>> this is dw news live from berlin. the taliban overrun more cities in afghanistan. militants have fought to control two thirds of the country with the government seemingly powerless to resist the advance. thousands flee the fighting as they battle a humanitarian crisis. more wildfires are spreading around the mediterranean. dozens are dead through the blazes in algeria. the government is blaming arsonists. wide open.

that campaign for next month's election in germany is heating up. we talked to the contenders vying to follow in the footsteps of angela merkel, starting with their shots. and lionel messi makes his move. the argentine superstar signs with heavy star french super rates after he left barcelona, having spent 20 years at his boyhood club. i am anthony howard, welcome to the program. we begin in afghanistan, where the government suffered further setbacks and holding off the seemingly relentless advance of the taliban. a humanitarian crisis is deepening as tens of thousands are forced to flee the fighting. the militants are estimated to control two thirds of the country. >> shaky and shocking video show

taliban fighters celebrating victory after taking a town in the west. they appear to be dragging the body of an opponent. and image is too disturbing to show, they throw the body into a pit and shoot at it. it seemed that prompted many afghans to seek century in cities -- sanctuary in cities, like these people at a makeshift park at kabul. there is not enough relief material for them. >> the displaced people are in a rrible and frustrating situation, but the government hasn't sent a representative to help. >> as the afghan government struggles to contain the military advances of the taliban, it is appealing for humanitarian support. >> we call on the international

community and international institutions to help us soon as possible to provide food and nonfood items to the many people displaced in afghanistan. >> many have questioned the speedy withdrawal of the u.s. and international forces, which is due to be completed this month, but criticism is also directed at neighboring pakistan for not using its influence over the taliban to end the bloodshed and rights abuses. pakistan's foreign minister rejected the criticism and said his country would "play its role to facilitate the afghan peace process." >> we have done whatever we could, and we will continue to do what we can for peace, stability, and for regional connectivity. it is in sync with the agenda of our government. >> the return of the taliban and the possibility of a lengthy

civil war are likely to prompt an exodus of refugees. many heading west towards europe. greece was often the first point of arrival in the eu during the 2015 migration crisis. athens says it is unable to handle another wave of arrivals. anthony: for more on this, i am joined by a distinguished fellow at the atlantic council in washington, d.c. welcome. there have been reports to u.s. intelligence that the taliban could take kabul within 90 days if they continue at the current pace. if this happens, where will this lead for the diplomatic landscape in afghanistan? >> well, it will change the regional dramatic landscape also because anna norma decision will need to be made by countries like pakistan and countries in the abian peninsula, if you

clearly the united states lives up to its threat that it will not recognize a government in kabul set up by the taliban if they take kabul by force. the decision will then be whether pakistan and the countries of the arabian gulf, as well as recent overtures from china will be rewarded with recognition of theew regime and whether they will join the united states in making it a pariah state, as the u.s. has threatened. anthony: suja, a simple question, does -- shuja, a simple question, does the u.s. government have the power to stop the taliban from seizing the entire country? shuja: not the government by itself. the intent to bolster the defenses in different provinces by making deals with local landlords who came back from

turkey to take over his part of the country, but, the trouble is, the history indicates that these warlords will not defend kabul. they will defend their own territory to the best ability, but if they do not succeed, they will try to cross the borders into friendly territories and as happened on the night of the 26th of september 1996. anthony: without another western literary intervention, how will this escalating conflict ultimately affect the people of afghanistan? shuja: very badly, to say the least because afghanistan has changed dramatically the last couple of decades. it has become a country with women who have been educated in

a young society. you can see the impact today, and up to 2030 and beyond, it will be the youngest in terms of population and the whole greater south asia. none of those youth allow the ones we see trying to escape on their way to europe, so there will be a huge disappointment if this government forms. anthony: what can we expect the taliban to sustain any normal relations, traditional relations with the west in terms of economic considerations for afghanistan like trade or aid? shuja: i think that we need to see what will happen depending on what happens in the military. at the moment, it appears that the roughly two dozen commissions that follow the binet of the taliban, the most

important one is the military commission. that has two pop elements, the one in the south, and the one in the east. it is headed by a leader in military operations. it looks like the military operation has outranked the political affairs commission, which has been the one in doha saying all the things to assure the people that there will be a rule of law and some constitutionality, and that there will be united government of sorts. it seems the military commission , which commands the field officers of the taliban, now has the upper hand, and they are calling the shots. it will be critical if they decide to encircle kabul. and as happened in 1996, if all the people inside who were supposed to defend kabul went away into the darkness and go back to their regional areas

rather than fight. anthony: shuja nawaz, ty for joining us. -- thank you for joining us. shuja: thank you. anthony: the latest blazes had the mediterranean region, and many of the dead are civilian volunteers and firefighters battling the blazes. most of the fatalities are east of the capital algiers, and the mountainous region nearby. they are blaming arsonists for starting the fires. three days of national mourning have declared. >> a village trying to survive. forest fires are sweeping across algeria with no end in sight. dozens have succumbed to the flames. many of them soldiers trying to say residents. the government deployed army to help fight the fires, but it is not enough.

residents in the province of tizi ouzo are doing anything they can to save their homes. [sirens] >> we are fighting with fire to at least protect our houses. we evacuated the elderly, and we stayed, as you can see. >> i cannot tell you if we are beating the fire, but we are fighting it with all that we have, and may god help us. >> algeria joins a string of countries to be hit by major blazes in recent weeks. anger is growing over the government's perceived failure to protect its citizens. fire ravaged everything, and the government is absent. only one civil defense vehicle came. if people did not help, all the houses would have been burned.

the government has defended its actions and promised relief. >> we confirmed that the state will compensate the victims fully and completely for these losses. the state, as you can see, is making every effort, and we have made use of all possibilities and public facilities to assist the citizens affected by this disaster. >> over 600 families in algeria have been left homeless by the buyers. their livelihoods -- homeless by the fires. their livelihoods turned to ashes. anthony: authorities reported some progress in taming wildfires in southern europe. in greece, and international taskforces helping firefighters battling massive ways that has burned much of an island since igniting over a week ago. local officials say five fires are slowly -- fire crews are slowly gaining the upper hand.

other wildfires that started two weeks ago have largely been brought under control, despite flareups. our dw correspondant sentences correspondent from a greek island. >> this is one of the millions of trees that have been burned on the greek island. thousands had to be evacuated and many lost their livelihoods because of their fields and houses running down. you feel and increasing anger amongst the population against the government. where are the firefighters? those are the questions you hear from people when you talk to them on evia. the government is under increasing pressure to change their policies to come up with some real and serious plan to avoid catastrophes like these in the future. that means protection of forests and more firefighters, more planes, and a master plan.

what you can do in the face of climate change so that this disaster like on evia will not be repeated again. anthony: barbara wesel in greece. polish lawmakers voted narrowly to approve a bill that strengthens the ban on non-polish media companies. it is aimed at silencing a u.s. owned news channel that has been critical of the country's right-wing government. washington says the legislation would harm bilateral ties and jeopardize u.s. investment in poland. russian authorities have charged and jailed alexei navalny with a new crime that could prolong his time in prison. he has been charged with "creating a nonprofit organization that infringes on the rights of citizens." the charges concerning his anticorruption foundation, which the kremlin claims is an

extremist group. police in germany arrested a british embassy employee on suspicion of spying. prosecutors say he passed documents to russian intelligence in exchange for cash. his arrest is the result of a joint investigation between germany and britain. in over six weeks, germans will elect a new parliament and head of government. it is the end of an era as chancellor angela merkel plans to step down. in the runoff to the vote, we will bring you interviews with public candidates. we begin with centerleft democrats. >> here is the candidate who is currently most popular with the german public, a finance minister in angela merkel's government, with junior politicians. olaf scholz has enjoyed high approval ratings since taking

over three years ago and his popularity rose further during the covid-19 pandemic. germany continues to push its own vaccination program but scholz told us he would make sure germany does not leave other countries out in the cold. >> there is no lack in willingness to spend money. we have already done that, and we continue to do so. there is plenty of willingness to conduct coordination opportunities to make sure vaccines are available. this needs to be organized on an international level and by countries affected to make sure the vaccinations reached the citizens of the global south. >> in matters of international policy, scholz vowed to take a tough stance on russian aggression but also stressed germany would not go it alone. >> we need a new policy towards the east to revitalize the principle of the osce and a

principal of the european union. i also say russia and other countries need to accept that european integration will continue. >> as the situation in afghanistan escalates, more and more people flee the taliban, the german government announced it will not deport asylum-seekers for now. scholz showed himself sympathetic to accepting refugees from various crisis regions, but he stressed the need to help create opportunities for refugees, and migrants and in other countries where they sought shelter. >> in my view, there is a responsibility to refugees who shelter in other parts of the world. in german european politics, i do not believe we are concerned about with what happens to them when different countries take them in. many countries are not governed the way we would expect in germany, but they offer protection. that is why they need to be

prospects for integration in africa, asia and south america. we need to share responsibility and that. -- response ability in that. >> he is a pragmatist, stoic in times of crisis, traits that have served him well in his campaign to become angela merkel's successor. his main challenges to translate good personal ratings into support for the centerleft central democrats at the ballot box. anthony: furthermore, we asked our chief political correspondent what sets him apart? >> first of all, he is a social democrat and the overarching question is, are they that far away from the policies of angela merkel? they converge to a large degree and i think also anchored -- echoed in what olaf scholz told us today, he wants to draw a line in the sand quite clearly towards russia when he says it once pressure to follow osce

principles. that is the rule of law, not shifting borders like russia has done in crimea and is attempting to do in ukraine partly. the question would be how that translates into policy where there is something like nordstrom to pop, the pipeline between -- nordstream pipeline between russia and europe. very much standing for continuity, olaf scholz, with all of that experience of finance minister, who can basically say that he helped bring on the international minimum tax rate of 15% in the g20, so an error of internationaux the, azul. anthony: you are watching dw news. still to come -- ♪ >> ♪ r-e-s-p-e-c-t find out what it means to me ♪ ♪ anthony: a new film on the

challenges of aretha franklin, one of the most influential singers in music history. after months of social distancing, some of us have been left feeling isolated and looking for advice on how to cope. we found an expert, a self-proclaimed hermit. david has lived alone in the forest in new hampshire for decades. after being forced to leave his home, he says he has discovered the importance of friendship. >> david has lived in these woods for almost 30 years. he has enjoyed the solitude, but the recent loss of his home has made him reassess what is important in life. >> i am not grieving over the loss of the hermit lifestyle. maybe the things that i had been trying to avoid, things that i really need in life. i grew unever being close to contact. >> known as river days,

81-year-old is a logger by trade. his off grid home had solar panels and he grew his own food, but the owner of the land he has been living on has ordered him to leave. after david was arrested for civil contempt, his self built house burned down. his case has made him a local celebrity. he says even if he could stay, his newfound fame would make the hermit lifestyle hard. >> i do not see how i can go back to being a hermit beuse society is not going to allow it. i have started a human interest story, and i'm going to have people, even if i rebuild right there, i would have people coming every weekend. i just cannot get out of society anymore. >> through losing his home, he has found he was never as alone as he thought. dozens of people have come forward, offering him a new

place to call home. >> people have come out of the woodwork. friends i did not know i had. you know? they have done everything they can to help. maybe i was a hermit. [laughter] anthony: lionel messi delighted fans in paris, signing for a club after leaving barcelona. he carved his way in spain and is set to own 35 million euros a year in france. >> lionel messi has sent fans into ecstasy. the argentinian signed for two years with an option for a third and fans cannot wait to see him play. >> it is the most beautiful day of my life. it is a dream come true. we are living a dream. i still cannot believe he is here. soon, i will see him in the flesh, and it will hit me. it is one of the best days of my life as a psg fan.

i have supported him since childhood. i never thought he would be here. it is incredible. >> while his image was quickly scrubbed from the stadium wall in barcelona, fans and the french capital celebrated his arrival a good title wave. messi left his boyhood club after 20 years with almost 700 goals and 35 trophies to his name. he could not agree on a new deal with barcelona, who was in debt to the tune of 600 million euros. he now faces a new beginning at 34. >> i looked at the coaching staff, at the squad here, and i think they are equipped to fight for everything to try to achieve anything, and that is my goal. not to stagnate, but, rather, to keep growing, to keep winning titles. and that is why i came to this club. >> seemingly, the only team able to hit market value.

fans are queuing to buy his shirts, but even if they are over 100 euros each, they are unlikely to make a profit on the investment. not that the club owners will mind. however, authorities may look at their account soon. anthony: now to a new film that charts the rise to fame and personal battles of the legendary soul singer aretha franklin. jennifer hudson stars as the preacher's daughter who became one of the most influential vocalists in music history. the movie takes its name from one of aretha's biggest hits. ♪ >> ♪ how is aretha doing? ♪ ♪ >> the story of aretha franklin, from child prodigy to the queen of soul is told in her respect. >> singing should not be done because someone told you to. >> the most important thing is

you are treated with dignity and respect. ♪ >> for the director, the story of the r&b legend is one of the emancipation of artisc genius. >> all tough the writing process, they think that kept coming to me was the idea of telling the story, when he to tell the story of the woman who has the greatest voice in the world, but who still does not know what her voice is. >> ♪ r-e-sp-e-c-t find out what it means to me ♪ ♪ you really like it? >> breedlove it. -- we love it. >> before her death in 2018, aretha franklin hand-picked jennifer hudson to play here on the big screen. >> she told me i was very shy. she is like, are you shy or something? i said, well, i am sitting here talking to ms. aretha franklin. she says you are going to win an oscar for plainly, right? i was overwhelmed. >> ♪ r-e-s-p-e-c-t

find out what it means to me ♪ ♪ >> the musical performances are oscar worthy. the director insisted every song and recording in the film be done live endnote lip-synching or replacement vocals allowed. >> the power of people singing live with each other is something that i just felt like cannot be faked. >> ♪ freedom ♪ ♪ >> when everything is not singing, it slips into a biopic territory. we watch aretha rise and fall. >> ladies andentlemen, this aretha frankn. -- miss aretha franklin. >> this song is for anyone who has ever felt mistreated. >> and we see her rise again.

♪ her political engagement, including her friendship with martin luther king, is central to the film. [applause] as is her spirituality. the movie ends with the retune to the church music that made her and the recording of her legendary gossip album "amazing grace." >> when you grow up in church singing the way we did, you learn toing with a purpose, with substance, to a higher calling, such as god. it is a completely different thing than just a simple song. ♪ >> hudson's depiction of aretha franklin goes beyond imitation. even with her famous songs, hudson gives her own interpretations, not copying aretha but honoring her life and music. respect. ♪ >> ♪ just a little bit just a little bit ♪ ♪ anthony: before we go, a

reminder that the top stories we are following, the taliban captured more cities in their advance across afghanistan. the militants are estimated to control two thirds of the nation. a humanitarian crisis is deepening as thousands flee the fighting. and dozens of people have died in wildfires in algeria. officials are flaming arsonists for starting the fire. the president cleared three days of mourning. you are watching dw news, live from berlin. stay tuned. i will be back after a short rake to take you through the day. i am anthony howard. see you soon. ♪

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