right, i d, w dot com ah, just hours after germany in the united states announced plans to sin battle tanks for ukraine, a reminder of why those tanks cannot arrived soon enough. russian forces on wednesday captured a mining town in eastern ukraine for keep a russian reality check along the front lines. the fighting it's fiercer than ever . the arrival of western tanks will be long overdue talk of a ukrainian victory this year. it could be overkill. i'm brit gulf in berlin. this is the day. ah, the bottles were in the wheel when the spring workers for a club is also a weapon. please don't forget with event mark just about with all

those the same well, you will be in water. that was 21. i'm wonderful. the russian girl so far as are we allowed to go. i want to repeat, well, we don't want to us out. you don't want brushing black hours. go do to far europe, you family as democratic, more than god. also coming up a message for the catholic churches, fastest growing congregations this week, pope francis said that homosexuality is a sin, but it's not a crime scene was being homosexual. is not a crime. can get every man and every woman must have a window in their life with where the content to help and where they can see the dignity of god and being homosexual isn't to crimes. it's a human condition. it's not on cinema. ah,

but to our viewers watching p b us in the united states into all of you around the world. welcome. we begin the day with airstrikes and you in what some see as the latest acts of russian revenge in the country. on wednesday, germany of the united states announce that they will send battle tanks to ukraine, the news aloud ukrainians. a bit more hope that they may be able to win the war against russia and do so sooner rather than later. while the criminal, it sees it differently, president putin spokesperson saying that the tanks will be a mistake for which the ukrainian people will have to pay when the wave of air strikes across ukraine may have reminded civilians of how real just how real the russian military threat remains we spoke earlier with the mayor of keep the tele clear coe about his people's resiliency in the face of russian fireball. the russians tried to destroy our infrastructure right now snowing outside was pretty

called, and the target to target a critical infrastructure. the russian forces try to reason here as soon as you hometown. try to make it huge damages and destroy the normal life to be them and to make your house to dread, to bring the depressive mood to every one. to everyone, our citizen. instead, them the people were angry and read as a 5. listen, the i year like, great saying the hours better without let to stand what i've been with russians and we're still fighting for how and dependency for our freedom in the butler is very important. the wheels, we in this very spirit, but it's also important more than weapons and we defend right now our homes,

our country, and please don't forget with his mom just now homes. we defend also the same wireless european more than democratic wireless, and we defend the dock. i'm sure. do russians go so far as far? we allow to go and we listen for we listen. what's wrong from moscow? they talking about apple and they talking about body countries and would you present himself as a collector all for me to do it during rush and why they want to repeal russian class and i want to abuse one more. we don't want back to us. we don't want to be russian black, our dog to be the part of european family craddick. mom was telling that go that the mayor of ki, well, were the earth drawings that you gradient soldiers. they were they some sort of

russian re ality jack meant for you gradient. i put that question to ed arnold. he is the european security research fellow at the royal united services institute. no, don't think so. what we saw yesterday is a significant offensive capability in the form of times which have to be used with all of the other and military assets of the western provided, linking to fighting vehicles and artillery. and that will have real use comb, spring and summer when ukraine is going to go on the significance offensive in terms of the strikes that we're seeing if the last 24 hours, which has been striking, needs civilian targets for months now. so i don't think that those 2 things are linked in terms of escalation of what they did in terms of the time commitment yesterday. and then on the 3rd and final points. yes, we're still taking some ground, but it's incremental. it's not much grounded. so no strategic value in that tank

and very, very heavy cost for or you could bids then that when once we reach a certain number of tanks in ukraine, that we will see the gradient military then be able to not only hold these foot lines, but be able then to push russian forces back. if the i mean, are you convinced that it's going to happen? yes. when the ukrainian defense plans obviously come up with the $300.00 and that's what they assess, that they need to take back the territory roughly 20 percent of ukrainian territory is in russian hands. so that is the number that they are provided at the moment in terms of time support for europe. and also the u. s. it's been over a 100, but i expect that to rise. and actually a lot of the statements for, for these that, you know, there is a bit of an installation that these might also be of initial trenches. so you might see more times in the coming days and months, but also in ukraine needs and offensive capability. they'll take a 100 tanks and it's also, it's not necessarily technical specifications. the times is how they use them. and

you can't have to decide whether they put them immediately into the fight. now it in the east or they hold them back for us with the largest or offensive and try and use them to, to train a higher echelon and use them in a more strategic way. that's a critical question. ukraine. them. and we've been, we've been told that ukrainian soldiers, they obviously will have to be trained for and how to operate these lippard, to tanks. but can you give me an idea of the timeline we're working with in terms of transporting these tanks from where they are there? there are numerous countries across western europe. they have to be transported from they are to ukraine. what type of time horizon here should we be looking at for the moment. so people say around 2 to 3 months for the lap and switch feels about why it says that she probably quite quick. given that the decision was only made 2 days ago, this decision should have been made in october last year,

following the counter fences in the south and east in september where the ukrainians objective for that was essentially saying, you know, we can do the job. we just need the tools, so actually the west is delayed this decision already, which means the timelines are quite tight. the ad one abrams, which will come from the u. s. the 31 has a quite large that it just takes footprints just because of the size of the time gets larger than that and to challenge to that. and also the way that the fuel system works. so it needs a lot more so that, you know, these are all issues and the logistics issues on not insurmountable. but i think for your now what they need to decide is, is this a transactional hazel tanks. and that says, or is this that she, you know, they need to sustain the and more times over a number of potential months and years and not to stage maintenance repair that posed, for example, in poland. that's going to be a critical requirement now for the europeans to make. and before i let you go

u. s. president by the he until yesterday basically he had said that the abrams tanks, they're just not suitable for what they need to do in you crate. he's now not saying that, and we, we don't know, maybe the end of the year, we'll see the 1st abrams in ukraine. it did, he just maybe offer that to the germans to get those a leopard to takes where they need to be. yes, the any main battle times from the west are suitable to ukraine, just as is where they are in the current war and what they need to achieve. hopefully this year to try and get some assumption of the fighting this year. like i said, the challenges and getting them or not insurmountable, but the u. s. did not want to do this. they'll be very annoyed with the germans, was basically forcing their hands in order to release leopards. if you look at what the u. s. are providing in both are assets, infantry fighting vehicles, high loss. i mean, mission. you know, it's totally 26000000000 now and the latest support package from the u. s. match

the u. k. assistance package for the entirety of last year. the u. s. a. doing all of the heavy lifting in a european war again, and i think they'll be very annoying to the fact that there's now has to sort of be forced into providing the n was that they think they didn't want to provide. yeah, that is a point that has been made repeatedly and you are making it again tonight as well. mr. edward, are we appreciate your insights tonight. thank you. i hope francis has spoken out against the laws on the books in some 60 countries that criminal lines, homosexuality saying that they are unjust. now that message comes just ahead of the pontiff visit to south sudan wanted numerous african countries. we are being gay. is a crime sometimes punishable by death. so closely. we are all children of god. kidding and god loves us as we are. and for the strength that each one of us

has to fight her at dignity. zerosix being homosexual, is not a crime. it is not a crime sheep. yes, but it's a sin you say well yes, but let's make this distinction. place between sin and crime. it is also an intellect charity with one another. so what about that? every man and every woman must have a window in their life with where the content to the hope and where they can see the dignity of god and being homosexual, isn't a crimes. it's a human condition is not on my next gifts it tonight is one carlos cruise. he is an openly gay man who serves as an adviser to pope frances on l. g b t. she matters. he is also a survivor of abuse by a priest in chile, it is an advocate for all such survivors. it's good to have you on the program where this we understand that the catholic church, when it looks at growth, in terms of numbers, size of congregations,

the strongest growth that it is seeing is in africa right now. that also happens to be the place where you are seeing even new laws that are being put on the books in some countries that criminalize homosexuality was this what we were hearing in this interview from the pope and attempt to maybe shepherd these growing clocks is there were he was trying to do? well, 1st, thanks for having me. and i you know, you said it before. the statement that po made yesterday is, is groundbreaking. no, pope has ever done it in history, and i do think yes that it's not only for growing continent growing where catholics are growing in africa. i think the pope has even a bigger ambition. i would say to make sure that human dignity is respected everywhere. the l g b t, community is persecuted,

is condemned. there's violence against the community. there's draconian, horrible laws you know, criminalizing almost a tragedy. and so it's important that the pope makes the statement and that other public figures, politicians, other faith leaders, bishops, and cardinals follow, follow his teaching. and it's, it's important because he wants the church in africa to thrive. but at the same time, this is a dilemma, isn't it? you've got growing congregations that have hot politicians in them that support putting game in lesbians, transgender people in prison, or maybe even putting them to death for being homosexuals. he knows that he's got to that's got to be stopped in order for the church to maintain its legitimacy. i

would go even further. you're absolutely right, but i would go even further. there's even church leaders that support the passing of laws that criminalize in some way that the l g b t. community that definitely has to stock. and the silence of that higher key sometimes leads to these draconian laws, like i said before, to bubble up to be bigger and people need to, to speak up. you've got, you've got bishops, you've got members of the catholic church in africa who they know that they've got the leverage now. they know they've got the growing congregations and then they point to the catholic church, particularly in europe, but also in north america. and they say, look at your set, your child sex abuse scandals, is history of that. you've got what they perceive as gay men who have prey to punish children. what they're doing is they're telling their people they're asking

us to bring that here. what's, what's your message to those church leaders who are passing on this horrible message? you're absolutely right. this horrible message, this criminal message that they're passing and i would turn it around for them, right? it's criminal. what they're doing. first of all, as a survivor of sexual abuse, you cannot equate that pedophilia with homosexuality either absolutely 2 different things. gay men are not kind of a, some are some heterosexual men or pedals. this is, this is not a matter of sexual orientation. would you like to say that there would you like to hear the pope say that mr. cruz isn't? yeah, absolutely, absolutely. i think, i think though he's a big statement right now. i think the people that have the

that have megaphones or that have opportunities. i have to say it themselves as well. it doesn't, it doesn't stop with just the pope, especially in, for example, i'll tell you something in, i don't want to miss owens to it. but, but i deal with, i mean survivors from all over the world. and i met them from one african country. they're heterosexual. survivors of sexual abuse when they were children, they don't dare to speak up about their abuse because there are laws against homosexuality in that country. though they're afraid that they are going to be labeled homosexuals and go to jail. so it's, it's, it's shameful. everywhere you look at it and it's

still, it's still hard though to get that message to these growing congregations. because even if the pope says a sexual are not criminals, he's still saying they're sinners. and in a lot of people's minds, those that centers and criminals are one of the saying yeah, but, but i, i, you show the interview and i, i'd encourage people to, to review it. the pope has a very singular way of when he preaches, when he speaks and interviews he, he was saying, well, being homosexual is not a crime. and then he talks to him, sounds like there is another person. he said, well, they might say that it's the same but compare a sin to them. it's a bigger thing to hurt your fellow human being or to persecute someone from the l d p community just because he's l g b, that's a bigger sin and the pope says that so i, i do believe that some people,

especially in the more conservative media are trying to prove that mr. cruz and i hate dinner, but we're running out of time. i wanted to say i wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk with mr. one of those not crews advise you to the pub. thank you. take care. ah, a deadly cold stamp. it's with your cross asia record, low temperatures are disrupting the lives of millions of people from japan and south korea to afghanistan, which is experiencing its coldest winter in 15 years. people in china's northernmost city more. he and no strangers to the cold. the temperature here can stay below freezing for up to 8 months of the year. but this week things are especially chile, temperatures plunged to minus 53 degrees celsius. it's colder,

stay ever recorded with yet. so northern china has been hit hard by the freezing front, affecting asia roads, a covered and snow rail tracks, a frozen with thick ice jelly. bought dogs. yeah, go here and junk. a cycling isn't an option either. the cold sweep has caused sea ice and northeastern li alden bay to expand rapidly. it's not just china that's freezing. japan is also experiencing record low temperatures. heavy snow is blanketing large parts of the country. with $93.00 seemed to meet its falling on the city of money were in just 24 hours in south korea, nearly $500.00 flights in and out of the resort island j ju were cancelled on tuesday to, to the wither. meanwhile and central asia, the weather is proving deeply in afghanistan,

temperatures have dropped to minus 34 degrees in parts in more than a 120 people are reported to have died. we are having so many problems with this cold weather. we have no call, no stove, and our children have no warm clothes. the cold is deepening, the humanitarian crisis, facing the country since the taliban took control. yes, gun winter makes everything a lot more difficult and we're very conscious of the, the season and the timing. and as you say, we see some of the consequences in loss of life. this is within the context of 6000000 people. it's an astonishing number of people, knock it on famines door, the better temperatures, the plunging much of afghanistan, struggling population further into poverty. this year marks the cautious winter and a long time in large parts of asia and for the millions effected spring can't come soon enough. was only me now is frayed smith is an independent journalist,

reporting from seoul, south korea. good morning to you, frank. i think it's what about 5 50 in the morning. they are, we appreciate you getting up and it is early in the morning. is it so cold that you don't want the drought? and if you do have to venture out, or you even able to definitely to call to venture out and i'm not going to do alive interview with him outside as i've done previously it's, it's gone down to minus 25 minus 28 with the wind chill as your report mentioned, flights in and out a check to island were cancelled earlier this week and to get people off of that sort of sub tropical island that received a, you know, more than 20 centimeters of snow or so they opened up the airports in sol, in sean and in game pull, airports later to bring all those lunar new year,

holiday makers back to the back to the mainland peninsula. they also deployed 2000 workers and a 1000 trucks around the capitol to to clean and salt salt the streets. this is one of those stories too, that hits home in the building. i'm in, i live in a new or apartment building. we had some pipes freeze in, in the lobby of the building, burst and then spew water around the, the lobby of the building, and then freeze quite, quite an area creating kind of an ice rink there. so the greens are also dealing with an increase in, in energy cost because of the war and ukraine, south korea imports a 100 percent of its oil. so people saw their bills go up as the country imported more gas and coal, to deal with these energy shortages with the government just this week, announcing subsidies for people to in, in low income to deal with this increase in energy prices here rent for year in

a place where energy prices may be high, but you've got the infrastructure to deliver the energy, the end to keep you warm and dry. what are people in north korea? what are, what do we know about their realities right now in terms of, of heat for everyone and also food supplies? well, it depends a little bit where you are. if you've ever seen a satellite image of north korea at night, there's a lot of light around the capitol pyongyang, and then outside of that it's, it's a black space. it almost looks like the ocean in places in north ham, young and south ham young provinces. these are bordering russia. they don't have a lot of electricity. so people rely on things like plastic sheeting to insulate their homes, would and dried plans to provide burning wood and dried plans to provide some, some heat to their homes. and there were reports last year of people going missing and, and freezing in the cold snap. so there is a lot of concern there,

along with the food insecurity brought on by north korea, shutting down as borders over the coven, 900 pandemic, just opening up late last year. so that's also a concern for those. again, northern provinces in north korea, brent and we watch what people are having to deal with. i mean, you're having a proper and extreme winter, but it is cold there. and you know, here in berlin we're in one of the warmest january's on record. they're expecting february to be the same. i mean, you've got these extremes even for winter right now. what are you being told by meteorologist how long is this cold snap? how long is it going to last? is that also going to be extreme? well it's, it's been extreme certainly, you know, i've, i've lived in south korea for more than 20 years. now. this is the coldest. it's ever been in my memory. it, it hit record lows and in several cities here in the over the past week. it's likely to carry on through saturday and then warm up a little bit into,

into next week. you know, if we consider this also with the weather that we had in the summer, you know, a heat wave here in the summer and record rainfall that flooded the capital. sol, in late summer, early, early fall. this, this past year in 2002002, considering these extreme weather patterns it's, it's not surprising that we have meteorologist here calling this extreme weather, connecting it to climate change, of course and, and calling it a new normal brand frame smith joining us from so south to re freight, we appreciate you getting up early and stay warm. thank you. the day's almost done. the conversation continues online. you'll find us on twitter, e w news. you can follow me on twitter, break golf tv, and remember what ever happens between now and then. tomorrow is another day. we'll see that

with with to the point of strong opinions, clear positions, international perspectives breaking with a long standing taboo. germany has authorized delivery out leopard battle tanks to a conflict. so does that mean berlin is ready to lead to militarily or does it

remain on my guard to find out on to the point to the point with d. w. european into conflict zone with tim sebastian, i'm comfortable with spotlights on the german government in recent days, under pressure at home and abroad to send its tanks to ukraine. i'm taking its time to decide in the end berlin will supply the leopards. we will deal with other countries matching we offer. my guest is week is julia and smith us. i'm back to the to the alliance. com. click zone. in 60 minutes on d, w. o, oh, a little nar, davinci, mysterious masterpiece. this perhaps the greatest leonardo masterpiece in the

collection of the louvre and no, it is not the mona lisa. it is the virgin of the rocks, 2 versions, multiple copies, and a hidden drawing. was there another symbolic meaning to this beautiful painting that perhaps we just don't understand? the search for answers start to february 10th on d. w is germany's finally ready to make good on the turning point declared nearly a year ago by chancellor sholtes breaking with a long standing taboo. he has now authorized the delivery of german tags to a conflict zone. ukraine will receive leopard to battle tanks. not only directly from germany, but also with berlin's approval from.