so they can plant crops and trying to feed. droughts climate change become the main driver of mass migration you can write anything about going to peace not as you want them probably more. on t w. hello and a warm welcome to focus on europe thanks for joining us now and again there are events and images so extraordinary that the entire world is seemingly moved the fire at the historic notes were down cathedral in paris was such an event onlookers watched in shock as the flames ravaged their way from the rooftop to this fire the

firefighters could only extinguish the flames the next morning. isn't just any church it's the heart and soul of the french capital and though parts of it have been destroyed the structure of the iconic building has been preserved and french president emmanuel mccollum has vowed to rebuild the church within just five years for parisian and those who love the city the fire was a reminder of just how beloved new to down is. live it was an incredible sight more and more people gathered in front of notre dame cathedral which was burning before their very eyes they sang and prayed together parishioners and tourists from around the world. the fire had already been raging for three hours the iconic twin bell towers were in danger of collapsing many here were hoping for a miracle like josie and early christians from lebannon. they had to go in there's water on either side. but it's on fire and they can't put it out. even in

france with all of its modern technology they can't put it out that you were praying to god. also this year you might if men can't do it maybe the good lord will help us. so that. it's not just not for donna from paris it's not for dom of all humanity that even the muslims next to us started singing with us when they saw he was singing in arabic. much of notre dame's roof had collapsed the fate of its invaluable artworks and relics was still unclear a best it was somewhat difficult for me this is the symbol of paris i'm in love with paris and it's art and culture that this could happen to such a powerful symbol i can't believe. people hoped and prayed firefighters could put out the fire there's never been one like that said. many of the beams in the

church's wooden frame were almost a thousand years old. the damn thing. is my heart my soul. what i'm a parisian born in paris to me it's our most important building. everyone cried tonight i stood beside muslims jews blacks whites this united everyone it touches our soul and breaks our hearts. some people stayed all night. then in the early hours of the morning the fire department announced that the blaze was under control though the damage is huge many of the most important artworks were rescued . who long work for the roman catholic archdiocese of paris is relieved and impressed by how many people of all religions to together. last night the grand the rabbi of france site of the old testament that's common to both christians and jews. the prophet isaiah said he my house will be called

a house of prayer all peoples. and that's what notre dame represents for christians of course but for all men of good faith whether they be jews or muslims or otherwise. even nonbelievers. some say it's a miracle notre dame is still standing. i believe in resurrection. rise again due to the extraordinary solidarity of those mobilizing to rebuild it if we're going to get other fail i think we're capable of doing it maybe differently but we have to do it but this world no matter what the cost it will be huge but that doesn't matter it must be done and when you profess. notre dame and paris are experiencing an outpouring of solidarity people around the globe want to help restore the treasure cathedral to its former glory and help is on the way through

an outpouring of generosity hundreds of millions of euros from individuals and companies have already been pledged to rebuild. these people are demonstrating for a liberal and cosmopolitan spain for a tolerant society well the current socialist government supports these values but with elections coming up in spain they are facing a serious challenge from the far right the populist loss party are gaining momentum after their surprise victory in regional elections they are unapologetic about the country's former dictatorship during which tens of thousands were murdered many others were imprisoned and tortured well the effects of franco's forty year reign of terror still have a profound impact on the victims and their relatives today. it was the most terrible experience of his life billy merrow was just nineteen when he was thrown into this prison in madrid. today it's hard to imagine the horrors that took

place here during the fascist regime of francisco franco to force mayor to speak the police staged his execution. and. when they point to pistol at you and press the trigger with no bullet in that split second two things can happen you can just stand there speechless like i did or you fall apart. or so that. the young communist did not reveal any names his time in prison in the early one nine hundred seventy s. helped spur his decision to enter politics where he eventually served as m.e.p. for the united left bloc mayor fears that right wing populist are gaining support in twenty eighteen the far right box party took a leaven percent of the vote and to lucy as regional election now the country is heading into a general election. if. i feel safe today but i'm very worried because a political force like box is yearning for a time in which we lived under

a dictatorship. the far right box party wants to unseat the socialist the crowd of vox supporters have come to this bullfighting are enough for a rally many have written the slogan spain for the spanish on their flags they want to ban abortion and same sex marriage and they glorify the years under the dictatorship. grayle if we would the franco years weren't so bad there was a good side in this regard for the ok it was a dictatorship but a homeless one. just them yet we just let it die i'm proud of spain's history thanks to franco spain made progress and became what it is today. for franco's victims and their families sentiments lie. these are a slap in the face for nine years they've been demonstrating every thursday in the center of madrid. they're calling for truth justice and retribution they

say the dead should be examined from mass graves and given a proper burial and their murderers and torturers brought to justice for the people here the rise of the far right is a shock. to brighten their lot and all they want to recon ques a recon quest can you believe it this is a disgrace to spain. that's why we're here demonstrating against fascism not for ourselves we're old they're not but for our children our grandchildren. the crimes of the dictatorship have been swept under the carpet agrees nicholas sanchez. under franco he became a forced labor he fled spain and only returned after franco's death he wrote a book about his life spain's younger generation he believes has learned far too little about the horrors of the dictatorship that's why many are now joining the far right. for me i haven't properly

grappled with our own history we're going to we have an entire series of very conservative governments. they made sure that schoolchildren never learned about what actually happened in this country. they didn't deny that we had a dictatorship. spain's history has divided the country far right box leaders santiago rejects the notion that any form of reckoning or redress is necessary to come to terms with franco's nearly forty year dictatorship but you only look are you going to apologize for our history we should acknowledge its glory its a darker side draw the best out of it and take pride in it you know your really mayor is dismayed and angry at the spanish left which he says failed to counter the rise of the far right he hopes the radical right won't have a strong showing in the general election and become kingmakers in

a new conservative government as they did in andalusia. when i live not so that was one of the most terrible nights of my life. this or that after so many years of struggle and sacrifice of this of after so many disappeared so many who were forced to flee and look at so many who were tortured this would be a step backwards it would be like starting over again at zero the third of. mayor says he won't give up he'll continue to fight for a just and lightened and modern spain. many girls the world over dream of becoming famous and reality casting shows can offer a fast track to fame and fortune eleven year old tonya from russia dreams of making it big as a singer but first she has to win over the tough judges to make it through to the

finals with millions of russians tuning in the competitions can be brutal especially for children from ten years for eventual city of to there the draw of the big stage in moscow is worth the risk. to make it big you've got to stop small. a rehearsal room in severe a provincial russian city eight weeks before the show. that just eleven years old lead singer tanya gold is one of russia's youngest rock singers has to move on with my bandmates are quite a bit older but if i were to play with kids my own age or even we could never achieve this quality level we're team. johnny has been chasing her dream of talent show success but she is she'd applied

for goalless russia's version of the voice once before but didn't make it past the first round since then she's been rehearsing every day in her hometown to the city lies on the ball down and on the rail line between moscow and st peters but. tommy is having private singing lessons with her voice teacher musharraf you're all. right now bush negative tommy has an unusually strong will to sing rock you must have an inner motivation trying to house that and unnatural presence you've got here for the daily fix. just for weeks to go till the show tanya has to go to moscow to rehearse with the orchestra for russian television channel one but the on phone bill has little experience with hard rock so can it work.

and is there any but usually play the song twice as fast. as his wish i'd listen to thought. well. finally the day of the show has come and tommy is hoping that a slower version of the song will strike the right chord with the jury. but the dollar will be ready to go on at twenty to eleven. that those millions of people all across russia are waiting to hear who the jury will send to the final round rushes begin the talent show frenzy for years now. young performers sing their versions of songs by big stars.

at last tanya girl keenness on with her own interpretation of never grunge and smells like teen spirit. the juries made up of three famous russian singers. they sit with their backs to the contestants judging solely on what they hear if nobody's turned their chair around by the songs and the singers out of the running . bodied sea. like you and i get to see him. and that's just how he goes for tonya none of the jury members turned around the

eleven year old aspiring the singer from to via has to fight not to break down in tears. was with what can i say she's just not right for this format or rather channel one's not yet ready for tanya's music. now they'll be hearing from me. no happy ending for tonya other youngsters are waiting backstage hundreds while thousand sit at home in front of their t.v.'s with. weeks ago we shared with you the story of how a young man from iraq who had camped out on the french coast of cali with no roof over his head he was left to sleep under a bridge in the middle of winter and not told us his goal was to cross the english channel over to the u.k. before border controls were reintroduced for graves that he repeatedly risked his

life trying to cross the freezing waters on an inflatable dinghy our correspondent suzanne adore hegar has kept in contact with hammer and brings us this update. february twenty fifth twenty nineteen hama from iraq squeezed into a refrigerator truck with other refugees trying to cross the english channel from county to britain without permission. they were all risking their lives. hour after nine hours without knowing what was happening around them the truck was in britain fear melted away only now did hama dare to take videos on his cell phone . some long. ago you can look at this bad feeling it's unbelievable. it's a brutal happens because something when to not expect something and you wanted to happen when it's happened it's sad you cannot. explain it.

the asylum authority sent homage to liverpool it was his first time on british soil after at least sixty attempted crossings in over ten thousand euros paid to people smugglers. after all he's been through his room in the refugee shelter here feels like paradise welcome this is my home this is my bit. in here is better warm safe no objection of the police no in truth or anything else. hama says that in iraq he was roughed up by the kurdish secret service and threatened with murder his dream was to get to britain he imagined english gardens stately homes and best of all an open liberal society. but the reality of britain is very different. hama is afraid to walk the streets at

night in this neighborhood some locals are less than welcoming and far from cosmopolitan. when you walk. you know walking. near to them close to them. they look at you by some way that you are not belong to this society are you have a different one night friend of me. how my don't. walk around and the midnight. in the night because lots of people in here are drunk. they want to make a problem so it's for your safety. and he gets homesick especially times like this. someone has placed roses in a tribute to their mother on a lamppost that reminds hama of his own family. i left my. country

i didn't tell him you didn't tell. me i was i was in greece. i was in greece my brothers. and i didn't speak with tail i guess it's only just arrived to tell me i. i speak with yeah she. she she writes lots. public doesn't know when he'll see his mother and siblings again he can't leave britain until his asylum status has been decided. he tries to communicate with people who are ever he can murphy's noone here so what do you think this could be if you bring revenues recall reading this will be a problem for. some some kind of people maybe they thought about it that night and every everyone's going to have a different opinion about it he said i don't see a problem thanks thanks if i sent things off in the west bank only.

on his way to britain how often acted as an interpreter for other refugees in an effort to be of service here to he offered his services to the red cross fortunately for him and the red cross his language skills are needed. names he said this ronny and i are. that's fantastic for us to to to have an interpreter with us providing suppose with three things goes yeah it's just one of the many many ways of integrating pocked you'll. see and we recognize that using science it does have a lot of positive contributions to. hama has applied for asylum now he's waiting for the interview that will help determine his future. my dream come true that's what i think so maybe i'm right maybe i'm wrong. i will fight just like i fight to

come here i will fight to stay here. he's made a start. hummer wants to study nursing at a university and start a new life step by step. in security and freedom. tackling food waste is becoming increasingly important as we seek to make our world war sustainable the european union has committed to reduce full waste by fifty percent by the year twenty thirty and in the czech republic the government has already acted by introducing a new law that the clears war on food waste it's an initiative welcomed by people like stanislav said elect but critics say it's crossing the line. once a week stanislav study like opens up his garage for the needy he distributes groceries

mostly to pensioners and single mothers today he has pizzas that have almost reached their sell by date supermarkets are no longer allowed to throw these products away they are legally obliged to give them to charity organizations marta franco about is happy she can now invite her grandchildren to dinner money. i get a small pension of about three hundred years and when i have to buy call and pay the electric bill it's hard to. come out of our comes here every week at age thirty she's on disability because of heart trouble receiving the equivalent of one hundred sixty euros a month but groceries cost about the same in the czech republic as they do in germany she comes away with three pizzas and a pair of ridge she says these will last five days. this is do you know at first i was ashamed because this was someone i didn't know and i've never done anything

like this asking a stranger for food even if i know he gives it to others they're due for a student because we didn't know what she told me i can come here every thursday at a certain time. so i do. john cherry picks up the food items daily from supermarkets in and around prague the discounters are now required by law to give him merchandise about to reach its best before date this staff member of a prague food bank wholeheartedly supports the idea. it's terrible when you see how many people have nothing to eat and then the stores just toss all these products in the dumpster. that's just horrible. new boxes of yogurt fruit and chocolate stacked up in the proud food bank about ten tons of groceries are distributed each day to around twenty two thousand people in need hardly anything is thrown away people either pick it up directly or it goes to

homeless shelters and soup kitchens. but a new law means we have much more food at our disposal and a greater variety get more perishable goods including fruit and vegetables. the discount supermarkets say the law is a mistake and. the regulations are quite strict sometimes it's not easy to determine which we're still allowed to pass on and which we need to throw away after all the charities have to document that perishable goods will be used weekly a complaint was filed at the constitutional court by some czech senators they said the last smacked of communism and that other potential beneficiaries were losing out. we lodged a complaint because the state was deciding who the supermarket should give food to . for example some discounters have been donating such products to zoos that. well

now they're not allowed to do so despite the quantities available being enough for everyone to. blow things up when i was emotional stanislav said elect is a grease there's not enough to go around he says food prices are so high that even ordinary pensioners rely on food banks the state isn't providing enough support. the problem is that there are many people like me say my pension is enough i don't need to work i can volunteer. i don't earn anything from what i do here. what stanislav citylink would really like is a freezer the law may have made more food available for distribution but the czech republic is by no means a paradise for those in need. plenty of food for thought well that's all for this edition of focus on europe feel free to get in touch about this week's topics on twitter you can also find more stories on our website d w dot

com thanks for watching and no fears that. the in. the elite.

after. entering the conflict zone confronting the powerful. emotions laws are treaty organization nato has just started seventieth birthday but it wasn't a happy one my guess this week here as nato headquarters is rose got so more luxe be organizations deputy secretary general kofi now acknowledge the great show cause serious splits in its unity conflict so feel. doubly.

whole. with different languages we fight for different things that's fine but we all stick up for freedom freedom of speech and freedom of the press. giving freedom for you. global news that matters t.w. made for mines. it's crunch time for european elections are just around the corner of those living in asia you might ask a simple why should i care what the european market is one of the biggest in the once every month everybody needs to get so watch our special show new elections why they matter to asia end of december scrub the local side of our little morning news a new elections why they matter to asia today under the

a. touch of it. sure link to news from africa the world or links to exceptional stories and discussions from the news of these events and what i would say deputed comes from the tough economy join us on facebook at g.w. forgot. to know that seventy seven percent topic are younger than fiction. that's me and me and you. came to know what time the voice is. on the seventy seven percent talk about the issues. from politics to flash from housing boom boom boom town this is where. welcome to the seventy seven percent. this weekend g.w. . cut

. played such. blame. this is the debbie induced live from for lent the next phase of india's vast general election kicks off this time the rest of region of kashmir goes to the polls security there is tight local separatists are calling for a boycott of the election after a recent escalation of violence in the area. also coming up to germany calls a special session of the united nations security council to discuss the crisis in libya but members are split over a surge in violence in the capital tripoli.