♪ phil: this is dw news. high rent supreme leader lashes out against the united states. leading frfriday prayersrs sit - for the first time since 2012. he described a present trump as a clown who wants to put a poison dagger into iran's back. both of libya's rival leaders at many world leaders are to attend a peace summit in berlin this weekekd, hoping to secure a cease-fire in libya after years of conflict.

rhino blankets australia after months of bushfires. those in the country struggling to cope with the downpour. blaming the teachers, we report on how educators in hongng kong are e increasingly being calledo account for their student activism. -- for their students'activism. ♪ phil: leader -- iran's supreme leader has urged iranians to unite behind the government. in a rare appearance, he dismissed president donald trump as a clown, adding that his support for the iranian people is a pretense. he also defended iran's military after it admitted shooting down a passenger jet by mistake. >> after weeks of national

trauma, thousanands turned out o see iriran's suprpreme leader ia rarare show of strength. the men cheered and chanted as he railed against iran's enemies. >> these american clowns who falsely and despicably say that we are standing with the iranian people, and say they can see who the iranian people are, are the few hundreds of people who assaulted our general solemani. or rather, are the iranian people the millionons who show themselves on the streets? >>'s intervention comes after the country's top military commander was killed by u.s. forces earlier this month. triggering a nationwide outpouring of grief and a stampede, which saw scores killed.

then came what iran said was an accidental downing of a passenger jet, killing all 176 people on board. protests angle to the capital. -- protests engulfed the capital. the ayatollah lamented the crash, but said iran was being manipulated. >> some people follow american television and english radio, that try to portray this incident in such a wayay thatt e deaths o of thesewowo martyrs woululd be for g gotten. >> a message heard loud and clear by presidident rouhani, wo sat among the worshipers. the ayatollah's s presence undederscores the crisis. the last time he delivered friday prarsrs, inn 2012, amid a

stand up against its nuclear weapons program. phil: let's get more on this. welcome. let's start with that final point. the significance of the ayatollah leading friday prayers. what should we read and do that? >> the whole event was to present an image of power and unity. almost 45 minutes, the speech was full of political images. for the inside, he was saying, let's be united as iranians to be stronger, a united against international pressure and american sanctions. less be united because -- let's be united because we have parliamentary elections. for the outside, he was insane, even though we have mr. orton at events, we are still strong -- we have misfortunate events, we are strong. do not underestimate our power.

he had two messages. phil: for people watching iran closely, it would seem strange he is constantly calling for unity. there is not much in the way of opposition. is he under pressure domestically? >> a lot. he has under a lot of pressure, not only the supreme leader, the whole iranian authority because of the protests, the first timee protesteters and activists inn n were asking for him to step down . this is a big issue. i want to go back to the elections. it is important for the authority to give the image that it is going to be smooth and to win again as a regime. nobody is protesting during the elections because otherwise we are going to give the wrong image for the outside and donald trump will use it to say, you have people against you, and it

was not successful. phil: will this speech be enough? there were protests about these fuel increases and protests about the perceived cover-up of this plane crash. will this put the lid on all of that? >> no. most of the protesters based on reports, most of the protesters and activists that ask khamenei to step down. it is not the issue. if you look at iranian history, what i have an enemy or convincing the society they have an enemy, let's be united against the enemy, that is why he was calling donald trump a clown and blaming the international community, to put this pressure on iran, that is why he was saying, we can still be strong if we are all stop the protests and face what is happening. you want money? you want to live good? you have a problem in the

economy? we can face always sanctions, especially from america. that is the strategy. it is going to work now. phil: thank you. >> you are most welcome. phil: canada urged iran to allow france to analyze the cockpit data recorders from the plane that was shot down. i ran admitted to shooting the plane down accidentally. the canadian prime minister said france is one of the few countries with the ability to read the lanes black boxes, which were badly damaged. 57 people are bored the flight were c cadian cititizens -- 57 people on boardrd were canadidin citizens. >> the issue with the black boxes is they were damaged and it is extremely important, according to protocol, that they be examined as rapidly as possible.

iran does not have the level of technical expertise and the equipment necessary to be able to a analyze these it damaged black boxes quickly. phil: we will take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world. at least 11 american troops were injured when iran attacked bases hosting u.s. troops in iraq. washington previously claimed there were no casualties or injuries. the attack was in retaliation of the killing of general solemani. president donald trump is bringing in legal heavyweights to help defend him in his senate impeachment trial. he added former independent counsel ken starr, who paved the way for bill clinton's impeachment. trump also hired alan dershowitz who defended j jeffrey epstein. 2000 hundred migrants joint as

part of a caravan headed to the united says. they are pushing north despite a deal that requires them to wait in guatemala. migrants say they are fleeing violence and criminal gangs in honduras. berlin will host a conference on sunday, bringing together live yes warring parties -- lbya's w arring parties. on thursday, german foreign minister received assurances from the rebel leader that he would support a truce. before traveling to berlin, general haftar is making a stop where there is tension. >> general hafaftar was received in athens like a top minister. many countries see him as a warlord. there are reasons why he is fated here.

greece is angry at the un's recognition of the libyan government, which assigned a agreement with turkey without taking greases islands -- greece 's it is nevertheless offered to be a mediator bird -- mediator. >> we have encouraged a commander to participate in the process and try within the existiti framework to achieve a cecease-fire and restore securuy in olivia. -- in libya. haftar said he is willing to abide by a cease-fire. >> i think it is good news that he is willing to continue to abide by a cease-fire. that has to be the start. at the conference, we must ensure the you an arms embargo is an arms embargo is enforced. >> in the libyan capital, some are less ready to trust haftar.

he refused to sign a cease-fire last week. >> he did not sign because he does not want peace. he is bloodthirsty. he wants people to die. >> many in -- many are pinning their hopes on berlin's conference. >> at this meeting, they will discuss many things, but the most important is a cease-fire. this will be an opportunity to discuss options, but we are all in favor of a cease-fire and what comes after that. haftar needs to go back to where he started everything. in berlin, it is not only about bringing haftar and his adversary together. it is also about two other men who are considered to be the decisive players in this conflict. ththe turkish president, who supports the rebel leader, and vladimir putin, who backs haftar. their efforts to produce a

cease-fire agreement in moscow last week did not succeed. now berlin is hoping to achieve a decisive breakthrough. phil: more on sundays summit. welcome. who is coming and who will not be there? >> is a high-level summit with the president of russia, egypt, turkey, and france, and the u.s. secretary of state. as well as the leaders of the two warring factions. as to who will not be coming, greece is irritated, it does not had that it does not seem to have received an invitation. it is worried about a detail -- is worried about ideal covering natural gas exploitation in the mediterranean. it would like to be at the table to discuss that. eight nadir up -- a neighbor of libya that has been affected by

the government, the german government says the invitations have been worked out with consultation with the you and and they decided to is coming. phil: we saw in the report there is lots -- there are lots of backers on both sides. can one talk about the international community having a stance? >> there is such a range of positions and diverse interests. in particular, the different international backers of the warring parties, russia and egypt and the united arab emirates backingng haftar who controls much of the country, on the other side turkey has been providing military support to the government, the u.n.-backed and internationally recognized government. there are also natural mineral rights that are at issue as

well. you have countries like italy, which takes a lot of oil from libya. i mentioned the turkish deal to export natural gas. europe in general would like to see stability because it does become a conduit for migration and it does not want to see this war dragging on. phil: given that plethora of interests on different sides, what are people hoping will come out of sunday's conference? >> the key thing is to at the international parties to withdraw troops and arms from libya and to make sure the two warring factions stand by that cease-fire that they say they are backing. one question that arises, who will police the cease-fire echo a foreign policy representative was quoted saying he thinks the

eu should have a role, including with troops. it is hard to see which countries would send troops. this conference is about getting the militaries out of libya. phil: thank you. this is dw news. still to come, and online chat room for kids and a hunting ground for sex predators. the report on the dangers of cyber grooming. first, some relief after months of drought in australia. lots of rain is falling on bushfires in eastern australia for a second day in a row, wet weather giving firefighters a boost in their fight against blazes fueled by the drought. heavy rains expected to continue throughout the weekend, but dozens of blazes are still burning.

but weather is bringing its own hazards. >> from a flames to flash floods . a week ago, this nature park where protecting animals from bushfires. now, they are dealing with another extreme. >> there is the drain. absolutely inadequate. look what is coming in the park. a wall of water. >> staff rushed koalas to safety. while creatures more used to the wet, it was about keeping thehem in their place. heheavy rainin has falallen acrs southh wales, one of the states worst affected by bushfires. in the state capital, residents were remembering how to use an umbrella. the ororange haze that has taken over the skyline now a cloudy gray. >> we need a bit of rain and

water to help with the fires. i think it will help with the haze, push every further out. >> this is the wettest day and many months. we have only had four days of rain in four months. that rain has been short, this is the wettest in a long time. >> for many, the weather brought relief and joy. more a case of sliding than singing in the rain. that rain has helped some, though not all, of the bushfires. it does bring another set of dangers. with the land so dry and vegetation burns away, water bounces off the grouound. as firefighters are aware, changing weather does not automatically mean changing fortunes. phil: bullies in germany are to

be allowed to post fake child pornography images when pursuing offenders online. that is because posting such materials as a requirement for anyone wanting access to's desk to child sex abuse chat rooms. the grooming of children in virtual spaces is a two frequent occurrence. >> this therapist uses these figures to help children talk about traumatic events. it starts like this. this is a dialogue between a young girl and an unknown chat partner that took place. ♪ >> a similar thing happened to one girl. her family has given the

therapist permission to talk about the case. for months, the tender old was in contact with a man, unbeknownst to her parents. he sent her suggested messages. >> he sherry sexual fantasies that he involved the girl in. it started with the kind of thing a young girl might be drawn to. cuddling, getting closer, baby touching. he then moved to violent fantasies. >> t the exchange made the girl feel grown-up. she allowed him to send her videos of him engaging in sexual activities. >> this developed to the extent that she started having these sexual fantasies on her own. she was so flooded with these ideas that she got into the car one day and said, mom, i just thought about how i had sex with you. >> the therapist as children

between nine and 12 are particularly vulnerable. a test one shows how quickly they can be exploited. weor ks. in virtual spaces like this, they can take on different roles, create characters, be anonymous. pretending to be a 12-year-old girl, , we enterer the chat roo. within five minutes, we received six friend reqequests, all from men. one person asks if we would take our clothes off. he wants to get us breast massages. he asks for photographs. the therapist recommends parents monitor their children's smartphones. >> is impossible to keep children from engaging with media now. but i still think they do not belong in children's bedrooms. they belong in public spaces, living rooms, where there is designated space for it. >> the man who abuse the girl is under investigation.

so-called cyber grooming is classified as a form of child sex abuse. the case is ongoing. phil: let's take a look at some of the other stories. farmers across germany are protesting against the government agricultural policies. many say tighter rules limiting the use of fertilizers and lower consumer prices are squeezing their incomes. hundreds of farmers have descended on berlin to raise awareness. while mayor zelenskiy has rejected the resignation of his prime minister. he offered to step down after being caught on tape saying the president do nothing about the economy. president zelenskiy described the situation as unpleasant but he is giving him a second chance. china's birthrate has policy to its lowest since 1949, fueling fears of a demographic crisis. 14.6 million births in 2019,

half a million fewer than the previous year. the drop occurred despite the government relaxing its one child policy in recent years. as hong kong's protests continue, teachers have become a target. they are accused of starting up on rest and turning schools into incubators of civil disobedience . reporter: a few days before the and of term looks like is of usual. teachers have been in emergency mode for most of the semester. >> we are always worrying whether our students are hurt outside. teachers, they even come out to the streets to try to find their students and see if they can

give guidance or support. reporter: more than 900 miners had been arrested since the start of the protest. that has put schools under the scrutiny of the pro-government cap. tiny estate media accccused teachers of agitating their students. a union representative was singled out in the largest newspaper and said to be poisoning students minds. a journalism teacher, covers political systems of mainland china and hong kong and tackles controversial issues like china's human rights record. he denies the claims of beijing hardliners that liberal studies has radicalized students. >> in hong kong, we try to let students to see different perspectives so they can form

their opinions on their own. reporter: some politicians point to a growing n number of complaints about biased teachers and school materials. the vice chairman of hong kong's largest pro establishment party sees a need for action. he helped form a committee to review the curriculum. >> the teachers and hong kong are of still good character and in good shape in teaching our kids in the school, but we need -- the confidence being dashed by a minority of teachers and hong kong. reporter: the government made clear that teachers arrested at demonstrations really banned from the classroom. it has also issued warnings to teachers voice strong antigovernment opinions on social media, although none have been suspended so far. the teachers union aligned with

the pro-democracy cap has organized protests aiainst whaht it calls white terror. >> [inaudible] reporter: the fight for the hearts andnd minds of ththe next generation is underway. ♪ phil: thailand's injected fresh momentum into his title defense. opening with a second round, 65 on friday. the asia tour of america champion hit three. performance gave him a one-shot lead heading into day three. he could become the second player after an australian

player to win two consecutive singapore titles. this year will see tokyo out the summer which get underway in july. organizers darted to install the interlocking rings that symbolize the advent. the rings, to be used for the 2020 games, were transported on a barge. there'll be a ceremony next week in tokyo bay. it is to host the swimming and triathlon events at this year's games. you can get news on the go, download our ad from google play or the app store. that will give you access to news from around the world as well as push notifications for breaking news. if you are part of the story, you can send us photos and videos of what is happening. in spain, a special blessing for our four-legged friends cured pet owners flocked to the church in madrid to have their pet

sprinkled with holy water. the pilgrimage is part of the feast of saint -- feast of saint daphne. -- saint and family. at have a front row seat. ♪ phil: i will be back in a moment to take you through the day. we will have more world news at the top of the hour. ♪ ♪

. the best day de galley de two any day. hello and welcome to france many forms illllnesses ad rely from paris to headlines this hour iran's supreme leader delivers the sermon at friday prayers for the first time in eight years i told ali khamenei taking aim if european nations for not standing up to donald trump as the iran nuclear deal hahangs. by a thread. the political uncertainty continues over in lebanon the interim prime minister failing to announce a caretaker government. has pressure continues to mount from the street. and the signature restaurant of legendary french chef pulled a book whose get stripped of its third a michelin star two years after his death