assert our values and interests and secure peace freedom and prosperity europe must strengthen its voice in the world therefore will also stand up for this in the coming here during the german e.u. council presidency for example by holding a summit of all member states with china and a meeting with the african states and so chancellor merkel concludes the year pragmatically with concrete plans for the future employer there is still much work left for her to do. as it shut you up today to more of the talk of a little. love. it's all happening good job it. surely news from africa and the world your link to exceptional stories and discussions can you and will come to the debut suffocating program tonight from funny jenny from on uses easy to our website digital cold snap africa join us on facebook j

w africa. south america home to true veterans of the road we join them on a voyage of discovery from the state of go us in brazil to sao paulo and the state of sun to cut out enough and finally to the small city of minnesota us in northeastern argentina play music music you know the main player was going to play getting. these trucks maybe museum items back in germany but are still valiantly rolling back the years on the roads of brazil you cut her. number that the number of people going up close to 00 our journey begins in the brazilian state of call us at

a truck stop that's packed with old timers this one looks a little worse for wear head is definitely on the rusty side was how come the middle of your follow the video but i want my way from bellaire. i want to try and load up some watermelons here and bring them to sao paulo. thank you for you and does he always go the same way but what about the prophecy. i've been taking the same route for 38 years from sao paolo tube l.m. and from back to sao paulo but i think it would be one when i get back to south paolo i'll have a 970 kilometer journey i may not want the fish in my truck is still going after 6000000 kilometers on the clock although i have had to replace the engine a few times i spend more time caring for it then for my family. that.

will might be my life is spent in the truck. i did go to school but i dropped out to fulfill my childhood dream which has now become a nightmare. life but if you love roses you have to live with the thorns to write. not a bad. song what are those throwing so. roberto forever to susa is now 64 years old. his truck has helped him take care of 3 wives and 10 children he says with pride. this is el sights a popular truckers diner in the area. roberto lovingly calls his truck i'm not allowed a yellow one it's 40 years old. don't look at your body else's husband was a truck driver too. that's him here with the 1113. there are load of them still on

the roads of brazil 131-315-1320 extension 13 the 1st from mercedes brazil good vehicles coming up a little bit of how they know it's diesel not blood that runs through the veins of these men even their families get the bug. yes cut me open and you'll find these old. truck driving is and i. blood. bank. drivers can get a meal at al sells for 15 play ice the equivalent of 3 euros 50 party and affordable fair. if i have the money to get a new truck it will be another mercedes you're not going to move through. the diner is located by the truck stop near sardine polish

a small town about 1200 kilometers north of south palo. from here it's just a few minutes drive to the offices of a fruit wholesaler. the company purchases entire harvests from farmers and then sells the property except markets in the cities. roberto is hoping to get a delivery to sao paulo because it's close to where he lives. have faith in the lord with all your heart reads the company sign. roberto joins other drivers sitting outside.

their own waiting to be assigned a delivery. of the little. league world for a little that way it can take hours if not longer. only sometimes it's 2 or 3 days depending on demand. at long last a company representative emerges and has deliveries to assign to come. out for 150 day ice. with that money you'd be broke by the time you got to sell palo that's all she has to offer. but i love. her photo they go out it's all about supply and demand when there are fewer trucks available the price rises when there are a lot like now the price goes down market patience is a virtue in brazil and specially for truck drivers it's the only offer they receive all afternoon. while you work and maybe it'll work out tomorrow god willing is it.

going to be. a little little lost it isn't easy. to handle the tonnage plans to send them to. elsa steiner the truckers can recharge their own batteries while also feeling well . home sick coming. to legal battle has been on the road for 12 days and today is his beloved wife's birthday. the town the to the sense her happy return stole the true. to. life and loves she told me tomorrow i'll probably be able to load

a delivery and be in sao paulo on sunday. just. love love love love. love love. love the next morning there are even more trucks lined up outside the wholesaler. the cost of the competition and speculation among buyers is paid by the drivers. love. of india the 4 trucks drive off without a buyer for the watermelons. they load up and set off you but they don't know where they will ultimately be unloading. what the wholesale or fruit talk now does is try

to find a buyer. you've got me they then send a fax for the driver to print out at a gas station. that's the sales license which the driver needs to be allowed into the market. to. the beer goggles to my d.q. he will but i don't set out until i know where i'm headed to avoid stress on the road and that is that it's us who are left with any law. also is there the day it's our time that's being spent and money for food there's no point getting the union involved they might resolve your current problem but then you're blacklisted and you won't get any more jobs from anyone to go back to him which might explain why religious mantras are rare source of comfort also seen on the trucks themselves thanks i'll do so i can't say if i'll get on the road today we'll see more about way thanks

thanks dave roberto decides to set off despite not having a precise destination for his delivery 1st he has to have his truck wait while empty to ensure the weight of his load can be verified when delivered at the other end thank god then he continues to the plantations to pick up 15 tons of watermelon. and. the state of going ice is dominated by big landowners especially cattle breeders. they control the farming sector while also holding political posts in brasilia the connections they enjoy in the capital enable them to constantly expand their land assets they then lease their fields to

local farmers. the farmers sell their produce to the wholesalers thanks. love. love. love. love this is the best part of the journey when the trucks loaded up and we can

finally get going. what ever the young ones can do so can the. 15 tons of watermelon on board headed for the state of south. it's a 1200 kilometer journey from here which will take him 3 days. over half of all goods transported in brazil are delivered by truck along very poor roads roberto has his own motto adorning his precious truck for the sake of life is worth living. but it. does is an.

idiot be as he thought of my own. going to make the most of the. end. a year after that film was shot german car maker mercedes-benz opened a factory on farmland just 20 kilometers outside sao paulo the factory would make diesel trucks and later buses to. almost half of the trucks and buses on the roads of the country were built by mercedes benz told herself but despite the company's high profile our film crew were not allowed inside the factory gates here in south

. pole. but a privately run newseum in the town does open its doors specially for this man a nice surprise for 80 year old quality engineer of the century dungeon level who used to work at mercedes stopa still on it. and it's in the mail this one's from my time at the company it has the heart of mercedes. although the body was made by nicola fadia soon you call. it a shell i feel nostalgic. with so i really miss that time. mason the workers used to call the company or my mom or say these ads i want my money yes it's. in my time there were 15000 people working there there were 3 cooperative stores

for the workforce you were you could buy everything you needed for one month even clothes and house or appliances and at the end of the month it would be taken off of your wages for that part of it but it was way cheaper than regular stores because the company bought it and people that are. the part i meant to met you also had excellent medical care provided in-house for staff and their families i missed this and the company also. had a football pitch for staff and a club where we could have dances to celebrate the festival joining us we were there all the time on friday we go home but on saturday we'll be back again. and saying well since i feel i'm. a mom a mercedes is now a distant memory. serious economic crisis demand on the truck market has slumped a mercedes benz dough brazil has already seen with dundon scenes and severance packages perhaps it's no coincidence that the management are not keen on

a foreign t.v. crew taking a look around. 8 state to have roberto's trip to sound. a bit of. a knight in his bag of gold. glove to. get it. wrong again but. he knew that the old trucker songs help to keep his spirits up while he's on the road. laughing. she loves. to but you. love

the loud. it was. a. live. gene playing. in the to. hold. it. who would you fancy something new and better in life. but given the chance to swap i'm not sure my heart would be enough so. tell me we've been partners for so many years and my truck's never made me unhappy it was it meets my expectations it's a really sound truck no bill got there it's perfectly happy when i drive slowly on the but when i step on it because i have a deadline to meet also no problem oh god of the day the thing that i can't help it

i like it. i feel comfortable with it even when i'm asleep she didn't think of me. and this leads. me. to believe. that. every cent account says roberto you have to want your budget to end up with any money in your pocket that means only getting gas where he can get a discount only to diesel here costs $77.00 euro cents. to put the moment. of free rate isolator but i get a discount if we don't move my feet do you think government. won't immediately.

took. a. little money we have to cover highway toll charges then everything else ourselves the companies don't pay a cent. as long as the drivers are on the road the wholesalers and distribution companies continue to play the market and the drivers. ruperto goes to ask if in fact. has arrived for him. he's expecting one his delivery order from the company for tuck. and of course i still don't know where i'll be taking the watermelons these are the forms of the strong liberal who saw. the only information he does have is the approximate direction he's heading with his 1513 model truck and its 15 time load of melons.

to. his journey takes him through the state of maine us share rise past an indian sugarcane fields. some lights on the horizon are not a city they belong to the enormous sugar refinery is. another tiring day at the wheel comes to an end. it's friday and bankers short and pages is looking forward to the weekend he's checking the weather. where in the state of pattern

in the southwest of brazil. showdown lives here on a farm belonging to his mother in law together with his wife letitia. and and his many mercedes and their city neo 600 make one believe that the coming full. of. young. you can push news media. i see it. is $23.00 jordan is $24.00 the couple are sprucing up a small framed truck for their sunday excursion. jordan bought it secondhand and restored it himself. from permissive simply. that i've always been crazy about mercedes. when i

was 16 i made a paper model of this truck which i still have today. it's an old love. the top hole and it's taken from my father's 1st truck childhood memories. to that it was really difficult to find original parts for the restoration. i spent 2 years searching for the white protective hub cap for example pressure now they're going to sit in the 1970 s. and eighty's people thought that chrome elements would bring good luck and more jobs. this number plate holder was already made like that by mercedes. it's an original part that i found and restored to. the club.

and let me see i got married in december during the summer in brazil mars there were 3 of us you me and our truck. with. me planned every little detail. i had my dress on with slits down the side to make it easier to get any now to. see. when you made a little truck. yes this. we were so happy that day and. many of the people in the region are the descendants of european settlers and economic refugees families with now been here for 5 generations. give me the norse of the city my forefathers come from tree or in germany they started to farm the fields here back then the brazilian government gave away land to immigrants since. the.

immigrants who settled all the way down to florida are no police on the coast of santa catarina state they also included many italians such as the forefathers apollo luis. there's a little film playing in my head when i look at this vehicle my father used to drive it i learned how to drive while i sat on his lap. when i was 14 i started helping him at the wheel although i didn't have a license. polo is now a building contractor and a collector of vintage mercedes benz models. well the areas today covered with tower blocks used to be dense forest land. back then we were given permission to cut down trees. we would load up a truck like this with a temper 4 times a day and then take it to hospital and shops and floor not. for heating fuel.

has tracked down veteran mercedes models all over the country he's now restored to 8. 100. a good. look his most recent acquisition is this 312. and it was already 10 years old when i was born i was born in 67 and the truck in 57. trucks like this helped to build the roads in brazil by transporting materials . this was the 1st mercedes model the engine brakes tires and axles are all

original parts. take it for a drive 1st to see if you like it says his mechanic. the starter the clutch they're all from 1957. you think you know there's no secret to these engine was with a pair of pliers and some wire you'll never have a breakdown with this one. i'll start it up and we'll see yes we obviously. didn't give you. all those veterans are not exhibition items they're used for their original purpose thank you. they're in good shape and because they're more than 15 years old i

don't have to pay any road tax and the maintenance costs are really low to. those mises i use the flat face as we call the $320.00 want all the time insurance for a new one would be too expensive plus there's no place a new model can get to this baby care and the my good. luck. let me. get this. bill so i'm thinking by the sound when i knock on the tires tells me whether they have enough air and i. think i would like to also. there might be a puncture from a nail somewhere just. build a sucky

a tire like this currently costs $800.00 re ice which is too much. like it so after a while i swap the front tires to the rear and then get them retreaded. it's just so recent that only costs 550 grams. for me and i'd love to give it a general overhaul but earning so little and having to pay for all those things while on the road means you have to choose. either get the truck restored or feed your family so. i'm constantly having to postpone it and in the meantime the rust is getting worse come on. oh. it's sunday and roberto is around a 100 kilometers away from sun power and home was. the.

goal but. rather. than. the. casual mailbox man these guys were most posed to go with these melons not the old. south pole and the sprawling metropolis that never sleeps the main wholesalers market is located in the downtown area it's late by the time roberto arrives and he still has no delivery order but he heads down to the market nonetheless.

the woman at the gate wants to know what goods he has on board having no delivery order means roberto will have to leave his truck by the entrance to the car park. it will be safe there she assures him. roberto is now just 50 kilometers from home but he's worried that parking his truck unload there would put them at risk of being stolen. night and day trucks roll up here from all over brazil $12000.00 a day in total. was. many of the drivers have been waiting several days to unload their deliveries not a good sign for roberto. their patient man but sometimes

the truck drivers get fed up especially when they see their fruit beginning to rot sometimes reports roberto they open their truck bed side panels and dump fruit onto the street but unloading their anger like that will only hurt themselves he says they're basically throwing away their own pay just yet but you can often wait for $4.00 days or more at the market and no one is paying for your meals let alone all those last days so. some drivers resort to trying their luck in the lottery. but. the baritone has had enough he goes looking for the representative of his customer for talk who he was supposed to meet here with all that he. was and this is where the city supermarkets and other retailers buy their products. against the backdrop of the economic crisis crime is

a growing factor there have even been robberies at the market itself the newspapers have almost daily reports of trucks being stolen and their drivers abducted many do not survive says roberto. was the market is a good shooting location for. a t.v. show. that caters to truck drivers how to come you know go up with a roberto is vocal in his praise of his beloved truck but silent about the conditions he has to work under. to finally tracks down his true tack contact. to hold their feet the man is still making calls to find a buyer salvi i just want to unload mr. bring them to a company warehouse in about 2 hours of all

a bit better than me ok all i want is my money. and all i have left is 2 and a half 1000 re ice about 640 euros for a journey of 6000 kilometers and 13 work days yes one of the. water was picked over 11 or me great book to deal with the shark and tina fey's. meant that i could all see some fabric of the last hour. aki. it was the automakers 1st factory in latin america mercedes-benz argentina was founded in 1951 specializing in trucks and buses. its management would later face accusations of having collaborated with the military dictatorship in argentina

but its products are to this day i don't live by many in the country. this is northeastern argentina. the heartland of the country's cowboys and rangers the couches. yes. this small city in cody and his province with a population of 45000 just so happens to be called may say this guy did. you. find out. you see. the region is the birthplace of the gauchos but also has strong associations with the national drink tonic wheat amat 81st

consumed by indigenous peoples. mercedes the town that doesn't take its name from the card which it predates by several decades mercedes is a name given to girls in spanish. a mercedes means our lady of mercy in the months dedicated to families she comes to visit school children at home don't think . public transportation in the city of my set is comprises a fleet of old buses all of them vintage mercedes benz models. that he is drunk everywhere including at this family run car workshop. we've. got and his 19 year old son for a condo are the owners of the buses used to ferry macedonians all across their city . and about him and. i for one i think it was all the work that you will never sell them. they're part of our family heritage.

if you're never going to get something handed down through the generations my father was a bus driver and i've carried on the tradition and hopefully my son will to. see him put him as we've only ever had mercedes are easy to repair and are super reliable and that. a comfortable ride for the passengers. a little there also a very affordable ride for people from the countryside come to work in the city. to. make them according to my mother when i was 4 months old and she would put me in a basket to write on the bus with my father. and i would always fall asleep i was like a switch and the noise from the box like

a lullaby. for the youngest passengers it's their school bus. when one of them drives past so i can tell from the sound which model it is. that is. the suckers have 3 buses which set out from the main square in 3 different directions. his province was also among the destinations for european settlers in the 19th century such as the salter family. the family jassim few we have swiss german roots. the sagas host reunion events a few years ago we had a gathering of $600.00 solders so. i checked our family tree and i'm the 5th generation here in argentina in fact made us young.

to love and to care for till god the west part say the sagas and when the seats for the passengers have reached the end of their tether here in mercedes people give the aging trucks and new lease of life. no these eggs weren't broken by the bumpy ride that happened while we were loading the trucks a 2 man up front there the sons of the city's main vegetable trader who say be a down to.

the convenience store is also a family run enterprise. this is their boss their father will save you don take. care of them real i bought this off the solders. it was the 1st public bus in our city and i've had it for 24 years it's never had a breakdown. more than the. but i would never sell it i would imagine such a great boss are going to. look at me.

when i go back in brazil in the time that. it's sunday and the young bankers and his wife a town official are all fun a day trip to the coast and then on to the mountains. it's a region with scenic landscape that the roads are lined with pine tree forests. geos. to hate it was stupid. when i turned 18 i told my father that i wanted to be a truck driver you see my father said no way you can't make a living out of that but you know if you tell me i'm grateful that he said no i mean. i really like being a banker so that was i would also be working with a truck the old i'll give you. the right to drive during the day and you at night

i reckon we'll do that one day. joining the couple on their day out is leased from float. they're touring the landscape of the sun. and the foothills of the set. range. pollo is eager to prove that his elf 312 built in 1957 will have no

problem scaling the 1500 metre high set. which it does passing by a new truck that appears to have broken down. and indeed a tow truck soon comes to the rescue. the old timers on the other hand reached the top in top form where they have a fair share of admirers to the delight of the proud owner of palm. beach.

good trout stone age they just change owners who did one really really really leverage and they never let us down unlike the new trucks that have to be towed and you've seen the proof of who you think the crosslegged you know they're getting their not alter their antiques veterans come get it out of the room but on. the on the rule. you need. the blueprint for every living thing on this planet in my new case of coordinating . a brilliant natural it's the most effective way to see vast amounts of data scientists in syria now want to use this code for technology they're

developing artificial d.n.a. to save digital information tomorrow today in 30 minutes on d w. what secrets lie behind the. discover new. ventures in 360 degree. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. w world heritage 360 get the map now. 50 years of religions for peace people from many different states for working together toward a common goal the peaceful resolution of religious conflicts. now female members are for religions for peace from the middle east are demanding a larger role for. the female peacemakers

distortionary 50 t.w. . this is the news life from thousands of australians escaped the wildfires sweeping the country by fleeing to the beaches to maldives the boss so far she struggled to keep the flames from hundreds of fires that. also on the program protests this interac attack the u.s. embassy in baghdad chanting death to america i uss tried selling that country.

for my mess on false calls go to skip sparely just because he was facing trial for financial misconduct he said.