brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. police in hong kong, the campus occupied by pro-democracy protesters. dozens of activists making a dramatic escape by climbing down from a bridge and speeding away on foot or box. another group of demonstrators seen leaving the site. beijing is warning it could intervene to in the crisis engulfing the city. i ran them up -- imposes a media blackout after deadly protests

against fuel price increases. the supreme leader accusing the united states of being behind the unrest. and venice floodwaters received leaving the city with hundreds of millions of euros in cleanup bills and there is heavy flooding in other parts of italy following yet more torrential downpours. and my surfing in cuba means more than just catching a wave. we meet a female surfer fighting for equality as she battles a macho culture and a hard-line communist regime. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all around the world, welcome. we begin with dramatic scenes in hong kong. pro-democracy protesters today tried to escape from police who have sealed off the university

campus that the demonstrators have occupied. the steaks tonight remain dangerously high. china's ambassador warning that beijing has the power and the right to end the unrest which is gripped hong kong now for months. universities have become the latest battleground for protesters and the police. >> a daring plan. students climbing down from a bridge using ropes onto a highway. then they are in the clear. but they are only trickling out, after police sealed off this university campus, the epicenter of the most violent clashes so far in hong kong's political crisis. if caught, the protesters could be charged with rioting, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. chaos reigns here and police have failed to gain control of the campus.

they are struggling in the streets, too. the fight for democracy has disrupted life in hong kong for five months. tourists are locked in this hotel. back at the university, some students leave through the front door. not everyone can continue the resisiance. they had toward waiting medics, and the police. the siege might be facing an end, but it's just one of many battles in hong kong's continuing standoff. brent: more of the activists have managed to escape from the university. we got more now from our correspondent. charlotte: they continued late into the evening here in hong kong. some throwing molotov cocktails at police who are stationed not

far away. police respond with volley after volley of t teargas. protesters took to the streets, many of them they said to show their support for the hundreds of students still believed to be trapped inside the university, not far from here. many of the protesters say they want to try and save those students, many of whom have been holed up in the university for more than 24 hours now. some of the students have managed to escape throughout the day today. other still stuck inside, saying they are afraid if they leave they will be charged and arrested and facing up to 10 years in prison. all the while, hanging over the demonstration, police said they were prepared to use live ammunition if protesters do not

drop their weapons. brent: that was charlotte reporting from hong kong. iran's leaders are defending the hike in fuel prices which has sparked days of rioting. at least three people have been killed, more than 1000 arrested. the government insisting that the price raises are necessary to fund social welfare programs. the internet has been cut off in the supreme leader today accuse the united states of being behind the unrest. >> the central bank inflames, police cars and a billboard of the ayatollah home in a are also in blazes -- of the ayatollah or also in blazes. in the capital of tehran, demonstrators wish death on their supreme leader. the unrest has left many dead or wounded. this footage was recorded on saturday before the government blocked the internet. on monday came this statement

from the commander of a militia loyal to the government. >> yesterday, the situation was stable throughout the country. today, things are alslso under control. most of the people behind the rights have been identified and arrested. this time the americans did not have any success and they added another defeat to their tally. >> the united states has criticized iranian security forces for using violence against the protesters. secretary of state mike pompeo posted in a tweet, as i said to the people of irann almost a yer and a half a ago, the united states is with you. because of u.s. sanctions, iran's oil trade has collapsed. the government or short of funds and is trying to offset its losses by raising gasoline prices. a payments are planned for 20 million people in need, a quarter of the population -- aid payments are planned. >> the government has made this

decision because it doesn't have any money. now it is taking money out of our pockets to plug the gaps. >> everything in iran is connected to petrol prices. when they go up, so does everything. >> since the we can, iran has been cut off from the outside world. that makes it difficult for the protesters to coordinate the rallies. for the regime, it's an opportunity to suppress the protests without interference. around 1000 people are said to have been arrested so far. brent: for more i'm joined by my guess from the university of sussex. he focuses on international relations. it's good to have young the program. want to ask you about this threat that came today from the revolutionary guard, that if the unrest is not sees, there will be decisive action by the guard. how close are we to a military crackdown in iran? >> in fact, the military

crackdown has already started from day one of the protests. the statement from the revolutionary guard seems to formalize what in practice was carried out from the early hours of the protests. there are multiple videos of security forces shooting to kill directly into the crowd, which is quite remarkable, because compared to 2009,, the so-called green movement protests, there was an attempt at least at the early stages not to use direct shooting and use other conventional methods to disperse the crowds. but in this case, actually the shooting started quite early on. there are actually pictures of security forces shooting from rooftops of the different stations and police stations and other institutions at the crowd. so i'm afraid the crackdown has been quite militarized from the start.

brent: the ayatollah has call ththese violent protesters the - thigs. -- thugs. do we know who the protesters are? >> the demography is not different in places like we see from lebanon and chile and even iraq next door. they are unemployed, disillusioned with the government. they have no hope, so thehey are really the hungry and poor of iranian society. for them, the government is not seeking to improve their social status and economic situation, because this has been the case for the last 10 or 155 years, consistently the government has introduced economic and social rules and laws which have not improved their lot. but at the moment, the corruption and incompetence of the government from their

perspective is combined with the sanctions by the united states which have reduced iran's exports drastically, which means the government has a massive budget deficit for which it tries to use the petrol prices rise as a remedy, and that adds to the inflation and therefore the inability of the majority of the people to provide for their basic needs on a daily basis. brent: it sounds like you are saying that this general discontent in society has been there for quite a while. add to that maximum pressure from the united states, are you saying the policy by the u.s. has been what we have needed to push the country to a tipping point? is that what we are seeing now? >> well, i mean the economic situation, if you look at the longer-term perspective, has

deteriorated for the majority of the rainy and people since the late 1990's or early 2000's. we had a series of privatization of assets, similar to other eastern bloc countries experienced. assets were sold to people who the closest connection to governrnment and it did not lead to prospering and a productive economy. but on top of that we've had growing corruption at multiple levels. there's a famous saying in iran today that the children n the government officials a are havig a a lavish life and conspicuous consumption so far. so there is corruption, thereres political distribution of economic revenues of the government. on top of that we have also the sanctions. so all of this has come together to really deteriorate the economic situation of the vast

majority of the rainy and people. that has expressed itself in this particularly severe reaction to the raising of the petrol prices the last few days. brent: thank you for the latest from the unrest in iran. we appreciate your time tonight, thank you. >> thanks for having me. brent: here are some of the other stories making headlines around the world. u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo has announced that washington no longer considers its re-settlements in palestinian territories a violation of international law. pompeo says he hopes the u.s. will soon be able to release a peace plan for the region, but the move today risks inflaming tensions further in the region. u.s. president donald trump says he is strongly considering testifying in his own impeachment investigation. he tweeted the announcement the day after house speaker nancy

pelosi challenge him to appear before the committee to speakak all the truth that he wants to speak. venice is returning to normal slowly after days of flooding caused damage running into the hundreds of millions of euros. but as the waters in the city received, other parts of northern italy have been swamped by torrential rain, leaving entire villages cut off. >> the rains have stopped. life is getting back to nororma, but in venice that means assessing the damage after three floods within a single week. still, the waters are receding from public squares and the taxis are working the canals. but it's a different story inland. flooded feels as far as the aiken see in central italy. and in one region, rivers burst their banks, flooding a key road and making access to cut off

villages difficult. >> we just cleaned up the lake and now this. if it goes on this way, we won't have any prospects for the future. >> the situation was even more dire in a coastal town. the sewer fills up and overflows in the drains. floodwaters making even the most basic tasks much more difficult. >> we are very limited, as you can see.e. when t things l likehis happenee arare stuck at h home like prisoners. emelia in central i italy was hahard-hit. firefighters rescued strananded residents and boats and helicopters. forecasters warned that more flooding could be on the way. brent: you're watching dw news. still to come, the cuban surfer battling against a male dominated macho culture, and against the islands hard-line communist authorities. we have her story, and just a

moment. thousands of protesters and chile are stepping up their demands for new constitution and for the resignation of the president. many have suffered serious injuries in recent antigovernment demonstrations. they accused the police of brutality inside the police have aimed rubber bullets at their heads. the president says any excessive use of force will be investigated. >> nelson combo spheres he will lose his -- fears he will lose his eyesight. he was shot in a recent emmons ration in santiago. >> i have a detached retina and internal injuries inside my eye. it's not looking good. >> the shooting happened during recent antigovernment protests. demonstrators have been hit by water cannon or rubber bullets, some filled with metal. and it's not just happening to violent protesters. peaceful demonstrators, even

random bystanders, have been targeted. videos like these published on the internet or difficult to watch. medical professionals are alarmed. >> some bullets just scratch the surface of the eye, but some hit them directly. 99% of the patients, i if not a, end up going blind for sure. >> it seems unlikely to be a coincidence. more than 200 people in chile have lost their eyesight in this way. police have beenen accused of aiming at people's heads. human rights advocates say the violence reminds them of the dark times of the chilean dictatorship. amnesty international has investigated some of the latest cases. the police are deliberately targeting certain body parts. they use the guns in a way that can lead to lethal injuries.

chile's president has said all cases of disproportionate police violence must be investigated. >> any excessive use of force and breach of police protocol needs to be investigated by public prosecutors and brought to justice. >> but so far, little has happened. any police officers don't wear id badges. that makes it almost impossible to prosecute them. >> i have children. i need to be able to work and earn money whether i want it or not. i need to forget my fears, but i'm still full of fear and panic. >> nelson's life is now

dominated by the injuries he received at the hands of the police. brent: it's not going to be quite the ipo it was billed to be. saudi arabia has decided to restrict aramco's ipo to the riyadh stock exchange, with the vast majority is of shares to be sold locally. the decision is a huge step back from original plans to go public and other places such as new york. now only foreign institutional investors already licensed or -- will be allowed to buy the shares which will come on the market sometime in december. the company aramco has been valued at $1.7 trillion. that makes aramco the biggest ipo ever. >> subscription start soon. for weeks these billboards have lined riyadh streets. now the subscription period has begun for real. investors can sign up to buy shares in saudi aramco. it is their patriotic duty, says

the government. some banks are even offering loans of 10 million euros so rich saudi's can buy a piece of the oil colossus. there is no public criticism of the plan in the saudi capital. the aramco company is a crown jewel of investment in saudi arabia. the same company -- a safe company to invest in and the biggest company in the world, thank god. it's a good opportunity that the crown prince gave us the chance to subscribe to be partners in this success. but the investment is not without risk. there are concerns that the saudi powers that be wheeled too much influence. that aramco is not commercially independent enough of the saudi state. and just how significant are aramco's oil reserves? are there really enough for more than another 50 years? independent analyst big to differ. then there are concerns over its location at the heart of blazing

conflicts in the gulf. a september attack paralyzed oil production reminded the world of its oil dependency. saudi aramco pumps 12% of the world's crude. brent: herere a are some of the other stories making news around the world. a 15-year-old girl and a truck driver have been killed after a suspension bridge near the french city of toulouse collapsed into the tarn river. it happened in southern france. three vehicles are thought to have been crossing the bridge when it fell. a criminal investigation has been opened. in myanmar, a group a performance artist has been given a second jail sentence for insulting the mimilitary. the satirical poets call themselves the peacock generation. under myanmar's judicial system, the group can face the same charges in every township where they performed. when it comes to dog sledding,

most people think of snow-covered scenes in the frozen arctic, but last week, the world of competitive sled dog racing came to the united kingdom. the hounds and their owners had to brave rough conditions as they battled it out, but it was all worth it for the treat of winning a world title. >> if you thought dog sledding only took place on snow and ice, you've been barking up the wrong tree.. the world championships at the weekends on teams from around the globe to send on the grass and mud of sussex in england. the sleds are fitted with wheels to help the hounds race around the bumpy track. that combined with the power of their canine cohorts allowow thm reaeach ferociousus speeds. >> i put them in the harness and lelethem do w what they werere d to do in a fun and resourceful way. >> indeed, mud isn't unavoididae part of the proceedingngs.

while that is perfect for the pooches, the owners have to take extra precautions. >> pretty muddy, pretty wet. good job we were prepared with plenty of changes of clothes. it was really just great fun. >> the events are highly cocompetitive, but while organizers keep their eyes on the clock, the most important thing is that it is a fun day out for man's best friend. brent: from the mud to the tennis court, stefanos tsitsipas has been crown finals champion after a tight when over dominic thiem in london. the 21 euro greek was making his debut at the prestigious tournament. he looks well-placed to challenge the old guard in the years grand slam's. >> 21-year-old greek stefanos tsitsipas was looking to end of a breakthrough year as the

youngest winner of the atp final since 2001. dominic thiem took the first set, but he quickly bounce back. he's considered the fifth major of mens tennis, he received a boost when he won the second set 6-2. he has made big progress this season. the athens native beat roger federer in the semifinals and with rafael nadal and novak djokovic shah also falling by the wayside, the chance of glory was there for the taking. thiem put up a superb fight in the decisive's set, but stefanos tsitsipas would not be denied. he eventually prevailed on another close tiebreak. >> it almost feels like i want to grand slam.

the emotions right now are tremendous. i feel very proud and happy with the effort the entire week. >> the revamped davis cup team begins on monday but as for men's singles, this new sheriff hopes to shoot for the stars. brent: from the new sheriff to the unexpected surfboard. cuba is not generally the first place that springs to mind when it comes to surfing, but believe it or not, the island does have a vibrant, if modest, surfing seen. female surfers often find themselves doubly disadvantaged here. they have to fight a macho, male-dominated culture that is run by a communist regine. one woman was determined to challenge both and leave them both in her wave. >> when the sun comes up in havana and there is a good wind, that's the best time to hit the surf. among the mail servers, one woman is a serpentine year in

cuba. she has had to fight for her place here. >> the menus used to tell me to serve further away so that i didn't steal their waves. i think i'm a brave woman. once i've decided to do something, i don't stop until i've achieved it. >> there still aren't many servers in cuba. she says she still sometimes get stopped and questioned by the police. >> sometimes they wouldn't let me go into the water because they thought i was going to try to escape to the u.s. on my surfboard. >> she wants to see a more modern cuba with more room for strong women. she teaches kids to serve, especially girls. but to earn money with their surf school, the 36 euros need special permission from the common estate. she has been waiting for seven years and still hasn't got it.

>> maybe the government is just not interested. maybe surfing is just not, as we say here, cuban enough. >> the smallest changes to the system require determination and stamina. even though it was fidel castro himself who called for change. she met the late revolutionary leader personally and admired him. >> when he took my hand, i felt that he was very gentle. he smiled a lot, but he also looked into my eyes, as if he could read my thoughts. >> havana is celebrating its 500th h birthday as the l latest u.s. sanctions begin to bite. tourist numbers are down and shortages of petrol and foodstuffs were common. the latest crisis is making change more difficult. >> the sanctions want change your government. at most, they will make

divisions worse. we need change, but it has to come from us, the cuban people. >> she believeves the pace of change will slow down. she belongs to a new generation, ready to push boundaries and breakthrough them on the way to a better cuba. >> i generation has it does -- has a desire to do something big, but it is not made easy for us. they should let us get on with it, because ultimately, we only want the best for our country. brent: after a short break i'll be back to take you through the day. stick araround for that. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

. welcome back you watching live from paris france twenty four the headlines this hour. iran's revolutionary guards dimond and ends to nationwide unrest three days off to protests erupted over a hike in fuel prices tehran has blamed foreign enemies for the demonstrations. we'll be going live to the iranian capital in just a few moments to talk correspondent raised a sam. next door in iraq the country's main pool remains blocked by protesters determined to overthrow the government they see as corrupt and beholden to foreign interests will have a special report. from baghdad. and hong kong's polytechnic university is the s scene o of someme of tt city's worst v violence in monts