this is the wus live from berlin christmas celebrations begin in bethlehem more than 100000 people are in the west bank city to take part in festivities also coming up. asian leaders meet as north korea threatens a christmas surprise that might be a missile test china south korea and japan hold a special summit to boost cooperation over north korea's nuclear program. pay the

money that i'm. presenting. to. rejoin visitors from around the world at one of germany's famous christmas markets . i'm nick spicer thanks for joining us thousands of christian pilgrims and tourists are gathering in bethlehem to mark christmas christians revere the west bank city as the birthplace of jesus every year a midnight mass is held in the church of the nativity where catholic priests will later preside over the christmas eve festivities palestinian president mahmoud abbas is also expected to attend. sunrise over bethlehem on christmas eve. early pilgrims can pay

a tranquil visit to the church of the nativity before the west bank city takes on a full on christmas party mooned. the church is one of the oldest christian structures built above the grotto believed to be the birthplace of jesus. but often as every year palestinian scouts have been marching since morning to the manger square in front of the church playing pipes and drums and drawing tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world. i would say that's what by the by we're really impressed by people has worn out this kind of friendly atmosphere at the square. feeling all of the lots that amazingly beautiful. bride. i'm going to have not like it a little. but i guess that spirit is this that you were going to be as a lover in the evening the head of the catholic church in the holy land stucky some

bamma will celebrate midnight mass once a year for his visit from jerusalem the wall that divides bethlehem and the palestinian territories from israel is opened the long term conflict in the middle east subsides at least temporarily over christmas. leaders of china japan and south korea have agreed on a joint effort to promote dialogue between the united states and north korea amid increasing threats from pyongyang chinese premier league chung japanese premier shinzo obey and south korean president one j and held a summit in chengdu china north korea says it will take unspecified action if sanctions against it are not lifted by the end of the year. they called it a new era of the 3 kingdoms as for leaders of china japan and south korea met for talks but the only dissenting view gender for some it was not at the table. north korea's kim jong il after the latest tests at the launch site earlier this month

regional powers are concerned puring young is about to undo efforts to ease tensions. we agreed that peace on the korean peninsula was in the common interest of the 3 countries we also agreed to make efforts together to help promote north korea u.s. dialogue for denuclearization and peace. the possibility of north korea turning into serious nuclear threat has become more tangible after february summit between kim and u.s. president on the trump fails to deliver any results. to come and threat of a north korean attack has forced to pan and south korea to overcome their own bilateral tensions over their colonial history. i am willing to improve this important relationship between japan and south korea by all means today i would like to have a frank discussion. china north korea's only ally supports the call for peace in

the korean peninsula beijing is interested in easing tensions in the region also for economic reasons china's premier used the opportunity to promote a new free trade zone between the 3 countries. the prospect of more diplomatic and economic unity in east asia is cause for optimism but the dawn of a new era depends on substantial jeev minutes after the talks. to take a look now at some of the other stories making news around the world. 8 civilians including 5 children have been killed in a missile strike on a school building in syria's province the opposition is blaming president bashar al assad's government for the attack the school serves as a shelter for people displaced by violence in other parts of the country. protesters have clashed with police and demonstrations scuffles broke out after activists occupied shopping malls riot police fired tear gas as thousands of

protesters blocked streets outside the shopping centers the anti-government protests in hong kong are now in their 7th month. accord in turkey has ordered businessman osman to remain in jail on charges he attempted to overthrow the government. is accused of organizing and funding the gazey park protest against then prime minister of russia tire paranoia the european court of human rights has called for his release saying there's no reasonable suspicion he committed a crime. at least $24.00 passengers were killed after the vehicle they were driving in plunged off a cliff on the indonesian island of sumatra rescuers rescuers are still searching for survivors possibly trapped inside the bus which veered off a road into a 150 meter deep ravine. now when you go to a new location many of us turn to online maps for help navigating the way but fewer

than half of the world's countries have actually been sufficiently mapped online our next report follows one man who's trying to bridge that digital divide by putting more african countries literally on the map. troubling anywhere in africa can be really complicated when you don't have access to good accurate maps but if you look at africa right now maybe only 6 or 7 countries are met. and there are $54.00 countries only. in within them maybe in a 120000000 people his day job is in silicon valley but in his spare time to one a container is thousands of kilometers away feeling in the gaps left by google street view being from growing up in the region i knew many places in the region that street that became clear when to want to move to california a decade ago and he trying to show his new friends his hometown of harare friend parent asked me to show. the house that i grew out of.

so we went to my hometown who were absolutely pound for all we could get. maybe. a car why do we not have the same. but you know i don't what's that city's doing so last year he borrowed a camera and went back to southern africa to map some of the places he remembered from his youth. those images became the 1st instance of street view in zimbabwe. and he didn't just stick to the streets he maps some of the country's most famous sites like victoria falls from above in order to millions of people to not have the access or resources to travel to this place that sort of just getting an idea of what this place may look like if you. don't help using his own money he's now mapped at least 12 cities across 3 countries by car and by foot. i went

and we drove through about 5 sittings. to the web's atlantic coast the skeleton coast that's the 2000 miles of coastline or long going to be a star country coast. according to google only $87.00 of the world's $195.00 countries have been significantly mapped the biggest gaps are in asia and africa there's a significant digital gap we are putting some of these communities that are left out of these platforms. within cities in making sure that people in their cities actually ever access to tools that allow them to to live their lives like anybody else who truly built our digital infrastructure. after he mapped harari google added several listings for local businesses and the information gathered by car could even help improve drive time testaments which can often be wrong by several hours but for to wander maps have another dimension saying very carefully

time to making up maps you know guides the path to where we need to impart deception of the world around us and i want to have connection to people that may be thousands of miles away from us and she helps to keep building those connections one step at a time. paris the iconic cathedral will not be holding a christmas mass this time this year i should say for the 1st time since the french revolution the french government pledged to rebuild it after a fire earlier this year devastated the cathedral but that work will take years to complete and the building is too unstable to hold religious services landmark cathedral of paris still a skeleton of its former self the work underway now focuses on stabilizing notre dame and preventing its collapse. the fire that ravaged the church's roof

and spire broke out on april 15th. tons of poisonous lead melted during the blaze that spells health hazards and good reason to delay holding christmas festivities inside i think it's incredibly sad that they will be able to celebrate mass especially because it's such a revered monument for catholics probably many many families have that tradition of going every year for christmas services it is quite a break in tradition quite honestly as long as the renovation work is carried out quickly and well it is not the right moment to open at one time i think people are aware of that and can go to other churches to. notre dame has held a christmas mass every year since $803.00 even during the horror of world war 2. the last interruptions to the mass came amid the anti catholic fervor of the french revolution. this year worshippers are being sent to nearby sites for services including the church of sun so peace. to think that i was ill last christmas and i

missed christmas and talked to them thinking that they would go again this year with no problems. i'm missing that already. in years past thousands of worshippers and tourists gathered inside notre done daily it's still unclear when they'll be able to congregate inside again. here in germany christmas markets are one of the most popular features of the festive season in berlin along are over 70 to choose from and they attract people from around the world we want to want to blend favorite markets to hear what visitors enjoy the most. in the center of berlin at the diamond market christmas market there is no shortage of artists and all crafts. there are butchers and bakers. even candlestick maker but the principle

offering is an atmosphere. that's hard to find anywhere else. this is what a 1st i mean i mean but even this is our 1st time experiencing christmas market it's really nice it's just. it wasn't what i was expecting it's better she said it just cheese. is very easy like very christmas and we all have these kind of markets in a spain it's unlike anything we have in the states so it's kind of a it's a nice time here it's warm cozy you have warm and hot drinks it's my 1st day here in being and this market is so nice this is the best one. and what's your what's your favorite part about this market to eat everything. i think i love it's that so . if the goal is crowds and mary mint then been marked has it in abundance or

a simple stroll also offers a chance to learn holiday greetings in half a dozen different languages now do that. pretty much damn it wasn't. very much i don't know who's right now because you know we believe that with. the finger in your corner that. it is not how. many very many people you've gotten on him and you might want. to go find out. and a reminder of the top stories we're following for you. thousands of pilgrims and tourists have gathered in bethlehem to celebrate christmas christians revere the west bank town as the birthplace of jesus augustinian president mahmoud abbas is also expected to attend festivities. the leaders of china japan and south korea have agreed to help ease tensions over north korea's nuclear

program they said peace in the region was of common interest. and you are of course watching do give you news live from berlin more coming up at the top of the hour up next however is business asia with the latest on steps to resolve the trade dispute between japan and south korea don't forget to get all the latest news and information around the clock on our web site. it's going to. be produced. defeated me thank you.