>> this is dw news, live from berlin. tonight, this is the biggest winner in iraq's election. the turnout was the lowest as the days of saddam hussein. there is a political elite that is seen as inept and corpt. coming up tonit, a bold plan of putting one third of the planet under environmental protection tcut plastic waste. can it stop the loss of a one

million species? nobel prizes for three u.s.-based economists. we will look at how they used real experience. i am brent goff. two viewers watching in pbs and the united states and all of you around the world, welcome. tonight, this yak letter -- this cleric has emerged as the biggest winner in iraq's election. early tallies show a record low turnout, only 41%. that is the lowest since the end of this #regime. the election was originally scheduled for next year -- the end of the saddam hussein

regime. election was originally scheduled for next year. joining us from baghdad is sophia. al-saddar's side is claiming victory. remind us who he is. >> he is a sheer political man. he -- shia political man. he inherited a very devoted following. this is a very nationalist platform. for example, at the beginning of the october 19 demonstration, he was supporting the demonstrators but a few months after, he backfired. his supportersre already

celebrating here in baghdad. brent: we have been shown somebody of that. what about people across the country? how are they reacting to these results given that the turnout was so low? >> it was so low because it was a strategy from electors to show the political class that they don't trust them and the political system. that is totally corrupt. that does not provide for services such as electricity or water. many did not go for -- to vote. many that were coming from the demonstration decided to not go forward with their position in the elections. a positive element we are seeing is the few independent candidates that participated in

the election are able to get some places. the independent movement in syria is going to be able to come to the parliament. brent: that was sophia with the latest election results from iraq, joining us tonight from baghdad. let's take a look at the other stories. iraqi authorities say they have captured the alleged bias chief of the islamic state -- finance chief of the islamic state. algebra -- al jabor was -- al-jabouri was claimed.

delegates are discussing issues including access to covid-19 vaccines and global security. tunisia's president has approved a new government to be headed by the prime minister. sayid sack to the former prime minister and suspended parliament three months ago -- sacked the former prime minister and suspended parliament three months ago. three weeks of volcanic eruptions on the spanish island -- this spanish island show no signs of ending. lava has been rolling down the sides of the volcano, destroying the village below. it has been three years since the murder of this king. a trial is underway.

he was a leftist revolutionary who changed the country's name and brought in progressive policies. >> it is a day many thought would never come. the start of a trial that could solve the mystery surrounding the death of thomas and carol -- of thomas. his wife never gave up pursuing justice. >> like everyone else, we are waiting for the truth to come out. we hope that that truth will come out. >> he rejected foreign loans and pushed for economic independence. he and 12 others were ambushed by a hit squad. his body was riddled with

bullets. that attack brought his friend to power. during his 27 your role, the question of -- year rule, the question of his death was rented. he is among the 14 charged. his legal team because the trial a political show. many citizens are not surprised by h absence. >> he spent his whole life running from his responsibilities. it makes sense that he is not here. whether he is here or not, the witnesses and those involved are here. there was a what happened and then we will find out. >> is memorial site and the capital is a populist or spot -- sankara's memorial sitin the

capital is a popult tourist spot -- popular tourist spot. his legacy lives on. >> tensions between china and taiwan are ramping up after exchanges between the two neighbors. taiwan's neighbor has said that -- she had back at xi jinping. jinping views taiwan as a breakaway province that is part of chinese territory and will not hear of the island's independence. meanwhile, at a military academy in taiwan, some students are preparing for the worst. a possible chinese invasion. >> they areraining with shotguns as part of the everyday school life. she is in the first batch of

students doing a military scheme at this private high school. she first joined the class because she thought the unabomber was cool. but she may face war without graduation. beijing will have the capability to launch a full-scale invasion by 2025. >> it is only four years away. i am going to join the military. i am a bit scared because it seems like the war is so near. we can only face it if we are in the force. >> chinese leader xi jinping has vowed to unify taiwan. beijing sent a record number of military jets into the taiwanese defense zone. the worst military tension in four decades. the self-governing island is facing a shortage of soldiers as it transitions to an all volunteer force.

the defense ministry launched a juor officer training sche with local high schools three years ago. this school has 140 students in the program and is the only school that takes a male student. -- feme student >> my parents were initially against this because to join you have to cut your hair short and my parents are traditional and they think women should look feminine. women can defend our country too. >> the girls train the same ways as the boys to the surprise of teachers -- as the boys. to the surprise of the teachers, they show more determination than the boys. >> the girls asked to do the same training as the boys. i am thrilled. as more girls join the program, they will become the next generation of our military and

they are the elites. >> after three years of in school training, serving in the military is no longer about the uniform. she is hoping to get into the military college and join the air force after she graduates. >> no one wants war. as the military tension worsens, defending our country is not just a slogan anymore. we really have to act upon it. i want to defend taiwan and my people. they are like my family. >> these girls will soon be on the front line as threats from china grove. -- grow. >> protect the planet by 2030. do you and says one million species are at risk of decades. the biodiversity chief of the u.n. says the road has reached a moment of truth.

-- world has reached a moment of truth. they are lookingo protect species such as south africa's sea turtles. >> south africa's coastline offers spectacular sites above and below the water. it is home to five of the world's seven species of she turtle. they maintain an ecosystem by keeping seagrass beds healthy. the reptiles are in danger. this woman runs the turtle rescue and rehabilitation center at cape town's ocean aquarium. >> the biggest threat that turtle space ithe ocean are ghost fishing gear. fishing nets that have been discarded off boats and those will continue to catch animals including turtles and those turtles will drown in the nuts. the other -- nets. e other thing that threatens

turtles is plastic. >> see crabs, turtles and jellyfish aramongst of the things in danger. floating pieces of plastic can look very similar to food. the turtle ate and pooped out part of a baloon. thankfully, he made a full recovery. these bits of plastic caused a tragic death. >> on the service of the water is where the turtles drift. as they drift, they eat them. this little baby had 120 pieces of plastic and him. he unfortunately died. >> one trillion plastic particles are -- an estimated 5 trillion lasting particles are in the ocean -- an estimated 5 trillion plastic particles are in the ocean.

these turtles arrived weak and unable to eat. now they are healthy. >> this is why i have the clamps on, to protect my fingers. i will show you now. >> the best moments for teresa noble and her team is when they released turtles back into the wild. >> knowing that you have been able to have an impact and that you have been able to help the turtles is very rewarding. knowing that they have a second chance is so exciting. >> over 80% of the sea turtles treated by the rescue and rehabilitation center and up back in the ocean with a fresh chance -- end up in -- end up back in the ocean with a fresh chance of surviving and sustaining this population. >> up next, we will talk to the representative from the wildlife conservation society.

what will our future look like if the world fails to act on preserving biodiversity, joe? joe: simply, it is not a question of the future, it is a question of now. we are already seeing the degradation of our systems, our culture, it affects all aspects of our economies. it is the most important existential crisis of our time and one that affects every single person and every single aspect of their life across the world. all across the world. >> a biodiversity conference is taking place in china. is there a reason for that? that is maybe not the first thing that comes to mind when you talk about a country that stands for protecting biodiversity. >> it is essential that we have

it in a country such as china because china is noonly going to be part of the problem but can absolutely be part of the solution and needs to be. china has successfully managed to bring the largest number of people out of poverty and modern times. at the same time, at great expense of natural resources and nature. if we are ever to have a global solution to the biodiversity collapse and other issues, countries like china have tol not only be part of it but part of leading it. we need to have china as a host and we expect great and big things from this conference. >> do you feel momentum building? we are just a couple of weeks away from glasgow. the climate change conference. do you think the stars are aligning for everything we know that is right for the future?

joe: we must always be cautious about how optimistic we should be and the urgency is great, how far we have to go is great. for the first time ever there does seem to be a conference, a coming together of the various different disparate issues. understanding not only the urgency but the holistic need to address these issues. there can't be separate apprches to these. we have to rebuild nature and stem its decline and rebuild it. that will take different sectors of climate change. this is all inextricably linked in biodiversity. for the first time, we are seeing conferences that are not only talking about their subject matter but recognizing the connectivity of these issues. there is no subject that is more pressing at the moment then the role of nature. not only in its own right but

his contribution to these other global crises we are facing today -- its contribution to these other global crises we are facing today. brent: this year's nobel prize for economics has been awarded to researchers who helped change common myths about employment. half of the prize went to david carr. using natural experiments, he shows how immigration and higher minimum wages don't lead to fewer jobs. the prize is being shared with joshua and one other for their research on the cause of relationships. >> uncovering because of relationships is a major challenge. this is particularly true in the social sciences where person questions cannot be answered all the time.

sometimes, nature or policy changes provide situations that resemble mice experiments. this year's laureates have shown that such natural experiments help answer important questions for society. the combined contributions of the laureates have completely reshaped imperial work in the economic sciences. therefore, our ability to answer calls -- because -- answer cause of questions has helped our society. >> the central left social democrats narrowly defeated the lefts. they are negotiating with the greens and the free democrats. the colors of the three parties are red yellow and green -- red, yellow and green. olaf scholz would become the

next chancellor. the talks are planned for next -- for the next few weeks and we can have a new regime by christmas. what are the main areas of divisions that are separating these parties from tying the knot? teresa: the three parties have agreed to keep everything confidential. there was no press conference wendy wrapped up talks today. we know -- when they wrapped up talks today but they are trying to find common ground. all of these parties made big promises to their voters when it comes to climate change, minimum wage or an overall modernization of the country. they don't agree on where the money for all of that will come from. the social democrats and the greens favor an increase of taxes for richer people.

also taking on new debts. that is nothing the democrats have ruled out completely at the beginning of this election. that could prove challenging in these exploratory talks. brent: these parties have the momentum on their side right now. how likely will it be that these next three -- that these three parties will form the next german government? >> very likely. members of the social democrats said they believe they will be able to form a government by the end of this year. that would be a lot faster than back in 2017 when it could -- took angela merkel until march to form a new government. these parties have the option to form a new government and they have not ruled it out completely. it would require working together with the conservatives. they were the main losers of last month's federal elections. that does not look like a viable option. numbers of the negotiation team said failure is not an option.

>> the christian democrats of chancellor angela merkel are in a deep crisis. they had the worst election roles -- results in their history. how do they plan to rebirth themselves? >> as you said, for the first time in 16 years, they did not come out on top in an election and that has certainly prompted some soul-searching. today they announced that would elect a new national board. the question is whether the party leader will be able to stay in office until then. from within the party, there are growing calls for a generational shift and maybe even a member survey to determine a new leader but the dilemma is that a member survey would very likely not produce a generational shift. the party members above 60 years old are favoring somebody who is also not a very fresh face.

they are looking for people to get that job. we may see a lot of infighting in the coming months and the conservatives remain a party in disarray at the moment. brent: a party that needs to find a way to rejuvenate itself. thank you, teresa. now to the story of an all girl basketball team struggling to play the sport they love. they live in somaliland. that is a breakaway area of somalia where they insist that women should not play sports. a team from djibouti is offering to give the women their first international match. >> they are training hard. it is 35 degrees celsius. the sun is baking. these girls don't seem to care. >> when i come here, it is

basically the best moment of the whole week. i love basketball and i have been playing for nine years now. when we come inside here, people make some noises. some say some things. >> by people, she means boys. this basketball court is closed off from the public eye and that still does not prevent some boys from trying to sneak in or watch from a distance. somaliland is a male dominated conservative society. >> they are very strict toward religion but i think it is only being used for women because men go out to do whatever they want. a lot of these girls have to stay at home, cook, clean. a lot of them don't have jobs to go to. the time they are training is the only time they have some sort of freedom. this is a professional international basketball player champion.

she decided to move to somaliland to encourage sports among girls. now she has managed to set up her first international match ever against djibouti. a tough job knowing that the ministry of sports canceled an all-female football match last year. officials are giving into the conservative part of society. we as people on the street what they think of girls playing basketball. >> if girls are playing alone, that is fine but not together with boys. it is normal when they play along but not with men. our religion does not allow that. the western culture sees that as normal. our culture and religion don't support that. the struggle starts with logistics. there are very few basketball court surrounded by walls like this one. they also face harassment on the street and on social media.

>> if they walk around the street and get recognized, it is a very dangerous game we are playing in general in terms of sports. >> just when the team from djibouti arrives, they receive a call to the -- from the minister of sports. the match has been canceled. >> it is a massive disappointment to me, the international community, communities that have helped us, the companies that have sponsored and allowed all this to happen. >> the ministry of sports denied our interview request. at a live music club in the capital, the two teams try to at least enjoy the evening together but it only takes their minds off the disappointment for a moment. >> i hope things change. this is not the same case. they need to have better connections, better people, better staff.

>> she is committed to doing whatever it takes to see her girls compete, even if it takes another 10 years. >> let's hope it does not take that long. you're watching dw news. coming up after the break, i will be back to take you through the day. coming up, a pill against the pandemic? not quiet but we are getting closer -- quite but we are getting closer to a pill that works.

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anchor: you are watching live from paris on france 24. thank you for joining us this monday evening. here is what is coming up. partial results indicate sadr has won iraq's vote. our correspondent in baghdad joins with the latest. promising news in the fight against covid. drugmaker merck seeking approval for its antiviral covid pill. a large study out of france shows vaccines rain highly effective. austria's new