to germany again. cuts from moscow's biggest pipeline are down to a $50 capacity. germany describes the move as a power play. also, more wildfires burn across europe as the blaze crosses the check border to threaten one of germany's most popular parks. searchin for create soluons to africa's food shortages.

he is now planning more than 100 greenhouse farms. we meet a group of refugees in rome cooking up new lives for themselves by mastering the art of the perfect dessert. ♪ i'm phil gayle. welcome to the program. russia's state energy supplier gazprom has cut supplies to germany through the nord stream one pipeline. flows have dropped to 20 percent of its full capacity. the cuts mean it will be difficult for the country to fill its reserve tanks before winter, and any further reductions could trigger emergency gas rationing. the french government says it could help by supplying 2% overwinter. dw spoke with the eu energy commissioner. she said europe should be able

to make it through winter, even without russian gas. >> we know that russia is not -- at any moment they can introduce a full disruption of gas. despite the fact right now they deliver gas via free pipelines. but we are prepared, and we know that with the help of reliable gas suppliers, the storage level full enough to provide alternative gas supplies, and savings, and with a fuel switch. so, all those different aspects will help us through this winter and it will help us through the winter safely without emergency alert. phil: an environmental economist from a university gave us his

assessment of the many ifs we just hea -- heard. >> we ould stop discussing ifs. the commissioners right, pressure is no longer a reliable gas supplier. actually, its intention to create uncertainties, to create fear among the european households. so we should focus on our meures, and the most important one is reducing gas as fast and as quickly as possible. phil: reducing gas dependency, you mean? >> yes. reducing gas in household supplies. this is not really important. even with lower deliveries of gas from russi we can go through the winter if our gas demand is reduced substantially. phil: if russian gas flows into germany through nord stream one remain at present reduced levels and you think germany can make

it through the other end? >> we just had new numbers from the german institute of economic research showing that even with a ruced flow of gas to germany, 20% as it is right now, there's a relatively high chance to go through the winter. but it is clear that eu emergency plans and different legislation the german government has reacted -- has enacted will help us to really go through the winter without further problems. phil: so russia has fewer customers for its energy, but prices are going up. so is this tactic making them money or losing the money? >> i think that is a rational strategy if you are a dominant supplier. you are trying to cut the supply order to drive up the prices. but i think the european answer should be that we are using our

market power on the demand side. europe is the biggest demand. it has bought 75% of the pipeline market. i think now is really the time to think about possibilities to step in and dictate prices and not pay these incredibly high prices that have no attachment to reality. phil: and if russia turns the taps off completely, do you see that as being likely? >> this is one possibility. it is also the possibility it is just opening up its rap and -- its tap and providing much more gas. the number one priority seems to be to really create these uncertainties in europe. we should focus on our strategies. i think we have a clear plan. in germany we are now bringing back our coal-fired power plants to substitute for gas-fired

power plan over the winter. i think that is what we should focus on and really try to cut our demand further. phil: thank you so much for joining us, andreas, expert on environmental economy and stabilizing. u.s. secretary of state antony blinken has said intends to meet with russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov to discuss a possible prison exchange. it would be his first meeting, their first meeting since the russian invasion of ukraine. secretary blinken said his priority would be to secure the release of u.s. professional basketball layer brittney griner and former green paul whelan. turkey has open a new center to oversee the export of ukrainian grain. before the war, russia and ukraine supply nearly a third of the world's wheat. kyiv says it has been unable to export grain because moscow has blockaded its ports. the two sides have signed a deal

to unblock shipments. reporter: getting the green out. these officials have a challenging task. they need to figure out how to ship millions of tons of grain stuck and ukrainian ports. russia, ukraine, turkey, and the u.n. have each sent five officials to this court nation center to make it happen. >> the staff working at this center are aware that the eyes of the world are upon them it is our hope that through collective and successful work the center will make the maximum contribution to humanitarian needs and to peace. reporter: the plan is to register and inspect merchant ships, transporting food from ukraine, and allow them to pass safely through the black sea to turkey. it was agreed by russian and ukraine during talks meted by ankara last week. under the deal, moscow would also be allowed to ship

fertilizer to world markets. what is unclear is how soon the first vessel will be able to leave ukraine. >> i can say that the people here, all the parties here are committed to ensuring the success of the initiative. thank you, that is enough. i cannot speculate on that. it will be very soon. reporter: ukraine accused russia of blockading its ports after the start of the invasion in february, and even stealing grain from the occupied territories in the south. russia denies both claims, saying the main obstacle for shipments are thousands of mines placed by ukraine near the coast. the russians tried overtake the port city of odessa after the deal was signed, putting the deal at risk, with ukrainian president zelenskyy saying moscow cannot be trusted. this man, who has a farm near

odessa, so he is running into huige financial troubles because he cannot buy seed for next year. he has doubts about the deal. >> historically it makes no sense to make a deal with russia. agreements with russia are not worth the paper they are written on. reporter: but for now, the port is preparing for the day when the shipments will finally resume, bringing the much-needed food to regions of the world. phil: our correspondent is in odessa. i asked him how the country's ports are getting ready. >> ukraine says the three ports that are included in this agreement have resumed work, and that they have been preparing basically the grain they have formed, columns of trucks that would bring the train to the ships and that they are ready and waiting for the arrival of

the ships. the ships are run by turkish companies and they would leave from his tan sailing to the e-sports, get root -- east por ts, get loaded, and sail out. phil: we heard that the port is mined, but de-mining the ports is not necessary. how are they going to ensure the safety of the ships? >> so yeah, that does not mean that the ships have to slalom around the mines. the corridor from these ports to the port of his temple, or -- of istanbul, or to international waters or romanian waters, has been freed of mines, and it's free to sail through. ships have to stay within this corridor. that is ukraine's way of ensuring that russia will not use this opportunity to attack, because it is only this lane that is open. and from other sides he would not be able to access these

ports. and it is not necessarily -- necessary to de-mine all the ports. phil: turning to the fighting, ukrainian artillery has struck a bridge crossing a river, a crucial supply route for russian forces. what else can you tell us about that? >> this bridge is crucial for the russian supply route. it is the main supply route. the city that russia was able to take in the beginning of the war and that ukraine wants to take back now is on the north shore of the river. it is flowing into the sea closed to there, so it is already quite wide there. this is the only bridge knew the city that crosses the river and there will be the link to crimea

where the supplies come from and reinforcements and whatever. the only other way to cross the river is cystic kilometers further north. there is a dam. so one of two routes across the river in these contested northern territories is now destroyed, and that is a huge problem for the russians. we are seeing speculations whether they can build a bridge there, but it's difficult because the river is wide. so you will probably see some more images or information about how the russians are trying to bridge this river in that place. it is crucial for them to bring in supplies and to prepare for this counteroffensive, this ukrainian counteroffensive that is underway, but we do not know when is the hottest phase of this offensive expected. this is clearly a preparation for it. phil: thank you for that. let's take a look at some more

stories from around the world. three u.n. peacekeepers in at least 19 civilians have been killed and dozens injured during two days of violence in the democratic republic of congo. protesters complained that a u.n. admission in the east of the country has failed to protect civilians against militia violence. hundreds of iraqi protesters stormed the national parliament in baghdad, protesting a nominee for prime minister. the breached security and were seen walking on tables and rifling through documents. many of them are reportedly followers of an influential cleric. flash flooding in the u.s. state of missouri has killed at least one person and left hundreds stranded. record rainfall has caused widespread dage across the area. authorities have declared a state of emergency with more storms expected this week. much of europe is struggling with drought and extreme heat,

which of course wildfires across the continent from spain to norway. in germany, military helicopters have been called into hope hundreds of firefighters battle blazes. global warming has made the more common and more intense in recent years. the eastern part of the country near the border with the czech republic at fires and they are threatening a national park. our dw reporter is close to the german/czech border. reporter: i'm standing here in one of the central coordinating areas, a staging area for firefighters all around the region. the state of saxony who have converged here to try and put out what a spokesperson told me is one of the largest fires in this area's history. we are right here on the czech /german border on this german, kristi -- pristine national park

that is a huge draw for tourists of all kinds who want to come for wellness, extreme sports outdoors. those sports are now off limits as they are fighting this fire in this deep, mountainous, rugged region. phil: what is being said about the cause of the fire? reporter: of course it is still not confirmed. a spokesperson said to me he suspects it could be caused by human activity, maybe someone being careless, someone leaving a fire on, someone flicking a cigarette onto very dry ground. we probably will not know for a while. this fire started on the czech side of the border which is steps away from here, then strong wind sunday into monday drove the fire over the border into germany. so both countries are fighting this fire. it is worse on the czech side where there have been evacuations. there have so far been no evacuations on the german side that is because although the fire is not yet under control it

is contained in the wilderness far away from many of the idyllic villages and towns. phil: what is likely to happen over the next few days? reporter: well, the spokesperson i was speaking to earlier is overseeing the operation, he told me it could be not just days but weeks until the fire is under control. it does not necessarily mean it will spin out of control, that people will have to evacuate. it could happen, they say they are prepared for that. but it does mean the ground in these woods, in this mountainous area is very dry and very hot. so even once you put out the fire we have been told that fires can spring up again area easily so it could take weeks for this fire to come under control, which is something we have been seeing all around europe in another summer that has been incredibly hot and incredibly dry. phil: wildfires also affect the

u.s. state of california every summer. firefighters are making progress containing the giant lays in the yosemite national park. this was threatening a giant sequoia tree and endangering animals. favorable weather conditions have slowed its advance it has already destroyed thousands -- hundreds of homes and forced thousands to leave. reporter: just some of the destruction after fire through mariposa county. blaze has caused major damage in many areas. more moist air moved into the region tuesday, a huge help for the 3000 firefighters battling the oak fire. >> we had a really good day today. we got a lot of work done. this morning we reported 10% containment on the fire. tonight we are reporting 16% containment. it is not a huge number but it is a pretty big percentage jump if you look at it that way. reporter: he flames erupted last

friday and quickly got out of control. the ferocious blaze was fed by tinder dry conditions. the region is seeing its worst drought in decades. thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes. dozens of which have been destroyed. these images show the blaze smoldering from space. not far southwest from yosemite national park. officials were concerned the fire was heading towards the reserve now they believe it will not reach it. >> at this point the fire does not appear to be an imminent threat to yosemite. reporter: california has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years. and scientists leave that due to climate change, the situation here will only get more unpredictable in the future. phil: a pay strike has forced germany's biggest airline, lufthansa, to cancel more than 1000 flights.

hub airports in munich and freire -- and frankfurt have been worst affected. passengers face disruption over the next few days. reporter: polity plans and business trips put on hold. no one left to work the counters. would-be lieutenant set passengers -- lufthansa passengers are stuck. >> i got a cancellation message the same morning we were traveling. but nothing more. i have tried to reach them by chat and by phone, but nothing. nothing coming through. >> we have to stay in line and see if we get a flight back. >> and hope we get a flight back because we are starting soon -- starting school soon. >> our parents are traveling to nigeria. if we don't get a flight back in a few days then we won't be able to see them for three months

because we have not seen them. reporter: the striking workers say they have plenty of reasons to ask for higher wages. staff shortages have increased their workload, as has the surge in travel as pandemic research and's lucent. after two rounds of bargaining, they still have not gotten what they wanted. >> the last offer lufthansa made was not enough to stop the strike. lufthansa is also not improved is offered in recent days, so the employees see the necessity to go on strike today. for weeks we have seen an immense workload at airports across germany, so this is a clear signal from the employees. reporter: lufthansa has pointed the finger at the workers for demanding too much and putting a burden on travelers. organizers say the strike should last just over 24 hours. but they are prepared for further walkouts if lufthansa is not meet their demands. phil: dw business reporter

kristi plotz and at frankfurt airport explained why this strike may not be the last. reporter: what we know is lufthansa and lufthansa union plan to continue negotiations next week but the union has said that if their demands are not an offer they are happy with, they are willing to strike again. one of their main sticking points with the most recent offer from live towns that is part of the pay raise they are willing to offer is tied to the condition that the company is profitable. that would basically mean that if they are not profitable than the employees will not get a pay raise. we know we are dealing with a record high inflation here in europe as elsewhere. for the workers who are completely overwhelmed by the demand from this post-covid summer season, that is not acceptable to them. we should say this is not the first strike we have seen this summer. we also saw a few weeks ago strikes from scandinavian

airlines and from airlines in france. we also heard today that ryanair is planning a strike in august as well. it has been a very chaotic season for european air travel. pretty much the same issues lufthansa employees are complaining about. the lufthansa spokesperson we spoke with earlier said this is not just an issue for lufthansa, it is an issue for the whole industry. so we are in the thick of the european vacation season right now and it does not look like these issues are going to be clearing up anytime soon. phil: kristie pladson reporting from frankfurt. climate change, the war in ukraine, and corruption are threatening global food security across africa. shortages are forcing farmers to search for new solutions to improve output. dw kerr respondent -- to meet a binessman and farmer who is promoting smart agriculture using greenhouses.

reporter: he returned to stt greenhouse farming. it is a method of agriculture that remains new in cameroon. it has more than 100 greenhouse farms across the country. year-round, he has crops that are available only in certain seasons. >> we grow based on what the market demands. we have been able to substitute the importation -- things that have normally been imported or grown abroad can also be grown here. reporter: the ukrainian war ice caused a price hike. soaring food prices are making it hard for many families to ford a complete meal.

>> the stems are good. reporter: he thinks african farmers can learn from the crisis by changing how farming is done. >> with the russian crisis, it is a curse and a blessing at the same time. it reminds us of the need of industrializ or precision agriculture. and with talk of precision agriculture, greenhouse farming sits at the core of that. reporter: in a bid to share knowledge, he's now offering classes to teach young people how to set up greenhouse farms like this. he's currently among dozens of young people on a year-long mentorship. she's been here for six months, learning all it takes to set up a greenhouse farm. >> before coming here, i didn't have a clue. maybe i just had basic knowledge about farming, but i did not

have real knowledge about greenhouse. so i was delighted when i saw it on facebook. reporter: he is pushing for sustainable food -- his smart innovation could help there agriculture forever. phil: a group of refugees in rome is making new lives for themselves by learning to become desert chefs. the women worked as cooks in their homelands but war, persecution, and poverty forced them to leave. reporter: victoria is from sudan. she's making her national desert. she is one of the many refugees who arrived in italy with similar stories of disadvantage and vulnerability. now, a dozen of these women are rebuilding their lives from scratch. but not everything from back home is lost. they are all taking suites that represent the country that they

come from. >> i have been living in italy for five years. i escaped from war. my dessert is called home. the ingredients are dried fruit. >> my country's name is bangladesh. i came to italy eight years ago to stay here with my children. i came here to attend the pastry workshop because i really like it, and i like cooking very much. reporter: but it isn't just a passion for baking that is driving them. the chefs hope to make a living out of this. she came from ukraine before the war broke out. >> i hope in the future that i

will find work in the pastry business. reporter: in the coming months, they will be meeting restaurant owners who they hope will collaborate with them, and adopt one of their national desert creations. phil: i will be back in a moment to take a look at some of the biggest stories of the day, in the day. join me there. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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♪ >> further escalation of the standoff between moscow and the eu. today, the latest cut in gas supplies by the nord stream 1 pipeline. as president macron continues his tour, he pledges his support in benin. on this day 4 of the papal visit to canada, the pope is in québec where he is having meetings with the country's political