brent: this is dw news live from berlin. a school bus and a train have collided in southern france. at least four children are dead, several others were injured. the cause of the crash is not known. and the leaders of the european union 28 nations are meeting in a final summit for 2017. the council president donald tusk warns them to prepare for a bruising battle. plus -- ♪ brent: britain hold a memorial service at st. paul's cathedral for the victims of one of the worst peacetime tragedies. at least 70 people were killed in the grenfell tire -- tower fire six months ago. ending net neutrality in the united states, internet

providers will now be able to throttle speeds to individual websites. critics say it is a death sentence for a free and open internet. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff, it is good to have you with us. we begin with a fatal accident in the south of france where a train has collided with a school bus. the interior ministry said for teenagers were killed after the train hit the bus, splitting it in two. the village occurred in the village of millas, west of perpignan on. the french prime minister is now at the crash site. we want to go to correspondent elizabeth. she joins us from paris. what are the latest numbers of

casualties? do we know? reporter: we still no four fatalities, four teenagers, and two dozen adolescents injured and has been spread among the various hospitals in the area. the situation is bad enough that the local department declared the day a day of medical emergency so they could get the right operating theaters for the victims of that crash. brent: what do we know so far about how this accident happened? reporter: what we know is that the bus was on a level crossing, and the train came across it. even though the train had been able to slow down, it was not good enough and literally sliced the bus into.

-- in two. we usually have toddler bridges, but this one remains, and it is believed the bus stalled in the middle and could not move. we do not know why. that is usually what happens when you have accidents at crossings. usually there are barriers that prevent going on it. if you were on before the train comes, you cannot move. that is the scenario that happens. brent: a nightmare indeed when we are talking about schoolchildren at the end of the school day. how are people, and how is the government in france responding to this news? reporter: the government is responding very fast. the president immediately tweeted, the prime minister said he would go there. he is there at the place now. the education minister will meet

first thing with the school tomorrow, the school community, with people who have been hit by this tragedy. the health minister has also reacted to this. you can tell thi government is a vernment that has realized the fast reaction is expected from pple, and they do this when [indiscernible] brent: our correspondent on the story for us in paris tonight with the latest on that tragic accident in the south of france involving a train and a school bus. thank you very much. leaders of the european union are meeting in brussels, and they are headed for a showdown over the issue of migration. the e.u. council president has angered some nations by describing a mandatory quota for refugees. it is highly divisive. angela merkel has responded

saying member states cannot pick and choose, and the refugee crisis is not the only controversial issue on the agenda. another difficult topic will be no surprise brexit. reporter: despite a friendly gesture to kick off the summit, many see the council president as a divider rather than a unifier. that is because donald tusk wants to get rid of mandatory refugee crowed is -- quotas. his suggestion that they set their own quotas faces strong criticism. >> i don't believe in selective holiday ready among european member states, and the countries that lie on the e.u. border have great responsibility. that is why we need e.u. in's -- e.u. solutions. reporter: yes to solidarity, no quotas. that is the message from some countries. people would rather pay to

protect their borders to the tune of 30 5 million euros. that solidarity according to the hungarian prime minister -- >> we are ready to contribute considerable sum of money to help to defense the border of the european union and to do protections of european union especially in the territory of libya. reporter: the austrian prime minister said countries buying their way out of the resolutions should not be tolerated. >> it is not acceptable someone bows out when they disagree with the union. corporations does not work like that. reporter: theresa may knows what bowing out feels like. she is hoping for brussels to greenlight talks with the u.k. it is still unclear what this will look like. one thing is for certain, the u.k. wants to stay aligned with the e.u. on security issues. >> they want to leave the e.u.,

but that does not mean they will be leaving our responsibilities in terms of security. reporter: the remaining e.u. member states want to bolster security at least here. they have the same line. brent: we want to pull in our brussels bureau chief, max hoffman. he is covering that for us tonight. let's talk about what the members of the e.u. can agree on. that is defense, right? max: it is defense, it is the permanent cooperation on the defense that might in the end lead to a real defense union. that was the happy moment when the heads of state and government celebrated that decision, something that by the way the chief diplomat of the european union said she could not have imagined three years ago with the european union at least in this matter that they have come a long way. it might lead to a real defense

union and some dream about a european army. brent: a european army. some also dream about consensus on what to do about migration, being one of the biggest goal lines, right? max: the biggest that will most likely remain a dream for now because what we heard in that report about mandatory refugee quotas, redistributing migrants, refugees in the european union, that has been a hot topic for years, and there is no agreement especially between eastern european countries, and countries like germany, italy, also greece that take in most of those refugees. it is not about to change even with what donald tusk did say, that he called those highly divisive and also ineffective setting a migrant quota. that is a contentious issue that it is not clear how they are

going to resolve this even after all this time having discussed it. now the plan is to have a plan by next june to discuss it more. brent: it is good to have a plan. let's talk about brexit, the big headline coming from the summit. britain's prime minister is trying to put on a confident show despite last night in the parliament. let's take a listen. >> you asked about the vote that took place in the house of commons last night. e.u. withdrawal bill is picking good progress, and we will deliver on brexit. brent: that is what you call it spinning and in a positive light -- call spending in a positive light. what about theresa may? max: the parliament fought for the right to have a say over the final brexit deal. we are not entirely sure if it is yes or no, but that is what

people in brussels think and will not have that much effect. you can have a majority of parliamentarians to disagree with the final brexit deal. for now we don't see that happening. it might change, but you have to remember the alternative to any brexit deal when it stands in the end would be a hard brexit, and that might be a lot worse than any deal negotiated in the last -- the next year. brent: max hoffman, thank you very much. here are some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world. the head of the islamist village for hamas has called for a fresh global protest against the recognition of jerusalem as israel's capital. speaking in gaza city at any event commemorating their 30th anniversary, the man demanded that they will make every friday a day of anger.

police in germany have launched raids on places supposedly linked to members of the islamic state. they searched multiple locations in berlin and other parts of eastern germany. they targeted four individuals, three of whom are believed to be in i.s. held territory. in somalia's capital, a bomber disguised as a police officer has blown himself up in a police academy. at least 18 people were killed, 20 wounded. the bomber targeted officers gathering for morning exercises. the terrorist group al-shabab said they carried out the attack. it has been six months since 71 people were killed in a fire in a high-rise apartment in central london. demand -- today members of the world family and government attended a memorial service at the polls cathedral for the victims of the grenfell fire.

in the aftermath of a tragedy that has become a byword for social inequality in the u.k., survivors are still complaining of being neglected by the government. ♪ reporter: a mournful tune played on the oud, a traditional as instrument of the middle east where many of the grantville members had ties. emotions were raw as survivors and families mourned the 71 people killed in the fire. the multifaith memorial reflected the diversity of the grenfell community. they were joined by politicians and members of the royal family. while the service was an opportunity for quiet reflection, anger is still simmering. the disaster highlighted the divide between rich and poor in britain.

>> today we remember with sorrow, with grief, with tears, and we pledge that those we have lost will not be forgotten. today we ask why warnings were not heeded, while community was left feeling neglected, uncared for, not listened to. reporter: the fire that broke out in the middle of the night june 14 quickly untold the 20 story building. it was home to a multiethnic community living in a poor area within one of london's richest boroughs. police are investigating the fire and say charges might be brought against individuals or organizations. a separate public inquiry is underway on what caused the fire and how authorities responded. six months on, the people

affected by the fire are not only grieving. >> we are still struggling. we see you living in the motel of course. when i get my permanent house, i will get back to my normal life. reporter: despite promises by theresa may that survivors would receive new homes within weeks, the majority of families needing rehousing are still living in emergency accommodation. brent: you are watching dw news. still to come, in bundesliga action, hoping to take second place, but the visitors came to town ready to play. we will have all the highlights coming up. and now something that has shocked a lot of people, u.s. regulators have ditched rules that were granting a free and open internet. a big story and shock to people. reporter: if the u.s. fcc has

decided to do away with net neutrality laws. this legislation was put in place in 2015 under former president barack obama to keep providers from blocking or slowing down access to content or charging off the customers more. donald trump is trying to push back regulation in many sectors. >> every day hundreds of millions of people browsed countless numbers of websites. the principle of net neutrality means operators cannot give preferential treatment to certain websites. advocates say it is a democratic system. net neutrality could soon be a thing of the past in the u.s. the regulator wants to turn this into a free market, allowing internet service providers like at&t and verizon to charge websites and data to be transported at a greater speed.

critics say that would create a two class internet, fast and slow. >> next year there could be substantial harm to the economy based on internet transactions. if you cannot complete them when you thought you? they are smaller, or use the example of netflix, you cannot download and watch movies you thought you could stream simply because it is not available during that time because your internet does not allow it. reporter: you could have to pay to get on a faster internet highway. some say higher cost to take away from innovation, but some say the company cost could be paid on to users. reporter: for some more analysis, we bring in our analysis in washington. some call this the end of the free internet. what specifically does the fcc want to do now? reporter: this decision has been

made today, and i want to tell you also the white house said it is supporting this decision to remove these rules. this means the fcc will pull out the legal grounding used to enforce rules like no blocking and no paid fast lanes. this means the telecom company at&t could slow down internet traffic and allow netflix users to pay more money if they want the service to run at a usable speed. or the telecom company could offer -- could slow sites down or block it for users. the ones that profit from this repeal of net neutrality are the big telecom companies, verizon, at&t, they hate net neutrality because it regulates power. reporter: this is a highly

controversial topic. what opposition is there against this move? reporter: there are startups and silicon valley, they say it takes away from innovation because not everyone would have the same access to high-speed internet or to the content they could choose, and the consumer, they are against it. they say on doing these rules will make governments lose control, internet providers who work against consumer interests and in favor of their business. that is what they say. so consumers might end up paying a lot of money to have access to the sites they are really interested in. reporter: thank you so much. watching movies on the web may become more typical in the united states soon. disney is propping up its online presence.

earlier they announced they were spending $52 billion to buy a big chunk of 21st century fox. the deal will see disney takeover film and tv studios as well as cable operations. they hope the addition of fox's assets could improve streaming as they started to compete with online services. fox will separate its broadcasting network stations into a company that will be sold to shareholders. no move in frankfurt, the european bank has left the 0% benchmark. but despite policymakers demanding the inc. president -- the bank president increase rates to match ongoing recovery in the eurozone. reporter: germany is set to grow over 2.5% next year according to legal economist. the euro area as a whole is also up, but that is not enough for

mario draghi. he is once again defying critics . once again he is holding rates low and continuing the asset purchasing program. while he credits the ecb with keeping the eurozone on the right course, there is plenty of work to be done. >> are monetary policy decisions have preserved the very favorable financing conditions that are still needed for sustained return on inflation rates to those levels that are below but close to 2%. the information including our projections, our new self projections indicates a strong pace of economic expansion and a significant improvement in the growth outlook. reporter: as inflation continues to tick higher, the pressure is mounting on the east he be president to raise rates next time around.

vladimir putin held his manner -- marathon press conference. brent: i was watching like a lot of the world today. the president used the event to reinforce his reputation as the guarantor of stability. he accused the opposition in russia wanting to drive the country into chaos, saying only he could prevent that. he also had some advice for people in the united states. >> russian president's new show believe -- begins. at his marathon conference, over 1000 reporters, he touched on topics ranging from north korea to the olympics and as many expected on allegations of russia's intervention in donald trump's presidential campaign. putin rejected the claim which he said was fabricated by trump's opponents and disregard for the political process. >> it is all invented by those opposed to trump to make his

work seem illegitimate. it seems strange to me the people who are doing this don't realize they are damaging the international medical climate of the country. reporter: one of the most dramatic moments during the exchange, a presidential hopeful asking putin about next year's election. the personality is challenging the 65-year-old who is standing for a fourth term. in response to her question about opposition suppression, he stressed his role in stabilizing russia. he reminded listeners that he put an end to the turbulence following the breakup of the soviet union. >> do you want to bring it all back? i am sure the prevailing authority of russian citizens do not want that and would not allow that to happen. [applause] reporter: in moscow there are mixed opinions whether it is good for putin to remain in

power. >> for president is fine by me. i think he is doing well, and we don't need any opposition. >> the current government does not let the people in opposition runs in the elections. i don't understand why he is doing this. there should always be competition. they need to let the opposition participate in the elections. reporter: putin has been in power since 1999 as either president or prime minister. he could extend his tenure by six more years. brent: football news now, bundesliga leaders munich licking their lips at the possible win last night, but there was more of a fight than even their own fight -- fans expected. cologne started on the offensive after the break and could have taken the lead had lucas not lost his cool. but the other guy kept his.

still no win for cologne, 16 matches into the season. they went into their match, looking for a victory which would push them up to second place in the standings, but they are far from easy prey these days. let's see how it can doubt. reporter: the stadium was rocking as they hosted their last bundesliga in. christmas present of second place on offer. they should have taken an early lead after this good pass. but western mcentee could not produce the finished. the youngster just inches away from a major bundesliga goal. his dominance paid off though. fancy footwork found desanto. the argentinian showing off his owns both moves -- own smooth

moves. it was a classy finish. a short breather, then they were back at it. in the 47th minute, he responded quickly to the header. 2-0 to the home side. but after a defensive showing, augsburg rogoff -- woke up. rising by for his fourth goal of the season, to-one. and there was a penalty 10 minutes from time. we kyle gregorius stepping up, 2-2. but they were not to be denied, drawing a foul from martin hits. daniel doing the rest. 3-2 the final score.

shelton are now guaranteed to go into the break with her best points tally in six seasons. brent: all right, that is not how i would go christmas morning. many offices and schools hold their christmas parties, the london zoo is getting into the spirit. they got some early treats and stockings and giftwrapped boxes. look at those. after confusion, the squirrel monkeys and the lions and others managed to test it out and get to the goodies and enjoy the early celebrations. see? here is a reminder of the top stories we are following. in southern france a train has collided with a school bus, killing four teenagers, another seven seriously injured. the french prime minister is that the crash site. after a short break, i will be back 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] xnóx

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