if you look at. the be. the best. this is g.w. news live from berlin the historic impeachment trial of u.s. president donald trump opens in the senate with a fierce debate over the rooftops. important question is the question you must answer to that will the president and the american people get a fair trial. majority republicans brought democrats to subpoena witnesses and documents in the case over whether the president should be removed from office over his dealings with ukraine well also coming up as his trial began now with his

presidency on the line donald trump through to the annual meeting of the world economic forum in switzerland where he criticized climate change activists for the most famous of those activists created to turn back just like trump all failing to avert a climate catastrophe. and the evidence new prime minister announces the formation of a new cabinet in his country but will the new government be able to satisfy demonstrators demanding radical change. i ask. i'm going to hold free glad you could join me we start in the united states where history is being made donald trump is now the 3rd president in u.s. history to face removal from office by trial well the u.s. senate is the setting for an impeachment trial where trump faces charges of abuse of power and abstruse. action of congress congressional democrats say chum

condition critical military funding for ukraine on the country's health and hurting a potential political opponent in the 2020 lection and then tried to cover it up with republicans and trump legal team say trump actions were appropriate just need a legal no impeachable now the senate has spent hours debating the rules for the trying or amendment and the leaders of the 2 you can a tickle parties in the chamber republican majority leader mitch mcconnell and democratic minority leader chuck schumer presented their cases for and against the resolution says the rules for the trial mcconnell calls it fair and based on the bill clinton impeachment trial in 1999 washroom a says it is anything but here's some of what they both had to say finally from fairness on every point are straightforward resolution will bring the clarity and fairness that everyone deserves this will go down this resolution as one of the

darker moments in the senate history. perhaps one of the even the darkest senator graham to pick up and carry on the house is that out of investigation with certain new process that could in short of a record. impeachment from future house majority leader mcconnell claim that the house is run have ran the most rushed least doro and most unfair impeachment inquiry in modern history the truth is leader mcconnell is plotting the most rushed least daro and most unfair impeachment trial in modern tracking every twist and turn on capitol hill today is our correspondent on a sonnet all of the main battle today has been that format the ground rules so walk us through it who wants what and why. that's right helen on the underlying problem here is that there are not many rules on how such an impeachment trial is

supposed to be shaped let's not forget this is only the 3rd time that an impeachment trial is taking place in american history so there's also not a lot of experience and how to move forward and the democrats are alleging the republican party here to exploit their position here in senate it's the position that the opportunity basically of the republican party here because they hold the majority and senate to shape those rules of the allegation is that they're just trying to rush through these proceedings through the trial and then another very important point is the question of witnesses and evidence that the republican party wants to vote on at the end of the trial the democrats want obviously to go to the beginning before they start to dig into the arguments that both sides have 24 hours time for to do so stretched over a timeframe of 3 days and the democrats are alleging the republicans here to shape

those who have shaping those rules only for the benefit of president trump well the president speaking about him he is in doubt. lost in switzerland that manual meeting of the wild economic forum but have we heard from him. well he delivered a speech in davos today and this is for him this was essentially the opportunity to shine basically to speak at the world economic forum about the great economic data of the united states of course it's interesting that he decided to travel there today it's for him also a good opportunity to direct the attention basically on the american economy the question is to which extent this will work since the focus here on the news agenda will certainly be on the impeachment trial in the coming days and weeks and all of a meanwhile i mean what do americans make of the impeachment trial i mean.

the latest poll suggests that a majority of the americans are actually in favor of including evidence and witnesses and that might have been part of the reason why is senate majority leader mitch mcconnell decided to weigh in and to alter the rules slightly he has also faced criticism from within his own party and some individual republican senators voiced criticism over the rules but the overall impression is that the majority of the americans are still staying behind party lines when it comes soon pietschmann the right to have any correspondent on a saturday at that 1st in washington and say thanks out of. well as lawmakers debated the rules for the trial that could spell the end of his presidency donald trump well he was nowhere to be found in the united states is all of it is pointed out across the atlantic in the swiss alps chum opened the annual meeting of the world economic forum and he spoke about the economic successes of his america 1st policies the report card trump offered largely ignored tackling climate change an

issue that is taking center stage in davos returning to the summit for a 2nd yes we did climate campaign ok to tune back said that leaders like trump and failed to protect her generation from what she called climate chaos leaving behind the heat of impeachment trials few could blame donald trump for seeking out some medicinal alpine air the us president was in divorce to address the global elite but in this election year his message was meant for households across the u.s. america is thriving america is flourishing and yes america is winning again like never before wouldn't just days after reaching a breakthrough with china trump seized the stage to bang the drum for his america forced approach and these agreements represent a new model of trade for the 21st century agreements that are fair reciprocal and their priority is the needs of workers and families but as well as business this

year's conference was supposed to deal with the growing plummet crisis with activists like gretta to emerge summon to rebuke the powerful you say children shouldn't worry you say just leave this to us we will fix this we promise we won't let you down don't be so pessimistic and then nothing. well davos 2 did one man was enormous for lectures this is not a time for pessimism this is a time for optimism fear and doubt is not a good thought process because this is a time for tremendous hope and joy an optimism in action but to embrace the possibilities of tomorrow we must reject the perennial prophets of doom all it was

an image that left an impression you an honest answer is live it odd. it's because it's it's mainly all about us a few little. i think that leaders have to take our not only about themselves but also about other nations because we have the same collective planets he does some good for us ruth worthless but you've got to think beyond that much more real now i must trump wrapped up the job of lauding his economic record he left a flurry of questions in his week not least out war cost to the world he will leave behind. all right let's get a quick check now on some of the other stories making news around the world this hour chinese officials say that 9 people have now died in an outbreak of a sauce like virus the new strain of corona virus has been confirmed in more than 400 patients china is warning that the illness is likely to spread further its tating and is moving to limit some public gatherings 5 countries have now reported

cases of the virus. venezuelan intelligence agents have a raided the office of opposition leader one he is currently shopping in europe seeking support for his bid to oust president nicolas maduro opposition lawmakers condemned the office raid illegal and said it's unclear what the agent did insult. those russian president vladimir putin has attended the 1st meeting of his cabinet last week his previous prime minister dmitry medvedev resigned and putin named to make a wish list and it's to take his place now the new leadership team was formed just after curtin unveiled sweeping changes to russia's political system where. that didn't has a new government ending a 3 month power vacuum triggered by mass demonstrations against the country's ruling elite a new prime minister and his cabinet must urgently come up with a plan to tackle lebanon's deep financial crisis is led to soaring inflation and

banks restricting access to cash but the new hezbollah backed government may find itself having trouble winning support both at home and abroad months of protests left rudderless without effective leadership but now lebanon finally has a new government prime minister has sunday announced his cabinet chosen after intense wrangling by shiite group hezbollah and its allies getting a handle on lebanon spiraling economic crisis is the most urgent issue at hand or intifada i salute the uprising that pushed for this path to be taken lebanon has one this is a government that meets the aspirations of the protesters across the country after more than 3 months of anger. and it will work towards addressing their demands with a family to him that instead of calming the protests flared up again on the streets

of the capital beirut and around the country. demonstrate to say they wanted a government of independent experts who be able to deal with the country's financial crisis and not ministers selected through horse trading by political parties. and we want a government of experts the politicians should not have brought their advisors will have about this establishment and these leaders do not represent us this government doesn't reflect us we want to government that's ours. protest is a demanding swift progress which may prove difficult for the new government with hezbollah does ignatius' a terrorist group by the us its key role in picking lebanon's ministers who make it harder for the country to win the foreign support it so vitally needs. now when the fires finally stop in australia this behind me is what is left 100000 square

kilometers of land is the school aged scientists say that the country's landscape is big permanently damaged and along with it a buyer to a 1st city it is famous for now on the other side of a wall of the wall the boy and his mother a try to help. the australian bush fires have been devastating to wildlife an exact figure is all but impossible to come by but the estimated tally is 1000000000 animals killed among them australia's beloved kangaroos no one knows just how many have died or got lost but many of the little ones are on their own without their mother's pouch to keep them warm their lives are at risk. this situation has moved a group of volunteers seamstresses half a world away to take action. here in quetta in southern poland these women are sewing 50 pouches for orphan kangaroo infants known as joey's thought

about going genocide out my son was deeply touched by a photo of us they had been trying to flee from the burning bush but they. didn't escape they were trapped by a wall by the highway and they were burned to law and. i'm honest. the idea is that a volunteer in australia can wear the pound and take care of the joey the group hopes to deliver 50 pouches to australia by the end of the week a simple and modest gesture they say but one that shows how people can help each other no matter where you are in the world. because 8 year old son tony who inspired the project has more ambitious plans because if everyone in the world so one such pouch then probably all congress would be saved is not a tall order but given the scale of the fires big ideas may be exactly what's needed. to be awash in 11 years off this planet sam will have

a documentary showing how migration in africa is fuelled by imports of cheap vegetables from europe when he was given a just news and features on a website in his state of the so-called i'm headed to humphrey embodied in terry martin takes a that the news desk had a great tick by now. it's time to take one step further and face the it's. time to set up a fund for the troops. time to overcome the outrageous and contact the war. it's time for. coming up ahead.