sacred hindu temple and make history. their attendancnce today profitt clashes and protesests from conservative hindu groups. also on the program, a train crash on a bridge in denmark kills six passengers. authorities say carriages were hit by cargo that fell through a freight train. storm force winds batter the region.

in 2018 was one of angela merkel's political c career. will 2019 be any easy alert? we take a look -- be any easier? we take a look ahead. also coming up, the one-liner that the not travel wewell. >> it took the killing of a washington post journalist for everyone to go, oh, i guess he is really not a reformer. phil: a joke about the saudi crown prince falls flat for netflix. ♪ phil: i'm phil gayle. welcome to the program. we start in southern india, where two has defied a centuries-old taboo and entered one of hinduism's holy shrines and sparked violent crashes -- clashes. their move has pitted traditionalists against women's

rights activists. reporter: under the cover of darkness, escorted by police, two indian women wearing black entered the sabarimala temple. they offered prayers and quickly depart. it was more an act of defiance than devotion. so far they have been blocked by blocking traditionalists. >> entry of women in sabarimala is a historic win for us. after the verdict of the supreme court, some people were still opposing the entry of women. today, that protest has failed because the women have entered the temple. reporter: the sabarimala temple is visited by some 50 million devotees each year but it banned women aged 10 to 50. conservative hindus believe women of menstruating age when to file the temple which is --

defile the temple. prime minister narendra modi has sided with traditionalists against the supreme court ruling. >> india is of the view that everyone should get their due rights. there are some temples in india which have their own traditions that men should not enter a temple, and men do not go there. and this, sabarimala, a woman judge in the supreme court has made certain observations. reporter: the issue has sparked an outcry in india. on tuesday, over 5 million women formed a human chain, making a stand against gender discrimination. >> we don't want to walk back. we want to walk ahead. we want gender equality. reporter: but they face fierce opposition from traditionalists, women among them.

protests are expected to continue as both sides voice their outrage. phil: let's get more from dw in delhi. tell us more about reactions to today's events. >> unfortunately the reactions to these women making history has largely been negative. they actually shut down the temple for over one hour for. occasion rituals. protests broke out across the state. the ruling party in the country actually called for protests and ended up clashing with the dueling party in the state, leading to police firing tear gas and water cannons. some have called for a strike for the next two days to protest women entering this temple. phil: so this is not the first

time these women have tried to get into the temple. how did they get around the people who have been trying to keep them out? guest: the supreme court ruling came all the way back to september. the last couple of months women have been making attempts to enter the temple, but this has been in broad daylight. this helped them to block these women three kilometers before the temple. it is a three-hour trek leading up to the temple, most women not even being able to get close. these women left in the dead of the night at midnight, reached their about 3:40 a.m., offered prayers a very quickly with support from police. but there were not enough to keep these women for making history. phil: looking at the potus a situation there, -- at the political situation there, is

this about religion? guest: while this is a religious issue there are definitely political overtones. prime minister narendra modi's party has been speaking out against the supreme court ruling since the time it came. and the party in power is in support of the supreme court ruling. they are not only exerting physical force leading to arrests, may have even appealed this decision in the supreme court. the supreme court will be hearing the challenge to its own verdict later this month. so far, prime minister narendra modi's party has come out in support of many hindu traditions but has called for equal the issues when it comes to islam and other relations -- religion. so there is clearly politics involved in this as well. phil: good talking to you. thank you for joining us. six people have been killed and 16 injured in a train accident on a bridge between two danish islands.

carriages were hit by cargo that fell from a freight train as storm force winds batter the region. reporter: the accidental -- the accident occurred early on the western side of the bridge. it looked like a strong storm loosened up cargo beingg transported on a train belonging to a german rail operator. debris was smashed into the upcoming passenger train. police were not able to give any further details in a press conference they held later. >> the most important thing is to help the passengers and crew on board. we ask everyone who was on board the train to contact the next of kin. if someone does not have a cell phone, they should ask to use someone else's. reporter: in the meantime, cell phone footage taken on board shows some of the damage. the police have confirmed six dead and 16 injured. at the time of the crash, the bridge had been closed to traffic because of the strong

winds. it is unclear why the freight train was allowed onto the crossing, considering it was also hauling truck semi trailers. phil: now to some of the other stories making news around the world. parts of finland have experienced the strongest winds ever recorded in the country as a powerful winter storm swept through from the north. tens of thousands of people have been without power. cell phone service and transport have also been disrupted. authorities are urging people to stay indoors. incoming u.s. are public and senator mitt romney wrote a scathing opinion piece in the washington post targeting president trump. he writes that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office and that his actions have alienated america's allies. his comments have propped his suggestions he is going to challenge mr. trump for the republican nomination in 2020. chinese president xi jinping has declared that taiwan must and will the reunited with china.

during a speech marking 40 years since the start of improving ties with the island, president xi called for peaceful reunification but warned beijing reserves the right to use force. japan's emperor has accepted new year's greetings for the last time before he advocates. here. -- he was in tokyo. the emperor has been in power since 1989. he plans to abdicate in april, first emperor to do so for more than 200 years. 2018 was one of the toughest years of angela merkel's long political career. it took her months to form a new government and she faced stiff opposition. she was forced to step down as chair of his -- her conservative party. will 2019 be any easier?

here is a look ahead for the german chancellor. reporter: so far angela merkel's gradual exit from politics appears to be going for plan. but remaining chancellor over the coming year will not be that easy, with a whole list of potential pitfalls. merkel got the successor as party leader she wanted. akk, and she is known, is a much-needed ally and will help keep merkel's interparty critics at bay. but the political comeback of merkel's former rival has loosened her hold on the party. mertz aimed to joining merkel cabinet has been rebuffed for now, but many act -- europe's crunch time elections in may could also be a turning point for the stability of germany's government.

if angela merkel's coalition partner, the children democrats -- social democrats, take another beating at the polls, they may see no other way forward then withdrawing from the government. that would likely end angela merkel's time as chancellor. those polls are expected to see a further rise of the populist right across europe, and angela merkel is set to feel those effects back home. here in germany, the afd publicly closed ranks with the right wing extremists during street protests last summer, united by a determination to end tghe merkel era, the populist movement in germany may gain new momentum. with three eastern states going to the polls this coming autumn, the afd will have to prove whether it can become the strongest political force in any of these states.

if the far right alternative for germany manages to replicate its general election results from 2017, it could become the strongest lyrical force in saxony. -- political force in saxony. it would also be seen as a rebuke for chancellor merkel's leadership. all of those factors will also play a role in a halftime assessment of the coalition partner of angela merkel's government. the social democrats wrote an exit clause into their coalition deal. if they trigger that, angela merkel could crash out of her last term in office. phil: let's get more from melinda crane. will angela merkel still be in charge a year from now, you think? melinda: you heard how many factors could influence her ability to stay in power.

if germany will -- were to hold new elections because the social democrats decided to leave the government, certainly i think we would not see her remain at the helm. but very difficult to say whether that will occur. what we can see is there is no majority at the moment. if you look at the polls, two thirds of germans say they are content to see her serve out her term. only one third would like to see her leave earlier. and germans to have a penchant for stability. so i think that may argue in favor in her sticking around. phil: we saw in that report all the cannons ranged against her at home. what about on the international stage? melinda: germany will now be on the security council as a nonpermanent member. of both the chancellor and her foreign minister have said they are absolutely committed to using that position to really

advocate for multilateral solutions to complex problems. those problems include climate, may want to really push for stronger climate leadership, trade, germany as a major exporting power stands to lose a lot from further intensification of trade disputes. it will be looking to strengthen the wto and the trading order. russia and ukraine another big topic for germany where it has taken leadership in the past. that undoubtedly will have challenges this year as well. and various challenges on the front of security and arms control ranging from possible u.s. withdrawal from the inf treaty designed to control medium-range nuclear weapons possibly stationed in central europe and germany. certainly germany will be looking to hinder that, any further escalation in that area.

and of course any fallout from further hostilities in syria that led to a new myth -- new wave of migrants. all of those will be issues on which germany will want to and need to make its voice heard in the context of this new security council. phil: so plenty of ambition and challenges for germany abroad and at home. can a government led by angela merkel rise to the challenges? there must be many who see her as a lame duck. melinda: in the, that is often -- indeed, that is often said. what one can also say a lame-duck is free to work for the history books, as it were. to make the kind of decisions which will sold if i angela merkel's -- solidify angela merkel's place in those books. she did mention the need for germany to take more responsibility, to stand up for

its advocacy of multilateral solutions. and whatever challenges are out there domestically and internationally, the fact is this remains a very prosperous country with a majority of citizens who are committed to multilateral perspectives, and with a strong sense that germany needs to be in the boat with others. there is not a real strong nationalist demagogue on the horizon apart from the far right party mentioned in the report. but for all of those reasons i think we can look to a certain degree of leadership and stability here still from germany, and from angela merkel. phil: melinda crane, thank you so much. 2019 is off to a rocky start for netflix. streaming giant has come under fire for withdrawing an upside -- episode of the popular, a show "patriot act" in saudi arabia. the saudi crown prince was not amused as a joke about killing of journalists jamal khashoggi.

what was it about this joke that has so offended the conference? carl: this is a show hosted by the u.s. comedian hasan minhaj. he loves these political jokes, it is what the show is all about. one of his first episodes focus on saudi arabia, the conference, and his alleged involvement in the killing of khashoggi. we have a clip of that episode. take a look. >> just a few months ago crown prince mohammed bin salman, aka mbs, was hailed as the reformer the arab world needed. but revelations about khashoggi 's killing has shattered that image. it blows my mind into the killing of a washington post journalist for everyone to go, oh, i guess he is really not a reformer. meanwhile is read -- every muslim person was like, yeah, no [beep.] he is the crown press of saudi arabia. carl: apparently they did not

find that funny, surprise. they basically forced netflix to take that episode down in saudi arabia. when news of that got out people were not happy about it. here's what some people were saying. netflix's claim to support artistic freedom means nothing if it ballasted demands of government officials who believe in no freedom for their free -- citizens. even jamal khashoggi's former editor at the washington post says when jamal khashoggi wrote about the need for free expression in the arab world, that freedom is not just about journalists. is about freedom for anyone who wants to express their views on society. others taking a more nuanced view. of one person writes if they want to operate in a country they have to obey its laws. a better position for netflix would be to boycott saudi arabia altogether and that might help increase pressure for reform. as for netflix, the company

defending its decision in a written statement saying we strongly support artistic freedom worldwide and only removed this episode in saudi arabia after we received valid legal requests. phil: presumably this is not an isolated incident. saudi arabia are not noted for tolerating criticism. carl: if they do not like it in saudi arabia they will do whatever they want. overall the state of media freedom there is not very strong. we can show you statistics from reporters without borders. they do not have nice things to say about saudi arabia, ranked 169th out of 180 nations in terms of press freedom. it does not allow an independent media. it uses a broadly written cybercrime law used to crack down on anything from blasphemy to insulting religion, inciting chaos, endangering national unity. that could basically mean anything. even defaming the king.

that seems to be perhaps what flag this episode from netflix. phil: and of course netflix, as i look around the media landscape, netflix not the only media company looking like it will have a tough time this year. carl: the state of media freedom for tech companies is only getting worse, not better. as these companies expand into other countries, netflix now is in about 200 countries. you have to start deciding if you prioritize profit or freedom of speech. and we saw the concession netflix made in saudi arabia. another country on the horizon is vietnam. this week they pass their own beer -- own version of the cybercrime bill. this would criminalize criticism of the government and requires tech companies to hand over user data that could be important to a company like facebook. we will see more battles like this with authoritarian regimes in the future. phil: something to look forward to. thank you. fifa president says world

football's governing body is studying whether it is possible to expand the 2022 world cup to 48 teams. he said fifa should follow through with the idea of which was first suggested last marston -- march. fifa has already voted to increase the size of the 2026 world cup to 48 teams. that expansion may now come sooner. staying in sport, the january transfer window is open and one bundesliga club has cashed in. the 20-year-old will move to london for 64 million euros, the third most expensive bundesliga transfer in history. he came through the ranks at normand -- dormund. he will remain at the club for the rest of the season before joining chelsea in june. ben is here.

happy new year. talk us through what the stock exchanges have been doing. ben: the and of 2018 was a rocky ride for stocks worldwide and 2019 is starting exactly the same. let's start with data from china, fears trade disputes -- the dow fell 1.5%, regaining some losses. volatility traders experienced at the end of the year could be here to stay. in europe, inchin into positive territory as trading came to an end. some asian stocks fell by as much as 4%. we are joined from the frankfurt stock exchange. is this will we can expect this year? >> to me, ben, with first day of trading looks like a gigantic

hangover from trying to drown out all the worries from 2018 viewed but it is not working. we are still seeing the same problems and we are probably going to continue to see the same problems. worries over the trade relationship within the u.s. and china and how that might affect other countries in asia as well as in europe. also, more u.s. politics going to influence the markets, like donald trump tweets and the government shutdown. and brexit here in europe will cause more concern. even know the italian government just managed to turn the corner at the end of the year with its budget, we may still want to have a close look at that. ben: exactly, because italy and its banking sector is looking to start off 2019 with the ecb taking control of an italian bank. guest: yes. italian banks are closely watched on the start markets --

a stock markets. that is because they have a lot of bad debt. now the ecb taking over one of the banks that has bad debt. now, that is not too much of a worry right now but is a positive sign the ecb is taking over, because management stepped down after it got into gridlock with one of its main shareholders. trying to raise capital to better its own situation, but the main shareholder was not so keen on that because that would mean more falling share prices. so that was a blockage. now the path is open to find a new solution whether it is selling the bank or raising more capital or liquidation. the ecb will find that out. ben: so much to choose from. thank you very much. shares were sent skidding at electric carmaker tesla, falling by 8%. fourth-quarter deliveries fell short of analyst's expectations. tesla has been struggling to

ramp up production of its model three which is crucial for his long-term profitability. and tesla's decision to cut prices by $2000 did little to help the share price. they want to help customers deal with the gradual phaseout of government tax credits for electric cars. tourism is a pillar of the indonesian economy. there are concerns about the state investing even more in a region hit by a tsunami. that hit the coast without warning, killing dozens of people. the location is heavily exposed. reporter: this beach had been one of the highlights of indonesia's pushed to draw more tourists. below hotel that stood here before the tsunami struck advertised its views of one of the world's most active volcanoes. >> the government did a study and it concluded that the

volcano could be minute top tourist destination -- made a top tourist destination. it is still expanding. and that is why it became a major tourist draw. reporter: that volcano triggered the tsunami that killed more than 400 people, easily crushing the buildings. it is the top location of the government's program seeking to make other parts of indonesia just as popular as bali, which attracts more than 40% of indonesia's tourists every year. the hotel ceo says the government needs to focus more on disaster preparedness. >> after this disaster the government should construct more buildings that can survive strong waves, along with breakwaters. so if there is a highways, it -- high wave, it can be anticipated and is forced minimized. reporter: indonesia's tourism

minister brushed off concerns and says the town should be rebuilt within six months. >> what is important, the most important thing -- reporter: indonesia wants to increase its annual tourists from 14 million to more than 20 million. but without disaster-ready infrastructure included, many fear the funds could be quickly washed away. ben: a reminder of the top stories we're following you. violent clashes in india after two women entered one of hinduism's holiest shrines. they were extra -- to sizing their rights under a supreme court ruling that overturned they tradition -- the tradition. you're watching "dw news" from berlin. more news next hour. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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