>> this is dw news, live from berlin. as the wororld turns, dudubai is ringing in the new year. helena: celebrations have just begun at the world's tallest tower. the burj khalifa had out -- a vast light show and fireworks display. dw is tracking elections in congo.

they are hoping that 2019 will bring them increased stability. bangladesh is having one. a victory there has been marred by deadly violence. tensions are running high in congo. widespread allegations of voting irregularities persist. i'm helena humphrey, glad you could join me. revelers around the world are ringing in the new year. the clock suggests truck midnight in dubai. hundreds of thousands of people have gathered to watch at the world's largest tower. the burjrj khalifa is lit up by led lasers a and fireworks.

held i in multiple locations across to buy. while new zealand and australia and most of asia are already a few hours into 2019, there are still many more parties to come. we will be bringing you the biggest celebrations across the globe as the world says goodbye to 2018 and hello to 2019. germany will be ringing in the new year in just under three hours time. here in berlin, a big news years party is getting underway. this is a hugege challenenge foe authorities. >> the warm-up acts are already getting the crowd into the mood on a relatively mild years eve in berlin. numerous bands and djs will take to the stage.

>> it is super. very good. >> that was nice, i enjoyed the performance, i don't really speak german but i could feel the passion behind the center. >> all sorts of people from all different countries, they are nice, really nice. beer? berlin beer? dangerous objects like pirates are banned within the parties on. police and firefighters are out in full force and are calling on the public to treat them with respect. they have increasingly been the target of attacks in recent years. >> we're hoping for a healthy start to the new year. i hope the people are happy we are here. we are the ones that ensure this party can happen. fireworks will light up the brandenburg gate at midnight.

the party is sure to continue into the early morning. helena: the prime minister has been declared the winner of sunday's national elections. sheikh hasina has won. there are allegations of rigging the vote. >> for someone who just wanted record fourth term, chicken sena --sheikh hasina has kept a low profile. on monday she dismissed allegations of vote rigging. this comes amid noting concern over voter intimidation. there were reports of voters forced to cast their votes openly in front of ruling officials.

several voters told ew about intimidation about -- at the polls. one man who wishes to remain anonymous says a voting official took his thumb and inked a ballot that had only been filled out for him. withthout his permissision. > it was definitelyly a trauc experience. i get express what i i felt. i felt like i was robbed. >> an expert on politics described the effects of intimidation on a generation of young people who had never voted before. >> a young group of people, they expect they will cast their vote but they could not do that. this is not very good for democratic practices in bangladesh.

>> the opposition said thousands of members had been arrested for political reasons. the opposition leader has been in jail since february. but, sheikh hasina says thahathe opposition would have done the same if they were in charge. helena: our correspondent, nimisha jaiswal is stananding by for us. have reports of irregulararities sullied her triumph? nimisha: she has come in totally confident. she has claimed a position as representative of the people. she says that the vote was entirely free and fair a and tht bangngladesh has voted to reject the policies o of deposition. this m means that thisis is thte

longesest serving democratically elected -- elected prime minister of bangladesh. what she democratically elected russian mark oppositioion leades don't think so. accounts on social media would also speak to the contrary. but the government is not batting an eye. helena: there is a lot of confidence therefrom sheikh hasina. could thehese accusations of it not being fair leads to an elecection? nimisha: there are multiple reports of seeing stuffed ballot boxes. the accounts on social media are especially jarring. there are also stories like one district --

one v voter cast his vote forore communisist party but he says ty were z zero votes fofor the communist party in the end. he asks where his boat went. the limit comes to reelection, election commissioners come out today and they are supposed to be the ones investigating any claims o of irregularities. they said there would be no reelection. helena: those are some serious allegations from witnesses. with that in mind, how are the bangladeshis feeling about these charges s of irregularitieies? arare they angryry? nimisha: they are dedefinitely angry. ththat is what we are hearing on the ground. more importantly, they are scared. they are not coming out openly or in protesest of trying to challenge this election and a more open way.

this is crucial to why there would be a reelection. back in 96, it was sheikh hasina that pushed through reelection. then she had a massive p powerfl party and the peoeople's moveme. this time you will not see that. helena: thank you, nimisha jaiswal reporting for us. elizabeth warren has taken a key step toward running in 2020. she has formed an exexploratory cocommittee. she e has had several run-ins wh president donald trump. he called her pocahontas. once to the doubts about her native american roots. dozens are m misng following an explosion and an apartmentt building in russia. this blast happened earlier in the morning when many residents

were sleep tories believe it was caused by a gas leak. security forces into that have fired at tear gases wewere planning to them mash -- march on the president shall palace. crowds gathered in the capital khartoum, they were confronted by white police who blocked the march. -- riot police who blocked the march. millions of people took part in an event that could seek the first peaceful chancellor and power in decades. questions over the fairness with accusations of mismanagement and irregularities, especially in opposition areas. >> voters in many parts of congo's desk congo came back to study lists of initial results posted outside. divisional nationwide results are not due out for another week.

voting there was played by technical problems and allegations of vote rigging. >> i think elections were credible, too many people found their names were not on the electrical -- electoral list. there were told to go to the centers to find their names and as a result many did not get to vote. >> seems like this were not uncommon. long lines formed as voting machines malfunctioned. >> we have been here since this morning and it is dark already but we are here and we will vote. the national conference of catholic bishops deployed thousands of observers across the country. they reported numerousus proble. it left the vote relatively calm. >> to ensure the credibility of the results we -- we asked the electoral commission to continue postining the results i in fronf ththe poor statations and to

undertake any other action that guarantees the transparency of the process. >> as about county got underway, the significance of election was clear. this could be congo's first peaceful transition of power since it gained independence independence -- gained independence from belgium in 1960. just cabell is stepping down after nearly eight years at the home. the oppositioion candidate is considered one of the front runners. yet others allege the vote was fraudulent with rick machines. this form interior minister is under european sanctions. there are now fears that violence could return to congo. particularly if candidate should i -- this candidate is considered the winter.

helena: olivia joins us. we understand that the votes are still being counted. both the ruling and the opposition are claiming victory. how are people reacting? olivia: everyone thinks they have one. i think it is a very strong sense of optimism among voters. people have waited for several years for the election. i was walking around in my house today. everybody was very excited about who they voted for. i had spoken to lots of people. i have yet to meet anyone who voted for the handpicked successor. we will see. helena: that in mind, does the opposition and stand a chance against the protege? olivia: sadly, i don'n't think e

oppositions do. this has been massively rigged in the favor of the protege. three people were killed. as a result, this rally was banned. these two areas are also opposition strongholds. i think if the vote comes through in the opposition wins, i think the election will be invalidated. helena: we understand that the internet was cut across the country. apparently to prevent speculation about the results. health people reacted to that? -- how have people reacted to that olivia: it was cut off at about midmorning. people were posting about how

yesterday went. they said it was unfair. it was a reaction to the internet being cut. it is difficult to communicate because it is such a big country. it has 40 million people. the internet is crucial for communicating. without the internet, it is much more difficult for people to share messages. there is nothing you can do. you have to wait for to come back on. they did this in 2017. it was offered 2.5 days. no one knows where -- when -- it was off for 2.5 days. nobody knows when it will come back on. helena: this president activist fears his policies could have disastrous consequences for the already depleted amazon rainforest. he sayss that t protectingng the environmnment will not stand in the way of economic progress. >> smoke riseses on the fronont

lines of environmental war. the battle here is all but over. once again, humans have overcome nature and driven back the rain forest. it is hard to speak of winners here in the east of the amazon jungle. all this has to go so that cows can graze here says this worker. he wants us to leave before his boss sees us. what they are doing is illegal. journalists and analysts are not welcome. >> i feel a great sense of loss. i worked so hard to protect the rain forest. it is such a complex ecosystem. it took centuries to grow. just a a few minutes were into e destroyed and transformed into ash and dust. -- for it to be destroyed and

transformed into ash and dust. >> more and more jungle has been cleared. andre blames the political climate. >> we saw in this election that the new government won't take care of the environment. we are scared that all of our efforts for sustainable use will soon be over. brazil's incoming president has repeatedly said that the rainforests can no longer stand in the way of economic growth. what he means by that is unclear. brazil's powerful mining and farming lobbies are counting on him to represent their interests. ththe military d dictatorship pt ll result in tonight's 95 wanted the forest chopped down and ordered the country's space agency to monitor the clearance.

the researchers are trying to protect the environment. the yellow areas on this map show where the rainforest has been destroyed. >> the areasas of the amazon before this -- deep forested add up to twice that of germany. >> in the long-term, researchers argue that intact rainforests are more important. andres team demonstrates how that could work. they met out the forest, selecting individual trees to be left for variable -- locked for valuable wood. >> what we are missing in brazil is strong environmental policics , environmental awareness and a public committed to these issues. as long as the priority is to make products as cheaply as possible, , overexploitatition l contntinue. no one is watching o out for the forerest. >> b brazil's s recent presidens did not do much for the rainforests. many fear that the countries

leader will usher in unprecedented destruction. >> the football federation has hit back after he was suspended pending investigation of physical abuse of members of the afghan women's national team. he strongly denied allegations by unnamed players that he was guilty of violence, rape and even holding a gun to a players had. he said the claims may have been fabricated to help the players claim asylum in europe. the governor -- governing body has suspended him for 20 days. the french international team -- they have signed up for west you -- west 10 united. they were banned for six months after using a trip treatment that contravened anti-doping rules.

he goes to london where he had a suspect -- successful spell for arsenal. russia is running out of time to meet an end of your deadline to hahand over computer data from s moscow drug testing lab. access to the testing was banned because of a three-year ban on the lab. they were denied access to data, russia risks another ban if it does not comply. germany's chancellor has delivered her traditional new year's message, marking an end to one of the toughest years of her political career. angela merkel called for germans to come together and share more openness, tolerance and respect. >> a little light at the end of the tunnel. here at the chancellery in berlin, germany's leader hope so. angela merkel described 2018 in

her new year's address. she wanted to press ahead for more solidarity in 2019. >> i am guided by the conviction that we will only master the challenges of our time if we hold together and work with others across boundaries and borders. >> 2018 saw in fighting that brought the coalition government to the brink. in october she announced she would not run for a fifth term in office. they are referring to the chalallenges of migration, clime change and terrorism. a star supporter of the eu and diplomacy. she won against isolation. >> what have been certainties of international cooperation are coming under pressure. we must stand up more for her

convictions. we must argue and fight for them . in our own interest, you must assume more responsibility. >> german is joining for two years. she said that -- angela merkel says that she would fight for more solutions. she said germany would spend more on humanitarian aid and security. these were taken by a german astronaut during his time at the international space station. testifying to my dangers of a changing climate. also to earth's overwhelming beauty. >> ben is looking very dapper. there is possibly some movement in a trade between the united states and china. ben: he promised a deal is in

the works to end his trade work with china. he started a dispute that led to billions of dollars. trump wrote on twitter that he has been talking to xi jinping about a deal that woululd be ve, rancid. adding that they progress has been made. he says that beijing stands ready to work with washington. the news did give stocks a boost today. remember, when the two sides agreed to a trade truce earlier this month, markets celebrated and plunged when it became unclear what was agreed upon. there is much uncertainty over global trade and the path that equities are set to take. let's look ahead. >> the markets went downhill,

much deeper and faster than anyone could have imagined. especially in germany. through the new year, people are still shellshocked from the dismal 2018. the expectancy for the new year is a lot of it dampened. a lot of analysts are seeing further growth for the markets. they are seeing a little bit higher share prices at the end of the year. certainly nowhere near the record high that they reached in 2018. this economic growth is set to continue and most of the major economies. germany included but also in the united states and china. the thing is that economic growth is uncertain after this. people say the siding --

the trade work, the interest rate hikes and raise it. >> vacancy and interest rate hike -- they could see an interest rate hike in the new year. the european central bank is winning them off stimulus. winding down the most controversial measure, the massive bond buying scheme. it helps to stabilize markets but critics called it market manipulation. mario draghi made the announcement, the european central bank won't buy bonds on the financial markets starting in january. >> regarding nonstandard potency -- policy measures, the next purchase will end in december of 2018.

the ecb has been buying government bonds as part of its quantitative easing program. that was later expanded to make financncing cheaper r for compa. the e ecb has spent a staggering 2006 euros on bonds. -- 2000 6 million euros on bonds. >> they have been for filling the mandate that it has. it is now pulling back from financial relief to fulfill its mandatate for both northern and southern european countries. the ecb has proceeded with caution, allowing the markets time to adapt to more financial -- extensive financing. the question is whether they will raise the rate next year. >> the japanese have been flocking to retailers to stock up on one of the new year

gastronomical rituals. it is all about boxes packed with notices s such as caviar ad troubles. they sometimes have two or three layers. the most luxurious ones can sell for nearly $1500. you are watching dues of a news from berlin. we will have more for you in the next hour. see you then.

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