sarah: this is "dw news," live from berlin. the wind is back in europe's sales. that is the upbeat message of the year p.m. commission president -- the european commission president. he says britain's departure could be a springboard towards a closer union. we will go live to strasburg. also coming up, myanmar's leader cancels her trip to this month's u.n. general assembly shows -- with the german election just days away, what do people around the world make of it? we will have two african views of the candidates and the issues. ♪

sarah: i am sarah kelly. welcome to the program, thank you for joining us. year p and commission president has given up the annual state of the union speech saying the eu is emerging from years of crisis. he urged member governments to use brexit and the recent economic recovery as springboards towards a closer union. he called for more eu members to join the eurozone and the passport-free area. we will go to strasburg for analysis in a moment. first, this report. reporter: the wind is back in europe's sales. that was the key message in and at times deeply personal state of the union speech. >> i have been through thick and thin with the european union and never have i lost my love for the eu. we all know there's no love without disappointment, or very

rarely. reporter: mentioning brexit just briefly, he used his annual speech to propose more help for all eu countries to but that the euro -- to adapt the euro currency. concrete proposals that were well received by many. >> we're following crisis after crisis trying to keep the european union together and now we see 2017, i'm not saying everything is sunshine, the lead have perhaps come out of the space that we can now actually structure the future of this european union on a more solid basis. reporter: juncker also received a lot of applause for his message to turkey. >> i appeal today to the powers that be in turkey. let our journalists go. not just our journalists. instead of calling our member states fascists and anarchists. reporter: at least for the

foreseeable future the head of the eu's commission ruled out turkey's accession to the -- succession to the eu. >> there are clear conditions to any country that wants to access the european union. frankly, the process has been frozen for years and it is only honest to be open about that. reporter: he ended his speech on an optimistic note with new trade deals and eventually new member states. >> lift the anchor and profit from the favorable breeze. reporter: it remains to be seen if all the ships of the european armada will follow. sarah: let's get more reaction. we're joined by max from strack spurred. we just heard him -- joined by max. the memory of greece is in the

minds of people. is that realistic? guest: the memory still stings here in the european union. you are absolutely right about that. today they see it differently. back then most admit they should have been led into the eurozone because of the data at the time. now the commission thinks it can do better. they want to have an agency to shepherd new countries into eurozone and help bring them up to speed. we also have the reforms of the eurozone. most believe the eurozone itself has become more stable that it would not repeat the mistakes of the past. of course if you have all european union members being part of the eurozone, sharing common courtesy -- currency, things get less complicated. sarah: he also talked about inviting in new members. our germany and france likely to be on board with that?

they are pretty influential in their vote. guest:would be countries in the current situation of the european union in favor of bringing in new countries given the problems they have with the newest members, hungary and poland, that were let in fairly shortly after the fall of the wall? i think it is not about that just yet. what it is about now is keeping those succession talks going, keeping the western balkans in perspective because it is in stable region. given this perspective, inciting reforms in the region has worked before and it is the thinking behind that. sarah: something that was also interesting was something that he did not talk about. barely a mention of brexit. why ignore the elephant in the room? guest: because it is not necessarily the elephant in the room anymore. the people here really think the european union is over that.

especially in the commission, a lot of people now think it has become an opportunity because the u.k. blocked decisions about the eurozone, closer integration and all that. people have now realized the other countries come except the u.k., that brexit will not necessarily be a good thing, the trump is not a good thing, that the european union maybe is not a bad place to be. at least that is what we're getting from the polls. there is a wind in the sales of the european union also because of brexit. the commission understands his now as a window of opportunity that was also open through brexit, and that now has to be used. sarah: the message is very clear -- time to move on. it is all about the future. thank you. let's get a quick check of some other stories making news around the world. in the u.s. a top republican lawmaker has said that his party wants to pass a tax reform bill

in the coming months. house speaker paul ryan says he was confident for the donald trump would work with republicans to enact the legislation before the end of the year. at least three people are dead and a dozen injured after a suicide bomber targeted a cricket match in the afghan capital kabul. he detonated his device outside the stadium. no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. japan's prime minister shinzo abe is in india with he and his counterpart -- the leaders and their wives greeted cheering crowds while on a roadshow. north korea has tested and advanced cruise missile for the first time. the german-made missile was launched from a fighter jet and flew at low altitude to hit a target off the country's western coast. seoul says the exercise will

strengthen its strike capability against the north in the event of war. myanmar's leader has scrapped plans to attend the united nations generally assembly this month. her spokesman said she would stay at home to deal with the rohingya crisis on the myanmar, bangladesh border. the u.n. has launched a major emergency operation to deliver aid to the almost 400,000 muslim rohingyas who have fled violence in myanmar. but some aid groups have criticized the u.n. for being too slow to react. reporter: this is what members of myanmar's rohingya minority were escaping from inner homeland. the myanmar military's ease of raising rohingya villages and of mass killings. those who survived tell of her horrific scenes. >> they killed many of my relatives in myanmar and i have fled year with three of my sons. they slaughtered many people in the village.

one third of the people of my village. they slaughtered them and threw them into a river. reporter: amnesty international and human rights watch has criticized the un security council for not doing enough, as bangladesh struggles to cope with the large number of refugees arriving, straining supplies and living in difficult conditions. a growing number of countries have started sending relief supplies. indonesia's president on wednesday oversaw the departure of 34 tons of supplies including rice, tents and water. they are headed for a refugee camp on the border of myanmar in bangladesh, but the supplies will not last long. in the u.n. and new york eight organizations called for immediate action. >> let's be clear, this is not about having another meeting. it is about the security council uniting in having a public

message to myanmar that they have to put and end to the ongoing violence. reporter: so far that has not happened. meanwhile, myanmar's leader has come under fire. she has refused to condemn the crackdown and called off plans to attend the un's general assembly later this month. sarah: let'get more now. we're joined by the air -- pier re. he is in myanmar. thank you so much for joining us. what is the situation like where you are at the moment? are there any rohingyas left? guest: yes, i am in the capital. the situation here is very difficult. we do not have access at the moment to many of the areas that are affected by the ongoing violence. it's been over 2.5 weeks since

the violence broke out. we simply have not been able to get to these areas to assess the situation. however, we are very, very worried about the reports we are getting. with obviously know that 380,000 people at least have arrived in bangladesh. we're getting reports of tens of thousands of more people in the move -- on the move who have not yet been able to reach the border of myanmar. this is an area and a population that has been suffering for a generation now. this is the latest chapter in a very sad story for what is the largest stateless population in the world. sarah: as these people are on the move, that move you are describing there, obviously they need aid around the way. we have heard myanmar is restricting the event of aid let into the country.

why do you think that might be? is it something you can confirm, and if so, what happens to the extra aid and who distributes it? guest: there are many reasons why they are restricting humanitarian aid to the people who need it. in the areas near the border the security situation is very difficult. so the security situation makes it very difficult for international organizations to reach those areas. it is also in terms of access permissions. where i am right now, we have camps for displaced people that have been here for five years. humanitarian response has been ongoing ever since. we have unfortunately been facing restrictions for a long time now. there are heightened tensions at the moment here in the state. in many ways, some of our own

staff are feeling under a lot of pressure at the moment and is having a real impact in our ability to deliver aid. but assistance is here. the u.n. is ready to continue providing humanitarian assistance. but at the moment it is very much impacted by the current situation in we are finding it very difficult to bring assistance to people who need it the most. sarah: we thank you very much for telling us more about your efforts in order to do so. gerhard joins me now. another difficult day for air berlin passengers. gerhard: you could say that because air berlin has announced more flight cancellations today. on tuesday more than 100 flights were canceled as someone 50 pilots suddenly called in sick -- as some 150 pilots called in sick.

this comes before a friday deadline for investors to bid of assets. reporter: more air berlin plane's set on carmax after pilots called in sick for a second day on wednesday. thousands of passengers still showed up at the airport it had received little information. >> we wanted a flight and was standing in a queue for 90 minutes only to be told the flight was canceled. all the hotlines are unavailable. it is badly organized. >> with all respect to air berlin, this chaos makes you sick. reporter: it is also frustrating for the airline. air berlin had hoped a loan would allow it to stay up and running for at least a few months, making it more attractive to prospective investors. >> i can only call for sanity to prevail once again and to ensure

that flights continue. that would allow for the transition to a new owner in the next few months. anything else would endanger the carrier and its future in the hands of a new owner. reporter: but pilots and other staff fear their future is on the line if parts of the company are taken over. gerhard: my colleague is joining me in the studio following this rather sad saga very closely. christoph, are these strikes but enough bidders? christoph: apparently enough -- not. there has been a new bidder, a chinese company. they are reportedly hitting for air berlin. it has not been confirmed but it barely -- but apparently they

would merge it with their logistics companies already running an airport in the east germany and relocate the airline if it should come to that. there are numerous bidders, lufthansa probably the most prominent one. lufthansa is already leasing 38 planes from air berlin. other bidders include a british low-cost carrier, easyjet, and several german entrepreneurs, some of which don't have a connection or little connection to the aviation industry. we will see on friday two of these has the most credible offers. gerhard: bidders are lining up everyone is criticizing the pilots. don't they have a point? christoph: the situation is the following -- passengers are aggravated because of these strikes because planes are not taking off. this will likely have a financial impact because every airline needs bookings, which

means they need the cash spigot from people for service these people only use in the future. not knowing if your plane is going to take off, if you are in limbo, that undermines the trust in the company and you think twice about booking. so, these diminishing -- the diminishing trust in the company will have an effect. and these wild strikes have become a nuisance. in the last couple years we have seen them. in this case, with air berlin, the pilots have apparently cahooted in secret, something management was unable to prevent. gerhard: a conspiracy of pilots. if air berlin does fly, it has been a ghost airline, hasn't it? christoph: suddenly you have plenty of room.

a friend of mine sent me a picture, she travels regularly between vienna and berlin. there are a lot of empty seats. it's a lot of space for everyone. apparently passengers and crew got along fine. the passengers sided with the crew and got all the chocolate they wanted, which was nice but i guess they were just glad their plane took off. gerhard: christoph, thank you very much is going on with air berlin at the moment. apple ceo tim cook described the new iphone x as the company's be asleep forward since the original iphone 10 years ago. but the financial markets were rather underwhelmed. apple's stock opened 1% lower on wall street. something to do iphone's hefty $999 price tag will be a drag on sales, especially in asia. apple's bottom line will take a

hit in the third quarter because the new products will not go on the market until november. let's cross over to friend for, where -- frankfurt where our correspondent is standing by. investors in the u.s. were rather disappointed. is there action in europe? reporter: we're seeing some disappointment on the european side, too. a problem with the delayed release is it allows for a smaller time frame with which to achieve the forecast that analysts thought apple was going to get in the quarter ending in december. we are looking at a magic $86.8 million which might not happen anymore. the timeline has also affected european suppliers of apple. they are not nines -- names we hear everyday but they had a lot of my exposure and they were among the worst performers today. sarah: what -- gerhard: what do investors think? will people fork out nearly

$1000 for a phone that is not much better that it's cheaper competitors? reporter: i know lots of people wish they could at the thing is, not that many people actually have to buy the iphone x for the price to make sense. one of the reasons the phone is so expensive is that people have in holding onto their older iphones longer as they perceive the changes have been incremental at best. this is apple's strategy, they have been banking on the diehards who will fork over the money and they hope that will make a difference. the consensus is that it probably will. the comparison i keep hearing again and again is that it is like the luxury market where money is being made. it is not about whether the average consumer will fork over $1000. it is about whether there are enough people who will do that. gerhard: apple fans are loyal customers. thank you very much.

the german elections are upon us. sarah has the latest. sarah: we're on the trail for you, because the clock is tricking --digging. -- clock is ticking. germans had to the polls in a little more than a week. right now the money is on the current chancellor, angela merkel of the christian democrats. the polls show her cruising to a fourth term in office. her main challenger of the left-leaning social democrats, it is unlikely he will be able to steal merkel's ground. but this -- crown. but this vote will be closely followed from around the world. that is why our colleagues from dw africa had been traveling around the country reporting on the campaign and entering questions from our african facebook users about the german election. we are really fortunate today that we are joined by one of our colleagues. we want to head over to the

table now to welcome our colleague who has flown in today from our sister studio to tell us about what you have been monitoring online. 11 people from africa, that -- a lot of people from africa had been exploring this topic. you have been asking questions from facebook users in africa. what are people most interested in? guest: what of the most frequent questions we have seen is why is angela merkel running for a fourth term in office? and of course, why this question is important for facebook users is because when african leaders extend their time in office, the international community is up in arms, get out of office. they want to find out how it is possible that should simple office is the constitution of germany does not have time limits for the chancellor. this is a simple answer. in many african countries, we have constitutions that give a

presidential term limit, then some presidents go ahead and extended legally. -- extended it legal -- extend it legally. sarah: you and your team have been all over it legally. you have been talking to people and politicians. what have been the impressions? guest: for example, yesterday i did meet a very young lady, 15. she is excited about voting. i come from kenya and a 15, -- at 15, i was not thinking about voting. it is interesting to observe that even the young people are immersed into thinking about politics and how it will affect them. this young lady told me what she is most looking forward for his education to be digitalized even more. sarah: how about the process? you are talking about

digitalization, things of this nature, political engagement. when it comes to the way these elections are run, what do people generally speaking make of that? guest: first of all, that the german voting system is quite complicated. when the germans go to vote, how do they vote? and we did find a simple way to answer this question, where germans are able to get a direct presentation, which feels closer to the people that are voting. where in countries like kenya, where i come from, we do have this. however, it is mostly based on a personality. here, it feels more based on issues. so people are voting for a party because of the policies they are fronting, because of what they say they will change and make better for the people.

back home it is who do you like more? the country is so strong, that when i'm walking along the streets of berlin like today, you do not see any road shows, you don't hear any political songs. back home you just have roadshows and parties and it feels like a carnival two weeks before elections were candidates here are busy selling policies to the electorate. sarah: it has been a fascinating process. let's talk about some of the controversies. your latest stop was at it campaign rally for the far right, highly controversial party. it is speculated they might into the german parliament for the first time ever in potentially even do as well as their place in this election. -- as third place in this

election. how has that affected the life of african immigrants, given the fact that this party is so anti-immigrant? guest: the impression we got from the africans they spoke with, they do not feel too threatened because they already live in communities where they have been included and accepted. it is not to say that not all of them have fears, no. they are concerned about their rights, but they still feel confident that germans remain more open than people perceive them to be out there. so germany is not a cold country, so to speak. no, communities have integrated well not only with people froof color, but different natural townies -- nationalities. most of them have accepted this. it is not to say you don't feel, ok, where am i and what is going

to happen? you still feel that in the back of your mind? sarah: absolutely fascinating to hear people's impressions. thank you so much for being here. we very much appreciate it. and with that you are up-to-date on dw news. thanks for watching. ♪ >> opinions they want to express. dw on facebook and twitter. up-to-date on in touch. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] yy

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