>> happy new year and a warm welcome to the journal. glad you could join us on this new year's day. chinese authorities start looking for answers a day after a new year stampede that left dozens of people dead. egypt orders the retrial of three al jazeera journalists charged with helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. an afghan forces take over security after the last nato combat troops leave the country. welcome to the program. an investigation is being launched into what caused a mass new year stampede at shanghai's waterfront that left 36 head and dozens injured. the chinese president has joined others in expressing his

condolences to the families of the dead. huge crowds have gathered at the city's historic waterfront from midnight party when panic broke out. today, some of them were returning to the site. >> hundreds gather at the square to pay their respects to those who died in the stampede. just a few hours earlier, the scene was very different. the chaos began half an hour before the clock struck 12. police are investigating what caused the panic but they have dismissed early speculation that fake money played a role. authorities say promotional coupons which look like banknotes were thrown into the crowd from waterfront building after the stampede occurred. ambulances struggled to make their way through the crowd so they could transport the injured to nearby hospitals. some survivors were in shock. >> people upstairs wanted to come down, and those downstairs wanted go up. people at the top began to fall.

we were pushed further down. >> people were lying on the ground everywhere. male, female some unconscious, some spitting blood. some who had died already. i felt extremely powerless. >> is the worst disaster to hit shanghai since 58 people died in an apartment building fire in 2010. >> north korea's leader kim jong has opened the way for an historic talk. >> south korea oh welcome the overture and suggested dialogue should begin as soon as possible. >> after the recent attacking rhetoric coming out of north korea, the country's unpredictable leader started off 2015 with a more conciliatory tone, reaching out to the south. >> we sincerely want to reprove relations between the north and the south. we can resume stalled high-level meetings. >> he held out the possibility of a summit with south korea's president. >> there is no reason not to

hold a summit at the highest level. we will make every effort to advance dialogue and cooperation. >> kim made it clear that the environment he wants to see would include an end to the military exercises which south korea holds periodically with the u.s.. pyongyang has repeatedly condemned the maneuvers. kim's comments come amid deteriorating relations with the u.s. over the release of an american comedy film about an attempt to assassinate kim jong-un. pyongyang has called the film an act of war. the leader of the impoverished nation made it clear he has no intention of abandoning his country's nuclear weapons program, as demanded by south korea. still, he welcomed the comments and said he was ready for what he called frank discussions. >> poor weather conditions continue to hinder the efforts to locate the wreckage of the air asia flight that crashed off the coast of borneo. a funeral has been held in one city for the first victim of the crash to be formally identified. so far the bodies of just nine

of the 162 passengers have been recovered every cause of the disaster remains a mystery and authorities fear it could be days before the flight recorder is found. brazil's president has been sworn in for her second term. she wrote down the esplanade for thousands of supporters had gathered. she took the oath before heading to the presidential palace to make a national address. russia's government is beset by massive scandal surrounding petrobras which is said to have bribed politicians for decades. egypt's top court has ordered the retrial of three journalists from the television network al jazeera. they were not granted bail. they have been present -- to have been imprisoned since they were arrested just over a year ago. their charts with the members of the band was lump brotherhood. they were found guilty last june and given prison sentences ranging from 7-10 years. the case has caused tensions with qatar, whose royal family

funds al jazeera. we are joined by our correspondent in cairo. what is the back story here? what is behind this trial and the rest of these journalists? start with that. they are accused of spreading false information and collaborating with the muslim brotherhood. six months ago they were sentenced to from seven to 10 years of prison without any evidence really provided in the trial. they said they were just doing their work. now the court basically throughout the case and said they have to be retried. that is good news for the journalists. the bad news is that the retrial will not occur before a month from now and up to a year. also it means that is the first time the possibility of a release on bail will be discussed. >> so they will remain in prison for a while. what about relations between egypt and qatar? how is it going to affect trial?

>> there is a political backdrop to the hold story. al jazeera is owned by the emirates of qatar. qatar is -- egypt accuses kocher of supporting the muslim brotherhood. that is kind of the background. now there is a reconciliation process going on. can't turn last week closed down all of its -- qatar was down all of its television patient. the other side of the deal includes this trial. grace that story from cairo -- >> that story from cairo, thank you. going out to syria where 76,000 people have been killed in the ongoing civil war there. that is according to the syrian observatory for human rights. that makes 2014 the conflict's

deadliest year. apparently more than 200,000 people have been killed since fighting broke out between government troops and rebel forces in early 2011. that figure also includes casualties from among islamic state ranks. that group controls large parts of syria. >> afghanistan has assumed full responsibility for its security as of today with foreign combat troops having left the country. 350 thousand afghan soldiers now bear responsibility for fighting taliban insurgents. >> just hours before the official handover, a wedding party was hit by mortar shells in helmand province. at least 20 civilians killed. police are investigating reports that the shells were fired by the afghan army which is currently fighting the taliban in that area. though the mission has ended in afghanistan, 13,000 foreign

troops remain in the country to help train and support that afghan army. but early in the morning soldiers climb aboard a helicopter as its georgian politics way to take off. the captain is among this group. we fly on the way to animate -- an afghan army camp. he is an advisor around of 150 german shoulder -- soldiers here to provide support to their afghan colleagues. >> for me it is especially satisfying when i see how committed the afghan soldiers are to building a safe afghanistan. >> 5000 afghan soldiers are based here. they take part in combat missions throughout the north of the country. afghanistan is at war and has been so for decades. the soldiers have never seen peace and they want to make a difference. but they also have to be prepared for the worst.

2014 alone, the afghan army lost as many soldiers as the isaf forces did in 13 years. the german military base at the other end of the city looks deserted. once there were more than 5000 german soldiers in afghanistan. now there are only 850. germans have served here for 18 years. on the situation has been improved the taliban has not been defeated. >> we learned experience for this kind of operation. afghanistan went for a civil war that lasted 30 years. we never had anything like that and e didn't know what to expect here. >> the german military says afghanistan needs more time. no one knows how long this new mission will last. >> did you notice that one of our reporters has been going around the newsroom asking about hangover cures all week? >> i did notice that.

after a big party like new year's eve, there is always a demand for the perfect hangover antidote. in a city like berlin, i bet there are plenty of takers. >> oliver moody will chronicle their struggle starting at one of your favorite neighborhood homeaunts peavy >> this deli specializes in fish, and around the new year, they always do a booming trade. this is a traditional german hangover cure, especially popular here in berlin. for anyone and desperate relief after new year's eve, the assistant manager explains how to make it perfectly. >> we have prepared a kit to show you how to make it. here you have the herring among which is pickled in vinegar. then there is the gherkin, which acts as the filling. there are also chopped onions and we used to cocktail sticks to hold the whole thing

together. so these are the individual parts and this is how it looks when it is finished. pickled herring might not sound appealing on a delicate stomach but he says it really does help the symptoms of a hangover. >> the body gets the salts it needs exist they are pickled in vinegar. through these acids and salts that body gets the minerals it needs. that is why it helps a hangover. so germans tend to fish -- turn to fish in their time of need, but the british do things a little differently. east london says an authentic taste includes bacon as the key ingredient. eggs also feature heavily in the u.k.'s favorite hangover cure. like most of what ends up on the

play they try to make the ultimate comfort meal. if this looks like a lot of grease, that is the point. it's what makes it one of the most popular items on the menu in east london. the restaurant manager can vouch for the benefits of meeting a fry up. he says it's the best way to get back on your feet. >> there are very few times i would have a hangover, a fry up would be the way to go. keep it going, get me strong, keep me working or get me back to the pub, one or the other. >> so is the new year celebrations involve one beer too many, the solution is on its way from the new k -- from the u.k. >> extremely cold water like the tiber river saw some hardy souls plunging in today. more out of a sense of adventure and pure fun. it has become a tradition after

starting in the mid-1940's. large crowds lined the banks of the river to cheer on the four men who took the job. >> it's not just in italy that people were braving icy temperatures to go for a quick dip. >> across europe, tens of thousands of people have taken on some of the coldest waters and making a mad dash for the chilly north sea, if it isn't for you, there is always a bracing new year's day jog. >> that was right at the brandenburg gate. that's all we have time for. thanks for joining us this new year's day. >> we will be right back after a short break.

>> welcome back. the ukrainian president

described the year gone by as the worse for his country since the end of the second world war. >> he also said he hoped 2015 will be a year of reforms and pave the way for eventual eu membership. it's now almost a gear since the protests have forced the former president to flee the country. >> in our series looking back at 2014 from our correspondents, we return to the central square in the ukrainian capital to gauge people's hopes for the new year. >> people come from all over ukraine to independence square in kiev to mourn the people killed in protests that led to the overthrow of the government in february. they numbered more than 100. since elections in october ukraine has had a new government. many faces are familiar. trust is thein. >> i don't know what to think of the government yet. i have hope but it's such a

shame that all these people had to die. but most of all, i just want the promises to be kept that were made to the people when they were standing there. that's what people died for, why they were killed. >> ukraine's economy is in tatters and its currency has lost 50% of its value in just one year. the russian annexation of crimea and the war in eastern ukraine have cost the country 20% of its economy, including coal mines in the east that feed electricity grid. >> ukraine needs to get some kind of cushion. this cushion is a new package of financial aid. >> and we expect that under our reform agenda, and due to our

commitment to implement and pass reforms, we will get this financial aid. >> but europe's leaders are being cautious. many structures in ukraine are holdovers from soviet times just like the colonists building spirit corruption remains rampant in the administration. but it's a huge challenge for all of ukraine fighting the economic crisis. at the same time, people were demonstrating only a year ago in bringing down the old regime. many are now fighting today in the east of the country. >> volunteer battalions are fighting alongside the ukrainian army, supported by the dice by donations from the people. it's -- supported by donations from the people. >> the russians don't like me. i killed four of them.

that's why i am wearing a mask. in this war, humans are being destroyed on both sides. >> more than 4700 people have died so far according to a u.n. tally. the current cease-fire is patchy and many fear that fighting will intensify when the weather gets warmer in spring. >> latvia says it is reviewing its army. >> along with other baltic eu companies, latvia has a sizable ethnic russian minority from its large neighbor. many say they are facing increasing discrimination. reg ishares the latvia love of cranberries. otherwise he has little in common with them. the ethnic russian refuses to apply for latvian citizenship

even though he has been living in riga for 25 years. >> i don't feel like i belong to this nation. somebody has been telling you for years that you are an occupier and a nobody, why should i take an oath? there is not a single reason when i should become a latvian citizen. we are constantly put down and mistreated that is just not for me. grace he and others like him are referred to as noncitizens. they have fewer rights than latvians. for example, they don't have the right to vote, and they often earn less. that's why many shop at the cheap central market. they have latvian passports, but on the upper left it says aliens. most of them are former soviet nationals. elizabeth says there are similarities between the large russian minority here and the

russians in ukraine. >> they are just denying minorities and the nine political participation. of course there is a risk that the problem will be -- by the russian federation peavy >> they say anyone who passes the language test can become latvian, but there is deep presentment nonetheless. >> you only have to visit the market to realize there's a lot of soviet baggage in latvia. the country is trying to attach itself to the west with everything it's got. and it has got quite a lot. >> it started as the latvian version of facebook. now new start ups are springing up like mushrooms here. there's a different one at each table.

no wonder the digital market will be one of latvia's targets during its eu council. >> there are a lot of young people who have skills. we also have one of the fastest internet in europe and the world. i think all this young generation can think different than our parents or grandparents. >> the latest idea is a small box that displays selected information managed by a smartphone at. employees from around the world at the canteen. the average age is 28. they have become familiar with their new home but abroad, latvia is still unknown. even council presidency should help change that. >> i want to show the real latvia. i want to show that we also have

pluses and minuses. we have good things and problems. it is reality. if there is no sign of problems the company is looking west but latvia's roots in the west remain the. >> lithuania, new year had a greater significance there this time and brought in a new currency. lithuania has adopted the euro as its currency becoming the 19th member of the eurozone. just to give you a picture of how big it has become, 337 million euros -- europeans use the euro as their currency. >> lithuanians have been celebrating the new year and some have been celebrating their new currency, the euro. it took years of budget slashing and austerity to qualify to join the common currency. >> since the borders have gone

this is the time to have the euro. it's better to go with the global world and have the euro. >> the lithuanian economy has bounced back from a deep recession that is set to grow 3.5% this year, outperforming most other euro zone countries. the prime minister believes it will boost trade and investment. the euro will be our guarantee for both economic and political stability. it will allow us to develop quicker and improve new workplaces and incomes. i believe we will strengthen the euro family. people have been lining up to get the new currency. however, skepticism is also great. polls suggest a majority of lithuanians expect prices to rise and fear a loss of national identity.

>> looking at the fireworks remind us that cities around the world are cleaning up after last night's big party. millions cleaning up in street parties in various capitals after welcoming in 2015. >> europe's biggest news the party took place at the brandenburg gate here in berlin. 6000 rockets made for a spectacular fireworks display. at the world's tallest building in dubai, that was the centerpiece of possibly the world's most that tabular new year's. >> at the vatican, tens of thousands gathered at st. peter's square to hear pope francis deliver his new year's address. he told the audience he hoped 2015 would bring an end to all wars. he said that peace is always possible, but people must search for it. the pope use the ceremony to urge people to fight modern

slavery and human trafficking. the world's best ski jumpers are headed to austria after wrapping up the second and final german leg of the four hills tournament. >> the winner of the day was a surprise. >> he celebrated his first world cup win for almost two years. the norwegian had not tasted fig tree since suffering a knee injury in 2013. he did not record the furthest jumps at the four hills event but extra style points pushed him ahead in the competition. he is now fourth in the overall rankings. an austrian leads the way. germany had listed cheer. it was already out of touch with the leaders after his first job.

his second effort showed vast improvement. he recorded a job of 134.5 meters to move up to ninth place. -- he recorded a jump. but one good jump is never enough every >> that's all we have time for on the first day of 25th in. keep on watching dw. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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