this is deja news live from berlin germany's diplomatic efforts in libya lead to a potential breakthrough rebel commander carr says he'll work to end a conference in berlin this weekend and has committed himself in principle to a ceasefire also coming up iran's supreme leader lashes out against the united states in a rare sermon and friday prayers ayatollah ali khamenei dismissed president trump as a clown who wants a push of poisoned dagger into braun's chest plus from flames to floods

much needed rain blankets australia after months of catastrophic bushfires but arts of the country are now struggling to cope with the downpour and there's more rain in the forecast plus how much can you pay for life saving medical treatment if you meet one baby boy whose gene therapy you cost a staggering 2000000 euros is cases sparking a debate about ethics behind the crushing cost of some cutting edge new treatments . i'm called assman thanks for joining us germany is preparing for sunday's international peace conference on libya bringing together the main warring parties and their powerful international allies as well german foreign minister heiko moscow has been in benghazi for talks with rebel. general starr was agreed to

attend that conference oft are also told mosque that he agreed in principle with a ceasefire prime minister fayyad yes leads libya's un backed government has already signed a cease fire deal. controls the majority of eastern and southern libya the berlin summit follows failed efforts by russia and turkey to get him to sign a truce and halt an offensive on the capital tripoli i have a lot of players here we want to bring in political correspondent simon young for a look at what will likely be a very high stakes summit in berlin simon 1st of all just walk us through who is likely to attend this meeting and just as importantly who likely won't be there on sunday. yeah it's going to be a very high level meeting unusually so with so many leaders chancellor merkel has invited heads of state and governments are going to have president mccrone of france prime minister johnson of the u.k.

but also secretary of state pompei o from the united states and the egyptian president sisi the turkish president the one and vladimir putin of russia has also said today. that he's coming in addition to that you've got various international organizations the e.u. the un the african union and so on as well as the leaders of the 2 warring factions have also said that they will be here on sunday so it will be an extraordinarily high level summit as to those who aren't coming yes tunisia is very unhappy that it hasn't received an invitation especially surprising because i could mass the german foreign minister was there recently and he acknowledged that tunisia has been one of the country's most affected by the conflict in libya so that's a bit hard to understand the other country that unhappy i think is greece they're very worried about and in the energy deal deal covering gas in the mediterranean

that's been signed between libya and turkey greece is worried about that would like to be here the german position on that is saying that issue is being dealt with elsewhere in the e.u. council not at sunday's meeting certainly a big and important guest was there despite those missing tell me did more about this conference now or is there a chance that be could see either peace or at least some sort of cease fire come out of these meetings on sunday. well the main focus of sunday's conference i think is on the international partners the backers of the 2 warring factions to get them to commit not to send troops and arms as they've been doing. to the various sides on the one side you've got egypt russia and the us supporting general have to are on the other side turkey in particular supporting the unity government in tripoli and it's very important that those countries be able to speak

and find a common path other countries have also got interests because of the. raw materials in libya and also the fact that that country has become a conduit for refugees if you can get those countries to agree that will be good but obviously the 2 warring factions need to reconfirm that they're sticking to the cease fire are i did a political correspondent simon young thank you very much and those libyan cease fire talks will take place here in berlin on sunday you will of course be there to bring you the latest developments as they happen now iran's supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has told donald trump's has said donald trump support for the iranian people is a pretense and a rare sermon given during friday prayers in tehran he accused the u.s. president of wanting to push poison a dagger into the country's chest you also call iraq's airstrikes against the u.s. and retaliation for the killing of general hossam so the money

a day of god. after weeks of national trauma thousands timed out to see iran's supreme leader in a rear show of strength the men cheered and chanted as ali how many railed against iran's enemies. the. these american clowns who falsely and despicably say that we are standing with the iranian people and say they can see who the iranian people. are the few hundreds of people who insulted the picture of our martyred and honorable general custom sell the money they the iranian people around them or rather the iranian people the millions who showed themselves on the streets. his intervention comes after the country's top military commander was killed by u.s. forces earlier this month triggering a nationwide outpouring of grief and

a tragic stampede which saw scores killed. then came what iran said was an accidental dining of a passenger jet killing all 176 people on board. angry protests engulfed the capital. you. meant to the crush but said iran was being manipulated. some people follow guided by american television sent english radio try to portray this incident in such a way that the deaths of these 2 mosques is would be forgotten. i message paired loud and clear by president rouhani who sato among the washed. the ayatollahs presents underscores the crisis the last time he delivered friday

prayers in 2012 amid a standoff over its nuclear weapons program. iran's admission last week that it accidentally shot down a passenger plane came after days of denials and that has ramped up the pressure on the islamic republic's leadership to order pay to bowl a doll joins me now in studio for more we saw those images in the piece of protesters in the streets is their anger still being felt in iran very much so i mean this is not the 1st time we've seen protests in iran it's. this time does appear to be different though it does seem to be a different level or magnitude there's a sense of betrayal or being lied to by the iranian leadership that appears of cut so deep that many are really turning on the regime to an extent that we haven't really seen there before at least not not a reason memory including prominent journalists working for state media a lot of whom have headed in their resignations including populous state t.v.

host a larger bari who posted this on instagram saying it was very hard for me to believe that my compatriots were killed the way they were i apologize for lying to you on television for the past 13 years that post isn't going to lead it but the message is all. redi been white the share iran state run official news agency i r and a publish an apology for mis informing the public about the downing of the plane their statement went even further than that calling for media freedom in iran it says reporters in iran have become increasingly dependent on information sources who curb their independence we urge the authorities to seriously consider opening up the country's media environment so really strong words coming there from from state media. have issued similar apologies for misleading the public and this is really a 1st time that we've seen this happening in iran interesting you know going back to posts on instagram what's the significance of instagram within iran well instagram is one of the only social media platforms that really you know available

twitter facebook they're all blocked. so what's interesting is we're seeing a lot of especially you know celebrities. high profile you know movie stars for instance you saying instagram as a way to kind of circumvent the more traditional state media reaching a lot of young people who are obviously fuming right now. and socially these celebrities have in a sense become the public voice of the protests like iran's biggest movie star. day who took to answer to post a scene from his internationally acclaimed movie sheeple it looks a bit abstract but it really shows is character standing up to step that say i'll stay here to achieve my rights this place belongs to me all of it and it's been viewed more than 3000000 times it's really seen this kind of thinly veiled threat to the iranian regime you know we're not just going to take this we're not just going to venture you're well. we're also seeing other artists who are saying you

know enough is enough singers have canceled concerts a really popular annual arts festival well we're seeing a lot of artists withdrawing from that as well so celebrities singers actors all speaking out i mean briefly is that likely to change anything in the country. it's very soon to tell right i mean what definitely seems to be happening right now is that the iranian regime is kind of losing control of the media or the narrative. definitely is helping protesters you know achieve that what we saw today from how many is definite tend to try to regain control of that base of what we're seeing you know just reciting these old tropes and point the finger at american its allies that's not going to be enough for protesters in iran right deb reporter pay to think very much thanks so much our let's get you caught up now on some of the other stories making news around the world we now know at least 11 american troops were in fact injured when iran attacked bases hosting u.s.

troops in iraq on january 8th washington had previously claimed that there were no casualties or injuries in the attack which was in retaliation for the killing of iranian general hossam so the money. the impeachment trial against u.s. president donald trump has formally begun with america's top justice sworn in to preside over the proceedings senators pledge to deliver impartial justice it's only the 3rd impeachment trial in u.s. history trump is accused of abusing his office when he pressured ukraine to investigate his democratic rival joe biden. ukraine's prime minister alexey haunch orac has submitted his resignation to president a lot of mayors linsky he confirmed the move as you can see in a facebook post it comes days after one shark was caught on tape saying the president knew nothing about the economy and tarik says the recording had been doctored. here in germany farmers are protesting against the government's

agricultural policies many in the industry say tighter rules limiting the use of fertilizers and low consumer prices are squeezing their incomes hundreds of farmers in tractors have descended on the capital berlin in an effort to raise awareness. now to australia where rain is bringing some much needed relief to parts of the country affected by months of devastating bushfires but the downpours are also bringing new problems in the form of flash floods and with more rain forecast in the coming days australians are finding themselves moving from one weather driven crisis to another i. from flames to flash floods just a week ago stuff of this nature were protecting their animals from oncoming bushfires now they're having to deal with another extreme there's the dr who has also said absolutely not he could. never go to the what's coming 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 for what it's been many many months we've only got about 4 days of rice. and not run of only children. this is truly the little for very little.

for many in the country the way weather has brought relief and joy. more a case of sliding than singing in the rain. that rain has helped the north of the raging bushfires but it. does bring with it another set of dangers with the land so dry and vegetation burns away water just bounces off the ground as firefighters here are well aware changing weather doesn't automatically mean changing fortunes. all the wrong bartolome an ego bahia thought he could have a better life away from ivory coast but his dreams and hopes for the future ended in tragedy when he stowed away on a plane bound for paris to his family in abidjan say they didn't know he planned to do it. so. his friends and family remember him as

a happy smiley child norman by telling me dreamed of becoming a scientist one day last week the 14 year old was found dead in the undercarriage of a plane in paris. so good i'm trying to come to terms with this reality this news is breaking my heart it's torturing me and there are today. what happened along by telling me has left everyone here in shock they had no idea what he was planning. to distribute always smiling he was happy he was comfortable here at home with his parents and his friends i don't understand how you became a stowaway who can end up in the landing gear of an airplane is what was missing what was he missing he had everything here just getting which is new material. it's thought laura by telling me got into the airport in abidjan by climbing over

this wall he then hid in bush's until it was time for the plane to takeoff with little oxygen in temperatures way below freezing he the suffocated or died from the cold the ivorian government says it will improve security at the airport before long but tell me and his friends that is now too late. by then he like to talk a lot about other countries germany spain france he talked a lot about the eiffel tower he said he wanted to see it some day. admiral but tell me school a similar sense of numbness for the staff here it's as if they've lost their own son. money to someone if i say he was my child i feel completely lost because the shock is so brutal brutal. the school held

a memorial service for laura by telling me and with it a warning for his classmates. happiness is not always somewhere else happiness can also be found here. trying to make some good of what for many was an unthinkable and avoidable tragedy. pharmaceutical company novartis says it's in talks with patients that have announced that it will use a lot to supply the world's most expensive drug to children suffering from a devastating genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy but only 100 children worldwide will receive their free treatment which usually costs millions of dollars those astronomical prices of such drugs has triggered an ethical debate so michael story sounds like a modern fairy tale but it also poses questions he was born with spinal muscular

atrophy a life threatening neuromuscular disease when his condition deteriorated despite treatment his family launched an online fundraising campaign the aim for him to receive a gene therapy that's not yet licensed in europe the activity of the top executive . treatment cost almost 2000000 euros professional athletes and celebrities lead their support bowing to pressure from the public health insurance company agreed to pay michael received the most expensive therapy in the world. but that. grew thinner and as it was a miracle that it worked at all then on the 3rd day we had another miracle wondered if he could turn himself over properly and in the 2nd week he even sat up on his own. the joy was shared by very many online supporters but there are other opinions about the treatment. some say not enough tests have

been done to guarantee its safety more parents have been demanding access to it health authorities are sounding the alarm. its 1st question could not this is about our promise over healing that's and i really hope it's one that will be fulfilled but we still don't know if it will be and so this is a game of hope of one happening outside the normal system so it's not how we should be doing things and then the manufacturing novartis has issued a statement on its product the decision to implement the therapy must be made by specialized doctors under careful consideration of the risks on an individual basis and we are prepared to offer financial concessions to insurance companies. but this case highlights another major question in a public sector health care system how much may a treatment cost many expensive gene therapies are set to gain market approval in

the coming years what kind of results justify what kinds of costs at the university hospital in bonn dr youn band meets families who have the prescription that costs 2000000 euros he says it doesn't make sense yet to start prescribing the therapy on a wider scale i think it's one of the. very new kinds of therapies where we're not sure how effective or safe they are we need consensus between all parties between specialist doctors experts centers insurance companies and licensing authorities only then can we properly decide which patients we should treat with a therapy that's at such an early stage. michael seems to be doing well so far although no one knows if the 2000000 euro medication has really healed his disease for good still his story shows how vital it is to regulate costly new gene therapy . i'm joined in studio by the science correspondent derrick williams thank you for being here. we saw the piece but but can you just explain for us how exactly do

these sorts of gene therapy treatments work ok well gene therapy treatments are are different than than conventional treatment treatments in the sense that they're not pills they're not they're not things that are that are going to be taken on a regular basis it's a single therapeutic step which is the injection of what are basically viruses into your body now the reason that they're injecting those viruses into your body is because a person who has a genetic disorder has got a broken gene they've got a faulty gene somewhere that codes for a more or less important protein and these protests if you get a faulty gene you're going to end up having a faulty protein protein so what you need to do is swap out that code for something that's intact and so what these viruses do they've been genetically altered to carry an intact version of that particular gene and if you get them into the body's cells then the virus invades the cell nucleus and the cell begins to produce the protein at least in theory so there is certainly

a lot going on in these vials you know we see behind us how can something like this 111 therapy treatment cost $2000000.00 why is this so expensive when this this goes back to the sort of basic business model that they have in the pharmaceuticals industry as i said it's not that these these new drugs are not they don't really fit within that system for decades we've been selling you know pharmaceuticals companies have been aiming at managing your health care by selling you medicines the same medicines often over and over and over again possibly to the end of your life in the case of something like i've pretension and so there their model is built around selling a lot of medicine and what do you do when you develop a drug that fixes the problem with a single treatment you still have the research and the development that go into the drug and. it's a very very expensive process only less than fewer than one in 10 drugs actually makes it through to through the approvals process so how do you how do you then the

money that you've invested in in your development and you do that by saying ok we have a single treatment but that single treatment is going to be very very expensive course a critic might say you know these companies are making pretty big profits selling these these drugs as well then they're not hurting necessarily well they're not hurting but i mean i think this is one of the fundamental problems as we as we move into this brave new world of of the health care and position and precision medicine is that the monetization of health care it's driven the system and it's made it's driven innovation for decades now but we're getting to a point where we're past that you know on the ethical side of things we've declared you know the universal declaration of human rights we've said health care is a human right but we only pay lip service to that ultimately especially in situations like this if you're not allowed to if you're not able to pay for it you're not going to get the treatment that you need and so this monetization health care products or pharmaceutical products aren't like other products they're not

like cars or computers because often the product is able to save or save a life and so we need to really i think i think rethink the system from the ground up and think about fair compensation for a product so that a company content can continue to innovate and can continue to develop drugs but at the same time you cap it so that not that money has not been taken out of the system where it's also desperately needed for other people who are sick who have other conditions you mentioned as ethical debate and let's talk about novartis swiss pharmaceutical company they're the ones offering 100 injections of this drug for free but it's based on a lot of the system is that the right way to go about this i have some really fundamental problems with it because i see it as a cynical p.r. move that really is not going to do much to help much of anyone earlier today i was talking with a colleague about and he says this combination. the lottery a game and you're talking about lives basically ultimately of children something

that's very very wrong there and for me it's it's kind of a white washing of the of the of the current topic and it's i thought i think it was a very very bad idea on their part interesting stuff derrick williams science correspondent thanks so much. arbel coming up in news asia counting the cost of india's lavish marriage ceremonies a wedding planner explains why some couples are now starting to scale back on their big day. how young is too young to marry we look at the growing problem of teen of marriages in the hall and why are teachers in hong kong being blamed for their students' activism. all that and more coming up with. now before we go we have some special pictures coming in from china 20 panda cubs present captivity of the country's long a giant and a research base the cubs are all between 4 and 7 months old you see them there a total of $32.00 pandas have been born and bred in the center in $29000.00 believe

you with those pictures.

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