this is. from berlin tonight u.s. president donald trump after the acquittal now all the anger now the attacks today trump used words such as evil for his opponents it comes a day after u.s. senators threw out the impeachment charges against him the president hailing his acquittal but says he suffered a terrible ordeal and he's branding the trial a disgrace also coming up tonight the fall well from the coronavirus in beijing a busy capitol that now works like a ghost town. this is usually

a bustling commercial street lots of souvenir shops not shops tourists who visit beijing usually come to spend time here today i'm the only one and german politics walk by a scandal involving the far right the premier of the eastern state of the range of steps down a day after being elected with the help of extremists. i'm off to our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and all around the world welcome u.s. president donald trump address the nation today a day after he was acquitted in his own impeachment trial on wednesday lawmakers in the republican controlled senate found trump not guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of congress now he was alleged to have withheld the military. kerry aid

to ukraine to benefit his own reelection campaign today speaking at the white house trump said that he was the victim here the victim of a wang n. corrupt process. we've been going through this now for over 3 years. it was evil it was corrupt it was dirty cops. it was leakers and liars and this should never ever happen to another president ever i don't know that other presidents would have been able to take it some people said no they wouldn't have but i can tell you at a minimum. you have to focus on this because it can get away very quickly no matter who you have with you it can get away very quickly it was a disgrace get away very quickly all right let's talk about the president's 1st speech after the impeachment trial and to do that i'm joined by my colleague public he is in washington on the story for us hello pablo i made judging by the

president's speech there you know saying that it could get away from you very easily can we say that any lessons have been learned from this impeachment trial. well before we get to that i would say 1st and foremost the 2 words that i would say that i got from my speech are triumphant and also angry now he reiterated time and time again that he's innocent he spoke once again of a word that we're very familiar to him to hear from president which is a witch hunt he thanked his legal team he can thank his congressional colleagues his family and he actually even apologized to them brant and basically what we get from this is that he's the victim in all of this now for republicans to answer your question who voted to acquit him because they felt that perhaps he learned his lesson a good example would be susan collins of maine and i'm sure they're going to be asking themselves whether he actually has learned his lesson considering this

speech this celebration as he called it which lasted over an hour he also had some really harsh words for mitt romney of utah who voted with the democrats who voted against equating m m 2 also as some of the usual suspects that president. monitor in the senate trial adam schiff and also the nancy pelosi the top democrat and also the speaker in the house of democrat representing of who he described as a horrible person yeah it's interesting you mention. mitt romney because he's part of the group of religious opponents that the president talked about this morning at the national prayer breakfast trump used words such as evil he said that his opponents had used religion to justify their own position to him including the house speaker here's what the house speaker nancy pelosi had to say to this. and pray hard for him because he's so off the track of our constitution is

our country the care our children praise the water they drink and the rest he really need our prayers so he can say whatever he wants. and i do pray for him and i do send him. you praise for the president's the question tonight for the democrats in general is do they need prayers they've got problems of their own particularly in following that fiasco with the caucus their own monday the democrats now we understand that the chairman of the national democratic committee has already asked for a recant busying of. i mean he's saying do the vote all over again is that a realistic option well interestingly at the moment what's being said is that exactly from reforms that took place in the i went democratic party as actually it for 20 twentieth's it out for this to happen and it actually allows for

a total recount bas and also a recount of the results is also a possibility if the results could have an impact negative or positive on who will actually be become the candidate to run again against president trump who is decided at the national convention which takes place later this year in the summer time so for the time being it looks like the state rules do permit this to take place but you know watching the media here and reading myself here from washington it's there are still some questions which remain unanswered from what has been said by the democratic national committee's chairman well you know you as the u.s. president he's trying to get political capital out of what happened with the caucus but we also have to remind ourselves that this fiasco has to do with the way the caucus was carried out it doesn't have to do with the democratic candidates themselves does it. no it doesn't i mean this is just what happened just to remind

everybody there was an issue with the app that was used you know to basically get the results and basically the candidates are sort of focusing on that that the next primaries which are taking place in new hampshire they basically want to move on from this but it really isn't coming at a very bad time for the democrats of course the acquittal of president trump and this fiasco it looks like there's a little bit of chaos and that's what's being said by the republicans i'm president of within the democratic party or the corresponding public on this day after the verdict in that impeachment trial for president from public thank you. the journey's hospital doctor who 1st sounded the alarm on the cool new virus is in critical condition tonight after becoming infected with the virus himself central hospital says it's doing all it can to save the wife when young now the death toll from the virus is approaching $600.00 germany and britain have announced more cases

bringing the total confirmed here in europe to 30 china's capital is not at the center of this outbreak but correspondents he is barely or he found that its streets and its squares are deserted as the government attempts to bring this disease under control. a rare sight in the dry winters of beijing the gate to the forbidden city covered in snow a few people have come out to take in this spectacle but getting inside is out of the question just like almost all public facilities beijing's most famous historic site remains closed i think it's good that the government took these measures we support them we depreciate even strength to measure is your. business activity has largely come to a halt across much of the capital this is usually a bustling commercial street lots of souvenir shops knock shops tourists who visit beijing usually come to spend time here today i'm the only one. every day human

interaction has become suspicious this shop asked its customers to stay outside and communicate their needs from the outside. some pharmacies take the same approach everyone is wearing. because they are under it's a national emergency we stand together or we're not standing together should not be taken literally residential complexes keep strangers out in this compound visitors have to register with their id the guards look for the place of birth who are overweight people can't get any even if they live here they'll be quarantined. people from who by a province where the virus originated are to be isolated in this hotel discrimination against them is now rampant. at the entrance to the subway system a mandatory temperature check. at the same site as everywhere in the city lots of

space. trains are running as usual it's the passengers who are like. this circle line some of beijing's most patient shopping area is the railway station. beijing has reported less than $300.00 cases so far but fear has spread much faster than the virus ever could. that was reporting there you're watching t w new still to come wiki leaks founder julian assange she's due to appear in court in one day in connection with an extradition request by the u.s. but the united nations robert scheer on the torture tells us he believes western democracies are manipulating the evidence that story coming up in just a moment. a scandal over the involvement of the far right in

a normally obscure regional election has shaken german politics to the core yesterday the right wing extremist alternative for germany party helped mainstream parties elect a new premier in the eastern state of. today that new premier resigned under nationwide pressure and outrage his resignation of course cannot change the fact that a taboo has been broken here a taboo against co-operating with the far right in government. just 24 hours off to becoming state premier thomas keneally announced his resignation. that it vishnu annoyed. we will be requesting new elections and i would hazard to stain of a if the support from the office of state premier dismissed opposite in so. the pressure at craven 2 great candidates found himself on the front page of almost

every german newspaper the election of the free democrats want to titian with the help of the far right a.s.d. that sets off a political earthquake the shock waves reverberated all the way to south africa by the visiting and that made her position clear. up the power of us. this was foreseeable it must be said that this is unforgivable and that's why the result must be reversed. their. candidate had been the head of the smallest party in the state parliament his election by lawmakers was only made possible with votes from the f.t. and angela merkel's c.d.u. party in the state for the 1st time in german post-war history a far right party was kingmaker. the handshake between the new state premier and their india's a.f.d. chief b.n. hooker left many disgusted the head of the ranges left party through have ok of

flowers that came on the street during the inauguration other parties joined the chorus of criticism. this is. inacceptable breach of the should be elected state premier with a 50 votes and especially with a vote of mr. de soie this was a time when i go. to a concert again with a very clear goal that i have to. enter into a joint alliance and the next day premium is supposed to end in vienna. within hours of the vote people had gathered all over germany to protest. demonstrations continued into thursday with protesters standing against fascism i'm rejecting the state premier who made it into office with the help of the far right. and for more now joining me here at the big table is my colleague of mine with our political correspondent it's good to see you so let's pick up with the political fallout from all of this now the free democrats are now saying that they want to

dissolve the state parliament there in the rain what does that mean well. shortly elected prime air of a 3 day for one day was step down today and say that he was calling for new elections but the damage has already been done because the red line has been crossed in that's traditional parties usually a dom's ever cooperate who is a far right and here we so boast of free democrats and the conservatives enabling the far right party of the to cooperate and to co-opt their candidates to free democrats it is the 1st time in the history of modern germany is the 1st time since the nazi came to power that as a corporation was the far right so a big taboo has been breached and these sent shock waves throughout the country we so massive protests across the country for what is just a local election people were really shocked about it and thus definitely a breach of trust who was traditional. you know it reminds me of an old saying all

politics is local and today was a great example of that over the course of one day. we have seen here is we've seen the free democrats completely turn their back on the far right. what about the c.d.u. the conservatives the party of the german chancellor angela merkel why aren't they doing the same well they did take a very strong position as well we so put say now the general secretary of the c.d.u. saying yesterday. we needed to call in germany a one they did to call new elections and then today i got america say that it was inexcusable what happened yesterday enter into a day was a bad day for democracy that's her own words and she has to say that something must be reversed so she has been heard but you have to keep in mind that in 3 inches in that's rage on the city you know so had an interest to want the left party not in charge and they wanted to prevent them from being in charge so there's a lot of soul searching to do for traditional parts are willing to do

a deal with the devil to keep your enemy out of power so to speak what we've seen in the state of the rangy did it have consequences at the federal level well what say it's uncovered at the very least it is that there's an underlying tension throughout germany regarding the far right to fire right has been gaining ground more and more over the years and only now is quite successful operation for the a of do because they are trying to force the traditional parties what they call the old party is a hand to try and form a corporation so all the know it was quite successful for the whatever comes after new elections we will see if the those new elections come in the new charge as always and i think you. a group of celebrities and politicians here in germany has launched an appeal to have we hear leaks founder julian assange released from prison in britain more than 130 public figures are urging the u.k. to follow the advice of the u.n.

special rubber tear on torture to release a songe on medical grounds germany's former foreign minister sigma gabriele you see him right there he is among those who signed this letter we'll hear from the u.n. special repertory in just a moment but 1st let's take a closer look at julian us on the founder of wiki leaks which publishes news leaks and classified material he is in a high security british prison awaiting extradition to the u.s. on charges of espionage he previously evaded capture by taking refuge in the embassy of ecuador. the 1st few months that julian assange spent in the ecuadorian embassy in london it was all defiant and optimistic justice 70 s later he would emerge as a broken man. when british police tracked the wiki leaks founder out of the diplomatic mission in 2019 he looked confused and was almost unrecognizable.

at you when next that on to set a son showed symptoms of psychological torture. some fear this touch and may still be happening today. so how did we get here and why. julian assange took refuge in the ecuadorian embassy and 2012 after sweden asked the u.k. to extradite the we can expound to answer allegations of rape and that country. sanchez always denied those allegations saying they were pretense to have him eventually extradited to the united states where he is wanted on espionage charges . as we can you expand under threat so it is a freedom of expression and the health of all our societies. his supporters share this here they say the swedish rape allegations were fabricated and an excuse to punish his sons for the leaking of hundreds of thousands of

confidential government documents and for exposing possible war crimes. one high profile leak was a video obtained from the u.s. military which wiki leaks says says he was soldiers opening fire on people in baghdad and killing several civilians and 2 journalists. a son just now in a maximum security prison in the u.k. and continues to fight against his extradition to the united states if he loses his fight and is convicted in the u.s. the wiki leaks founder faces up to 175 years in jail the rape case in sweden has since been dropped and for more on this i'm joined now by niels meltzer he is the united nations special roberts you're on torture he investigated the case of julian is on she's going to have you on the show you know i have to ask you our viewers watching and you maybe have followed the story of julia songs maybe

asking why you use the u.n. special report your own torture involved here has julian assange has he been tortured. yes absolutely and i can assure you it was an easy step for me to get into all of this case that was myself a bit poisoned by his public interest about but when i went to visit him and medical doctors he examined him according to a specialist medical pros all focusing on torture victims and he showed all the symptoms that are typical for a person has been sat a lot and to wish and are is the claim that he is being psychologically tortured in a british prison is that what is that what i'm understanding well the time obviously was 4 weeks after his arrest of the group just parties it was more about the consequences of his prolonged confinement. now unfortunately you know his

state of health has deteriorated and his treatment has not proved in british detention his due process rights have been seriously and systematically violated or . intense anxiety and on top of the health effects he has already suffered before certainly amount to true degrading treatment or i think people watching me may be asking considering that julian is songe chose to go to the ecuadorian embassy there where he sought asylum he was there voluntarily he wasn't forced to go to the embassy so can we talk about him being tortured even though he was of being forced to be there. oh this of as a better question but you see if you look from the perspective of any asylum seeker is you know refugee actually is voluntarily in his host state but it's not because he would be acceptable for him to go back and not precisely is the problem that you do innocent yes it is voluntary at the embassy but he was only able to leave the

embassy it without risking serious violations of human rights i also have to probably be precise i mean torture does not necessarily mean in inflicting pain and suffering in order to get information. to a person the world off to church of ill treating people is to intimidate others you know supporters in this case of journalists who might be you know attempted to publish secret information and this initiative that we had earlier in the show how helpful do you think that the signatures of 130 german politicians and celebrities how helpful can they be in the case of julius on. well i think it's incredibly helpful to see you know politicians and former politicians high profile personalities recognizing the risk that this disc ace poses for democracy and for

the rule of law in our societies and so they can draw attention off the public to that the attention that so far and unfortunate the mainstream media has failed to drop this case nils meltzer the united nations special repertoire on torture mr meltzer we appreciate your time tonight thank you thank you. well here are some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world a palestinian man who opened fire on israeli security forces in jerusalem has been shot dead 2 more palestinians were killed in clashes with israeli forces in the west bank as tensions in the region rise israeli authorities also arrested a man accused of ramming his car into a group of soldiers injuring at least 12 people. the u.s. astronaut christina call has returned to earth after shattering the record for the longest time that a woman has ever spent in outer space was on board the international space station for almost 11 months she also led the 1st all female space walk as part of her

mission. the hills outside kabul were once used by the taliban to pound the afghan capital with rockets and mortars today the hindu kush melt ranges home to a group of enthusiastic young snowboarders you know they don't have a ski lift and they get no official help but the founders of the afghan snowboarding federation well they have big plans for their sport. snowboarding seems an unlikely leisure pursuit in the hills outside the afghan capital but at 1800 meters above sea level kabul is one of the highest capital cities in the world these local youths are making the most of winter in the hindu kush mountain range that surrounds the city snowboarding and. snowboarding is the new face of afghanistan we established the afghan snowboarding federation to show this new face of the world. that they can see that in

a country where there is fighting and ethnic problems it's still not all about the war. and the youth is involved as well as both boys and girls like college eleanor in the 1990 s. from these very hills taliban fighters rained down artillery and rockets on kabul now they're one of the few places in the country where ahmed and his friends can snowboard in safety another is the central province of bamiyan famous around the world as the site of one of the greatest cultural crimes in recent memory the deliberate destruction in 2001 of the ancient buddhist statues that wants looked out over the valley from this cliff face the taliban isn't just a presence in memory the group still controls around half of the country. if the taliban come back it's impossible to snowboard because they aren't sports friendly people. they don't want pace and they don't want sports so if they come back

we won't be able to snowboard. and in the future role of the taliban in afghanistan is unclear as things stand and his mates can practice their new hobby in peace for at least as long as the snow dos. the screen legend kirk douglas has died at the age of 103 he made his name in hollywood's golden age and was one of the biggest box office stars of the 1950 s. and sixty's if son also an actor michael douglas announced his father's passing today saying to the world he was a legend but to me and my brothers he was simply dad. here's a reminder of the top stories that we're following for you u.s. president has lashed out at his opponents after senators threw out mia pietschmann charges against him says he suffered a terrible ordeal he has branded the troil a national disgrace and the premier of germany's eastern state of the ring is

stepping down the day after being controversially elected with the help of a far right political party thomas commemoration says that his resignation was inevitable to remove the stain of the far whites involvement in politics. you're watching the w. news from berlin after a short break i'll be back to take you through the day stick around for the.

rest. of us on. insupportable. stated that several blocks over. to the river. i'm not laughing at. because

sometimes i am but they stand up and with. me think deep into the german culture i . knew to take this grandmother to leave us it's all about. time rachel join me for me to get something done. changed the world. the cry for freedom the fight for freedom we're always a company. she transcends dreams bring us together. our 2 part documentary about the revolutionary power. of the house so. this is a story part 2 john. songs

like that don't go away but stay with us for all time by. the sound of fresh starts february 7th on w. on both sides of the atlantic pictures of politicians and the taboos that they dare to break in washington d.c. u.s. president donald trump celebrating his impeachment trial acquittal with prayer and accusing his opponents of using god against him and here in germany a pariah political party becomes a kingmaker a royal embarrassment for chancellor angela merkel a move by her own party a move that she calls forgivable.