when your. global auto and mobility show every week p.w. . this is the the view 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 country for migrants from maine's locked in conflict also coming

up. from flames to floods australia struggles to cope with a downpour after weeks of catastrophic bushfires and more rain is forecast for the coming days. and the 2nd half of the bundesliga season kicks off later today with a handful of teams near the top of the table looking to disrobe own the defending champions look at their chests. i've brought in thomas great to have you with us today 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 the country in its back. hers are split between 2 rival governments

one is located in tripoli it's the seat of the un back to government affairs all surat the other is in tobruk now that is home to the libyan national army it is led by general khalifa haftar now germany and the european union are pushing for stability in libya to help stem the stem the flow of migrants making the 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 should do it for sunday in berlin german foreign minister must meet with libyan general kiley to have time in benghazi on thursday ahead of the talks must sit have time 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 task assurances that he would stick to the ceasefire this is. 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 has 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 turned his rival the head of the un 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 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 coaster for more on this good morning to you michelle the german foreign minister saying that half the hour will come from 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 pose 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 partners values libya has been descending into not just a civil group but also a proxy war between other countries the fact that more than a dozen countries will be sitting down at the weekend illustrates 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. for this conference why is it so important for germany specifically and for the. 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 her 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 far that it descended into chaos is an embarrassment for the european union with countries finding themselves on different sides of this front line 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 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 and 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 political editor thanks very much. let's get your brief down some of the other stories making the news this hour and supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has addressed the nation during friday prayers for the 1st time since 2012 he called iran's airstrikes against the u.s. in retaliation for the killing of gen to some muslim on a day of god. impeachment proceedings against u.s. president don trump have begun was america's top justice sworn in to preside over the trial senators pledged to deliver impartial justice is only the 3rd impeachment trial in american history a president accused of abusing his office to pressure ukraine to investigate his democratic rival joe biden. china's economy grew last year by 6 point one percent its slowest rate in 29 years has been hit by trade tensions with the

u.s. and weak consumer demand at home is weak beijing and washington signed a pact that will reduce tariffs on american imports of chinese goods. a 2nd person has died from a mysterious virus in the chinese city who hung at least 41 people have become ill with pneumonia linked to the new virus which is related to the deadly sars pathogen . authorities say a local seafood market is at the center of the. it's to australia now which after weeks of devastating bushfires is now having to cope with flash flooding heavy downpours in the east have suppressed the bushfires at least for the time being but with more rain forecast for the coming days australians are finding themselves moving from one weather driven crisis to another . from flames to flash floods

just a week ago stuff at this nature pont were protecting their animals from oncoming. bushfires now they're having to deal with another extreme there's the dry. absolutely united could. never go to come in the park a wall of water. stuff rushed koalas to safety. back might be. well for creatures more used to the wet it was more about keeping them in their place. heavy rain has fallen across new south wales one of the states worst affected by bushfires in the state capital sydney residents were remembering how to use an umbrella the orange haze that had taken over the city's skyline now cloudy grey. we need a bit of rain in order to help with the 5 is just how dry it was part of the day

and i think it will help with the haze is this push everything out there this is the wettest guy in many many months we've only got about 4 days of run. and let's run only if you're. well and truly the little spot. for many in the country the wet weather has a relief and joy. more a case of sliding than singing in the rain. that rain has helped solve all of the raging bushfires but it does bring with it another set of danger is with the land so dry and vegetation parents away water just bounces off the ground as firefighters here are well aware changing weather doesn't automatically mean changing fortunes. we have 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 you'll 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 as 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 on 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 leipsic kicks off yeah you know but 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 on top and i say what i 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 come 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 an 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 sick here we go now as you can see just the point differential is what you need to pay attention to 2 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 and then shocker right on the outside of champ is the contention so they have a lot to play for as well tonight but you know as i said leipsic will have the opportunity they kick off on sunday to reclaim the table lead because you only have that 2 point cushion at the time ok what games you think we should be keeping an eye on over the coming days well you know mentioned one leipsic life surprise package of the 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 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 some the style just 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 if you think guy like say is going to average in the last reports or 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 did a real becoming a lot of that action over the weekend press thanks for that ok for the 2020 tokyo summer olympic games start in july organizers have already started installing the 5 interlocking rings that symbolize the event the olympic rings that will be used in

tokyo 2020 were transported atop a barge the iconic ring stand over 15 meters tall will be officially inaugurated at a ceremony that's next week at. marine park in tokyo bay and now that will be the site for the marathon swimming event and triathlon of that at this year's 6. this is the t.v. news live from berlin that's it for me today sumi will join you at the top of the hour have a great weekend. informative . and. language courses. video. anytime anywhere. w.t.f. .