♪ brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, the catalan crisis in spain knocking on the european union's door. the ousted president carles puigdemont of catalonia makes an unexpected public appearance not in spain, but in brussels. he speaks at a rally of pro-independence catalan mayors demanding action from europe. we will take you to brussels. also coming up, the syrian delegate at the u.n. climate conference indicates his country will sign up to the paris climate accord. that would leave the u.s. as the only u.n. member not supporting

it. we will explore what the fallout could be. and saudi arabia's crown prince accuses iran of an act of direct military aggression. he claims iran supplied missiles to yemen that were fired at the airport over the weekend. ♪ brent: i am brent goff. it is good to have you witnessed. tonight, the ousted catalan leader carles puigdemont has made a surprise appearance. not in spain, but in a rally at brussels. it is his first appearance since answering a spanish arrest warrant. he was cheered by around 200 mayors from catalan communities [their call for independence to the door of the european union. outside the offices in the belgian capital, the intensified air calls for the eu's leaders

to intervene in a standoff with madrid. puigdemont fled for brussels after he declared independence from spain. earlier i spoke with our eu correspondent who witnessed this unexpected appearance. i asked him what pudemont's message was today. >> he had a simple message for the eu member states, and that was, do recognize our independence referendum, and do help us in our cause to seek independence from spain. he said he was only doing his job. he was democratically referendum -- democratically elected. the referendum was illegal by spanish law but his point in the speech was that there is no transparency -- there is no legitimacy because spain will not accept an independent

referendum at all, and that is why he was calling for international help on the issue. clearly an effort to internationalize the affair. brent: to internationalize this crisis. are we looking at a new approach here, the independence movement being taken outside catalonia? georg: i think what we are seeing, and a good sign of that is that he started out the speech in french. most of the mayors talk in english and german, very much catering to an international audience. their message being is they want to see more help from europe. they condemned that europe has not provided them the help they had hoped for so far. you have to understand that catalonia is a part of spain that is very europhile. a number of mayors told me they want to see, once they are

independent, they want to stay in europe. but the response from european leaders of course is a lot more difficult. this causes an enormous problem for the eu. events like this are taking place in the heart of the european capital. follows, can the european union stick to its hands-off approach for much longer? georg: it is a very difficult position the european union finds itself in. even if they would want to mediate, the problem is by law, they have to side with spain. they cannot be a mutual mediator. then there are a number of eu memory states have secessionist movements as well. belgium has a strong community, parts of which hope they might break away. when carles puigdemont started

his speech he first of all greeted the nationalist flemish party which is at least flirting with independence. brent: what about mr. puigdemont ? yes to stay put for a while come it doesn't he? -- for awhile, doesn't he? georg: indeed. the situation he finds itself in is that he is not in prison, he can move freely in belgium, cannot leave the country. but it does not seem to be a position that he cannot campaign. it looks very much like year of has to prepare for more campaigning events for the upcoming elections in catalonia like this one. brent: our correspondent on the story force tonight in brussels. thank you very much. war-torn syria says it is ready to sign up to the paris climate accord. that leaves the united states is the only u.n. member not to do so. the decision comes as experts

and activists are meeting to bolster the 2015 agreement at the ua climate congress. the surprise move by syria comes after nicaragua signaled its intention to join the pack to cut carbon emissions. here is what the syrian representative had to say at the conference today. >> i would like to assure you that syria supports the paris accord and also the principles of justice and joint responsibilities assigned to each signatory. brent: alaska's ice fields have come into focus in the climate change debate. scientists say they are melting rapidly because of global warming. but pushback from local business leaders have shown the stark divide between environmental activists and climate skeptics. reporter: alaska's juneau icefield spanned nearly 4000 square kilometers of glacial wilderness. it is alan gordon's favorite

place on earth. he heads here whenever he can. spectacular views await those who scaled to the top. but the ice is vanishing overtime. >> -- over time. >> when it first came out here a long time ago, the ice was probably a couple hundred feet higher and it was flat across. i could ski tour across out here to get here, but now i have to ice climb to get out here and it has completely changed. reporter: alan says each trip is different because of how rapidly the ice cover is changing. scientist erin hood is also watching the changes. the two encounter each other offer -- often and talk about what is happening to the ice. the measurements indicate the height of the ice is dropping by about 10 meters per year.

meanwhile, the white house is reducing funding for climate research. erin blames u.s. president trump for making the research more difficult and for sowing doubt among americans about the existence of climate change. >> they are convinced that donald trump can come in and cut back on regulations, cut back on climate change research and that will somehow stimulate the economy. you know, that is very convincing to people that are, you know -- need jobs and need to support their families. reporter: but the facts speak for themselves. the mendenhall glacier alone receipted by 550 meters from 2007 t 2015. there appears to be a lack o political will treverse th trend. elsewhere in alaa people are banking on a new oil and gas boom. unr president obama, outdoor

drilling was outlawed in large areas of the arctic. that is now changing under trump. today, this republican advises big companies. he sees a golden age ahead for the state. >> president trump has promised to reverse obama's policies. we are seeing all those things happen. reporter treadwell wants to convince us of the advantages to climate change and invites us to a song -- to his home. for him, the melting of the ice and the arctic ocean is a good thing. >> the major advantage is the arctic ocean is suddenly accessible for big tourist ships, they will see serenity. china has already started to ship containers over here. russia, which only had a european market for natural gas, can now ship to asia.

reporter: he says he would like to see the environmental debate settled down. that way of thinking puzzles alan gordon. he wants to see fewer people and politicians turn a blind eye to the environment. brent: you're watching "dw news, " live from berlin. still to come, saudi banks freeze more than one dozen accounts. observers wonder if the investigation is about business or politics. here are some other stories making news around the world. russia is battling over 20 forced fires -- forest fires in the southeast of the country. firefighters are fighting the flames both on the ground and from the air. the situation is expected to improve by the end of the week with rain and snow expected. the u.k. politician carl sargent has been found dead just days

after he resigned over sexual misconduct. allegations. . -- sexual misconduct allegations . police said his body was found at an address in north wales. he's believed to have committed suicide. doctors in india's capital delhi have declared a public health emergency as air pollution levels -- look at these pictures -- reached twice what authorities classify as hazardous. authorities have called for schools to be closed and have canceled the delhi half marathon later this month because of fears for the runner's health. saudi arabia has accused iran of an act of direct military aggression as the conflict between the two regional rivals intensifies. the crown prince made the statement, saying iran supplied missiles --

the missile was intercepted. the foreign ministry every on says the claims are destructive and false. it comes after a day of arrest in saudi arabia widely viewed as a move by the crown prince to consolidate his power. reporter: the ritz-carlton in ridh is normally a popular meeting place for saudi arabia's wealthy. ceo's, ministers, numbers of the royal family. now the footage shows has this has become a prison. the rich and famous arrested yesterday, sleeping on mattresses. saudi leader crown prince mohammad bin salman wants it known he means business. >> the detention of people on charges of corruption who are in possessions of high authority in trade throughout most of the world's confidence also proves

the economic side is considered important to our leadership. reporter: the prince is among those arrested, one of the world's richest men. from riyadh's tallest skyscraper he controls broadcasters and a real estate empire. over 1200 bank accounts were frozen with more to come. traders at the re-add stock exchange were initially nervous following the moves. investors said there would be a negative impact on the economy or oil prices. but the moon sued -- the mood soon light and. -- soon ligtneed. -- lightened. >> no one is above the law. not even a prince or a minister. reporter: yet, questions remain

-- is this really about fighting corruption or is it simply a way of eliminating gloom -- eliminating opponents? brent: i am joined in the studio by a correspondent for dw's arabic service. what are we seeing right now in saudi arabia? is this a crown prince who is basically flexing his muscles and telling the world and his country i'm about to be the new boss? guest: he is trying to do this. most of the experts and observers are saying that. for domestic consumption he's saying we will have to fight corruption, we have to stop all the advantages these thousands of princes had been having because it is seeking hundreds of billions of dollars of the state's budget. on the other hand he is sending a message that he is the new authoritarian strongman in

riyadh. it is not about dividing or sharing power between the princes and the branches of the royal family. it is more about he wants to be the only king and the only man in riyadh. brent: do you think he feels emboldened because of the support he has from the u.s. and president trump? not to mention the weapons that the u.s. is selling to saudi arabia. guest: yeah. this is a thing. and he is also feeling emboldened because he is getting popular among the saudis themselves, among young people because young people are fed up with all the old princes and the old belief that has been raining the country for decades. -- reigning the country for decades. now he sees his chance to bring it forward and make all these reforms, although he is winning

new rivals and new opponents inside his country, inside the institutions. brent: what about old rivals? there is the rivalry between iran and saudi arabia. yesterday saudi arabia accuse lebanon of declaring war against it. first thing's first -- when you have that kind of language be put out there, it begs the question, are we looking at inevitable war in the middle east? guest: this is strong language, you are right. and the crown prince has proved that he is quite adventurous in getting into,m ye yeah, disastrs wars like he did in yemen. in foreign policy he's not very talented. we look at what he did in qatar. but i don't think that region -- it's to show iran, ok, you kind of won in syria with the help of

the russians but we are still strong, we have the americans on our side. brent: proxy. it sounds like all the makings for a proxy war. i read one commentator said over the weekend, now that isis has been destroyed, that leaves room for iran to moving even further, headed towards beirut. guest: that is what he is trying to do. he's trying to stop iran from having this territory between tehran and iraq, and syria and lebanon, not being interrupted by saudi arabia. he is to win influence over limit on -- over lebanon -- he's trying to win influence over lebanon. it is unprecedented and really strange. brent: good to have you on the show.

thank you for your analysis, we appreciate it. now to the paradise papers. they make for some great leading -- reading. european finance ministers are pouring over leaked documents. daniel: ireland has become one popular haven. in the 1990's the country reduced its corporate tax rate from 50% to just 12.5%. some corporations there a a big fat zero. so when companies like to shift their intellectual property to ireland, they pay low taxes there -- what does this mean in real terms? germany loses out on 32% of actual corporate tax revenue. 25% in the u.k. the cash burden to improve it public services is shifted to

the average citizen. the eu had long planned to crackdown on tax havens, as european finance ministers met today, it became clear there is no civil solution. reporter: fresh outrage for a problem they are already struggling to solve. european companies working to stem tax sheltering. last year the european commission identified 81 countries connected with tax avoidance. pe wants to finally treat a blacklist of offenders before the end of the year. such a list would name and shame the worst tax shelters. >> we know that there is a corporation among states that have more information and more transparency. but states have to stick to their commitments. and if states do not stick to their commitments, we have to put sanctions on those states. reporter: how sanctions might look is unclear. at stake in the matter is billions in lost revenue as wealthy individuals and firms

move taxable business to low or zero tax lands, like the isle of man off the english coast. germany loses as much as 17 billion euros a year to tax havens. if tax sheltering is not illegal, can shaming countries have an effect? >> if we can single out those countries that act as tax havens, that is those with zero or bare minimum tax rates, it will have an effect. of that i am quite sure. reporter: yet eu members like ireland, luxembourg and the netherlands also use low tax rates to attract firms. defining what makes a tax haven could be a sensitive issue for those countries. that means finding consensus in the current talks could remain difficult, despite the new pressure of new leaks. daniel: to take one company as an example, the massive mining firm glencore is mentioned 34,000 times papers.

-- in the paradise papers. they haven't singled out for criticism in the financial press. what has the company done wrong in your opinion? guest: the company has done a lot of things, from aggressive tax avoidance in countries such as colombia, and running a ghost fleet of ships that was never disclosed. daniel: your investigations into glencore's part of the paradise papers focuses on the company's operations in the democratic republic of congo. why this country in particular? guest: first of all, the democratic republic of congo is one of the typical examples of a country that suffers resource scarce. meaning despite this, the country stays very poor. what happened in the doc's they

worked with a very dodgy door opener already involved with arms dealing, and through this door opener that had very -- had access to the president and the number two in congo, they achieved to get mining licenses at a price four times lower than what other mining companies paid at a loss of $450 million for the congolese population. daniel: what you are saying is that they are clear -- it is clear they are involved in corruption. glencore is not here to defend themselves. have you talked to them? what has glencore had to say to you? guest: we heard theire and they are just saying they actually got the mining license ahead of working with the controversial door opener. but what we see in the papers, this is just not true.

he got credit from glencore that was actually tied to the success in the negotiations. so, that could also mean, use that money however you have to to get us to license. daniel: if everything is as bad as you say it is, why haven't swiss authorities stepped in and make something to stop glencore do these practices? guest: the swiss attorney general's office is now actually looking into this. we hope this is going to happen and certainly we will push in parliament that now there are serious changes, because it is not just about glencore, it is about switzerland as a commodity trading hub that definitely needs to be regulated to prevent such practices from happening. daniel: we will be watching very carefully to see if something is done there. thank you very much for talking

to us. guest: thank you. daniel: the u.s. president is a burden to the world economy. no, those are not my words, but the results of a survey of more than 900 economic experts worldwide. the overwhelming majority said they believe donald trump's policies will have a negative impact on the global economy, especially when it comes to climate protection and social justice as well as international trade. at home, trump enjoys a more positive -- our financial correspondent has this analysis. >> how many times i have already told you this year that share prices have been falling because of comments made by donald trump. this is really what investors are calling dangerous. they are considering donald trump is a politician who is very unpredictable. just when it is sometimes very

careless tweets can resolve into a mass -- landslide for stocks all around the world. investors have an app alerting them whenever he sends a controversial tweet. this together with all the promises he has not been fulfilling, is really being considered here as doing bad business. daniel: if you are a fan of the beatles or even madonna, this next story will be music to your ears. some of the world's most iconic electric guitars are going on the auction block in new york. jimi hendrix's guitar, the one he played in miami in 1968. and the black les paul guitar that madonna played on her tour. i didn't even know she played guitar.

the auction is on december 2. two sports now, -- to sports now, and some sad news. brent: i didn't know madonna played guitar. legendary player hans schafer has died. he was part of the german team that won the world cup. he helped set up the winner in the match which became known as a miracle. he also captained his hometown club to the first ever bundesliga title in 1964. his death comes just a few weeks after his 90th birthday. to horse racing now, where there was a family field to one of the worlds most famous races. australia's melbourne cup. rekindling took the crown, beating his father's horse into second.

the 22-year-old is the youngest trainer to win the prestigious race, which has been run 157 times. here's a reminder of the top story we're following for you. the ousted catalan president carles puigdemont has made an unexpected public appearance at a rally of catalan mayors in brussels. he says he plans to defeat what he says is the spanish government's oppression at the ballot box next month. after a short break i would back to take her to the day. -- to take you through the day. stick around for that. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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croplife america. and it's member companies and associations in the crop protection industry including: the american farm bureau foundation for agriculture. more information at: agfoundation.org. sacramento's proud to be america's farm to fork capital visit: farmtofork.com hi, i'm jason shoultz. coming up, we'll introduce you to a florida man who uses his photographer's eye to capture the beauty of his ranch. i'm akiba howard. when you're talking citrus, california is king when it comes to navel oranges. coming up, we'll visit groves and find out exactly how this sweet treat makes its way from the trees to your table. hi, i'm yolanda vazquez. specialty cheeses continue to grow in popularity