♪ pres. biden: we are not seeking the new cold war or world divided into rich blocks. brent: president biden says history is not repeating itself, promising a new era of democracy. this is dw news, live from berlin. and the biden administration faces criticism at home over its treatment of asylum-seekers. hundreds of haitian migrants

have been deported as workers work to clear a makeshift camp on the texas-mexico border. and with days to go before the election to decide who will replace angela merkel as german chancellor. and at top prize for the scientist behind the pfizer biontech coronavirus vaccine. their pioneer work is saving lives around the world. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. we begin with the promise of american leadership defined more diplomacy, lest by military might. in his first speech at the u.n. general assembly today, u.s. president joe biden gave a sweeping assessment of the

biggest global challenges and he positioned the u.s. as part of the solution, promising a new era of cooperation. >> u.s. president joe biden emphasize diplomacy over conflict, matter how intense competition might get between the world superpowers. biden set a fresh tone for america's role in the world. pres. biden: we are not seeking a new cold war or a world divided into rigid blocks. the united states is willing to work with any nation that steps up and pursues a peaceful resolution to share challenges. reporter: biden promised to double the funds available for poor nations to fight climate change, describing the situation as very serious. pres. biden: extreme weather events represent what the secretary-general has rightly called code red for humanity. reporter: the u.n. secretary

general also sounded the alarm on the state of the world's climate in the global pandemic, urging world powers to cooperate. >> over 90% of africans are still waiting for the first dose. this is a moral indictment of the state of our world. it is an obscenity. we passed the science test, but we are getting an f in ethics. reporter: in other words, humanity mush -- must stick together. brent: good afternoon to you, richard. i want to start with the speech by the u.s. president. what did you make of it? he was going in to make his point that the u.s. supports the rest of the world. did he succeed? >> of course he is trying to draws much of a contrast between

himself and his predecessor, donald trump, as he possibly can. but that slogan that has served that purpose so far this year, america's back, he didn't actually say it once this speech. i thought that was quite striking. if i think that does point to the fact that there are some questions being asked by america's allies to what extent america is back in the world. he is trying to walk a . what he is saying is that the 20 years of the afghanistan war are over and now is the time to embrace diplomacy as the solution to the world's problems. at the same time, he is saying he wants to stand up for democracy against autocracy, but at the same time is that, saying he doesn't want a new cold war. so we will see in the next couple of years how that shakes down, but that is the positioning that biden is trying

to achieve. brent: is it putting a strain on his relationships with allies? i'm thinking of the aftermath of the chaotic withdrawal from afghanistan and now with the defense pact with australia. >> the defense pact with australia is not being seen in europe as relentless diplomacy. it's being seen as a complete diplomatic screwup by many europeans. the fact that the americans did a deal with australia for nuclear submarines behind france's back and france ended up with a $60 billion euro deal has blown up in its face. so that is really making europeans wonder, where do we stand in the relationship with the united states, if people deal with france in that way, might he deal with other countries in that way? some concerns being voiced by germany's foreign minister.

and with the chaotic withdrawal from afghanistan where they felt they had not been consulted about how things went down. so certainly some clouds developing over the transatlantic relationship really for the first time since biden took over. when he did take over it was a huge sigh of relief in europe that trump was out. brent: and we also heard about the client crisis, what he's calling a code red for humanity. there's a certain lack of progress here, isn't there? >> that's true. on climate change, of course there have been steps by the americans, joe biden has made it a signature part of his presence. his climate envoy just walked past us here a moment ago and the united states has made big

commitments to cut emissions by 2030, and to date it's one of the concrete announcements he's had, he said he would double climate finance to the developing world. this is something that would definitely be music to the ears of activists. but one big question is, can john kerry persuade the chinese to make similar steps? there are fears that tensions with china could spill over into the realm of climate change. because of course china is absolutely essential to the solution of climate change. it is still building a lot of coal-fired power plants. so that is the real question, has america moved into too confrontational relation with china to combat dealing with climate change as a success on the chinese front. brent: another important issue we heard a lot about is covid-19

and the disparity of vaccine distribution around the world. we heard from the u.n. secretary general, he has appealed to the world to change this. or do you think he will be able to succeed in changing opinions, considering some countries are already ruling out -- rolling out their booster shots? >> the language from tara's is what will stay with me -- trump gutierrez speech will stay with me. it's what he described as inequality of vaccine distribution, powerful language, but it is hard to not see that he has a point when you consider there are 6 million vaccinations that have been administered around the world, only 2% of that number have been administered in africa. brent: richard walker with the latest from the u.n. general assembly in new york.

richard, thank you. thousands of migrant sheltering under a bridge at the border between mexico and the united states are facing deportation, most of them are from haiti. hundreds have already been deported to the haitian capital port-au-prince. more flights are expected in the coming days. haiti has been in political turmoil since the assassination he's -- assassination of its president last july. several deportees say they were physically mistreated by u.s. border guards. our washington border chief -- bureau chief is at the border and sent us this report. >> it was supposed to be a happy moment, a relief to finally cross the border of the united states. but after months, sometimes years on the road, the dream quickly turned into a nightmare for these migrants from haiti. >> we were hungry.

they didn't give us a blanket or a piece of cardboard to lay on. we were cold and dirty and everything. everything happened to me. but thanks to god, i have a little bit of hope that everything will be ok. >> taken from the bridge, he was brought to a facility, wheree could finally shower, eat, and put on fresh clothes. but he is fighting the deportation of the thousands of migrants who came here last week. >> the solution is to bring some business people and they will take care of this problem in five minutes. what they will do is bring work, because that is what they are looking for. >> for president joe biden, this is another crisis that he needs to address immediately. after h controversial withdrawal from afghanistan,

bringing tens of thousands of afghani's to resettle in the united states. >> the border town of rio is in crisis mode. the bridge to mexico is close. border -- border control, police and military is everywhere. the whole world seems to watch how the united states are going to handle the 40,000 refugees who cross the rio grande in the last few days. >> the people on the gund, citizens, law enforcement here, they knew this was going to happen. under president trump, we had the remaining mexico policy. trump put pressure on mexico, so when mexico had an incentive to cook -- to cooperate and be a good neighbor, they helped us out. but biden came in and took all this off the table, and this is what has happened. >> after waiting all day long, a

bus finally arrives to pick up those migrants who can afford a ticket and proof that they have family in the u.s. with whom they can stay. a glimmer of hope for some at a border where long journeys often come to a cruel and. -- two accrual --a cruel end. brent: the united nations as it is concerned about grave violations of human rights in yemen. nine men were executed over the weekend. they were accused of a killing in 2018. u.n. says all parties to the conflict in human are guilty of serious human rights violations. in afghanistan, the taliban have announced their final picks for remaining government positions. all the jobs are being filled by men, despite international criticism against the all-male

cabinet announced earlier this month. a taliban spokesperson defending the lineup saying that women might be added later on. the government in sudan said it has prevented an attempted coup. tanks were spotted in th capital of khartoum and a number of suspects arrested. sudan has been ruled by joint military and civilian capital since he was overthrown two years ago. back in europe with just five days to go until the election, angela merkel has hit the campaign trail with her wood bay -- would be successor, armin laschet. they visited a northeastern city today where she first won her parliament seat back in 1990. after 16 years as chancellor, merkel remains very popular in

germany. in contrast, the man who wants to take over the top job has struggled to connect with voters and is badly in need of a boost. our chief political editor is at that political rally in that northern town. her presence on the campaign trail, is it giving laschet the boost that he needs? reporter: we don't know that for sure. he certainly does need that boost, and angela merkel not just two weeks ago, i don't want to say interfered in the elections by coming out very forthright in favor of armin and doing some campaigning for him. she agreed to do several appearances and one was here today, where she talked a bit out h laschet and the right

man for renewal. it was typical merkel, because she is not a very casual -- not a very charismatic speaker. she was trying to build a case, and we will see how that maps out on sunday. brent: they are still lagging behind their main rivals, the social democrats. the election is in five days time. how worried are the conservatives, or how worried should they be? reporter: i think they're trying to contain elements of panic here, because depending on which poll you look at, most of them show the conservative cdu at about 22%, and the social democrats nobody really saw as chancellor making material until a couple of months ago up at 25. three percentage points

difference, that also shows this could well be a net can race of what was formerly known as the mighty conservative cdu big ten party, the social democrats, who were struggling to remain in double digits just over a year ago. brent: i want to ask you about this -- the legacy of angela merkel, how big of a shadow does she cast? reporter: a huge one, because she is an overarching international figure that almost crushes the successors who want to succeed her. the 32 euro candidate in her home constituency was here so she has to successors at the same time he want to feel those big shoes, although she does stress that she doesn't have very large feet. we also saw her speak of her

legacy, talking about digitize a show in, which is one of her biggest failings as well, because she was one of the first to mention this as a key policy and then left germany lagging sorely behind after 16 years. so everyone seems to agree it is time for departure, but in which direction? we will learn that on sunday, probably late in the day. brent: our chief political editor reporting from northeastern germany. staying here in germany, one of the countries most prestigious science prizes have been awarded to the founders of the german vaccine developer biontech and one of their colleagues was selected for their work with messenger rna technology. it has proven pivotable in the swift rollout of an effective coronavirus vaccine. reporter: hundreds of me

millions of people -- hundreds of millions have benefited from the vaccine. the three buying tech researchers behind the success are responsible for establishing the technology platform that, according to one foundation, is likely to initiate a paradigm shift in other areas as well. mrna vaccines are easier to produce and can be adapted more quickly to combat virus detections. but how exactly do they work? humans are injected with the blueprint for a specific viral trait. this is the code for the spike protein, the large structure that projects from the surface of an enveloped virus. according to this blueprint, the body now produces the protein itself. the immune system recognizes the

interferes in the body and can fight against em. the vaccines are expected to top around 40 billion euros in 2021 alone. the three researchers whose original research included counter vaccines are now being honored for developing a highly effective corona vaccine in record time. brent: let's take a look at some of the other headlines this hour. please have charged another suspect, who is believed to be a member of russia's military intelligence service. the european board of human rights is ruled that russia is responsible for the 2006 killing of a former spy who died while in exile after drinking tea laced with polonium, a

radioactive substance. the board concluded that the attack was directed by russian authorities. hundreds of construction site workers have rioted in the austrian city of melbourne after the state government mandated covid-19 vaccines for all construction workers. construction sites have been shut down for two weeks now in response to the riot. canadian prime minister justin trudeau has come out victorious in a snap election that he called two years early. however, his liberal party did not secure a parliamentary majority, prompting critics to question whether his early boat gamble was really worth it. reporter: a victory party in canada's most expensive election in history. it has resulted in no rate change in the parliament's makeup, but despite having to lead a minority liberal

government again, justin trudeau appeared jubilant. >> you are sending us back to work with the clear mandate to get canada through this pandemic and to the brighter days ahead. our friends, that's exactly what we are ready to do. reporter: for the losing oppotion, there is anger over why the snap election was called in the first place as canada struggled with the fourth wave of the pandemic. >> he said the minority parliament was unwkable. but tonight, canadians did not give mr. trudeau the majority mandate he wanted. canadian send him back with another minority at the cost of 600 million dollars and deeper divisions in our great country. reporter: disagreements on how to deal with climate change, health care, and a deepening

housing crisis will be the greatest challenges facing trudeau. coalitions are rare in canada, so he will have to compromise yet again with opposition parties to pass legislation. left-wing new democratic party is small, but will likely be decisive in the new parliament in ottawa. not the outcome justin trudeau had hoped for, but one which does give him yet another chance to win the confidence of canadians who just six years ago gave him a landslide victory. brent: massive streams of lava have engulfed forest and destroyed homes after volcanic eruption on the spanish island of lipoma. thousands were forced to flee with authorities evacuating another part of the island. no one has been hurt so far, but damage has been extensive. reporter: a giant river of lava

covering everything in its path with molten rock. since the volcano erected on sunday, the smoldering stream has been devouring fields, roads, and houses. at least 180 homes and a school have been destroyed. 6000 people evacuated. most of those who fled were taken to the island's military barracks. some won't be able to return to their homes. >> we look in that direction and we can't believe it. we still can't believe that our home is there, underneath that volcano. and even if the house is gone, is still my village, my neighborhood, my people. it hurts me for all of our people. so many friends who have lost everything. they have been left with nothing, just like us, they have left their whole lives over there. reporter: in the lava continues

to inch forward, leaving the firefighters powerless. >> it's impossible to defend any house because of the power of the lava. reporter: all they could do was make sure farm animals were moved out of harm's way. spain's prime minister delayed his trip to the u.n. general assembly to visit la palma. he promised government support and praised the emergency services. >> we will have very long days ahead of us, but what i want to convey again to the citizens of the island is that we are all united. this solidarity is not just for today, not just while we are addressing this act of nature, but also when this is over reporter:. experts say the lava flow could

continue for weeks, perhaps even mont. if it reaches the ocean, it could create explosions and noxious gases. it is unclear when the danger will be over. brent: the german women's football team have continued their perfect campaign with a win against serbia. the winner in the match scored an incredible four goals for germany in the second half. they rounded out a dominant performance. hungary must play their next world cup qualifier behind closed doors after fifa imposed a ban on fans and a fine of 185,000 euros. british broadcasters said the reporters there heard monkey chance aimed at england players. hungary and fans also threw plastic cups at the england

squad and a flare landed on the pitch. finally, some good news for the well-traveled walrus who has continued his ropean odyssey, making aunexpected appearance in iceland. the whiskered wanderer walked up on the docks of a small lobster fishing community on the southeast coast and appeared to settle down for a well-earned rest. he has been spotted in our own, the u.k.,he netherlands, france, and spain. he does get around. walruses are rare visitors to iceland. except for this one. here is a reminder of the top story we are following, u.s. president joe biden addressed leaders at the united nations. he assured them that u.s. leadership in attacking the coronavirus pandemic and the

crisis in afghanistan. adding that the use of military powers should be a tool of last resort. this is dw news. after a short break, i'll be back to take you through "the day." a world at the edge of an abyss, but not at the start of another cold war. we will be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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cohen.come to paris, i'm r the white house says a phone call from biting to mccrone will happen soon. -- macron will happen soon -- biden to macron will happen soon. we have analysis and reaction throughout the program. an attempted coup blocked in sudan. the secretary-generahas condemned all links to the former authoritarian leader of sudan. europe's highest court has r