this is news live from berlin syrian forces pound in live province residents flee for their lives government troops backed by tanks are mounting a ground assault on the last pockets of resistance hundreds of thousands of people in rebel held areas have taken to the road with nowhere to go but makeshift camps where conditions are squalid. germany citizens should overcome their differences and show more mutual respect that's the christmas message from the german president . and the open wounds of romania's christmas revolution the country marks

a grisly anniversary of the execution of a communist dictators 30 years ago today that helped bring the country's bloody revolution to an end. a mommy and use of glad you could join us we start in syria according to a relief group more than 200000 people have fled a government assault on a lid province most have been heading toward the turkish border syrian regime forces backed by tanks are continuing their ground advance against rebel held areas in the southern and eastern it live about 250 people have been killed in the latest flare up of violence. syrian tanks fire on targets as the ground assault in egypt province advances. government forces captured village after village head immediately opening a major highway this being. close to 7 years for the army ultimately wants to

recapture in the province from the al qaeda in the militias which control it. as the troops push forward civilians try to flee the line of fire tens of thousands are on the run. that are now we are leaving because of the shelling we're worried about our children and the situation. why else would we leave why would anyone leave his house and be a victim of table. with the turkish border closed the only option for shelter is makeshift camps like these it's cold and damp the conditions are desperate. because of the shelling. i mean i can hardly survive here. people are suffering because of the work record.

the situation in the camps is likely to deteriorate tens of thousands of syrians are already stuck in places like these. and every day thousands more take to the roads to get out of the war zone. now in hong kong police and demonstrators have clashed again as protests continue through christmas riot police used pepper spray and tear gas in a major shopping district activist block the streets and smash up windows they've called for flash mob protests to continue into the new year anti-government demonstrations in hong kong are now in their 7th month. our correspondent phebe kong is on location and she sent us this. protest in hong kong station other wrong with demonstrations on christmas day which also marked the 200th day after movement again to pick the popular shopping malls as the platform for relevance as they want to create a kind of economic pressure on a government and meanwhile the police are also. so prepared to tackle the protest

and many of the morse were heavily guarded by riot police officers throughout the day we also witnessed pounds of tear gas fired outside america shopping centers and some of the demonstrators are supposed bystanders inside the mall where arrested and pepper sprayed as a result of the precious many of the malls were forced to close down eliot and you show and this is definitely one of the worst christmas for many real tellers in hong kong and tension hasn't been so often during holiday but instead he took up. and this is a huge contrast with what's the posting only a season off a celebration. for becoming there reporting from hong kong now let's take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world. russian opposition politician alexei now a volley says one of his key staff has been forcibly conscripted into the military a move he said amounted to quote kidnapping the military said we're setting off

scene here with not only earlier in the year was being made to perform his obligatory obligatory military service. frickin afonso president called for 2 days of mourning after 35 civilians almost all of them women were killed by jihadists near the town of our bindo on tuesday at least 7 soldiers and 80 attackers also died in the shootout that followed. in algeria thousands of people accompanied the funeral procession of army chief that guy who died unexpectedly on monday was instrumental in forcing the country's longtime president to resign earlier this year. pope francis has given his christmas address from the vatican his annual or be at or be latin for to the city and the world the pontiff spoke about migrants and people who have endured what he called quote unspeakable forms of abuse that was a reference to spiralling allegations of sexual abuse in churches around the globe

francis also called for an end to world conflicts you finished by blessing the catholic church faithful who packed the st peter's square in rome. 50000 people gathered in st peter's square in bright sunshine for the pope's christmas address it's the 7th of his papacy and again the condemnation of war and violence was the heart of his message with conflicts in europe asia africa and the americas francis issued a call for peace. he still. makes rice to bring his lights went out to the many children suffering from war and conflicts in the middle east and in various countries of the world. may he inspired governments and the international community to find solutions to allow the peoples of those regions to live together in peace and security. and put

an end to their suffering he really saw it in. the list of war torn regions it's long francis again crime for better protection for people fleeing the violence and he criticized europe's policy of expelling for refusing entry to migrants toward the end of his address he gave the traditional blessing or being to the city of rome and the world. and then a more mundane message to the thing around the globe. and joy of christmas lunch. i. thought now

in the german president's annual christmas address funk called on germans to overcome their differences and respect each other as equals he reflected on the high points of 2019 including the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall but there was also marked by a far right attack on a synagogue in october which killed 2 people and shocked the country. looking back on the events of the past year the german president says the anti-semitic attack at a synagogue in holland left a deep imprint the building's locked or prevented even greater tragedy. bears the traces of some 20 bullets you see the splintered wood and the metal remains in the bullet holes. they store guards at the entrance to the synagogue and. it's a miracle that it held and that no more people fell victim to this brutal anti semitic attack in which 2 of our fellow citizens were murdered by the.

president steinmeyer visited the location of the anti semitic attack as soon as he could. this christmas he asked germans to find hatred and defend democracy for. democracy needs self assured citizens who have confidence and drive common sense and decency and who show solidarity with others funk hopes the germans can continue to find courage and optimism in the coming year so they can find the strength to create a better future. stay with us for the german president's christmas address in full coming up straight after the news but 1st let's take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world. michael bloomberg a u.s. billionaire with his sights set on the democratic candidate for president is under fire after unknowingly employing prison labor for his campaign the former new york city mayor's staff subcontracted a vendor that uses prison based call centers with female inmates to place calls on

his behalf. in a friend's ballet dancers took part in a strike against the government's pension reforms by performing parts of swan lake on the steps of the paris opera dancers currently benefit from a special retirement plan if the reforms are implemented many of them might face living in precarious conditions. and over 100 families have been left homeless in the central philippines after typhoon fun phone betted islands with heavy rains and destructive winds thousands more have been forced to evacuate their homes spending christmas day in shelters. a wildfire in the chilean city of so has damaged or destroyed more than $100.00 homes several districts in the western part of the city had to be evacuated it's not known what triggered the blaze but hot temperatures and strong winds helped plan fan the flames. fleeing the flames with pets. and household

possessions. the fire started in the woody hilly area on valspar esau's outskirts and quickly spread. it consumed dozens of homes in its path. under huge pole of thick black smoke rose above the city. as the flames crept closer residents tried in vain to stop them advancing annoyed i feel powerless because all the houses are burning and now the fire is coming here. extra firefighting reinforcements had to be called in to help local residents joined in the effort to douse the flames as well as move any timber and wooden walling that might turn out of the way. wildfires are not unusual in chile this year's very warm weather helped the flames to spread but this wildfire came as about power

you so celebrated christmas eve and also as chile is steeped in political crisis after months of anti-government protests. now romania is marking 30 years since the ex execution of former dictator nicholas cesco and the overthrow of his communist regime who ruled romania for over 20 years and imposed a highly authoritarian form of leadership on his country following a brief show trial he was executed along with his wife elena on christmas day 989 his fall from power was preceded by demonstrations against his rule as well as a brutal crackdown in a bid to quell protests when the revolution broke out in december 1909 danville ina was in the thick of it at this barracks in tega vista remain years hated dictator and nicolae ceausescu and his wife elena were on trial. boy in a young prosecutor at the time cross-examined the couple the.

school was a dictator if you consider all the atrocities he committed only one charge was possible crimes against humanity and there's only one punishment for that. was the charges were executed immediately after the trial they had no chance to appeal it had little to do with the rule of law but after the show trial broadcast life the shooting in the streets stopped the death toll in romania had already reached 1000 prosecutor done valena insists the summary execution was just defined he points out the bullet holes where the cheshire screws was shot against the wall but 30 years on he's still waiting for a truly fresh start for remaining. it's time the new generation followed their feelings began to build the rule of law that young people

back then gave their lives for. danville and often visit the cemetery where the revolution's victims are buried most of them were under 30 teenagers students and workers many of the perpetrators have yet to be identified. the group approaches to this day for all these young people who were murdered in december 1909 there is still no justice the wounds left by romania's communist era and the bloody revolution that ended it 30 years ago a still gaping wide. on december 26th 15 years ago a tsunami killed nearly a quarter of a 1000000 people a gigantic wave and gulf the coast of indonesia sri lanka india thailand and 9 other countries underwater earthquake that caused the tsunami was one of the

strongest ever recorded the wave that hit indonesia was 17.4 meters high as eastern coast was especially hard hit more than 10000 people died in the southern region. can die a gee it looks out over the indian ocean nearly every day get up and deter life 15 years ago when she lost almost her entire family to the massive tsunami. only a little bit get a little bit all 9 of us lived near the beach so many tonight when i think about the children i get very sad i only managed to save one little girl that i never saw the others again when i got back my house was destroyed. but i. can die and now shares her home with the one granddaughter she rescued and her small child the waters forced their way some one and a half kilometers inland the town of power in sri lanka south was worst affected

thousands of children were among the victims. on his help many survivors back then he was the only psychiatrist in the worst affected area of southern sri lanka he treated adults and children alike. children as you know will have a huge amount of france in the atoms and they have got the thing that's trying to come out of these things and that depends on the adults at them. and control. and complete then the problems the children's anxiety and stress much much less. after the tsunami sri lankan psychiatrists formed a network with the help of the world health organization today elementary school teachers are being taught how to recognize signs of trauma in children but talking about the effects of trauma is still to do. what the country has installed an early warning system for tsunamis the fear of another giant wave has never gone away nor

has the memory of the victims of 2004. in the u.k. queen elizabeth 2 delivered her traditional christmas address with a focus on peace and reconciliation she reflected on this past summer 75th d.-day anniversary commemorations as an example of people's capacity to overcome deep seated divisions she also praised young environmental campaigners but after a year of turbulent british politics and challenges facing the royal family the queen acknowledged that 2019 had been difficult. it's a christmas tradition for the royal family and afternoon trip to the church near the queen's sandringham estate but this year the party was smaller than usual no prince philip he's just out of hospital prince harry and his wife megan are taking time out in canada rumors of a family rift abound. and then there's prince andrew he's keeping

a low profile after giving a t.v. interview to deny he was involved in a sex scandal involving the convicted pedophile jeffrey epstein he was at church but in the morning well away from the cameras it's been anything but clear sailing for the royals this year all for their country i mean the drama of greg's it so a brave face for the christmas message jesus christ would show the world how small steps taken in faith. can overcome long held difference in age and deep seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding. many of us already tried to follow in his footsteps the path of course is over which slowed and may at times have felt quite bumping. among the photos clearly visible on her desk during that speech the 3 men next in line to the throne they all sort of feature in this royal video

making christmas pudding for charity it's worth remembering that it is often the small steps not the giant leaps that bring about the measure change and say i wish you all a very happy christmas. and especially happy christmas if only because this difficult year will soon be over. now a group of berlin swimmers calling themselves the sea dogs have upheld a christmas day tradition taking a plunge in a cold lake just outside the city they braved water temperatures of just 5 degrees celsius that's around 40 degrees fahrenheit some c. dogs complain the lake was too warm thing they missed the snow and ice of previous years. to warm indeed you're watching

news from berlin we'll have more news at the top of the hour next german president . as christmas addressed a call for tolerance and mutual respect don't forget you can get all the latest news information around the clock on our web site that's d.w. dot com thanks for joining us. for viner. berryman's it off for good now it's worth more not and i have to uninvite not swans undersea spray can see our moment mention the under my nose and on guns feel the have nots often but with as you are good town feel have music gaga speedman british did from disco see on monday button do you see the victim inducing young man she had met seared from hits

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8 years after the overthrow of the gadhafi regime libya has descended into almost continual conflict between its rival says as a proxy my guess this week here in congress is are made much take deputy prime minister of the us backed government of national accord closely allied to groups of armed militias which are being credited for serious human rights abuses conflicts offs next on d w. a fairy tale. castle.

many believe it's the symbol of german culture others think it's just grandiose marketing floods of tourists replicas souvenirs all of it what is it to draw on so many people to the castle noise feinstein from serry tale to cash cow in 45 minutes on d w. 50 years of religions for peace teams from many different things are working together toward a common goal the peaceful resolution of religious conflict is. now female members are for religions for peace from the middle east are demanding

a larger. all common ground is empowering women giving them the rule making them agent of change people. in. the female peacemakers stores turning where we sit on t.w. . this is for for mention we have mostly for the libya you saying the u.s. is badly in full yes i think the president of you or are you worth saving lives the government are you really worth it course 8 years after the overthrow of the gadhafi regime libya has descended into almost continual conflict between its rival centers of power my guess this week here in paris is ahmed might speak deputy prime minister of the u.s. backed government of national accord closely allied to groups of armed militias which are being coy.