♪ brent: looks is this is dw news. germany's foreign minister met with ukrainian leaders amid growing fears of a russian invasion. talks with russia failed last week but germany wants to try again to also coming up, and natural disasters now caught off from the rest of the world. a five are -- a fiber

optic bridge. novak djokovic is back in serbia after being deported from us really. fans in belgrade, you see them, welcoming home their hero. i'm brent goff to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. it did not work last week, maybe it will this week. that is a positive approach that germany is taking two talks with russia aimed at preventing a russian invasion of ukraine. the german foreign minister took them message to kiev. >> fears of a russian invasion of ukraine have jangled nerves in the region.

after visiting a memorial to antigovernment protesters who died in 2014, the foreign minister says any solution must come through dialogue and not arms. meeting ukraine's foreign minist, she offered an exclive gesture of support for ukraine. >> solidarity. european solidarity for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ukraine. that is not up for debate, not for us and not for me personally. any further aggression will have a high price. i emphasize that today once again. >> russia is building up its troops on the ukrainian border. but the european union and the u.s. have threatened to impose hard sanctions if pressure goes ahead with an invasion. for years, ukraine has called on germany to deliver arms to boost its abilities to defend itself. russia does not share ukraine's cooperative attitude towards

defusing the tensions. >> we have a very constructive stance on this matter. but unfortunately our constructivenes isn't mutual on russia's part. >> from kiev, she goes to moscow on tuesday where she meets with the russian foreign minister. she is keen to revive four-way peace talks in a format that cludes germany, france, ukraine, and russia. brent: from -- for me, i am joined by the european council of foreign relations. let me ask you about the german foreign minister. she said she is counting on reviving four way peace talks in the normandy format. that includes germany and france and ukraine and russia. what is most advisable would you say with these kinds of negotiations? do you even think they will work? >> i mean, so far the normandy

format has not yielded substantial results. all sides are not happy with what they have yielded so far. russia, andkraine is still embroiled icrisis and france and germany have not been in a position to play a meaningful le as russia has been building up and draing forces along the ukrainn bordelast spring and now we see them build up, that russia is engaged in again wch stted in vember and december of last year and continue to see substantial formations of russian forces along the ukraian border. and circumvent of ukraine. one can certainly hope that the normandy format will, can be revived and it is good that she is trying but i am not optimistic that her -- meeting with russian and ukrainian leaders will yield results. brent: let's stick with the ukrainian beauteous. -- the ukrainian leaders.

i wonder how much credibility germany has in kiev. germany has not been supplying ukrainian serious weapon he. germany has refuse to kill the north stream pipeline that connects it to russia. how do you go to kiev with those facts on the table and say you, we are with you against russian aggression? >> you'r on point there. discussions in berlin over the past couple of days have been dominated by all the things that germany not willing to put on the table, mainly arms transfers and swift financial transfer systems. now what the forgn minister has offered her counterpart to is essential german help to beef up cyber defenses and with an energy partnership. that might be interesting for ukraine in the long term but certainly will not help them in the short-term facing substantial russian buildup, of

forces along its border. as for german capability, ukrainian has some capability to deter russian aggression against ukine. but has shown very little resolve actually to make use of those capabilities. brent: if you look at what happened last week, we had the u.s.-russia meeting, we had a nato-russia meeting, osce with russia, we did not see ukraine, really at any of these discussion tables and yet we are talking about a war are ukrainian territory? how do you explain the irony that the country is possibly invaded has not been at the first round of talks? >> i think on the plus side, we see a lot of engagement within the nato alliance. we see nato partners and nat allies engaging finland -- and ukraine has en involved in

that consultation as well. we've seen that starting with the german foign minister and talking with ukrainian counterpart in discussions between american and russian and ukrainian officials, other nato airlines he enged as well. there is a certain ongoing process with ukraine. unfortunately there is peeption that you are right to point out that discussions are happening without the ukrainians. there is some processions in rmany and other parts of germany that discussions between the u.s. and russia have been over the heads of europeans. the e.u. so-called foreign minister was unhappy to to notice that fact, that the e.u. is not playing a meaningful role. i think thathe worries are a bit erplay here because russia is engaging mostly with unit states. it ss itself as a peer of the united states and was to be seens a peer.

its nuclear arsenal pys a role here. and it is not particular willing to engage with the europeans on those kinds of issues. brent: very important point to make there. the european council on foreign relations. we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. prosecutors in ukraine have set bail at $35 million in their treason case against the former president. he appeared in court on monday hours after returning to kiev. he is one of ukraine's richest men and he denies any wrongdoing and says -- he wants to help defend his country against russia. >> he flew back to ukraine with hefty charges of treason against him. and yet, outside kiev airport, thousands of supporters still cheering.

>> after meeting his fans, he was taken to court for hearing. [chanting] >> he's under investigation for allegedly financing rebel groups. the ukrainian government considers them terrorists. he has insisted from the beginning that the accusations are unfounded and were invented by his successor to defame h im. >> it's an absolutely fake case. we will make the suspicion public. everyone will have the opportunity to enjoy this unique nonsense. we will see there is nothing there. >> if he is found guilty, he could be imprisoned for up to 15 years. but the former president does

not expect these charges to hold water. he says he has returned to defend his country against russia. russian troops and military tanks have been building up near ukraine's border for weeks. many fear an invasion. brent: let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. reports from sudan say several protesters have been shot dead by security forces in demonstrations against last year's military coup. thousands of people turned out for the largest of protests in the capital. monday's rallies come ahead of a visit by a u.s. delegation this week to try to revive talks onthe return to civilian rule. in the united states, the push to protect voting rights is the focus of demonstrations on this martin luther king day. the son of the assassinated civil rights leader called on president biden and law makers to enact nationwide voting guarantees. several states have passed laws

which observers say will make it harder for minorities to vote. a new book claims to have solved the mystery of who betrayed the hiding place of anne frank and her family to the nazis? a team, including a former investigator, discovered a note to frank's father who survived the holocaust naming in amsterdam jewish council member who was presumably trying to save his own family. the -- further investigation is still needed historian say. china's birth rate has fallen to a record low. new data shows a double digit drop with just over 10 million babies born in 2021. authorities eased the one child policy in 2015 but high costs and cramped housing have kept birth weights -- birth rates low. the pressure on the communist party to boost national wealth

is the workforce continues to shrink. communication with the pacific island nation of tonga remains limited since saturday's volcanic direction and the tsun ami. it is believed the underwater cable was severed during the disasters. there is snow if -- n o official confirmation of serious damage in tonga but that assessment is based on limited information. outlying coastal areas have been completely cut off. >> a prelude to a violent eruption. on friday the volcano sent plu mes of smoke shooting into the sky. it would prove to be a brief respite. the next day, the volcano mbled to life again in an explosion so powerful it sent shockwaves around the world.

before and after satellite images show how the volcano's ea level crater had disappeared following the blast. with regular communication lines to tonga cut off, the world has been relying on satellite phones and images to get a sense of the disaster. >> we are still waiting to receive information from tonga of what is much needed but we know for sure at thereill be, need for clean water because of the eru ptns, ich isausing a lot o troubles to the water supplies in tonga. as most of the people collect water through rain and ts is something very dangerous for them to consume. >> australia and new zealand have sent surveillance flights to help assess the scale of the damage, especially on tonga's outer islands where there are

fears the devastation could be immense. brent: for more, i'm joined by the professor, a volcanoligist at a university in munich. good to have you on the program. i understand you have actually studied and done research on the volcano that erupted there on tonga. explain to us, should we have expected an eruption with this much power? >> well, in a way, we could have expected that,ut we know from the records that actually everyone thousand years the volcano's is capable of producing such an eruption tha -- it's very hard -- to focus. it came from the efficient mixing of the magna with cold water, which it made it t-- that enormous. brent: when you see the images

we are seeing right out of all of these clouds of ash going up into the air, what does that tell you about the situation on the ground, on the island? >> it's a very good question. that is something we all, the community wonders about. it is very hot and we are waiting for getting insights from surveillance flights. we know that the tsunami his tonga, we know it hit the surrounding islands. we do not know yet the full width of the disaster. we know there was ash. we have cell phone records of some small pebbles, but we do not know the quantities. so that can be very threatening. and we still -- we are still waiting to hear for details on that. brent: do we know, how prepared is tonga for this kind, this

caliber of a natural disaster? >> for this caliber, i recn ey are notoo well ppared, buon the other hand, it's very hard to prepare for such an extreme event. we have, as i mentioned, we have found in the record that that happens every thousand years. so, the last one happened in 1100's. so, to prepare for this extreme event, makes it very difficult for, the tsunami itself they might have been perft but now it is coupledith ash with mo than on type. brent: and also, where tonga is in the world, around that pacific area, this ring of fire, this is where we expect to see this type of unsettled movement

and behavior, if you will, underneath the earth surface, righ >> yes. so, the region is a very active one. it is the tonga -- the pacific plate beneath the pacific ocean. we have about every 100 kilometersn the sea -- we have a massive volcano that what was seen on the gund, this little island, just the top of a giant volcano which now iraq did. -- erupted we know this region is very active. it is part of the pacific ring of fire, so we canxpect this forever, just rarely in this extreme violence. bren joining us tonight from nich. we appreciate your time and your valuable insights. thank you. mali's former president has died

at the age of 76. he led the west african country from 2013 till he was ousted by a military coup in 2020. his death comes as thousands take to the streets to protest against international sanctions on the military junta that is now in power. >> a controversial political figure, but a respected one. despite differences in opinion, malians have been paying the respective the residence of the former president. his death shocks me enormously because he is our president. we fought him but he was a man of peace, a man of his word. >> he led mail for seven years-- -- led mail for years. then in august 2020, he was overthrown in a popular mirror -- military coup.

under threat of internatiol sanctions, the military pledged to restore civilian rule by february 2022, but now only amonth before elections the military has backtracked on his plate, postponing elections until 2025. the economic community of west african states has responded with internationally supported sanctions, closing borders and blocking trade to the entire country. >> the truth. these illegal and illegitimate measures have three objectives. to destabilize the institutions. to destabilize the army. to destabilize mali. >> despite the sanctions, the military remains a popular force in mali. when the colonel called for malians to protest thousands responded.

>> this is a message to our neighbors who have decided to close the door to mali. we are already living in a difficult situation and we add difficulties to our current situation. >> the passing of the former president comes at a turbulent time for the people of mali. almost two years after military seized power, the return to civilian rule appears a long way away. brent: here are some of the other world news we are following. greece has begun imposing monthly fines who refuse to get vaccinated. the mandate levies a penalty of 50 euros for january, and will rise to 100 in february. two thirds of the population is fully vaccinated, slightly below the european union average. france has barred on people

against covid-19 from much of the country's public life. restrictions today to keep them away from restaurants, sports arenas and domestic flights. the bill is part of government efforts to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. the wealth of the world's 10 richest men has doubled since the pandemic began, according to a report by oxfam. meanwhile, 160 million people have been pushed into poverty says the social justice group calling for curbs on extreme wealth via taxation and other fair measures. it has been a year since brazil started vaccinating people against covid-19. now with around 70% of the population fully vaccinated, the campaign is being seen as a success, especially for country whose president played down the threat of the pandemic.

you know -- who we're talking about, bolsonaro. he has also played down the current omicron wave. brazil has one of the highest coronavirus death tolls. people are hoping that the high vaccination rate will mean fewer deaths this time. >> the omicron wave has hit brazil. the number of people infected has jumped dramatically, despite assorted of-- despite a shortage of tests leaving many cases unreported. >> i'm running from one place to the next to get tested. i had contact with people who are positive but i do not have symptoms. >> early last year, brazil was facing an overwhelming number of covid deaths. it has the world's second highest coronavirus death toll, after the u.s. but with the latest wave of the disease, there is a big difference. most people here are now vaccinated.

>> i got covid last year, so it is very hard to remember that time. it was very complicated, a desperate time when we did not know what would happen. it was uncertain. this vaccine gives us the possibility to keep going. >> around 70% of brazilians are fully vaccinated. in big cities authorities say the figures up to 99%. experts say the successes down to brazil strong public health system and the history of successful vaccination campaigns. those factors have bolster public trust in the coronavirus vaccine, despite the president's attempts to undermine it. bolsonaro has openly rejected the vaccine and repeatedly spread misinformation. now he's downplaying the danger posed by omicron and says there will not be another lockdown or extra restrictions. with health services under huge

pressure, people are hoping at least a high vaccination rate will help reduce omicron's impact. brent: organizers of next month's winter olympics in beijing have confirmed tickets will not go on sale to the general public as part of measures to combat the spread of covid-19. after lester's announcement that spectators would be barred from attending, today's decision brings confirmation that tickets for domestic fans will be distributed to targeted groups rather than just put on general sale. beijing will become the first city to host a summer and a wint er olympics when the games begin on february 4. world men's tennis number one, novak djokovic has arrived back in belgrade after being deported from australia following a long legal saga. his return to serbia came on the day the australian got underway without its nine time

champion. >> back home after a tumultuous few days. novak djokovic arrived in serbia having been deported from australia for not having been vaccinated against covid-19. but he was greeted at belgrade airport as a hero. his fans in serbia believe he has been mistreated by the australian government, after organizers of the australian open said he was allowed to come because of an infection in december. >> this is a shame what they did to novak in australia, this is a shame with the world has done 2 -- related to, to be forced to do something, to take the vaccine. i myself unvaccinated. but i think that no one should be forced. he was charged and sentenced -- >> on the other side of the world, the australian open got underway without its nine times champion. wins for the likes of ruff adele and naomi osaka meant it was almost business as usual for

spectators. >> i think it is very highly anticipated, the decision-making was kind of drive done too -- dragged on too long. i feel bad for djokovic. he is a great tennis player. >> i am glad the focus is on what we are here for, the australian open. >> novak djokovic has much to ponder and may need to be vaccinated for maize french open, too. his bid for a men's 21st grand slam title is in further jeopardy. brent: byron munich star has been named fifa's investments player for the second year and a rope he became the first man to score 41 goals in a german bundesliga season last term, and is not stops going since. the poll controversially missed out on the -- to messy in november but has claimed the other major individual football honor. you're watching dw news.

the top story we are following for you. in kiev, germany's foreign minister has underlined her country support for ukraine's sovereignty. she says germany is ready for serious dialogue with russia to de-escalate the border crisis. you're watching dw news. i will be back after a break to take you through "the day." stick around. we will be right back.

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♪ >> the french presidential candidate convicted of inciting racial hatred made remarks about unaccompanied migrant children. he is appealing against the court's decision. he could face jail if he doesn't pay a fine. many say the damages are too lenient. ukraine's former president faces charges of high treason. bail has been set at $35 million. he says he has returned to fend off russian military aggression.