[000:00:00;00] ah ah ah, this is dw news lived from berlin on a surprise visit to washington bullet. emer zalinski urges americans not to give up on you crate. money is not cheery. chines is an

investment in the global security and democracy that we can build in the most responsible weight. well in the west, lawmakers continue to see aiding ukraine as a worthwhile investment. also coming up on the show, the stage is set for benjamin netanyahu to return to power in israel. he's announced a new government the most right when coalition in israel's history. and coven 19 sweeps through china. now that beijing has abandoned its spread 0 coven policy. infections are surging. as the virus moves through the population largely unchecked . ah! hello, i'm claire richardson, thanks so much for joining us. ukrainian president of already re zalinski is returning home after a surprise visit to washington d. c. he broke up the journey by stopping in poland,

where he met with his polish counterpart on j. do to add an aid to do it. i said the leader spoke for about 2 hours from me posting on social media. zalinski said they discussed the years historic challenges due to a full scale war now, while in washington, zalinski predicted that next year would bring a turning point in the war. at his stress, ukraine is still very much relying on continued support from its western allies. precedence zalinski was given the red carpet treatment as he arrived at the white house greeted like an old friend by z u as counterpart joe biden. they've spoken many times on the phone, but this was a 1st face to face meeting since russian made it ukraine in the oval office flight and granites lensky, another wish high on ukraine's weapons list. we're gonna continue to strengthen

ukraine's ability to defend itself, particularly air defense. and that's why we're going to be providing you credit with patriot missile battery 1st and lensky. it was an opportunity to pay his respects to ukraine's because back i knew that i want to give you something. one guy is really, really hero real captain. and he asked me to pass his award and he asked me to best work personally by them. he will understand a said captain fall hi, merced battery. yes, he is very brave and he said give it to very brave brass neck. and i want to give you that is the cross cross for military married. that is one god love. yes. well,

one deserve but much appreciated. thank you. thanks for joe biden. it was a chance to send a clear signal to russia that the u. s. is in it to win it tonight stage is committed to ensuring that the brave ukrainian people can continue continue to defend their country against russian aggressions, as long as it takes the president of ukraine. next, not person, lensky and heroes. welcome. as he addressed a weird joint session of the united states congress against all odds and doom and gloom, shenaria c. u grain didn't fall, you green is alive and keegan. our 2 nations are allies in this battle and next year will be it

turning point. i know it, the boy, and when ukraine and courage, an american resolve must guarantee the future of our common freedom, the freedom of people who stand for their well use. why am ears lensky knows, support like this or washington will be vital in the months or years of fighting ahead. but it's not guaranteed. some republicans are concerned about the billions being giving to ukraine. and when they take control of the house next year, they might trade a title, the purse drinks. stephan simons is des correspondent in washington d. c. and he told us whether republicans taking over the house of representatives in january will impact aid to ukraine. is good and yeah, there is some expectations that it will because as a hint of in the report, republicans have said that they will go with

a comb through every spending bill related to helping ukraine even further with security assistance. remember the president biden had just a days few days before now, and i agreed and, and a made possible another $2000000000.00 insecurity assistance. and now one sophisticated air defense system patriot air defense system goes to ukraine. so these billions and billions and billions spent by the u. s. president, by this administration, by this country, by the united states. and of course, republicans because they promised that in their constituencies will be more conservative in terms of spending. that's what they said. of course, there's also other precious political pressures to keep helping ukraine on this high level, high financial and material level. oh, it's public opinion like that. and he's when he got a standing ovation from us lawmakers during his visit. but you think the american people share that same sentiment?

that's a really tough question. the answer because you know, is depending on who you ask is the american public aware of what's going on in the ukraine that the ukrainians are suffering and looking at a horrible time just now ahead of christmas in darkness and cold. and i'm, is america's aware of that. russia is to blame for this. yes, of course there. but of course there's also millions of americans who say, look, this is all good. we help, but it does it have to be do, do americans or does america have to really carry the, the burden s it is a paying the most and giving the most assistance to ukraine? i would say yes, a lot majority still says, yeah, we need to do what we need to do and it doesn't really matter. or that this is maybe also a little bit of a strain here on our purse, but it is necessary to stop letting me put his aggression in ukraine. he bought you was his politics and were just, you know,

2 years away from another presidential election. so 3, and it's going to be interesting to see how this all the pans out for you crate it viet sharma. thanks so much that often times for us in washington dc. and how are ukrainians dealings alliance is u. s. trek? i put that question to did up is emily match has and keith ah, well people were at 1st surprised that they president went abroad. remember, vladimir zaleski had said a time. and again that he wouldn't leave a ukraine until russia who was defeated. and so far it hasn't been defeated. this war is very much still going on, but overall a people are support. he may be let's listen to what keith evans told me this morning about this presidential visit to the u. s. maria, i'm confident and my president will handle everything and that there will soon be peace in our country. i'm only thinking positively that everything will be as good

as possible and we will be heard no more. so i think that this will increase our support in 2023, and i really hope that we will get the weapons. it will allow us to wind horrible toward mom from a from another was blizzard. it was necessary to go there and talk in person. it was a very good decision in my opinion for another domain though, i think it's very good no less. it is especially pleasing that we will be supplied with a large amount of weapons. specifically, the fact that the us will give an additional aides for rocket systems. sounds like a relatively positive assessment there. i mean, well this comes as we understand there were new error rate alerts in the key of this morning. can you tell us what the situation is like there in the capital? well indeed, there were error, the lads a dis morning. there were some strikes across you cray not today, not here in the capitol, but elsewhere, but that's

a daily reality for people they leave without threats. day in day out. and the result of those tracks the well does trucks are often hit a critical infrastructure. there hits a power generating facilities and that means that most people, in fact, millions of people across ukraine are a living without electricity. that means they don't have heating at a very cold time of the year. they also dont have a water. i often forget about a hot water as well, so it's very, very dire living conditions. most people are from a big cities there would go to what is called here, invincibility center. so those are centers of energy being set up or, or does it. it's emergency theory center is set out by the government where people can't charge they froze, they can have an internet connection to continue working. they can also simply warm up a little bit and have a cup of tea. so it is very, very tiring for the entire population. and the problem is that it shows no sign of wall or of

a winding down. there are as types every day across that you quaint and that's precisely why velocity me zalinski went to visit its close as i lied, the united states in my knowledge has for us in ukraine. thank you so much for your reporting. i will bring you up to speed now with some other world news headlines. a chinese and russian navies have begun to joint naval exercise in the east china sea underlining the deepening military and political ties between the countries known as a joint sea 2022. the exercise will continue until december 27th. a new report from the news agency bloomberg says germany is burning coal at the fastest pace and at least 6 years. levels of pollution from germany's power production are now comparable to those of india and south africa. berlin has turned to other fossil fuels and a big to replace russian gas in afghanistan, dozens of women have rallied in the capitol cobble soon protested ban on women.

entering universities, natalie bon announced the measure earlier this week, prompting international condemnation. female students have since been turned away from university campuses across the country. arts of northern india, including the capitol, delhi, are shrouded in dense fog, as the country's pollution crisis combines with wintery weather to wreak havoc on wednesday, low visibility, lead to a major vehicle pile up here, the city of graph 4 and israel's designated prime minister benjamin netanyahu has succeeded in forming a right wing coalition government. he made the announcement after weeks of negotiations with religious and far right. political partners. netanyahu led his party to linda most ethan, israel's november election bought needed coalition partners to govern. a new governments agreement includes plans for judicial and security for forms. and critics of the coalition are worried about violent rhetoric directed against the

countries arab minority benjamin bb. netanyahu may soon add a new chapter to his memoirs published during the election campaign. israel's former prime minister is back, but this time netanyahu seated his return with the help of a controversial far right alliance. everything that always depends on looked on miracles, looked on yo, can be a reasonable prime minister even if you do not vote for him or not like him, he can run his well and he can run conflicts, he can do it. the question is his partners who are his partners? and that's the problem. his partner's the openly until our up and homophobic ultra nationalist religious sinus alliance. it's leaders arbiter as motorists. and it's been here been given here during the election campaign has been convicted for incitement and borrowed from military service because of

a stream dispute. just to our no, no, no. york guy, whoever wants to live here and he was alone. but whoever is throwing mullet up, whoever is killing children, killing women, is a terrorist. me. so what do we want to terrorist critics are concerned about their ultra nationalist religious agenda becoming mainstream and is ready politics. and their attacks and events are a minority among them elected members of israel's parliament, the can if it getting me and attacking me in order to attack the whole and proceed community. when he is saying this to terrorist, he says vis thought ups, as he said before, 10 or 5 or 3 years. we are talking about very extreme and racists.

a jewish politician party became the 3rd largest political force and the november 1st election. their strong showing has split the country even more. i feel frankly scared and also disappointed. around 400000 people voted for than you been with which and these 2 people have i find a calling opinion. and that personally, also vendor me as, as a woman, as a leftist in this country and also as a, as the person. i think most people voted for ben cuz the air because of the security situation in israel, we really want the security to improve pushing. ha ha. i think people are longing for someone who doesn't act and not only talks, milligram will seem. i person, you know, ben kabir, an issue. i was working in his law firm when he was a lawyer. i'm also a lawyer about it,

so let me slow today. i wish i could tell you that he's true to his words. when a good discussion melisha doesn't mean natania was new government. it's likely to be one of the most right wing in israel's history. earlier i asked, did i be correspondent rebecca rivers in jerusalem to tell us more about what to expect from the new government when it must be stated that this isn't the 1st right wing government that the countries are the same, but it is, as you rightly point out the most extreme, where st parties that are part of this coalition that we're once conceded on the fringes now their front and center in israeli politics. and that is likely to bring about some pretty big changes. and particularly when you look at the big ticket items, let's take, for example, the occupation and people living under the palestinians, living in the west bank to at least 2 of the coalition leaders, if you will, the, the leaders of the parties that are making up this coalition pro annexation and

their anti to state solution. and so we're likely to see changes there even in the late up to with during the negotiations. in the late up to this government formation, we've same promises made more direct control been given to these members of the can i said it especially when it comes to policing both in israel and in the west bank as well when it comes to the settlement policy so we are likely to say potentially more violence or more, more uprising will balance and of course expansion of those settlements. now the other things, particularly in israel, we're looking at a law that has been discussed a concerning the supreme court. now the supreme court is one of the only checks and balances on the government. the country have a constitution, it doesn't have a 2nd house of parliament. so the supreme court is one of the only checks and now the new government are wanting to pass a law that will, is called the override clause. that will mean that the elected government will be able to override supreme court decisions, basically giving it free will to do what it's like some other policy things that are really ruffling feathers to do with civil rights. and many of the ultra

orthodox parties looking to roll back gay. right? so, you know, netanyahu for his part has come out and said, you know, this is just fear mongering. that he is still going to be the hell that he'll be maintaining the status quo. and that this is just as i said, fear mongering and that no one has anything to worry about. but that remains to be seen. let's talk about netanyahu's return to power because it wasn't that long ago that an ideologically diverse coalition teamed up to oust him from power. how to israelis feel about his return to the top post just about a year and a half later when he's a contentious figure, no doubt. but he always, he does have a lot of support in the country. that was, he wouldn't be heading back to the prime minister's chair. however, there is a large number of people in this country that didn't vote for him. and that are concerned about his policies and about the fact that he may not be able to he, for, he seems very confident to be able to keep his coalition partners in check. but many people, he worried that he isn't going to be able to do that when push comes to shove. now, and of course it's not just is riley's that of worried. you've got allies,

particularly the you where saying they're concerned. i was speaking to somebody from the state department last week. they're definitely internally very warri publicly though at the blinking has come out and said that they will be focusing on the policies rather than the personalities of this new government. but that they will be coming down hard on benjamin netanyahu. if he's not able to keep his coalition pon is in line whether or not they do do that, whether or not they follow through with anything, of course, remains to be st. claire about readers for us in jerusalem. thanks. as always be reporting let's go to china now where cope at 19 cases are surging across the country. until recently, china had some of the toughest control measures in the world. but public anger and rare street protests lead to many roles being relaxed. now, with experts warning that hundreds of millions of people could soon be infected, chinese authorities have narrowed the criteria for identifying cova deaths. and that means that despite the jump in cases and overwhelmed funeral homes,

there have been no official recorded deaths for 2 consecutive days. at times china 0 coded policy looked like this empty streets and some of the world's largest cities like shanghai here, 28000000 people are nowhere to be seen. other times it looked like this with aggressive scenes and supermarkets and people desperate to grab some of the sparse food and supplies home still available to the chinese water. there were also containment camps. entire city blocks and neighborhoods locked up and barriers built to prevent free movement. china 0 coveted rules were some of the most strictly imposed anywhere. residents were repeatedly told 0 cove. it was the only way to keep them safe. george indian, we each and we must unswerving lea at here to the principle of people 1st and life . first astrology of curbing imported cases and domestic resurgence is on the

policy of dynamic 0 cove it found in but then this fall cases began to spread rapidly. despite the strict policies many chinese experienced for the 1st time, someone close to them getting sick with cove it and as cases spiraled, so did public discontent. in late november, a rare showing of public descent erupted in multiple parts of china. oh, there were street demonstrations and even some called for present teaching ping to resign. grades. i read the kind of public outcry unheard of inside china then, 2 weeks later, a change of heart from the government. the health department announced the loosening of 100 covey rules and holly footer. it just it how so she, our focus will be increasingly science based and targeted. who should, we should firmly correct oversimplification or a one size fits all approach and avoid taking excessive policy steps even gamma. on

december 7th, china loosened measures allowing home quarantine, reduce testing, and making it easier to travel. chinese authorities and state media largely ignored the protests and accusations at 0 cove. it failed. instead, they've been insisting the relax policies are due to a weakened corona virus. but weakened or not, the infections have been spreading rapidly, creating fear and anxiety, and for the disrupting and already fragile economy. experts warn china could soon be facing a peak of up to 800000000 cases in the country, which they say could mean as many as one to 2000000 deaths in the coming year. been calling is chair of epidemiology at hong kong university school of public health. and we earlier asked if china has the necessary health infrastructure to cope with these new policies. i is clear that it does not,

and something i'm very worried about is that there's no effort to slow the spread of infections and to flatten the curve a month ago, there were a lot of measures to keep cases at a minimum, those have been relaxed because we have a new strategy now of, of allowing the virus to circulate, but there is no attempt at the moment to slow things down. and in beijing they're dealing with a lot of very severe cases. all at the same time. if those could be at least spread out over 2 weeks or 3 weeks or 4 weeks instead of one week, that would make a difference. so i really hope that we'll, we'll have about some mitigation measures which the rest of the world was doing one year, 2 years ago. and it has moved on since then. china still has to go through this phase. i was calling from hong kong university school of public health, and now we can bring you up to speed with some other world news headlines at this

hour. the alleged boss of asia's biggest crime syndicate dubbed ages l. chapo has been extradited to australia. chinese warning, canadian c t lot faces drug trafficking charges and is suspected of leading one of the world's biggest suppliers of illegal methamphetamines. brazilian football legend pele will remain in hospital over christmas. doctor say his cancer has advanced and he will now receive elevated care. the 82 year old 3 time world cup winner was diagnosed with colon cancer last year. and has since been in hospital since late november, spain's famous christmas lottery known as l gordo began on thursday with a prize lot of more than 2500000000 euros up for grounds. award out means the fat one in spanish and has been running since $8.00 to $12.00 with millions of people taken part each year. i me and many germans are also getting in the christmas spirit ahead of the holidays. but this year there is also

a lot to worry about. the effects of the war in ukraine are being felt with higher living and energy costs. and that's not to mention a surgeon illnesses like coven, 19, and the flu. but one bright spot are germany's christmas markets open. now without any of last year's pandemic restrictions. mold wine, twinkling lights, and seasonal cheer for many germans, a visit to the annual christmas market like this one here in berlin. offers welcome relief. after a year of unsettling news. it wasn't often coin we're meeting up with friends to drink some spice to wine together. it's something of a tradition for us at the could you soon bye or this is making of yard by its way, albany. i haven't been here for 2 years. i lost my k was 2019 and now it's already 20. 22. francis relief to 4 fair ground operator tommy arbor, who was forced to cancel the market for 2 consecutive years during pandemic locked

downs. i ended off loggins off was the one of the locked down restrictions band, the sale of alcohol on parking lots and the recreational parks damage, but a christmas market without mold wine. it is pointless to governor now food and drink once again on offer it. gem is roughly $3000.00 christmas markets, but prices are noticeably higher. inflation is dampening the festive spirit and vendors income. not all the regulars managed to return this year in the might of i system here him and honestly someone else operated the stall before as well as the one over there, but they didn't survive the 2 year break. so i said, okay, i'll jump in and run boat stalls. one man's joy is another sorrow, unfortunately. ah, the students from ukraine and making the rounds as christmas angels at the charlatan boat palace market. collecting donations for children,

often by russia's war on their country. as an, as a freedom sports, or there are ambassadors of peace, symbolic. he flying over to the palace every day and bringing light the light of christmas time to foster understanding reconciliation and solidarity. right now that's more important than ever before. geopolitical turbulence in economic uncertainty, not even holiday music and energy saving lights can keep them and tidy at bay from this year's christmas markets. ah.

sour stay tuned for delivery is asia coming up next. thanks much for watching. ah with is the end of the pandemic in sight. we show what it could look like

will return to normal. and we visit those who are finding it difficult to success in our weekly coven, 19 special. in 60 minutes on d. w. sometimes a seed is all you need to allow big ideas to grow. we're bringing environmental conservation to life with learning facts like global ideas. we will show you how climate change and environmental conservation is taking shape around the world and how we can all make a difference. knowledge grows through sharing. download it now for free. they breathe. ah, they have body and soul. the houses that daniel leaders can

construct are more than just building you have to be radical. that's a radical mean. go back to the she is the son of jewish holocaust survivors. how lucky that i was able to build to jewish museum. berlin is architecture is a celebration of democracy and one building. the biggest thing in the world is this spirit of freedom and architect of emotions. this kid starts december 25th on d w. a 57 years, a shock coming up today watching students on cctv in the classrooms. that's the demi government plan to keep students safe with fairlance say it encourages