this is deja vu news live from berlin germany's diplomatic efforts in libya yield a potential breakthrough rebel commander khalifa haftar says he'll attend the berlin conference this weekend and has committed in principle to a cease fire but he said that before as libya a central transit country for refugees remains long in conflict also coming out of . the $100.00 lawmakers of the u.s.

senate are sworn in to act as jurors in the impeachment trial of president donald trump as the articles of impeachment are read out in new evidence implicates the president over his dealings with ukraine. and after blasting by jarvis dynamite and looting by thieves the archaeological treasures of afghanistan's balmy and valley are now facing a new threat. i'm brian thomas great to have you with us this morning we start 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 mosse has announced that the powerful rebel leader khalifa haftar are has agreed in principle to abide by a cease fire is also expected to attend an international summit here in berlin this

weekend germany and the european union are pushing for stability 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 must meet with libyan general khalifa haftar are in benghazi on thursday ahead of the talks maher said have to had recognized the need for a truce if not yet formally. has agreed to respect a cease fire agreement regardless of the fact that he hasn't signed it earlier this week if not extraordinarily important. back in berlin german chancellor angela merkel also welcome tough taz assurances that he would stick to the ceasefire as this would avoid tough it's good news that he's willing to observe the ceasefire we

need to have that to start with. and then at the libya conference we need to see above all that the weapons and go as a tear to 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 turned his rival the head of the u.n. recognized libyan government. 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 where i am 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 coaster for more on this good morning to you michelle the german foreign minister saying that

half the 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 can't afford to ignore the fact that both countries that support him and oppose him are sitting down at the table in berlin libya since gadhafi was in fact moment out of my i wouldn't say office but out of the dictatorship and providing that stability in libya that particular western part as values it has been descending into not just a civil route but also proxy war between other countries the fact that more than

a dozen countries will be sitting down at the weekend in the straits and while khalifa haftar wouldn't put his signet so on the dotted line to the troops 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 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 heading to europe so let's take a look now at some of the players in libya and their interests. oh oh. strongman general highly for have 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 a messenger is 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 haftar

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 it towards with the e.u.'s official 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 to turman to pursue its mediation role. but even if a ceasefire is agreed the road to peace looks long and bumpy. so many interests 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 strategically important region not just because of migration but because of also stability in the saw home region just below and to me also put an emphasis on how crucial it is to get some kind of stability that the fact that libya got this far that it descended into chaos is an embarrassment for the european union with countries finding themselves on different sides of this fund. backing the u.n. at the same time to separate deals with general hostile but also regional. one could say at the same time they are limits to how much you can achieve militarily in libya. has claimed most of the territory for 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 the e.u. 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 of stake not 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 act is us sitting down together at the table already is one the big question is will they be able to get alms flowing into the country under control we'll wait and see a report on us on sunday michelle we are looking forward to the coverage this weekend thank you very much for that. let's get you briefed on some of the other

stories in the news today china's economy growing last year by 6 point one percent its slowest rate in almost 3 decades it's been hit by trade tensions with the u.s. we consumer demand homes well this week beijing and washington signed a pact that will reduce tariffs on some u.s. imports of chinese goods. a 2nd person has now died from a mysterious virus in the chinese city of. at least 41 people 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 and eastern australia have triggered flash flooding in many regions already ravaged by catastrophic bushfires staff at the australian reptile park in new south wales were forced into action to save animals threatened by a sudden deleuze there more rain is forecast over the coming days.

on the us the 100 members of the senate have been sworn in to act as jurors in the impeachment trial of president donald trump the 1st full day of that trial is due on tuesday the republican controlled senate is expected to acquit the president who has called the impeachment process. so help you 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 afternoon to the senate chamber where they were announced by the sergeant at arms reading from a historic script. very very very 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 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 impossibility will prevail it's hard to discern leading democrats let their voices to emphasise what was at stake house speaker nancy pelosi talking plainly about the president's

alleged illegal acts i was in grade school there was a sign. on the wall in front of the carter center said what a tangled web we when we 1st practice to see you see this more and more and more and all of this tangled web to just see that the administration is engaged in. in typical fashion however trump called the whole process one hopes and accused to trial is being politically driven. it's totally partisan we had $195.00 they were republican votes i guess we got the democrats actually came over to the republicans to get $195.00 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. our washington correspondent all of us solid has been following the proceedings and sent us this. it was a big day in u.s.

history president trump's impeachment trial has officially begun and 100 senators by the majority republican will now have to decide the fate of the president the big question is can they really put party politics aside this time around and then live are 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 oversell it there it's to afghanistan now and the world heritage site that is the bomber young valley the taleban dynamited to ancient statues of buddha here after the september 11th attacks in new york and in the years since the valley's remaining cultural treasures suffered looting and vandals now it has to cope with

a completely new threat. the cliffs of bammy and have long borne the scars of human damage these hollow used to be home to one of the 2 buddhas of bammy on. the centuries old statues were blown up by the taliban in 2001 scene is full sight of the cliff face another threat dry spells followed by heavy rain and snow was speeding up erosion here. the problem. was not how it should be as it was in its former state the raza 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 khan in the 1200s. the ruins attracts thousands

of tourists every year erosion is a problem for the ancient buildings here too according to some 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 occupied 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. as your mother did on the going into the

un's coachella agency unesco is helping the afghan government preserve the caves and ancient landmarks but the problem is requires money and a change in attitudes for a country riven by conflicts that's easier said than done. let's get you briefed now on some of the other stories making the news today government protesters in beirut i've gathered outside the lebanese parliament they're angry at the political elite as an unprecedented economic crisis deepens in the country the peaceful demonstration follows 2 nights of violent clashes during which some 100 people were arrested protesters have accused security personnel of using excessive force. egypt ethiopia and sudan say they have reached a preliminary agreement on how to fill a $5000000000.00 hydroelectric dam on the nile river is set to bring electricity to $100000000.00 ethiopians fears that filling the dam would negatively affect water

levels downstream have sparked tensions in the region. officials on paraguay's capital socio nd have declared a health emergency after a deadly outbreak of dengue fever authorities say hospitals in the area are struggling to cope after some 1700 suspected cases of the mosquito borne disease since last october at least one person has died. japan has been marking the 25th anniversary of a deadly 7.3 magnitude quake that hit the city of kobe the 195 quake and in suing fire killed more than 6000 people and destroyed thousands of homes many of the deaths were blamed on the failure to contain the fire sooner. this is due to be news still to come on our program the 2nd half of the bundesliga season kicks off later with a handful of teams in the top half of the league looking to just throw in the

defending champions take a look at their chances. but 1st we're off to the beautiful seychelles africa's smallest country's been struggling to strike a balance between tourism the mainstay of its economy and sustainability the seychelles must protect its environment because that's why the tourists keep coming but how many visitors can comfortably be managed. with pristine white sand beaches and abundant wildlife it's no wonder that the 115 islands of the seychelles are a draw for foreign tourists mostly from europe in fact 384000 people came to the islands in $21911.00 that's 4 times the country's population so the question at hand for officials now is how many visitors are too many visitors tourism in general is increasing and that is of concern to conservationists like myself the

sustainable developers like myself who find that b.v. we are reaching a point which exploits over tourism it's not just a matter of well intentioned leaders at about 450 square kilometers the seychelles is the smallest country in africa half of that area has protected status including to unesco world heritage sites officials say preserving the environment now it will make sure that the tourism industry stays strong. it does not really destroy. what we are good. for us to get the water to. trust those that are in the people feel very want. to or you. feel. are. the places

efforts to achieve balance doesn't mean to or isn't in the seychelles is going to come screeching to a stop any time soon officials know that the industry accounts for over a quarter of jobs on the islands the government says a survey on tourism and sustainability is set to begin soon. we have some sports now the german bonus league 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 in 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 it sounds like there's 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 kicks off tonight kicks off a fabulous game hosts glad i was

a team that was holding the 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 put both clubs have new coaches marco rose at glaad and david wagner at 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 inside you just resolutely stick to our game a style in order to be as our best so nobly nuclear on top and i sometimes. and this is i think it's great that it's so close in the table especially as we are

becoming like expect it to be a tight title race and in my social to it it's because something cross red marker rose there reaffirming that it is incredibly tight at the top still a lot to play for us a lot to play for who might win this but this league 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 byron 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 we can take a look at that and we have at the top of the table we have a light seek 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. munich and then shock are right on the outside of champions they 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 in holland you know he's up against outs 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 here to berlin hosting byron munich you include his men former byron player now coach and head to berlin there's in the air about that fixture. and i think a lot of action to look 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 fan of you think i like to 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 he 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 chris thanks for that ok. presence prince harry has made his 1st public appearance since his recent announcement that he and his wife megan plan to step back from the royal duties he attended the draw for next year's rugby league world cup and while he happily joked around with guests he was completely 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 truth of the frog 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 event turned into something of a shock. this is a to cooking show he joked out of the way it was afterwards small talk

a few comments on briggs it and thoughts on sporting a beard because it was a it was almost as if harry is having 2nd thoughts about his decision to stop performing his role as. he was in his element. regularly meet someone high profile like the g.b. who clearly isn't just here is a ceremonial role knows about rugby league and knows what it means to the community so you know i hope he does keep his involvement with the sport. but there has been no change of royal plans this could 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 harry just 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. stitcher viner. top story germany's diplomatic efforts in libya have yielded a potential breakthrough rebel to magically foster says he will attend the berlin caucuses weekend and has committed himself in principle to a ceasefire. the state of the news live from berlin i'm brian thomas for the entire team thanks for being.

the point sean a clear position from the international perspective since. the middle east is once

again being taken to the brink of war on the back and also because of trump against iran iran against trolls but what about vladimir putin while mungo. peacemaker to find out join me in my guests on to the point wolf. to the point. next on details of the government. to moral staff close economic times europe and asia. out of a deal with social justice. and what are the working conditions like. wilber's of 8 countries on 2 continents to find out how europe and asia work together. our new series of work places. global 3000 in 60 minutes on g.w. . on

the road with our superheroes my mission is clear new kushti get anthony color slowly explore germany. they dive in and everything out there's a lot going on in. germany tried and tested. checking in. on t w. the situation in the middle east remains explosive off the tensions between the united states and iran took the region to the brink of war but what about the other big players such as russia when for instance german chancellor angela merkel wanted to talk about efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis in libya it was money putin in moscow that she turns who've a no holds washington to lol too long ago a waning force in the middle east russia is now one of the most influential voices

in this turbulence arena but of course it's both of policy to the conflict as in syria.