this is g w news live from berlin the west defense crisis takes the spotlight at this year's munich security conference nato members have vowed for decades to defend vulnerable allies but has apathy in the alliance replace commitment also coming up families torn apart by the war in syria. going to die and the pains of the army

is very close as a serious offense against good live province intensifies d.w. talks with a refugee here in germany who can't get his family out of harm's way. and china's coronavirus epidemic sees yet another rise of new infections as the u.s. criticizes beijing for its lack of transparent information about the outbreak. and so much to law kids from around the world tell us what fills their hearts with happiness this valentine's day. i'm brian thomas great to have you with us for the program today the annual munich security conference kicks off in a few hours bringing together some $35.00 heads of state and government now one of the. top issues the west's role on the international stage will be in the spotlight

and with concerns growing about nato's commitment to its 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 one more one way. through showed up real 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 was listening 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 not this definitely but it will have to work in coalitions and and alliances with countries outside the comfort zone so we would 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 emanuel 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 or can lead to its actions not actually know yet which way it's going to go it is

a nuclear country as a state in 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. 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 a comeback. and to talk about some of these issues i'm joined by our political correspondent. with nato under so much pressure from within and from without it is there any leader willing and able to step forward and reinvigorate the alliance reinvigorate the west with direction and purpose other say meaning one

person willing and i would be a key player at this conference and it's french president emanuel micro he last year everyone up in arms when he talked about the nato. the nato being brain dead but actually it triggered some kind of rethinking and that's exactly he's you he said we had to rethink diplomatic and military strategic he did it quite stern warning when he said if we can't think of europe as a global power it will these appear because because it will take a hard knock so he pushes for europe to become more independent from the u.s. and he pushes for a nuclear deterrent it is something quite new he wants to work on solidarity macan isms within europe he wants europe to be more assertive also to come for the chairman conference. had quite a strong statement ahead of the country and she talked about an unforgivable failure of the west of the international community in water and in war torn syria

and also he reminded them that the d.v.r. . pro says had fallen flat after the conference said this conference would be mostly about taking temperature rather than finding solutions ok so syria and libya were no doubt to the point issues behind what one of our analysts in the report said that the west has had its moment and that it in effect is has faded in irrelevancy but is that exactly the type of messaging that russia is using to undermine the west it is but at the same time here. at the conference it will be quite pragmatic as much as we in the western world would like to believe that our common values that all market models of culture unites and devalue those values are shared these has been a challenge to time and again over the last years by the rise of populism by the

rise of nationalism and on the other side all over the world especially in the last couple of years there have been protests protests against both within democratic and also italian regimes against current politics against climate change against civilian states. as a whole in the west is being come tested and also the authority of nato or of the un for example ok it's not just nato though that's on the agenda can you give us a look forward what are some of the other pressing issues that are going to be discussed well china will be on everyone's mind it has become a huge military power it has also become a key diplomatic player for example if we think about relationship between the u.s. and north korea of course there's also the major theme of chinese telecoms and the issue is always 5 g.'s expansion in the well does that pose cyber security threat for example other issues which will be at stake of course the iran crisis the

ongoing tensions with the u.s. came to a boiling point a few weeks ago. syria of course will be on the table ok a long list of issues that we cover every day in the news here and we like later viewers know that they can stay with you throughout the day for special coverage of the munich security conference that's coming up later today here on d w. well as we heard there syria is figuring on the agenda in munich and as the conflict there is among the headlines there let's let's take a look at our top stories right now the u.s. senate has voted to require president trump to see congressional approval before carrying out further military action against a rainy and cold turkey us senators adopted the resolution despite republicans holding a majority doesn't trump is likely to veto the legislation. u.s. attorney general william barr has said the president trumps tweets are making his

job quote impossible on one say trump tweeted in praise of bar's handling of a case involving roger stone a former adviser to the president yes the. european commission president was a lot fun to lie and has acknowledged mistakes and how external consultants were hired when she was german defense minister bud she also defended the ongoing use of consultants online was testifying before a german parliamentary committee investigating accusations of nepotism and inefficiency. all serious as air defense systems have intercepted incoming missiles over the capital damascus state t.v. reporting that the rockets were launched from the israeli controlled goal on heights there's been no response from israel which does not usually comment on attacks in syria. well in syria the ongoing fighting in the rebel stronghold of id love has led to what the u.n.

is calling a humanitarian catastrophe people are trying to get out of it live right now they're heading for the nearby turkish border and the safety that it provides the u.n. says some 140000 have fled their homes in just the last 3 days that brings the total number of refugees in this region 280-0000 germany is already home to hundreds of thousands of syrians have fled the conflict there over the last 9 years those with families left behind feel powerless to protect them. deep protect the news from syria on social media all the time where did the latest bomb fall who or what was hit why he's in safety here in germany the rest of his family are in mortal danger and if. he is desperately worried. whenever i eat or drink i think of my children do they have anything to eat on the ill do they have a warm blanket or are there. his sons mohammad and 9 and 10 years old

he had to leave them with their grandparents and he thought it too dangerous to flee with them if the internet is working he calls them several times a day or a 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 and come and get us. i want to but i can't we need to get passports for you and lots 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 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 unprotected even though it's bitterly cold. the united nations estimates that more than $700000.00 people from it to province have fled their homes many are heading towards turkey but they're not being allowed in the refugee camps overcrowded it's freezing and there's a lack of drinking water and food there is no going back for them because most of their towns and cities are being bombed out and they are facing a 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. back home 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. there are new concerns about china's ability to contain the corona virus outbreak after a balanced more new cases in a single day than ever before chinese authorities say another 5000 people have been infected with the virus now known also as covered 19 and that death toll has risen to some 1400 but they say the spike is partly due to a new method of diagnosis counting all those who shows not just possible lab results the u.s. is accusing beijing of a lack of transparency the new normal in we were people taking extra precautions

to avoid contagion from the coronavirus chinese media show images of a massive response medical supplies being rushed to patients military medics on the move despite the spike in diagnosis cases officials are emphasizing a different number. starting from the 7th of february each day we've seen a big increase in killed and discharged patients like today the cured cases already over 5000 if this trend can be maintained would see it as a very positive signal. elsewhere in asia is a mounting vietnam has quarantined a town of 10000 people 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 just on thea's someone on board might be affected on friday its

passengers were finally allowed to disembark in cambodia. her you're right there are 000-000-0000 extension 0 i told my. if the virus turned this holiday cruise into an odyssey. so what precautions is germany taking to talk about that my colleague ben trigger talked to germany's health minister young spawn about his country's priorities in responding to the corona virus outbreak. and what is important is actually that we prepare and that we try to retard it actually as much as possible that the virus reaches other regions than china and is affecting it as much as it is china so far just a regional epidemic outbreak in china but we need to be sure that it does not

become a real epidemic rather wide and if so a pandemic worldwide if so we need to be prepared to regarding research around therapies and vaccination we need to prepare to be appropriate in what we know about the wires every week we have to prepare helps us to know more about how an infectious that is actually how severe it can get for the patients and all of these actions actually are focusing on this getting gaining time to know more do you seek to restrict travel from and to china as for example the united states did what we already have done in germany for example that we asked pilots that they need to tell the tower in advance if there are patients present restless symptoms are bought on board or not and that passengers actually have to fill out of form that says where they are reachable contact dates for the next 30 days we might need

additional measures to know which passengers actually have been in contact with people from the one region for for example and that is actually what we have discussed here during the council meeting but we do not need to by the way if i might add is from my point at least fever measuring this for example taking the temperature of passengers because we just know because of the incubation time and the symptom free time we have after infection it actually doesn't help do you trust. the numbers of infections you get from the communist regime in china well what we can see is actually that there. must be many more. cases than be actually do see in the in the public figures why because they just changed actually and the case definition for for the statistic that only

a case goes into the statistic if there really were symptoms and we know that there are many many symptom free cases so i would assume that there are many more cases than we see in the statistic which is important because if you take the cases in relation to for example people that died. that makes a difference then for the relation china on the other hand is able to apply very draconian measures lockdown of whole cities but europe be able to do that if need be i would say i'm impressed by what china does and different regards actually. but what we see is if there is a missile outbreak in germany and missiles are much more infectious they're not we see with the coronavirus so far we actually i bill to deal was a without putting whole cities on the current time i was a german health minister against their will germany has been marking the 75th anniversary of the allied bombing of dresden that was one of world war 2 his most

controversial campaigns as the war nereids and waves of british and american planes dropped fire bombs on that city for 3 days killing tens of thousands of people many of them civilians. the air raids of dresden in ruins were also hugely divisive for some the attack was a necessary step in defeating nazi germany others a senseless tragedy. under the church of our lady the symbol of the tryst and bombings they formed a human chain german president francophile to 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 go. on 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 dressed in has been seized on by the far right to portray germany as a victim as an earlier ceremony steinmeyer said crimes shouldn't be compared there's a very hard a dog. to say clearly today anyone who still cults 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 out winter and she'd be just like minded i'm going to. try maya when songs are born of threats against democracy. the far right

alternative for germany is the 3rd biggest party in germany's parliament. we are 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 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. their makati for instance are still. christians physical scars have long since healed the psychological ones are taking somewhat longer. now dozens of scientists are stuck in the arctic ice deliberately as it turns out to measure everything they can find about

the north poles whether climate in the age of global climate change the german ship the polar stern along with a russian support vessel hitch themselves to an ice floe that slowly moving through that region the plan is to stay there for a year. they're not far from the north pole and the temperature is as low as 35 degrees below 0 the ice hey used to be called eternal but it doesn't seem like that anymore this is why they're here. the ships and their equipment on the ice prove interesting to the locals. the bears a difficult to pick out against the snow. a sniff around a research container. and a careful inspection of a flag. 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 arctic darkness the only light at this time of year comes from search 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 temperatures the 1st measurements here were taken 100 years ago comparisons show alarming changes yeah 2 feet of the arctic winter has become between 5 and then to 10 degrees warmer thanks to climate change it's where we can see global warming at 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 teams a switched out and necessary routine for the biggest ever expedition to the north pole. now in case you forgot a reminder today is valentine's day. that day set aside for people around the world to celebrate the special someone in your life but who says it's a day just for romantic adults the w.c. decided to ask children around the world what fills their hearts and minds with happiness. that's all right. i mean what is the only reason they might make. you know cowboys kill why are

they mad. a sign of a brutal well more particular thing was your mood. hundreds had been too much alive . had a lot of cool monkey when you can manage it all to know me so small to get a say. kid i need a man i need. an emo nerd i love to my dad lists he goes to the bunny i love my dad. then it's hardly true it's good for you made a lousy. summer when i thought you from your father was a. certain who would come my mother. you know how the email hand me down here they will answer. owning this

module on an. amount. of good and all of it all going to kick up patch it was a just me and now. i need to play em glenna today as the i truth. to that literally be a squid fleece. me. a live man deadly. temperatures in their homes which was all of the. car wash. mongers or where i thought all. you know our top stories of this hour u.s. secretary of state might pump ale has arrived in germany for the music's journey conference the gathering comes amidst fears about the death of nato commitment to its collective defense and concerns about the coronavirus of the duck. china

has announced another 5000 new corona virus infections on the rise in the death toll to nearly 1400. authorities say the spike is partly due to a new method of confirming cases u.s. accusing beijing of a lack of information transparency. that's all for right now i'm brian thomas with the entire team thanks for being.

to the point shawn opinion is a clear position on the international perspective such. germany is not known for

disruptive politics but a regional election has set off a political earthquake that is shaking the christian democratic party to its foundations will be a hefty destroyed man whose legacy find out on to the point. to good point cut damage doesn't tax the t.w. . most people are frightened of crocodile skin. but my recent taste loves them. to apologise to some one of the world's top crocodile researchers. in belize central america she is campaigning to protect these endangered predators despite people's fear and prejudice going on $3000.00. and 60 minutes on t w. grappling

with subjects. expressed some feeling. i am not very creative yet but i would love to be considered an artist one day looking for new perspectives on the one hand not really replenished but we've the us canada doing things differently. come to the place where we reflect on society. march 28th want to talk to w. . what's wrong with germany in a country not known for disruptive politics a regional election has set off a political earthquake that is shaking uncle america's christian democratic party to. it's foundations the crisis erupted when the party's local branch in the eastern german state of the rich voted side by side with the far right and you have tea party to anoint a political outsider as state premier that broke

a longstanding taboo on cooperation with right wing populist and provoked massive protest within and beyond the c.d.u. .