>> this is "dw news." the caliphate crumbles. so-called islamic state suffers a series of setbacks. hounded by the kurdish peshmerga in syria, weakened by nonstop allied airstrikes, indications the feared i.s. is in trouble. police in belgium arrest someone

thought to be planning an imminent attack on brussels. ♪ >> sex, drugs, and a hell raiser named lemmy. rock 'n roll loses one of its all-time greats. i'm sarah harmon. it's good to have you with us to 10 senior is thomas state leaders erased -- islam and state leaders erased i strategic strikes on the oil infrastructure that funds their terrorist designs. they have been chased out of three cities. kurdish fighters are prevailing in syria as well.

as one analyst put it, losing matters. >> u.s. military footage of an airstrike near a syrian town last thursday. colonel steve foreign, spokesman for the us-led coalition, says attacks like this killed high-ranking leaders of the so-called islamic state. >> they have killed 10 isis leaders with airstrikes, some who were linked to the paris attacks and others had designs on further attacking the west. >> among those killed was one i.s. leader who had links to abaooud, the suspected ringleader of the bombings and shootings that left many dead in paris last month. authorities say he had been

active in syria. the airstrikes have severely weakened the terror group. >> this organization is losing its leadership. we are striking at the head of this snake. we have not severed the head of the snake get and it still has fangs, we have to be clear about that. there's much more fighting to do. >> he said they could encounter an insurgency but there are few leaders now. sarah: the city is in reliance, with 80% of it destroyed. then there's the human toll. only 120 civilians are believed to be still in the city that was once home to a quarter million. >> they are among the most vulnerable, between iraqi

government and the so-called islamic state. the international organization for immigration says 3.2 million iraqis have fled their homes to escape the conflict. many are forced to live in camps like this one in an war province. after fleeing an area between the front lines of falluja and ramadi, she was forced to move again to this camp which is also close to another front line. >> my husband was just recently killed. i have 12 children to take care of. we have nothing here. it is very hard. it's particularly hard here. he watches almost helplessly as his sick child's condition

deteriorates. x my child has a tumor. i hope that he would walk again one day, but i have no income. i have to seek humanitarian aid to cover the cost of treatment. let's not for away from here, iraqi troops poised an international flag over a government building in ramadi, a symbol of their victory after recapturing the city from i.s. but there is still a long road ahead. i.s. is still entrenched in many parts of iraq. if the recapture of ramadi is anything to go by, suffering iraqis can expect little relief. sarah: police in belgium have detained two people on suspicion of planning terror attacks during the upcoming new year's festivities. authorities say no weapons or explosives were found but police

discovered military style uniforms and islamic state propaganda. authorities are on high alert across the belgian capital. two men are suspected of planning an attack on a number of popular locations on new year's eve. according to a source close to the investigation, targets included heavily visited areas and possibly a nearby police headquarters. the police officers and soldiers or perhaps symbolically the targets. they are reminded of certain safety guidelines. police raided several buildings on sunday and monday around brussels and in one eastern city. six people were arrested but for have since been released. during the rates, no weapons or explosives were found, but authorities discovered military clothing and propaganda material for the so-called islamic state.

they also seized computers and other devices. so far, authorities have not released the names of the suspects. anti-terrorism units are bowing increased vigilance, but it is not certain that brussels will go ahead with planned new year's eve celebrations. we are not going to necessarily cancel everything. we want life to continue despite this risk, so we will take extra security measures that are adapted. on wednesday, city leaders are expected to decide whether the annual new year's eve fireworks display and other events will take place. sarah: next year the united states plans to accept 10,000 refugees from syria. it's a relatively small number, but it has ignited a fierce debate with some politicians warning of possible terrorist infiltration and demanding tough background checks. you might expect syrians already in the u.s. to be more sympathetic, but as richard walker reports, even here, there are fears about what the arrival of the newcomers will mean.

>> friday prayers, among the many worshipers, a syrian refugee. they fled a devastating war and it hated regime. he did not want to show his face on camera. >> it was truly miserable. they were bombing us and we had to run away. >> he has now left the horrors of syria behind and found safety here in allentown, home to one of america's largest syrian communities. but that community has fears of its own. allentown syrians are overwhelmingly christian. the people here strongly support the aside regime, which they believe has protected serious christians -- syria's christians

who live in daily fear that will be ousted. >> mostar minorities -- most are minorities. many will be wiped out. >> the refugee crisis is another source of anxiety. the congregation is raising funds to help but there are fears that assad's opponents can use the refugee program to come here and take revenge on their community. >> our lives are in god's hands, and we hope they all have good intentions. >> some are outspoken in their doubts about that. this is a vocal assad supporter who runs a local car dealership. >> were they just hottest? do that -- were they jihadi's? do they have a political agenda

coming over here? quick but not all of allentown's syrian christians share that view. he runs a food bank that serves families of all backgrounds including recently arrived refugees. >> i don't see muslim and christian. i see syrian. if everybody would look at the syrian as syrian, we would be in better shape, instead of this guy is muslim. >> back at the islamic center, prayers and a special dinner for all nine refugee families. they are well aware of the discussions they are generating. one refugee was willing to speak to us before the camera. he had this message are worried americans. >> i would ask them not to be afraid of refugees, because the refugees are the ones who are

afraid. we came here with our children and families to escape the bombing and the war, so we would never do anything to harm this country. the children barely understand what they have just been through, let alone the controversy about their arrival. for now, they just seem happy to make allentown their home. sarah: two independent report show that as many as 110 journalist around the world were killed in the line of duty this year. most of them in countries and tutor to be at peace. findings by the groups reporters without borders and the committee to protect journalists highlight the mortal threat that journalists face. increasingly, it is not hostile governments trying to silence reporters, but extremist groups like islamic state. this japanese journalist was kidnapped by islamic state terrace in syria. then in 20 income he was decapitated. the pro-russian journalist, in

april 2015, was shot in key of by a sniper -- a shot in kiev by a driver driving past. for a long time, mexico has been a dangerous country for journalists. a total of 110 journalists were murdered in 2015. most of them in supposedly peaceful countries like mexico, where there is no war. in france, an attack on the charlie hebdo magazine came with a clear message. journalist expressing critical opinions must fear for their lives, even in europe. and in egypt, three journalists from al jazeera were held in cages during their trial because they exercised their right to freedom of speech. they were sentenced to several years in prison. sarah: there's a look at some of the other stories making the news right now. heavy rainfall has flooded parts of the u.s. state of missouri

and prompted evacuations. the flooding has been most severe in the east of the state you're the mississippi river. the rain was part of a storm system that brought deadly tornadoes elsewhere in the u.s. in recent days. police in southeastern turkey have used water cannons and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters. people took to the streets of the mainly kurdish city, calling for an end to the curfews. some parts of the region have been subject to it 24 hour lockdown since mid-december. the world health organization says the ebola outbreak in guinea is over. note new cases have been declared in 42 days, which is twice the incubation. of the virus. around 2000 people in any died during the worst outbreak of the disease in decades. a court here in germany has sent estate rwanda and man to life in prison for his part in the

countries genocide. he was the mayor of a town where 400 and 6 -- ethnic tutees were massacred on the grounds of a church. he was found to be one who ordered the killings. >> he was sentenced to life in prison for his per tatian -- participation in the rwandan genocide. no mass murder or anyone who committed crimes against humanity should be permitted to live in germany. this is one of several memorials to the genocide in rwanda. during three months in 1994, ethnic tutus killed moderates. even when they sought refuge in churches. the court found that the defendant held land and carry out one such massacre. he insists he is innocent.

>> we find the verdict is legally flawed. i think we will last the federal supreme court to re-examine it. >> a trial was held in germany because the ethnic hutu arrived in the country as a refugee in 2002. sarah: we are going to take a short break, but still to come, the front man of motorhead passed away. stay with us.

sarah: you're watching "dw news." welcome back. the pentagon described a strategy is striking at the head of the snake hunting down and killing the group's leaders. pop quiz for you. what are the most viable

companies -- most valuable companies in the world? if you guessed that many of them are not german, you would be right. >> only six german companies made it into the top 100. a bit of a letdown. chinese companies are right up there, especially u.s. corporations. the study reveals more than half the most valuable publicly traded companies are from the united states, especially high-tech firms with digital know-how or among the world leaders. apple is first place, followed by google's parent company and microsoft. together they are worth $1.5 trillion in market capitalization, making them more valuable than the 30 largest dax listed companies, worth just over one trillion. some other big german names did not make it onto the list.

>> with their domination of digital technology, u.s. corporations, primarily tech companies, top the global business rankings. all 10 of the world's most viable firms come from the united states. u.s. firms are also predominate in i.t. they also lead in financial and pharmaceutical sectors. in europe, the top players tend to be in traditional energies. for example, nestlé and dutch oil giant shell ranked among the top 50. german companies only mated to the bottom third of the global ranking. this year's most viable german corporation was a pharmaceutical company. it made it to 66 place with the market value of about 105 billion euros. german carmaker volkswagen no longer ranks among the most valuable enterprises.

in the wake of the emission scandal, bw shares tanked in the carmaker dropped out of the ranking. >> the textiles trade used to be a big employer, not anymore. illegal fakes from china have flooded the market, washing away thousands of jobs. we will talk to our correspondent about that in a moment. some companies are taking their own measures. >> for anyone who loves rich colors, this is a paradise. it is famous for traditional wax prints. here the brand names of the fabrics are an important sign of their quality. >> i need to wear something with names. >> and authentic fabric costs five euros per meter.

but shoppers can also get their hands on pirated cloth from china. they sell for just one third of the price and are slowly crippling traditional shops. she says as soon as she gets a new design in, someone comes into by three meters, and for weeks later, copies appear on the market. we are outside this capital and this company produces traditional textiles here. dye is carefully applied, one layer at a time. the process involves several steps and it is six into. the quality of the knockoff fabrics is nowhere near as good, but still they are seriously damaging this business. the factory now only operates three days a week and 500 workers have been laid off. this is a special unit helping

to protect the brand. he has an eye for the real thing. often the fate patterns are simpler. >> if you look at this site and this side, they are not the same. these are the same. >> this polyp cloth consists of counterfeits mobile fabric. this unit is working to raise public awareness and set an example. >> try to get your own designs. try to get your own brand, and then you pay your taxes at the border, and we all have a fair competition. >> to protect the trademark, he's willing to take political

action, but it could still be some time before fake fabrics disappear from markets across the country. >> let's pick up on that last point with our african correspondent in nairobi. edith, is there any chance the fakes will disappear altogether? it's an entrenched industry in many countries across asia and parts of africa. edith: you are absolutely right. as long as there is a demand for these products, the t -- the cheaper they are, the more demand they are in, there's a small chance the fake products will disappear from the market. it's not just in ghana, it's across the continent. if anything, the smuggling of fake roderick's is proliferating. >> you are basically saying this is a moral choice, or is it in

government hands? is it about plugging up the holes in the borders? edith: it's about how much money you have in your pocket. these are fabrics that are usually used on special occasions. if you don't have the five euros it would cost to buy one meter, and you need at least four meters, if you don't have the right amount of money to buy that, you going to go with the cheaper product. it would not matter to you whether that product is from pure -- from your local vendor because as far as you're concerned, it's in your pocket. quite how much of a difference is it making? >> we're being told it's upwards of 7000 illegal fabrics. it is impossible to tell just how much of the market has been infiltrated by the fake products because no one is keeping tabs. it's going to be very difficult

to assess how much of an impact the task forces is making. >> but the government is doing something, there is an impact of sorts. some say without the task there would not be an industry at all. edith: some say there is no industry right now. you are talking about 20 industries in the 1980's down to just four. used to just employ -- they are still struggling. people are saying with or without the task force the industry is still on its knees. >> what about digital solutions? i've read some interesting ones. edith: this is where the innovation in africa really comes out. now what you can do, you can scratch out a series of unique numbers and send it to it toll-free number and you get back to full details of the fabric, where it was made,

whether or not it is authentic. this is just one of the ways to try to get people to not buy the fake products. but of course the ones who are duplicating these are also very clever. they are coming up with their own serial numbers, except they don't work. >> the textiles war, thank you. that's it from me. the next business update is next hour. sarah: rock 'n roll has lost a larger-than-life figure. lemmy kilmister has died of cancer at the age of 78. here is more. >> with his large sideburns, distinct voice and unique persona, the motorhead front man was one of rock's most recognized figures.

>> i think lemmy really embodies rock 'n roll to a lot of people. not just in terms of his music that in terms of his spirit, his attitude. all the way to the age of 70 he never compromise. >> his death was announced by the remaining motorhead members on the band's facebook page. he passed away after a short battle with an aggressive form of cancer. having been diagnosed with the disease on september 20 6, 2 days after his 70th birthday, and just two days prior to his death. he spent four decades as the motorhead front man and was the band's only continuous member. he was also known for his large intake of alcohol and amphetamines and his defiant attitude. motorhead are considerate the godfathers of heavy metal.

>> a lot of people really didn't like us. the press didn't like us. they are all gone and i am still here. >> in the past weeks, as his health deteriorated, lemmy decided to switch from whiskey and cope to vodka and orange juice. he claimed that coke was bad for your help. he maybe gone, but he will live on in his music. some fear e could make the afterlife go deaf. sarah: we will see you again in 30 minutes. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

dsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdsdcdc

welcome back to live from paris on france 24. we will be telling you more how theo he was and pentagon thinks he was involved in those killings. accused of treason. kurdisher of turkey's people under fire as clashes continue between the kurds and security forces in the southeast. we will go to our correspondent for more.