ah ah ah, this is dw news lie from berlin, an urgent call for de escalation. the german chancellor visits the russian president, chancellor shult welcoming president. putin announcement that some troops are being pulled back from the ukrainian border. but tonight, native saying it has not seen anything that looks like de escalation. also coming up cobit 19 numbers are declining in germany. feeling the debate about easing

restrictions. there's growing content that it's time to start winding down pandemic roofs and big air at the beijing winter olympics. we'll take a look at the daredevils who took on metals in the women, snowboarding events, and at the berlin film festival, a lifetime achievement award and, and homage to french actress. isabel, who pair ah, i bring. gov is good to have you with this on this tuesday, and we begin with the latest western leader traveling to the kremlin in pursuit of pete's to day german chancellor o. shoulds met with russian president vladimir putin in moscow for talks aimed at averting a war in ukraine just hours earlier, the russian military announced that it was pulling back some troops along the border with you crate. chancellor sholtes called the news promising,

but the head of nato is warning that it is too early to talk about anything that looks like the escalation. it's his most important trip abroad to date arriving in moscow, olaf shots once to do what he and his political party historically consider one of their key tasks building breaches with russia and a bridge as badly needed just a day ahead of what some belief is. the date, russia plans to invade ukraine, while shots made his way to the kremlin, the russian parliament sent a strong signal to the west. members of the duma asked their president to recognize the to break away regions and eastern ukraine as independent and move that could kill off what remains of the men's piece process. putting in words that even difficult preconditions for shots as crisis talks with vladimir putin held at a distance due to cov, it concerns the lead us looked for ways to close the gap between russia and the west. when the speaking to the press, afterwards,

both emphasized eddie termination to diffuse tensions associates more to gus, courageous and responsible action is now required from everybody, thus volitional, sorry for binding. another i want to say one thing for my generation war in europe has become unthinkable. and we must in sure, it stays that way of cover at starting is heads of state and government. it's our damn responsibility in our job to prevent a military escalation in europe. why tumor to it union can usually do we want war or not? you enough? of course not with that is why we have made proposals to start the negotiation process is will this should lead to an agreement of providing equal security for everybody, including our country. if you grew share and local thermal, so more talks are needed for a diplomatic breakthrough, and yet they are small signs, the threat is subsiding. over the course of the day,

russia announced it was withdrawing some of its more than $100000.00 troops along the border with ukraine. if those claims to now to be true, it would be the 1st sign of the escalation in weeks. every moral this now i'm joined by torsion bitter. he is head of the think tank, the global public policy institute here in berlin tours. it's good to see you again . you saw the show didn't say your brand. thank you. you saw the news coverage today between shops and putin. is eastern europe. is it any less likely to see war now? i think it's to, as natal said, it's dirty to talk about the real issue. i'm tentative signs at least the 2 side shots and put in didn't agree on much of substance, but the one thing they agreed on was to continue to talk and as long as they talk, her war is less likely. but i think that we should expect this crisis to

continue in the rush of pressure also, militarily, to be kept up for 4 months to come. i don't think we'll see a real di escalation any time, any time soon. but i think the immediate threatened war looks a bit less likely now, but put in can always a surprise. yeah, that's true. he's always good for a surprise. the chancellor today, he said that diplomacy is certainly not exhausted. the russians are saying, you know, just as much what you expect to see next. i think i continued them in the, in the best case, they'll be continued talked to one channel with the us and nato, which is, i think, a little less promising. and then another channel on, on the minsk agreement between ukraine and,

and russia. and there's some more promising find some question marks of course today also with the dumas action. but i think in general at least the yesterday. mr . shots was also in kevin. if you have agreed to do it's part of the misc agreement . so i think i would expect the adult in the best case, those negotiations to proceed in the coming weeks and months. i want to ask you a little bit about the choreography of the news conference that we sold today. i mean, you're aware that d w last week was forced by the russian government to close its moscow bureau, chancellor sholtes to day at the news conference, he gave his 1st question to a dw reporter who was travelling with him, our very own mikella kirchner. what did you make of that? it was a very forceful sign that the shots stands up for and the

german government stands up for media freedom. and not only did he give the 1st question to d, w, but the shots also talk to very clearly about the closing down of the n g o memory. all he clearly said that it's not as it is not acceptable from the rule of law point point of view of the treatment of knob on the saw or charles was quite portal and he also had a pretty negative remark when, when asked about the former chancellor sure, it was on the premise payroll, so i'll talk to him. talked about him as a former politician without even naming his his name and saying, you know, he isn't private business now, but he doesn't talk for anybody, but he's on private the business. all these were pretty clear political signals from from shots a sub rushes parliament today asked food and to recognise the east ukrainian

regions of the nest and the hans as independent states that could really pro wrench into all the diplomacy couldn't yes, i mean, all said and very rightly saw that this would be a political catastrophe. if this do my decision was implemented, but i think we should for now see it as, as part of the kremlin the compel. and so they get an effort to curse of into doing, you know, what the criminal things is, what it, what it needs to do on it, on more independent the status of these regions by law. so i, i don't think good they will act on it yet. but they keep it as a threat, is similarly similar to the troops. they keep it as a threat in the background for the, for the negotiation. ok, tourists and benner with the global public policy institute,

which we appreciate your time in your insights tonight. thank you. we're here are some more stories now that are making headlines around the world. why should opposition figure alexi? nev olney has gone on trial again in a new case that could see his prison term extended. he is currently serving a sentence in a penal colony, and russian. prosecutors are now accusing him of stealing almost $5000000.00 from their nations to his charity. amnesty international have described the trial as a sham while makers in ethiopia had voted to lift the country state of emergency earlier than scheduled. as mediation efforts continued to end the conflict in the countries north, yet the 6 month measure was imposing early november as degree of fighting the government moved closer to the capitol, addis ababa formal campaigning for south korea's presidential elections has begun. the 2 main candidates are leisure immune of the ruling, men's, you party and unit. so y'all of the conservative people power party both face an

uphill battle to gain voter support. after a series of scandals will britain's prince. andrew has reached a settlement with his accuser in a sexual assault lawsuit, the accuser virginia to freight. now papers filed bind, you phrase, lawyers did not disclose the amount of the financial sentiment. virginia drew for a suit. the prince for damages claiming that she was traffic by the late jeffrey epstein and forced to have sex with the prince. when she was 17 years old. or for more now i'm thrown by our correspondent charlotte jose until she is in london. she is covering this story, forrest charlotte, it's good to see you. why has prince andrew agreed to this settlement and do we know why it is now? of course, those details haven't been disclosed. that means that we can only speculate here

as to some of this will come as a bit of surprise, surprise both candidates, including prince andrew's team, has suggested that they wanted to take this case all the way to trial prince andrew saying that he wanted to clear his name in court, but it's publicly very dog font. if you speak to some legal experts in the us, they was saying that an out of court settlement was always the most likely outcome here. indeed, out of court settlements in cases like this, all very frequent in the united states. now on the question of timing, there are some advantages for prince andrew in settling this case. now we know that he was facing a deposition next month. and of course, a trial potentially later this year at both of which could have been for the damaging to his reputation in more details. why release? they could have been hugely embarrassing for print sandra, and indeed,

not just prince andrew, the royal family by association, as well. they are likely to be breathing a huge sigh of relief today. this case has reached a settlement that there won't be the public spectacle media frenzy surrounding a trial, particularly this year. this is the jubilee year for the queen. she's celebrating 70 years on the throne. the summer to have big celebrations mocking not. i think many will be relieved that there won't be the spectacle overshadowing the celebration. and obviously people are asking, do we know any details about this settlement? of it's very light on detail this and this is very, can very carefully worded statement. you mentioned the top that when you were introducing this that prince, andrew has made a substantial or rather making a substantial donation to mischief phrase charity and support is victims, right? the, some for that has not been displayed. so i'm sure you can imagine there is

a flurry of speculation about what that figure is. we muscles, they'd be very clear that this supplemented by no means any admission of liability from prince andrew. not my surprise. he has kept the guard cli from the thoughts, knowing these allegations, so no surprises that there is absolutely no admission of any kind in this statement . there are some interesting lines in it which i was pointing out. prince andrew, for example, it said that never intended to malign mischief phrase character, and he accept that she suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of onset public attack. so these would have been very carefully what town statements and they are likely to be all the will here, at least in the short time, both camps refusing to say more. and indeed buckingham palace tonight, not commenting, to correspond to show some pills from london tonight. charlotte, thank you. corona virus cases here in germany have begun falling and the

oma crime very. it is causing milder cases. there seems to be a consensus here that it is high time to follow the neighboring countries into ease restrictions with plans for most of them to be lifted next month. early signs of spring in berlin, and hope that it will be a season with fewer restrictions on public life. the army crown variant and vaccines have re shuffled the cards with less severe cases of coven. 19 the health care system in germany is weathering the current wave. well, new cases also appear to be slowly dropping. and with that grows, the prospect of easing restrictions. this in global cubby epidemic conditions can come to an end in mid march, but with 2 provisions. we need to establish a legal basis for the mosque mandate because that's the most effective preventive measure. and we need an emergency strategy for the fall in case there's a new mutation. all the key put in helps fights and annoying would also hold

a draft proposal with a 3 step plan has been circulating. at 1st, the number of people allowed at private gatherings would increase. and any one wearing a mask would be able to enter stores. then access to restaurants and bars would again be allowed for the unvaccinated. with a negative test and clubs would be able to reopen. finally from march 20th all far reaching preventive measures would be lifted. experts caution against the freedom they style free for all their v sticks upon the most important point for me is that a full reopening is not necessarily linked to the date of march 20th, but that it is determined by the infection rate among the population. and how it's less than ever fertile. but despite the calls for prudence, politicians, state leaders and health care experts all agree the time to loosen up restrictions is nearing chancellor's shots and the leaders of germany. 16 states are set to meet on wednesday to the side on possible next steps. and let's take

a look at some of the developments in the pandemic. thousands of nurses have gone on strike in sydney, australia, demanding better pay and more staff to cope with a rise in omicron related cases. hong kong chief executive says there are no plans to impose a chinese style for walked down the territory of seeing of surge infections. and the world health organization has warned that many eastern european countries with low vaccination rates are facing a tidal wave of oma kron cases. canadian prime minister justin trudeau is using emergency powers to in protests against coven, 19 pandemic restrictions. now police have already cleared a blockade of truckers at a key border crossing into the united states. but the drivers are still blocking others and occupying much of the capitals business district. ottawa's police chief to day resigned amid criticism that he waited too long to take action. ah, it's a headache that canada's government hasn't been able to shake,

protested in pops trucks, still digging in outside parliament and clothing, the streets of the capital, otto at elsewhere, convoys of vehicles still immobilizing some border crossings. as the nationwide protests entered the 3rd week, prime minister justin trudeau invites the emergency that it gives the government broad powers to intervene. the police will be given more tools to restore order and places where public assemblies can constitute illegal and dangerous activities, such as blockades, occupations, as seen in ottawa, ambassador, ridge and elsewhere. these tools include strengthening their ability to impose fines or imprisonment. today will that using the military and set the measures would be time limited. with tenant is on the con wave, subsiding. it has already started removing some coven 19 restrictions. the protest

is key demand. on monday, the province of ontario announced an end to proof of vaccination requirements and capacity limits of businesses that the premier made clear. this was not a concession to the blockade, paralyzing the capital city. today's announcement is not because of what's happening in ottawa or windsor, but despite it to those who are still there to those of you who are there with a sole objective of causing disruption and chaos will be serious consequences for this lawless activity. oh, what started his protests against vaccine mandates for truckers has grown into a rallying point for opposition to canada. government provincial authorities have hesitated to move against. the protest is citing the threat of violence and a lack of manpower. they now have federal back up that protest to say that is not

enough to make them back down. but what it is an illegal business, almost as big as the drugs trade here in europe, but it rarely makes headlines. i'm talking about the illicit trade in hazardous waste. it's worth about 15000000000 euros, but even when the culprits are called, it's no easy task prosecuting an illegal landfill on fire, not far from romanian capital. bucharest, smoke from the blaze adds to the cities, pollution problems. what's more, much of the trash burned illegally in romania is hazardous waste. it's often smuggled into the country via the port of constantia, including from germany. the lucrative trade involves a complex network of transactions that makes violators hard to prosecute. while it is legal for recycling waste to be shipped to cheaper bitters in romania,

it often contains unsub, pirated hazardous materials that aren't handled properly. octavian batch ya new is a romanian climate activist who is determined to bring the trash smugglers to justice. brought up, they are just 3rd the not the thumbnail of some of the waste goes to cement factories, human better so, but allowance on some contracts cover up. the fact that much more waste gets imported ludovic than these factories can burn for cement production in that out if i shifted one but a lot just so the waste ends up being burned in the feelings and yet the picture and even when suspected wrong doing as uncovered, proving it as hard. it can involve having to analyze waste samples and then cross checking the paperwork by the companies involved. and authority suspect that in many cases, bribes are paid to prevent illegal shipments from being discovered in the 1st place . sheet of form,

what we're talking about here involves corruption document document forgery and also money laundering goldfish. and it's a dirty business. but a way for companies in countries where it's expensive to comply with tough environmental laws to outsource their waste even at the risk of improper disposal in somebody else's backyard. ah. at the beijing winter olympics, russian figures gator camilla valley ava returned to the ice for the 1st time today since the court of arbitration for sport allowed her to compete despite testing positive for doping, the 15 year old posted and impressive score of 82.16 to put her in the lead in the women's short program believe of stumbled on her opening jump but regained her composure. she broke into tears after completing her routine. believers team claimed that her positive drug test was the result of contamination. also at the

winter olympics, there was stunning scenes at the big air. vin, you as the women snowboarding events, included with anake law, gasser taking go, the austrian pulled off a cab, double court $1260.00 on her final run to move into 1st place. she's one back to back olympic gold and big air. new zealand, zoe said. ascii senate took silver also at the games. one of the biggest stories has been eileen goose, who has claimed another metal for china. she missed out on go to the skiing slip style. who seemed to be out of metal contention entirely when she fell during her 2nd run. but a final attempt saw her claim silver, switzerland, matilda gray mouth took gold with a spectacular run, including this backwards jump.

with the fact that american born island grew is competing for china is one of the biggest stories of the games we asked are corresponded in beijing. jonathan crane, how closely the local audience in china are following her events while they are following her very closely. indeed, that server metal performance has been on repeat on chinese television. it seems like she really is the face of these games. hugely popular here. for there is a twist because island grew that's not forget was born and grew up in california. she switched allegiance to china in 2019. so she's really kind of straddling a geo political divide. she's trying to keep 2 sites happy, and it's not easy for her in the us. she's accused of being a traitor. she's accused of setting out to china. she's incredibly market, suppose she's got multi $1000000.00 sponsorship deals on both sides of that divide in the west and in asia. and she's been criticized and not necessarily using her platform to speak out on human rights issues for example. now,

just as she's got tricks on the slopes, is us got tricks in press conferences because she's asked about this and she always manages to avoid it quite success successfully. and she basically says, look, i'm here to inspire people. i mean, in inspiring people to take out when to support sarah in the press conference is often feel like just as much of a performance as the performance on the competition. well, the biggest johnson crane there in b g organizes of this is berlin international film festival. every seems some bad news. the french screen legend isabel repair, had been due to receive an honorary golden beer. but we found out that she had tested positive for coven 19th. she will not be able to pick up her lifetime achievement award this evening. the festival is, however, going ahead with a retrospective of her work in a career spanning more than 5 decades. isabel, it, there has appeared in over 130 films of various genres. she's gained of reputation

for playing, intelligent and audacious characters, often with a chilly reserve. at the age of 19, she was already acting alongside european films, stars, such as eve, montoya, and uncle me schneider. she soon became the muse of art house director clutch a point that will, with her quiet, distanced acting style. she hints at the hidden depths of troubled characters in the piano teacher, she played a neurotic woman who engages in a sado masochistic relationship with one of her music students. her deep despair never rippling the surface of her tightly controlled self possession. the performance earned her golden palm award at the 2000 to come film festival. in the 2016 thriller l, she played a video game producer who was raped. her character refuses to be a victim and seduces the rapist, pulling him into

a game of guilt and revenge. that role earned her an oscar nomination and a golden globe award in 2017 cementing her international reputation. isabel repair has also been a frequent guest at the melina. she's appeared and 7 films and the competition all highlighting unexpected facets of the actress. in 2002, she displayed her comedic talents in the ensemble film 8 women for which the entire cast one a silver bare award up. yes, quite if you can without letting keep barbara in 2018, she showed her vulnerable side and the playing of philosophy. professor whose husband leaves her for a younger woman over the heaviest repair, avoided the cliches of the jilted wife, whose life is turned upside down, showing new perspectives. oh glue!

and this year's belly knowledge is the world premier of her new film about joan. in this tale of love, life and memory is apparently past stars alongside german actor loss, hiding up and gives yet another extraordinary performance. you're watching the w news live for berlin. i'll be back at the top of the hour with won't leave followed by the day. i'm see it ah ah

ah a pulse with the beginning of a story that moves us and takes us along for the ride. it's only about the perspective culture information this is dw and d w made from

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