this is news coming to you live from a stark choice for israel in crucial elections it comes down to whether political newcomer binny screwed on seat for term prime minister benjamin netanyahu the result could have long term implications for the region. guilty verdicts for the defiant leaders of the pro-democracy demonstrations in hong kong their movement peacefully shut down the city for months in a battle ultimately with beijing we'll tell you what the verdicts mean for those seeking greater autonomy for the chinese territory. breaks

a deadline is late friday night so there's just enough time for british prime minister to cross the border right please to berlin in paris for an. extension. of the journalist who crossed the syrian border while seven months pregnant to film a friend who'd become a jihad jane if instead i was kidnapped and worse in captivity she tells us her story. it's election day in israel voters there are taking to the polls side whether to extend prime minister benjamin netanyahu is long conservative tenure he's up against chief benny gantz seen here at the polls earlier today is this. centrist

is made much of corruption allegations against netanyahu but he's new to policy as ever the choice of israeli prime minister has relevance for the entire region. over the very latest let's cross over to our correspondent tanya kramer who's standing by at a polling station in jerusalem tanya israelis are casting their votes today what can we expect. well that's right i'm just standing here right in front of a polling station is school it's a bank holiday today people have are off from work to encourage them actually to go and vote in the last elections in two thousand and fifteen there has been a rather high turnover of over seventy percent so we have to wait and see how it looks this time and of course then it's a long waiting time until twenty two hundred local time when the first exit polls i expected to be published by all the television stations here and to see how is babies you know give us and the case and how israelis have voted today. and you've

been talking to voters there at the polling station this morning what are the main concerns in this election. well usually israelis would say you know it's all about. issues it's about the economy it's about security but in these elections it has been a bit different all the people i talked and also old and then said been talking about it is more about. rather a referendum even you could say about benyamin netanyahu he has been in the post for over ten years now and as the come that says you know we can't run the country without bibi netanyahu as he's called and there are those who are saying it's too long there should be a change of government they are hoping to achieve that with these elections now the political landscape in israel is very fractured generally no single party gets anywhere near a majority in the knesset how tough could it be for the winning party to build

a coalition this time round. yeah that's right i mean there's never one party that has majority so it's all about coalition building so what usually happens is once the results are in then the party leaders who it recommends who they would like to see as prime minister that doesn't have always to be the strongest party and the president will then tossed the leader of the party leader. who has the most chances of forming that government that can be sometimes rather difficult at least to have a month to do so and we have to wait and see and wait for the exit polls night to get an indication who that will be what about the other countries in the region surrounding israel tanya they're watching this election very closely to what are they expecting. what i mean obviously there will also watch very closely what happens to benyamin netanyahu has been around for

a long time and that is probably the main and the decisive point of these elections to see whether he will continue to be to form the next government and to be the next prime minister and to continue with the politics that are very well known here in the region or whether we have maybe another party at the home of the government more centrist party with many guns he's not so well known i mean he has been the army chief of staff but he you know what he stands for really in politics is a new come into politics that is still to see so i think this is what also the other countries here in the region will watch out for tony thank you so much for bringing us up to date d.w. tanya kramer in jerusalem. now to some other stories making news around the world today heavy gunfire has been heard at an anti-government protest outside the defense ministry in sudan the mass certain had begun peacefully during the day after nightfall witnesses said security forces and riot police fired shots and tear

gas in a bid to. first demonstrators from the military complex. united states has formally declared iran's elite revolutionary guard a terrorist organization it's the first time the u.s. has applied that label to part of a foreign government iran says the u.s. decision is a mistake and warns it will endanger u.s. interests in the region. and in the philippines hundreds of protesters have gathered outside the chinese consulate in manila they're demanding beijing remove its vessels from disputed islands occupied by the philippines in the south china sea they're also calling on the government to take stronger action that's after it filed a diplomatic protest against the chinese presence last week. in hong kong a court has found nine pro-democracy activists guilty on charges of incitement and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance they were charged in connection with the two thousand and

fourteen umbrello protests so named for the yellow umbrellas carried by activists to shield themselves from tear gas the mass rallies held over a period of several weeks called for greater autonomy from china. joining us in studio to talk about all this is a reporter in hong kong native one schwinn legal to see you so how trent tell us more about the activists and why they ended up in court so these nine these nine activists all played a role in either leading or promoting the protests back in twenty fourteen so they are all used to be university professors. and students and among them three of three are seen to be like the face of the protests in fourteen so back and. back in that time they called for civil disobedience and hong kong because beijing decided to allow people to directly elect their leader that sounds like that sounds

pretty. that's right but it comes of course with a prize because. people could only choose a candidate from a list that is approved by pre-approved by beijing and so these activists civil disobedience calls for protest and then they join forces with some other student protests and that became the movement that we know today and then during these movements they got arrested. so it's a ok so the activists are calling for for a greater say in their elections affecting hong kong. what kind of says could the defendants and the who are found guilty of these colonial era charges what kind of sentences could they face or they could face up to seven years of jail but we don't know that yet however a lot of them already said that they are not afraid if they are going to come back

and that they will continue to fight for their political rights and what do these verdicts mean for hong kong and the pro-democracy movement there well. some say that this is sending a very very strong message to political activists and hong kong and that this will have a chilling effect on the freedom of speech in hong kong and you can call this in fact already facing string political freedom and there's a long list that i could tell you obviously we don't have the time but just last month government proposed to amend its extradition that would theoretically allow you to have to be sent back to mainland china and that's for many political activists it's. very dangerous and there are many other examples so the verdict today is just another blow to the political freedom and her call so

it's possible that these defendants could end up serving time in jails in mainland china we don't know that we don't know that yeah ok. reporter thank you so much fun . now the story of a woman who was seven months pregnant when she was kidnapped by radical islamists an imprisoned german journalist. went to syria to film a friend who'd become a jihad ist in doing so she took risks she now regrets child was born in captivity. not a day goes by without janina finda isn't thinking about the kidnapping three hundred fifty one days that changed her life it all started in a split second. when the taxi was stopped six men with kalashnikovs jumped in front of the cars and the van door was opened i was really

a french i'm like a frightened animal. i did my best to remain calm and to shut out the foundations of thoughts going through my mind. per year in syria began in the autumn of twenty fifteen despite being in the seventh month of her pregnancy janina dared to cross the turkish syrian border with the help of a smuggler in the northern syrian town of donna she met her friend who is now a jihad asst in the midst of the chaos of war for one week they shot for the documentary film her girlfriend guarantee janina that she would be safe. trusted each other but the circumstances were so different from the last time that we had seen each other and so those are two different worlds that don't have any connection to each other anymore. when the journalist wanted to leave donna she was kidnapped the master kidnappers took her to different apartments the pregnant woman

was provided with what she needed but was always scared to death. that scene is the kidnappers were prepared to cut off my head ruthlessly in front of the camera at any time that was clear. janine says the most extreme moment of her imprisonment was the birth of her son a few days earlier one of the kidnappers came into her room with a veiled woman it was the gynecologist who helped her bring the child into the world. but they told her if anything happened to me or my child her husband would be killed she told me that after she'd been there a few times that's when i understood why she was willing to do anything and to help the birth go well a few months later janina was unexpectedly released the young mother and her child were allowed to return to germany the circumstances of her release are unclear she was told that no ransom was paid we asked what she now thinks about her decision to

travel to the war zone. a dangerous mix of the naive feeling of security that i had and under estimating a very risky situation. jeanine if in doesn't wanted to tell the story of her former school friend before the birth of her child today she knows that was a mistake and she's glad she was able to leave syria alive with her child after three hundred fifty one days of captivity. the chinese premier has arrived in brussels for a key meeting with e.u. leaders leak a chunk has described china and the european union as important partners or other more cooperation deals are expected to be signed during the summit as the trading relationship between the two continues to grow the e.u. is keen for china to further open up its markets to foreign involvement. will co-chair the twenty first china e.u. leaders meeting alongside gold and claude.

well christophe kober from d.w. business is here to tell us what's on the table what's at stake in this mazing high kristoff so what are the main talking points for the europeans and the chinese well the conditions under which this meeting is taking place certainly have changed i mean the e.u. has changed its stance towards china china is an important trading partner so more coffee aeration is certainly on the table however they are the persistent problems of the past difficult market access for for foreign companies onto the chinese market the question of intellectual property rights product piracy human rights not least and there is a growing number of areas where the e.u. sees china as a systematic rival a country that wants to export its model of society and trying to gain influence by investments it's taking that has become clear once more when italy joined china's

controversial belt and road initiative and by many your leaders isn't seen as another example of china's. divide and rule attitude what is china want out of this meeting crystal well china is likely to emphasize that it is still a developing country that it needs sort of exemptions from certain regulations that it needs support it will surely look for more coffee. aeration the chinese premier has emphasized this point in a newspaper article for the german daily hundley splot china will also try to show the chinese investment in foreign countries something that the governments of these countries should be looking for and as an example of that after supper in brussels leakage jungle travel on to croatia presumably to sign a couple of deals there as well and which is something that is again seen critical by e.u. leaders as i've mentioned this could be seen as a scientist or

a sort of carve out another member of the european alliance so e.u. leaders are a bit wary of growing chinese influence but china china is an economic powerhouse it can't that can't be ignored does that give china more leverage in these talks what it has been like that for some time but economic growth is slowing in china we see that there are other signs that the economic power sort of lessening at the moment chinese foreign direct investment has slowed it is still the second largest economy in the world but chinese leadership is busy was sort of transforming the economic model so these are certainly points that are also weighing on the storm's stand that the two sides have already agreed that there will be no final communique at the end of these talks what are we to make of that well as it can be seen as a diplomatic point that the e.u. wants to make here. this meeting can be seen sort of as the beginning of

a new era that the e.u. wants to deal with china and that's what the e.u. is trying to get across here at this meeting even though they might not be able to get it in writing because i thank you so much christoph gober from d.w. business of course we're going to be back in the next half hour with a full round of force thanks for being with us. british prime minister theresa may his heading across the channel today hoping to secure french and german backing for another brags that extension base tour will take her first to berlin and then paris for talks with the german and french leaders ahead of an e.u. summit later this week they wants the e.u. to extend the deadline for the u.k.'s withdrawal to june thirtieth as it stands now the u.k. is due to leave the e.u. without a deal on friday. mr no two larger than. four weeks the british parliament has been this enough chaotic debates with prime minister

terrorism a no caught in between britain could see and no deal exit from the european union as early as friday may is hoping for lifeline a deadline extension from brussels on wednesday she plans to ask the two for move time prefer billy until june thirtieth but she needs help. may is heading to mainland europe with the first stop in belen where german chancellor angela merkel opposes heartbreaks it but will she support mais timetable probably not if it means breaking ranks with other this. even though siemens once he says we as the twenty seven even member states will stand together and we want to do everything possible up to the last hours to avoid a disorderly exit by britain's. merkel supports an orderly back set something may won't get a hit in paris french president in modern america has voiced concerns about another

extension of the breck said negotiations. the unit be held hostage to the resolution of the political crisis in the united kingdom on a long term basis and britain there is little hope that a reason make unresolved the brics edition despite her charm offensive around europe's capitals. british prime minister of tourism is lobbying european leaders most of the public back home are desperate for some sort of resolution on their country's withdrawal from the e.u. our london correspondent ventured to a diverse neighborhood to gauge the temperament there. mohamed baez is frustrated with brant said ever since the u.k. voted to leave the european union this shopkeeper has been following the news closely hoping for certainty and clarity. but if they decide to do exactly no he's bits of way everybody to know what does the future hold for everybody because we do

know what is going on was the extension i believe he's more than a month's will take room yes which is no good for the business and is for nobody because everything uncertain specially for business like mohamed a large majority of this cosmopolitan neighborhood voted to remain in the european union in the referendum three years ago but unpredictable and unwanted outcomes have taken their toll i thing ok it's just a bit confusing because we were all sort of left in the dark we don't know what to expect well they can decide they've had three is so. they should let us try again i just wanted to kind of be done really i just resolved you know i think everybody's getting sick and tired of scarring on and on and i can understand the nice europeans and us thirty seconds when everybody's but me everybody else. is terrible so for for mass brixton prides itself on its immigrant heritage local shop for food from around the world in this market approach european stronghold in the south of

london that's tired of seeing the political gridlock day in and day out. here in brixton the mood amongst photos has become dark to reason may is asking for yet another extension on the bricks that process could drag on for months those that voted to remain in the european union and now hoping for a second referendum or at the u.k. would eventually stay in the european union others and that seems to be the general feeling on the streets in london just want the political infighting to stop and they want to get on with the brics a process. of parts reporting their libraries are vital for any city there are spaces to learn. x. and course we need nairobi kenya as capital has a beautiful central library but it's rundown and the books are ancient two women have taken it upon themselves to restore the library to its former glory cellar and they go reports. traffic jams and busy street life is what most people associate

with nairobi but nestled in the city center lies the macmillan library a space of peace and quiet but also a building transported visitors back into a different era yeah this is my favorite room something about the growth in this room that really appealed to me. and i. want to restore the colonial era library as well as to smaller libraries and there'll be a mammoth task seeing as many of the books and documents have simply collected dust over the years there are tons of books here that we nor are there other than an entire collection of roosevelt's writing the mare a lot of these new more recent have been digitized but we only fiefdom of the old stuff and then just stop keeping these massive dusty volumes in twenty eighteen the two partnered with a county government and founded the organization the bank. as active

members of nairobi's writing and publishing community they're fascinated by the possibilities of the library they've organized readings from screenings crowdfunding and guided tours to raise money and awareness for the libraries. from our conversation and also lawyers from saying that look people want spaces to be functional on the streets to have things like life. it wants things like toilets want. like teen. books is the belief we want to recognize ourselves in the collection is a big what. we recognize but the books that are in this every have been here for decades and they reflect the reality of the nation of haiti and before that when when slavery was built and that hasn't changed since out despite its shortcomings a library remains a refuge for students of those escaping hectic city life. jacobson and i has been mcmillan's chief librarian for over twenty years has dealt with it

all from budgetary constraints to failed renovation efforts and yet he seems to have been crypt with the new enthusiasm at one zero and bring with them. a lot of change for one there is hope. to. have had a lot of interest from would be nice. people what we need to see in these. would have been a good thing or integrating the members the publicity through the library tours and social media have even drawn in first time visitors a little like big city do you think there's anything interesting but i'm pretty impressed i think it's an extraordinary structure one. but two it just seems that the place the place where people can come and reflect and. read and. even in today's digital age one zero and feel that my rubin's need these spaces especially if they can serve as cultural hubs. you know while the two dream of new books by

african and other modern day authors art exhibitions and cafes the first task is to take stock and bring the library back into shape. football now in the quarterfinals of the champions league kickoff they're saving tottenham host manchester city in an all england clash city are trying to make history the season achieve something no other english side has ever done win a quadruple that's two domestic cups in england as well as the premier league champions league. manchester city barely have time to catch their breath right now in bed guardiola side to reach the english cup final at the weekend now they european hopes are on the line star striker sergio aguero returns from injury to boost a stellar attack also featuring rocky stirling as the campaign for an unprecedented quadruple continues. to knows this will be a tough examination of city's credentials even if he'd like it to be an easy

encounter. who goes into minute. to. minute to play it in the way first like. when we know each other quite well and we're going to to make it would be. city will have to keep a close eye on harry kane the striker has already scored five goals in the tournament this season even with the threat he poses there's no doubt the odds as stacked against tottenham have lost their last three games against the premier league champions but coach mauricio party tino has caught the scent of an upset. we want to start to. being tough and then to see for him. to improve on the game we see we've got and leave it in that situation another challenge for man city to limber up for at the start of a phase that could make or break their quadruple hopes. you're watching g.w. news still occur in business where do most of france's top restaurants get their

caviar from well the answer might surprise you. as coming up in just a minute business with. thanks for. the mock.

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worth saving. globally deals tell stories of creative people and innovative projects around. world ideas to protect the climate boost clean energy solutions and reforestation. using interactive content to inspire people to take action global o.d.s. the environment series of global three thousand on t.w. and online. a city in ruins morrow a. symbol of a long conflict in the philippines between the muslims and the christian population last night as fighters occupied the city center in two thousand and seventeen president to church's response was brutal. i did it it will never happen again look both of. the reconquest turned into tragedy this

is not the kind of freedom that we want. how did malawi become a gateway to islamist terror. an exclusive report from a destroyed city. philip in the sights of fire starts april eleventh on d. w. . good. at long last carlos ghosn the former head of nissan and renault speaks out and that's a video which he lashes out at his former colleagues also coming up chinese and european leaders gather in brussels for talks this after china made a new member believe part of its controversial belt and growth infrastructure initiative and where do most top notch restaurants in france get their caviar from well the answer might surprise.