this is deja vu news live from berlin germany's diplomatic efforts in libya yield a potential breakthrough rebel commander khalifa haftar says he will attend a berlin conference this weekend and has committed in principle to a cease fire but he said that before as libya a central transit countries for refugees remains locked in conflict also coming up . $100.00 lawmakers of the u.s. senate are sworn in to act is jurors in the impeachment trial of president donald trump as the articles of impeachment are read out new evidence further implicates

the president over his dealings with ukraine. and britain's prince harry makes his 1st public appearance since his announcement that he and megan are planning to put the royal life largely behind them to start taking part in the draw for rugby's world cup. i'm brian thomas great to have you with us we begin this program in libya where there appears to be a breakthrough in efforts to secure a truce in the civil war there the german foreign minister heiko mosque has announced that the powerful rebel leader khalifa haftar has agreed in principle to abide by a cease fire now he's also expected to attend an international summit here in berlin this weekend germany and the european union are pushing for stability.

already in libya to help stem the flow of migrants making the dangerous journey across the mediterranean. this could be the truce the international community was hoping for germany has been weighing in ahead of the peace conference shadowed for sunday in berlin german foreign minister heiko must meet with libyan general kiley to have tar in benghazi on thursday and head of the talks said have time had recognized the need for a truce if not yet formally. after has agreed to respect a cease fire agreement regardless of the fact that he hasn't signed it earlier this week not so extraordinarily important. back in berlin german chancellor angela merkel also welcome tough task assurances that he would stick to the ceasefire as this would avoid tough it's good news that he's willing to observe the cease fire we need to have that to start with. and then at the libya conference we need to see above all that the weapons and is

a tier 2 again which was basically agreed through the un but unfortunately has not been respected. but 1st of all i think this commitment is good news and. general have to and as rival the head of the un recognized libyan government fi as will take part in the talks alongside representatives of 11 nations as well as several international organizations the united nations and the european union welcomed the talks and urged all parties to engage constructively towards ending the fighting the conference what i aim to address a permanent cease fire in libya the implementation of the u.n. arms embargo and renewed political efforts on all sides to reach a lasting peace. let's bring in our chief political editor michelle acuff there for more on this good morning to you michelle the german foreign minister saying that half hour will come for berlin for talks over the weekend an international conference is planned and that he will abide by

a cease fire very importantly but he walked out on a truce deal in moscow just days ago so why would you stick to this one. well he hasn't in his many words promised that he would actually attend yes but he said he would certainly make a contribution so yes there are hopes that he will come and he simply constant forward to ignore the fact that both countries that support him and pose him sitting down at the table in berlin libya since gadhafi was in fact moment out of the i wouldn't say office but out of the dictatorship and providing that stability in libya that particular western part as values libya has been descending into not just a civil route but also a proxy war between other countries the fact that more than a dozen countries will be sitting down at the weekend illustrates that and while khalifa haftar wouldn't put his signature on the dotted line to that truce he knows

at the very least he has to listen and he has to be at the table because other countries might stake out who has power in libya without him ok michel is very important you mentioning the dimensions of the scope of libya's importance for the region libya has become a focal point for global power brokers and regional power brokers of course as well as a jumping off point for thousands of refugees and migrants coming to europe so let's take a look now at some of the players in libya and their interests. strongman general highly far hafter wants tripoli. together with his libyan national army he hopes to capture the country's capital and take full control of this oil rich nation. and it's partly because of oil that russia and turkey have waded in on either side of this conflict with

turkey behind fires alsa raja's un backed government and russia supporting have to . moscow has denied reports it sent to mercenaries to reinforce the general's fighters but on thursday turkey confirmed it had started deploying troops to help in tripoli despite a un arms embargo. with libya's so unstable the fear of resurgent islamist terror has worried many european countries but other factors mean the e.u. is split over its alliances. officially the tripoli based government has the backing of europe including germany but italy has openly supported general have to who it sees as crucial in stemming the flow of migrants across the mediterranean and france's concerns over terrorism as well as its interests in libya's oil wealth

has pushed towards with the e.u. sufficiently line there are claims it's given covert military help to general hafta earlier this week peace talks in moscow broke down. despite the many interests at stake and the players involved germany seems determined to pursue its mediation role. but even if a ceasefire is agreed the road to peace looks long and bumpy. with so many interests at play this could be the beginning of a very important process. for this conference why is it so important for germany specifically and for the u. . well it's important because it's basically the european union's front yard and it's a statistically important region not just because of migration but because of also stability in the saw home region just below and to the chances recently also put an

emphasis on how crucial it is to get some kind of stability that the fact that libya got this fog that it descended into chaos is an embarrassment for the european union with countries finding themselves on different sides of this frontline officially backing the u.n. at the same time doing separate deals with general hospital but also regional almost warlords one could say at the same time there are limits to how much you can achieve militarily in libya will have to has claimed most of the territory now at the same time if you talk to actors in the region he doesn't really seem to have the backing in the libyan population so if he wants to get this under control before it actually reaches european shores there's a broad recognition now after years of simply ignoring the issue that they need to get their act together in the least find

a common line the other big diplomatic project the iran nuclear deal clearly has failed so the e.u. needs to prove that it can do international diplomacy ok so they needs a win here and there's a lot at stake not just with migration of course but what about the prospects of this conference what's it looking like. well the government really didn't want to say what the benchmark is for calling this a success but reading between the lines the fact that all these actors are sitting down together have the table already is one the big question is will they be able to get alms flowing into the country under control or wait and see a report on that on sunday michel we are looking forward to the coverage this weekend thank you very much for that. let's get your brief now on some of the other stories making the news today anti-government protesters in beirut have gathered outside the lebanese parliament they're angry at the political elite

in the country as an unprecedented economic crisis deepens in that country a peaceful demonstration follows 2 nights of violent clashes during which over 100 people were arrested protestors of accusing purity personnel of using excessive force. a 2nd person has died from a mysterious virus in the chinese city of lawn at least 41 people have become ill with pneumonia linked to the new virus related to the deadly sars pathogen authorities say a local seafood market is at the center of the outbreak. heavy downpours in eastern australia have triggered flash flooding in many regions already ravaged by catastrophic bushfires staff of the australian reptile park in new south wales were forced to spring into action to save animals threatened by a sudden. more rain is forecast for the coming days. while in the us the $100.00 members of the senate have been sworn in to act as

jurors in the impeachment trial of president dol trump the 1st full day of that trial is due on tuesday the republican controlled senate is expected to acquit the president who's called the impeachment process hoax. so help you god trumps impeachment only the 3rd in u.s. history has drawn closer to its climax with the opening of the senate trial a group of 7 impeachment managers from the house arrived just after noon to the senate chamber where they were announced by the sergeant. reading from a historic script. here you see here you here he all persons are commanded to keep silent on pain of imprisonment while the house of representatives is exhibiting to the senate of the united states articles of impeachment against donald john trump. president of the united states adam schiff the leader of the prosecution team and the intelligence chair then solemnly read the articles of

impeachment. article one abuse of power. the constitution provides that the house of representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment and that the president shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. clearly it was a huge day in u.s. history but the process isn't simple 100 u.s. senators have had to sign an oath book signifying a pledge of impartiality to promise to act as jurors not politicians and deliver a verdict which could have been the fate of a president or perhaps the constitution although quite how impartiality will prevail it's hard to discern leading democrats voices to emphasize what was the steak house speaker nancy pelosi talking plainly about the president's alleged

illegal acts and i was a great well there was a sign. on the wall in one of the carters it said what a tangled web we when we 1st practice. you see this more and more and more and all of this this tangled web to just see that the administration is engaged in. in typical fashion however from called the whole process one hopes and accused the trotters being politically driven. it's totally partisan we had 195 public votes i guess we got the democrats actually came over to republicans we had 195 to nothing to save us he will however have to address the charges more formally most likely in written form with careful consideration from his legal team. a washington correspondent for a solid has been following the impeachment proceedings and sent us this assessment . it was a big day in u.s.

history president trump's impeachment trial has officially begun and $100.00 senators by the majority republican will now have to decide about the fate of the president the big question is can they really put party politics aside this time around and then live or a fair and balanced trial they have taken an oath to be impartial but it doesn't look like they can be witnesses will very likely not be allowed and the latest revelations of an associate of president trump's private lawyer might be damning but will hardly change the minds of the republican senators it's to afghanistan now and the world heritage site that is the bomb young valley well the taliban of course blew up the 2 ancient statues of buddha there dating back centuries but in the years since the valleys remaining cultural treasures have had to cope with new threats from kabul climate change. the cliffs of bammy and have long borne the scars of human dam h.

these hollow used to be home to one of the 2 buddhas of bammy yan. the centuries old stand cheese were blown up by the taliban in 2001 scene is full sight of the cliff face another threat long dry spells followed by heavy rain and snow was speeding up a resolution here though of the problem. was not how it should be as it was in its former state as a lot of snow and a huge number of visitors coming if they work on it that would be better but if it stays like it is then it will gradually be destroyed by rain snow and earthquakes. further along the valley is hot this place is known as the city of screams residents were slaughtered by gangs in the 1200s. the ruins attracts thousands of tourists every year erosion is a problem for the ancient buildings hit. according to human interference is also

contributing to the state of disrepair. it's increasing every day. the reason is that there are huge numbers of visitors. also most people are not familiar with how to behave with historical sites. many poor families occupy the caves carved into the mountainside they say they have nowhere else to. they motos enuma going to what we live in these caves if we were provided shelter somewhere else we would leave because people are lighting fires in the caves and they are being damaged maybe not so it is better for the government to give people a home so that they can leave. the middle market and the un's coachella agency unesco is helping the afghan government preserve the caves and ancient landmarks but so many problems requires money and to change in

attitudes for a country riven by conflicts that's easier said than done. in other news today egypt ethiopia and sudan say they have reached a preliminary agreement on how to fill a $5000000000.00 hydro electric dam on the nile and soon to bring electricity to $100000000.00 ethiopians fears of filling that dam would reduce water levels downstream have sparked tensions in the region. japan has been marking the 25th anniversary of a deadly 7.3 magnitude quake that hit the city of copa in 1905 quake and in the suing fire killed more than 6000 people and destroyed thousands of homes many of the does were blamed on the failure to contain the fire sooner. we have some sports now the german bundesliga is back after its traditional mid-season break with match day 18 kicking off later today 18 teams will be in action over the

next 3 days as top clubs battle for the championship and relegation strugglers fight to stay in the league. will be able to catch highlights of the matches of our news programs over the weekend let's get a preview now. of what's in store with chris harrington good morning to address morning as well as like this is something there for everybody this weekend yeah you know i mean the table is is tight at the top that's what the teams are all fighting for the title of course you know friday night you saw. tonight kicks off a fabulous game host's glad glad i was a team that was holding only top of the table for quite some time they slipped up towards the end of the 1st half of the season they dropped to 2nd they have an opportunity to reclaim the table top at least until life see kicks off yeah you know but both clubs have new coaches marco rose of god and david wagner and shelter and we have sound from both coaches ahead of this big kickoff let's take a listen. don't really care that we're facing glop back home friday i

think it's cool a fixture has been picked to reopen the season as it indicates that both teams have done well so far. but we want to keep playing the same way regardless of who we face. down and i just resolutely stick to our game off style in order to be as our best so nobly move on top and i still don't succumb to and this is i think it's great that it's so close in the table especially as we're up to become like expected to be a tight title race and in my social to it to. cross have marco rose there reaffirming that it is an incredibly tight at the top still a lot to play for us a lot to play for who might win this but as you know i mean i'm going to save it to me you know even though i'm going against the grain a lot of my colleagues all say the defending champions by munich i mean they're 3rd on the table right now we have we can look at the table if we can pull that up you

can take a look at that and we have at the top of the table we have a life sick here we go now as you can see just the point differential is what you need to pay attention to $2.00 points separate 1st and 2nd 2 points 2nd and 3rd and then you know obviously there's more distance but the top 4 teams leipzig munich men and then shocker right on the outside of champions league contention so they have a lot to play for as well tonight but you know as i said life sake will have the opportunity they kick off on sunday to reclaim the table lead because you only have that 2 point cushion if it's ok what games you think we should be keeping an eye on over the coming days well you know i mentioned one leipsic life surprise package of this season you know in berlin they have a few upsets under their belt you know we have don't mean development as a big signing and in holland you know he's up against out's berg that should be an interesting fixture because this guy holland is a goal scoring you know freak on the pitch at least he was at his former club and

then last but not least we have right here at home he had to berlin hosting byron munich union klinsmann former byron player now coach and head to berlin there's some the staff in the air about that fixture. and i think a lot of action a lot for to see who gets off on the right foot ok what's going to be your favorite game what are you looking forward to this weekend you know by munich because you know i'm a big guy like say is going to be in the last reports are he was injured during the winter transfer with the break but he might be featured on the pitch hopefully is come sunday and then you know we'll see their attempt to defend their title ok and becoming a lot of that action over the weekend press thanks for that ok. well at the australian open qualifiers tennis players have been struggling with unhealthy air quality despite of qualifying matches being suspended and one player having to leave the court organizers promise the main tournaments will go ahead as planned people love melbourne were vies to remain indoors even keep their pets inside this week

a number of players have criticised organizers for not postponing matches but tennis australia is adamant that the tournament will begin on monday with conditions expected to improve with all that rain on the way. on international football the africa cup of nations hosted by cameroon in 2021 has been moved back to january in the changes likely to anger european clubs like premier league leaders liverpool whose team includes stars mohammed sala of egypt and the senegalese sato mani now this will mean more action and less rest for many footballers but africa's football confederation says the move is due to cameron's rainy season which is in june and july central african countries from scheduled to host the 200-1000 cup of nations but were stripped of that honor because of construction dollars. britain's prince harry has made his 1st public appearance since his recent announcement that his wife megan planned

a step back from the royal duties its end of the draw for next year's rugby league world cup but while he was happily joking with some of the gas he was absolutely silent about his future plans. prince harry's wish to step back from his royal gigi's has been granted but he still has a few more commitments that means a few more deep breath it's taken a while for the dust to settle after last week's surprise announcement but it's the trough of the fog the league world cup and that's helping to soften the blow after all it's something close to the prince's heart so a rather stiff haven't turned into something of a show. this season to cooking show he joked about in the way it was afterwards small talk a few comments on briggs it and thoughts on sporting a beard because of that it was almost as if harry is having 2nd thoughts about his decision to stop performing his royal duties he was in his element. rugby league

needs someone high profile like the jews who clearly isn't just here is a ceremonial role knows about rugby league and knows what it means to the community so i you know i hope he does keep his involvement with the sport. but there has been no change of royal plans this could well be harry's last appearance in the spotlight before he begins a quieter life in canada where his wife meghan has already landed she's been photographed at meetings with women's rights groups but hasn't yet appeared at any public events. british tabloid reporters made it clear they aren't laying off hairy chest yet. but the prince has a new mood to play that kind of pull instead he made a shop exit back to his grandmother's palace. this is deja vu news these are our top stories the german foreign minister heikal moscow says libya's rebel commander. has agreed to

a cease fire following their meeting in benghazi that in principle general hotter is also agreed to attend this weekend's conference in berlin in depending libya's civil war. the u.s. senate has formally opened the impeachment trial against president donald trump chief justice john roberts who will be presiding over the trial as one in the senator's jurors earlier chief prosecutor adam schiff read the charges against. anti-government protesters in beirut have gathered outside the lebanese parliament they're angry at the political elite as an unprecedented economic crisis deepens in that country the peaceful demonstration follows 2 nights of violent clashes. heavy downpours in eastern australia have triggered flash flooding in many regions already ravaged by catastrophic bushfires. south of the australian reptile park in

new south wales were forced into action to save animals threatened by a sudden dully. this is d.w. news from berlin don't forget there's always more to our twitter feed and you can also go to our website for more on these and other stories at state of your dot com . don't forget as well you can get the latest news on the go with our app don't download that from google play for example that will give you access to the latest news from around the world as well as to push notifications for breaking news you can also use that apt to send us. photos and videos you think we might be interested. well coming up next in our business news china's economy grows at its slowest rate in decades it's unprecedented 29 year boom coming to. that in more straight ahead with chris colfer i'm brian thomas for the entire news

team thanks for being.

good to. the point sean opinions clear musicians from international perspective such. as the middle east has once again been taken to the brink of war and back and all the talk is of trump against iran iran against trump but what about vladimir putin who almost the old peacemaker to find out to join me in my guess so to the point troll for going to the point of good news in 60 minutes on the c.w. . can i am going. to close this place to

hell i'm just. ignorant. niceties and people think. i want their dollars story nikos a. must. is what starts january 27th on d w. every 2 seconds the person is forced to flee their home. the consequences have been disastrous for our documentary series displaced depicts dramatic humanitarian crises from around the world to. forget them we don't have time to think i didn't go to university to kill people and i fully expect that really a handful of people feel for their lives and their future so they seek refuge abroad but what will become of those who stay behind it's

a way battle my husband went to peru because of the crisis that i wondered if he hadn't gone there now. he would have died of hunger and i don't want to sound. just placed this week to. the scars of the trade war as china clocks its weakest are going to make a spanner in decades how much cooling can the world's 2nd largest economy take and these sheets are the key to a croatian column their delight that's one of the highlights as the world's biggest agricultural trade fair gets underway here in berlin. i'm chris colfer welcome to the program china's gross domestic product last year grew at its slowest pace of almost.