from berlin. tonight in ukraine, attacks in the city of kherson. two people are dead, thousands without power and heat. since ukraine retook the city last month, it has faced repeated attacks by russian forces. also coming up, european union leaders confront challenges including the war on their doorstep, and a bribery scandal linking the world cup to european politics.

also tonight, the iranian protesters condemned to death. german lawmakers are calling for their release and telling their stories. plus, released and deported. german tennis star boris becker walked out of a u.k. prison today. the former world number one spent eight months behind bars or hiding his assets after declaring bankruptcy. he is now back here in germany. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. we start out in ukraine where the city of the mayor -- were the mayor of the city of kharkiv says russian forces have hit critical infrastructure. two people were killed on attack in kherson that also knocked out

power. russian strikes on the country's power grid have left millions of people facing a harsh winter without power and without heat. reporter: heating water on an open fire. it's become routine. her home is without power and running water. russian troops are just five kilometers away, but she is determined to stay here and endure. >> i wish i had some canned meat, but there's no meat. it's cold, but we will still survive the winter. all i want is peace. reporter: here in the southern city of kherson, residents are also facing a daily struggle. russia continues to pound the city, recently liberated by ukraine. with limited supplies, waiting and long queues are now part of

daily life. >> all of the pharmacies are closed. this one here in the city center is the only one open. reporter: international aid is a lifeline for some. this center is providing food and relief from the freezing temperatures. >> i'm inside what they call a resilient center. outside it is raining, it is freezing, and it is dangerous. inside, thanks to the efforts of the government and the efforts of so many who have given so much support to the people of kherson, we're beginning to see lives starting again. reporter: but some centers cannot help all the ukrainians currently in the. it will -- in need. it will be a punishing winter for many. brent: earlier i spoke with nick connolly in kyiv and ask him about these latest attacks. nick: it seems like these two casualties in kherson, one was a doctor, one was a local, they

were at a humanitarian low care -- humanitarian health care center not far from a building hit yesterday. we saw a casualty, a child, losing his life yesterday. there is a sense that just as life was somehow getting back to normal about one month after ukrainian forces took the city, just as power had been restored, russia decided to remind them that they are in reach of everywhere, and are making people feel that impact. they are really upping attacks on the city, hitting lots of people who thought maybe it was time to start thinking about coming back, they will now be thinking twice if this is a city where any normal life as possible in. brent: these russian attacks on civilian targets, they are causing extreme hardship among the population. those are not my words, those of the words of the u.n. human rights chief. i want you to take a listen to what he said earlier today.

>> over 10 million consumers are facing cuts in electricity, and millions are cut off from a regular supply of water and heat. additional strikes could lead to a further serious deterioration in the humanitarian situation and spark more displacement. brent: nick, we have got this extreme hardship. it is obvious that people are not making this up. we hear this coming from the u.n. and yet russia continues to say it is not hitting civilian targets. how do we make sense of that? nick: obviously they are still claiming that this is about basically depriving ukraine's military of the power and logistics to make successes on the battlefield happen. obviously that does not cut a lot of ice when you are on the ground and see the targets being hit. but there is a level in which

they have given up trying to create a coherent narrative. people here in ukraine basically know that audience is lost to them, so this is just for people back home in russia who maybe want to believe what they are told, or people in third countries who don't have the ability to factor those claims. there is also the conviction in moscow that they are so big and important because of their nuclear status, the people have to talk to them whatever they do, whatever war crimes are committed by their troops. at the end of the day, outside powers will come and speak to them, so there is not much of a perceived impulsive need to stick to the ordinary rules of war. they can get away with it, at least that is what they think. brent: coming from the city of kherson, there are allegations of more abuses by russian soldiers. what do we know? nick: we heard from ukraine's

ambassador of human rights and he talked of teenage boys were picked up during the occupation for taking pictures of destroyed russian tech. that was interpreted as them electing information for ukraine's army and they were thrown into cellars. scant details so far, but it follows the pattern of things we have heard from kherson. just after ukrainian control returned, we spoke to people who spent weeks incarcerated for weeks, tortured with electrical shock, had been beaten up, had been kept incognito, family said no idea where they were. there is no reason to think russian troops would suddenly have behaved better here than elsewhere. unfortunately, it is realistic we are going to have more and more stories and bodies be found, and there will be more and more sad and grim stories emerging as time goes on. brent: nick connolly reporting tonight from kyiv. as always, thank you. the european union signed off on

a new 18 billion euro aid package for ukraine. leaders of the eu's 27 member states our meeting in brussels are the focus has been on supporting ukraine in its war with russia. the eu is also working on another raft of sanctions against moscow, but is still debating the details of that. ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy joined the meeting today by video link, and he made another appeal for aid, especially for more advanced weapons. dw's brussels bureau chief alexandra von nahmen is following the summit for us. i asked her how unified european union countries are about sending aid to ukraine 10 months into this war. alexandra: since the beginning of the war, this question is almost every time on the agenda when the eu leaders come here together in brussels. because of course we are talking about 27 member states with different perspectives and

different interests. and the longer they war drags on, the more difficult the situation is, the bigger the fallout that the european union is dealing with. let's take for instance the energy crisis, and the topic here on the agenda was this financial aid for ukraine. 18 billion euros. this aid a few days ago was blocked by hungary, then they lifted their blockade. the polish government was not happy with the way the package was put together. now all of that is off the table, and the leaders agreed to have those -- this money distributed to ukraine next year. but of course there are other issues like the next sanctions package which is on the table, with different member states having different opinions on that. so far they are united, but of course it is becoming more and more difficult the longer the

war drags on. brent: another decision today, the european union granting bosnia and herzegovina candidate status for membership in the european union. we know that being a candidate can be something completely different than being a member of the eu. a lot of time can pass there. so what does today's decision really mean? alexandra: it means that bosnia-herzegovina you is on its way to presumably become a member of the european union one day. but it does not mean they are going to be part of the european union very soon. it can take years, even decades. because of course they have to introduce reforms. they have to fight corruption, they have to introduce reforms of the judiciary system, constitutional changes. so it can be just of the begetting. it does not even mean that they

will start accession talks anytime soon. but it also means that the european leaders are making good on their promise to provide the countries of the western balkans with the european membership perspective. they want them to be closer, they want this way to counter the russian influence there, because of course the war in ukraine has shown important how that is to make sure that the european neighborhood is safe. brent: dw's alexandra von nahmen with the latest in brussels. as always, thank you. let's take a look at some other stories making headlines around the world. the european central bank has raised its lending rates by .5 to 2.5%, the fourth consecutive increase since july as it tries to fight inflation. prices across the 19 countries which use the euro have soared, driven by rising energy costs following russia's invasion of

ukraine. more than 30 people died in india after drinking what is believed to have been tainted alcohol sold without a license. liquor is illegal in the state. opponents of the law say more than 1000 people have died from drinking bootleg liquor since the ban was imposed six years ago. in the u.s. state of louisiana, tornadoes have killed three people. a hospital in the southwest part of the state suffered major damage. five people were injured. the city of new orleans also saw extensive property damage. iran has been shaken by anti-regime protests for three months now. at least two people have been executed in connection with the demonstrations. activists are warning that others face a similar fate. now german politicians are helping to raise awareness of the plight of some of these political prisoners. reporter: this is saman yasin,

a rapper belonging to iran's kurdish minority. famous not only for his music but also his criticism of the islamic republic. he was arrested in october while protesting and sentenced to death for allegedly harming national security. whose family is afraid he could soon be executed -- his family is afraid he could soon be executed. >> this is my cry for help, for justice. help me. who can speak out about my pain? somebody, please help me. reporter: a cry for help that did not go unnoticed here in germany. carlos kasper, a member of parliament, has taken on political sponsorship of yasin is now amplifying his mother's calls for his release. >> i have sent a letter to the iranian ambassador here in germany and i expect him to soon be released and not executed, because his execution could happen any day now.

reporter: and he's not the only one. in the past few days, dozens of members of the german parliament have become sponsors of political prisoners, and their number is growing. she's publicly speaking out to help save another well-known rapper who is reportedly being tortured in jail without access to the lawyer he requested. she shares updates about his condition, and is glad so many of her colleagues are now joining her. >> among them are experienced mp's, inexperienced, conservative, progressive. what unites us as we want to give these people a face. there is a saying, say their names. that is exactly what we do for those whom we take responsibility. reporter: this member of the german parliament is another sponsor taking on the case of a well-known human rights lawyer who is now in prison himself. to raise attention for his case

and also to send a signal of support for other people like him in iran. >> they have a goal that they are not giving up on. freedom, their freedom, the freedom of iran. this is a historical moment, a possibility for change. and that is why the europeans should be alert and make their small, modest contribution, to make this revolution for freedom and emancipation of the people successful. reporter: and while sanctions and other political measures are being discussed, they will keep making as much noise as possible to make sure they all stay alive. brent: earlier, i spoke with nassim papayianni from amnesty international and i asked her to give us a sense of the situation that these protesters who have

been condemned to death, the situation they find themselves in. nassim: we know of at least 26 people who are at great risk of execution in connection with the nationwide protest. after the iranian authorities arbitrarily executed two young men just in the last seven days in a bid to still -- to instill fear. at least 11 has been sentenced to death in 15 are charged with capital offenses and awaiting or undergoing trials. since thousands have been arrested and indicted, this raises serious fears many more could face the death penalty. in the cases of these 26 individuals, who we know that they have been denied fair trials, including the right to adequate defense and access to lawyers of their choosing, to be presumed innocent, the right to remain silent, and to receive a fair and public hearing. brent: and we know if you are related to someone sentenced to death, or someone who is in

trouble in the eyes of the regime, obviously it is traumatic for the family, but it can also be dangerous for the family, right? nassim: in some instances when family members have publicly spoken out and called for help for their loved ones, they have reported afterwards face and reprisals by the authorities. in many instances families continue to speak out in support of their loved ones. brent: and of course there are many families who have already seen their children killed during these protests against the islamic regime. nassim: yes. we have documented the unlawful killings of at least 44 children in the context of the nationwide protest, but we believe that figure is much higher and we are continuing our investigations. four of the cases we have identified, we have also seen the iranian authorities routinely harass and intimidate family members of the child victims to coerce them into

silence or force them to accept narratives that would absolving authorities and responsibilities for these unlawful deaths, by having their loved ones right statements, make video recordings that are then broadcast on state television. we have identified such practices against the relatives of at least 13 of the child victims. brent: i know for a lot of people who are following this story it feels like all you can really do is watch. what can amnesty international try to do to prevent these executions? nassim: what we have been doing is calling for our members, activists, and supporters to take action calling on the iranian authorities to immediately stop all executions and quash the death sentences of these individuals. and also to contact their own representatives and the states they live in, to call on them to speak out and urge iranian authorities to take similar actions. it is also important to keep their names and identities and stories into the public sphere

as much as possible, because it will keep pressure on the authorities that the world is watching in hopes of saving their lives. brent: we have this report in the program about what german lawmakers are doing just to generate attention for what is happening inside iran to these people. are there other ways to influence the outcome if you are outside iran? nassim: right. i would say that what we have been doing is we have been posting little social media posts with graphics and information and photos of the 26 individuals. keeping these details on social media asking our supporters and followers to share them to keep this into the social media sphere is one action that easily anyone can do when they are outside of iran. brent: nassim papayianni from amnesty international, we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you.

and hear more stories now making headlines this hour. nurses in the u.k. has staged an unprecedented strike. up to 100,000 numbers of the royal college of nurses walked off the job for a day, describing the action as their last resort in their fight for better wages and working conditions. the strike is part of a wave of british walkouts. an irish member of a u.n. peacekeeping force has been killed in southern lebanon. three others were wounded when their convoy came under fire. it is not known who launched the attack. the u.n. has begun an investigation. the russian space agency has called off a spacewalk at the international space station after detecting a coolant leak. nasa is working with russia to repair the problem. it says the station crew is not in any danger. lately, he has spent more time behind bars than on the tennis court.

i am talking about the german former tennis ace boris becker. he was released today from a british prison and is reportedly back in germany. in april, becker was sentenced to 2.5 years for declaring bankruptcy and yet hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets. the 55-year-old was originally required to serve at least 15 months but his lawyer says he has received an early release and is not subject to any legal restrictions back home in germany. here is correspondent carl nasman in london on why boris becker was released and deported just eight months into his sentence. carl: it sounds like a fairly light sentence in the end, only serving eight of the 30 months. it all comes down to him actually not being a british citizen. he is a german citizen but boris becker has been a fixture in the u.k., he has been living here in

england for 10 years. but he did not apply for british citizenship. this early release program he was eligible for is essentially for foreign criminals, citizens of other countries. what the u.k. is trying to do is ease the burden on its overcrowded prison system and boris becker became eligible for deportation. that is what is making the headlines, he is essentially being deported from the u.k. back to germany. it is all because he is a foreign national. serving about eight months of that 30 month prison system. arriving back in germany today, leaving from a london airport on a private jet. once he is back in germany he will not be facing any more prison time. brent: i guess in a post-brexit u.k., being a citizen of the eu has a different meaning than it used to.

what did he do to end up in prison there in the first place? carl: this all comes down to this bankruptcy fraud case. this was a trial that happened this spring. four counts of basically hiding millions of dollars of assets from creditors, the money he owed in a bankruptcy case. he was accused and later convicted on four counts, making big headlines in april when he was sent to prison. actually boris becker did do some hard time in a prison just down the river from here in southwest london pretty close to where he was living. he was later transferred to a lower security prison to be prepared to be sent back to germany. brent: before all of this happened, we were used to seeing this former tennis star, he was on television all the time as a commentator. what is he going to do now? carl: yeah, it just seems like

nothing can really dim the spotlight on boris becker. he was a big star here in the u.k. as well, was a fixture doing commentary for tennis matches. there is a lot in the works. apparently in germany he will be landing and doing a big television interview. there is an apple tv documentary being produced about his life. i don't know of you have seen that, there was a clip that dropped just yesterday about his turmoil the last three years. and there are other projects in the works. probably the person most excited for his return is his mother. she was speaking to the german media recently and she said the best christmas present that she could think of is a return home by boris becker. brent: i would hope that his mother would say that. carl nasman in london on our deportation beat tonight, thank you. now to the world cup in qatar, where morocco's dream run has ended after reigning champion

france defeated them wednesday. but morocco did make history by becoming the first african and arab team to reach the semis. but last night france's attack just proved overwhelming. reporter: given the history between morocco and france, this encounter was always going to be about more than football. but shortly after kickoff, france offered a cutting reminder that everything boils down to what happens on the pitch. and the reigning champions would be no pushovers. hernandez made it 1-0 just five minutes in. the 12th minute chance further showed the best defense might finally be vulnerable. despite the early deficit, morocco did not fold. he probed the french back in line with a spectacular chance just before the break. but it was france, largely on the back foot in the second half, who dashed morocco's

dreams once and for all. the substitute finished things off at 2-0. france will hope to keep the celebration going by retaining the cup against argentina, while a heartbroken morocco have already written history. brent: brazil might have had a poor world cup showing, but the players continue to attract europe's biggest clubs. real madrid has signed a teenage progeny from the brazil side for a reported 60 million to 70 million euros. he is 16 years old and the team's youngest ever debutante and he won a championship with them earlier this year. he will play before heading to madrid when he turns the big 18 in july 2024. here's a reminder of the top stories where following for you. ukraine says two people have been killed by russian shelling in kherson.

the city has faced repeated attacks since ukraine recaptured it back in november. and european union leaders are meeting for their final summit of the year in brussels. the fallout from the war in ukraine dominating the agenda with inflation, energy, and sanctions against russia also on th agendae. you're watching "dw news." after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. tonight, russia warning what will happen if the u.s. sends its patriots to ukraine. and nurses in the u.k. on strike. we will be right back. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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♪ >> it's 10:00 p.m. here in the french capital, and here are the stories making world headlines. eu members meet in brussels where they approved new sanctions against russia and an aid package for ukraine totaling 18 billion euros. poland paves the way, dropping its objection to a minimum corporate tax. for people facing charges including the former vice president of the assembly. the head of the parliament is

promising some wide sweeping reforms. in montreal, talks have hit a snag at the united nations conference on biodiversity. ere's disagreement on some of the most important and contentious issues, providing billions of euros for funding for conservation and protecting at least 30% for land and sea by 2030. hi, everyone. thanks for joining us. eu leaders voted to approve a new round of sanctions against russia along with an aid package for ukraine totaling 18 billion euros. poland paved the way after dropping its objection to a minimum corporate tax. ukraine is topping the agenda at the eu summit in muscles as leaders gathered for this

end-of-the-year meeting. let's start with this new round of sanctions against russia. what exactly do we know? >> well, we know that a ninth package of sanctions on russia has been approved, but the language is still being finalized in something called the co-repair meeting, which is the group of member states' ambassadors to the european union. there's a question on fertilizers because some western european nations are emphasizing that it is very important to have fertilizers being exported to african countries to ease the world food crisis, but a group of more hawkish european countries on russia have been

saying obviously we don't want to hold up russian fertilizer exports if that helps people in africa. however, those exports should not benefit oligarchs in russia, so this is the balancing act that had to be struck, and i'm hearing that there has been a breakthrough on this question, but as i said, the sort of final language is being worked out now. >> what about this massive 18 billion euros for ukraine? not everyone is on the same page, but in the end, members were able to reach a deal. how did that come about? >> president zelenskyy of ukraine addressed the council by video, and one diplomatic source i spoke to said that did have an impact. it did change the mood and helped to shift the polish position, but that was not the only thing that persuaded them to change.

they also got a compromise when it comes to a proposed deal on minimum taxation on corporations. they wanted a compromise that would go in their favor on that corporate taxes deal, and apparently, they have obtained that. that was a kind of quid pro quo that the other eu states gave poland, something on the corporate tax deal. poland gave them the green light, so to speak, on this 18 billion euro aid package to ukrain which can nowo ahead. >> i know that capping the price of russian gas was also on the agenda. was there any progress on that? >> there certainly seems to have been, though it is hard to gauge how much progress was made today

rather than previous -- previous formats such as the eu energy ministers, but certainly, i heard today from president macron's entourage that the phrase there was we've never been so close to a deal on capping the price of russian gas imports. this person in macron's entourage was saying we can expect to see a gas price cap of around 200 euros per megawatt hour, perhaps slightly under 200 euros. i'm not entirely clear if we are going to get a formal deal tonight or if everything will be formalized by eu energy ministers on monday, but one way or another, we do seem to be inching towards an agreement that has been elusive for the last two months. >> our your editor reporting for

us in brussels. thanks, as always. a bribery scandal at the european parliament is widening. the investigation has already ensnared for people, including one of the parliament's vice presidents, who is now in jail and has been stripped of her role. qatar has been implicated, and there's word morocco is also being investigated. the house promised new reforms are on the way. we get the latest from our correspondent in brussels. >> what she outlined today are pretty broad ranging reforms. she was making the comments speaking here at the european council summit just after she has spoken to the 20 senate prime minister's who are gathered here today. she said that she told him the parliament is taking this very seriously. she is envisioning that former mep's, which is what one of the suspects here is, might no

longer have free access to the european parliament. right now, if you have ever been and mep -- let's say, if you are a u.k. mep, you can just walls into parliament at any time and wander around. that could be going away. at the same time, they will look at ngo's, their sources of funding and their activities. two italian ngo's based here in brussels are under the microscope right now for allegedly funneling this money. then she's also going to look at coordinating with national authorities, notably in belgium, luxembourg, and france, to possibly remove the immunity enjoyed by members of the european parliament, which could impede investigations into this type of thing, and she also wants to get rid of these friendship groups that exist in the european parliament. this is when a certain number of mep's get together and say, "we are friends of country x," and they go to that country and it seems they are acting in the

name of european parliament even though they are not doing so in anything official -- in any official capacity. she said it should be clear who can speak on behalf of the parliament and who is not. the greek mep, one of the 14 vice president of the european parliament at the center of this, she was actually the person who spoke with the parliament from the middle east. the most notable thing she put forward today is that the transparency should become mandatory and foreign countries should no longer be exempt from being listed on it and having their meetings declared. a concrete proposal in january, it's not just her that can do this. she's going to have to work with the conference of presidents and the parliament and for some of these things she will have to

work with a commission because that transparency is shared between two institutions. >> that is our correspondent in brussels reporting. kosovo has officially submitted its application to become a member of the eu. it is the latest country in the western balkans to apply to join the 27-member bloc, but it remains a distant goal. kosovo is in a long-lasting dispute with another eu hopeful, serbia, and i've eu countries do not recognize kosovo as a nation at all. now to the escalating tensions between armenia and azerbaijan. for for the day, a road linking armenia to a disputed region has been blocked by protesters. >> this photo shows azerbaijani protesters blocking the soul archery connecting armenia with the majority ethnic armenian

enclave of nagorno-karabakh. the azerbaijan government in a statement blamed russian peacekeepers for the road being shut, which moscow denies. >> it is unacceptable to create problems for citizens. i also need to collect separately on two unfounded blaming a provocative actions from russian peacekeepers. wherever they come from, we think they are unacceptable and counterproductive. >> azerbaijani troops moved into the city located in the corridor in august. azerbaijan also cut off gas to nagorno-karabakh as temperatures plummet, and armenia politicians accuse them of trying to make life unbearable for civilians. >> residens of nagorno-karabakh

are deprived of free movement. many families were separated whose members remain on different sides of the blockade. many people have had severe medical problems and were deprived of the necessary medication and medical services. >> since azerbaijan defeated armenia in the 2020 war, the five-kilometer-wide corridor has been the only link between armenia and going to come about, which is ruled by a breakaway government, unrecognized internationally. the united states and european union have also called for the corridor to be reopened. >> now to istanbul where thousands rallied this thursday in support of the city's mayor. the court ntenced him to almost three years in prison for insulting members of the country's supreme electoral cocil. critics say it is a movement to eliminate a potential opponent of the president. we get the latest from our

correspondent in istanbul. >> he never once mentioned the ruling party nor president erdogan, but the speech this thursday left little doubt the assembled mayor a his alls blame them for lack of justice in the country. thousands of supporters gathered in front of city hall in what looked a lot like an election rally. th leaders of all six outlying opposition parties present in a show of force. that lack of a clear candidate has been one of the biggest complaints against the opposition bloc. >> that is our correspondent in istanbul reporting. >> ousted president castille was

freed last week after being impeached by parliament. protesters blocked roads again this thursday despite the government's declaration of a state of emergency. we get the latest from our correspondent in peru. >> protests are continuing in approximately half the country. clashes with police are continuing, and the roadblocks still stand in many parts of the country, despite the fact that there are no 15,000 troops on the ground who have been deployed as part of the state of emergency, which suspends the right to assembly and the right to freedom of movement across the country. we have heard three airports are still closed in the south of the country, and the vandalism is continuing. there have been attacks on the electricity grid, additional buildings, police stations, and tax offices in different parts of the country. there is a big much plant later

today which would bring together trade unionists, army reservists, and indigenous groups, among others, who are demanding first the closure of congress and the replacement of all the lawmakers, the deeply unpopular congress, but also the reinstatement of pager castille, the ousted president who attempted to dissolve congress and rule by decree a week ago now and they also say they are demanding the resignation of his replacement. >> that was our correspondent in lima reporting. now to the u.s. where a massive storm that brought tornadoes to louisiana is now creating blizzard conditions in the northeast. at least 15 million americans are under winter storm warnings. wednesday, the national weather service received reports of dozens of tornadoes. one of them ripped through a neighborhood of new orleans, causing serious damage and killing three people.

next, to montreal where the united nations' conference on biodiversity is underway. the meeting wraps up monday and the talks have hit a snag on some of the most important and contentious issues -- providing billions of euros of funding for conservation and protecting at least 30% of land and sea by 2030. the coral reefs are among the sites needing protection. on the mexican island of cozumel, cruise ships and the tourists they bring are threatening the environment. we have this report from quinton duval. liner stop in cozumel and uoade a flooof tourists. the small mexican island can receive up to seven ships at a time. yet, a fourth landing dock is to be built here. guadalupe martin is outraged by this. >> the fact that they want to build it here will mean the is no other way.f because there it will be necessary to drill,

to burrow on top of it. we did not support the project because there is life here. it is the last reef. >> garda lupe and the volunteers of her association are already seeing the cruise line's impact on the environment. every weekend, they go diving to remove the green algae that suffocate the coral. >> when they arrive on location, they were dumping water and then collecting more. this process also makes an impact as they don't water with bacteria, viruses, nutrients, and fecal matter. this contamination provides rich food for the algae. >> after a 90-minute dive, it is time to weigh. >> eight kilos, so that makes 11 kilos in total. we took out 11 kilos. >> this biologist has decided to

directly involve tourists in the conservation efforts. >> i have been coming to cozumel since 1984, and i've seen a severe decline in the amount of coral, and it is depressing. now that i'm retired from the united states, i want to come down here whenever i can and make an effort to restore coral. >> volunteers clean coral seedlings. >> they help us to restore the space and also what we managed to do is develop a sense of belonging to the reef. at some point, volunteers start thinking about their coral, and every time they come back to cozumel on vacation, they want to hear news about it. >> for now, the project has been suspended by a judge, but the destruction of coral is well underway. cozumel has lost 80% of its coral in 40 years.

>> if you have not heard, france and argentina will face off in a sunday's world cup final. it is a competition between two teams but also between two star players. >> it is a head-on battle between two of the game's biggest stars, and it is hard to pick between them. >> [speaking foreign language] >> [speaking foreign language] >> for the past 15 months, the two players have teammates. two global stars at different stages. the argentine is 35 while the frenchman is 33. messi remains the much bigger draw on instagram.

they represent a dual of generations for club and country, each with an obsession for making history. it coulde messi's year. he's looking to lift the one trophy that has eluded him, the world cup. in qatar, argentina fans have their own opinion of the duel between the two giants. >> it is a legacy game, you know? the greatest of all time versus the new face of soccer. >> the two already faced off in 2014 with france knocking out argentina in the round of 16. on sunday, the french striker will be looking to win his second world cup, while messi will be hoping to avoid a repeat of 2014.

>> it is time now for business. i have a feeling some people will be watching this game. what do you think? we are going to start with the latest action from global central banks and a warning that inflation is here to stay. >> to stay indeed. the european central bank has raised interest rates by .5%, lower than the .75% hikes it has repeatedly implement it this year. the head of the ecb warns it will keep raising rates as inflation is set to remain high for some time. >> first, the u.s. federal reserve. now the european central bank. as the fight against inflation continues, it did not come as a surprise when the ecu -- the ecb raised interest rates for the fourth time in a row and warned of more to come. >> we judge that interest rates will still have to rise significantly at a steady pace to reach levels that are sufficiently restrictive to ensure a timely return of

inflation to our 2% medium-term target. >> just like its u.s. and u.k. counterparts, the ecb slowed the pace of its rate increase, raising it from 1.5% to 2%. that still means it is now at its highest level since the global financial crisis in 2008, but by lifting rates in small chunks, central banks on both sides of the atlantic are responding to signs that inflation has already pete in many countries. eurozone inflation is expected to fall in november from a record high of 10.6% in october, but it will remain higher than expected in the new year. like other central banks, the ecb is walking a fine line between raising borrowing costs enough to cool inflation. without downplaying demand so much, it plunges the eurozone into inflation. the ecb has unveiled more details about how it would start inducing its 5 trillion euro

bond portfolio, which swelled during the coronavirus pandemic. that means it will stop reinvesting part of its maturing bond holdings starting in march. >> the bank of england has also raised u.k. interest rates by 50 basis points to 3.5%, the highest level in 14 years. even though the move is meant to combat inflation, currently at a 41-your high, the rise will also mean higher mortgage payments to some households. this is the nation remains in the grips of a housing crisis. on thursday, nurses joined a wave of strikes to demand better wages. they said they had no choice but to protest. >> what do you think about the fact that nursing salaries have been depreciating over the last 12 years at least? they used to get inflationary increases every year, and then

that got stopped. it is really a terrible state for anyone, not just nurses. >> we have been pushed to this occasion right now being on strike, and there will be further strikes, but we have to acknowledge that we are not here by choice. >> financial markets and global stocks tumbled following the latest action by central banks and their message that inflation is here to stay. wall street has had a selloff, wiping out all the weekly gains for the three indices with all closing down more than 3% and the nasdaq down more than 3% at the close. oil prices also dropped 2%. the u.s. government has added dozens of chinese firms on its trade blacklist, widening its black down -- widening its crackdown. 36 names have been added to the commerce department's so-called entity list, including china's

largest memory chip manufacturer . the move would make it extremely difficult for american firms to export to them. on the bright side, though, for beijing, the u.s. also removed more than two dozen chinese firms from another trade blacklist, including a company that makes ingredients for astrazeneca's covid-19 vaccine. hsbc has announced it will no longer finance new oil and gas projects in an update to its climate policy. it is a welcome move for climate campaigners that have been calling on global financial

institutions to do more to reduce carbon emissions. in the six years since the paris agreement, the wood's 60 largest banks have financed fossil fuels to the tune of $4.6 trillion. >> europe's biggest bank takes a major step in the fight against climate change. hsbc says it will no longer fund oil and gas deals that received their final approval after the end of 2021. the decision hailed by climate campaigners. >> large infrastructure projects do not happen without bank financing. for a bank to take a position they will not be funding new oilfield explorations is a big deal. quickly move is in line with with the international energy agency says is necessary for the world to reach net zero emissions by 2050. it comes after years of criticism from activists and major shareholders that the bank has been a key financer of greenhouse gas emissions,

providing nearly $55 billion to top fossil fuel producers since the 2016 paris climate accords. hsbc's project-specific limitation is largely symbolic. it affects only around 4% of its financing, funding for existing projects and nonspecific plants will continue. activists, though, say it could lead to progressn defunding the planet's wot polluts. >> our hope is this commitment will create a snowball effect in the bankingndustry and that next year, we will see a large number of matching commitments. >> earlier this year, hsbc said it would target a 34% drop in the carbon emissions it finances by 2030. >> finally for business, a christmas gift in style or not? in what he called a major

announcement, former u.s. president donald trump unveiled a collection of digital trading cards featuring himself. each enough to, or non-fungible token, is sold for $99. in a promotional video, trump said the cards featured some of the really incredible artwork pertaining to his life and career. the announcement resulted in widespread ridicule on social media. his successor, joe biden, comparing that to some policy announcements he made in the last couple of weeks. how's that for $99? >> i assume there will be people who will be willing to spend the money. i have no idea what to say about this. ok. thanks a lot. that is it for now. stay tuned for more world news coming up here on france 24. ♪ >> brazil is a country more divided than ever. leftist president lula is back

for a third term, but he is facing a conservative parliament lining up behind his predecessor . in the next "side the americas," we will take a look at lula's comeback and the fight to reunite the country. >> the history of our world is ever-changing. the flow of information is constantly increasing. we cover all subjects. we verify. we connect. on the ground in all circumstances to anticipate the future by studying the present. we are with you 24 hours a day seven days a week. france 24 -- an alternative to the news. liberte, egalite, actualite. ♪

12/15/22 12/15/22 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force must come to an end. the old methods of those who wield power simply don't work. in fact, they only aggravate the situation. we are now in a