berlin. the three candidates vying to be the next german chancellor face-off a final time. >> we must ensure we have a strong sovereign europe. that is the most important task we have as germans. brent: it was their last chance to make their political pitch before the election on sunday. world health organization warning afghanistan's health care system is on the rank of collapse.

foreign aid remains frozen meeting hospitals are running out of medicine. a surge in global gas prices forcing this plant in the u.k. to shut down temporarily with potentially devastating consequences for the british food industry. the threat inside your smart phone. let the wienie a warning consumers not to use several smartphones made in china. they say private data could easily be leaked. ♪ i'm brent goff peered to our viewers watching on pbs in the night states and around the world, welcome. germany is in the final stretch of campaigning ahead of one of the most important elections in generation. it is still anyone's guess who will succeed angela merkel as the next german chancellor. the three candidates vying to replace her head want last

chance to convince the voters. this final televising -- final televised debate is an important one because many say they have not made up their mind who will they will be voting for on sunday. we have more on this political night of nights with our political correspondent. you watched it. what were the biggest takeaways? >> this was a big chance not for the three candidates who still say they each have a chance to enter after angela merkel finally leaves it. but also for the smaller parties to set up her stall as well and that is important because it is going to be some kind of coalition and there are five parties that could be in the government in some kind of rainbow mix. there were some interesting things that came out. the overall line is that the blocks are pretty clear. it is pretty clear there is a

left block. the center of that is the social democrats. and the greens. they were clinging fairly closely together and they were seated next to each other. with the left party, they are a little bit toxic. have some problem views. they don't like nato. you can see there were various areas where there was a sense the common ground certainly is there. they were looking across the studio at the parties to the right. the christian democrats. the bavarian party as well and the free democrats. singing the same kind of song on many issues. it was visually there. it was there in a lot of the things they said. they were talking about foreign policy, which they have not done any of these three-way debates they have had before. but also a lot of other issues. brent: let's hear from the man who has been leading in the polls. what he had to say about

foreign. >> we must ensure you have a strong sovereign euro. that is the most important task we have as germans. where the big country in the middle of the european union the biggest population, the biggest economy. we will have to make sure this europe can speak more with one voice. brent: for our viewers around the world, he is the man of the moment. he has been high in the polls. he is uncle merkel's deputy. he has arguably the most international credibility and experience. >> he is saying we need to have -- he is keeping germany where it is. strong relationship with the united states. embedded in the e.u. he is talking the right language if he wants to become chancellor. that part of the debate, you had the likes of the greens saying

we need a common european approach to china. emphasizing the human rights question saying the government over the years has not done enough to stand up to china. immediately the free democrat leader who could be a key figure in this election was saying we must not try to go to the chinese and sort of attempt to muscle them in that way. we need to have a cooperative approach. need to find ways to work together with a high-tech nation of china because it is important for german export businesses. brent: let's hear from the green chancellor candidate who has experienced online threat during this campaign. >> we are a free country. that is our country's strength,

freedom of expression, but when it turns into hatred and incitement, when it becomes a threat to others, we need to make sure there is not only opposition but that the rule of law takes full effect. therefore the first important measure especially with regard to the large platforms, deletion. that has come up again and again in this election campaign, that these deletions are not only made quickly but that penalties are also imposed. brent: we know that low in germany has not worked the way it was intended. what do you make of those comments about hate and freedom of expression? >> i think there is concern in the context of this election campaign. the greens have been targeted. there were posters up, hang the greens. as she pointed out, all parties have been targeted by extremists, by hate speakers. it was interesting, the far right afd leader, she said we

must not stigmatize people just because there are a few people threatening violence. she said we reject violence but don't forget a lot of the people who oppose corona restrictions are voters for the spd. they vote for the christian democrats as well. don't stigmatize them. others were accusing her of actually stimulating populism and extremism. quite a bitter and slightly emotional aspect. brent: let's hear now from the man, the conservative who wants to take angela merkel's place. what he had to say about afghanistan. >> as we saw in afghanistan, if the americans withdrawal, we will not be able to secure kabul. that is why i want to set up a national security council to pull all of our information and

strength in foreign policy. we need more europe. we have to speak with one voice. we need to start joint projects including armaments projects so we can act once the u.s. withdrawals of that is a task the next administration will have. brent: when the u.s. withdrawals , he is talking about, how can we act when the u.s. bows out? what do you make of that? >> thinking of afghanistan and the bavarian colleague in the christian social union, he said the problem in afghanistan was quite clearly the haste with which the united states pulled out. he says it is nothing to do with germany and our boon to sverre did a great job. he said nationbuilding in the future what we can try in some places but it will not work

everywhere. looking forward to a more military projection in german foreign policy in the medium and long term. there is a real awareness that the geopolitical balance is chngangi. america's interests are changing. germany kind of wants to be part of that discussion. the exact way has not been worked out. brent: the leaders of some of the smaller parties, whether anything of note? we know these smaller parties could be or could not be kingmakers in coalition government for example. >> you have this potential left wing coalition, the social democrats and greens can do a lot together. they still make a point of criticizing each other on various things. the greens say you need us. you need us greens in the government if you really want to get significant change on the

climate and start changing things right now. they went to set targets for industry for steelmakers, for carmakers. for everybody to act immediately after the election. on the other side, you have the left party. the far left. there are problems with them. they reject nato. they are skeptical about the -- the leader, she was at, do you want to abolish nato? she said that is our long-term goal. we think it needs to be replaced with a different security architecture but we are not so unrealistic as to think we can abolish it overnight. noises toward a possible coalition. brent: thank you. dw has got all of your election results right here online at dw.com and at dw news. don't miss our live coverage right here beginning on sunday

at 5:00 p.m. central european time. that is 11:00 a.m. new york time. the world health organization has called on international donors to resume funding of afghanistan's health care program amid fears of a humanitarian crisis. they say the countries already fragile health care systm was overwhelmed with afghans deprived of access to care. international funding was suspended with the taliban took over the country over fears the money would be used to support the new administration, possibly even terrorism. our correspondent is in kabul tonight. if you could, give us a picture of what you have seen. what does -- what is daily life like under taliban rule? >> this is a country in limbo. the first flush of victory, the first month of the taliban taking over, taking selfies next to abandoned american humvees is

over. they are aware of the huge challenges facing them. the fact they have goto somehow get almost 40 million people fed in an economy facing huge problems with the currency is tanking against the u.s. dollar and most basic foodstuffs are imported and have to be paid for with dollars. lots of the daily life continues as it did before. alcohol has disappred from restaurants. women have stopped going to work. not everyone is walking around in burgers. you see women out on their own without my relatives. it depends on region to region how these rules are being interpreted. there is a huge mud of uncertainty about how this new taliban regime is going to be. is it going to be something different or will it be a rerun of the 1990's where women were forest a stay-at-home? there is a lot of uncertainty and fear about where this is going to go. brent: we are hearing reports there are divisions within the taliban leadership.

what is your assessment? >> for 20 years these people had a clear anime. they reviewed -- they were united in their opposition to the pro-american government. now the enemy has fled, these people are discovering they have significant differences of opinion. the biggest dichotomy is among people who have lived abroad willing to cut some kind of deal with the west to stabilize the economy and the rank-and-file foot soldiers who were fighting for some kind of religious purity and a regime based on sharia. if this regime is making too big a compromise with the west to get that funding, they might turn out to be disappointed with their own leaders. lots of problems they are at a whole new set of challenges for people who spent 20 years bearing arms and not running a country. brent: we'll be talking with you again in the day later on. thank you.

now to the connection between natural gas in our food supply. a global shortage of natural gas has led to an increase of energy prices. in the u.k., it is putting the brakes on food reduction. two plants shut down last week following the spike in natural gas prices. carbon dioxide is vital in this slaughter of livestock and for good production and packaging. -- for food reduction and packaging. >> this is a farm 80 kilometers northeast of london. even though it looks like all is well, it is not. soon it will be difficult to buy pork in great britain. bait goods and chicken might also be on their way to becoming rare products. this is because of the gas crisis. two locations that produce british furs allies are and are dependent on natural gas -- british fertilizer and are dependent on natural guys had to

close because of high prices. not only is there insufficient cert -- insufficient fertilizer. there is not enough co2, which is necessary to vacuum pack food products. without it, pork cannot be processed for distribution. at the moment, the slaughterhouses have come to a halt because they cannot continue in a humane fashion without carbon dioxide. this has led to a further problem shared everyday, piglets are being born. because slaughtering has stopped, there is no more space for the livestock. the british government is under great pressure because of high gas prices. poor families might be facing a hard winter. the england economics minister promises to help. >> the government has been clear that protecting consumers is our primary focus and shapes our entire approach to this issue. we will protect, continue to protect consumers with the energy price cut.

>> the british government has already stepped in with emergency support, adding up to millions of pounds. with this help, and american fertilizer company will be able to continue producing co2. the expensive agreement be valid for only three weeks so that at least some of the much-needed carbon dioxide will become available. at this courtyard in essex, the owners are worried about the technical deficits and the future of the company. since brexit, the english agricultural industry has lost much-needed employees from eastern european countries. the farm might only be able to sustain the third generation of family ownership before it goes bankrupt. brent: let's take a look at some of the other stories taking headlines. the unit of nations has opened a summit aimed at ending world hunger by the year 2030. the food system summit aims to redistribute agricultural subsidies to create a fair distribution of food. it is estimated 800 million

people around the world do not have enough to -- enough to eat. a u.n. investigation says large-scale corruption and plundering are undermining human rights and threatening the country's fragile peace process. i the past three years, politicians have stolen within 62 million euros. the french foreign minister says relations between the u.s. and france will take time to heal. he was speaking after talks with his american counterpart. he said a phone call between the u.s. and french presidents on wednesday was the first step. france has been angered by a deal between the u.s. and britain to provide australia with a nuclear powered submarine. that led australia to tear up a multibillion euro deal to buy submarines from france. germany's foreign minister has welcomed the -- between france

and the u.s. as to the foreign minister of the talks mean the diplomatic dispute is over. >> i hope that will be the case as soon as possible. the issuend the decisions tha have been made has caused a lead ofrritation and i believe it is important we in the european union and our american partners need a coordinated indo pacific strategy. no decisions may be made that in any way question this, at least giving the impression this is so. it was important thapresident biden and president macron speak now. brent: that was the german foreign minister speaking earlier today. the united states has pledged to buy 500 million more covid vaccine doses to donate to other countries. u.s. president biden made the announcement at a virtual summit aimed at boosting global vaccination rates. the new pledge will take washington's commitment to more

than a billion doses. health experts say poor countries need between five and 6 billion doses. the announcement comes as the u.s. and other wealthy countries face increased pressure to share their supplies of vaccines with the rest of the world. when it comes to successful vaccination rollouts, few countries have achieved portugal's level of success. almost 85% of the population is fully immunized. executives are looking to lisbon on how to speed up the distribution of doses. dakotas before the first day of school comes the second vaccine shot. this 13-year-old but it's a vaccination center with his mother. protecting her son against covid-19 was a clear choice. i have been our mtrust science, even if the vaccine was developed quickly. i believet was done correctly. the health authorities have observed all the procedures and i trust the doctors.

>> portugal set ambitious goals for its inoculation program. expanding it and including children aged 12 to 15. emory's are still fresh in previous infection waves. last winter,he sports hall housed covid-19 paents. now it hosts vaccination booths. >> we have been active and okeene in our communication about vaccinations and the campaign. that was important. it created a feeling of community involvement and participation. are not self-centered here. we are not afraid of getting vaccinated. >> the low level of vaccine skepticism here has much to do with portugal's history. the public health system was only founded in the 1970's after the country's revolution. child mortality rates ran high.

she once worked as a doctor in this hospital. e ralls theramatic health situation of the past. >> in those days, it was normal for two children to die from measles and another one from diphtheria. people thought it was just part of life. today that would never be accepted. >> the vaccines give us a possibility to do more than we could during the lockdown. we had to give up so many things. only now can we get better -- get back to doing them. > like many students, she completed her schooling under extremely difficult circumstances. during two consecutive years, classes were suspended for several months. it is hoped the new school year will be different. all students will be tested even if they are vaccinated. masks will have to be worn inside and outside.

>> our goais to give the students as much time in the classroom as possible. we know that in peon learning has far more positive effects than online education. and so during the school holidays, portugal organized children vaccination weekends. almost all adults have been inoculated and around half of those aged 12 to 17. hardly anyone refuses to get the shot. >> i think vaccination is also about protecting other people. it is the responsibility of every citizen to i have never had any concerns about getting my daughter inoculated. quite the opposite. i would be worried if she was not immunized. >> people's trust is paying off. the portuguese government and the experts are expected to soon

ease the remaining pandemic restrictions. brent: a smartphone security alert tonight. with the wienie is government is urging consumers to stop using chinese smartphones. an investigation by the national cybersecurity center found funds made by two chinese companies can detect and censor words and phrases. while that function is disabled on phones sold in europe, cybersecurity experts say it can be switched on remotely and they worn these smartphones engage in excessive data transfers to servers abroad. the chinese companies in question have denied the allegations. contact between with the wienie a and china have soured. earlier, we asked dw's chief technology correspondent what is behind lithuania's decisions test the -- to ask

their citizens to scrap their smartphones. >> if you already have one, you might nt to that away. that is quite a statement. with the whinny of backs this with an analysis by its cybersecurity agency. the agency looked at three popular phones from china. and of them had a built-in capability to censor certain words. it was secretly sendg some data abroad. we have heard similar reports from other places in the wor from the global south. those are places where there are fewer part -- fewer data protection rules. with the way neah is part of the european union -- with the way lithuania is part of the european union. brent: the european union has unveiled universal plans for universal charger for mobile phones, headphones and portable speakers.

concerns mount over electronic waste. apple, which makes one of three charging systems in use is expected to fight this plan. torrential rain in parts of southwestern spain has turned streets into rivers. in one western province, it has been badly hit by the flash floods. a number of roads have been cut off. there have been no reports of casualties. more than 300 homes on the spanish island of lipoma have an destroyed by a river of volcanic level. residents were safely evacuated after the volcano began to roped on sunday. they have been left to watch from a distance as their homes disappear. >> it looks like one imagines hello looks like. -- imagines hell looks like. one of the canary islands off africa. these scenes rival the scenery

that brings the tourists. the lava has scorched homes and businesses. memories and livelihoods. >> i find myself in an internal struggle between beauty of the situation and the unique opportunity to be able to live this firsthand. and the sadness and pity i feel for all the people who lost their homes. >> the lava advanced relentlessly across landscape and farmland toward homes and businesses. but that slowed from about 700 meters per hour to about four. that bought time for residents to get in their vehicles and get uphill to see what if anything was left of their homes. >> it is bad but it is ok. >> this woman's house was still there. she took advantage of her allotted minutes to retrieve vital possessions in case the

lava takes her house down later. this man's home and possessions are gone. >> it is a catastrophe. there is nothing we can do. >> after five days of lava and ash, a fine line between hell and heaven on the island of lipoma. brent: after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. tonight, so many mouths to feed in the taliban's afghanistan. we will be right back. ♪

8