♪ >> this is dw news live. and united response if the u.s. invades -- if -- says the west is on the same page concerning russian aggression. >> if any russian military forces move across the ukrainian border and commit new acts of aggression against ukraine, that will be met with a swift,

severe, united response from the united states and our allies and partners. >> also coming up tonight, serious accusation against former pope benedict the 16th during his time as german archbishop. did he know that children were being sexually abused and choose to look the other way? plus, record inflation in turkey that's out of control. shops are hiking their prices almost daily. is the government there making things better or worse? plus, flying into the record books. a 19-year-old becomes the youngest woman to fly solo around the globe. what propelled her to make the record-setting journey. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the u.s. until all of your

around the world, good to have you. america's top diplomat is in berlin to clean up and clear up any misunderstanding about western unity regarding russian aggression against ukraine. today, u.s. secretary of state antony blinken met with the german foreign minister and their british and french counterparts. the meaning of the aquatic group, as it is known, is to show a united front on the eve of the summit between blinken and russian foreign minister sergei lavrov, talks like a determine war or peace here in europe. >> the stakes are high. u.s. secretary of state antony blinken landing in berlin to rally america's allies and prevent a war. unity the main goal here. blinken and his german, french and german counterparts discussed the intense fears that russia may soon invade ukraine. their focus, how to critically

-- credibly determine moscow with warnings of what could follow. >> even as we are relentless in pursuing this diplomatic path, we will continue to make clear that if moscow chooses the path of further aggression, we will impose swift and massive costs. >> we urgently call on russia to take steps towards de-escalation. any further aggression would have serious consequences. >> but comments by the u.s. president a day earlier have raised questions about whether those concert is really do -- those consequences really do apply to any act of aggression. >> russia will be held accountable if it invades. it depends on what it does. it is one thing if it is a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do, but if they do what they are capable of doing with the

force amassed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for russia. >> the white house later tried to clarify, insisting that the west would react come what may, but the issue has highlighted bastions over what level of aggression would trigger what kind of response. the u.s. has made it clear that it would expect berlin to target the controversial nord stream 2 pipeline, which links germany to russian gas. >> it is also worth noting that gas is not flowing, so it is levered for germany, the u.s., our allies, not russia. >> another round of diplomacy coming up. blinken will meet his russian counterpart in geneva friday, seen as one of the last chances to find a way of avoiding more. >> for more, i am joined by a u.s. lytic analyst based in -- u.s. political analyst based here in berlin.

jessica, let's talk about where we are in this diplomatic sprint by antony blinken. he was here in berlin today. do you see a diplomatic way out of this crisis? >> at this point, the only way out is through deterrence. antony blinken has already bee pushing hard behind the scenes for germany to take a stronger stance against russia's aggression, or the eu to toe a stronger line. at the end of the day, dialogue will not solve this issue. he will have to make perfectly clear to russia tomorrow that the cost of invading ukraine will be higher than the cost of invasion, and if this does not happen, we will have to calculate with some sort of invasion or incursion. >> the consequences, we hear about that. the u.s. warns it will be a disaster for russia if they invade ukraine, but no one wants to spell out exactly what those

consequences would be. wise that? -- why is that? >> russia is one of t eu's largest trading partners, not only in energy. trade between them in 2020 accounted for over 170 billions euros. they are also germany's largest gas importer, so the economic cost to europe would also be dire. this is why we have not seen a clear line yet, but this is hopefully what secretary blinken is pushing for with the quad group and at the eu level to make sure that, at least behind-the-snes, that we agree on a price tag that europe and germany are willing to pay economically to preserve security and peace in europe. >> jessica, it was important for anthony blinken to stop in berlin today to talk with the quad group, but there are still some doubts. further europeans really on the

same page as -- are the europeans really on the same page as the u.s. on what to do if russia invades ukraine? >> not yet. even yesterday, we saw from present macron in france proposing that the eu should also open up a bilateral channel of dialogue with russia. this obviously did not help project the uty that the united states was hoping for. also, president biden's comments about a minor incursion somehow potentially being acceptable to the united states definitely did not help. these kinds of gaps and miseps however are hopefully what now, after what we have seen, how this has weakened nato's messaging, hopefully now all member countries will tighten up, because at this point in the crisis, everyd matters, and we need to show in europe a united front starting now.

otherwise, this could indeed playin to the kremlin's hands and leave us a situation where they act before nato is in a position to present a plan of response. >> we will be watching to see what happens tomorrow at those toxin -- those talks in geneva. jessica, thank you. at least 29 people have been killed in a stampede in liberia's capital, monrovia, many of them -- a christian prayer service wednesday evening. witnesses say the stampede ensued after robbers with machetes began attacking worshipers. >> a pile of shoes is all that is left. this is where hundreds of worshipers had gathered wednesday evening. prayer turned to panic when the local street gang attacked them with knives and machetes. this man said, the attack started at the entrance, when

people were trying to leave the service. this is the moment people started to run. >> the service finished. there were people going already. >> christian prayer gatherings are popular among liberians. knn as crusades, they pvide comfort. more than half of the population lives on less than two dollars a day. the president visited a local hospital to show support to the victims, 15 people from that gathering, who were admitted here for their injuries. he said it was a very sad day in their country and a tragedy. he wanted to express his sympathy for all the families that lost their loved ones. he has declared three days of morning -- of mourning and

announced an investigation. >> earlier, we spoke with the journalist in liberia and asked if the attackers had been caught by police. >> so far, we understand the was one person who was arrest with a knife. police are still on the vestigation. by the way, this is not e first time robbers, criminals attacked peaceful citizens, to the point en the citizens are afraid of these guys, so some of them, like the real gangs, have not t been investigated,ut there is still an investigation. those put on the critica list at the hospital arstill under medical attention. the police are holding meetings to see how they can trace those responsible. >> that was a journalist in monroe via, liberia. a closer look at other stories

making headlines around the world. an unknown number of people died in a massive explosion in western ghana. police reported the blast after a mining vehicle carrying explosives to a gold collided with a motorcycle. videos posted on local media show a large blast area. police in pakistan say a blast and wellbore -- blast in lahore has killed three people and injured 20 others. a bomb was placed on a motorcycle outside shops out of market. teams are on site investigating. norwegian mass murderer unders brevet has arrived in court for the final day of his parole hearing, which will decide whether he should be released after spending more than a decade behind bars. the right wing extremist killed 77 people and wounded dozens more in 2011. it is norway's worst peacetime

atrocity. he is serving the country's maximum 21 year sentence. the first aircraft carrying humanitarian aid to tonga has arrived five days after the pacific island nation was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami. a plane flown by the royal new zealand air force was able to land after a carpet of ash was cleared from the runway. now is basic communications begin to be restored, the world is getting a first impression of how badly tonga was hit. >> these images provide a glimpse of t devastation left behind. this is tonga's biggest isld. it escaped the worst of saturday's volcanic eruption and tsunami. but it was still badly h. and all around, there is a

blanket of volcanic ash. >> the ash might have health repercussions, my compromise water, the effects they would have on riculture and the recovery of livestock and agriculture, possibly the ecosystem, fish stocks. we have to have fish poison testing kits now to make sure people's livelihoods and food sources are safe for consumption. >> the cleanup has already started as tongans try to restore a sense of order, knowing the outside world is struggling to get in to help, but help is finally beginning to arrive. this australian aid flight is the first to land in tonga. both new zealand and australia

are using their naval ships as well as their forces to bring in -- their air forces to bring in aid as quickly as possible despite the difficult logistics. >> the priorities of the tongan government or what we are working to, first the provision of clean water, theriority the tongan government has asked for, and shelter, communications, equipment. >> for tongans, that aid effort cannot begin soon enough as this nation of around 170 islands tries to start rebuilding its life. >> gaming accusations tonight against former pope benedict the 16th, a new report accusing him of failing to take action in

four child sex abuse cases in germany. the report finds he covered up clerical sexual abuse when he was cardinal joseph ratzinger, archbishop of munich. the report finds almost 500 victims of abuse between 1945 and 2019 in and around munich. >> turning a blind eye to sexual abuse, that was the definitive conclusion of a report published in germany thursday. commissioned by the catholic church, it accuses the former pontiff of knowing about sexual abuses committed by priests while he was archbishop of munich, a post he held between 1977 and 1982. the report said offending priests in of area during his tenure work consciously -- tenure were consciously kept in pastoral roles, interacting with

members of the community. the report was called an indispensable building block in the healing process. >> i am shocked and ashamed. for me, the encounters with victims of sexual abuse has brought about a turning point. they have changed and continue to change my perception of the church. benedict, who stood down from his role in 2013, has denied the claims, but the lawyers investigating were categorical. he was aware. >> and a total of four cases, we included -- concluded that the then archbishop cardinal ratzinger was cognizant of cases of sexual abuse. those involved say the catholic

church must do more. >>e believe they have become better in the training of laypeople, protection programs for children, but in terms of dealing th the vtims andot protecting the perpetrators, it is still the same old system. >> benedict crawford his resignation -- benedict profe rred's resignation as pope emeritus last year, rejected by the current pontiff. this is the latest in a series of claims coming to light in recent years, exposing decades of hidden crimes comtted by the catholic church. >> with me in the studio now is our religious affairs correspondent. martin, what was your response to today's report? >> well, i did not think about my own reaction to be honest, but off the bat, i can say i had the two usual ones i have had the last 20 years, the last 10

doing it in a professional capacity, which is absolute shock and a sense of deja vu. it is a sense of absolute outrage. this is particularly brutal because you are talking about a 12-year-old kid, a child. i see my own child repeated in these stories over and over and i don't only cringe, have nightmares. at the same time, i realize the church has attempted -- or at least for the sake of public consumption -- but it is clear, very, very clear this has simply not gone far enough. the church cannot police itself. >> speaking of deja vu, we have had reports like this time it again. i am thinking about what we heard from france last year. is this one different in any way? >> well, is a former pope, so this is sort of the major difference and this is what a lot of people are pointing out, that the kerch was courageous enough to actually -- the church

was courageous enough to have an investigation that implicated a former pope, head of the church, so that's meant to be the difference. the fact, however, it is not that the previous cases were any less outrageous than this one. so the question to be asked here is not really -- and i have said this today several times, so forgive me -- it is not really just about redress, about the pope having been in an archbishop position and not doing what he had to do, misconduct according to the lawyers, but the question is how do we prevent this happening in the future? and it is not clear the church has actually cleaned up its act, so we don't know what is really happening in the water now. >> the abuse victims, what can they expect other than getting apology? -- getting an apology? >> apologies will come because this has become the specialty of

the church. i think the crimes cannot be undone and the lives that have been ruined, to the extent they have been ruined, will never be taken back, not only by the church but as a society. i have begun to think we have become complicit in this life sheer force of repetition -- this by sheer force of repetition. we just let it kind of slide until the next average. >> we have become desensitized because it happens over and over. >> i have decided it is because it happens over and over and in some sense it is impossible to cope with this. i have been reading his reports for the better part of 10 years. i don't wish this on my worst enemy. so i think the question is really about who we are as a society and what do we tolerate from the institutions in our midst? again, the brutality of it, as we are talking about children entrusted to these two should. >> exactly right. as always, we appreciate your analysis, even if it is a dark story like this.

thank you. >> you are welcome. >> turkish president erdogan is pledging to bring the soaring inflation in his country under control. the policy of cutting interest rates has sent their currency into freefall. our correspondent reports tonight from his stumble -- from istanbul. >> this shopkeeper has to print new stickers for prices. almost everything he sells in his shop in his stumble -- in istanbul has become more expensive. >> ergo, i sold this for 3.5 lire. now it sells for twice as much. that's not normal. >> manufacturers and wholesalers are hiking prices several times a month, and he has to do the same. sometimes he is barely able to keep up.

>> i have been a shopkeeper f 10 years but have never seen anythingike this. right now, the wholesalers still make a profit. i am not making a profit and the customers suffer too. nobody wins. everybody is losing. >> around the world, nations are grappling with inflation due to the coronavirus pandemic and higher energy costs, but the price spikes here in turkey have been exacerbated by a dramatic depreciation of the country's currency, the lire. according to official figures, inflation has soared to 36%, the highest rate in nearly 20 years, yet many think even this figure is an understatement. >> inflation is higher. everything got twice or three times as expensive. >> we know exactly what we are paying at the market. i think it is 50% or more. >> i have been running around

for two hours trying to find cheap bread. i think we are seeing 100% inflation right now. >> osocial mediaoo, aer about the price explosion is growin this twitter account with more than 100,000 followers is called inflation diary. users post photos showing changing price tags in grocery stores. president erdogan's economic policies have so far been unsuccessful. nevertheless, he says, he is convinced that prices will soon fall. economist -- an economist disagrees. she projects that inflation will likely rise, further eroding incomes and savings. >> towards the end of the first quarter, we will see inflation rates of 50% to 60% the rea pblem is that president erdogan thinks he is the chief economist here in the

country and everybody else does not know anything. that will only change with an election and a new government. >> the next elections in turkey are not officially due until 2023. this shop owner does not know what will happen in the meantime, but he knows one thing for sure. the next price hike will definitely come. >> women account for just 5% of commercial airline pilots. they are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well. one belgian-british teenager has made it her mission to change this calculus by flying around the world and bagging a couple of world records while she is at it. >> there was no cabin crew on board to prepare for this landing as 19-year-old zara rutherford touched down in belgium, the youngest person to

fly around the world in a micro light aircraft. a hero's welcome. >> five months long, and it was tricky, so it has been a challenge the way through. >> rutherford's ride spanned five continents. she raised money through a sponsorship and often stayed with host families. zara shared the highs and lows of her adventure online. the trip took longer than expected and there were moments of turbulence. >> right now, my russian visa has just expired, so i'm not allowed to go into the country, which is frustrating. north korea is over that way. i'm not allowed to get too close to it because they don't like airplanes flying around. i'm happy to be on the ground, to be honest. the first little bit was fine and suddenly the clouds were getting lower and lower.

at one point, i was at 600 feet above the ocean, which was scary. >> beyond breaking records, she had a bigger mission. meeting locals and giving talks along the way, she tried to inspire other young girls and women to get involved in aviation, science and technology. back on belgian soil, that work continues. growing up, i did not see many female pilots, so i hope to do that, and i have gotten amazing messages from women and girls about flying after seeing me do this. >> it was an emotional reunion for her mother, beatrice, who says there were nailbiting moments. >> this is not without risk. she is breaking records, after all, but i was very confident in her skills and experience and also in the team, the whole team behind her, and that we kept it as safe as possible. >> she plans to keep her feet on

solid ground for now and apply for university, but she hopes her double world record will encourage girls everywhere to spread their wings in any way they can. >> i want her to be my pilot. you're watching dw news from berlin. after a short break, taking you through the day. we will issue a presidential report card. we will be right back. ♪

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>> france announces a plan to ease covid restrictions for the start of february as infection rates are over 400,000 a day and medics are warning they could possibly be swarmed until the beginning of march. an investigation focused on abuse of children by priests in munich alleges pope