brent: this is "dw news" live from berlin. tonight, sex abuse, children, and the catholic church. at the vatican, church officials convened to hear the children's cry. pope francis says the world i is expected not just condemnation but concrete action, but is this summit too little too late yahoo! venezuela blockades itself against attempts to bring humanitarian aid. president maduro closing the country's border with brazil and considering doing the same to

the border with colombia, claiming any aid as a pretext for u.s. intervention. plus, a conference in frankfurt today tries to tackle the increasing numbers of anti-semitic incidents in and outside football stadiums across the country. i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. tonight, and unprecedented summit on sexual abuse is under way at the vatican. pope francis kicked off a landmark gathering with bishops from around the world to address clerical sexual abuse. he began the meeting by saying that the church must listen to abuse victims, but some survivors say the pope's efforts do not go far enough. the summit comes after an

allegation -- an avalanche of allegations against catholic priests accusing them of molesting children and raping nuns. let's talk about the significance of this conference. there has never been one like it before. are we getting our hopes of if we expect something significant to come out of it? >> there's a lot of expectation. it is very unclear from reading specialized media and that from around the church what is expected to come out of it. there's a lot of good words, a lot of praying, a lot of penance, but 20 years down the line is a very long time. we have almost nothing in the public sphere the last 20 years. we still do not have protocol. we still do not have protocol and the church has still to say

what steps they will be taking. brent: we're talking about decades were things were covered up and nothing was done. is there any reason to expect that a change is in the making? would a reasonable person be justified in expecting some kind of change to come after this conference? >> reasonablee could mean many different things. reasonable would be to demand the church to address justice and that would most likely mean turning over evidence. at the same time, anyone who looks at the church with some degree of detail in the sense that it is a massive institution that cannot be so easily steered. that goes to say any change in institutional practices that goes all the way from st. peter's square all the way down to the small parish in manila or sent cause -- or st. paz in

bolivia. brent: we spoke with the president of road to recovery, an organization that assists victims of sexual abuse. wewe asked him about the role of pope francis who has not takaken action so far. listen to what he said. >> yes, he can keep avovoiding t as he has done throughout his papacycy, but it only leads t to further distreress and re-trauma desertioion of victitims. yes, he certainly can continue on this path, but it is going to leadad to a further implosion of the catholic church, which is imploding daily because actions have not been takenen t this point, a and if this susummit ds not createte substantive c chans in thehe way the church operate, then the pope probably will be

called to resign. brent: that is quite a statement to make. the pope has to resign if nothing comes out of this conference. do you agree? >> no, there is a bit too much. i do not think it is true to say that nothing has happened over the last 20 years. the problem we have is that if ththis is a cover-up, and will o longer talking about sexual abuse but all the machine around it, so we're talking about a cover-up of these proportions, it's perfectly understandable that breaking apart those mechanisms will take a very long time. the results have not been satisfactory, i would agree, but that does not mean that there have been no results. we say things that 20 or 30 years ago would have then unthinkable. rent: that is true. things are talked about now that were not talked about back then. this conference will not address the problem of sexual abuse of nuns, priests raping nuns.

why? >> the idea is that essentially the highest priority is the sexual abuse of children. i'm not sure i would want to be in the business of having to parcel out what kind of sexual crime comes higher in the list, but i do happen to agree that sexual crimes against children at this kind of scale in this many places with this many people in charge is something that is beyond our and needs immediate action. brent: our religious affairs correspondent. as always, we appreciate your insights. thank you. here are some of the stories making headlines around the world. a fire in the bangladeshi capital has claimed lives,, dozens more injured. flames sprpread quickckly throua crcrowded neighborhood d in the oldest part of the city. it took firefighters more than 10 hours to control the blaze. forensic scientists in syria say they found the largest mass

grave yet containing bodies of people killed by islamic militants. the grave is estimated to hold about 3500 bodies. this is the ninth mass grave to be found in the area. doctors in germany say they have developed a blood test that can detect if a woman has best cancer. researchers s say the test is as reliable as a mammogram book costs less and comes without exposure to radiation. a group of attorneys in turkey gathered outside istanbul's main courthouse to protest against the incarceration of journalists. earlier this week, an appeals court upheld jail sentences for 14 former staff members of the opposition newspaper. some have called the ruling the end of the free press in turkey. more and more border crossings into venezuela are being closed. venezuela president nicolas

maduro ordered the country's vast land border with brazil to be sealed off after reports of preparations to bring aid to venezuela. maduro since the aid as a pretext for u.s. militarary intervenonon. he is also considering closing the border with colombia. shortages of essential foods and medicines have already driven millions of venezuelans to flee the country. we want to go now to our correspondent on the border. good evening to you. tell us what has happened at the border, what is happening where you are? heavier -- javier: we are at the simone boulevard bridge -- simon

bolivar bridge. you see people piling up on goods like flour, like rice, basic goods and medicines that they either cannot afford or cannot really find in venezuela. they are crossing the border every single day in that has been going on for months now, but the authorities have reported there is a significant rise in the amount of people that have crossed the border in recent days looking for these goods, especially because they are afraid of what could happen this weekend. brent: president maduro has announced the closure of the border with brazil and is threatening to do the same with colombia. how are people reacting to that? do they feel like the president is closing the borders and keeping them trapped in the country? how do they see it?

>> they are deeply worried. first, they have to step up their pace if they want to return to their homes before that potentially happens. we have seen an acceleration of the rhythm of these border crossings today since the news came out, and many are counting on exactly that to happen. this goes in line with security measures that have been augmented on the other side. the city of bogota has declared a yellow alert. no cars will be able to circulate throughout the border region from 6:00 p.m. this evening, so there are increased security measures anyway, but the problem is if we see the border closure, that means even more resistance from the mid to let that aid in -- from the maduro government to let that aid in, which means the use of force increases. >> what do you stand -- would do you understand about these rival

concerts being planned? are we talking about on each side of the border, we will have groups of singers singing against and at each other? how is this going to work? >> well, the border region is fast. there is certainly room enough for two concerts taking place at the same time. we do not have many details about the concert taking place inin venezuela. the official listing of artists coming to colombia is published and we know there are several celebrities of artists -- several celebrities and artists well known in the area. the concert from nicolas maduro is highly symbolic, not only because it is twice as long, but also because he wants to give colombia humanitarian aid, calling hypocrisy when he sees colombia giving humanitarian aid to venezuela when he sees the country have its own problems.

brent: thank you very much. from one latin american crisis region to the next, today, a court ordered the german gun maker to the -- to pay $3.7 million in signs for illegally exporting thousands of assault rifles to areas in mexico stricken with violent crime. two former employees of the company received suspended jail sentences. the case today highlights the impact of germans arms -- german arms manufacturer he -- german arms manufactury. >> the firm has to pay a hefty fine. this judgment illustrates the excesses of weapons exporting in this country. it is clear that formal declarations of where arms are

going to not work and can be swapped or falsified at will without any checks by authorities. the equality region of mexico was blacklisted, but between 2006 and 2009, the exported 4.1 million euros worth of assault rifle's. in 2014, 6 people were killed and 43 students disappeared without a trace. mexicann police e blame local criminals. the stuttgart court showed leniency to five defendants accused of being invovolved in e illegal arms sales. two are given suspended sentences while three work -- were acquitted. activists who want germamany to scale bacack the highly profitae arm sector say the case shows the country is too cavalier about selling guns throughout the world. germany approved some 6.2 billion arms sales in the year 2017.

brent: today, parliament footage to loosen a wall that bans doctors from -- a law that bans doctors from advertising abortions. up until now, it has been illegal for doctors and nurses to even say on their websites that they perform abortions. now it will be easier for patients to inform themselves, though many restrictions still remain in place. >> gabriella is one of thousands of doctors in germany who has been caught up in the center of the country's debate over abortion. >> the fact that abortion is criminalized, that it is illegal in germany, the world does not know that. >> abortion is,s, in fact, permitted in germany, but only in the early stages of pregnancy. it can only be carried out later in cases of rape or on medical

grounds. otherwise, the law states abortions are only legal within the first 12 weeks of president -- a pregnancy if the woman attends mandatory counseling. the debate has focused on the tiny article to 19 a -- 219-letter a dating back to thei era and making itt a crime for doctors to advertise abortions. gabriella is one of hundreds of doctors accused of violating the law. in her case, the clinic's website stated they carried out abortions. many doctors feel they have been targeted just for doing their job. since 2003, the number of doctors carrying out abortions has fallen. >> these activists who stop women on the sidewalk from going to counseling centers or r clin, they are simply frightening. they are traumatizing for women. then there's the fact that this

criminal punishment ways down on the whole issue of abortion. >> many conservatives in germany supported the ban on advertising abortion. >> the principle must be that we do not advertise abortions. it is for bid in and unborn life must be protected. >> under the new compromise law, doctors will be able to inform the public that they carry out abortions, but they still cannot provide further information in their literature or online. that is less than what angela merkel's junior coalition partner wanted. >> two main objectives -- to safeguard women's rights to information and guarantee security for doctors. >> for this doctor, the legal compromise does not go far enough. she wants to see the article abolished completely. >> i support protection of life,

but not when it is against women. and that, it should be with women -- instead, it should be with women. offer something to women. may contraception free for all ages. we just are not have that. >> such reforms could take years to happen if at all. for now, the long-standing taboo against abortion has started to change. >> the question for you -- how much should a kilo of bananas cost? that depends who you ask. the cheaper the better for consumers and those who supply them. the farmers and those representing the say they need a living wage. germany's development minister has suggested the government should get involved in setting prices for bananas. >> last fall, a german supermarket chain said it was willing to cut the price it was willing to pay for bananas, but

farmers resisted the move. they had already been struggling financially. plus, ecuador has a statutory minimum sell price. the ecuadorians have stopped supplying them. meanwhile, berlin has called on german companies to ensure their pricing and production conditions. "customers need to get the message across. if not, we will need to introduce binding rules on social standards. no child labor, decent living wages for plantntation workers, and basic ecological standards." a lot of supermarkets are showing the way forward. we want to see others jojoining them. complying with those social standards comes at a price,

however, and it is that price the farmers in ecuador are demanding. the country is the world's largest exporter of bananas. its main markets are the eu, especially germany, and russia. brent: german football is taking a hard look at itself today to address anti-semitism in and outside stadiums across the country. incidents provoked by football fans have reportedly been on the increase. a conference today and frankfurt called "you'll never walk alone" is looking for solutions. i'm joined by chris from our sports desk. it's good to see you. for people who may not know, what is happening a full bookings here in germany? chris: unfortunately, anti-semitic incidents are happening again and again. i will just highlight a few incidents. there was a time when far right ideologies were commonplace among supporters.

last october, far right extremists use and frank and a sticker and put her in their rival's jersey. this statarted on socialal medi. we are looking at images on your screen. there were images posted all in cities that are near portman's rival, and they basically took a page out of what happened in the italian football league. that is one incident. it even affects the lower leagues in germany. in their youth club, two coaches were taking a photo with the nazi salute with a group of 16-year-olds in the club, condemned that action as well and fired the coaches.

>> what is attracting that? do people talk about where the idea comes from to associate and frank -- and frank -- anne frank with soccer? >> you are taught, and it is passed down this cultural ideology, unfortunately, but teams are doing things to combat it. dortmund have really gotten ahead of the curve. they issued a pr video called the fan project dortmund. along with assistance from the state. this is one thing because they are doing all they can to expel that right-wing support that in the past was limited. they have about 2% of a far right vote, and that allows around 1000 to 1500 participants to come e in those games on a weekly basis. >brent: you have covered a lot f

soccer or football games in your career. have you seen an increase in anti-semitic gestures or cheers or the kind of thing? chris: it is more commonplace in lower divisions. i think just for the top flight to get ahead of it, do all they can to make sure it is not as visible because more money is put in top-flight games and so on. just that the end of december -- excuse me, of january, it marked the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps in auschwitz and birkenau. teams come together collective and put up signs to support this idea to fight the anti-semitism that exists, holding huge banners that say "never again," "we are all in solidarity."

this season and a top-flight match between freiburg and hoffenheim. brent: this conference today and these attempts, is that enough to eradicate this anti-semitism from rearing its ugly head in the future? >> they are taking baby steps because it lets with education and in some cases reeducation. i was not taught this in my household. to reeducate those that might have an taught anti-semitic views possibly. they need help, but clubs are doing the most they can in some cases. they actually invite players and fans to concentration camps and give them some sort of reeducation class in that regard. brent: the best education in the most important education is the when you get at home with your mom and dad. chris: definitely. brent: thank you. for young football players across the african continent,

the chance to play for a top european club remains a dream most of the time. this 14-year-old is such a dreamer. he is hoping to be a global football star. our correspondent followed him as bayern munich's top talent scout visited nigeria. >> 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 buyer and youth world cup. the 10 best players will travel to germany to take part. many of the players arere frorow income familils and getetting scouted byy the german team coud mean a change of fortune f for their entire family. >> it is a big opportunity, and am looking forward to utilizing it. >> the man they are trying to imimpress is a forormer byronn

gegend, noththe club's top talent scout -- former bayern legend. >> it's verery difficult because we have our own academy with very good players, but in case we find a very good player, his level must be much higher than that of our kids because of the difficult legal procedures involved in bringing them over. >> after the training, cheap real -- jibril is randomly selected to receive a a visit fm the e coach, a chancee for the coach to see w what life i is le fofor some of his boys. he tells the c coach he has to work every day a after school before heading to the pitch to train. the group makes a quick stop at his place of work. he spends less than a euro to load up a truruck with sand -- e is paid less than a euro to load

up a truck with sand, a tedious job that is hard on his body. he is proud to show his special guest his medals. his dream of playing for an internatational team cocould bee reality sooner than expected. it is the day everyone has been waiting for, and it's time to announce the 10 best players that would be representing nigeria at the world cup in germany. a joyful moment for some. unfortunately, bad news for him. he 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: here's a reminder of the top story we're following for you. pope francis is hosting a summit in rome on the sexual abuse of children by members of the

catholic church. he says the world is expecting not just condemnation but also concrete action on a scandal that has dog his papacy. a german gun maker has been fined 3.7 million euros for illegally exporting thousands of assault rifles to crisis regions in mexico. two former employees have been given suspended jail sentences. you are watching dw news from berlin. i'm brent goff. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day or cup -- "the day." stick around for that.

week all fronts twenty full. hello and welcome to france twenty four on the lawn it issueses and we are live from paris headlines this hour. tensions running high in venezuela as one plato heads to the border with colombia to lead in humanitarian aid. security forces attempt to stop one of the convoy's from making the journey nicolas maduro meanwhile threatens to shut the border with colombia. pope francis attempts to rightt the wrongs of the past the point of calling on bishop to listen to thehe cries of the little one seeking justice. as he kicks off a conference on child sex abuse at the vatican. french authorities are working to confirm if not beyon