millions out of the global middle class and into the swelling ranks of the poor. the middle classes have become important indicators of and economies credentials as far as growth and ability go. it's been that way for decades. the economic miracle that postwar germany experience in the fifty's. so the nation's middle class suddenly expand exponentially. many families could afford a car, a tv or washing machine for the 1st time. well, let's take you back a little further to explain how the concept of the middle class actually came about . what exactly is the middle class? it has its roots in the middle ages in germany. burgers, when either nor among the ruling classes. they were ordinary citizens, team's list of duties included defending their towns. in the event of a modern europe emerged, the burgers formed what became known as the middle class,

a heterogeneous grades. they were neither wealthy nor pool and belongs neither to the upper nor the lower classes. this middle class helped economic growth and stabilize democracy because of course its members the key to protect. that's the key position in society. they were resistant to change. but even today there's no universal definition for the middle class. economist defined the middle class according to median income, the amount that divides the population into 2 groups, half with an income above it, and half with an income below it. it differs from the average income. in 2020 the gross median income per capita in germany was 43200 years a year. the government defines every one who earns between 60 percent and 200 percent of this income as middle class. the w a chose uses other definitions, so it can get confusing. and so it's please the new global middle class defined in

emerging and developing economies. in india, the average income is 1900 years a year. in the democratic republic of congo is 470 years of context. these figures serve as an indication of social class. purchasing power is more revealing. if you can afford a fridge washing machine motorbike or a regular vacation, you belong to the middle class, but he had to. the numbers can vary depending on which definition is used. india middle class numbers, anything from 292600 1000000 people. unlike in many industrialized nations in emerging economies, an illness or job loss can result in a sudden descent into poverty. before the outbreak of the 19 pandemic, the middle class had been growing rapidly in the asia pacific region. the pandemic because hampered that growth before it hit the world bank,

defined 1380000 people worldwide is middle class. that figure has now fallen to 1.32 billions, a drop of 60000000. so let's take a look at exactly who belongs to the middle class. in rwanda, it's a very small group of people while in russia it comprises 20 percent of the population in germany, almost half. let me to introduce you to 3 people from those countries to give you some insight into their social status, how they got their, their dreams and their fears of losing it all. for some people, those fees can be very real depending upon where they come from. and what they've been for hey, goes to my balance during the day in general say that's happening here. it's gone down to it. and i always back down has pushed me to i can very high. today he has his own house. when a job gets boring,

i do something else. she turned her love avoid into a modest living. we have, we're not doing badly. once middle class, always middle class, we talk to 3 middle class people from 3 different countries about their social advancement, their lifestyle, and their concerns for the future. wanda has a relatively small middle class which includes branch here and $700.00 euros a month. as an i t supervisor. he grew up as an orphan and a life of abject poverty. a manager to come in the media cried in the middle christ i can say, but education is fine. i had to very hard and you have any today i to be very high and that hard work has earned him a house and a motorbike for my income as meadow cross member. i too expense for us and for any

of my daughter and day for education of my wife, me in russia, around 20 percent of the population belonged to the middle class. i'll yonah is the co owner of a woodworking shop. she raised her share of the necessary startup funds by selling the house. she didn't heritage from her grandmother a productive investment. as i said, business, i wouldn't call myself a business woman. it's, it's for me, it's more of a social endeavor than something that surely profit driven. i have a technical background and did a degree in mining engineering. i. it was something i got into by chance. and that's also true of my current occupation. i've had a lot of restarts in my life because i like exploring new opportunities below. i know that's how i got into carpentry depending on her woodworking commission, she earns between 91300 euros

a month. okay. that is that i can treat myself to nice restaurants and club live entertainment, and when i go on shopping, i don't look at price tanks and just buy whatever i like. and i also have enough money for medications. my though i'm still at an age where i don't need much so i can also make do with household remedies for most of our new ways. so many changes anyways. it was remedy about half the population county middle class. alexander kyle also has his own business repairing ice cream machines. now that his team is 9 strong, they build their own machines as well. he began his climb up a social ladder as a humble maintenance man helped me as bill. i've never felt it was a hassle for me, nothing has changed. worldwide, has not been here and never have worked in some other professional tree where everyone undercuts each other and you don't know whether you have any work. so next day i'll be more on paper. but it doesn't matter if it's i don't need to watch by

pennies when shopping din over cook, most by mind, call me. i can afford to take my family on vacation once or twice a year, which we do spend a lot of money on bugging me. of this figure for alls warren were eager to get to know other cultures and other people and see more of the worlds which one that's one of the benefits and how does the future look for these members of the middle class? i'm happy because there is security in our country, which is fine and there is a freedom in the country and you can have that, you know, meant to plan for the future. so that's why i say that i'm happy for this because he's giving hope, tools to predict for me, getting married and starting his own family enables brass to leave the hardships of

his childhood behind him. but is he afraid of falling back into poverty? on my say they can just say that i'm not going to say that i'm afraid to go fuck, but that's why i have to have to very hard. so that's my energies will be spent for looking for future through 2500 by my me in russia. moscow is also the capital of upward social mobility. yona has achieved a lot in life. it's been good to her so far. to give something back to society, she helps out an animal shelter for dogs in her free times. does she worry that her fortunes might change me up by you? but i'm not worried. all the things i've done so far, given me new experiences and valuable skills for a variety of occupations,

but as far as i could hear, what there is not limited to one highly specialized professions. i need them. cook with a senior, was that the significant we found something new to do by to flush the website. i mean that's just the way she's been herself going. what are her dreams for the future? that it was me, viola job? no, we find interested in more than just carpentry. you my as mature the i also want to expand to johnson involved welding and working with metal youth and some of the glass and where we are key bringing together craftsmanship, production, nice. just shoot me a quick shooting. this one is working together with my team a colleague, business store. so now that i, i'm nothing more sure of her so, but the reason you me like many middle class germans, alexander, owns

a house and a garden and plans to have paid off the mortgage. by the time he retires to family has a disposable income of about $4000.00 euros a month. do they worry about the future? he wants me, he, emily? austin always helps boss stuff on each year. bring challenges that i have. what i like it. it's not a burden also. i am still motivated. i want to grow. that applies to the company to . i don't want to stay on this level. 3 of them lever seemed like we have been since the lifestyles of these 3 middle class families haven't been hampered by the pandemic. they're able to look towards the future with confidence and i know to and to show on his own pleasure having you along for another edition of mate. have you enjoyed it? and if you've got something interesting you'd like to tell us about or topic you'd like to speak of it, get in touch with the team or me a forward to hearing from you. bye bye.

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the the the the the the enter the conflict with sebastian face dr. between israel and the militant palestinian group. how much remains fragile my guess is with some gaza is that's a name, a spokesman. when he finally accept the targeting israeli civilians violates international law. but is there anyone left in his group? you still want to talk p. conflict in 30 minutes on dw,

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ah, ah, this is the w news live from berlin. benjamin netanyahu rule as israel's prime minister, near its end, as his opponents agreed to form a coalition government, centrist da, let p coupled together a desperate array of sheets from across the political spectrum. that includes also a nationalist natalie bennett, also on the programs for lancaster was marine environmental dishonest. i get was a container ships carrying chemicals and plastics that's burned for days and spilled its cargo is now thinking tugboats have tried to take its father out to sea

. but an oil spill is now a possibility. russian opposition to figure andre above the rope of jails and investigated, also be taken off a plane in saint petersburg on monday, while it was on the runway, we'll hear from a supporter who was in court. ah, i'm all i was like are welcome to the program. we begin in israel, where opposition parties have agreed to form a new coalition governments and ends. benjamin netanyahu is premier ship off the more than a decade and power centers de la pete telephone president. rovan reverend to inform him of the agreement shortly before a deadline of midnight local time. under the deal, the hotline religious nationalist, natalia bennett, will be prime minister for 2 years. and after that, he'll be replaced by la,

paid the man who did the groundwork to put the coalition together. the alliance includes parties from across the political spectrum, including bennett, nationalists, and arab israelis. let's bring in d. w, correspond in tanya kramer in jerusalem. tanya, a coalition government with parties from across the political spectrum, tell us more about it. while that slide, it's going to be one of the largest. so broadest correlation that this country has seen and it wasn't very dramatic evening actually quite up to the deadline when the deadline expired. at midnight, the p 2 seen as the architect of this coalition, catello, israel's president whose notion that he has the support of these parties to put this coalition government together. so this is one of the largest coalition that we will see, and this has also the support of the, our party rom party. that is 1st to formally support a government here,

and it will have a power sharing agreement enough. you bet it will go 1st from the writing, you mean a party and then followed off to 2 years by pete from yes. a teach again. there still some concerns because now the focus will go to the, to the next step, the government needs to be sworn in the connected and voted unconfirmed there. so this concern because it has just raise a thin majority of $61.00 seats out of the $120.00 seats, that maybe there will be one or 2 defective. so to speak from the writing that might not show up. but the next step will be then the swearing in of this government. so for now, benjamin netanyahu is the prime minister. he is the longest serving a prime minister. what will israel be out be like without him?

while absolutely her husband, an office for 12 years, he has been a very polarizing figure and the in recent years. and of course it will be a change for his opponents but also for his support those. but i think the main issue today was for many israelis, i talked to, they wanted to see whether this alternative government would be formed this coalition. and whether also last and this summer and cycle of elections that the country has seen in the past 2 years. i talked to some young israelis and what they think about the situation change. he was in the job for many years. we want something new. we really need it as well. i know that i don't want to say forever. i think we need to be replaced, but not right now in the current situation. i've said a lot of these, right, these folks. i'm for here and i wanted him to say a new bad to i think he thinks about 2 weeks. i think he was the best probably now

says that there will be the plan. yes, i finally did. he will go. it doesn't matter whether he was a good or a bad prime minister. it wasn't healthy for somebody to hold for such a long time. and we need to change, we need new people may do this is that china and women calling for change there. and that change seems to be coming with this new governments. but tanya, how can this coalition work to get that we have pro process less than one side, arab israeli is on the other? well, i think this is really the main question. also the main concern for many israelis, one to see a functional government after all, they haven't seen such a government that works well together in the past 2 years. at least. as you said, we have on the one hand hartline writing parties. you know,

some of them and the issue of the israeli palestinian issue pro annexation a pro settlement against the palestinian state. and then on the other side you would have the small left wing merits party, which is in favor of a palestinian state. just one example, you know, if the ideological differences this government has to tackle some and then just believe that they will 1st look more at the, you know, the issues in total issues like the economy to have to pass the state departure. they have to look at social economic affairs, but of course, we don't know whether they have the luxury of not dealing with such issues and they have to overcome the differences to make this government last tanya, in jerusalem, there too for lang cannot wear a burnt out cargo ship carrying tons of chemicals off the coast of colombo has partly sunk. the express pearl had been on fire for nearly 2 weeks with much of its

dangerous cargo falling overboard. the flames were finally extinguished on monday, but as the ship was being towed out to see things went from bad to worse. it was being cold for lank as worst maritime disaster carrying tons of chemicals and plastics. envy express poll is sinking into the sea . the singapore registered cargo ship was anchored of sri lanka, west coast, when it caught fire on may 20. now, with the blaze finally under control salvage crews tried to tow the ship into deep water away from precious fishing grounds. but the burnt up vessel is already thinking. i mean, this is a big problem for the all the fishermen. i'm in the face, of course, they can go to the fi and they can do the alerts. because of this tragic situation . the government has been fishing along an 80 kilometer stretch of coast. over 5000

fishing boats have been affected. the ship has doubts the death blow to our lives. we can't go to see which means we can't make a living there. and i've had tons of plastic pallets of coated nearby beaches. the navy says it is also preparing for an oil spill with the toxic cargo is still on board. the sinking ship has already caused one of the country's worst environmental disasters. let's take a look now at some other stories making news around the world. the largest ship in iran's navy has sunk in the gulf of a man. after catching fire, a car was dispatched to international waters and several days ago. and the cause of the blaze hasn't been established. said media said 400, say listen,

cadets escaped while 33 suffered injuries. columbia has started a gradual reopening of its borders with venezuela following a 14 month closure to stop the spread of the corona virus. columbia has been the main destination for been as well and fleeing the country, social and economic crisis. though the 2 countries do not maintain diplomatic ties . the advancing concern over russia's widening crackdown on dissenting voices ahead of parliamentary elections in september prominent opposition activists . andre, above the road, has appeared in court in the southern city of cross nevada, where a judge ruled he would be held in pre trial the tension for 2 months. the cover of is a for my director of the disbanded pro democracy group, open russia a monday he was pulled up a plane on the runway in saint petersburg just before it took off for poland.

earlier we spoke with opposition activists and over of ally, touch yanna, as minerva. she was in the courtroom when people over of was told he'll be detained . she, we asked her what it was like, you know, it's really, it was very emotional or emotional day. it was i can say, did, and a his he is doing, he's doing great. he is. he's smiling so she is fine. but the worst i'm feeling worry about him. and about there, there the next month he will in jail. but i think everything will be fine and would be great. them all were gramlin doesn't want anybody, any opposition candidate to be in the collection. so that's why they decide to. so i read a bit why they size is music and the other positionally. there are

almost nobody else them in the on the freedom now i want them, i read someone say, i'm a broker, but nobody must, you know, kremlin wants to close all doctors. so it's easier for them to close all independent parties. all people work together. so that's why it's easier for them to close open russia or to close for book or, or some other groups of people turning to hungry now, where authorities in the capital budapest have announced they will rename streets in protest of a plans to build a chinese university in the city, they say the move is to show solidarity with the victims of human rights abuses by paging d w report. melanie hall has been looking into this story for melanie. tell us more about these plans. so budapest, city officials want to rename for streets and the streets that have

a focus on alleged human rights abuses by china. so one of these proposed names is a free hong kong streets. and this commemorates the pro democracy movement in hong kong. and the huge protests against china's powers in hong kong and other these proposed names is udella law mysteries. and this is named after to bets exiled spiritual lead, which china names as a dangerous separatist leader. and other these street names is of weaker mot histories. now this is a named after the mainly muslim ethnic group in china. this change and province, which many western governments say are the victims of sustained human rights abuses and genocide by china. now these china denies or allegations of human rights abuses . now the new names are expected to be approved by city officials in the next few days, and they all would be taking place around an area which of food on university. once

the boat is new, campus campus food on university is one of china's most prestigious institutions. and it has close links with chinese communist party, now hungry. the government assigned a strategic agreement a few weeks ago to build this campus, which would see it opening by 2024 and enroll international students. but critics say that this is a sign of increasing ties from prime minister victor open with autocracies, like china months. we can see how that some of those names could be seen as controversial from china's side. now budapest man is among those who support the plan to rename the street he's being seen as a possible challenger to prime minister visual or abandoning absolutely. so the liberal man for the past get a, a corner challenge. he report the plans to run in next year's general elections against the right when popular prime minister victor old on a quarter. sean has voice concerns about what he calls

a china's influence buying in hungary. court assurance told a press conference that he hopes that the project to fill the chinese campus doesn't go ahead. but if it does, then the have to put up with these new street names. john has accused over of closing up to china. i've expensive hungering tax has, and he says that this chinese compass would cost the taxpayers up to $2000000000.00 . but he said it goes against agreement by hungering governments, which would have seen dormitories and facilities being built for hunger students as a punch protest against the chinese comes, which is set to go ahead this saturday reporter melanie hall. thank you very much for bringing that source, was to some sports news now and the growing pressure on tokyo olympic officials to cancel next month's games. japanese media says old se organizers have admitted that $10000.00 volunteers recruited for

the games have already quit amid the corona virus crisis. tokyo had planned for 80000 volunteers, but might have to do to make do with significantly fewer opinion polls and japan show a big majority of people think the games should not take place. the final decision rests with the international olympic committee. the, the fight against the corolla virus pandemic. how has the rate of infection in developing? what does the latest research say? information and contact the corona virus. 19 special next on dw, sometimes a seed is all you need to allow big ideas to grow. we're bringing environmental conservation to life.