from berlin. blackmail, politics, and the world's richest man. amazon bus jeff bezos accuses the national enquirer of blackmail. the paper threaten to publish lurid photos of him and his lover if he did not do what he was totold. alalso on t the program. heart break as disaster strikes one of brazil's most famous football clubs. at least 10 youngsters are dead. the yellow vests protesters

accuse riot police of brutality, almost 2000 have been injured, some of ththem seriously since a wave of demonstrations began. and the royal taking on thailand. the princes overturned convention and will stand for prime minister in the first election since the military coup. ♪ anchor: welcome to the program. amazon bus jeff bezos has accused the national enquirer, a newspaper, of blackmail. he said the u.s. scandal sheet threaten to publish intimate photos of him as -- unless he did what he was told. there are also political overtones. he owns the washington post which has resident -- criticized president trump. the national inquirer's owner is a fervent trump supporter.

>> a tabloid scandal or politically motivated attack question mark jeff bezos has accused a polish linked to president donald trump of blackmail and a a post published on the website medium. last month after the amazon ceo and his wife announced their divorce, the national enquirer, published intimate messages revealing an extramarital affair. eager to know how the paper came to possess the messages, he hired five investigators and suspected it was driven by dirty politics. his suspicions grew stronger when he says the national enquirer's parent company emi threaten to publish lewd photos of him if he did not make a public statement saying its previous coverage of him was not politically motivated. >> i got my attention but not in the way they likely helped. any personal embarrassment ami could cause me takes a backseat

because there is a much more important matter involved here. if in my position i cannot stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can? reporter: he suggests his ownership of the washington post has made him the energy -- enemy of powerful people including the saudi's and the u.s. president. trumump relies on favorablele coverage from amami. it admitted to withholding damaging information about trump to help him when the 2016 election. it's bus is a -- the boss is a close associate of trump. ami says it has acted lawfully in its r reporting on n jeff bes but if investigations findd otherwise, the m media comompany could be in trouble. anchor: mark fisherer has published several books about the trump administration and joins us from the u.s. capitol. welcome to dw. is your paper working with your

boss's investigators on this story? guest: goodness, no. it may be hard to imagine but we have very little in the way of cooperation from the o owner of the post who is also the owner of amazon and other enterprises. in general, he's always been extremely antagonistic to news coverage of his operations. this was an unusual case in which they did want to give their story out and ththey did wantnt to put us in touch with e of their investigators about how and why the national enquirer went after his love life. reporter: how has the post bound out and gotot hold of h his perl communicatioions? reporter: : ere are two conflictining storylines, one fm jeff bezos' investigator that sasays this was a politically motivated hit job and the brother of the girlfriend, michael chat ---- michael sanch,

they believe he leaked to the intimate text and information about the relationship to the national enquirer. whether he did that for the purpose of personal profit or a cousin of his connections to some of ththe important people around president trump is unclear. the alternrnative theor here one that michaelel sanchezez, the purported maker propoposes is ts was a way for his sececurity man whwho coverers up for the fact t he had failed his s mission to keepep the affair between jeff bezos and sanchez secret. reporter: someone finds out and links it to the national enquirer. if we are to believe the story jeff bezos tells, they say do as we say or we weekly embarrassing revelations. why would they act in that way? >> y with the national enquirer

act t in that way? the national enquirer is in a curious position. they are in a tremendous amount of debt. their top two executives, publisher and head of their editorial department have madee an agreement with federal prosecutors s were looking i ino the 2016 presidential campaign and that agreement was they would not be prosecuting the executives if they agreed to stop doing the kinds of things they were doing to protect donald trump. the national enquirer was the gossip magazine that had protected trump from allegations by a number of women that they had had sexual relationships with him. and what the inquirer did is they would buy the story of those women, pay those women a certain fee and then the national enquirer would not publish the story but would bury it, kill it. it would never see the light of day. that practice known as catch and kill washat t got the inquirer's losses in trouble. they made a deal w with the prprosecutors that they wouould

cocooperate with prosecutors, ty would refrain from that kind of activity. now, theieir prorotection from prprosecution is i in jeopardydy bebecause of t their role a ann this to do with jeje b bezos and that is whyhy the natational enququirer is backining off and sasaying we will l take anotherk at this and see if anything was done wrong. jejeff bezos has gotten some concession from the national enquirirer that they need to lok at their own ways. >> jeff bezos says in the piece that he wrote that for reasons still to be better understood, the saudi angle of the investigation seems to have hit a s sensitive nerve. why do you think that might be? >> the jeff bezos version of this is when they arere puttingp there as a setet of cicircumstal evidence butut there is nono had evidence. the jeff bezos version of things is that the national enquirer was helped along the way by the saudi government, the inquirer -- national enquirer put out a

magazinene touting the splendors ofof the saudi regime and the saudi's played a role in helping the national enquirer r with its debt. the jeff bezos investigators showed no evidence for this other than a number ofof cocoincidences o of timing. if this were true, i it would be highly signinificant becauause obviouslsly the president has bn sympathetic to the saudi's in ththeir explanation of thee deah of khashoggi, the columnist who was killed by the saudi's. anchor: thank you for joining us. now to some of the other stories making news around the world. the british prime minister theresa may is holdingng talks with h her irish counterpart in dublin. shshe is seeking changes to the so-called backstop. this i is a plan to avoid a retn to the heart border between

northern ireland and the irish republic. this is the sticking point in brexit negotiations. italy has removed a large section of a bridge that collapsed last year. the operation in genoa is expect did -- expected to take eight hours. it collapsed last t august durig high winds killingng 43 people d jujuring dens.s. listock iss thought to have died in heavy rain in australia. large parts of the outback were swamped in queensland. authorities are planning to do drop fodder to stranded cattle. 10 people have died in a fire at the rio football club in brazil. the blaze broke out before sunrise on friday after -- at the club trading facility. some of the victims were teenagers from the youth team who were sleeping in the center. >> friends and family of those killed or injured are in shock area and some of them are glad

to find their relatives alive while others wait anxiously for news outside the t training grod of the flamingo soccer club. ththe blaze broke out justst bee sunrise in this accommodation block. firefighters were called in afafter 5:00 a.m. local timime t for at least 10 people, help to -- came too late. >> we a are all devastated. this is certainly the biggest tragedy this club has seen in the last 123 years. >> it is one of brazil's biggest and best-known clubs internationally. it is most -- the most prominent players include an 18-year-old who played before joining spain's real madrid. he tweeted, just remembering the nights and days i spent at the training grounds sent shivers down my spine. i cannot believe it. i pray for all of them.

magog bless each of the families. the cause of the blaze has beeen investigatated but the fire started in the air-conditioning system in one of f the rooms. whatevever the cauau and broroua suddenen end to thee victims' dreams of becoming professional footballers. anchor: let's bring in our sports journalist andrew downie. what do we know at this stage? andrew: eight of the 10 dead were young players, we have not had that officially confirmed butews r reports say they were teteenagers betetween the ages 4 and 15. the three plplayers who o were injured d were also age 14 and , one of them is in serious condition in hospital right now. anchor: what are the facilitiess like and why w were people

sleeping there? andrdr: that is one of the bigig questions wewe are trying to get to the bottom m of. it is cocommono have t trainingg centers s where young kids, 14 through 17 come there and spend their time in the center and they live there because they often come from all over brazazl and some of ththem are thehere a few days andnd comon trial a ana stayay in these centers a and te clclub looks aer t them. whatat we saw was ththe mayor'ss offifice, they said they did not have permissn n to bui accommmmodion on t the site whee the accommodation was. they saidt had bebeen registered as a carpapark so there should t have b bn a any buildlding ther. th is s one thining to loointot. we will see what the real story behind that is. anchor: this is a facility that hahad undergone a a multimilliln dollar upgpgrade.

andrew: thth is right.t. they have build state-of-the-a-t centerers t that he a footbtball pitch and therapy units, gymnasiums, all that kind d of thing and it i is one of the biggest clclubs, theyy spentnt 3 millioion raiail -- reals. they spent the money to refurbish the area.. the area whwhe the fire took place wawas in onee of the oldet parts of thehe facility and was going to be knocked down, it was going b be raised -- razed to the ground so it was not part of the modern area that had been built. anchor: we will leave you there, thank you, andrew dalley -- andrew downie. and the nord stream 2 gas pipeline could undermine security. the deal would see berlin

continue as the main negotiator with russia. >> ships like these have laid 600 kilometers of the last pipeline, a mammoth tasask, one that caused consternation at both ends of the line. germany is betting on the project to secure its future energy supplies. this is what it will look like eventually. the pipeline will follow the route of a nexus to line between russia and germany by the baltic. it will be controlled by gazpro m. it is this supply that will be -- in brussels appears to frustrate the kremlin. >> there is no unanimity of opinion. in the european union at the moment. we hope that the nation members of the european union will sort this issue out for themselves.

we still believe this project is beneficial to both the european gas consumers interest and also to the russian federation as the gas supplier. despite reservations, paris and berlin reached a compromise that was backed by the european parliament. responsibility for enforcing the rules on such projects will fall to the first eu member state where a pipeline connects. in this case, that is germany. anchor: despite that compromise, questions remain over how the dynamic duo are getting on. french president emmanuel macron has withdrawn from meeting with angela merkel. we asked the conference chair when he made of the notion. >> even if president macron is not going to speak himself, in munich, we will have plenty of

other senior representatives of the french government in munich to explain french positions. they will -- there will be a huge american delegation, congressional delegation, half a dozen ministers etc. the purpose which is important to me, the purpose to demonstrate in munich that the european union is alive and kicking. that purpose can still be maintained. >> we are getting out of europe. >> it may appear the european project is faltering. a made a strong plea for unity. >> it is important that we illustrate especially to the anglo-saxon community that the impression that may be created elsewhere that because of brexit, the european integration project is about to crumble, that is wrong. actually, populist vote for the

eu in most countries is you up -- is up, not down. >> beyond europe withh the recet standoff betetween the u.s. and russia over the missile trereat, they warned of the politics of rivalry. >> we have enough in common that even russia and the u.s. to try to w work together to p put cooperation, to put integration above the kind of rivalry which seems to be the motto of 2019 and we will need to talk about that next weweek in munich. we will have some pretty tough, hard talk, i hope, in order to clarify what the prioritieieof responsible leadership need to be in 2019. anchor: france has seen weekly clashes between the so-called yellow protesters and the police

for three months to more than 1900 demonstrators have been injured, some of them seriously. we say that police have been using disproportionate force. the government says officers are protecting themselves. lisa lewis has more from paris. basic: this is about the only view that they get of the outside world these days.s. she is too weak to walk more than a few meters and has been suffering from almost constant headaches and heavy nosebleeds since january 5. that was the day that she was hit by a rubber bullet that fractured her cheekbone in three places. >> we were running down a side street, there were 30 right police chasing us wringing their shields with their batons. it was really scary. another police of - -- group of police blocked away and started shooting rubber bullets at us. i was hit on the cheek and fell to the ground. one of those grenades with run -- rubber bullets and tear gas

exported next to me. i could not here anymore. i completely lost my bearings and just sat there. >> someone helped her to get out of the crowd, but what she saw that day keeps her up at night. the mere sight of policeman now gives her panic attacks. >> when i turned around, i saw police and protesters with their batons. they did not ask questions, they just need everyone. it reminded me of dark times in our history. they seemed crazed. it was frightening. it was unrestrained violence. >> she is not the only demonstrators to have suffered life-changing injuries. more than 1900 protesters have been wounded since the demonstrations began three months ago. some people have lost eyes or hands, others have been left with mutilated faces or limbs.

human rightsts groups say t the police h have been getting more violent. the use of rubber bullets on so-called -- and so-called sting ball grenades that deliver a deafening explosion of small rubber balls is making the situation worse. >> french police could easily keep protesters under control wiwith waterer cannons and tear. why should that not be enough? it is for british, german, and italian police and they have to deal with extremely violent demonstrations. france seems to take for granted that people will suffer irreversible injuries inflicted by these arms. >> the police say they need the devices to defend themselves and that 1200 officers have also been injured in the protests. >> we never use our batons

without reason and only in accordance with our regulations. if someone is resisting arrest. we need rubber bullets to keep protesters at bay. without them, there would be even more injured area the protests are also more violent and they have been infiltrated by extremists. there is no well-trained security like at union demonstrations to keep such protesters under control. >> they reject the argumentsts she will sue thehe french state for damages. >> is important for me to take this to the european court of justice. i want people to know what happened to a sent how many of us have been injured. maybe the court will order french police to be less violent. >> even if she wins the case, she has lostacace and -- faith in her country. she is planning on leaving france and the violence she has experienced. anchor: thailand's princess has

been criticized by her brother the king after announcing she would run for prime minister in elections next month. the fences who became a commoner after marrying an american said she was -- he would campaign for prime minister. >> officials f from the party sw off the papers the princess has filed to run for prime minister. the party is loyal to the country's ousted former prime minister. the move was a political bombshell. even the leader of a rival party praise the princess. >> what happened this morning has changed the face of politics. it gives a new opportutunity, it gives the people new possibilities. >> the princess has an appeal other political figures lacked. >> she is modern and in terms of

business, what she has done has been successful. the whole world has embraced her. so if she becomes the country's, it would be the best thing for thailand. >> therincess haslways been somethg of a reb. she renounced her title when she married an american commoner. and the party is not sympathetic to the monarchy. but just a fewew hours later, hr brother the king declared her candidacy invalid.. the invovolvement of a high-ranking member of the royal family and politics in whatever way is an act that conflicts with the countries traditions, customs,s, a and culture a and s extreme -- considered d extremey inappropririate. for many, theecree spells the end of his sisters short-lived political ambitions. it is not clear with her candidacy can survive. anchor: andrew marshall has

writteten extensively on thailaland's politics and the king. andrew: i heard the princess would promote her candidacy and it seemed like a new development that would change e politics. it is not clear who they will run or who will be allowed to run. the palace has intervened dramatically in politics and it is a sign that they have defined it amongst themselves, if the king did not know his sister would declare a candidacy and then new and shut it down publicly, it is telling the people that this is a area in chaos. it is not clear what will happen next. anchor: berlin's international film festival is in its second day. putting female directors in the spotlight with seven of the 17 films directed by women. the opening movie was a tale of

homelessness and uncertainty and -- in contemporary america. >> the red carpet was the place to be for the stars. at the center of all the attention, the french oscar-winner and the head d of e jury, juliet binoche. they brought an international cast to the red carpet to celebrate herr movie, "the kindnessss of strangers." the film focuses on several characters who cross paths in a restaurant in new york. >> what about you, then? >> i have not [inaudible] sincnce fourur years now. >> all the characters have suffered life shattering experiences. clara isis escapingg a abusive husband. mark is out of prison.

they try to rebuild their lives, possibly onlnly with the help of strangers. >> i thought it would make sense every day while we were working whether -- this was a place to be and make a film that had light and hopefully leaves the audience in a sense of not just hope that also community -- but also community. >> this is the third movie the director has run in competition where she is also praised for her keen eye for characters. the festival kicks off with an unprecedented lineup of female directors. they shine a light on people at the margins, a perfect fit for europe's politically charged film festival. it is a curious mix of drama and comedy, humor and sadness which does not quite seem to know

which way it wants to go. the director is no longer about the kindness of strangers but about winning over the jury. anchor: british actor and five-time oscar-winner albert finney has died at the age of 82. in a career spanning five decades he was known for his 1963 starring role in the film " tom m jones." he appeared in big-budget action films. you are up-to-date. i will be back in a couple of minutes with "the day." good day. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

inappropriate [inaudible] an unconstitutional. thanks for what you france before we're gonna start to act it's nine pm -- bulletin with exclusive france twenty four report by at a reporter's james andre and romeo longer one of the game's access. to interment camps for foreign female jihadists they're from canada the from germany from france from all over the world and they ended up. in syria for a variety of reasons that you'll see at during the reports they speak about their life. underr the caliphatete whicf course is now almost a an completely finished up.