from berlin. presidential hopefuls face of their first major test of iowa on the road to the white house. firebrand donald trump is among the candidates making a final pitch to voters. on the democratic side, hillary clinton has a razor narrow lead in the polls. coming up, a global health emergency. the world health organization says the zika epidemic is a threat worldwide and is calling for international action. and the most coveted coach in

world football is joining manchester city next season, but can he lead munich on? i'm brent goff. good to have you with us. it is make or break time for presidential hopefuls in the u.s. in the state of iowa, voters from republican and democratic parties are meeting in caucuses to decide who they want to run for president from each party. former secretary of state hillary clinton was once considered the clear favorite but has seen her lead in the polls all but disappear. she is up against democrat bernie sanders. the two are running neck and neck in the polls. the billionaire donald trump leads the republican bid with conservative texas senator, ted cruz, his closest rival.

we take you now to richard walker in iowa covering the caucuses. good day to you. you are definitely in the middle of mid-america right now. talk to us about how significant the iowa caucuses are to the u.s. presidential election. reporter: i'm sure you will agree it is usually significant. for the last six or seven months, we have had a sort of phony war going on before the election really gets started. after six or seven months, particularly on the republican side, we have had this extraordinary race dominated by the figure of donald trump leading in the national and most state of opinion polls for well over six months. finally after all of that time, some actual votes are going to be cast.

that is especially important in terms of understanding how strong donald trump support is because he is not a career politician. nobody really knows how solid that support we see in the opinion polls really is. brent: we report so often about the disdain in the united states for government, for the establishment, for the washington in crowd. are you sensing that in iowa? how is that affecting people's decision to caucus? i think it is something that is affecting some people. it would be in a saturation to say it would affect everybody. we were in an even -- evangelical church yesterday speaking to worshipers there and we heard many people say that they liked marco rubio, for

instance, a man who is seen as u.s. tactic toward the establishment, having had an antiestablishment start to his career. on the other hand, it is anti-establishment figures who have made the surprise stars of this campaign so far, not just donald trump on the republican side but bernie sanders, a man who describes himself as a democratic socialist and has made no attempt to walk away from that title during the course of this campaign. he has been usually successful and we were at one of his offense over the weekend and spoke to a lot of students supporting him. for those students, there's no one else in this campaign who said that shoe they see with the same passion as bernie sanders. those people are guaranteed to turn out and caucus for bernie sanders tonight. turnout will be a big issue. brent: i know you have talked to

a lot of people in iowa this past week. what have they told you they want in a president? have you seen any similarities regardless of political leadings -- political leanings? reporter: we have been doing a project on social media and i would encourage our viewers to take a look at that with -- where we pull away from the day today and try to ask what kind of america do people want? the thing that strikes me in the answers we have been getting so far is how many people from both sides of the political spectrum are saying they agree on one thing and that is there is too much divisiveness in american politics. but i think we are encountering a paradox because it seems to be the one thing all americans agree on is that they have to stop disagreeing so much.

brent: we will be talking with you throughout the afternoon. thank you very much. the world health organization has announced the zika virus is a global health emergency. the director general of the who spoke a short time ago. >> after a review of the evidence, the committee advised that the cause of microcephaly and other cost to -- and other effects constitute an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world. in their view, a coordinated international response is needed to minimize the threat in affected countries and reduce the risk of further international spread. members of the committee agree the situation meets the

conditions for a public health emergency of international concern. i have accepted this advice. i am now declaring the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in latin america following a similar cluster in french polynesia in 2014 constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. brent: we want to take you now to geneva to the headquarters of the who. we are joined by spokesperson from the world health organization. you just heard your boss saying we have a global health emergency. what does that mean in concrete terms? guest: that is right. and it would not effect any of us in a concrete way in our daily life. it means the combined effort of

the international community in terms of health research and science should be focused on establishing a possible link between microcephaly and this neurological syndrome to the zika virus. why do we have this outbreak in brazil right now with more than 4000 cases? why do we not see it in other places yet? what are the reasons for it? brent: we have to be clear that it is still not proven zika virus is causing these birth defects. guest: you are absolutely right. that is why this call is being made. to combine the efforts of the international community because of we had a clear link in whatever way, we could work toward eliminating it or fighting it, but we know so

little about this virus and so little about the possible links to microcephaly. there could be other links or other reasons from various factors, drugs, alcohol, vaccines or environmental factors. it needs to be pinned down what we are talking about. brent: we have heard that pregnant women and mothers to be are very worried. should they avoid visiting the infected countries? guest: the worry out of there is really clear because there has been so little knowledge about possible infections. zika virus was fairly mild with not many big symptoms and

nothing to worry about. but for pregnant women or those who would like to get pregnant soon, this is of a major concern because this is what we have seen in brazil right now. that there is a possible link. looking at your health care provider would be helpful. but our texture self first and foremost from mosquito bites. where long close and use a mosquito net. brent: very wise words at this stage of the game. thank you very much. he mentioned brazil and we want to take you now to that country. it is considered ground zero of the outbreak. philip morris is in rio. hello to you. unborn children are most at risk. authorities in other latin

american countries have advised women not to get pregnant. that is a drastic health warning, but what are expectant mothers doing now? guest: in brazil, they recommend mothers to take care of themselves. looking out for stagnant water for possible breeding grounds and of course, everybody has seen the images of the babies with microcephaly. so stay rational. that is a difficult. it is understandable that others are panicking. there are several doctors around the country who unanimously of revealed to a newspaper that they have already performed a

growing number of abortions of pregnant women diagnosed with a virus and decided out of fear their baby could get microcephaly and already decided for an abortion, so this is a preoccupying state. brent: so we have abortion rates increasing because of the fear level. brazil is gearing up for carnival celebrations. our authorities able to cope with this? you have a lot of people coming around the world to rio. guest: from the point of view of the virus, this is a perfect scenario. people coming and staying together in the millions and then flying home again. the problem is what can the authorities do to inform all the people about the risks? that is what the authorities are

trying to do. here is my report. it is 30 degrees and the party has started -- thousands are warming up for carnival in rio de janeiro. but in the corner, there is a sign that reminds everyone of the dangers of the zika virus. the fight against the mosquito borne diseases getting a lot of attention and everyone is being urged to do their part. >> don't leave any glasses lying around because mosquitoes can lay their eggs in them. no open bottles of water. that is not allowed. we are afraid of the tiger mosquito, but people leave rubbish lying around. but they are reckless and their children are being born with microcephaly. it is not good. the virus has caught the world's attention and rio de janeiro is taking the challenge seriously,

with the health minister himself out on the streets. >> particularly, pregnant women should not come to brazil. it is a difficult situation. we are telling pregnant women here they have to be very careful. but some refuse to let fear get to them. this pregnant women sex she does everything to protect herself that demand action from the government. >> the health officials should have attacked the problem and that it would not have come to this. action at carnival is all well and good, but it is no joke. it is very serious. guest: the olympics in august will be an even bigger challenge with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected. but by then, it is winter and hardly any rain.

with that, hopes the tiger mosquito will keep away. brent: it will take a short break and on we come back, more news and business news as well. stick around. >> what do you get for $.50? >> for $.50? >> not a lot. >> did you know it cost two cents to feed one hungry child for one full day?

with the share the meal app, you can share a meal with children in need for just $.50 and a half on your smart phone. smart phone users outnumber hungry children 20 to one. imagine the impact you and your friends can have. together, we can end local hunger. download the app. brent: welcome back. you are with dw news live from berlin. in the u.s., donald trump holds a narrow lead in the republican race ahead of the island caucuses. the first major challenge candidates face on the road to the white house. on the democratic side, hillary clinton has a smaller advantage with voting due to start soon. relations between the german and russian governments are on the rocks. a series of recent incidents contributed to that, among them,

and accusation from the soviet -- from the russian foreign minister who said germans covered up the alleged rape of a russian speaking girl in berlin. she later admitted to lying about the assault. but lawmakers say these accusations undermine germany. reporter: last spring, members of the german parliament received a flood of e-mails containing attachments with trojan virus that forced a shutdown of the parliamentary network. german lawmakers that they were not surprised with a learned russian military intelligence was possibly behind the attack with the aim of accessing sensitive data. it was to be expected. it carried all the markings of the russian strategy. they support german right-wing networks and fund demonstrations against angela merkel's policy.

lawmakers cite accusations of abduction and rape of people she described as foreigners. the story turned out to be a hoax but was still propagated by russian media.+ the russian foreign minister accuse germans of suppressing the story. the german foreign minister denies the charge. many politicians claim russia is pursuing a campaign of misinformation. >> people who criticize chancellor merkel' g policies should have a good long look at who's bandwagon they are jumping on. security experts see this attempt at espionage and misinformation as proof of a relaunch of the former soviet union's clinical strategies to fight western power. brent: time now for business news. what is on the business agenda?

javier: we have a lot for you and we are going to start by taking a look at the world of dark pool trading. that is private financial exchanges that allow large volumes of shares to be traded anomalously. -- anonymously. that means trouble, but today, there was a breakthrough in the fight against fraud. two big banks have reached a $154 million settlement with u.s. regulators for misleading clients to believe their dark pools were safe. they found out they could give high speed traders an advantage to profit from financial exchanges. the new york attorney general's office says it will continue to take the fight to those who try to manipulate the system. the pro-democracy party has taken a step toward becoming the new government of the nation. parliament got underway today

for the first time let the national league for democracy. legislators admit it's going to be a tough call. dealing with the economy will be just one of the challenges. >> an day in myanmar few imagine could arrive. i feel like i'm still dreaming, being here in parliament. the country's first freely elected parliament has held its opening session. expectations for what the government can achieve our high, especially on the economic front. the rural economy is poor. jade, gems and minerals are often found in areas where ethnic minority groups clash. as such, the piece plan will be key in solving economic was. while investment soared to $8

billion, with coca-cola making some of the largest pledges. many are still under the indirect control of the military. today's message is clear -- myanmar is intent on good governance and is open for business. javier: volkswagen is still in the midst of its omission scandal. the european parliament has announced an investigation, but they german carmaker is not the only target. the inquiry will also look at eu regulators themselves. reporter: it took a scandal to expose the actual level of omissions committed by vw vehicles. but one question remains unanswered. how many people were in the know beforehand? the focus is turning to european and national and two shins. a european parliament committee of inquiry is investigating

allegations that eu regulators themselves turned a blind eye to suspicious pollution test results. the green party is among the growing voices calling for more transparency. the european commission has been accused of failing to carry out its duties. it has rejected those claims, saying that while it is responsible for emissions on cars, does not have control on enforcement. >> if there is a person still capable of the requirements or capable to achieve the new proposals, the person must be a really pathological case. reporter: volkswagen has admitted to installing software and 11 million cars to falsify emissions results. the eu wants to give itself more power to fine manufacturers and makes checks on vehicles already

in the market and initiate recalls if problems are not found. javier: the migration crisis has many faces and is being analyzed by experts of all fields, including those who take a look at the money. germany is housing and feeding a million migrants who arrived last year. a new estimate says costs could reach 50 billion euros over the next couple of years. reporter: this site can accommodate up to 7000 people. it is currently the largest refugee camp in germany. with more people arriving every day, authorities are overstretched. the focus has also turned toward cost. one study forecast german spending on accommodating refugees to reach 17 billion euros this year. a further five alien will go toward language and integration courses.

cost are expected to rise further with total spending in next two years expected to reach 50 billion euros. germany's finance minister faces some tough decisions. analysts predict he will have to take on new debt next year. despite the cost, it is hoped refugees will be an asset to the german economy, but that will require successful integration and access to the labor market. javier: now back to brent and a big secret. brent: probably the world's worst kept secret. we are going to talk about have more real. he know now he will coach manchester city. he had previously announced he would leave the bundesliga champions at the end of the current campaign. reporter: despite all the trophies, he has been at that

she has been tempted away by the rich is on offer at manchester city. they have amassed a star-studded squad and now want a star manager. >> i don't think it is good, this rumor and speculation. i prefer to finish today. reporter: an almost certain third this season has added to his or after his stunning success in barcelona. he says his decision to leave was no slight. >> i have respect for my players. i love every day coming to train.

now i'm able to do something else. that's the only reason why. reporter: that curiosity means city have got their man. brent: men's tennis star that djokovic is hungry for more after his success at the australian open. the serbian waltzed past andy murray for his 11th grand slam title. he spoke to the press in melbourne with his sixth australian open trophy and so and said the possibility of becoming the most successfu tennis player ever serves as motivation as he enters the next phase of his career. could be a politician in the making. a reminder of the top stories -- donald trump holds a narrow lead in the republican race ahead of the iowa caucuses. the first major challenge

candidates face on the road to the white house. on the democratic side, hillary clinton has an even smaller advantage in the polls due to get underway now. the world health organization has declared the fast spreading zika virus a global emergency and is calling for international action to combat the disease linked to severe birth defects. stay with us. after a short break, i will take you through the day.

michelle: hello and welcome to "focus on europe," the program that brings you the stories behind the headlines and puts this fascinating continent in perspective. i'm michelle henery. thanks for joining us. on today's show -- terror in turkey, another extremist slips across borders. denmark tightening its borders -- a crisis for the united states of europe? and, a somalian refugee's cinderella story in germany. europe is in a state of alarm once again after a suicide bomber killed a group of tourists in istanbul last week. and like some of the terrorists who carried out last november's paris attacks, the bomber had registered as a syrian refugee.