curious minds. do it yourself networkers. subscribers don't mention. the fact that. this is the the view news live from the west's defense crisis takes the spotlight at this year's munich security conference nato members have been vowing for decades to defend vulnerable allies but after 3 in the alliance replaced commitment also coming up. china's coronavirus epidemic seems yet another rise in new infections on

friday as the u.s. criticizes beijing for its response. plus families torn apart by war d.w. speaks with a refugee from syria who left his family behind in mortal danger. and germany continues to mark 75 years and see the allied bombing of dresden one of the most controversial attacks of world war 2 the german president led public tributes honoring the 10s of thousands were killed and also as urged germans today to stand up against the far right extremists. are brian thomas a very warm welcome to our program today the annual munich security conference kicks off in a few hours bringing together some 35 heads of state and government but as they prepare for a show of unity they. new uncertainties about the west's role on the international

stage with fears growing about the depth of dangerous commitment to collective defense its biggest member has been putting on a show of strikes. the biggest deployment of u.s. military might to europe in a quarter century is heading this way for nato as defender 20 exercise 20000 american soldiers and 13000 pieces of equipment should give the enemies pause and allies confidence. one more. showed up real all reliable loyal portals within the nato framework but that reinforced military framework risks being undermined by weakness on the political side increasing apathy across the alliance regarding its most fundamental value collective defense what if nato has the weapons but it doesn't have the will a recent survey by the pew research center indicates that across 16 nato countries

fewer than 40 percent of respondents would want their militaries used to defend the baltic states or poland in case of an attack by russia the munich security conference has coined a new term to describe this kind of ambivalence. for those wistful about west listening this geopolitics expert shot islam has some advice move on the west has had its wonderful moment it can still matter i think europe still matters definitely but it will have to work in coalitions and and alliances with countries outside the comfort zone so they will have to work with the indias of this would with russia with china with australia which upin and not just rely on this once very strong transatlantic alliance french president emmanuel mccaughan has seized the stage to position himself as a disruptor france has a moment to lead. it can lead in rhetoric it can lead in ideas so it can lead to its actions and actually know yet which way it's going to go it is

a nuclear country has a seat in the security council they can do therefore what no one else can and it can do that on behalf of europe. but while the west deals with its identity crisis kremlin tactics are working better than ever warns retired u.s. army general ben hodges causing people to lose confidence and trust in each other in their own institutions in the alliance that's that's where this competition is and. i think that we have to compete hodges praises the massive defender 20 exercises for making sure the military side is ready waiting for political cohesion to make it come back. to talk about some of these issues i'm joined now by our political correspondent emma shots good morning to you. as we heard there this conference comes with nato under pressure from within and from without against this background is there a western leader willing to step up and reinvigorate the alliance with

a new sense of purpose and direction well indeed this conference is very much about taking the temperature it's written black and white in their reports and as this comes in a time of in a climate of politico this and sentiment and that's actually one a key player that everyone would be looking at and is french president about here of a micro he's tipped as being this key player this year and not these because of his brenda's comments last year on nato everyone was that he now is but actually it's made things moving a little when he said that we had to rethink diplomacy that we had to rethink military strategic he has said that they've had quite a stern warning to the western world when he say i quote if we can think of you up as a global power if you counselling of europe as a global global power it will there's a fear because it would take a hard knock he wants everyone in the western world to work on those solidarity nican isms he wants more as such and that's where you have so that's what would be looking for you know we heard one analyst in our report say the west has had its

moment effectively that it's faded in relevance is that exist is not exactly the type. of message that russia is deploying to undermine the west and its allies well i think it's quite pragmatic to actually acknowledge that it's happening as much as we need to western world would like to believe that our common values that the market models we use our culture a united so this has been a challenge time and again over the last year is by the rise of nationalism by the rise of populism on the one side and on the other side side there's been a wave of a global protests a protest against the current politics proprietors again climate change against civilians state so the authority of the west is contested on all sides as so insists it's institution in situations such as nato says such as the un losing ground and we see

a key players coming in like crush china like india the no longer emerging actors they're actually here and sharing another vision of the world ok you mentioned china some of its top representatives are not at this conference due to the coronavirus effect of the perceived well of china will be on everyone's mind minds regardless it has become a huge military power no one can ignore that it has become also a key diplomatic player not least between the u.s. and north korea and of course won a major theme that will be talked about at this conference would be chinese telecoms and the issues who are ways of 5 g. also the us have just brought a new charges against huawei and that's certainly going to be talked about and thanks so much for coming in on us thank you. let's get you briefed on some of the other news in the headlines today syria says its air defense systems have intercepted incoming missiles over the capital damascus the television

reporting that rockets were launched from the israeli controlled golan heights there's been no response from israel which is not normally comment on attacks in syria. the u.s. senate has voted to require president trump to seek congressional approval before carrying out any further military action against a rainy in military assets senators adopted the resolution despite the republicans holding a jordi the president is likely to veto the legislation. the british prime minister boris johnson has fired several ministers in a major cabinet reshuffle finance minister ravi to resign rather than fire his aides and install new ones chosen by giles and he's being replaced by rishi soon aka jobs and wales. while there are new concerns about china's ability to contain the corona virus outbreak after more new cases were reported in

a single day than ever before chinese authorities say another 5000 people have been infected with the virus also now being called coded 19 and that the death toll has risen to nearly 1400 but they're also saying the spike is partly due to a new method of diagnosis counting all those who show symptoms not just positive lab results the u.s. is accusing beijing of a lack of transparency. this is the new normal in will han people taking extra precautions to avoid contagion from coronavirus chinese media show a massive response medicines being rushed to patients doctors on the move despite the spike in cases officials are emphasizing a different number. starting from the 7th of february each day we've seen a big increase in cured and discharged patients like today the cure cases are already over 5000 if this trend can be maintained with c.

it is a very positive signal. here opinion health ministers have been meeting in brussels to discuss the crisis so far in europe and that with a new opinion detection and containment works we are able to to stop the infectious chains. but we have to admit that today and it could get worse before it becomes better in asia the fear is stronger vietnam has quarantined the town of 10000 in indonesia there's been a rush to buy face masks. also in a hurry the passengers of the westerdam 5 countries in asia had refused to let the cruise ship dock for fear someone on board might be infected but passengers were finally allowed to disembark in cambodia. here but

for. all. that. fear of the virus turned this holiday cruise into an odyssey. it's to syria now where ongoing fighting in the rebel held stronghold of it live has led to what the u.n. is calling a humanitarian crisis people are trying to get out of it love heading for the nearby turkish border. now the u.n. says 140000 of fled their homes in just the last 3 days and that brings the total number of refugees up 280-0000 in that region germany is already home to hundreds of thousands of syrians who fled the calls like those with family members left behind feel powerless to protect them. deep in text the news from syria on social media all the time where did the latest bomb fall who or what was hit while

he is in safety here in germany the rest of his family are in mortal danger and internet. he is desperately worried. whenever i eat or drink i think of my children do they have anything to eat do they have a warm blanket or. his sons mohammed and 9 and 10 years old he had to leave them with their grandparents and it'll happen he thought it too dangerous to flee with them if the internet is working he calls them several times a day or little hello how moody how are you what's going on. it's cold the bombing and the plane crashed we were where we were. very narrow a village get us out of here. come and get us. i

want to but i can't we need to get passports for you but a lot of other things i can bring you over here. we're going to die the planes are bombing us the army is very close. and the only adult member of the family and if you're poor lets us show his face. people are suffering especially the refugees it's chaos i don't know whether i'm coming or going. everybody is heading north camping in the olive groves sleeping in the open i'm protected even though it's bitterly cold. the united nations estimates that more than $700000.00 people from it to prophets have fled their homes many are heading towards turkey but they're not being allowed in the refugee camps are overcrowded it's freezing and there's a lack of drinking water and food there is no boy back for them because most of

their towns and cities are being bombed out and they are facing is that humanitarian situation this is why an immediate cease fire and its way is the only solution going forward. but there's no sign of that and the fighting continuous. would do anything he could to rescue his children from danger but he can't all he can do is follow events from berlin. nobody notices people see me and think i'm doing fine but inside i die a 1000 deaths every day and my heart goes out to my children and to all the other children. well germany has been marking the 75th anniversary of the allied bombing of dresden one of world war 2 reversal campaigns now as the conflict neared its british an american aircraft dropped fire bombs on the city for 3 days killing tens of

thousands of people here raids love present in ruins they were also hugely divisive personally attack was a necessary step in defeating nazi germany for others it was a senseless tragedy. under the church of our lady the symbol of the dresden bombings they formed a human chain german president frank voltage steinmeyer joined in this show of unity the message to the thousands of people gathered in the city's main square never forget should she get. it when we join hands with our neighbors then we confess. we want to take responsibility together for peace among people at home and throughout the world. over a period of 3 days british and u.s. planes dropped nearly 4000 tons of explosives on kristen the attacks killed some 25000 people and totally wiped out the city's historic center what happened in

dresden has been seized on by the far right to portray germany as a victim as an earlier ceremony steinmeyer said crime shouldn't be compared there's a pretty hard it taught me so i don't wish to say clearly today anyone who still counts the dead of dresden against the dead of auschwitz anyone who tries to downplay german wrongs anyone who tries to falsify historical facts we must stand up to them as democrats and contradict them loudly. in most india lout won't and she'd be just like minded i want to thank. john meyer when songs were born of threats against democracy. the far right alternative for germany is the 3rd biggest party in germany's parliament. open on some long we're also experiencing in our country how anti semitism and racism

are beginning to poison public life again how states governed by the rule of law and democratic institutions of being scorned if elected members of parliament to mocked and ridiculed in the parliaments in which they said this is an attempt to destroy democracy from within. for instance as to. kristen's physical scars have long since healed the psychological ones are taking somewhat longer. did abuse kate brady has been following the story for us today good day to you kate 75 years after dresden germans are still struggling with finding some kind of unity in mourning there were dead especially the civilians who died as they did in dresden what's behind that. well it certainly has been

a struggle for many decades now more than 7 decades and of course and the anniversary. that began yesterday going into the weekend of course is perhaps one of the most if not the most difficult of of days of days of remember and as we head toward the 75th anniversary of the end of the 2nd world war and that's largely due to as you heard there in the report this debate over whether or not this bombing 75 years ago was really necessary by the allies all whether it could have been avoided and of course that has played a huge role in germany's atonement for the atrocities caused by the nazis during the 2nd world war and is still being dealt with today not only by dresden as but by historians and and germans across the country but i think it was clear yesterday i was them myself in dresden that the majority of dresden as wanted yesterday at

least to make a sign of unity that today they stand against all kinds of violence and hatred and that was shown very clearly at least symbolically in the human chain that was created yesterday around dresden by some 11000 people ok well dressed as you mentioned continues to be politically instrumental was the situation you were there at this year's commemoration. well yes is a the full right seeing which is instrumental i's the commemorations of the dresden bombing for many years was relatively quiet that said we are expecting to see some 1500 people from the far right seen a neo nazis not only from germany but from around europe descend upon dresden tomorrow on saturday for what they're calling a towel matia march of mourning and this is something that's taking place for many years now and effectively has become part of the far right scenes propaganda and

that all stems form actually immediately after the dresden arey it's about 75 years ago when the nazis who of course at the time was still in power actually manipulated the numbers of casualties and deaths claiming that anywhere between 200000 half a 1000000 people perished in the firestorm that ripped through the city of course we know now that those numbers of fulls and around 25000 people were killed but even today those numbers continue to do the rounds and historians and politicians are still trying to debunk these figures today even though they are still resurfacing even from the far right a.f.d. pussy brady for us following the commemorations thanks very much for coming in all the states. in other news today hundreds of scientists are stuck in the arctic ice deliberately trying to measure everything they can about the north pole whether it's climate in the global climate change the german

ship the pull us down along with the russians port ship which themselves to an ice floe that's moving slowly very slowly through that region the plan is to stay there for you're. not far from the north pole and the temperature is as low as 35 degrees below 0 the ice he used to be called eternal but it doesn't seem like that anymore this is why the he. the ships and their equipment on the ice prove interesting to the locals. the best the difficult to pick out against the snow. a sniff around a research container. and a careful inspection of a flag of. the research is cool at the citadel 2 ships forming a makeshift town tied to an ice floe all of it moving 10 kilometers a day through the long darkness the only light at this time of here comes from such

lights on the boat. large cracks keep appearing the ice at 1.5 meters thick then suddenly open water it's unsettling for the scientists in an attempt to understand what's happening they send up weather balloons to gather data from the air and sink instruments into the water to measure currents and temperature as the 1st measurements here were taken 100 years ago comparisons show alarming changes yeah this is veto the arctic winter has become between 5 and then 10 degrees warmer thanks to climate change it's where we can see global warming in its most dramatic and it's very clear are not expedition spring is coming to the north pole shimmers of sunlight can sometimes be seen at the horizon at will and the polar night every couple of weeks the team's a switched out and necessary routine for the biggest ever expedition to the north

pole. well in case you forgot here's a reminder today's valentine's day but who says it's only a day for the romantically inclined adults to decide to ask children around the world what and who they laugh. and look what came from the yankees email each family had a couple heechul why are they mad. brutal almost killed them was a mood of the a $100000.00 too much alive. and

hot a lot of full monty for all to look for on the social ticket as. a kid i need a man i need bob back an emo man i love to my. lists because they get the bunny i love my bad. ben it's our need for is good for you need a loud. voice a family that i want i value from your father was a. son where my mother and this is. real home how the email hand me down and he pulled and still owning this macho lion in x. amount clash and i'm bashing the kid and his critical. kick up pedal oh yeah just the fat man and that was some babble to bay and lana to bay

as the i truth. 10 are literally best squid for this. land deadly. temperatures in them which i saw at the. college was on. mongers or where i thought oh. yeah. this is news these are our top stories u.s. secretary of state might bump a i was arrived. money for the munich security conference the gathering comes amidst fears about the depth of nato commitment to collective defense and worries about the corona virus outbreak. and there's been another all alarming surge in infections and deaths from the corona virus china says there have been 5000 new cases in a single day and the death toll has risen to nearly 1400 the u.s.

is accusing beijing a lot of the lack of transparency. the german president from fall to steinmeyer has urged germans to defend democracy in a speech during events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the destruction of dresden in world war 2 the allied bombing campaign killed some 25000 people and left the city in ruins. the british prime minister boris johnson has fired several ministers in a major cabinet reshuffle and in a surprise move the finance minister. has quit reports indicate he refused an order from johnson to fire his top advisers. this is due to the news from berlin don't forget there's more at our twitter feed or our website t w dot com and you can always get to views on the go download our on from google

play or from the app store that gives you access to the latest news from around the world as well as push notifications for breaking news and if you're part of a news story you can use that app to send us photos and videos. off next we have our business news with stephen beardsley i'm brian thomas will be back at the top of the hour thanks so much for joining us. good on the good. boy.

to the point of strong opinions clear positions international 1st directives. germany is not known for disruptive politics but recently action has set off a political earthquake that is shaking the christian democratic party to its foundations the a.s.d. destroyed legacy find out until the point. i'm disappointed to touch damaged

16 s t w. earth. home. of species. worth seeing if you can. get those are big changes and must start with small steps because the ideas tell stories of cream induced people into innovative projects around the world. to consider the good news to good solutions and reforestation. to interactive content. teaching the next generation took such action. using the channels available to inspire people to turn compassion and more determined to bring something new to the next generation the ideas the environment series of global 3000 on d w and online. johnny doesn't let his wheelchair keep him from pursuing

surfing. thomas johnny cross it is not your average sports to every day he pushes himself to the limit fighting for his dream course life follows johnny as he overcomes obstacles and breaks down barriers from wheelchair to athlete. sports life starts feb 15th on. you tube turns 15 and how website designed to share personal videos is now printing money for google and changing the media landscape. also on the show argentinians may loathe the i.m.f. but the country can't seem to live without it. as his back in conversation with its lender of last hope. and we'll look at whether germany can free the way for

migrants to join the labor market much in need of workers.