then you need to know about the spectacular race between explorers on mars borrowed 2 to. 60 minutes on t.w. . in the height of climate change. africa's much of. what's in store for such things used to have for their future in the. c.w. to construct a major city to do such culture. romania's breadbasket is disappearing climate change and decades of overexploitation is resulting in the growth of a huge desert is it possible to stop the expansion of the sahara on the danube something like this for no reason to exist. for sure but what do you know

50 maybe 100 years or asked will also be covered with science. can this still be prevented and then when we are in an ongoing race with the sand and climate change which if you marketed. octavian back channel is an environmental activist and opposition politician from bucharest his mission is to stymie the expansion of the desert and prevent his homeland from becoming deselect this forestry expert fights nonstop. for his cause

sacrificing both his private life and his career he even confronts the mafia when necessary. octavian is driven because around him the desert in romania is expanding and due to climate change the situation gets worse and worse every year there's a terrific ation across europe and europe doesn't mean only science on the ground sand on the ground but only losing vegetation trees and things like this behind you can see. landfill the highest structure in bucharest and we lost our vegetation here it was a forest in the past and now become sort without 3 just troops and things like this octavian has identified 2 culprits that are responsible for turning the outskirts of book rest into sandy plains illegal garbage dumps and deforestation

planting trees helps prevent the sand from advancing further lots of trees guerrilla planting is what our t.v. and his helpers call what they do reforestation without official permission the work is arduous every time one arriving here we are donkey hottest. have to fight a lot to maintain by diversity in this area. here because. we try to plant trees 1000 and thousands of trees here garbage in this place to keep. the. best possible way. the sand at this garbage dump has traveled 200 kilometers a desert is growing here that is already 800 square kilometers and size the sand travels as far as bucharest other european countries including spain portugal and

greece have a problem with 2 certification to octavian is determined to find a way to counteract it as a member of parliament for remain his 3rd strongest party save romania union octavian walks through the corridors of power he has far more influence now as an elected official than he did when he was soley an environmental activist today he's known far beyond bucharest. concerned citizens from all across the country sent him photos and videos that show the full extent of desert of acacia. this is from the south of maine you know we saw this. actually this year i was there a new one but this is an ordinary landscape in the south of. you 3 knock offs from windows. bringing going out of pollution across

the room and you know. octavian sets out to the 2 main sources of encroaching sound to the region known as little one make here he has found people there who have taken up the fight to preserve nature he plans to meet them and later promote their cause in the capital octavian is doing work in small communities in the countryside ones that are often ignored by the authorities. i go exactly where the. doubt or it is a state is and doing nothing i start looking on the satellite maps to see the origin of the airport ocean and i saw those points in on the map and i realized that i have to go to find actually what happens in the field talk with the communities and. all the stakeholders. he doesn't

benefit financially from this on the contrary it costs him money actually. financial support for what i'm doing all the money from my pocket and my pocket is very small because i'm working for the state actually the state based. the euro's as a city council. today octavian is spending. his hopes on a forest owner named down popescu dam has deeper pockets he earns his money by selling timber. but these trees have much more than just economic value for the entrepreneur.

when i touch this tree i feel connected to my father he planted this forest and i continue planting for him as he's no longer alive by martine 1000 hectors were felt in the 1970 s. for large scale agricultural projects it was my father's dream to replant the forest not only do i want to fulfill my father's dream i want to plant even more trees to remove. this part of a lake here has always been threatened by drought due to the sandy soil for centuries large forests prevented it from becoming a desert than popescu wants to reverse the clear cutting of the past but climate change makes the struggle to rectify previous environmental missteps a race against time. reforestation not only offers protection from further devastation it is also a sustainable source of income these workers earn 18 year olds a day for their back breaking work that might not sound like much but it is enough

to live on in this region many of them previously went abroad as harvest and seasonal workers but now they are able to make a living here. than popescu plans to plant 100000 hectares an area larger than berlin germany. down popescu need someone with influence in the capital who will campaign for his reforestation plan and ensure the land is his to use octavian not only has good contacts and politics as a former greenpeace member he is also well connected in europe's environmental protection movement. and former mayor i like sundra do know you works on gaining the trust of small farmer. isn't convincing them to give up their plots of land for the forestry project it's no easy feat at the start he

had to push hard to win them over. the route was offered us which we have 45 years of communism and cooperatives behind us and that people were dispossessed of their land and only had it returned a few years ago a lot so then we came along and asked them to make their pots available again. in the 1st village as we approached the people were very reluctant woman or for that we returned with the mayor and officials from the ministry of agriculture to show them we meant what we said we were there we didn't want to take their fields away from them we just wanted to work with them got off with 10 years later we gave them wood to sell they gave us sand and we gave them back a forest and we kept our word i'll go. after him but you're just in time better money thank you we're always available to answer questions better but the landowners come to me and ask why is it like things like that how do you explain not why did it happen like this with us how do you just talk about that. aleksandra

do you know you also owns a plot of land that he wants to offer to done for reforestation here don demonstrates how the forest affects the climate. it's relatively cool today only 30 degrees. let's see how hot the ground is 53 degrees normally at this time of year the air temperature is 40 degrees and the ground is 70 degrees chips. this summer it wasn't as hard and sunny as it usually. which is why alexandra do know you was able to grow watermelons in his field this year. this was an exception to the rule in the last 3 summers nothing grew on this desolate sand in the blazing heat it's just not possible in places where there are no trees and the land can't be arrogated.

by nother temperature check this time in the shade of these fast growing acacia planted only a few years ago just a few metres from the fields. dropping $27.00 degrees and is now at $23.00 of. a 30 degree difference between the forest floor and the open field after several hot summers the climate is relatively bearable this year is the soil always as well. not usually this summer is different after many dry years that's a real exception as it's rained once almost every week everything is usually bare at this time of year normally this would all be parched dry and you'd see dunes bordering the forest with. the same players it's quite the cure isn't. the same as very deep i don't know how deep it goes we dug up 2 metres once and there was still

sand we didn't reach any stone. at the end of a long day octavian returns to his hotel deep in thought not only is he battling the. ever expanding desert he also has to deal with corrupt officials who do business with the waste mafia it all takes its toll. this northerners pay for force before because for a moment to think that you have friends about the. things that are going to be the march but often usually. they disappear. it is more difficult to disappear in the middle of the. sure sure location if something happens just follow the dislocation and search for my body and things like this i do my best to their lives of course bought for others for my parents for my family for my girlfriend it's very difficult.

uncertain fate of little boy lake here propels him forward and the former bread basket of romania it is now so dry that the yields from wheat and corn harvests are very low a few fields are still tended to but only to collect in you subsidies farmers reveal privately. was the small town of double lena is located in the center of desertification in the lake area the only plant that still thrives here is the watermelon not only is the sandy soil ideal they also need surprisingly little water what bordeaux is to french wine double leaner is to remain the end melons but there is a limit to what they can withstand the entire harvests have withered under the blazing sun here too we can see the effects of climate change.

but octavian suspects that climate change is not the only reason for the devastation the cause of the desert if occasion goes back much further down introduces him to ian spirit the mayor of the small community of who is at the forefront in the fight against the expanding desert. the mayor uses this map to explain to the tavi and how the sand spreads from west to east but the. 3rd in 50 to 100 years the sands will have taken over all of southern romania if the desert is not stopped bucharest will also be colored. march oak forests can still

be seen on all the maps from the 19th century they were planted by eon spirit and ancestors to protect the soil the fear of the little lake here being silted up is not new. the problem has existed here for centuries and centuries ago say this was once the sea floor a body of water reached up to here leaving a long chain of jews. about 300 years ago when people noticed that the sandy soil was slippery and planted trees that. they created huge forests from us here in to the jew valley what happened to the force of the forests were cut down under communism and the land was used by a great culture you know how it was back then in order to gain more farmland hold lake was drained in this region and a complex irrigation system was created and really get.

however the else already is deal with the situation today the institute for agricultural research is run by the romanian state director are really idea kono understands that the climate is changing and is conducting research on fruits that can be grown in the sand. through a civilian court that we are looking for alternatives aside from melons of course melons from doubling it are a trademark both in romania and abroad. but we also need to develop your trademarks for the region so that farmers have alternatives in the future for me a growing melons is a short term business. she we are trying to teach the farmers to invest in long term enterprises for example in orchards or berry bush plantation in this desk afraid there are many. it was from this very building that the state

once dictated to farmers what they should plant nowadays the emphasis is on teaching the. class 3 types of pieces different types of peanuts we have cultivated all of these here. she and this is our traditional wine. this also grows in fairly dry conditions large as the quantity. of. the institute has many large fields which are regularly inspected by her really. a wide variety of crops are grown and tested here under the hot sun for example chinese dates kiwis peanuts beans raspberries black berries and several types of wine all part of the agricultural program that the institute runs as they try to

adapt to the new conditions more heat and less rain as. we are in an ongoing race with the sand and climate change that is why we are experimenting here with new irrigation technologies but above all with new plant species some of them are very promising we actually have good climatic conditions here he's wearing comes very early in this area i can plant seed potatoes in february and harvest new potatoes as early as april. for our really idea the expanding desert is actually more of a blessing than a curse properly harnessed sandy soils can yield exceptionally good produce. aroma of the fruits that grow in sand is stronger than in normal soils the sugar

content is much higher due to the strong sunlight and high temperatures they give the fruit its flavor color and quality who are there. in the region be saved by embracing climate change and making the best of the dessert if occasion up. tavi in a seriously considering this approach as well he wants to discuss it with experts from the world wildlife fund but one thing is certain growing other fruits will not improve the climate in the area and the devastation could continue. that's why you really are poor you and your assistant deanna played from the w w f are focusing on the complete restoration of little lake. in addition to reforesting they plan to reestablish a huge lake one that was drained in the 1970 s.

to make way for farmland. that look that was a lake it went on for kilometers in both directions if the danube were allowed to flow through its old flood plains again lake put hello would also fell appear within a few years. the w w f already revive this romanian lake large wetlands and the danube delta were successfully restored here to natural habitats were destroyed to create farmland today fishery and tourism are flourishing the combination of plants and humid conditions could secure the sand and lake to tell you and keep the desert at bay. that is what it could look like here again octavian is campaigning for this in bucharest local authorities however do not support the project the state leases

large areas of land here to international agricultural corporations octavian wants to know who it is that profits from this he's determined to find out his activism is well known and romania he has tangled with the mafia and organized poachers as well as with corrupt politicians his projects receive a lot of attention. and approval which both protects him and amplifies his voice. octavian begins the last leg of his journey the worst is yet to come riven ari is the 2nd epicenter of romania's desert of the cation an old coal fired power plant has supplied the grid for almost 50 years it's surrounded by refuse from coal mining and the toxic sound has spread far beyond the region climate change accelerates the consequences of this environmental pollution.

but there is reason for hope the newt and his son catalin have been working for years to turn these dead and landscapes into living ecosystems again the note headed the region's forestry office for many years and his son catalin has a doctorate in forestry both are researching plants that can bring the nature here back to life. or. barren desolate landscape as far as the eye can see octavian is speechless at 1st then angry you remind some self that this is exactly why he began this journey a manmade desert in the middle of an area that is already threatened by drought and no author r.t. in the whole country seems to care. the adjacent land also look that desolate once but with the help of dino to and cut early in dino nature has

reclaimed the land so it is possible to revitalize the area. on this great park we have been thorough and garber by. hundreds of both. on besides we have an example a very good example of how nature. could cover this learn we've green. my mission how my mission is how to make people to understand this big picture how to involve them in the ecological reconcile action to make them understand the 3rd which you go through. it is throwing our body and our lands through. our freshwater action. here to the dino cars have used the occasion they are the 1st line of defense.

once a healthy layer of humus has formed on the ground in the forests native trees can be planted again. but how long does that take. them with a sort of planting the acacia stabilize the soil been released allow the fear article i wrote my doctoral thesis on planting in talks of soils. planning i can choose are like medicine for these areas to take the how after about 20 to 30 years you can then replace them with multiple charges for the burial and nothing about all. the other don't go in that direction. you can see very well that actually does not exist. this is. the 3rd on top of. each game and this is the 1st the those are the 1st family matters of course

2 are food media matters there's the 1st step to cover this this or this his head now buzzing with new ideas and concrete solutions octavian heads back to the capitol back to the heart of politics he now needs to win over powerful supporters but it won't be easy because environmental protection projects are not money made. in the short term so why does he sacrifice so much of his time for the common good what drives through fear. i don't have a proper us or because the game is from inside me it doesn't mean that i lost off if or when i'm doing something that i like it and that i love it and i have 5 children involved it's a for filling me with a lot of energy and hope that some of the some of things bad things will be change in the next in the future in the close future. the desert is still advancing in

romania. but it has for medical and creative opponents 1st and foremost octavian bear china. was determined to fight and protect his homeland against.

it. is there life on mars. the american space probe rover has set out to answer this question. just landed on the red planet but it's not all on earth is competing with 2 other mission. everything you need to know i thought the

spectacular race between explorers on tomorrow tomorrow tragedy. in 30 minutes long t.w. . check it takes a special trip. to do the show is not just the city trip but also a journey through jewish history fire warms and minds are considered the freedom of jerky in judaism. jewish life has shaped these 3 cities for more than 900 years and i want to know what remains of it. chickie him. in 60 minutes on d w. i think is everything challenging 1st on how to make a muslim. soar much different culture between here and there challenging for

everything. traditionalist a southerner was worth it for me to come to germany. got my license and work as a swimming instructor up to share in our 2 children $100.00 just rushed just to show us. what's your story take part share it on the. my greenstock. different on the islands of the south. here women are in charge. of the archipelago has had a patriarchal system for centuries. the rare form of society. to women differently than men. what do they do.

and how sustainable is this culture. bill clinton's over. starts march 8th on t.w. . this is deja news live from berlin celebrating 1700 years of german jewish history germany alters the contributions of jews to its culture and national story one that goes all the way back to the roman empire focusing on the past present and future of jewish life in germany. and there is no letup in the violence in

afghanistan 2 separate bomb attacks one in a busy marketplace leaves several dead and many more injured. spicer welcome to the program germany is marking $1700.00. years of jewish life and culture in the country with a year of anniversary events starting today the nationwide celebration deliberately to look beyond the persecution of jews during the holocaust instead the focus is on the diversity of jewish life in germany's past and present. colonial was the 1st city in germany would choose were allowed to serve in the town said they in the year 321 after a decrease from the roman emperor constantine so we fitting that this is coming more ations of 1700 years of jewish life in germany as centered here

a ceremony last a year long program of events separating to reach contribution to german culture and society german president. is the patron of the series of events. in these in 1st year there is a lot to discover and rediscover dream come immigration's in philosophy literature painting science medicine economy jewish people have contributed to our history shaped it and then lightened our culture judaism made a decisive country beautician to germany's emergence into the modern age in the more download by guitar. along with his acknowledgement that you wish culture is part of german culture there was also a warning that anti semitism is under rise in germany. it is still true today even those who have never met

a jewish person and who have never shown any interest in jew days and for those people still harbor anti semitism prejudices prejudices are handed down from generation to generation and the less someone knows about jews demoed the prejudices enter we have to address it is especially in schools where we must not only convey more knowledge about judaism but also share more information about anti semitism. densher of anti-semitism was also highlighted by presidents time in my ear. then you know it's wouldn't it was if i could wish something chairman president for d.c. come in moderation it would not only be a clear recognition that jewish people are part of a civil society but i would also wish that we could take decisive steps against those who say to you questioned is god does not order in fog as did the you know to come immigrations on hundreds of years of eventful

common history teaches us that the german federal republic can only be home and if jewish people feel fairly at home here and so all those of whom. were happy to have with us the man behind today's event andrew kovacs is the managing director of the 7800 years of jewish life in germany association and he joins us from cologne mr koch thanks for being here if there was one big message about the year of commemoration what would that be. we want to we wanted to show that we have to share a shared history in the show society between jews and non jews and want to show that we have it shipped over 150000 jews living now eja many and there is a growing tendency your in the past years and very very sure that we want to have

a common future as well and to have this common future we need to understand this is a bit like neighbors that it's not enough this is our approach to learn from each other . it's very important to spend some quality time and to build up an empathy and only with this empathy who we are we are convinced that we can fight against and say that there's a lot against conspiracy theories. in oh wait when you get here and then as i've done for a while it's really hard to miss that a renaissance or an incredible renaissance of jewish life where there's a klezmer music or israeli reza you know restaurants and so on but the same time you're reminded everywhere of the holocaust whether it's for morals or the style or how do you reconcile these 2 disparate you know events are failing is going on in germany at the same time in your vet. well it is very hot and the shot is fired at this story and it's the most terrible crime committed if you meant kind probably

and we cannot forget it and it's very hard to combine nevertheless we have a new generation of young people and we have to look into the past we have to learn but they also want to look into the future they want to live together and not forget that we are 3rd maybe 4th generation so we need to still maintain the remembrance we need to still learn and ensure that it never happens again and in the same time we also have to look at the positive moments and we also have to look into the future. and you know your. earlier touching on up to take an anti semitic incidence in germany in the official body from the federal government there is one there is a person who monitors or says that it's a growing problem where does it come from an a personal level does it make you feel afraid. well anticipate is a man to judaism is probably the old virus mankinds it's all were over 1700 years old as a student do you shot him today in germany so it's has

a very very all tradition unfortunately and it is still statistically every 4th person for example in germany has anti semitic thinking in their heads. it doesn't meet your freight because it was there and it is that it meets the very concerned of course and i think i'm talking will says that you want to live there after a year and this really is the time now to fight that and to try to try to lower this kind of percentage for the future and that and i guess a part of that you know becoming safer and having people understanding about the empathy we're talking about is understanding the holocaust why is that still such a sensitive topic for many germans. well we are living 76 years after the show our it is actually nothing when you look at the end this is 3 and if we aren't on the 3rd generation my grandparents were in the past and i'm talking to

people whose grandparents might be might have been involved also in the crimes that were committed during the nazi time so i think it is a very very each challenge still so actually communicate and to get kind of relax and elite if we want to get into the future. this is i think the main reason ok very cogent thank you for communicating with us about 700 years of jewish life in germany thank you. and let's have a look now at some of the other stories making news around the world the head of the international atomic energy agency rafael grassley says iran has agreed to allow international inspectors continued but limited access to its nuclear program for the next 3 months proceed out the temporary solution after arriving back in vienna from tehran where he met with top iranian officials earlier in the day.

thousands of people have taken to the streets of min more for another day of protest against the military coup the protests king despite confirmation at least 2 people were killed during demonstrations in recent days local media reported numerous protests took place in the country's 2 largest cities yang gone and mandalay. during election day and the share a vehicle belonging to the electoral commission hit a landmine in the southwest of the country killing 7 people polls have now closed in the african country in a presidential runoff between former foreign minister mohammad buzz room and former president. 2 roadside bomb attacks in afghanistan continue a wave of violence sweeping the country in the capital kabul a police car was targeted killing the driver and a nearby child the other explosion in helmand province killed a civilian around 20 people were wounded in the attacks. to marketplace in the

south of helmand province was crowded with sunday shop is when the bomb went off. there was no warning no escape for this in its range but i would have been there was an explosion not me out people were on the ground crying i don't know what happened then. in the capital kabul 2 lethal bomb attack on sunday authorities say it targeted a police car killing the driver and a child close by wolf i'm afraid of a group or not but then you know suddenly there was an explosion on the other side of the street. a police vehicle was hit it's lucky it was on a side street if it had been on the main street we would probably have witnessed many casualties that much more damage. because you have got to. they have been no claims of responsibility for the attacks. the people of afghanistan have

experienced a sharp rise in violence in recent weeks as peace talks between the government and taliban insurgents lie stormed a life in peace and safety that still seems like an impossible dream for the people of afghanistan a country caught in an ongoing crisis of outside interference and internal struggles for power. to other sports style dortmund and shall cover near the bonus league is fierce rivalry as they clashed in the ruhr darby for visitors dortmund 3 points were essential as they bid for champions league qualification for a place alcoa were desperate for a win that would give them a chance of escaping relegation. in germany as the miners shocker would have to get their hands dirty if they were to be dortmund in their way stude this man moncton erling holland who went into this one with as many league goals as the hosts entire

squad. shocker held out 42 minutes before caving electric englishman jeet and son to 2 could vantage of sloppy defending to curl home. 3 minutes later in a piece of holland magic extended to all its lead in all regions flying. only needed to needle going into the greek. shell q we're chasing shadows in the 2nd. rafael to reduce site fitted voices return pass to make it 3 nil. before jude crossed for holland to school the 4th 11 minutes from the scoreline was cruelly reflected in the numbers in shelters bondage adding extra shot in florida to go with the bragging rights for daughter and funds the wind keeps their team in the hunt for champions league qualification. meanwhile you can creasing lee do. but as leader match day 22 has drawn to a close so let's take

a look at all the results this weekend and sunday's late game hoffenheim cruised past braman earlier on sunday leipzig comfortably beat her to berlin to move within 2 points of league leaders buyer and drew with leverkusen elsewhere frankfurt caused a shock as they beat bahrain mights beat glad when younger than down freiburg cologne lost the stuttgart on friday will spur ease past bealefeld let's see how those results leave the bundesliga table after ratched a 22 leipzig sweyn means they are now breathing down by at the top wellsburg in frankfurt continued their impressive form to remain in champions league spots dortmund star be away and gives them a fighting chance of breaking into the top for their vanquished rivals shall look ever more doomed at the foot of the table meanwhile minds his surprise win over a while back edges them closer to safety. and italian football in terror came away

with the bragging rights in the middle and darby beating ac milan 3 nil to extend their lead at the top of. in terror took the lead after just 5 minutes through the tower of martinez he headed in a romantic cuckoo's cross heartiness doubled his and in tears tally in the 2nd half moments before the couch to seal the victory with a powerful shot. in terror now leave their city rivals by 4 points at the top of the table. and in men's tennis serbia novak djokovic has won the australian open by defeating daniel medvedev of russia in the final joke of it's the world number 11 in straight sets extending his record of australian open titles to 9 djokovic has now won 18 grand slam titles to the all time record held by roger federer you're watching the news here's a reminder the top story we're following for you. 1700 years of german jewish

history germany celebrates the place of jewish life in its history and culture that goes all the way back to the roman empire focusing on the past present and future of jewish culture and church. they're watching the news up next our reporters series with a look at russia a russian hero in the taiga stay tuned for that on next peiser thanks for watching . what secrets lie behind. discover new adventures in 360 degree. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. d.w. world heritage 360 get the maps now.