hello there you go it's cold out there. i'm rachel join me to meet the germans on the w. . post. this is the w. news live from berlin it's not just climate change now the european parliament is declaring a climate of emergency the new e.u. commission chief was enough on the line has made tackling climate change one of our top priorities european lawmakers are taking her at her word is also coming up drumming up support on the doorsteps of england a new opinion poll suggests britain's opposition labor party will have

a tough job beating prime minister boris johnson's conservatives in next month's election we had the campaign trail in northern england. president trump signs a loss of porting democracy in hong kong pro-democracy activists in the territory of welcome the bluefin taken to the streets but china announces that on state television. in vietnam the 1st funerals take place for some of the 39 people found dead in a truck in britain last post. i'm sumi so much kinder it's good to have you with us the european parliament has voted to declare a climate emergency the resolution was passed with a clear majority and stross for lawmakers hope the move will send a powerful signal to the un climate summit which starts in madrid now. sweet

they're also aiming to perk pressure on the incoming executive to take a leading role in the global fight against climate change well let's go to our correspondent in brussels garrick mathis is standing by for us hi gary thanks for joining us how significant is this declaration. so we as you have pointed out it is mainly about sending a strong signal that was adopted with a great majority some m.v.p.'s have voted against that particularly you conservative any piece particularly because the concern is there is too much symbolism in the words emergency there is a little fuel expectations that then cannot be met and there was this concern that it is an empty promise and there should be more concrete proposals in the declaration but after all this is the declaration we have now a lot of any piece back them and everyone in the european parliament in strasburg i would say is aware that concrete action you know now has to follow that declaration but the hope is that this puts pressure on the incoming commission all right so

some are concerned there is too much symbolism some think that it just doesn't go far enough this declaration we spoke to a green party lawmaker felipe lambert's before the vote let's listen to what he had to say the scientists are basically telling us that we wasted the last decade in terms of climate action which means that now the measures that we need to take a much more stringent instead of political will to do that it's very nice to have a declaration on the climate of urgency but if actions he's not following this is just hot air and well we have enough of hot air at the moment. so is this really just hot air. well there it is it is hot air if nothing comes off it and that will indeed would be would be damage and you know it's if it is an empty promise it's very much now depends on the new head of the european commission has a lot on the line who has already announced that she wants to take your of that she wants europe to take the lead in fighting climate action she wants to make it a priority of her european commission to fight climate change and that is why she

has put forward a european green deal putting some real money some some real concrete proposals on the table in the next weeks and months we'll have to see what comes of that and how she intends to fight climate change bringing down c o 2 emissions from europe right well it's very clearly now on the agenda for the european union will come back to you in just a moment cared but let's take a look now at what is at stake when it comes to climate change and how rising sea levels are affecting the planet. beautiful but endangered greenland's ice sheet is melting at record speed raising sea levels across the world global warming could redraw the world map as we know it. will clear much dr mark when i was a boy there was a lot of ice you can go to court and we're 10 months a year sometimes you hear them a day but in recent years they're only 4 to 5 months. in october everything used to

be locked in ice but now only in december not for them and. scientists are on a mission to predict just how much sea levels will rise globally. if it happens at a rate where we're looking at maybe feet of sea level rise. if he or a 100 years but it's going to have a chip back for cities all across the. cities like alexandria in egypt are spending hundreds of millions of euros to hold back the water. in the netherlands billions of euros are being invested on water management innovations to keep the country afloat. rising sea levels are just one aspect of climate change with the future of the planet at stake activists across the world are demanding radical action from governments while there's still time.

for them. care coming back to this declaration now how do you think that climate activists are going to react to this. the reactions i've received here in brussel is that they welcome the symbolism in this they welcome the fact that peace is in the european parliament have a can all it that action needs to be taken and basically here they they want to use that momentum you know another climate change demonstration coming coming up tomorrow here in brussels which is expected to be big again so they hope that this will create a momentum that really forces the political actors in the member states but also in the european institutions to take some action to look into public transport to look into more renewable energies to look into a reform of the acquis cultural sector a lot of ideas have been put on the table now and the hope really is that something like an emergency declaration will now give this

a big boost. did have you scared reporting for us there in brussels thank you. let's check in now and some other stories making news around the world north korea has test fired 2 short range missiles that's according to south korea and japan observers say the move could be an attempt by pyongyang to pressure the u.s. over deadlock nuclear talks the north has set an end of your deadline for to go she actions to restart medical sources say iraqi forces have shot dead at least 16 protesters in the southern city of nasiriya as unrest continues to grip the country on wednesday demonstrators set fire to the iranian consulate in the city of new jobs outrage over perceived iranian influence has been fueling widespread anti-government protests. on kerry and prosecutors have charged the captain of a cruise liner in connection with a deadly boat collision on the danube in may the ukrainian national was charged with misconduct leading to mass casualties and $35.00 counts of failing to provide

help 27 people died nearly all of them tourists from south korea. now britain's prime minister boris johnson is heading for a big majority in next month's general election according to a major poll the hugo polling analysis which accurately predicted the $27.00 election suggest the progress of johnson would win a comfortable $68.00 seat majority the result would all but guarantee britain's departure from the european union by the end of january and the gains would come at the expense of his opponents labor they are on course for their worst result in decades and let's go right to london our correspondent is standing by for us hi burka so there is one major poll suggesting a big majority for the conservatives does this mean that boris johnson's election gamble is paying off or are voters just tired of breaks it. well sumi i think there are several reasons one is that jeremy corbyn the leader of

the labor party is really extremely unpopular his pastoral writings really drunk bottom he's also being vilified one has to remember by large sections of the british press so that could be one reason the other reason though is that burroughs johnson's message his illusion i have to say of saying let's get breck's it down let's get it out of the way let's move on that that seems to be successful with the british voters they really are so fed up of hearing about it his critics of course point out that record won't be done at the end of january but that is just the beginning of the whole trading cozy asians of the whole written new relationship with the european union and they point out that it's really almost offended fantasy to say that the bracks will be out of the way but a lot of british voters seem to think that brought johnson is the person to to get a clear way forward and we've been i've been to the north of england and we talk to voters and politicians this is where the labor party had their traditional

strongholds and we wanted to see how labor and how the conservatives are fearing in the north of england so let's have a look at that. the town of bishop oakland used to be a train building hub today the factory haughton which carriages were once built into. the unemployment rate is above the british average and a key majority of the population voted in favor of leaving the e.u. . bishop oakland was once a bustling market town with a striving night life now there is a sense that towns like these former mining and manufacturing communities in the north of england have been forgotten. and people want to change a large number of shops on the high street have closed down there is money available for redevelopment but many feel it has been put to wrong cues they blame the labor party which has been the dominant party in the area for almost 100 years

. and have anyone here. the referendum you. can shift and can ask you do you know me and serves no my own because i don't trust the labor party i don't. think in general politicians have the right direction the fish wealth impulse to labor a strategy to draw attention to the conservative party's policies that they say are to blame for the city's money. this is not about brakes it's only it's about the policies of the past we've lost cause for a 1000000000 pounds from our county council through austerity through tory cuts. davis in this the conservative party candidate. and the man message labor has not done enough for the area and that must finally be implemented so that other things can be dealt with again. obviously people are worried about.

here on the ballots about stuff today and the biggest issue we have. as an evening event in a pub hardly anyone says they will vote for labor even if they have done so in the past yes they all want to leave the e.u. and believe that only a tory government will deliver that the north of if england has always been. where the conservative party. richer people the more affluent people with bread i genuinely think there's been a huge shift in people's. i do strongly delay for the conservative party is going to win. the people of bishop of oakland almost all agree they voted for granted and now they want their voices heard for far too long they have felt ignored by petitions in london. and syria was

very striking we really try to find people that are backing labor but it was very very difficult nobody wanted to say on camera that they going to vote labor and even in private conversations a lot of people really express their dismay of the current state of the labor party and it really goes to show that traditional education says at least in the north of england changing it was also striking very good to hear both conservative and labor voices in your report say that this election isn't just about brags and what else is it about. well particularly the labor party is trying to shift attention to public services to domestic policies they and seeing a really quite dramatic investments in things like a green new deal they also try and shift the emphasis on the health service and we know from opinion polls that brags and the health service are the 2 main subject that voters are interested in at the moment labor party is saying if britain leaves

the european union we can already see that this government under boris johnson is in touch with the us and that the us pharma and us health care services will take over and will supply the services and on the cuts our an h.s.a. this is something that they know that very many voters don't want so there is a point of contention here and that will become sharper in the next 2 weeks until the elections i'm sure. reporting for us from london thank you. u.s. president donald trump has signed a law backing democracy in hong kong the legislation means there will be an annual review of the favorable trade status that washington grants hong kong it also threatens sanctions against chinese officials who commit human rights abuses in the territory china's foreign ministry has denounced the new law saying it seriously interferes with its internal affairs but it's been welcomed as a victory by hong kong's pro-democracy movement. and meanwhile in hong kong

pro-democracy demonstrators have been holding a thank you u.s. rally and cherry chan is there she joins us now hi sherri you've been speaking to protesters there what are they saying do they think that this bill from washington really boosts their cause. the protesters here really celebrating the signing of this be you and yet as you said actually is the c.m. off the protests today is what they call the thank you thing to thank the u.s. for passing to be a full activists and protesters in hong kong international support has always been a very important front for them movement and actually for the past few months they have been campaigning for the u.s. to pass this law some prominent activists even went to the u.s. to campaign for this like joshua wall and then this whole they even speak that they even spoke. to congress to ask the u.s. to support them but actually the protests in hong kong they know that they don't

only need the support from the u.s. but also support from. other countries but then they also understand that the opinion of the u.s. has a great influence on what the us will say so this is really a fake free for them what we've seen an angry response from china vowing retaliation is there any indication of what beijing is planning to do. right china has reacted. he signed the video and. summoned the u.s. ambassador to the mounting u.s. to stop interfering in china's in internal affairs and china also accused the us off being the culprits of the instability in hong kong. actually china has been to the set that the us will have consequences if the view and they also said that

they will be caught but then actually in the press conference by the foreign ministry. said what these content measures will be and this book person actually said that. will come of these so it's really frankly what china is going to do about this feel ok on the ground there of police have entered the polytechnic university were protesters were holed up and they're busy collecting evidence just quickly will there be any arrests. actually at the police has finished in their campus and they were just holding a press conference and they said that they have collected a lot of explosives and materials off to make a cocktail some petrol bombs but they didn't mention the rest actually to call the police and to the campus they have promised that they would make the media receive contact and meet anyone stupid inside the campus. so there is so far

there's no arrests yes all right good of you correspondent cherry chan for us there in hong kong with the latest thank you. now in vietnam the 1st funerals have taken place for some of the $39.00 people found dead in a truck in britain last month which is police investigating the deaths have arrested several people including the driver of the truck pleaded guilty to conspiring to assist illegal immigration the victims' bodies were flown to vietnam on wednesday. 2 families paralyzed with grief finally though able to lay their loved ones to rest. cousins when and whine the previous day scores of villagers helped as their coffins arrived in rural vietnam in an emotionally charged and grim homecoming. kept an agonizing wait for the bereaved families who kept

vigil for weeks. after a month of waiting the family has been saw sad we couldn't eat we couldn't sleep. the younger of the men was just 18 years old he had joined his cousin to embark on a shared dream together. he went to work abroad with the hope that he could earn money for a better future for him and help the family but it's devastating that he's died it's really painful. the pair traveled to britain in search of jobs but their journey ended in tragedy inside this lorry among 39 people to suffocate at the hands of human traffickers. as the procession made its way to their final

resting place the focus was not on justice or the nature of the deaths but on a community mourning together. they're going to go you know not one of the whole village and the people from other neighborhoods came to be farewell to them holding white roses and that i hold of them might comfort the families a bit. this loss is immense but the compassion i see here would help ease this terrible pain but not on some of the you know we don't know if you but michael and i we don't think any of these deaths mill yet carry meaning the preach to the children to let this be a lesson not to risk their own lives by leaving. now resistance to antibiotics poses a major threat to human health killing tens of thousands of people worldwide every year but there is hope but scientists say

a class of powerful tiny viruses here these are called bacterial phages might be able to reverse the trend not victorious ages are plentiful in the environment they kill off bacteria by puncturing the outside of a bacterial cell getting inside and making it explode the viruses have long been cultivated in eastern europe as an alternative to antibiotics bacteria phages cocktails can be bought today in pharmacies in some countries like in georgia elsewhere belgium has also started to offer treatment with phage is but it is not widely available in the e.u. it means that some patients have to go abroad to get a hold of the medicine tanya deed ever cannot remember when she was last pain free antibiotics stopped working against her skin disease which she contract at 30 years ago so she found a different treatment bacteriophages but because they're only allowed in special cases in the netherlands she had to travel to to police the georgia and spend thousands of euros of her savings to buy them. alas south to go to georgia i was

extremely nervous but also i was very exciting and also very disappointed in the treatment in holland because holland does not allow the fate is so i had to go all the way to georgia only for this just to get there are many different types of bacteria phages viruses which target a specific type of bacteria tan your drinks 2 different ones each day and also put on a cream it's difficult for people to go to georgia also it's very expensive to go there and to have the treatment how much did you pay for your service. the treatment in georgia was pretty 1900 euros i paid when i need new fridge is when they go to send me new ones i must pay 500 euros. to get new features for 3 months. so it's

a lot of money in neighboring belgium researchers jump up and they created a legal model for prescribing features for patients to. some critical mass of people interested and on different levels you had to research local. authorities also in hospitals. i think the. belgian solution. it's slowly spreading i think other countries sort of getting interested in support belgium is the only western european country where features are easily prescribed to patients apparently he says that lives have been saved with the feed is made in his lab a thing that turpie is getting more and more important because. i think so are more and more fearing. people are actually dying because their infection can be treated with antibiotics sieges are more expensive to create than antibiotics but penny

thinks they will be a useful therapy for the future 10 years hoping that the rest of europe will open itself up to feed stair a-p. soon. and for more on the story we can speak to sandwiches show he's a professor at the institute of food nutrition and health and xerox what's real and some all thanks for joining us how effective can fade therapy really be is there enough evidence to back this up. and you add up the evidence that's is there definitely from case studies or a lot of them but what we are still missing particularly in western europe are actually randomised clinical trials that prove that if you take a pic this year of a cheap and what are the risks involved. there are some clinical safety studies that have been done with fay just none of which have shown any adverse effects in theory there are a couple of risks we can think of such as features that are in their d.n.a.

in code toxic skin sequences or have the ability to move chalk toxic sequences from one organism to another. through d.n.a. sequencing we can actually exclude those features and it's also important to remember that in your daily life when you just drink water you basically ingest around 10 to 100000000 phage particles in every milliliter of water and they do not make you sick so there's good reason to assume that features generally are not a big risk to our health are you hopeful that bacteria phages ultimately could be a solution to antibiotic resistance. i think the faces will play a role in managing the end of micro resistance crisis i don't think they're going to be the only solution to it because obviously there are some restrictions in their application and they're also more expensive to produce to cost them tailored to each patient and so on which obviously is

a big disadvantage. compared to antibiotics which are cheap and easily produced and have a prospect of activity and i understand that most of them only target one type of bacteria and you're working to solve that how is that. yes always the there and this is one of their key advantages faces are so specific so you can actually. like a sniper of basically remove only those box that cost and easy use this is a big advantage bot on the same time this can also be a limitation because it's quite difficult for us to find pages that within this particular type of bacterium will actually kill all of the strains that you find the clinics so we have to we often these cocktails or we have to. genetically engineer faces in a way that they can talk at the pages we're interested in but you're interested in aren't very interesting sam a professor at the institute of soup nutrition and health in zurich thank you.

thank you rick coming up next on news asia over 10000 cheer gas canisters have been fired in hong kong since the start of the protests there residents exposed to the gas say it is making them sick. and how bangkok volunteers are turning to optical illusions to help make drivers respect for desperate. to respond she has a stories coming right up on g.w. news asia don't go away. the.

river is living on. a refugee camp on the border between croatia and bosnia. there is no running no coward no heat a. heavy snows are expected any day. where should they go when winter comes

be off for days. well how. in 60 minutes. was the speech of his life perhaps his best certainly his most difficult chancellor and much cooler addresses the people of east germany shortly after the fall of the wall. the crowd clamors for germany. journalist peter lindbergh was at the scene. 30 years later he looks back on the type of president. starts december 19th on the w. . they created today's rules. 1979 a historical turning point in politics business at least the run up people of the islamic revolution the 1st. opens up making its initial flirtation

capitalism strikes and states of emergency sinks into chaos pope john shimkus against displacement camps the people threaten steel told her. body crisis and lives the start of an era that defines overmatched today. 97 in the big committed to a small stores december 23rd double. this is the governor has a shot coming up $10000.00 telegraphs rounds in just 6 months that's what funk companies have fired into protesters but what effect is the tear gas having on residents be speak to a mother who says it's the children but out of the fighting plus. 2 ways of making life a pedestrian safe singapore's entity now have a small obsessed.