taking a lot of heat for this in the next few days but no chance that he's going to walk this back i don't believe that briefly if you could say the president has also been addressing concerns about the men and women serving with the military in syria what kind of mission is this for them. well just been told as far as we know and that is pentagon numbers there were. the u.s. troops there who are focused on the support mission for the people who actually did the fighting or training to do the fighting five u.s. military service personnel died in syria so it's not like because the president also complained about that he has to sign so many condolence letters. of course every last life is one law too many but five soldiers in the last since two thousand and fourteen lost for the united states it's not

a staggering amount of condolences that is the president has to sign there. joe so that's where we are right now stephanie thanks so much for that from washington. well three astronauts from the international space station have returned to earth safely after spending more than half a year in orbit breathing fresh air for the very first time in months the trio landed in a snow field in remote kazakhstan three the soyuz capsule included the german expedition fifty seven commander alexander gast american nasa flight engineer serena chancellor and the russian soyuz commander surrogate for coffee if gas was the first german commander of the international space station every one of these. more or less safe landing i spoke to antonio fortunato of the european space agency i asked him if he was pleased with the way the landing went the money yes we were extremely happy let me was completely nominal the capsule and upright and he took

great to see the smiling free. number as he came out of the capsule reason i've heard that shape and it is this is the second time in european space agency astronaut has led a mission to i assess what the future plans for european space travel. well the immediate future is still think our national space station we want to keep flying our honestly i assess we want them to keep performing soft option science but of course there are regular looking at that move it over to looking at the ford or flourishing of the solar system and that's in the next ten years are going to be very very interesting for space in general and for space in europe 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 there we should have the first missions to the moon already maybe towards the

second half of the front that runs this so really interesting and exciting times ok in terms of this this nation the science us mission antonio what do you have hoping to learn from these permits that were carried out on board. well the s.s. is teaching us a lot about human physiology fishing us a lot about the mechanism that for instance in the process of a dream but there are also from outside also conducting experiments that are relevant for exploration were testing systems that will be necessary on my travels to the modem and on to mars so the the i guess this is an incredible task but both for science and for exploration what about alexander garrett personally he's been in space for about half a year now will he be able to celebrate christmas with his family. yes absolutely. a very busy schedule the first three weeks after landing are typically very very

busy but we have managed to find some time for him to spend to spend time with his family it's a it's a very well deserved rest after an incredibly busy mission in space one tonio fortunato support officer at the european space agency management support officer actually thanks very much for joining us thank you all this was as mentioned commander garrus second mission with the i assessed the german national also gave us some insights into his life and work aboard the space station. from here alexander gerson has enjoyed an unparalleled view of the earth. for six months he shared his impressions with millions of fans his photos have documented a planet under stress the unusually dry summer in europe and the devastating wildfires in california where.

it's crystal clear here that everything is fine on this little blue. in a black space and there is no b. . this is the second long term i assess mission for the german astronaut and vulcanologist in the laboratories onboard 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 guess 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. 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 curse of the european space agency after four months in spice girl became the first german to take command of the i.s.a.'s 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 worth alexander gust it's been two hundred an unforgettable day in space. now for some of the other stories making the news at this hour brazil's president michel to america has been charged with corruption and money laundering is under

investigation for allegedly taking bribes in exchange for allowing to port contracts to be extended for up to seventy years time or who is due to leave office on the first of january denies the allegations. the u.n. general assembly has agreed a long debated migration pact the non-binding deal aims to ensure 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 destroyer were among the top nations who abstained citing concerns about softened. the british arse artist banksy as confirmed that a new graffiti piece in the welsh town of port talbot is his called season's greetings the image appears on two sides of a garage locals have now put up of fans to protect the latest work by the famous artist whose true identity remains on no. it's

to china now where authorities there have confirmed that the prize winning photographer lu guangdong is under arrest was taken into custody by police and their zhang region that's where there's been a massive crackdown on the we were muslim population whose work is focused on issues that the country's government press prefers 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 will be sure when to what we if they make a mistake i have to report on it. they tried to prevent me from filming with a president who has often been caught taking photos on what i would use various

tactics to get away and will be the ones like you buy with them and who got in november luck ran out he was travelling 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 not just for the state the lure is flexible and arbitrary like inching jang today where a million people have been detained oh his crying is now one of them that's very troubling. the photographer has won numerous prizes has documented for chinese infected with hiv through blood transfusions drug addicts condemned by the state villages suffering from cancer and pollution since the early one nine hundred ninety s. has been highlighting their misery. to the will of the space for criticism in china

is getting ever smaller most of the people i know who have dared to criticize are 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 in the bonus league go and byron munich headed into their match with wife saying they knew they could cut the gap at the top of the league to six points leaders dortmund slipped up on tuesday and that gave byron the chance they needed. a place coach's new this was a chance for their teams to crawl 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 for a big race for the first half of it live in just before a free by session gnabry to tonight by the post pics of you ashley in a low. see goal with an all important charge. up the other end right sick have their own encounter with the woodwork from a condo headed against the crossbar to be mats hummels to the pool but unfortunately for the visitors without rewards. the tights us topham 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 in and is eventually found its way to us through a commish i lash she sees her reflexes catch a mouse i the house we're ramping up pressure it was a me so much you laugh she could stop and he's out looking for an ounce or sanchez

but not from pretoria i suppose touches by the french wing of one's control once you take it past his mind and wants to finish with seven minutes to go joy unconfined in munich. a match and date an ugly scenes stefano sanker was given a straight match for this foul. time she has also given his marching orders to his role in the ensuing malai i just finished one male advice all three points for brian. let's go to business monica now and on the markets is a real sell mood going on at the latest fed hike yet started of course on wall street brian and now asian stocks are heading south this morning the nikkei in tokyo shed almost three percent china and hong kong stocks also down by around one percent and this following massive losses on wall street that's again following the

latest rate hike by the u.s. federal reserve if not the fed hiked its benchmark interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point and launch the 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 and pave the way for the latest rate hike for two thousand and eighteen has been the strongest year. since the recovery since the since the financial crisis and during that period we've had low unemployment and strong growth and inflation have 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 at the fed are 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. well and in less than an hour we'll know how the markets in europe react to this

latest rate hike but first germany's last a deep shaft coal mine will shut down on friday for two hundred years coal was the main source of energy in west to germany's industrial heartland many open pit coal mines still exist in germany's east about the closure of the prosper hania underground coal mine in bottle up in the west the western region of north rhine-westphalia marks the end of an era where mining shape to 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 changes in the industry at a miner's association event in november they said a final farewell to their community where the industry has always played a central role it was a moving moment. really hits you hard when you 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 pit manager you're close to 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 you'll come down to the coal face the world has moved on. miners will continue to descend the twelve hundred meters into the earth 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 who 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. you're going to miss german blackhole one day the fact that we're no longer producing in germany doesn't mean power generation will see. 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 talk 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 with point i'm optimistic because we have good projects to further develop areas will clean up contaminated old mining sites then we'll have a new company set up there it's a big project but i'm optimistic as a single. when you walked in with europe's largest chamber of horrors has set up shop in the old pits historically listed laundromat the positive investment in the

region in the post coal age. the city off missile row in india has a population of over nine hundred and ninety thousand small especially by indian standards but it has the distinction of being one of the can be missed cities no small feat in a country struggles with sixty two million tons of waste every year volunteers and city employees pull together to keep mysterious trash properly managed. this city of new suru is in mission mode at the break of dawn every day an army of civic workers has been going all out to reclaim their city's status as the cleanest city in the country. misrule was given the cleanest city award by the government two years in a row and then we came in third in twenty seventeen and this year we're eighth the whole administration all these workers all of us are trying very hard to go back to

number one. when the really low or mother left on account of them bought them up and have now what they've got it. produces around four hundred tons of waste every day fifty percent of this is treated at compost plants while a quarter of it is processed by recycling units. the national figures however aren't quite as impressive india produces about sixty two million tons of waste every year one of the largest generators in the world well eighty two percent of it is collected only a quarter gets treated most of the waste invariably ends up in landfills and open dumpsites two decades ago the local government here decided to set up a zero waste management plant in the northern part of me sue the cumber a couple plant was going to set the stage for the rest of the city you know raise money is windows like norway's. so we had completely money to be raised. by different watch so. as you can see we have. a base collection. and

we have also had missed we gave out and most of the public. there were about forty civic workers employed at the cumber a couple plant they've all been given the title of knocking up on dues or friends of the city developing a detailed waste segregation module that's also created an opportunity for formal employment for these workers most of whom were part of a large network of informal rag pickers the city corporation is now trying to bring more and more of them into the fold. the superdome may or may not be awarded the cleanest city again next year but it's well on its way to achieving so much more in its endeavor towards building a sustainable future. and here's a reminder of the top stories we're following for you. u.s. president still much trump has declared victory over so-called islamic state and is pulling american troops out of syria but the move has provoked

a storm of protests with senior republicans condemning it as a premature and costly mistake. three astronauts from the international space station have returned to earth after more than half a year in orbit breathing fresh air for the first time in months the trio landed in remote kazakhstan the soyuz capsule included german commander alex on their gas. and don't forget you can always get the news on the go just download our app from google play off from the apple store that'll give you access to all the latest news from around the world as well as push notifications for any breaking news you can also use the d.w. app to send us photos and videos. this is due to the news live from berlin well coming up at the top of the hour.

i'm going. to hello. to friendship. too long. we don't only drink when we're thirsty. but how much is pleasure. and what are the risks. the research is surprising. drinking our topic and to morrow to dick next d.w. . center of the conflict zone confronting the powerful two years ago the

philippines began a brutal war against the drug gangs in which thousands of people died human rights activists and germans charged the police with illegal killings charges which president do to stay friends vigorously denied for years this week here in manila is his legal advisor salvatore cassano welcome to come to the conflict zone. in sixty minutes d w. how do you want to live in a timeless way discover the bones of that bell house world starts january thirteenth on. up to twenty teams and come to. the starting whistle is about to sound for the premiere event of asian football.

kickoff has handled boxing and identified the favorites of the moment shots coaches players fans up close to person of. the twenty nine team and asian cup the big kickoff series starts december twenty seventh on t.w. . well come to d.w. science show tomorrow today coming up. some people can't imagine a posse without it but what really happens when we consume alcohol. as much of the world's fizzles in a heatwave when this could be at risk of encountering multi-drug resistant bacteria in boise. animal testing is a controversial practice some scientists believe no.