brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, a stark warning from the russian president to the united states. vladimir putin promises a resolute reaction if washington deploys any new missiles here in europe. in a state of the nation address aimed at boosting the longtime president's plummeting approval ratings, he made that warning. also coming up, nationalists in india demand revenge over recent violence in kashmir. now kashmiris living in india say they fear persecution. and as three mp's from britain's

ruling conservative party defect, citing theresa may's disastrous handling of brussels -- of brexit, they travel to brussels for more talks on how to leave the european union. plus, the lost childhood of afghanistan's youth. we meet some of the children who are forced into labor instead of going to school, and kept drugged on opium so their parents can work. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all around the world, welcome. we begin tonight with russian money and muscle. in his annual state of the nation address, russian president vladimir putin today promised to improve living standards within a year. he said that many russians are living in poverty and he pledged several measures to improve conditions for them.

he also made a thinly veiled threat to the united states, warning washington against deploying any new missiles in europe. he said that moscow would coconsider any move a serious threat. reporter: it is one of the most important domestic political events for the russian president. in his 15th state of the nation address, vladimir putin promised a raft of measures to improve economic and social conditions for his people. above all, families should benefit. putin promised them tax breaks, as well as better childcare. >> thanks to the many years of joint efforts and the successes we have achieved as a result, we can now heavily invest in our country. people should already notice how things are getting better. reporter: russians are certainly hoping things will improve. incomes have fallen since 2013. putin's popularity has cratered.

there have been protests against pension reforms that raise the retirement age. then there is foreign policy. putin sees the u.s. withdrawal from the inf trereaty as russi's most crucial issue. >> russia does not want to be the first to place these missiles in europe. but if they are produced and stationed in europe, and the u.s. has not denied doing this, then that would intensify the international security situation. reporter: putin once again cast himself as the country's patriarch, appealing for the solidarity of the russian people in difficult political times. brent: for more on today's speech i'm joined here at the big table by janis kluge. he is a russian expert with the german institute for security known as the swp. janis, it is good to have you on the show. let's talk about this speech. president putin used the address

to warn that there would be serious consequences if the u.s. puts any new missiles here in europe. how serious is this threat? janis: well, i think that any threat like this is obviously serious, but we also have to consider that everything that he said today was not news. all of that we heard before in different speeches. so, it is important to consider that the speech was primarily targeted at the domestic audience. in this case, putin used the opportunity of the united states exiting the inf treaty to portray russia as a great power in this speech. it was only a small part of the speech, only the end, but he used this opportunity. brent: last weekend at the munich security conference there was talk about the inf treaty dying and a new arms race taking place. do you see that happening, and can russia afford a new arms race? janis: i do not think that

russia can afford a new arms race. it cannot afford it economically because it is trapped in economic stagnation, long-term stagnation. and it cannot afford it politically because an arms race is not what the population wants at the momenent. what the population wants is that leadership tuturns to domestic issues s and social issues, and clclearly an arms re would not create additional, orr would not create additional support for r the kremlin at ths moment. brent: the kremlin, particularly president putin, sees himself as a major global player again, or that he has respect again on the international stage. how does that go down with average russians? janis: i would say that national pride is something important, obviously. but if you look at the issues that are interesting to russian citizens at this moment, it is not the first issue that comes up. so, yes, this status is

something which is important, which helped to boost support for the kremlin for some time. but at the moment it is really not the number one issue. brent: and the number one issue is the money? janis: exactly. right. stagnation, declining incomes, rising prices, and of course the pension reform that was started last year. brent: and he made promises in the speech today that within a year, things would improve. can he keep his word? janis: that is going to be difficult. this sort of spending that he announced today, it is not very much. if you look at the figures, it is probably an increase of 1% of social spending. so it is nothing that really the russians are going to feel in their pockets. i would say again, like in the 14 times we had the speech before, it is the attempt to create the impression that something is going on, something is going to change, this time it is really going to change. but at the same time if you look at the policy, economic policy

and fiscal policy, you will see that the situation for the russian population probably worsen this year, not improve. brent: you think it is going to get worse rather than get better? janis: yeah. the value added tax was just raised in the first of january, and this leads to shrinking incomes again. so, we have seen incomes going down for five years in a row now and it will probably be the sixth year in a row in 2019. brent: janis kluge with the german institute for international security affairs. it is good to have you on the show. we appreciate your insights tonight. janis: thank you very much. brent: tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors india and pakistan are running high. delhi is blaming islamabad for last week's suicide bombing in which at least 40 indian security personnel were killed. the muslim majority territory of kashmir was divided between india and pakistan back in 1947 with a so-called line of control separating them. but both countries lay claim to the whole of kashmir. since 1989, kashmiri separatists have been fighting against

indian rule, a rebellion that india claims is supported by pakistan. with emotions running high at present, innocent muslim kashmiris have become targets of hate. we have this report. reporter: in the wake of the terror attack in kashmir, small protests like these have sprung up across india. most have been against pakistan. but some have reportedly targeted young kashmiris as well. students in northern cities reportedly faced threats from right-wing activists. some were attacked. danish igbal, a young activist from kashmir, says he has met dozens of kashmiri students in delhi who fled harassment from different parts. he worries about kashmiris in the country. >> as a kashmiri, as a muslim,

it has been a problem. and it is sad. it is tragic that the people who have been feeding into the narrative of terrorists, because this is the ultimate goal of terrorists, they want this. reporter: as a kashmiri running a business in new delhi, khalid bukhari has not faced harassment. but back home in kashmir, his family is worried sick. >> my mother talks only in kashmiri. only because she would thought i would speak to her in kashmiri. and people would know i am kashmiri. so that is the feeling which has spread. the hate which has spread. reporter: but there is hope. in response to reports of targeted harassment and violence against kashmiris, the hashtag #unhate now started trending on twitter in india with people

offering their support and their home to kashmiris who were feeling threatened. this political activist did not want young kashmiris to only see divisive, hateful responses from other indians. she chose to offer her support to kashmiris over twitter, and she was not alone. >> even very ordinary people who are just instinctively feeling that this is wrong, this kind of targeting is wrong. so many people have come forward and offered to help, opened their doors, offered accommodation, offered contributions, offered funds, and generally tried to respond in a more humane way. and i am really reassured by that. reporter: and kashmiris are finding this outpouring of support reassuring as well. khalid and his friends have greeted the group india for kashmiris.

show the kashmiri respect for all those targeting them, many others will stand by them as well. >> two wrongs cannot make one thing right. it is important to discuss, to talk, and then to create something which helps both the sides, not only one side. it is important to spread peace. brent: here are some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world. in morocco, police have clashed with teachers protesting for higher wages and promotion opportunities. police beat teachers with batons when they tried to walk towards the royal palace in the capital. multiple injuries have been reported. the swiss bank ubs has been fined a record 3.7 billion euros by a french court for helping wealthy clients evade taxes. prosecutors say the bank helped clients conceal assets in switzerland from french tax authorities. bernie sanders' campaign team says the u.s. senator has raised more than $4 million in small donations since announcing his

presidential bid on tuesday. that far exceeds other democratic candidates. sanders has pledged to build a grassroots movement to take on the special interests that he says dominates u.s. politics. now to europe. british prime minister theresa may and european commission president jean-claude juncker have stressed again that the backstop provision in britain's withdrawal deal with the eu will be temporary. following talks in brussels, the two leaders issued a joint statement saying that they had discussed guarantetees to ensure the backstop, which aims to avoid a hard border on the island of ireland, will not be permanent. may has faced stiff opposition from within her own party, from members who believe the backstop could tie britain to the european union indefinitely. reporter: in london, theresa may's conservative party is breaking apart. three prominent parliamentarians have had enough of may's tough

brexit course and have announced they are quitting the party. they accuse may of succumbing to the anti-europe right wing and changing the tories forever. >> the right wing, the hard-line, anti-eu awkward squad that had destrtroyed every leadr for the last 40 years, are now running the conservative party from top to toe. they are the conservative party. reporter: the three then positioned themselves on the side of the opposition, directly beside the former labour mp's who had themselves quit their party on monday. their reason was also the growing ideological radicalization and the looming possibility of a hard brexit. >> the evidence of labour's betrayal on europe is now visible for all to see. offering to actually enable this government's brexit, constantly holding back from allowing the public a final say. reporter: the defectors from both sides are now considering forming a new party together.

brent: and for more i am joined here in the studio by a familiar face here on dw news, jon worth, a political blogger and analyst who closely follows brexit. he has been doing that now for more than two years. jon, it is good to see you again. so, all right, let's talk about this new party, the independent group. i say it is a party, they are not registered yet as a party. the one thing that all of the new members have in common is that they want a second referendum. is that going to happen? jon: correct. it is possible because what is happening at the moment is britain does not look like it will get a brexit deal through the house of commons. and if that does not happen, britain goes over a cliff with a no-deal brexit on the 29th of march, and no one wants that, only some very radical brexiteers want that. so faced with that conundrum, what have you got? a general election? no one really wants that as well. perhaps this second referendum. the deal would essssentially be theresa may, look,

put that deal back to the people and let's have a second referendum, please. that is what these members of parliament are trying to force. brent: what have they been doing the past two years? aren't they really late making this decision to leave their parties and form a new one? jon: bear in mind that the british tradition in these parties are extremely strong. one of these politicians, one of the labour ones, he has been a member of the labour party for almost 50 years. this is not an easy decision for those people to leave. they almost all certainly know that come the next general election they will lose their seats and their political career is over. this is something that is not very easy for an individual politician to contemplate. so this is really when they have run out of time and patience that they are willing to contemplatate this step. i am very grateful that they are trying to do that, because they are trying to try anything at the moment to unblock this, to unlock this kind of conundrum. brent: there are more independent group seats in parliament now than d.u.p. seats in parliament, which prop up

teresa may's government. jon: exactly. brent: still, that does not change the arithmetic. her government is still not threatened. jon: the crucial number now is four. that is because if four more conservatives defect to this independence group, that means theresa may has no more majority in the house of commons. and there are rumors circulating in westminster that some other members of parliament may be willing to defect. it is all going to come to a crunch on this point probably midway through next week when the next round of votes will be taking place in the house of commons about the future of brexit. so, everyone is starting to get really nervous in westminster. now it is six weeks to go. brent: these two? jon: nothing happened. they met again today and essentially the statement that came out an hour ago essentially said, we agree to talk again. by the end of the month. so nothing came out of it. because the positions between the eu and theresa may are miles apart still.

and so therefore, i do not think there there's any brexit deal possible with theresa may as the prime minister. so therefore it is either no deal, or stopping this thing via referendum or a delay of some sort. brent: a delay, maybe. jon: possible. brent: jon worth, always great to get your insights. thank you very much. now to a story of lost childhood in afghanistan. in a country where half the population is under 18, it is estimated that more than one million children work instead of going to school. some initiatives are trying to break this vicious cycle of child labor in poverty, but decades of violence as well as drought and food insecurity are taking a terrible toll on afghanistan's children. reporter: my name is achmemed, says this child. i am six years old and i work here in the poppy fields. i work from sunrise until about 10:00, s says this boy.. somemetimes i i manage t to go o scschool for a a few hoursrs ine afternoon.

the sea pods are ready to burst. it is harvest time. the capsules are slashed by hand and the raw opium is collected. the work is done by children. there are no adults anywhere in sight across the fields. the youngsters earn around 100 afghanis for an entire day of work, the equivalent of just over one euro. a few hundred meters away is this workshop. this young boy can barely hold the heavy hammer in his hand. his face is covered in sweat. it is hot and sticky in the dark blacksmith's shop. this could be any province in afghanistan. almost half the country's population is under 18, and they have to help support the families, otherwise they cannot survive. work, instead of school and childhood. >> many children have to work because the parents need the money to support the rest of the

family. it is easy to condemn child labor. but without their earnings, many families would slide into even greater misery. reporter: weaving carpets. this work is done by girls. it is estimated that more than one million children in afghanistan have to go out and earn money, but the statistics often do not take girls into account, because they work at home. >> i sit here and work. i don't know anything else. if i actually manage to make it to school someday, i probably will not have any time to do homework. reporter: impoverished families. children who are forced to work and cannot go to school. one initiative aimed at breaking this vicious cycle involves giving the children lessons in the afternoons, along with a warm meal. but many villages are very remote, and parents often lack the necessary motivation.

the karimis have three children. the eldest is helping with the work. the two younger ones are sleeping. the mother periodically gets up and giveves the younger children these small black pellets, raw opium. it is to keep them asleep so the others can continue their work undisturbed. the mother knows exactly what she is doing, and it took a while until she was willining to bebe filmed as she administeterd the opium to her youngest child. >> i give it to them a few times a day. in the morning i w weave cararp. then i work as a a washerwomana. then i g go to the market and by vegetables and opium for the childrdren. i have to keep them sedated, otherwise i cannot get it all done. reporter: they can hardly stand. it is either drugs or work instead of school. and she is not the only mother who gives her children drugs. brent: tragic story, there. now to the frozen expanse of the antarctic, where germany's

southernmost workplace is celebrating its 10th anniversary today. it is a part of the world where temperatures can drop to -50 degrees celsius, and there is no sun for three months of the year. but here, in a research station -- you see it right there, that resembles a space station on stilts -- one cook, a doctor, several engineers and technicians live together running experiments on the frozen continent. reporter: into the great white yonder. antarctica, the world's biggest expanse of ice, and the seventh continent. in places, the ice is four kilometers thick. more than two dozen countries are conducting research here at about 80 reseaearch statnsns. germany's neumayer iii is one of them.. the antarctic offers a unique environment. the world's grgreatest quantityf fresh water is here, frozen solid. neumayer iii sits atop 16 hydraulic stilts.

they keep p it from sinkg g into the snow, to be crushed like someme of its forerunners. here outside, the temperature is -50 degrees celsius. that does not stop the researchers, though. they measure the sounds of the antarctic ocean and movements in the earth using seismometers. they also collect data on the atmosphere, including information on gases that escape into it and contribute to climate changege. and they obsererve the weather e whole year round. but neumayer iii's days are numbered. the ice on which it sits is sliding towards the ocean. but until it heads into sea, the station will keep on delving into the secrets of the ice. brent: some sports news now. for many young footballers across africa, the chance to play for a top european team club is a huge dream.

this 14-year-old that you are about to see, he is one of those dreamers hoping to be a global soccer star. our correspondent followed him as a former fc bayern star visited nigeria to scout the next generation of footballing talent. reporter: for 14-year-old jabril, the next few days could be life-changing. he is one of 80 boys hoping to catch the eye of one of the world's biggest football clubs. they are competing for selection in the bayern youth world cup. the 10 best players will travel to germany to take part. many of the players are from low income families, and getting scouted by the german team could mean a change of fortune for their entire family. >> it would change my life in no many ways. it will help my brothers and my

family. it is going to help me a lot. it is a big g opportunity. and i'm looking forward to it. reporter: the man they are trying to impress is formemer bayern legend, klaus auaugenthaler, now the clulub'sp tatalent scout.. >> it is a a big opportuninity r bayern munich to find the best players and big talents here in nigeria. maybe this time we will find the next messi or cristiano ronaldo. it is very difficult because we have our o own academy w with vy good players. but in c case we find a very god player, his level must be much higigher than that of our kids because of the difficult legal procedures involved in bringing them over. reporter: after the training, jabril is randomly selected to receive a surprise visit from coach augenthaler. it is a chance foror the coachco see what life is like for some of these boys. he tells the coach he has to work every day after school beforere going tththe pitch toto train.

before heading to jabril's house, the group makes a quick stop at his place of work. here, he is paid less than one euro to load up a truck with sand. a tedious job that sometimes takes a toll on his s body. >> i just have to do this. just for the meantime. reporter: jabril's father, too, hopes the job is temporary. no surprise he would prefer jabril playing football in the top leagues of e europe. >> today i am very happy and very proud. i want god to keep helping my son n so that he will be onene f the great footballerers that ply in europe. that wouould be promototing thee of nigeria in countries like germany, france, or spain. reporter: at the houou, jabril is proud to show his specicial guest t his medals.

his dream of playing for an international team could bececoe a reality sooner than he expected. >> i am looking forward to that day. i am lookiki forward.. i i will be vevery happy. that will be the happiest of my life. going to a european country for the first time. it is going to be fantastic. reporter: it is the day everyone has been waiting for. fc bayern fansns and supporters have gathered to watch the national youth cup finals, and it is time to announce the 10 best players that will be representing nigeria at the world cup in germany. a joyful moment for some. unfortunately, bad news for jabril. jabril will not be traveling to germany this time, but the memory of having one of his football icons in his house will stay with him for a long time. brent: we were rooting for him. here's a reminder of the top

stories that we are following for you. russian president vladimir putin has used his state of the nation address to promise to improve living standards within a year and he has also made a thinly veiled threat directed at the u.s., warning washington against deploying any new missiles here in europe. after a short break i will be back to take you through "the day." stick around for that. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

me of of them and then you get the there's nothing in this back in the late. late show also falls and gets michael set to unveil a package of measures designed to crack down on anti semitic abuse and made an alarming rise in attacks on jews. presidident is set to make a speech to the annunual christita with jewish organizations. and in senegal president mackeyy stylyle overwhelmingly expectedo win the second set in this weekend'ss elections b