tv DW News LINKTV August 17, 2022 3:00pm-3:31pm PDT
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>> this is dw news live from berlin. the palestinian president sparks outrage in germany, accusing brazil of "50 holocausts" against its people. he faces heavy criticism for failing to immediately respond to the comments. kenya's president elect says if there are legal challenges to his victory, he will follow the
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rule of law. four members of the electoral commission object the results. the u.s. space agency nasa prepares to launch the most powerful rocket it has ever built. the massive craft is part of a multibillion-dollar effort to send humans back to the moon. oscar-nominated german filmmaker walk-on peterson dies at 81. he made his breakthrough with the world war ii epic das boot and wrote a string of hollywood hits. >> to our viewers on pbs and united states and around the world, welcome. the german chancellor facing criticism for his slow reaction to remarks made by the palestinian president during a
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visit to berlin. speaking at a press conference with the german chancellor am a said israel had committed 50 holocausts against palestinians, sparking an outpouring of anger in germany. the chancellor later said he was disgusted by the comments, but ricks say he was t -- critics say he was to slow to respond. >> the comments at the end sparked outrage. >> since 1947, to the present day, israel has carried out 50 massacres in 50 palestinian villages. 50 massacres, 50 holocaust. until today, every day our people get killed by the israeli army. >> germany's leading tabloid called it a holocaust scandal at the chancellor's office. it wasn't only that, that
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sparked outrage, it was this reaction, the press conference was concluded as planned with no visible attempt to contradict him. he should have told him to leave, tweeted a conservative opposition leader. >> you shouldn't go into a press conference with him without having talked before about provocations of this kind, which should be expted, and that you know you have to react because it is berlin, the german chancellor. >> amid growing pressure, schulz responded with his own tweet. >> for us germans in particular, any relative's asian of the singularity of the holocaust is intolerable and unacceptable. >> during wednesday's press conference, his spokesperson took blame for it lack of
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reaction immediately and said there would be consequences. >> the german chancellor expects the palestinian president to recognize the singularity of the holocaust without any qualification. yesterday he cast a dark shadow over the palestinian authority. >> he toned down his message in a new statement, his holocaust remarks have already strained german-palestinian relations. >> i asked simon young about their reactions this controversial press conference has spurred in germany. >> this whole incident has sparked a storm of reaction with even the normally reticent former chancellor, angela merkel, who has not said much since she left office, condemning the remarks of the palestinian president. it is not just about his
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remarks, it is also about the slow reaction from chancellor schulz. some people have called that unprofessional, and there is a story the chancellor's media advisor effectively brought the press conference to an end before the chancellor was about to say something. that is fair enough. but i think the chancellor of germany should be responsible for his own actions. the leader of the opposition christian democrats parties called it incomprehensible. he said he shouldn't have just been contradicted, he should have been told to leave the chancellery rather than offered the handshake he was offered. there have been some negative comments from jewish leaders and other opposition politicians. i think you are seeing a lot of
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aftermath, broken porcelain on the floor. there is a lot of repair work for the german government to do. they have summoned the palestinian representative and told him about the government's position on this. >> talking about broken porcelain, how will this affect german-palestinian relations? >> some politicians are saying it is time to look again at the development funding for the palestinian authority, more than one billion euros promised from germany, making it one of the biggest donors, if not, the biggest. he's also a holocaust denier. not the sort of person who should be in receipt of these kind of funds. it is fair to say in the press conference, he was saying he hoped chancellor schulz would soon visit the west bank. the chancellor's press
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spokesperson was saying it is hard to imagine that happening any time in the foreseeable future. >> simon young, thanks so much. let's get you up to speed on some other stories making headlines. officials in afghanistan say there are multiple casualties following a powerful explosion at a mosque in kabul. it hit during evening prayers in a northern neighborhood of the capital. local media say the dashes among the d -- is among the dead. >> -- will return to the crisis stricken country later this month, according to sri lankan media. he fled the country after tens of thousands of antigovernment protesters overran his official residence last month. protesters demanded he and his family be investigated for corruption. veteran u.s. politician liz cheney has lost the republican primary in wyoming to harriet hageman.
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ms. cheney has been an outspoken critic of the former president and was one of only 10 republicans to vote for his impeachment. the chair of kenya's electoral commission issued a statement regarding the legality of the disputed presidential election results. he says he's confident of the results and his actions in announcing william ruto had in fact won. the president elect himself says he's ready to move forward following his victory. the runner-up will challenge the legality. 4 of the country's seven electoral commissioners said they cannot in good faith support the outcome. earlier, our correspondent explained the comments. >> let me just give a background of what happened. tuesday --on monday before the presidential election result was announced in kenya, fou commissioners stormed out of the
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national turning center and went to a different location and gave a press conference, saying that they were not in agreement with the result that was about to be read by the chairman. it turns out today from a statement released by the chair that the commissioners wanted the result altered so that there would be no clrinner in round one. secondly, he also said according to the kenyan constituon, there was no demd for him to consult other commissioners in telling canyons who they had rightfully voted for he said if anyone was aggrieved, they can go to court. t to see just yesterday, mmissioners were accusing the chairman that he was not democratic, did not give them space to discuss the results, and it turns out to be the commissioners actually wanted the results altered.
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this is just playing out, and we will see what more will be known in the days to come. >> the controversial presidential elect would like to hit the ground running. when are we hearing from him? >> president elect wliam ruto, we are just getting use him now being president elect. he met with all of the elected members of parliament, governors, senators, everyone who has been elected under his coalition. he said it was time to deliver for kenyans, there were more pressing needs compared to other things pbably thathey were being pushed into. he said he was ready for court process, but also said members of parliament and everybody within to work to alleviate the cost-of-living for kenyans to ensure young people got jobs and promises they made were
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delivered to the country as soon as possible. >> felix moringa, thank you so much. russia has replaced the commander of its military fleet in the black sea a day after the russian-held crimea and peninsula was rocked by explosions. no one has claimed responsibility for the massive blast at a weapons depot, but ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy blamed what he calls russian incompetence. moscow blames the attacks on unidentified saboteurs. russian appointed authorities in primera say it -- crimea say fires are still burning. earlier, we asked our correspondent why ukraine's president is so sure these explosions were the result of what he calls russian incompetence. >> it is definitely part of a strategy to spread confusion. president zelenskyy has urged
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senior officials not to reveal too many details about military operations. nobody here really believes it has been a strange series of accidents on the russian side. a lot of different explanations are discussed at the moment. volodymyr zelenskyy's presidential advisers have also hinted at some form of ukrainian involvement. they opened up some kind of special forces, but it is all speculation at the moment. the russian side claims it has broken up some cell of local islamist group that might be involved in the attack. so there is a lot of confusion, probably a lot of wanted confusion around the topic. and a lot of russian tourists are currently leaving the region. >> jan-philipp scholz reporting
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from kyiv. several people have been injured. three of them seriously after they jumped from a train that had drawn close to a forest fire in eastern spain. the driver had stopped the train and was preparing to reverse away from the flames when panicked passengers tried to escape. >> cellphone video captures the mont inside the train which prompted some panicked passengers to break the window and jump. the train was traveling north when the wildfire brought it to a halt. the driver asked passengers to stay on board while she reversed away from the danger. not everyone listened. some ran back to the station. others returned to the train with severe burns. emergency services were dispatched to the train stop in eastern spain to treat the shaken and injured. people in the small community also helped out. >> people said we have to get
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out of here, no matter what, because it is a diesel train. the ambulances came and a severely burned woman was evacuated to hospital by a helicopter that landed on a local football pitch. >> the injured were in bad condition. passengers were scared. we gave them water and did everything we could for them. then a bus came and took them to safety down the road. >> two people had to be evacuated by helicopter, while others were transported to nearby hospitals. valencia is the latest region to experience severe forest fires caused by spain's extreme heat wave. at least three firefighters were injured this week battling the blaze in eastern spain, which has forced 1000 residents to flee their homes. an investigation is underway to determine why the train was permitted to travel into an area with an active wildfire.
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>> you are watching dw news. german film director wolfgang petersen, the man behind epic world war ii drama das boot, has died. we take a look at his wide and varied legacy. ♪ >> but first. nasa has begun preparations to launch the most powerful rocket it has ever built. the long-delayed space launch system is part of a multibillion-dollar effort to return humans to the moon by 2023. as practice for future missions to mars. the enormous rocket is scheduled to undergo its first unmanned test at the end of this month. almost 50 years after the last mission to the moon, what took us so long? we put that question to someone who used to work at nasa and is the editor of spaceref.com. >> i'm 67, i remember those
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missions and growing up as a boy , they said we have only flown one person in space, let's go to the moon in nine years, we did it. and we will go to mars in 1981. that never happened. a lot of older folks, it is about time. for more than half of the people on this planet, they've never seen anyone walk on another world. for them, it is as if it never happened. it will be interesting from several perspectives. >> what is different this time around? what have we learned from past missions and other players joining the game? >> the other players is important. part of the launch system that will go up is a european stage right behind a capsule where the crew is. on board for this flight, there are no humans aboard, there are three dummies with medical equipment, two from europe. we will learn more about how the
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spacecraft works on this test flight. on the subsequent flights, which will have crews in about a year or so, we will learn more about how they survive. a lot is remembering what they did back 50 years ago, but with 50 years of experience since on how to design systems. it will be nostalgic, but also brand-new at the same time. >> nasa is clearly very excited about this. what is so special about the space launch system? >> it is interesting. something old, something new, something tried, something true. the engines at the bottom were used to fly on space shuttles for a number of years. rockets inside are derived from space shuttle hardware. the tank is something like a space shuttle. i'm talking about the apollo capsule shaped thing. looks retro, but it is all smashed together. the old nasa logo and new nasa logo. it is inging everything together.
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but we have a half a century more experience under our belts. that is what is exciting, bringing it all together. and the landing system will be a spacex rocket. something brand-new on top of this will be part of the whole expedition we send to the moon. >> after the test flight, how long until we will have boots on the moon again? >> i keep hazarding a guess like everyone else, it gets delayed. i uld say within the next several years. i'm not really hedging a bit. they are not sure. it depends on the one before that. this hardware has had delays. in the next several years, we will see humans walking on the moon again. >> keith cowing, always a pleasure. >> now to some other of today's top stories. russian and u.s. officials say a spacewalk outside the iss ended early on wednesday. moscow's ground control called off the walk after an electrical issue was discovered in one of the two cosmonaut's space
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suits. they returned to the airlock safely. several people have been injured in a wave of arson and bombing attacks in the south of thailand. authorities say at least 17 occurred overnight, mainly in convenience stores and gas stations. thailand's southern provinces have been the scene of a muslim separatist -- for two decades. australia's former prime minister has refused to resign from parliament after it was revealed he secretly appointed himself to five ministerial roles during the covid-19 crisis. the current prime minister has asked for an investigation into the legality of their arrangements. now to france. earlier this month, the government lifted a state of health emergency imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. more than 150,000 people have died of covid-19 in france.
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infection numbers are currently stable and 80% of the population has been fully vaccinated. what do people in the french capital think of lifting the restrictions? our correspondence sent us this report -- correspondent sent us this report. >> he's a taxi driver in paris, and someone who still takes the covid-19 virus very seriously. he keeps masks and hand sanitizers ready for his passengers. the cabdriver nearly lost his father to the coronavirus during the first wave two years ago, and experience -- an experience that made him extra careful. he said people should not lower their guard either. >> my father was in a coma for 10 weeks when he got covid. he was in a desperate and really catastrophic state. luckily he came out of it. i prefer to not take any risks. after everything we have lived
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through, i'm surprised people don't take any precautions anymore. it is still dangerous. all of these people i see not wearing masks are actually gambling with their lives. >> but he is something of an exception in paris. on the metro, there are few signs of passengers taking precautionary measures. in may, the government said people were no longer required to wear masks on public transportation. now the authorities have gone further. the french parliament recently adopted a bill lifting a state of health emergency imposed at the beginning of the pandemic. starting august 1, all measures put in place to fight covid in france have ended. that includes everything from curfews, emergency lockdowns, remote working, face masks, and a health pass to access museums or restaurants. the lifting of covid restrictions has been welcomed
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by many, especially at paris' tourist hotspots. visitors are once again flocking to the french capital. >> i think imposing restrictions on people is not a good thing. we are all human and we are all free. >> on the streets, it is nicer to see people's faces, to see them smiling. it is so much more livable. others remain weary. >> we are still afraid of the new variant of the coronavirus. a few days ago, we went to disneyland, which is so crowded. nobody was worried, nobody was wearing a mask. >> health authorities are still monitoring new infections. at the end of the state of health emergency, it has not changed france' policy on testing. the number of people coming in for covid tests has dropped drastically. that could change once per reasons return from summer holidays.
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-- parisians return from summer holidays. >> restrictions should be lifted gradually, not ended overnight. there are places like public transportation or pharmacies wear a mask is recommended but not mandator it should be. we have to take care of people who are vulnerable at a time seriously sick. i strongly expect a rise in positive covid cases. >> for his part, he's not taking any chances. he preps his taxi carefully before taking on his next passenger. he's not contracted covid so far , and intends to keep it that way. >> oscar-nominated german filmmaker wolfgang petersen has died at the age of 81. he shot to fame with his world war ii submarine epic in 1981.
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his first english-language film was the never ending story in 1984, before directing a string of hollywood hits including thrillers, air force one, and troy. >> wolfgang petersen built a career like few german directors ever achieved. his trademark, elaborate, powerful thriller movies. his 1981 film "das boot," was one of german cinemas grade exceptions. it was the most expensive production at the time yet, and picked up six oscar nominations. >> i love big stories, i love taking people by the hand, taking them to a world and keeping them there for hours. >> strongly defined characters, these were evident in his early works for television, like the german language crime series. after his success in theaters with the fantasy film, in the mid 80's, he moved to hollywood.
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after an initial dry spell, one of cinemas biggest stars, clint eastwood, wanted petersen to direct him. in the line of fire packed with action but profound, a triumph with raver views and a smashing success at the box office. he established himself as one of hollywood's block duster directors. his films often carried a patriotic message. in air force one, the american president single-handedly saves his plane from terrorists. the biggest stars wanted to work with wolfgang petersen. the budgets for his movies soon exceeded $100 million. his biggest commercial success was troy, the epic historical film with brad pitt. peterson belonged to the small circle of directors granted the final word in hollywood, with complete creative control over their own work. in 2016, for the first time in
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30 years, he directed a movie in germany. a crime comedy. >> when i went to the u.s., i had the feeling, and so did others who said i need to make a comedy film again, because they think i'm funny, have a sense of humor. which is true. please laugh. >> wolfgang petersen, an exceptional director, a man who never forgot his roots, but who lived out his dream, above all, in hollywood. >> 2 paddle borders in argentina had a wonderful hour off of the coast of -- which means wonderful in spanish. they saw about eight dozen whales who surrounded them and swam up to them. being as close as they were, one of the men was knocked off of his board. but the paddle borders say the
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unexpected experience was exciting and worth every minute. here's a quick reminder of the top story we are following for you at this hour. chancellor scholz said he's disgusted by the comments from the palestinian leader during a visit to berlin. he accused israel of committing 50 holocausts against his people. stay with us. i will be taking you through the day's biggest topics in a couple of minutes. hope to see you there.
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