things and more and then you know, season off the pot and make sure to tune and wherever you get your pot passed and join the conversation because you know, it love matters ah, ah, ah, ah, this is dw news life in berlin. germany's new defense minister kits, the ground running just hours after being sworn in board. the story. this is meeting with the us defense secretary lloyd austin, likely top of the agenda. german battle tags for ukraine also coming up. i'm leaving because with such a privilege road comes responsibility,

responsibility to know when you as a right person to lead and also when you want to help in a shock announcement, new zealand prime minister jacinta, or durn says she's stepping down early. almost a year before her term is due to an hundreds of thousands of people joined a nationwide strike in france to protest president beth homes plan to raise the retirement and billions of trips are expected as lunar new year. travel gets underway in china this sunday, but a huge surgeon cove. 19 infections is casting a shadow over a normally festive season. ah, i'm michael ok. welcome. germany's defense minister boys historian has been in office for just a few hours and is already holding talks with his us counterpart,

lloyd austin, in brief statements before their discussions, austin and historian, stress the importance of the close alliance of their countries. their meeting ahead of nato consultations on friday in germany about further military aid to ukraine. here's some of what the u. s. defense minister have to say. it's been a turbulent term for european and global security. but throughout the crisis caused by russia's unprovoked invasion of ukraine, germany has remained a true friend of the united states in a staunched offender of our, our large and values. so we'll continue to support ukrainian people as, as a resist russian aggression and defend their sovereign territory. i'd like to thank the german government for all that. it is dawn to strengthen ukraine, self defense,

and your contributions of security of system. some training for your crimes to offenders have brentenbock and valuable. earlier i talked to d. w political correspondent, benjamin alvarez goober, and i asked him how ready the new prime new minister of defense was for this meeting with his a. u. s counterpart lloyd austin. absolutely. probably would also have like to have a few more days to get into this new role. but that's something that the german president funk 5 dashed i may, i told the new defense minister earlier today. you have to get started right away in another high ranking politician of the pro business f d p party said there won't be a grace period. so he needs to start it with the talks already. he met the secretary of defense. he also had a phone call with his french counterpart and to morrow of course, will be a big day for a politician that has known this topics. if for several weeks he has been following

all this evolution is interior minutes of lowest saxon. he also dealt with many of the security topics, and that's something that the german chancellor will actually said when he announced that boyish disorders will be germany's new defense minister. no doubt the most pressing issue, whether germany should provide battle tanks to ukraine. the pressure on germany is clearly growing benjamin both from outside the country and within where did the talk stand between washington and berlin at the moment. definitely, and that's one of the biggest topics. it's a dilemma between both countries, between germany and the u. as the german chancellor has been dodging the questions on sending tanks, he did the same. also, yesterday the world can nomic for us in a divorce, and what germany is saying, according to it, german media now is that germany would send a, these lepper tongues to ukraine. but with the condition that the u. s. does the same with they abram tank so they will be something that they will definitely discuss. that's a dilemma because the gas is not signaled yet that they will st battle tanks to

ukraine. although some european countries have said already that germany and that europe should step up, their weapon exports to ukraine. but to see how big this difference is, we will actually get to know their batter to morrow when at the allies of ukraine me to morrow drumstick. abbeys on the invitation of the u. s. secretary of defense, lloyd austin a to discuss if there will be any further weapons exports. there will be further weapons expo that some something that we know for sure. but the big question now will be, will there be tanks? will germany wait for the you asked to take the 1st step? because that's something that the german government, that bill in his repeated saying that they will not take any steps alone, that they will wait. it to discuss with alice what the new weapons experts will look like. and that's something that germany and berlin has been severely criticized over the past months. is since a russia invasion of ukraine saying that they have been dragging the feats when it comes to this in a, taking

a role not taking the lead in this question. many thanks to d. w political corresponded benjamin alvarez gruber, ukrainian tank unit say they need modern equipment like the leper to in order to break through russian front lines. they say they'll be able to quickly integrate the new technology on the battlefield. a ukrainian base in the hockey region. the area has been under russian fire again since the weekend of tatiana high to moscow and her medical team are looking after this tank brigade. the men have been stationed here for weeks. a more was person for me, of course. so i was good, isn't that these are russian project childs nearly every day and night. they fire at my colleagues and our ambulances at the moment. we only have 2 of these vehicles, at least this one survive. feel shannon hi to moscow, inspects the vehicle. they use as an ambulance, that has to hold out

a while longer. there's no money to replace it. that worries her there more and more bullet holes. machine and professional nessie studied the much. these are old cars that volunteers donated to us as an official and that if they buy out cheap old cars, then they bring them here and give them to us fidelity with them. so yeah, we then we're pad them all the time at a month to month or so because they keep breaking down. no, my 1st question. it's not just the makeshift ambulances, a tank officer, micheler tempo is worried about the condition of his own vehicles. this was a mono we're fighting here with old tags from the soviet union. listen, i'm spot with the same tanks. the russians have left with the court to have an advantage to break through the russian front line storm. we need more modern main battle tanks like the leopard to the connection of the chinese snowy. so far, his unit has been using old soviet

t 72 battle tanks from the early 19 seventies. the tanks have seen a lot of use and some of them are badly damaged. hence the push to get leopard two's as soon as possible responsive i them to go. i was lou there. i'm sure our soldiers will master the modern technology, while it's with the soldiers who have bad experience with the tea. 72, you will learn to master the leopard, very quickly. withdraw door to the mush ripken of cheat. so what that, you know, you may report the soldiers here are waiting for russia to mount another major offensive doctor high to moscow is going to stay here. though she can earn much more money and keep dominy situ. i'm exhausted tired all the time. i'd like to go to my little daughter who's waiting for me at home, but i know that the soldiers here need me more. even when i'm gone for a short time, i worry about how the men are doing denisha. then on at this phase hopes that the

new modern tanks will arrive soon. marina marin is a defense analyst with the war studies department at kings college london. earlier i asked her how tanks provide a competitive advantage. while ukraine hasn't got any tanks or many hanks laughed and whatever it was using, those were old soviet hangs. and obviously to gain a competitive edge, especially in light of the fact that the russians have billed ashlock. the hands along the front line ukraine is in desperate need for tanks. and as a matter of fact, they are asking for some 2 to 300 tanks, which is a significant number. but this number indeed, makes sense because sake would be integrated to conduct defensive, as well as offensive combined arms operations. as our correspond just made clear moment ago reports suggest germany is said to be ready to supply the leopard to

tanks. if the us sends the abrams to ukraine, what are the salient differences between these 2 vehicles? well, technically speaking, they stand from the same project and the 7th ye. so the leopard to and the eproms hank in terms of a say or performance have rooms, has seen battles. so it's battle tested. it doesn't have that theme or armor is that the leopard do has. so leopard too is definitely superior when it comes to armor. and abrams a has successfully performed a, in the cold war in 91 in 2003 in iraq and also in afghanistan. so it has seen battle, it's battle proven. it's reliable on blackboard to has great armor. it has also 120 millimeter that high explosive antique hang crowns. but it depends on the

version of flapper that the ukrainian armed forces are going to get because there have been some problems was see cold will version that as to a for in syria when turkey deployed those tanks and they were vulnerable to more tours and mines you'll know, of course it, in the early years of the 21st century, military planners were musing about the possibility the tanks would become obsolete . does the warn ukraine demonstrate just how far off those speculations were? i think it is a, an interesting question because most in military officers think about how future wars will look like. and the idea was that there will be no peer on key or warfare . and there that will be contactless worse, where you wouldn't actually see your enemy. and i think the lessons here are, is that we have to be prepared for everything. we have seen syria, we a,

we have seen a combination of kind of old m world will want tactics along with some modern technology being used in war. so i think it would be premature to discount the role of tanks for now. got it. that is a marina mirand defense analyst with the worst studies department, kings college london. many thanks. thank you. a look now at some other stories making headlines around the world at this hour to palestinians have been killed in an overnight raid by israeli forces in yanine in the occupied westbank palestinian sources say one of those killed was a militant while the other was a teacher at least 17 palestinians have been killed by israeli forces in the west bank this year. rescuers are scrambling to get to 6 people trapped under a collapse building in the dominican republic. cameras have been wedged into the rubble and fire fires are in contact with those waiting to be rescued. several

inhabitants were injured when the 4 stories structure collapsed, but no deaths have been reported. swedish climate active is greater to him. berg has accused global fossil energy firms of fueling the destruction of the planet. she was speaking at the world economic form in davos, switzerland, twin berg presented a letter she and other activists had written to energy companies demanding they stopped exploitation of fossil fuel reserves as well. i do one in d. w, caught up with louisa nie bober. germany's most well known climate activists at davos and asked for what they were hoping to achieve at the forum. he and diverse am some of them most polluting industries avoid a meeting and the investors. and as someone is to spread the message that the fossil fuel era needs to come to an end and the future belongs to renewables. and, and that message is certainly not coming from those people. so we are he and said

a lot of talk about getting to net 0. do you think that world leaders and business leaders will actually deliver? i think am well that is business leaders. i doing very good job p. i am demonstrating that they know that climate change vocabulary very well by now am congrats. am batch clam address isn't about nice words and at the green rhetoric, it's about substantial change and ending the fossil fuel expansion. and if you look at the business plans of the big philosophy entities around the world, all of them most, almost all of them planned to expand. so am clearly they're not drawing the line here when it comes to instruction. they're not clearly not planning to stick to and climate targets, so someone outs will need to stop them with an eyebrow. thank you so much. sure. you're dylan's prime minister jacinto. our journey has shocked her country with your nance man. she is stepping down early. she led her labor party to a landslide reelection victory 2 years ago. but now order and says,

february 7 will be her last day in the top job. just in the arden lead newsline through the pandemic terrorist attack and natural disasters. she now says she is ready to pass on the baton and so today i am announcing that i will not be seeking really action. and the my team as prime minister will conclude no later than the 7th of february. i know what this job takes and i know that i no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice . it's that simple. father became the was youngest female head of government when she was elected in 2017. at the age of 37, she quickly gained global recognition for her brand of liberal and inclusive politics.

the following year, she had a baby becoming the 2nd elected leader in history to give birth while in office. how compassionate response to the ma shooting at a christ church mosque in $2191.00. her widespread praise. we a nuisance parliament. wanted to change the nation's gun laws less than a month later, horse wisely for sick. this is the for the coming to the level 2 and a government's go hard go. early approach should, the pandemic is bodily. what got her. a 2nd dome in 2020 newsline quickly shot bordeaux's and imposed a prolong lockdown to stop the spread of the virus. but bold suggest her popularity has waned in reason one's plan to boucher has come as a surprise not only to those was a portal but also those who don't i think she

was an excellent leader and i'm devastated that she skinny. she's resigning now. it was time for her to go in and no one in the right. mine would have been fighting for her. so like, i was never surprised. i actually, i was a bit straw, chose shop that she for in the tell a little, you know, i kind of thought that she was gonna be in it for the long haul. it was, it was a shock. it is a shame to see and effectively to like pick go. but i guess nobody's irreplaceable pardon says she has no plans yet for the future. rather than spending more time with her family the german parliament has recognized the massacre of ethnic yes. cds in iraq as genocide. it was a unanimous vote in the german goodness dog after debate that lasted an hour. the move was hailed by a cd community representatives who attended the session as visitors. fighters from

the so called is womic state massacred more than a 1000 years. cds in northwestern iraq in 2014 d. w. spoke with one your cd family who found refuge here in germany. it's shopping tele slow, still shaken. when he re consti attack on his home village are pretty islamic state . and my mom he is now in germany, but lived in iraq until 2014. that was the year when is lambs, militia concrete, large parts of his homeland east. and so her bud see, mark taylor's slow and his family fell into. i asked him to the tea and we're separated. his krisha shopping with hog, voiced my father on my house. where is my father? where is my uncle? one of the i s men said to me, we asked them several times if they would become muslims or not. and your father and other men said no, so we shot them, or they are happening, alleged shows. it's shop english, his father like the rest of the family,

belong to the years edi ethnic religious minority in my, the i as brutally persecuted them because of their beliefs and traditions. the family used to live and the main settlement area of the easy des, cinder. it's also where tele, his mother and his sisters were held captive by the i s hot on scottish logan. they beat us and gave us little too little. he actually took our 4 sisters away and force each of them to marry a member of the i did. and in this, when i had gotten, according to the u. n. the i as as mad at more than 5000 she cds and kidnapped there was 7000 women and children since 2014, to this day, thousands of years edi refugees live in camps in iraq. although the i, as, as considered defeated. but their homeland still lacks basic infrastructure. i had skipped canvas. there is no water and no electricity, hank, and there are no hospitals or schools either it truly support from

a country like germany would help formal recognition. would release government funding to help you see these rebuild their homes. it is crucial for us as a yes, it is called back to the city has. if this does not happen, the i ask, will have a chief exactly what it wanted, but its attack, which is to free to st. of you see teeth union in 2015 of the iraqi government paid the i asked a ransom and tell all and his remaining family were released and came to germany. but even if the region recovers kindful, i do not want to go back to a country where i suffered so much a leavin worcester, for now, he has everything he needs here. the lunar new year gets under way this sunday and in china, it's a holiday with an even more special meaning this year. it's the 1st time chinese

citizens, they are allowed to travel. since the pandemic broke out transport authority, say billions of trips will be made during the holiday season, and that sparking concerns for the spread of the krona virus from cities to rural areas. i travel rush on a scale not seen in years lunar new year in china marks the world's largest annual migration by land, air and water. travelers are relishing a life after lockdown was absolutely i'm going home and i feel so happy so excited recently that this has been my 1st time going home in the past 3 years. your role when i get to my home town? well, i'll surely do a p c r test just to protect myself. otherwise, i wouldn't know if i'm in fact in china abruptly ended it 0 cove policy in december after imposing some other world strictest. pandemic measures, residents of big cities are now reuniting with relatives in the countryside. that

has china's president jean pink concerned. it says state devi medical resources there are spread thin in a video holiday message e g paid tribute to china's health care workers. bad lonnie upon hill tre. bother you. ching, are this wave of the epidemic? mom came fast. i and fierce grandfather all the medical workers have been working on epidemic prevention and control. and while providing daily medical care at the same time for dr. chung's jane, go. you have been working long our household goods or hard work, putting it over time. the mission, all for the sake of protecting the lives and health of the people. you've made great contributionship. i thank you for your efforts. i gushing corolla that time of caution and joy for travelers. this lunar new year iran has

warned that the european union would quote, shoot itself in the foot if the block designated the revolutionary guards as a tourist entity. it comes a day after members of the european parliament appeal to the you to sanction the military force. the lawmakers condemned the crackdown on protesters by ron in security forces, which include the powerful revolutionary guards as brutal to ron, says any sanctions will affect global, as well as regional security. and peoples and resolution as a whole. viral hold is open evidence here is a sweeter social democrat who is a member of the european parliament and leading voice in the call to sanction to ron's revolutionary guard. i asked her what it would mean, practically speaking. if the e you designated the military force a terrorist entity. look, it's very important that the european union starts acting. we have heard a lot of very nice words from math from a member state the salesman, but we have seen lack of action. so it's time to go from words to action and showed

the sad boosted regime that we will not see silent. and what should be said situation in a question of the people continue going on. the d m e piece appealed, doesn't oblige the european union to act. so what effect can it actually have? well, he, thirdly, we have seen how well the power all vast, strong it a voice of the european convent, also a faith said the yeah, the members faith, you encounter that to and take one boy did the sessions and the mom so by the european apartments are there plans for any more sanctions so am i what i heard now from the commission and i i listened dead the other day to any to you by on the lie and the president of the mission herself where she said that the issue all that the isic nation of i heard you see as a terrorist organization is under take a bunk bed from the side of the european parliament. we have also demanded

sanctions the on the leadership of this group to the regime of the ali khamenei, the biggest sid, the leader of the country. but also the president and the chief that prosecutor and their families. iran has been under sanctions for quite a while now, but crack down on anti regime protests and executions. continue. is there any sign that sanctions or having of any effect? well, we need to a sure it work to do what we can do and the add that to the suited regime, the coo crohn's back to that under the stone that it came from. i'm the and dead. we know that for over 40 years of silence and no progress have happened. so the only way we can assure that fleet and also applies on the people of iraq. easy to so all muscles to words didn't salinas being sign and member of the european parliament evans insured many, many fact. thank you. tennis now and at the australian open

olympic champion, alexander's fair of, of germany has crashed out in the 2nd round, after being defeated by american michael mo, in $0.04. spare of one. the 1st said 76, but the following 3 went to mo, without much of a fight, mo, only qualified for the open due to another players withdrawal. it's the 1st time since ferris tournament debut in 2016 that he's fail to make it to the 3rd round. and a reminder of our top story german defense ministry force historians has held talks with is us counterpart, lloyd austin in berlin. this comes ahead of the wider meeting of european defense ministers at the u. s. air base and ramstein in south western germany on friday. berlin is under pressure to facilitate the delivery of leopard 2 battle tags. to you, chris, don't forget you can always get

d w news on the go. just download our app from google play or from the apple app store. that will give you access to all the latest news from around the world. as well as push notifications for any breaking news up next on focus on europe. he did dispute over wild bears in poland. don't forget you can get more news and analysis on our website. that's d w dot com. you can also follow us on social media. how handled you might have guessed is add debbie news. i'm michael. ok. thanks for watching with

ah, ah ah, norway is also vulnerable to attacks. since the start of the lord ukrainian, this scandinavian country has become europe's largest gas supplier, also making it a potential target for act. sabotaged. armed forces are on high alert

with focus on europe. next, on d, w. an exclusive interview with donnie dionne director of the yard wash him holocaust memorial. you vowed that you would never visit germany . what are your expectations? we have to think together how to continue to keep the flame of all upholstered members alive. now he's visiting germany for the very 1st time, the exclusive interview with donnie. dionne might stay in 75 minutes on d w. oh, hello guys. this is the 77 percent. the platform for

africa. you to repeat issues and share ideas. ah, you know, or this channel, we are not afraid to happen delicate the topic because population is growing fast. and young people clearly have the solution. that future belongs to the 77 percent every weekend on d w. ah, ah, this is focus on europe. i'm lar, bubble lola, welcome. russia's war in ukraine has severely impacted europe's energy supply and force countries to.