no one should have to make up your own mind. d, w, made for mines the . this is dw news live from berlin searing rebels push south toward the key city of palms. government forces scrambled to slow the insurgents as the capture more towns and territory. there stated goal, toppled president asa also and program pro many as top court and those the 1st round of the presidential election. the government accuses moscow of meddling after a surprise when for a pro criminal candidate the i'm and he says, thanks for joining us. after seizing the cities of

a level in homage, syrian rebels are now closing in on the city of homes. government forces have been unable to mount any effective resistance since the illness insurgents launched or offensive last week. taking homes would bring them a step closer to capturing the capital, damascus, and toppling president bush r. i'll also and is government tax for miss troubles on the outskirts of some city, but it's released by the rebels. showed them just a few kilometers from the city. often described as the main artery of syria across roads linking the capitol, damascus to the coast, and the rest of the country. while the there momentum has been building since the extra mas rebels successful capture of hama for the 1st time ever was the strategic and the symbolic. when for those opposed to president assets rule

anticipating their next move. russian airplanes, allied with serious government, started bonding the bridge, connecting come to homes and stuff just so the destruction of the bridge has been confirmed by the u. k. based war monitor. the rebels have advanced regardless. now homes is the last line of defense between them. and the syrian capital turkey, which backs the syrian free army and provide support to other factions to confirmed . that's where the rebels are headed next. wanting to body that to be exhibit. ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha! whose homes so want to know who the target is, damascus. so i need to body, let the deal with the advance of the position is continuing to,

we are monitoring it. so intelligence and media of the domain name is cause i would say we hope the advance will continue without any issues to reduce the missing do so has has to lose this. his grip on the country had an unprecedented pace. other friends are bubbling to rebels, have now captured territory south of damascus close to a neighboring jordan, which has responded by shutting its border. citing the security situation in serious south of us in the kurdish controlled east. the curtis lead syrian democratic forces captured tears free from the government, reportedly without a fight. after forces were drew. no key players have signaled readiness for talks on syria's political future. the advantage stick with them, i know we were surprised to see the southern and rapids collapse of the syrian

government forces on the front lines of credit so that the factions took control of large areas, imposing a new, political and military reality was pretty much the city for many in syria and unprecedented conviction that the rule of the sides spanning over 5 decades may be nearing its end. oh, some of mohammad is a journalist in northern syria. we asked him what kind of resistance the rebels and militia forces have been meeting. according to a 3 could see on the grounds and how it's creek. i think it's a, it's is really becoming very complicated for the you most the area there is no, any resistance. there is no any contract goals or strong fighting heavy need between the both sites the rules and the free. so you to an army alone. so with the

other, let's see, what are the code groups are taking over every c d a in a very easy way, starting with a label moving forward to hong hama. i know to the home cd, it look like the syrian army lost all of the power. the syrian political figures related to the governmental cdo, already leaving the syria to the other countries to try to have a deal on negotiations. that's why i think there is no, i mean, what are the 2 for the city of the army to flight or resist against people's? or let's take a look now at some other stories making headlines. russia and beller roost have signed a security pack that brings belarus under moscow's nuclear umbrella in return for allowing russian to deploy tactical nuclear weapons. there. use russian president vladimir putin and beller. lucian leader, alexandra alexander lucas. franco signed the treaty at

a meeting in minsk. mishenko also asked me to deploy intermediate range ballistic missiles and dollars to belittle public health officials and the democratic republic of congo. say the country is on high alert over a mysterious like disease that has killed dozens of people over the past weeks. condos, health minister says it's still too early to know how the diseases friday police in india have used to your guys to break up a protest by farmers attempting to march on the capital daily. they've been pressuring and these government to guarantee minimum prices for their crops, or provide more state support. and romania is top. court has know the results of november's presidential election after accusations of russian meddling. the 2nd round was supposed to be held on sunday, and would have seen far, right? pro russian candidate kalene's or jessica pitted against centrist pro european elena less scone. the current president says he'll remain in office until a successor is elected. is an unprecedented legal decision that is put to remain in

democracy in crisis. the country was set to go to the polls again on sunday for the 2nd round, the presidential elections, but not so changed. now that the constitutional court has a know the results of the 1st round, meaning the whole process must be repeated. the window of the 1st round was this man, call it, and don't just go far right now to skeptical spoken highly a russian president vladimir putin in the past before the 1st round of georgia scubas an old most complete. he doesn't belong to a political party. and most of his competitors just done a ticket, to his surprise waiting and raised eyebrows in my mania and beyond the decision to a know the election came off to intelligence documents would be classified. they

suggested that georgia school may have benefited from an online phone bass mass influence operation to sway the vote. jo jessica condemned the ruling a, which is the course of course you. today's constitutional court decision represents more than just the legal control of a single form for a website. it is practically an official as the crew to tie. what are the 2 to this step of each of the rule of law? is it ending juice to cut him off, stuck with that if you think coins, his opponent and then i'll cancel the 2nd round. probably a centrist elena, that scone also blocks difficult after the symbol of the day to remain in state his credit hold on democracy in crowds. here they can support decision is illegal, immoral and crushed is the very essence of democracy. the vote such misconduct clearly in the years to come, people on the streets of bucharest, also expressed consent on democratic i did the very bad that this has

happened. that's it, that's all i wouldn't comment anymore. it went on susan. unfortunately, it's on susan and we don't know which direction it with going, which is us and the families that video mania is now going on, shots and watches politically. and nobody really knows what comes next. then for more let's cross over to the used correspond to jack parrot and the remaining capital, bucharest. jack, it's good to see you. let's talk a little bit more about how the court made this decision. today. site, any proof that a site proof at all about the election and how it was compromised? it's yeah, so there's a series of declassified documents that the quote is working from that they show that they say it shows that there was wide spreads a campaign that they believe or at least has been suggested by many sources was put

forward by russia, specifically on social media channels like take talk and like telegrams as well. and that is what could have led to this huge, surging success by college or jessica who took about 23 percent of the vote when the 1st room was held 2 weeks ago. there is obviously some questions and there are a lot of people questioning about why the quote did this in this way. there's been a number of different meetings of the court where they could have made such a decision, but they've done it just ahead of the vote that was meant to take place on sunday. and that's causing concern across the political policies, but also among romanians on the streets as well. yeah. tell us more about that concern because we have heard some people say that it's on an anti democratic that it was politically motivated. would surely there also some romanians who are worried about russia's interference in their elections? yeah, i mean, definitely what's interesting is that both colon georgette school and the last

county who were going to be running off heads ahead in sundays election. the 2nd run both of them one to this election, to go ahead as we had in the, in the report that are as well they as a cultural, jessica is saying that he's not supported by russia. and that essentially this is being sold and he quoted at a formalized crew detox. i last got a need for hub. paul said that the people of romanian needs to be had. so it's quite an interesting situation. the prime minister, however, who was, who's in place for the government and not the president. he's been saying that this and we need to follow the constitutional quote. the democracy needs to be followed . that needs to be a no. and also we need to have that is re runs. it's also important to say that as soon as the quotes know, as a result, both of those people go into the 1st room campaigning mode. again, we don't know when that will be held, but they will not, will have to be back in, not big pull, both of indicated that they will run again in the 1st time when that's held because

a lot of uncertainty was make. this also were interesting is that remain is part of the european union. so what has been the reaction here from brussels to august? yeah, this is a really interesting time for romania, it's not necessarily the big sort of political power. it's highest of the european union in any sense, but it is great and massively in importance in recent years. and the presidential position is very important in not because the president is in charge of foreign policy and attends the summits. for instance in brussels. i know 27 a you leaders get together. why is remaining are important? well, let's go to 600 more than 600 kilometer border with ukraine and is fundamental in the european union's support for the war effort to try and fight off the russian invasion. and ukraine is important. so, supplies for exports of grain that ukraine, the ukrainian agriculture state's, and utilizes a big support. that con,

stands in the black sea in romania, also from a nato perspective. that building up a nature ad base in nickel and stanza, which is due to be the biggest nato base, the biggest data base in the hold of the administrator lives in europe. so that's, that's one story significant. lot hanging on the elections and romania, that's the w correspond to jack parrot. and bucharest, thanks. the american museum of natural history in new york has unveiled a new exhibit, the huge skeleton of the spiny back dinosaur known as a 2nd source. it's been nicknamed apex, and is one of the most complete specimens ever discovered. as the girls on the bill meet a picks the newest arrival to the american museum of natural history. a new york

apex is, or rather was a 6 meter long stick, a source, a species with some very unique characteristics spec us or if it wasn't like a low is a, have a voice. text source wasn't like a cow or a sheet. it's a 100. well, that could look out for itself. it has these wicked spikes on its tile spaces. lived in north america around 150000000 years ago. i picked up bones with discovered just 150 years ago in the state of colorado. the remains reached a sum of jurassic proportions at an auction in july, a record of $44600000.00. money you well spent, if you ask some of the school children attending the big review, it's really fascinating and it's really amazing that 80 percent of that is real foster. and like the big ones you can't even actually really wanted to really then and it's amazing that it spent 10000 dears

in the ground and make no bones advantage. it picks remains, have captured the imagination of many. when you're watching the domain is they with us the what thing is, what do you get for $0.50? $0.50. no. thanks income sales and lots and lots of stuff. did you know it costs $0.50 to feed one hungry child for one? for the evening? the. with the share of the meal,

you could share your video with children, with just $0.50 and a tab on your smartphone. together we can end global hunger. please download the, the war fate. speed is the rise of popularized politics, a steadily pandemic society. totally divided and possibly on the point. sounds like we're talking about today, right? actually, it's all in a novel published a 100 years ago. the magic mountain by thomas marshall's i'm the snellville address is issues that still considered us to have issues. we still discussed with great enthusiasm. oh, great hostility. don't mind this novel come better explained to us problems, we're currently experiencing things that warriors can today. people are also taking a closer look at the books we're, which have always been you can okay, so i think it's a fascination read and the novels it has many interpretations. it has many layers

in many things. it's also a 1000 pages long. it's a literal literary, heavy weight. so what makes it worth the reading or even a 2nd reading the or. ringback the magic mountains, 100 year anniversary is being marked with an exhibition in 2 months, months hometown and flew back with stage production. even a sequel, not written by someone's mind himself, obviously. but 1st, what's it about? okay, what's that the same? it's the swiss alps at a sanatorium that's a kind of health resort or clinic where people think the fresh air will cure them of long disease. and there was plenty of long disease at the time, 2 months, months such as novel and $19.00 oh $7.00. when temperature low says, still a leading cause of death in here and the best treatment people can get if they can

afford it, is breathing good air and just waiting around to get better. and they can wait a long time, answer if the story is young here, some us months, main character who goes to visit his sick cousins. how does the people we meet this character, hans cast or 9 who travels into this world and ends up staying for 7 years and is confronted with all the ideological political and philosophical debates of the time? that's what's funny about the book is even though his cast off is actually healthy, he really gets into the santa toria, the people, their philosophical debates, and just the culture of being a patient there. strict health routines, luxurious meals, obsessive temperature, and taking the ends up and living like one of them, the ones on the end thoughts and then in an isolated hermetically sealed place, the questions of humanity are played out on all possible levels. even the con, the building was progress, science love plays a major role. this is very presence. and so all the big topics and so much fun

creates to character patients of the clinic who really are polar opposites and their philosophies, sets and brittany. on the one hand, p stands for progress and individual freedom for enlightenment vendors and ask them the see wants to see society dominated by it. so tell a terry and rosie to talk with her and resumes were starting to take power in europe at that time with the rise of communism as fast as concerns cast off his coat between these 2 that the whole novel revolt around the decision which site to take, but at least both these characters become the highest concepts, mentors and he's really torn between the 2 philosophy. eventually, exclusive debates turned violence to rival space, often a deal. and that's just the beginning of the violence. the book ends in 1914 with the start of world, 1100 costs are disappearing. and so the chaos of battle. when the magic mountain came out, it quickly became an international best seller, translated into many different languages. and over the decades influential people

have claimed it as their favorite book, like american critics, susan sontag, who said she'd read it 7 or 8 times in spain. big fan clubs cropped up at schools, and universities are listening. you don't have to have 3 talk trips in nature to understand to them this month because there's a lot of iron in human in his work. no more. it's about very serious things. but the book itself is an enjoyable experience. and there was some really hilarious things from you in the so in the i meant that you sent us and got the of cc, much one group of people who didn't think the magic mountain was funny. it was the tourism board and thought both switzerland, they thought the book may have the town looked back. they actually asked another big german writer of the time, tests not to write a novel, but pains of the town in a better way to almost month live quite a while born in 1875 at the beginning of the german empire. his diaries reveal that

he was bisexual at a time when that was not accepted of 1929, he won the nobel prize for his novel vote, involves plato or the fled nazi germany with his wife, katya. a jewish convert to christianity and there are 6 kids. so let's take a step back. in 1912, katia of mine had been diagnosed with tuberculosis and thomas mind went to visit her at of salvatore. i'm and of a switzerland. that became, has an inspiration defense who filled with mon, it's all coincidence. and so we imagined he must have sat there for years, thinking about how to do it. but it's all quite incidents. so 5 keywords really wanted to write the magic mountain as a short story on and it turned into a 1000 page novel inside. and it took him 12 years to write it. he was interrupted by world war one, but also he was going through a shift in his own minds. when he started writing the book, he was very pro more unsuccessful. in 1914,

thomas mont allowed himself to be carried away by the and suzy as him for war, that was driving. many intellectuals officers, writers and artists of the time. so he was in the front line of advocating for it. and in 1918 when germany was defeated, it was a lost cause and he went to a very isolated last month, almost 9 switch sides. in the 1920s he became one of the most eloquent defenders of the republic and by the 19 civilities during his exile in the united states, a true believer in democracy. they will come. when the nazis came to power in 1933, thomas, my left germany with his family moved to switzerland pen to the united states. and later back to switch from us mon advocated for tolerance and human dignity until he died and 1955. when thomas mind wrote the magic mountain, she was thinking about his own process of political transformation. he puts a lot of the old hat, the pro war, him, that he distance himself from,

into the character of nafta. let's be sent to muslims. watson price is me most about thomas, man is honest and sincere willingness and courage to change his mind. to put his views, the task again and again and to arrive and you've use one to stand up for those new views until until you revises them. again. i think of the some of the of them, the magic mountain reflects exactly that in the up when the magic mountain came out in 1924 european society was really on edge versus feeling like today. actually, the restlessness of heightened tensions, existential dread, and the feeling that society could go off the rails. that's what i can do. what was in the air, he writes in the novel, you can sense of tremendous on ease of fear of the future. and suddenly there's the situation at the end of the novel, where things are unraveling, uncertain as to where they start shooting each other,

where they're cursing at the steps where the craziest ideas of merch off and people are literally losing their minds, boston and as walters. someone's mind writes about total polarization division. people who stopped listening because now we're at that exact keeping points today and this time of grades eligibility. all you have to do is turn on any evening talk show and you'll see that people are interrupting each other. not listening, just yelling, ask opinion and sign the word, go to holland, minus the politics following its populous and what we now call hate speech. and this information, this is the tensions and the dangers that are later going to lead to the fall of the weimar republic. germany's 1st attempt real pro, a mentoring democracy ended with the nazi here coming in, if you can follow it in vivid detail. he describes it with a tremendous aesthetic sense and tremendous psychological insight creates an atmosphere where at the end you just wonder who will shoot 1st, 1st in the jewel,

and then at the very end, the war in which the whole thing culminates. the pursuits 1st. even today we see people turning the violence and they can't get their way with work. they don't get them. i think it's sadly current. we should keep that in mind and not in a good way. it's been a century a 100 years and was still at the same place. people will stuff in 9 years and yes, double. it's double see what? at the end of the magic mountain to him, us mon asks, out of this universe of feast, of depths, out of this extremity of fever, tingling the rain washed evening sky to a fiery glow. may it be that love one day so mountain humanity should be ashamed that we still have an answer. the books, great final question after this universal feast of death may be that loved one day, shall mount this question about the horrible 20th century 21st century. is starting the exact same way with the next universal feast of death and ukraine in the mid

least of mine was also ahead of his time when it came to sexuality earlier. novella is 20, a career guy and death in venice at strong homo, erotic under the magic mountain contains motifs that are obviously clear beneficial . i think it's one of the books greatest strengths that it breaks every cliche, especially when it comes to questions of how to talk about in the body sexuality under ross. this is on the warranty, comes custom, falls in love with a woman, but i'm so shocked. but she reminds him of a male classmates that he wants. fans, defies the. the question of what the amount is, what a woman is, what's masculine, what's feminine? and what is perceived as attractive erotically attractive? all of that is fluid here. and gender fluidity was not mainstream. thomas monster and homosexuality was totally tab boot for most of society. just it was a criminal offense. in the 19 twenty's thomas mind campaigned against paragraph 175,

which criminalize homosexual relationships, and i understand so as month own desire for man was something she lived out in secret to the outside world. she was an upstanding, heterosexual citizen, with a wife and 6 kids. love, hates politics and passion. they're all here in the magic. mount someone's mind leaves it up to you though, how you want to interpret that. how much can sometimes we have to find out own way, just like the characters in the story. you can, i think that in times of the fake news and everything happening quickly. this idea of having to read with critical lies and do that for ourselves and stay awake. that is the most current seeing the numbers and that's what i liked the best. ok, so i sort of myself, do i a social okay. much middle style and in case the idea of reading a 1000 pages, it seems overwhelming my document. you can always skip a hand. these lots of readers have told me which parts they skipped, but i thought, and then i'll. so let's get to it. what fascinates you most about the magic mount? let us know any comments. the

the robots view will tell you who we are happy that we are back to the story. we have a getting a visa is more difficult than finding gold hosted to use the dream force and for the future in the stories and issues that are being discussed across the con. you news africa? next on d w. the secret world of motorcycle con boy who does this important job and how do they learn it?

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stops on screen for help. find beyond says get smudge on dw science outtake talk channel. the. this is dw news africa coming up on the program commands, choose a new president. how much will this decision hinge on the on going to come on a crisis. it's been a hotly contested campaign for the tough job to save the countries fortunes as inflation rises and the local currency lose its power morgan and sinking into poverty. we'll get the view from the cross. also coming off the multi $1000000000.00 infrastructure project that's brought joe biden to an goal at the tail end of his presidency. we'll discuss the role of the lo vito car doing in us africa relations and justice at last the victim.