brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, those mixed messages from north korea. despite promises, it seems they are building missiles again. u.s. spy satellites have reportedly spotted renewed activity at a missile site. what does this mean for kim jong-un's commitmentnto denunuclearize the k koren peninsula? we will get reaction from washington. also coming up, the city the islamic state turned into a ghost town. the city in a northern iraq was

liberated three years ago but only a fraction of the yazidi minority who once liveved there have returned. we will have a an exclusive report. and a smartphone ban at schools in france. his are outraged, parents are happy, but the t teachers worryt will be tough to enforce. as temperatures soar off the scale, what happens if we just have to carry on work in the relentless heat? we ask the advice of berlin's road builders as we sweat our way througha real heatwave. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. it's good to have you with us. tonight, reports that north korea has not stopped working to build new ballistic missiles that could carry a nuclear weapon. the washington post says that

u.s. spy satellites detected renewed activity at a site that has produced them in the past. this puts into doubt the promise made by north korean leader kim jong-un. at a summit in singapore just last month, he reportedly told u.s. president donald trump he would end all nuclear testing. we will get reaction from washington in just a moment. but first, this report. reporter: on the surface, relations between the u.s. and north korea have been warming. earlier this week north korea returned the remains of american soldiers 65 years after the end of the korean war. the gesture of peace came weeks after an historic summit. a day later, u.s. president donald trump declared that north korea was no longer a threat. but now the washington post has published reports citing u.s. intelligence that could undermine the apapparent diplomatic progress on the peninsula. according to the report, this missile research facility in

north korea is being built up, rather than torn down. neighbor south korea is on alert. >> the south korean government is closely watching north korean movements and closely y working with the united states. however, i hope you understand that we are not able to speak about intelligence reports. reporter: this, on the heels of reports that north korea is continuing to enrich uranium in secret. critics say the trump administration is being played by north korea. last week, u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo faced criticism from within his own party. >> i am afraid that at this point, the united states, the trump administration, is being taken for a ride. >> fear not, senator. fear not. reporter: there is no doubt the u.s. intelligence community is watching north korea closely. it is unclear, however, what progress has been made towards denuclearization since the trump/kim summit. brent: let's take this story to the united states.

our correspondent carsten von nahmen is standing by in washington. good evening to you. so what has been the reaction there to this report from the washington post? carsten: the white house has not officially reacted to the report, but one of the president's surrogates, kellyanne conway, has tried to play down the importance of the news, saying that things don't change overnight. she was echoing earlier statements by secretary of state pompeo, the american foreign minister, who had said that denuclearizing north korea, and getting rid of the threat from its long-range missile program would not be a quick achievement in both the government -- and both the government and the public had to have patience. but that of course is not what donald trump said after his summit with kim jong-un. as we have said and in a tweet he pointed out that everybody now can feel safer than the day

i took officice. there is no longer a nuclear threat from north korea. unquote. that was donald trump. only a few weeks ago he said great progress was being made. that was obviously a slight overstatement. brent: yeah, his critics this evening probably feel vindicated. they have said he is being taken for a ride. has the trump administration just completely misread the intentions of the north korean leader? carsten: at least it seems to reaffirm, or confirm what the critics have said, that the summit in singapore was not very well prepared, and that it did not yield any concrete results to show for. of course, kim and trump in a joint statement said they would work towards denuclearization of the korean peninsula, but it was not even quite clear if both sides understood the same when

they said these things. and also there were no concrete steps that had to be taken from that point. there was no concrete timetable. and that is the problem with donald trump's approach towards diplomacy. he thinks it is enough when the big guys sit together, build the relationship, then everything will fall in place. normally it is done the other way around. first the experts come together, try to find common ground, work on details, and thus provide the platform for such a meeting of the big guys. brent: and that brings us to iran and the u.s. president. yesterday mr. trump doing a 180, saying that he would like to meet with the iranian president, and with no preconditions. is he trying to apply his north korea strategy to iran? carsten: well, i think in this case, he was just shooting from the hip, reacting to the question from a reporter at a joint press conference with the

italian prime minister. i would not read too much into this. i don't think there is something like a cohesive strategy behind this, or anything that was preplanned, a diplomatic offensive or something. donald trump has been criticized heavily both for his meeting with vladimir putin a few weeks ago, and also for that summit in singapore with kim jong-un. and he is basically just doubling down on his style of diplomacy and saying, well, i will meet with anyone. i believe with meeting with people and talking with people. so this is what he did. as we know of course, the iranians have already rejected this spontaneous offer. brent: no big surprise, there. our correspondent carsten von nahmen on the story for us tonight in washington. carsten, thank you. here are some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world. facebook says it has uncovered what looks like a coordinated effort to influence november's congressional elections in the u.s. the company says it does not know who is responsible, but it

has taken down dozens of fake accounts related to the campaign. in september, facecebook disclod that russians had used the site to try to influence u.s. voters before and after the 2016 presidential vote. more funerals have been held today for the victims of greece's wildfires. a famous g greek actor and her huhuand were among those killed when flames ravaged the seaside town of mati just over a week ago. the blaze claimed the lives of at least 91 people. malaysia is a civil aviation chain has resigned after a report showed failures in air traffic control. they found controllers failed to put emergency procedures into action when the malaysian airplane vanished from the radar. investigators say they still do not know why the flight disappeared in 2014, with

hundreds of people on board. returning now to northern iraq, which was liberated nearly three years ago from so-called islamic state. when it swept through the region, i.s. targeted minorities like the yazidis, who do not follow the islamic faith. militants killed, kidnapped and enslaved thousands of yazidis. returning and starting fresh is a mammoth task. very few people have tried to start a new life in the region in the capital. dw's birgitta schulke traveled there and she brings us this exclusive report. birgitta: the capital of the yazidi lies in ruins. devastated by invasion and the fight for liberation. most people fled when so-called islamic state to the city and killed and enslaved thousands. now that the islamists have been expelled, only a few residents have returned.

in many parts, the city feels like a ghost town. 2.5 years after liberation from i.s., only 3000 families have returned to a city which once had more than 80,000 inhabitants. there is still n no sign of recoconstruction. there are no hospitals, schools, or functional administration. yazidis living here feel abandoned by their politicians. >> w we have got no electricity and ththe water is bad. there are bombs and mines all over the place. they have to clear them. >> you just can't live here. there's no work, so people aren't coming back. >> if the situation does not improve soon, then we who have returned will leavave again. birgitta: this man wants to stay no matter what.

the 24-year-old studied to be a teacher, but there are no schools. so he opened up a glass workshop with a friend. the problem is nothing is being rebuilt, which means even his business is struggling. >> people won't come back as long as there are so many different political groups here working ononly for themselves. there are 1000 different groups and they're all only looking after their own interests. birgitta: he means the different militias that are still active in the city. they run their own checkpoints and have their own agendas. all parties want influence here in the mountains. being close to the syrian border, the region is strategically important to kurds, to the central government in baghdad, turkey, and iran. the mayor says the city's people are suffering from this clash of interests. he is a yazidi put in office by

the central government, then left to fend for himself. >> we yazidis are treated like fourth or fifth class citizens. let me give you an example. i had to live in the mountains for three years and five months. there were 6000 families in the mountains. if we were not yazidis, they would have taken care of us like they did other people. birgitta: residents come to him every day asking for money for reconstruction, but he can't help them. the government says it wants to press on with rebuilding, but the mayor is pessimistic. after the latest protests, he says, he expects any available money to be spent elsewhere. brent: denmark is the latest country to ban wearing fullface veils in public. this effectively means house arrest for nearly 200 women choose to cover their face.

the government says the band supports women's rights, that empowers them to make their own decisions. but we meet one woman who says that dan mac -- the denmark's ban is taking away that choice. reporter: handing out flyers, sarah wants to fight for her faith. 12 years ago she made the decision to veil her face, but from now on she will be breaking the law. >> i feel very disappointed. i thought we lived in a free society where people can believe what they want and they can wear whatever they want as long as they don't hurt other people. reporter: born in denmark and raised by turkish parents, sarah and her fellow activists are campaigning while they still can, trying to win support for a demonstration. and they are getting that support. >> i think it is a violation of human rights. >> just one other time when men

have decided what women should be wearing. >> i think it is important you accept there are cultural differences. reporter: in parliament, sarah has an appointment with one of the initiators of the ban. they are convinced it has to be prohibited, even though fewer than 200 women are affected. they find no middle ground. >> you are placing sharia law over laws of our system. >> no, i'm saying -- >> that is why we need to -- >> no, in denmark we have freedom of religion. reporter: the discussion escalates into an argument. he thinks it stands for the oppression of women. that is one thinks it should be banned. -- why he thinks it should be banned. >> garments are all instruments

to an end, and that is control of women and nullification of the female gender. and we want to fight that. reporter: the ban on face coverings is one of several lost the government says it has introduced to integrate immigrants. some critics say it will only divide society further. in the end, veils are rarely seen in the streets of denmark. sarah describes it as a sign of religious humility. she remains faithful to her beliefs but faces a difficult future in denmark. her idea of religious freedom could end in isolation within her own four walls. brent: time for business news. helena is here now. we're talking about u.s. consumers splashing the cash. helena: they feel good about the state of their economy. they are opening their wallets. the index of the u.s. consumer confidence surprisingly rose in

july despite analysts suspecting -- expecting a decline. partly due to robust job gains in rising tax incomes which lifted consumer spending. but the optimism only reflects american's view on short-term economic outlook, as they remain concerned about the long-term development and do not for see growth that consumer confidence was quite the surprise. anyway, let's speak more about this now with jens korte, our financial correspondent. good to see you, jens. the consumer confidence was quite a surprise. so should consumers really be all that confident? jens: well, it looks pretty good, especially when you look at the job market. even if wages are not really increasing that much at this point. but there was also a survey out where people were asked how confident they are to find a new

job. this survey actually hit the highest level in about 17 years. then also consumer confidence is close to an eight year -- 18 year high. the labor market does look quite promising, and on top of that we have tech stocks feeling the economy for now. helena: they do show caution about long-term growth. why is that? jens: well, first of all the u.s. economy is expanding for the ninth straight year. so this is basically the second-longest expansion face in u.s. history. so, at some point it is pretty likely the economy will turn, even if no one knows precisely that is going to happen. then also we can see the federal reserve start to increase interest rates, so that can block economic growth little bit. then we shouldn't forget, i

mentioned the tax cuts. this also means we are piling up a huge amount of debt, and that might also strike back at some point. but so far, economists are quite upbeat that the u.s. economy still has some room to run, maybe now that -- those are the big bets on wall street right now, when the u.s. economy might show some signs of weakness. but at least for now, u.s. economic growth seems to be quite solid, and that shows in consumer spending and in consumer -- helena: covering those big bets on wall street, jens korte in new york. thank you. well, iran's rial was trading at a fresh record low on tuesday. that is a loss of nearly two thirds of its value since the start of the year. many blame the imminent

reposition of u.s. sanctions in august after donald trump's position to pull out of the nuclear court. charon blames quote, enemy conspiracies for the sudden decline. reporter: the iranians are scriptable -- skip the goal -- the governmnment advdvisor made their position clear. he said the u.s. must first respect their rights, lift sanctions, and rejoin the nuclear deal. iranians are sanguine about sanctions. tehran's leadershihip is countig on them drawing government and people closer together. but there is one problem that could prevent that. iran's currency is trading at historic lows and prices are spiraling. >> a lot of people cannot even afford basic staples, things

like butter, cheese, beans. and i cannnnot see thingngs improving. nothing ever becomes cheaper in this country. reporter: it has plunged even further out of the reinstatement of u.s. sanctions. it is now lost two thirds of its value this year. helena: back to brent now for a look at how berliners, taking a look at how they are keeping cool in the heat. brent: we could deal with some more air-conditioning. the northern hemisphere is suffering from a severe heat wave, with wildfires breaking out all over here in berlin the mercury hit 39 degrees celsius, 102 fahrenheit, close to the record of 40.3 degrees. that is all right if you have air-conditioning, but how do those work outside cope with the unbearable heat? dw's correspondent went out to find out. reporter: berlin has been

sweltering for weeks as the thermometer reaches record highs. everyone here is looking to get out of the heat. it is 39 degrees here now. in these temperatures, all you want to do is find a way to cool down. what if you have a job that means you cannot escape the heat? we asked three people with the hottest jobs in the capital. >> i just took the temperature here and it is off the scale. how hot doesn't get here? >> up to 108 degrees. >> how do you survive? >> just getting used to it. that's it.

reporter: how do you cope? >> it is on the head. reporter: all in the head? >> absolutely. reporter: how do you do that? >> it is cold, it's cold, it's c old. that works for me. reporter: really? >> right now i am at the north pole. look for yourself. you can see it here. reporter: as a fireman, you are used to high temperatures. do you still suffer in the? >> oh, absolutely. at the fire department we are normally used to high temperatures for short periods of time battling a brace. but constantly having 37 degrees affects us. even when we where these close which would normally protect us, this can get on your nerves.

we can only get fluid back by regularly drinking as well as getting shade, and also regularly taking off our protective gear. reporter: so anyone able to find a cool place in the capital these days should count themselves lucky. brent: and don't forget to thank those firefighters. close to 10% of egyptians are coptic christians, and they often face discrimination from their muslim compatriots. it is no better on the football pitch. now a five -- private football economy -- we have this report from egypt's second city, alexandria. reporter: he gives his boys some tips. the 22-year-old is for football -- lives for football, but his own career was over before it began. his former club wanted him to give up his christian saudi

name. instead he g gave up playing football, and founded the academy instead. >> we coach coptic kids here. there are some good talents, but clubs refused to take them on. christians do nonot have a chane to make football their career in egypt. reporter: in the long history of egyptian football, only very few coptic christians have ever played for thehe national team. despite the fact ththat they represent 10% of the overall egyptian population. sporting officials, however, reject the idea that coptic christians are systematically excluded from football. >> all of the african players in the league, which religion do they have? the national coach is a christian. the most famous coach is a christian. the muslims versus christians thing in sport is not exist in egypt. reporter: this was founded three

years ago and playeyers pay no more than a token number -- membership fee.. there are plans to found a club under the same name, and soon afterwards they hope to start playing in the fourth division. the formation is set. all that is missing is the paperwork. brent: france has passed a law banning smartphones at schools. students between the ages of three to 15 will not be able to use any mobile devices during class or on the playground. parents we understand are satisfied, teachers are concerned, and the kids, as you might imagine, are outraged. reporter: gaming, texting, and streaming music. this is a sight you will not be seeing in french schools from september onward. smartphones will be banned from both the classroom and the playground. the new ban will prohibit anyone

under 16 from using their phone at school. when the law was proposed eight months ago, kids were already outraged. >> we will be borered and we wil have to move and run around. there e are going g to be los sf accidents. >> they are taking away something we use every dayay. it is like losing a part of yourself. reporter: the new law sailed through parliament with only a few abstentions from the opposition. ahead of the vote, thehe educatn miminister was confident it t wd pass. >> you rarely see schoolchildren in the playground playing catch or football. they are all looking at their phones. from a teaching point of view, that is a problem. reporter: a cell phone ban has hardly made a ripple in the papers or the national news, but the french public largely agrees it is a good idea. >> oh, i am all for it. even when they are in groups, kids with phones are like

zombies. they are addicted to them and do not even talk to each other anymore. >> it is a good decision, but i am not sure all parents will go along withth it. reporter: teachers have also voiced their doubts. they say enforcing the ban could prove difficult, given the kid's talent for using their phones on the sly. brent: that is true. here's a reminder of the top story we're following for you. u.s. patent -- spy satellites have are poorly spotted renewed activity at a north korean mimissile satellite -- this comes after kim jong-un promise to denuclearization of the korean peninsula. after a short break i'll be back to take you through the day. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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four the fifty cent winfrey's [inaudible] about. the way the with anything. from twenty twenty four and france24 dot com. sponsored told the story stories our and i know my stuff. no no i don't. officials want