from berlin. passenger jet went down and because asked on killing at least 12 people. shortly after takeoff, the airplane crashed, slamming into a two-story building. miraculously, dozens m made it t alalive. also coming up, estrella continues to battle wildfires raging in much of the country. people are bracing for an extreme heat wave and strong wind this weekend. authorities are calling in the

army to help contain the flames. plus, putting the petal to the metal may be a thing of the past on germany's motorways. we will get to the bottom of the latest attempt to clamp down on a privilege available only on the autobahn. and the race is heating up. nasa has presented its newest probe to mars. it is just one of formations set to blast off 2020. to our fear is in the united states on pbs and around the world, thank you so much for joining us. authorities in the central asian country of cause asked on are trying to determine what caused and airliner to crash shortly after takeoff. kazakhstan's largest city, the jet was bound for the capital

with 98 passengers on board. 12 were sadly killed in the crash. more than 50 have been hurt. the black box has been found and is being analyzed. >> is amazing that anyone survived this and it is a miracle that most of those on board made itit out alive. seconds after takeoff, something went terribly wrong on this flight. passengers say the plane struggled d to gain altitude and came crashing down. >> the plane hit the ground hard , than the light came flooding in. i didn't know if i was dead or alive. i cried out, then i saw a man next to a door. i told him to open it, and we gogot out through that. through the roof of the jet. >> many were not that lucky.

passengers of the front of the plane sufred the wot injuries. for their l loved ones, the wait outside the emergency room was agonizing. families and survivors are traumatized.. >> psychologists are working wiwith relatives and patients. we d don't have e any unknown patients. all of their names have been identified. >> the scale of this disaster has touched cap socks. many stood inn l long lines to e blood at clinics and hospitals with people donating on behalf of the injured. the government has also responded with a moment of silence. and promises to help survivors and the victim's families. >> the families of the deceased and injured will receive financial assistance. the government will deal with this issue.

>> many y kazakhstan wanant to w how this accident happeneded. that is the task of the investigators to find out. they willl be lolooking at whetr pilolot or mechaninical fault because this plane to plummet out of the sky on a clear morning. >> let's get you more on this one. i turned to aviation specialist from the u.k., a very good day. the cause asked on the flight was carrying 93 passengers and five crew. sadly, 12 people were killed in the crash. what is so remararkable that all the other passengers just walked away from the w wreckage, so to speak. how thahat possiblele? >> good evening. it is interesting because the front end ofhehe aircraft separated, that is the cockpit that wenent into thehe side of s buililding, and ththe rear sectn

also separated, leaving a hole in the middle intact. people were acactually able to walk off that aircraft. another thing about it is that it has two engines and they are right at the rear of the aircraft. this is particularly relevevant, because there was no fire involved in n the crash. it came down and split up, unfortunately some people died, but it did not catch fire. >> so that was the saving grace for those passengers who did make it out. the plane's black box recorders have been located. they are being analyzed. can you help us -- walk u us through the prprocess now.w. >> thehere are either one or two black k boxes on board, dependig on the a aircraft. ththis is a a data recorder anda voice recorder. it records everything thatt

hahappens on that airircraft ona continuous loop. the authorities,s, the investigatorssill be ablble to put together an exact snapshot of what was hapappening on n tht plane before it finalally crash. they will actctually have allllf the converersations between the pilots and the control tower and the talklk between the pilots ad any otherr noises inside the aircraft. ththey will also have an electronic trail. every switch, every relay, everythihing mechahanical or electric will be recorded as well. they can actually play it back and find out exactly what has happened to the aircraft. >> that was an aviation specialist speaking to us early from the u.k.. we want to turn our attention to australia, where the army has been called to help fight

wildfires burning out of control in the country's largest city. authorities are bracing for an extreme heat wave. fire has consumed millions of acres across the country. at least nine people have been killed. >> not a site you might expect at one of australia's most popular tourist sites. visitors to the blue mountains are forced to wear facemasks as the smoke from nearby fires fills the air. the iconic rock formations are barely visible in the haze. >> we were really looking forward to seeing the view. i have always wanted to see the blue mountains. it is s such a shame t to see it like this. >> but that problem is small compared to the challenge firefighters in new south wales are set to face over the weekend. after a brief respite,

temperatures are again expected to soar, bringing new risks. >> that is going to bring not just heat, but temperatures into the 40's across a lot of areas. there will be a lot of dry air as well. that will help. the wind will start turning out to the west and northwest, which is why so much work is going on. conditions arere more e mild. >> some 70 fires are burning. more than n 1000 firefighters ad military are in action to try to contain the fires, prevent them from reaching more inhabited areas. >> they are just putting in a contaiainment line to try toto p the fire from heading toward coastal villages. >> more than 850 homes have been destroyed. authorities are working to protect infrarastructure surrounding a vital dam west of

sydney that provides water to 4 million people. it could be at risk if the fires spread. >> israel's prime minister has won a landslide victory in the leadership contest for his party with about half the parties members voting. he took 72% of the vote, fending off a challenge by the former interior mininister. that challengege comes ahehead f the general election in march. it will be israel's third in a year. earlier, we spoke with israeli political columnist who explained why two failed attempts to build a government and a number of corruption charges have not hurt benjajamin netanyahu wiwithin his pararty. >> first of all, he w was very attractive to the people, much more than his opponent when it

comes to selling patriotism, love and respect. he is very professional. he doesn't have to talk about substance. he just has to use his charm and convince people that he cares about them and indictmtments a e on the backk burner.r. in the worst-case, they are completely irrelevant. >> that was political analyst akiva elder joining us. we wanted to give you a round up of the other stories makaking ns aroundnd the world. in the gulf of oman, iran has begun naval exercises with the russian and chinese allies. the drills are taking place near a vital transit route for oil tankers.

muslims in indonesia have been protesting outside the chinese embassy in jakarta, demanding an end to the detention of an estimated one million ethnic muslims in government run internment camps. china because these prison camps reeducation facilities. indonesia is home to the world's largest muslim population. the deaeath toll from a christms day typhoon in the philippines has risen to at least 28. authorities say the number of victims is likely to rise. he typhoon forced many families to spend christmas sheltering in the open air and has left scores of travelers stranded. japan says it is delaying a cleanup plan for its new your r- its nunuclear plant for up to fe years. that means it will leave spent radioactive fuel in the facility

untitil 2024. the plant suffered meltdowns at three of its six reactions in 2011 after a devastating earthquake. next, speed limits could be coming to the autobahn. germany's phaedrus highway system. if the country's social their way, the new leadership says a majority of germans support putting on the brakes to reduce greenhouse gases. germany is the only european country without speed limits on most highways. the subject has long been contentious. >> people come to germany from all over the world to hit the highways and step on the gas. germany is the only country in the eu without an overall speed limit. but an uproar ensued after angela merkel's coalition party made a u-turn. the party leader wants an overall speed limit of 130 kilometers per hour.

the transport minister, a conservative, is against it. >> we have far more outstanding tasks and raising this emotional topic, for which there is no majority support. >> in october, a parliamentary majority voted against a speed limit. the issue has been debated in germany for decades. lobbyists for motorists and the auto industry have always triumphed. but their opponents have another argument. climate protection. a general speed them it would reduce co2 emissions. that is part of the social democrats recommendation to the transport minister. >> he could win a point by doing something small and easily achievable for climate protection. it would increase safety, improve traffic and be in line with most countries in the world. >> the social democrats want to continue discussions about a speed limit, but for now, more

than two thirds of german highways will remain in full speed ahead. >> full speed ahead. dw's political correspondent joins me to talk more about this emotive subject in this country. arguably, how the dutch phil about their bikes and the americans about their guns, this country cherishes its unrestricted speed autobahn. explain to us why the lack of speed limit or the potential speed them it stirs so many emotions. >> is a very contentious issue. it is a nation of car drivers and a nation where car industry is deeply rooted in germany's economy. it is also very emotional at a government level. two days ago, we heard a transport minister saying we have far more outstanding tasks than putting this highly emotional topic over and over on the table, for which there are

no majorities. indeed, he is right. the german parliament has so far voted against speed limits, especially the conservative coalition government, as well as the liberals and the firelight -- far-right, which are traditionally against it. >> politically, there is not much support, but how do germans feel about this measure? >> 40% of the people of the general public here in germany are in favor of a speed limit of 130 kilometers per hour. that is 81 miles per hour. only 31% of the people are against a strict speed limit. the most contentious point, when you talk to germans, is where to fix that speed limit. the recommended speed, because there is such a thing, is 131 kilometers per hour.

people working in tourism are also affected by such measures, because tour operators favor germany when it comes to trying out new cars. for their clients, it would mean they cannot come onto germany's motorways to try out their new cars and as we mentioned earlier, 60% to 70% of german highways you can drive with no speed limit whatsoever. >> it is mind-boggling, because in other countries you don't even have that privilege. on a serious note, talk to us about germany's track record when it comes to accidents related to speeding. >> for that, i will bring in with the deputy leader of the german police officers union said. he is on the front line when it comes to judging traffic accidents. he said study show that one in four deaths could be prevented

with a speed limit and he also says that reducing the speed to 130 kilometers per hour would prevent serious accidents. if you look at figures, in 2018, we recorded free thousand 275 deaths in traffic accident. that is half of what was in 2000 and only 424 deaths happened on the highways. the rest were on national roads. that is also an argument for people against the speed limit. >> that really does not measure up either. another argument being used is of course climate. talk to us about how that is affecting this argument. >> driving fast does affect climate in that the faster you drive, the more gas your car emits. in a bid to cut nitrogen oxide emissions, some countries have

decided to implement a lower speed limit. for example, a daytime speed limit on highways. they would cut that down to 100 kilometers per hour and such measures are supposed to cut off those emissions. >> holland is of course really tiny and there are not many places you can go fast and germany is so huge with long stretches where you can speed. it is greatly appreciated. highways without speed limits, the perfect backdrop for germany's cars. why build automobiles that can top 250 kilometers per hour when the law sets a limit of 100 and 30. our next report looks at some of 2019's automotive stories and it starts with one car that is definitely not made for speed limits. >> is this what the world was

waiting for? >> ladies and gentlemen, the new porsche. >> the first fully electric porsche. starting price 105,000 euros. >> is the biggest competition the tesla model s has seen yet. >> the tesla, in november tesla unveiled in electric truck with apparently unbreakakable w wind. at least that is what it said in the brochure. it did not work out quite that way. >> well. maybe that was a little too hard. >> is this for demonstration purposes or was it still a work in progress? garnering fewer headlines was the ingenious invention of a ukrainian beekeeper. he presented a world first homemade electric car that he drive to his beehives every day.

not one for the big car shows like the annual geneva motor show, here french luxury manufacturer bugatti presented what is supposedly the most expensive car in the world, complete with handmade rims. it will set fires back 16 million euros. >> this is for show. >> at the opposite and of the spectrum is bw's first purely electric car, which is aimed at the mass market. >> the id3 is opening the next chapter of fulfilling our mission to become a zero emission brand by 2050. >> this zero emission goal had already been achieved in january by a russian schoolteacher. exactly one horsepower for zero emissions. the horse-drawn car stands for a global trend, making new out of old.

also in london was this built in 1953. a used to run on petrol but is now always plugged in. it hails from a startup that makes its money by retrofitting old cars. >> why scrap them when there is not anything wrong with them except for the bus powertrain -- the powertrain? >> the only thing classic cars can't do yet is fly. maybe 2020 will be the year the flying car goes into production. >> or maybe not. in california, nasa is showcasing a spacecraft scheduled for a launch to mars next summer. the space agency wants to send the rover to the surface of the red planet. partially to look for signs of past life. nasa says the rover has passed its first driving tetest. if all g goes well, the craft could land on mars by 2021.

it is one of four lunches slated for next year. we are so happy to have keith from washington, d.c. joining us. he is and astrobiologist, formally and editor of nasa watch. before we start, can you tell us whatat does and astrobiologist ? >> we study the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe. >> in a nutshell. nasa already conducted successful missions to mars. what s sets this onone apart? >> thihis is an upgrade of thee mars scicience lab, whwhich hahn on mars for years. this rover is going to get down and seeee whether therere w wase onon ours -- on mars, possibly whether there could still be life on mars. it is asking the big queuestion. >> china, the european space agency, and the united arab

emirates are also sending spacecraft to mars next year. this is a crowded field. how much to the objectives differ for these missions, and do you think we would be better ofoff to pool resources? >> they aree actually pulling things together. the uae spacecraft will be looking at mars weather. china will be launching an orbiter and a small lander thatt will look at bio signatureres, evidence of biological markers. europe''s roverer does the same thing,g, as will be 2020 rover. those three plus the mars science lab, we will have fofour rovers looking for evidence of past and possibly present life. it is going to be sort of an astrobiology festival in 2020 on mars. >> very exciting. these missions focus mainly on studying the conditions on the red planet. how can their findings be applied on earth? >> it's interesting.

mars at one point had conditions very s similar to earth. because of solar activity and whatnot, it dried out and lost atmosphehere. the process of how it cooled and how it's climate changed can have some relevance to e earth. we seem to forget that earth is a planet too. the one way we can best understand them is to studydy me than one. you look at earthh and venenus d mars, you get an i idea of why e are so special and perhaps why we should be paying more attention to taking care of the planet. > w was the most challengingt of the misission? >> the landing. this is a big rover. once itt lands, you have to test it o out, thenn the question iso we look in ththe rightt places r the stuff we want to find. that ends up being challenging, because we have never been there before and we are just looking from orbit saying looks like a good spot. >> keith, astrobiologist

formally with nasa, talking to us from washington, d.c.. thank you for weighing in. really appreciate it. >> my pleasure. >> russia's anti-doping agency has filed an appeal against the world anti-doping agency for its ban on russian participation in international sporting events. earlier this month, they voted in favor of appealing the court of arbitration for s sports in switzerland. figures including vladimir putin have indicated that they want and appeal filed following the complaint. football news for you now. just coming in, a veteran striker is returning to his former club. now that he -- his contract with l.a. galaxy has ended. the 38-year-old swede signed a deal with the italian outfit until the end of the season with the option to extend further than one year.

he played a key role in milan's 2011 title, scoring 56 goals for them in five appearances. the club will be stepping it up. now to a zoo in the u.s. state of michigan, which has been showing off its latest attraction. abb rhino. the calf of the endangered black rhino was born christmas eve in the potter park zoo in the state capital. the calf, which has yet to be named is in an enclosure withth its mother.. the two are said to be bonding well. they are about 5000 black rhinos left in the where today. coming up in just a moment is ego india, but before that, we want to show you, you might have heard of joshua tree national

park in california. this is what it normally looks like. a hot, dry, desert landscape. take a look at this. a white christmas in the desert. we are with these beautiful images, i will see you in the next year. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

party to top. the best day today at two am et. two hundred and thirty five thousand syrians are displaced in in the province in just two weeks this as government forces step up their offensive to retake the country's last rebel held stronghold. iraq's president rejects the prime m minister candididate factsts by pro irarn lawmakers and criticized by tehran backed groups hailed by protesters. into acacademics imprisoned in iran go on hunger strike t the australian and french ronnie and researchers launching that joint strike in the name of academic freedom. and things for joining us here in the france twenty four news room i'm claire