from berlin. embattled cdu leader calls for critics' bluff, back me or sasak me. and wewe are live preparing to o to the polls as a crime wave sweeps the capital city, forcing neighbors and shop holders to take security into their own hands and us chinese authorities

tighten controls between hong kong and the mainland, we talked to a pro-democracy protester who was arrested at the border, handcuffed, and hooded by chinese police. i'm carl nasman. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all around the world, welcome. the leader of the ruling christian democrats here in germany has issued an ultimatum in a debate over her leadership. as the cdu began its annual party conference, she told delegates that she was prepared to quit if they did not back her. she took over from chancellor merkel as cdu leader last year, but the party's popularity has plunged under her leadership a d taken a hit in recent regional elections. >> she went all the way and took on the challenge.

after several attacks to the conference, she posed the big question to her party colleagues in leipzig -- "if you feel that the road i want to go down is not the road you want to follow, then let's talk about that today and let us ended today here and now, today. -- let us a and it today here ad now, today." had do delegates react? with a 10-minute standing ovation. the party leader passionately outlined the party measures she wants to pursue in the future. "it is not enough to be the repair service of the republic. we need to look toward the future again." one of those in the audience was

her harshest arrival. this time he seemed surprisingly loyal. akaka get a strong, courageous, and forward-looking speech this morning. we are all very grateful to her for that. we are loyal to our chairwoman, to our party leadership, and to the federal government. chancellor angela merkel, who has passed on the party leadership, no longer takes part in these debates. she used her opening speech to talk about more personal issues. "today is also a very special day for me because on november 22, 2005, i was elected german chancellor for the first time, and this remains something very special to me. -- to me." merkel's political godchild is

giving it her all at this year's conference, and so far, she hasn't won, at least for now -- so far she has won, at least f r now. carl: the phrase of the day -- back me or sack me. is anyone likely to take up a kk on the challenge? collects definitely not at this party conference. she held a very courageous speech and was rewarded for it by her delegates who gave her a seven-minute-long standing ovation, but at least for now, the challenge is off the table. she has bought herself some time, but now she has to deliver and prove she can leave the party going forward, that she can create a vision for the party to lead it into the next year where in 2020, the cdu, like other political parts of germany will decide who to put

forward for their 2021 elections, so this leadership battle within the cdu's over for now, but we will surely be talking about it soon again. carl: still lots of time to go. one name that could come up in the future, freda schmitz, who tried and failed last year to become party leader. what comes next from him? we heard a bit from him earlier today. >> it was striking how different his tone was today at the party conference than it was just a couple of weeks ago where he found very harsh words of criticism not only for akk but the angela merkel government as well. he did stress that he wants to play a role in the future of the party. he did not really specify on

what that role will look like. many are saying he is indeed still planning on running as candidate for chancellor next year, but at the moment and today, he declared his loyalty. carl: we have mentioned a lot of names in the cdu, one we have not mentioned, chancellor angela merkel. she casts such a huge shadow not only in the cdu but in germany. what will her role be in the next couple of years? >> judging from her speech today, it will likely not be a very important one, at least when we are talking about the future direction of the party. she made clear in her speech today she wants to leave that to her successor. she does not want to be the one directing the party in the future, but she also in her speech today stressed again that the government was doing a fine job, and as she has done in a

couple of speeches the past couple of months, she has urged delegates to defend the values of multilateralism, so angela merkel really has the role of figurehead that is sort of removed and she is already preparing for political retirement. carl: the cdu leadership isissue perhaps settled for now, but looking ahead into the future, how important is it for the party to get things in order? >> definitely really important, and we have seen that today with both the speech here but also friedrich merz, who showed off it is important to lead going into the future and they do not want to fall into the trap their coalition partner has fallen into who have torn themselves apart over this leadership questio for months now and who are being punished with it --

punished for it by really bad poles. what we saw today from the party conference is a clear sign they want to avoid that and they want to leave the cdu into the future with a clear profile. carl: thank you very much. replacing the usual military show, the country has been gripped by protests since mid-october, demanding the removal of politicians deemed in it and corrupt. columbia -- colombia's defense

minister has confirmed three deaths, killed in demonstrations against the president's right-wing government. people will elect a president sunday with polls suggesting the center-right national party is on course to hit a decade and a half of left wing rule in yet another power shift in latin america. one national party candidate, the son of a former president, finished second in a first round vote with around 20%, but in the upcoming runoff, he can probably count on votes from five mostly conservative parties. that's why posters see him winning ahead of ruling party candidate daniel martinez, for the left wing broad front. he won the first round vote with 39%.

our correspondent joins us now. she is in uruguay's capital. the left wing broad front has been in power for 13 years. why is the party facing the real possibility that that will be coming to an end? >> it was not all bad. in these 15 years, the leftist government turned uruguay into one of the most advanced nations in latin america in matters of lgbtq rights, women's rights. they pushed for a crucial anti-tobacco law and that historic legalization of marijuana, but a dwindling economy, a corruption scandal in the government that led to the vice president leaving office, growing inequality indicators, and also a worsening security

situation in the country have left people longing for a change . 61% of uruguay ends -- uruguayans say they do not feel protected by the authorities, so much so that some of the peoeope i spokeke too a are taking m mas into their own hands. let's have a listen. >> surveillance cameras on every quarter, but it's not big brother who is watching. it is desperate citizens trying to protectct their b businessesd proper.. in montevivideo, twoarsre stolen every day. break-ins and armed robbery have becocome a part of daily life in this upper-middle-class neighborhood. fearing for the safety of his wife and daughter, leonardo did not want to sit idly by, and he was nonot the only one. >> there are some 1800 families in thehe neighborhood watch t t. we work with what subgroup --

whatsapp groups and whistles. that is how we alert each other. if we hear the whistle,, we immediately k know one of our neighbors is asking for help. >> reasons to ask for help abound. this little drycleaners has been attacked so many times that it's owner r will ever r only unlocke door for people she knows. >> my business has beeeen broken into six times. once i was held up at gunpoint. no matter how much you give them, you never know if they are going to turn around and shoot you as they leave. i'm getting therapy now to help me get over it because now i live in fear. that did not used to be the case. >> sphere has spread l like wildfire. a collective anxiety that borders paranoia, says a former member of ththe neighborhood

watch. "i was only signed up for -- >> i was only signed up for a couple of months because it turned out to be a collective psychosis, a mass manipulation to go out and hunt suspects. i was always on edge wonondering if i had heard a whistle or not. it''s amazing how easy it is to be absorbed by this d dynamic. i felt ridiculous, and i never felt protected. >> but a lot of people do feel safer being part of the neighborhood watch. withth authorities unable to control the rising crime rates, they find solace in community. leonardo stops by to check on a shop owner who has b been robbed 20 t times alrea.. >> it has happened so often. i don't want to see him getting used to it because having to live with it is awful. >> and then someththing happens. onone of t ususual sususpects ss into the store,nd leon

immediately texts his neighbors, something he has come to finind more helpful than callining the polilice. >> i probably called them 10 times. otherwise i just clean up, fix what is broken, and get to work. >> and attitude the neighbors are hohoping to see adopted by e new government, for them to feel like they can let their guard dodown, a l lot needs to be cled up and fixed, so whoever takes the presidency on sunday will have to urgently get to work. carl: clearly, crime is one of the biggest factors heading into this election. if the center-right prevails on sunday with a law & order platform, it will be as part of a five-party coalition. is there, though, enough in common between the parties to make that alliance work? >> that is one of the big uncertainties here in uruguay at the moment. the one thing they have in

common -- really the only thing -- is they are not vincent taylor embryo. they are a coalition of the willing, to push the current government out, and no one really knows what they will bring to the table. one potential troublemaker is the newest party in this formation, led by a general, and many fear the influence he might have on a new government, if he will be able to destabilize it, what his proposals will be. he is a far right candidate. he ran for president in the first round and then aligned with the national party, but we have to bear in mind that this galvan is asian of opposition powers is also how vicente came to power.

carl: several neighborhoods going through deep political changes seemingly brought on by the same political inequality. >> uruguay really likes seeing itself as that shining city on a hill of sorts in this latin american context and a as we jut saw, they share a lot of the problems that other countries in the region also go through, but we do have to say that their own perception is not quite what the objective indicators tell us. the country is still very well-off in matters of human rights, of access to goods and services, and even security, so even though there has been a decline in these aspects, uruguay is still quite well-off. they do want to get back -- back to the point of being an example to follow for other countries in the region and that is something

both candidates are promising, but it looks like uruguayans do not trust leftists to bring about that change and to deliver. carl: that election coming up on sunday. thank you very much. the world health organization's warning that four out of five of the world's teenagers are not getting enough exercise. lack of physical activity has been linked to a range of debilitating health conditions like obesity, depression, and heart disease, so experts are warning young people need to get up, get out, and get moving. >> an hour a day of a kick about or any other p physical activity -- thahat is the standard recommendation for adolescence. it does not sound like much, but the world health organization says more school-age boys and girls do not reach this mark, and it is affecting their physical and mental well-being. the finding is not unique to a particular region. globally, girls are found to be less active with 85% of them

failing to meet the recommendation compared to 78% of boys. >> a lot of the physical activity promotion is more tailored towards boys, so just to maybe also provide a solution to that, it would be really important when countries or communities oror schools plan fr solutions to involve adolescent girls. >> children are increasingly indoors, mostly seated and staring at screens or even focused on their studies, but sometimes they are not physically active because of a lack of options. >> security also seems to be a bit of an issue, that young people maybe do not feel safe enough to be outside running or walking in parks, places where we would like them to be more active. the open design has not really encouraged walking and cycling,

and the traffic congestion is also forcing young people off the street. >> researchers say being active is good for the developing brain, so they are urging policymakers and adolescents pull up their socks and make exercise a priority. carl: you are watching "dw news." still to come -- they were two of germany's most celebrated scholars and explorers of the environment, but was there a darker side to the brothers humbled? a new exhibition takes a closer look at the pair and their legacy. but first, hong kong's police chief is urging protesters still barricaded inside the city's polytechnic university to surrender peacefully. it's the latest confrontation in hong kong -- in five months of hong kong's antigovernment protests. although beijing has not

directly intervened in the territory, authorities have been targeting individual protesters. our correspondent met with one of them. he says he was arrested and beaten by police at the hong kong-china border. to protect his identity, dw has changedd the voice of thehe activist in this next report. >> it started like a routine business trip and ended in china 's secret detention center. stanley wong was crossing the border to mainland china when he was stopped. border police searched his phone and question him for several hours. >> then in the evening, two police officers came. they handcuffed me and put a black hood on my head. then they took me away. >> for fear of retribution, we cannot show his face. stanley wong is not his real name. his accounts cannot be verified independently, b but his story s in line with accounts from other

tainees. at that time, border police had begun systemematically searching the phones of f hong kong verse- hong kongers crossing the bder to the mainland. he explaineded it was an authorized march and that t hong kong laws allowed him to participate but they would not listen. >> they said this was about a matter of national security and that it was not up to me to decide what endangering i it means. national security is above all other laws. when national security is concerned, they said we can catch you in hong kong or any other place in the world. >> wong was held in a single cell that had been covered in soft material. the blast door was translucent from the outside. all the lights left permanently on. over and over, they interrogated

him asking him about connections to foreign nationals. >> i had to crouch like this for the duration of the interrogation. they placed me right under an air conditioner with the wind blowing at me constantly. each interrogation lasted a few hours. they would beat me like this, punch my back or kick me in the legs. >> the number of people who have been detained at the border remains unknown. wong says he was able to catch glimpses into other cells and help people who he believes were fellow hong kongers pot at the border. after 36 hours he was released. >> my family tried to ask the public security wherere i was, t they just would not say anything. police even denied they knew me and that i had crossed the border. i understood that i could easily be disappepeared at any time. >> he has dealt with the

experience quite well, he says, and he will not let it stop him, but now when he crosses the border, his heart starts to beat a little faster. carl: to sports now and pressure's return to international track and field competitions and further doubt after the sport's governing body suspended the admission process. world athletics made the decision a day after several russian athletic officials including the federation president, where themselves suspended for anti-doping violations. russia has been banned for international competition for the systemic cheating of drugs tests. the country could now be kicked out of athletics entirely. samford has won the opening race of a new formula eu racing season -- sam byrd. he made full use of his two power boosts to move through the

field. he took a lead with 10 minutes ago and held on, beating german manufacturers porsche and mercedes on their series debuts. all right, this sport is a little bit more my style. surfing makes its debut at the olympic games in tokyo next summer, and it has even caught on in colder regions like right here in berlin. surfing enthusiast and the german capital can now ride the waves without ever having to set foot on a beach. seven young entrepreneurs have open the city's first indoor surfing center in a converted warehouse. waves can reach heights of 1.6 meters and the water is a balmy 26 degrees celsius, so it is all the ideal escape from the frosty berlin winter. two of germany's greatest historical figures were brothers -- alexander and wilhelm von humboldt. they have been brought back

together at an exhibition at the german historical museum in berlin. both were in different ways important figures in the age of the enlightenment, but the exhibition looks at some of the contradictions of the time. enlightenment, for sure, but at the same time, colonialism and slavery. >> the humbled brothers -- the humboldt brothers. alexander, the last of the global scholars. will wilhelm, a diplomat and global scholar created the education and university systems in berlin. that's the common knowledge about them, but the exhibition at berlin's german historical museum takes a closer look at these celebrated german shining lights. "we are not at all interested in working against something, but toward something -- namely an improved historical anchoring of two figures who are important to learn about, but who we felt had become nothing more than labels in this city in berlin.

they were the sons of rich nobility, educated by the best private tutors according to the ideals of the enlightenment. as young men, they were admitted to the elite salon of a jewish writer. there were amorous escapades, revolutionary liberties, and open relationships. >> for them, that was the birth of their feelings and maybe the activation of their neurons into very fast competitive behavior because these women were very quick, verery s smart, and theyd to keep up with h them. >> with his wife, wilhelm led an open marriage for 40 years. he initially supported the emancipation of jews but later made anti-semitic comments about former female friend who was marrying an up-and-coming prussian diplomat. alexander was a natural scientist, environmentalist, and advocate for indigenous people, but on his journey to south

america, he became a grave robber. this shows how the scholarship of the time, around 1800 and after, had an obsession with collecting everything in order to study it, and how the study of race, which developed into racism, has its roots in the time, and he was one of many who participated. the humboldts were important, progressive minds, but they were also shaped by their times, so where they really shining lights? certainly, but where there is light, there is also shadow. carl: you are w watching "dw news." i will be back shortly to walk you through "the day." ♪

by katharine nicholson. france twenty four france twenty four .com. hello and welcome to france twenty four on the lawn of the susan rely from paris that lines they sour. lebanon marks its independence- with a chilling celebrations the country's top leaders gather for a military parade by protesters in beirut organized raid after all. benjamin netanyahu about schools to step downwn the israeli prime ministr digging in his heels a day after he was indicted on charges of bribery and fraud. and for people killed in baghdad after security forces fired live rounds on anti gogovernment protesters over three hundred forty people have died since the unrest began