ah, ah ah ah ah ah, this is dw news live from berlin, russian president vladimir putin speaks out on the stand off over ukraine. he says the us is ignoring moscow security concerns, but signals russia is ready for another round of negotiations. also coming up

athletes or preparing to go for gold at the winter olympics in beijing about political issues. and the ongoing pandemic are causing headaches for organizers and sell them sterilized them for saved. that the dilemma over what to do with the dozens of hippos 1st brought to columbia by drug lord pablo escobar. ah, i'm see me. so misconduct. glad you could join us. russian president vladimir putin has accused the us and its allies of ignoring moscow security concerns. in his 1st public remarks on the stand off over ukraine in weeks, he said the west was using ukraine to hinder russia's development, put in signals. he was ready to continue negotiations. but so far, neither side has been willing to budge on their positions. for weeks he has left to

talking to others, but no president vladimir putin has accused the united states of trying to drag russia into conflict with emma lona, the village of the united states. the most important goal is to contain russia. what that's the thing is, what i'm saying is in this sense, ukraine itself is just a tool to achieve this goal is to see them. this can be done in different ways. one of them is to draws into armed conflict on across the border and key as british prime minister boris johnson offered a show of support to ukrainian president vladimir cholenski. johnson warned that war would be a lose lose outcome. russia invasion of ukraine would be a political disaster. humanitarian disaster, in my view, would also be for russia for the world, a military disaster as well. and the potential

invasion completely flies in the face of president putin's claims to be acting in the interest of the ukrainian people. ukraine is not completely relying on diplomacy to protect them. president lensky announced a huge addition to his nation's army. mobile demos was to jot west william on over . we will create a new political cooperation format in europe between ukraine, great britain and poland was abusive. within the next 3 years, we will increase the number of the ukrainian armed forces by 100000 professional soldiers army. in a video release, just hours before boris johnson's visit, soldiers tested rocket artillery systems, just north of the crimean peninsula, which russia invaded, an annex from ukraine in 2014. both sides are preparing for war. while the diplomats try to make peace. des, nick conley is standing by for us in kiev. hi,

nick. how we're president putin's remarks received there in ukraine with little surprise to me. i think this is all part of a discourse from oscar that the ukrainians are used to that ukraine is merely a porn in western games. we heard from top personally, isn't getting for present meter mid video, who recently called ukraine a vessel to the west. and basically saying that this is all beyond ukraine's control, that's why they've basically given up talking to ukraine and are talking over ukrainians heads to the white house about these affairs. and i think there is a, a sense here that you, this is all part of a bigger picture that russia has essentially been at war with ukrainian ukrainian dependence since 2014, when it annex crimea, started supporting those separatists in don bass. and that the only thing that's really changed from ukrainian point of view is that the west is finally paying attention and seeing it with the same urgency that ukrainians have been seeing it all down the years. more in that line, this of ukrainian presidency lensky announcing an increase in ukrainian truck

numbers. so tell us more about that. but he said that the conscription will be abolished that ukraine's army will move to a fully and volunteer and professional model that are further. 100000 troops will be added to the already about 250000 or persons strong all me. but that will take time, that's gonna take several years. that is not gonna affect situation on the ground right now. and lots of service here in ukraine. chris doesn't come up for not doing enough in terms of the navy in terms of the air force, big, big problems there and big weaknesses that russia will be able to exploit if it were to indeed invade ukraine, ukraine's all me, it's ground army has improved seen from the since 2014, it won't be as easy for the russians as it was in crimea, but certainly lots of weaknesses here in ukraine. and people are acutely aware of the fact that as a non nato member, all they can expect are potentially weapons and money from the west, but no more the left. and i want to ask you about something else. we had president zalinski say because at the same time as his trip in chrissy also seemed to

indicate that there is no possibility for a, an invasion. let's listen to a clip of what he said, a national when it's regarding 3 of now are national currency. i think with contain lighter the situation, despite the informational panic or the wave of information attack we have 1st capitalized crave. now we have pacified and calm down the markets. we can see the strengthening of the national currency of late in the very beginning, we'll discuss with a prime minister router a saying that parallel to what we was doing a lot was done by international leaders providing financial guarantees, sending the signal to the rest and to the market, the europe believes in ukraine in the stable situation in our market,

in our banking systems. so on the one side, zalinski is saying that there should not be any panic. there is no need to believe that an invasion is imminent. at the same time, he is asking for international backup. those seem to be mixed messages. nick, definitely, i think there is no real explanation that really satisfyingly, i'm really draws out why this is happening in this definitely already been causing a significant frustration among ukraine's western partners. the white house asking why ukraine is asking for military aid. if i'm year we heard volumes zalinski last week, bases downplaying and questioning a jo biden's take on the situation. i think this is basically because, you know, it is very easy to talk about the potential for war if you are separated from russia by an ocean, by nature membership here on the front lines in ukraine. it is a very scary prospect and the leadership here and give is acutely aware that the population here could very soon panic. if these threats were to seem more real,

that the mood could turn for the last few weeks out. this strange situation where the whole world's been talking about ukraine and it's tensioned with russia and yet here on the ground in care of it seemed like life basically carried on as normal. so i think there's slightly kind of skits of frantic em track from the leaders hail the one hand trying to keep the west engaged, trying to get that help as soon as possible. on the other hand, coming out with these statements, try to make sure that people here don't rush to suit markets panic by sell their ukrainian currency for dollars. and do anything that would disable the situation in des nicolai reporting from here. good to talk to you. the you commission has just given the green light for a controversial label that allows certain new, clear energy and natural gas investments to be labeled as sustainable. the commission says the legislation paved the way for private investment to contribute to our climate goals. but critics believe it jeopardizes the blocks target of climate neutrality by 2050. each member states remain fiercely divided over the so

called energy taxonomy which could come into effect in the next 4 to 6 months. and d, w max sandra's following the story for us from brussels. hi max. what exactly does this decision mean? right, so the e taxonomy is all about becoming for you to become climate neutral by 2050. and the taxonomy essentially is some sort of guide book that is essentially supposed to tell investors what are green and sustainable fields to invest in terms of energy. and now the taxonomy is supposed to help fund this transition to, to, to green energy. and by this, it's supposed to remove harmful energy such as coal and oil, and replace with ideally renewables. but in this case, we're talking about less harmful technologies such as nuclear power and, and gas. and there's been a lot of criticism from, from all different kinds of sites. people were saying this are indeed, these are indeed, harmful technologies. and most people are saying this taxonomy is not based on

scientific evidence, but on a political decision. yet that criticism max coming not just from the green party really, from countries across the block. so how is the commission responded, particularly to the criticism that this is green washing? right, so the commissioner in charge commission, mcginnis said in a press conference or earlier that this is a balance between different opinions and finding a key road to d, carbon ization and them. if you have a look at what the commission did between the 31st of december when they, when they brought up the 1st proposal. and the proposal is now on the table, not much has changed after all, the criticism after all the outrage. and they made some technical changes in terms of, for example, what kind of fuel a power plants are supposed to use are allowed to use. and some changes in terms of verification and compliance procedures. but the commission also responded to these allegations of green washing and where she said that the color coding is not necessarily optimal. and the commission does not see nuclear and gas as essentially,

per se green. these were her words, but as a necessary, as a nest her technology to help with the transit transition to climate neutrality by 25th des, max and her reporting for us and from brussels. thank you. let's get a quick round up of some headlines now. in australia too large bush fires have prompted evacuations on the outskirts of perth and emergency warning has been issued with blistering temperatures and high winds threatening to intensify the blazes in coming days. the fires have burned through some 100 hector's of land and at least 25 people are reported dead in the democratic republic of congo after a high voltage power cable snapped and fell. the incident happened on the outskirts of the capitol kinshasa authority, say the cable hit several homes and a market killing several people instantly. here in germany,

debate is raging over whether a former far right politician can return to his previous profession. as a judge. yes, maia was a member of the parliament for the far right, a f d party. and as one of the parties hardliners, he was officially declared an extremist by germany's domestic intelligence agency. he fail to win reelection to the point of fog last year, and now he wants to return to his old job as a judge. many question whether meyer should be allowed to do that. he used to be a member of parliament for the far right, a f d party, and recently was categorized as extremist by the domestic intelligence agency. hence, maya is known for his far right and unconstitutional statements. also, while he was in parliament, back in 2017, he was reprimanded for trivializing the holocaust. this whole propaganda and re education directed against us, which is supposed to persuade us that outfits was factually the consequence of german history. i hereby declare this cult of guilt to be over to be finally,

over in september, last year, maya was not elected for a 2nd term in parliament. now he wants to go back to his previous job as a judge in the german state of saxony. according to the law, he's allowed to do that, but many believe the justice minister can stop him from doing so. you perhaps wise and oh, yes, behavior during his time as a member of parliament gives reason to at least initiate disciplinary proceedings. and to examine whether one can also use his statement to accuse him of having violated his official duties or whatever the furniture, unless this could possibly even leave to his dismissal as the judge. it wasn't victor who, on quintal, the justice ministry and facts. and he doesn't think it can pursue this route, but there is another possibility, a so called judge impeachment. if judges violate the german constitution,

they can be removed from office after a vote by a 2 thirds majority in the state parliament. and the decision by the federal constitutional court. but the hurdles are high and the clock is ticking for those who want to stop maya. and we have our chief political correspondent, melinda crane, following this story for us. hi, melinda. what are the chances of jens meyer returning to his job as a judge? well, it's hard to say as we heard there, the threshold is in fact quite high. the fact is, there are a few legal avenues as the report pointed out, but precisely because germany is a country where rule of law is taken seriously. the hurdles, the hurdles are significant of the fact is one of the absolute central measures is precisely the one that the authorities had been pursuing in regard to myer himself

. namely that he was under observation by the domestic intelligence service, the office for the protection of the constitution and a and thereby that there's awareness of the risks. and then there are measures like the ones we heard about in the report. injunctions indictments, all of those, essentially represent vigilance on the part of all democratic institutions. and that absolutely is what is called for here. going forward. melinda, there are also have been other reports of right wing extremists working in the judiciary as lawyers, as judges, as civil servants. how big of an issue is this in germany? it's an issue of grave importance and not only because right wing extremists like my or are serving as lawyers and judges, but precisely because they're sitting in parliament as he did and have a platform there for expressing views that call the very foundation of germany's

constitution with its core provision on the invite lability of human dignity into question. you heard his remarks there about holocaust denial last week. the a f d. 's somewhat more moderate co leader year might and announce that he was quitting his post and leaving the party because it's becoming increasingly radical. it's heartbeat's ever more to the right. he said, and it pounds ever louder. so the party has been in disarray for some time. and in the last election, it didn't do very well in the west of germany. precisely because of it's right, we're drift, but it has had resounding success in many parts of the east. and that is where mister meyer would be working if he's allowed to return to his judicial post. so the after radicalization risk widening, the divisions between eastern and western germany as a whole. and deepening polarization. here we saw more about the case of ins, meyer there, but how is germany tackling this issue on a whole?

well, as i said, i, the office for the protection of the constitution has been quite active in declaring some parts of and some members of the a f d under observation. then again, as we heard in the report, various members of various professional associations and democratic institutions also saying we must be vigilant. and the fact is if you look at the reporting on the f d, you see an ongoing drumbeat. a very disturbing headlines ranging from the parties role in the anti vax or movement. it's attempts to get an exception from vaccination rules for some of its members serving in parliament. the use by to a f. d. politicians of the telegram chat group to send subversive messages and more so there's definitely awareness, but that vigilance is absolutely crucial. our chief political correspondent, melinda crane. thank you so much. you're watching

d. w. still to come columbia debate what to do with the dozens of hippos 1st brought there by notorious drug lord pablo escobar. that's where it's coming up in a moment. but 1st, beijing will become the 1st city in history to host both the summer and winter olympics. when this years games officially began on friday, almost $3000.00 athletes will be competing for glory. but with health concerns and political tensions dominating headlines and the build up, the sports are at risk of becoming a sub plot at beijing 2022. billions have been invested into making beijing 2022, an extravagant festival of competition. but the build up has been about so much more than sport politics. for instance, some nations including the u. s. and the u. k, you have declared a diplomatic boy called over human rights issues and wilson competitors, but no ministers or officials. meanwhile, organizers have threatened athletes with punishment for any behavior or expression

that they deem in breach of chinese law, and will expect the audio see to rigorously enforce its own rules limiting protests . they saw the us in the, in neil in pic charter, there are very strict rules. so for the medal ceremonies and during the competitions, political protests are not permitted on other occasions, like at press conferences or during interviews or on personal platforms, the athletes are free to express their opinions. but the athletes must be responsible for what they say. orient you got as you sound far, due to covey athletes, and journalists will be kept insecure bubbles, while no spectator tickets will be sold to the public. organizers say health and safety are paramount, valor of cool covey counter measures are still on top of our agenda. actually we have been making effective measures and everything is under control. without

a safe games, there would be no guidelines. so we will make sure that the health and safety of all participants is our top priority fun definitely. a total of $32.00 new cases were reported by elliptical authorities on wednesday alone. i've expected the pandemic is proving to be one of several headaches for the organizes of aging 2022 . we have a nice and eat at the sports with us for more on the story. hi, tom. just how much will the pandemic disruptive game? well, i mean, there's plenty of destruction already so far, and i think it's probably reasonable to expect a fair bit more now. exactly how the pandemic disrupts your games depends on your standpoint. now obviously for the athletes who are currently contained inside this cobit isolation bubble and subject to daily testing, that's obviously, you know, a big level of struction that they wouldn't be used in previous games. of course, the worst case is for any of those 2 contract cove. it because if that happens,

if they're lucky, their games are over immediately. there will be removed and placed in the isolation for the reporters who are covering the games from beijing. there was a similar conditions there in a separate bubble and also subject to frequent testing. and prospect heights is the destruction has already been almost total because there are no international spectators at these games. there was no public side of tickets, even for domestic visitors within china. and those some spectators will be allowed . there will be specially invited, slightly unclear, exactly to whom those tickets will go. so yeah, i mean, like we heard in the report there already, 32 cases reported just today. so i think it's fair to expect a high continue level of destruction. and on the political side, the report mentioned that diplomatically caught from the u. s. in the u. k, how is china received that? well, i mean, it's not a full boy call as we heard of course, they are going to still send competitors. of course, it doesn't sit well. the chinese government accused the usa of grandstanding,

of political posturing and of undermining the games in the olympic spirit. it's not the only sort of political contention surrounding these games. you know, those are the kinds of things why the chinese tennis star who was not seen for 2 weeks after accusing a high ranking chinese communist party official sexual so and then immediately recanted those allegations. so there were concerns about her welfare. and of course, tie one will be competing as the as chinese, taipei at these games. it's another matter of controversy and political dispute because they were ordered to attend the opening and closing ceremonies after previously having said that, they were going to stay away. so plenty of political, great contention, distracting from the sports themselves. we can't, we can't forget to talk about the sports. so what we can expect from these games yet will, of course, do plenty of sporting highlights. now it's a slightly slim, a program, obviously than a summer games, but still a lot to look forward to. one of the most hotly awaited appearances will be from

the jamaica bobsled team who are competing at their 1st winter games in 24 years. they've been training in the u. k in doth, in part by pushing calls around in car box or the games at 3 books events for the 1st time ever. that starts thursday next week. there are also new events such as the sky, big air, which is a mainstay of the ex games at the olympics for the 1st time and curling which begins to day. i'm an icon explore of the winter game, so you have plenty to get excited. i love to look forward to her a tongue and i from the w sports. thank you very much. now, colombia is facing a dilemma over what to do with dozens of hippos. there were 1st brought there by notorious drug lord pablo escalade. he was killed by police almost 30 years ago, and since then, a growing population of hippos has been taken over the countryside near his former ranch or report or travel to 1000000 and columbia to discover why scientists and

activists are divided over how to deal with the animals, a legacy of drug kingpin pablo escobar and a problem that has grown over the years, columbia's hippos, now the largest population outside of africa, which is their natural habitat. the so called king of cocaine, brought 4 of the packet arms to his ranch. they've now multiplied to more than 90 and a causing havoc. they like it here, especially in high summer, when the hippos gather i know it, i don't know but and i, they swim out there and then reappear somewhere else. they rammed my boat and kept it over because you can't see them at night. like i know the mails are so aggressive, but one hit my boat with a big bang family. but when will i will? i can only i glenmarie the hippos in columbia. and now the subject of public debate,

animal rights activists insist that the large mammals are completely innocent. but environmentalists criticize the effects, the hippos have on the ecosystem, and the indigenous foreigner. scientists support an end to the hippos don't them a lot or that for those hoping on for the k sound, draw the harsh, but we must clearly state that it must be done. i think that we from the academy must be able to explain why this must be done by necessity, even if no one is happy about it. or, you know, one wants to kill the hippos, but it's the lesser of 2 evils. in this scenario, miley may not, and on, as a matter of almost the environmental agency has started with harmless birth control, a contraceptive that works with both male and female hippos law seating the medicine donated by us animal welfare authorities is given by injection. moreover, baldwin,

well now we must wait and see how the medicine works. then we will know if it really will. the to few carves been remarked viaz karen, up on his yeah, but young hippos often disappear even without medication. the semi aquatic animals have achieved a kind of cult status among people who wish to imitate pablo escobar. yeah, i those gay killers, 2 of the little ones have already been taken away. they were sold. there are a lot of rich people in this country who want to have something like this. the last young hipaa was brought to a man who is said to be very powerful, own people with boy. so now there is a market for these exotic animals in columbia and a lack natural enemies. that's why this is the largest, hypo population outside of africa, where they are indigenous coming up

next on dw news, asia d, w speaks with me and mars government in exile one year after the military takeover is the way forward negotiation for armed conflict. and we look at the growing number of attacks on christian churches in india and what the government is doing about beer is monitored. you will have those stories and more for you coming up next on the w news, asia for all of us here in berlin. thank you for watching the w ah, [000:00:00;00]

with we're all good to go beyond deal

with as we take on the world, i swear all about the stories that matter to you. whatever it takes. 5 policemen follow being paid. do you know we are your is actually on fire made for mines for the battle against cove. it the only common variant is putting the healthcare systems around the world to the test vaccination campaigns are accelerating while restrictions are intensifying once again. but are these measures enough to stop the spread of omicron, fax data and reports like, you know, a weekly coping 19 special every thursday on d,

w. a. in many countries. education is still a privilege. tardy is one of the main causes, some young children walk in mind troughs. instead of going to class others can attend classes only after they finish working with millions of children all over the world can't go to school with. we asked why? because education makes the world more just make up your own mind. d. w, made for mines. this is, did other news asia coming up to date me and mas government in exile dal d,