well you. this is the good will be nice live from good it to you in china open then markets brussels and beijing seal an investment deal after 7 years of talks that is the e.u. putting business before human rights also coming up deadly explosions ripped through cameron's ottoman airport the likely target applying carrying the country's newly formed a unity government. that the kenyan boy is strikes out against police brutality in nairobi taking the legal fight from the court for him to the boxing.

match the howard welcome to the program the european union has struck a controversy over investment deal with china the e.u. has high of the accord saying it will give european companies better access to chinese markets but critics say those economic benefits come in the expense of human rights. for 7 years european union representatives have been haggling with china at the negotiating table the results were presented at a joint 1st show press conference. market access for both sides will be improved a level playing field means that chinese state owned enterprises will no longer be given preferential treatment through subsidies and for the 1st time china commits to following environmental climate social as well as occupational health and safety stand. though when it comes to those standards chinese president xi jinping made

only veg promises in the agreement china has imprisoned up to $1000000.00 readers in labor and reeducation camps and shing shang province she has promised to sign a convention against forced labor but no date has been set and sanctions haven't been discussed even vague promises around market access haven't been convincing what the premier is doing is conferring to the chinese companies that they have masses the european market which deal with. the problem is the other way around it's about the yaks of european companies to the chinese market which has always 'd been more closed in terms of investment because of the way that china entered into the world trade organization as if the repeat of the me was special rights even though there have been some breakthroughs concerning competition both sides are not yet on equal footing so they were most likely meet more often around the

negotiating table in the coming years. or at let's bring in sufi richardson the china director of human rights watch so i think welcome from the opposition i wonder what did you see what do you read between the lines of this tried to you. well i think there are 2 variables here that should make everyone quite skeptical and the 1st is that the chinese government is just devoid of credibility when it comes to commitments not just for and human rights but around issues of trade or even security and this is a government that regularly signs binding international agreements and then ignores them but i think the other variable is that there is very strong evidence the use of forced labor in. it you know that has been acknowledged by the e.u. and the state governments and there's almost no ability to do the kind of due diligence that's necessary to check on that problem and so one looks at this agreement and really has to wonder why anybody believes that beijing will pursue

any sorts of reforms i forced labor or other issues in good faith and so does that then speak to the reason why it wasn't the e.u. firm with china in terms of a solid commitment to a deadline to improve both human and worker rights but i think there are a lot of variables at stake there and let's recall that the european parliament which is which is taking very strong stand at a number of human rights issues in china still has to ratify the deal but you know even if you look back at the last 10 years of reports by the e.u. chamber of commerce in china you know what you would see is report after report after report complaining about all of the ways in which the chinese government violates the rules that have already been agreed upon and so again it's very hard to see how this new deal will somehow be magically different. so if you've raised the point that the deal still needs to be ratified in the european parliament does that mean there is still the chance of meaningful improvements to be made to the

deal. well either one hopes that either meaningful improvements or a much more honest conversation about what the e.u. really does value we've heard a lot of discussion the last couple of days about the news values and how they're reflected in this deal and i just struggle to see how the e.u. can both condemn the existence of forced labor in china and then sign a deal with the chinese government that doesn't solve those problems 1st that it should be foundational if the e.u. and europeans really care that the clothes they are wearing weren't made by forced labor so a few bridges in china director of human rights watch thanks so much to you. at least 22 people have been killed and dozens wounded in an attack on international airport in yemen the bomb went off just as members of the new unity

government returned from saudi arabia so fog group has claimed responsibility your original blast was followed by another explosion near the presidential palace several hours later. it was meant to be a moment to celebrate. a newly formed government disembarking their unity a symbol of the promise to end yemen's long civil war. instead chaos. through explosions shortly after the planes arrival brought to the airport a local security source says most not shells landed on the bullet hole. witnesses described hearing sporadic gunfire soon off so. how is later another explosion was reportedly the presidential palace. this was a cowardly terrorist attack. the government is an audition to stay and to exercise

its duties and operations with the strong will of our people. the acts of terror will not stop us from doing our work because. you know you have to hear the good will of the ministers have all been reported safe after the attack they were returning from the saudi capital where they had been sworn in as part of a cabinet reshuffle that reshuffle so yemen's internationally recognized government and southern separatists a power sharing cabinet their aim is to forge a joint front against iran backed the rebels who seized the country's capital and much of the north in $24.00 tamed plunging the country into an ongoing civil war. while no one has claimed responsibility for the explosions that airport blame has full. and on that he's seen his power in yemen is threatened by the new government alliance. ok let's take a look now at some of the other international stories making news syria's state

news agency says at least 28 people were killed in an attack on a bus no offense reportedly ambushed the vehicle on a highway about 50 kilometers southwest of the city of di. unconfirmed reports said the bus was carrying syrian soldiers. senate has approved a law legalizing abortion the new legislation permits abortions until the 14th week of pregnancy and later cases of rape when the mother's life is in danger it was met with strong opposition from religious leaders including pope francis. at least 11 people are still missing following a major landslide in no way police continue their search of the night despite the treacherous conditions the bowl of earth crushed and buried homes in the town of north of all slow an urgency services are trying to secure those buildings left standing. that coin has surged to a new record high of almost $29000.00 the value of the crypto currency has

quadrupled this year as investors hedge against the u.s. dollar weakness and the risk of inflation. the post breaks the trade deal has officially become law in the u.k. after receiving the queen's royal assent the british parliament other well winningly approved the agreement on wednesday after it was signed by a used top officials the accord sets out the new tribe rules between britain and the european union starting on new year's day. you could get the impression the british prime minister just wanted to sign it as quickly as possible. after putting his name to the more than $1000.00 pages of complicated legal language parse johnson seemed upbeat. thank you very much everybody you know what i wanted when you understand. the treaty that i just saw yeah and it is a new beginning and i think the beginning of what will be

a wonderful relationship between the u.k. and britain is in the. book with us today not the 10 year it is but. i mean the question you ask yourself is if i want to read. yes is this deal for the country. to get their heads around a document like this members of parliament would usually require months but the british lower house pushed it through and just half a day $521.00. 73 voted against the deal which by fishley puts an end to use of brakes in negotiations were going to become a friendly neighbor the best friends an ally the e.u. good how are working hand in glove with ever our values and interests coincide while fulfilling the so really wish of the british people to live under their own

laws but it comes at a price and pains from northern ireland and scotland voiced their concerns that the unity of the united kingdom was now under threat the opposition labor party agreed to the deal largely because they didn't have a choice a thin deal is better than no deal adopt implementing this deal made immediate tariffs and quotas with the e.u. which will push up prices and drive businesses to the wall it will mean huge gaps in security for your leaders put byname to the deal earlier on wednesday fit was then flown by the royal air force to britain to be signed. but with many aspects of the deal not yet final the saga is not over yet. britain has become the 1st country in the world war the rise the corona virus vaccine developed by astra zeneca and oxford university but while the drug maker has received emergency approval on the time to if the european union and the united states ont

ready to follow suit just get the latest vaccine is cheaper and easier to transport then need by ontic pfizer and modern versions of trial data suggests it's not as effective there is also uncertainty about the best dosage for the estrogens astra zeneca vaccine ok here are some of the other developments in the pandemic now and for the 1st time germany has bridges did more than a 1019 related deaths in a single day hope officials say it's partly due to delays in reporting over the public holidays island has announced a tightened lockdown that were mine in place for at least one month social gatherings upper hit and all non-essential shops will be closed and the u.s. has reported its 1st known case of a corona virus variant 1st reported in the u.k. officials are investigating how it arrived in the country well police brutality and

misconduct has long been a problem in kenya but one lawyer in the capital nairobi is trying to fight those abuses especially in the poorest neighborhoods and he's found a sport that's helping him to do it. you may not want to tangle with this man neither in the ring nor in the courtroom when shadrack one buoy was growing up in one of nairobi slums he experienced what he calls abusive police but decided to vent his frustrations through boxing in the gym he believes it helped him a void confrontations that could have ruined his career. now the 29 year old is offering youth in poor areas both boxing lessons as well as informal classes on the law. being the most it is a vote for you being the noise of both parties because this is the ones that people . move. in muscle out and push through where some since school.

community and. one buoy also convinced 50 other young lawyers to do volunteer work in the slums he says that by teaching youth boxing they might believe more in themselves in spite of the challenges they face. rights groups say those include being asked for bribes or being assaulted by police the kenyan police deny the accusations and i think that is the maybe the whole thing to go over. because for a lot of music you want to fight for equal status is put before the eyes of the poorest neighborhoods. the young men listen attentively as one buoy helps them hone their punching techniques mixing in information on their rights with instructions on what to do if a policeman asks for a bribe just stay calm and call him up. that's

it from a finale down figure you can always visit our web site www dot com for more news at any time and you can also follow us on such a media as well to handle on social saves at. the top film is next. and look at how all of my studies cars have become work courses in different parts of the world i'll be back with more news headlines at the top of the statue. why are people forced to hide in trucks. there are many reasons. and there are many answers. and there are many stories.

make up your own mind. made for mines took to. putting lipstick on a pig krrish critics bashing historic investment pact between the e.u. and china it aims to rebalance economic ties but opponents say it misses the mark on chinese labor rights. the pandemic has created i have and have not a call to make those who multiplied their wealth and those foods being sidelined. and it took a deadly explosions revealed the hazardous materials stored at the port of beirut finally a company's called into the hopper of that toxic cocktail. of invisible and lester

business the european union and china have struck a deal on a comprehensive investment agreement it comes off to 7 years of talks the e.u. hey. major win for automakers and other european companies seeking to do business with beijing the critics accuse brussels of ignoring human rights concerns and risking a rift with washington the deal still has to be finalized and ratified a process that could take several months i asked for more for his take on the deal he's director of the asia and china program at the european council on foreign relations a pen european think tank i think it's business rather than critics it's a product of the trade and it's a product of the german presidency by chancellor merkel who prioritize really. the industry issues and maybe that should be right for me this movie of the only problem of these and in china everything is political nothing is purely economy so

my main worry when i look at the supposed draft of the deed nobody has the final text by the way and even today it's not the final text but if there's still have to be written in the run a look at i worry about what's the section make it isn't what's the very thick ation mechanism there are lots of restrictions put on by the chinese side on you know depending on me depending on the capacities of a lot of x. and don't mistake or 0 and we know what that is in china very little on arbitration mechanism in fact what passes as rb tradition is often top level reviewed by both parties meaning the e.u. and china and eventual difficulties which means a process that should be legal and straightforward runs the risk of being very political one way or another will tell me more about that because only. because

a legal mechanism is something that is it is extremely important in this sort of investment deal when we look at examples like tech talk t.j. i while away said teeny all of these chinese companies that have caused a lot of controversy and tense relations between the us and the e.u. what's going to happen on the one hand there's nothing to prevent either the e.u. or china from performing a so-called investment screening according to their rules and therefore forbidding an investment on national security grounds or something that passes national security or because they're round that's the positive side is that the hand of the e.u. is not hampered by the deed but what i worry about is how do you solve who are allies in the implementation in the implementation of actual investment you don't see a court of arbitration an international court of arbitration you see

a lot of recourse again to the dumbest close of both parties into eventual negotiation on top there is going to be a review mechanism twice a year for example about this but to me it's not a legal process and as such it's a dangerous process to manage the safety the security and investment and that should concern investors whatever the opening looks like it is. at the beginning of the crisis economists told us to look forward to a v. shaped recovery on the bounce back as quick as i felt well it's turned out to be a little trickier than that adolescents are now calling it a case shaped recovery the divergence of 2 legs of that k. one moving up one down. the crisis has become a day the struggle for hosting a pomo from bolivia she relies on handouts to feed her family. what is this

is a pandemic my children and i have had to go back to living on the streets. just like millions of others around the world. 1000 appended our lives and plunged the world into suffering and grief poverty inequality and hunger are rising jobs are disappearing and depths are mounting. but the coronavirus isn't stopping the rich from getting richer record stock exchange highs this week highlight the widening wealth gap tesla shares rose 700 percent this year big tech got a even bigger while countless small businesses went bust. and how not are going to be so who are among those that are the haves those are people who are benefiting from the strong housing market record low mortgage interest rates a booming stock market which really disproportionately benefits the wealthy and those who are the have nots or those that have already been sidelined or lost

income those who would be working in leisure and hospitality ours in restaurants retail the list goes on economists say a great reset is needed that will require a total rethink of how we do business the united nations secretary-general has urged the world to make next year a year of healing healing from the impact of a deadly vitals healing broken economies and societies healing divisions and starting to heal the planet that must be our new year's resolution for 2021 well over to our longtime wall street correspondent he's in new york for us yes can you explain this rapidly widening wealth gap because i thought governments al governments were doing something about it. well i mean this problem has so many layers but let's look at a few points here i mean 1st of all the widening of their wealth gap already started in the mid eighty's and it has not changed the tests increased no matter if

the president was clinton or bush or obama and the frustration with washington grew and that's probably also one of many reasons why donald trump has so kind of an anti establishment guy got voted for president 4 years ago and one problem that we for instance also have that unions hardly exists anymore so there's no pressure on big companies for instance to increase wages and then as you did mention the stock market to play the stock market when need money is so it's clearly the wealthy profiting and what we've seen in the past couple of months so many parts of the economy are still in the meanwhile wall street is reaching one time high after another so making the rich even richer so yes is there any sign that once this crisis passes things could change. well i mean there's always hope but specially in the past couple of not just months but also 8 years but let's

just look at the pandemic washington through billions or trillions of dollars at the problem so the debts that we're seeing here in the united states be it on a government letter of level let it be on a on a personal and a household level is just huge and to make systemic changes you do need money and so i just wonder where this money is supposed to come from and then also i mean the administration that just got elected the new administration coming in generally is not necessarily the most a progressive one so let's wait and see how bold those actions will be for me by the way that will be the last report of 2020 and i would just would say see you on the other side they put the sign up here at the movie theater early in the spring and i couldn't imagine how long it would take to actually get to the other sites or happy new year oh my goodness i thought that was just a new year's eve that tragic story in itself yet it's called for

a new york. it's this is massive explosion in the port of beirut claimed a $119.00 lives and injured thousands more it was just waiting to happen corrupt officials allowed highly poisonous liquids to be stored in rusty containers at the heart of a decade's elephant from abroad is taking on the task to clean up the place. there's a dangerous surprise in every container some of them have been stored at beirut harbor for up to 20 years there's no paperwork and no one knows who they belong to let alone what's inside the contents are dripping out now forming noxious puddles the german company combi lift is now working to clean up the harbors toxic legacy. which is very very important for us that we have an overview of all and to make test of the different kind of substances because it's not a complete elated over saying so if you mix some things and it could be that with

a blast you have. sulphuric and hydrochloric acid acetone and now banned pesticide methyl bromide are just some of the chemicals they found here in the bay report authority wants to get rid of the containers as quickly as possible but it's not easy. to structurally they cannot sustain till it is the continuous and the content is falling apart we cannot leave that we can the transport them. all in all there are 52 toxic containers here. in a cordoned off area of the port the dangerous liquids are pumped into special takes which are then shipped to germany for recycling. it's a costly process which the lebanese port can't afford but in association of lebanese and german businessmen brokered a deal. we tried to squeeze those remarks in rome.

to. $30000000.00 euros and subsidy which is was city born $6000000.00 this was a lowest we could do. in systems. that are bust him casey who is the president of the. cold war. he said look. for a. copy lift is paying the initial cost itself while the port authority tries to secure a grant from the european union to stump up the remaining $1600000.00 but to rid the poor and dangerous and destructive chemicals that's a price worth paying. before we go a look at how far the world of robotics has come he engineers a boston dynamics have been planning this 2020 farewell party for you this is

a computer generated it's the real thing and these guys on just good dances they're experts at remote inspection and sensing and have become extremely flexible and accurate in their every move even on the dance floor japan's high on day recently snapped up also dynamics in a company over a $1000000000.00. by going out. to own. real or not to own. what about assuring economy instead. of a change in thinking is changing the economy to create something new. the economics magazine 3 years in germany. next on d w. conflict zone you don't hear

a lot about it in your fees days but for more than 2 months follow garia he can bounce finance you corruption and see government demonstrations my guest this week from sophia is the need for such a minister labor and social policy why does she contributor stuff in the government it's mistreating its most vulnerable people in violation of its human rights over gay conflicts. in 60 minutes. the story of producer and propaganda. they were called the rhineland basterds. others were transferred living in the occupied brian land their father's soldiers from the french colony. up in

a cloud of. pride and racism. this documentary examines the few traces that remain of their existence. the true. starch genuine love of d.w. . some are celebrated some are vilified and some are ignored or regardless of how they received whistleblowers have helped inform our picture of the world often at great personal costs to themselves speaking truth to power that's our topic today on made now here's one prominent figure who certainly did that but many are divided

on whether he should house is he a beacon of truth or row threat to national security. include $1006.00 the julian of songs of the set up the organization wait. for years later it publish classified information on u.s. military action in iraq and afghanistan in 2012 a song facing what he called trumped up charges of sexual assault took refuge in the ecuadorian embassy in london but in 2019 durrant withdrew his asylum enabling his arrest a sons of faces extradition to the u.s. on espionage charges. i know he's just one very high profile and very specific example but many whistle blowers are everyday people you might find in your workplace well what do you do if you knew your company was helping others to lie to the public in 2015 it emerged that german car makers like you were engaged in

emissions cheating devices were installed in thousands of cars with diesel engines to help them seem less polluting during testing they caused a major reckoning within germany's prized industry but one former engineer in the automotive sector said he spoke up early and loudly and he got fired for it my colleague lit up with em. up in the automobile offered by the gods when i worked as an engineer in the auto industry i wanted to contribute to making emissions cleaner and improving environmental protection i did my job in as much as i addressed things i thought merited criticism in order to improve them i think that if they'd been addressed sooner the diesel emission scandal would never have happened. let's not discount the. constant from work for 20 years that bosch

a major supplier to the automotive industry in an on line interview he told us that long before the scandal broke revealing widespread cheating to disguise high diesel emissions he and others that bosch had already realized that emissions were higher than permitted. he says he wrote about it on an internal company platform and sent a letter to bosch c.e.o. donna. knew about hope mystified and i didn't like the fact that the emissions targets we were supposed to work towards were below what was technically possible and what my colleagues and i had already developed performed better in that respect than what was actually being used in vehicles on the road so it wasn't just about processes or methods the question was is the direction that the company is taking tenable within the names worn off. then this scandal hit the headlines car makers like folks are going to mercedes were using cheat software to disguise

the high levels of emotions on their diesel models. but had been involved in developing the software. many engineers that were aware of what was going on but hadn't dared to speak up management came under huge pressure. monitor the middle become president and as soon as the diesel scandal broke they wanted to talk to me and i was invited for a meeting and to. told very clearly that i was not to write any more critical comments i refused point blank to comply and said i would not be silenced and would continue to address matters of concern and speak out the truth. of the. pressure. you might think that a modern technology company would welcome commitment and independent thinking that certainly in the impression it gives some promotional videos like this one. bosch says its corporate culture is based on mutual respect fairness openness and trust.

is not only thought of course i wasn't fired for voicing criticism bosh said so repeatedly in court and to the press but the reasons were demonstrably fictitious it was absolutely below the belt and something that could totally wreck of person's career. and i had to wait a levin months for the reference and when i got it it was more of a death sentence than a reference i hadn't expected that. but that was because of course there can be disagreements i understand that people don't always see things the same way and i understand that people feel under pressure and can react weirdly. or never but what happened to me should never ever happen and that's why i'm fighting it for 1015 it's. constant from far it's challenging his dismissal at a labor court he's already won once but it's now gone to appeal you once his job

back. whistleblowers often underestimate the risk of speaking up an organization in berlin helps them to fight for their rights so far germany doesn't have a law that specifically protects employees who speak out about corporate misdemeanors. with a block of the most whistleblowers lose their job within a year and they're often subjected to harassment. as they made. transferred to a different office or switch to another job colleagues no longer talk to them or did they can come as a big surprise and quite a shock to me. because they tend to assume that since they've brought something serious to light that everyone will be pleased with them because they're helping prevent it from happening again sort of by the heart of us are so. whistleblowers can fulfill an important function in companies and in society as a home by driving change the diesel cheating scandal may have cost v.w. tens of billions of euros in fines and settlements but it also hastened the group's

shift towards making more environmentally friendly vehicles and many would argue that diesels reputation has suffered permanent damage. that's happening not just as you wish it i did the right thing and i would do it again or at no point have i thought i should have kept my mouth shut on the contrary in the future i would encourage people to join forces with each other and to speak up together and sooner so as to prevent the kind of disaster the entire industry faces today. in my view people have values and want to pass them on to their children and it's problematic if one can't act according to those values at one's place of work. but it can't be right that people are too scared to speak up. we have to be able to point out things that we know to be wrong i decided to take the lead and speak out about this such as i've gotten on 4 minutes i mean on the specialist.

now there is a reason why whistle blowing is often a lonely endeavor as we saw in that report there can be severe personal consequences for telling the truth but that means institutions often go unchecked from the inside our reporter chris and perceval us talk to a consultant with a wealth of experience about corporate culture in germany in particular in the big car companies let's just say his interview partner did not hold back. it's still a man's world at the biggest car manufacturers. as is plain to see an industry trade shows. volkswagen for one is run by alpha males. as in these are good tour i don't think you find any whistle blowers in this kind of corporate culture. they all keep their heads down because they're afraid of

having them chopped off. that's the culture and i find it disgusting to a lot of. talk is a headhunter he runs an executive placement firm serving many large companies some of them blue chip. has openly said that v.w. boss have should be fired presiding as he does over a corporate culture in which everyone is too afraid to stand up to the bosses. looks like it may be one of the world's biggest car makers but the diesel emissions cheating scandal was only possible because no one there dared to speak out. said that mr d.c. should be fired can a headhunter say such a thing. that's a good question. i took the liberty of doing so because i don't work and i

never would. in my many years in this profession i've had the great privilege of own. working for clients that i like. mark but what if vice would you give to big companies what should they look for in their executives. but. the most important characteristic is empathy companies need executives who are empathetic don't have a huge ego and manifest self-restraint they need to be independent sure of themselves and able to say in advance hey guys i'm coming but let me do my thing if you don't let me do my thing i'll leave. i don't have to be here. and shops and. tobruk says he only consults for businesses that are open to new kinds of managers . ones with what he calls natural authority including more women and people of

different nationalities as well as flat hierarchies but they have against the loser now that so many people are working remotely from one of the challenges involved in creating and leading a strong team of them and this will push on if a company is serious about it it has to recruit the right kind of person many firms are going to have to face this in the post code era it could well take a new and disruptive kind of leadership now that so many people are working at home old school issuing commands from above isn't going to work leadership at a distance can only function on the basis of trust. and if trust is there if open and honest debate is possible within a company there might be no need for whistleblowing. according to high note that kind of healthy corporate culture is the way to success. now as an employee or a former employee it's important to understand what you can and cannot do with the

information that you have on your company when is it ok to reveal what you know and what not the law differentiates according to the kind of information you have here is a quick guide from a legal standpoint. what is a trade secret. lisa klein is the head chef at a luxury hotel her fish and fruit sauce has won international awards it's become a house favorite the restaurant's signature dish. never the less she was let go because she got to work late once too often. lisa klein is angry i'll show them she says she decides to go to the competition they'll be thrilled about the new recipe after all no one knows it not so fast that's a crime lisa is about to divulge a trade secret in germany she can face legal consequences for that.

dismissal a monetary fine or 3 years behind bars and in some european countries the sentence can be much longer that's the law of the land and it's even in lisa's work contract it expressively protects the company's crown jewels even after the term of employment ends. then she has another idea i'll give my new boss the addresses of the highest paying regular customers at my old restaurant ouch yet another crime lisa is now planning to disclose company secrets and that too is illegal since april 29 team both crimes are part of germany's trade secrets act for example protective laws like these exist in many countries but what if a disgruntled former employee or like lisa speaks out publicly about how her former boss was engaged in wage dumping and employed undocumented workers all of which is

illegal 'd she's not only allowed to reveal those things she's morally obliged to and you guidelines now provide special protection for whistleblowers which prohibit them from being prosecuted e.u. countries are being asked to write that protection into law that's how lisa's boss instead of lisa herself could wind up behind bars assuming of course that lisa is telling the truth. now our show today is about speaking truth to power but what if your the powerful one if you were the boss who wouldn't it be important for you to know what's going on good or bad according to one study of 2000 employees and germany 68 percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to report bullying or discrimination slightly less 65 percent said they would speak up about fraud while only 59 percent say they would call out that of company

property but what about the rest meghan rates is a business school instructor specializing in leadership she provides 5 tips on how to create a culture of openness in companies whether we speak up or stay silent affects compliance affects safety issues of malpractise but also can create environments of innovation and ingenuity and of course inclusive to helping people to speak up work to. save my advice on how to create to speak up culture in your workplace.