♪ nicole: this is "dw news," live from berlin. the world'sthe craft is designee humans back to the moon, and one day onto mars. also coming up, nato chief jens stoltenberg makes his first visit to ukraine since the russian invasion. he says kyiv should be part of the alliance. and russia's foreign minister is

hoping to forge new alliances in latin america to offset western sanctions over the war in ukraine. plus, the climate campaigners aiming to bring berlin to a standstill. they want the government to do more against global warming. among their demands, a speed limit on germany's most famous motorways. ♪ i'm nicole frolich. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and all of you around the world, it is good to have you with us. we start in the u.s., where the largest rocket ever to lift off the earth has exploded minutes after takeoff. the giant rocket from spacex successfully lifted off in texas, but three minutes into the flight the starship capsule failed to separate from the booster. the result was an explosive end

for the rocket's first test flight. earlier we talked to jonathan mcdowell, an astronomer at the harvard smithsonian center. he told us that the launch was a success despite the explosion. jonathan: i think it was a qualified success. this rocket is just a completely new design. it is a real departure from things that have been flown in the past. so they were not expecting it to be fully successful. you have to debug these things. so it proved to several things. they proved to engines could fire properly using this new methane fuel. the proved the rocket could fly through the area at is roughest from turbulence, that could crumple the rocket if it was not built strong enough. and they proved it could fly in vaguely the right direction. it just could not separate enough from its upper stage. so they will try again in a few months.

there's certainly some serious problems they had, but this gives them something to focus on for next time. nicole: and the spacex employees, we just saw them cheering after the rocket exploded. do we know exactly what went wrong? jonathan: we don't yet, although we do know that several of the 33 booster engines did not start up. we know there was more damage than expected to the launchpad, and it is possible some concrete from the pad flew up and hit the engines. and then there are some suggestions that some hydraulic units exploded about 30 seconds into the flight that may have limited their ability to control the rocket and caused it to spin around and around when it got to the end of its first stage. so there's some clues, but we will have to wait for the failure investigation to see exactly what went wrong. i do not think anything of these

is a real showstopper for the rocket, but it may mean they have to redesign the launchpad a bit. nicole: where does that leave the starship mission? are we now any closer to the moon or mars after this launch? jonathan: i think we are. i think this is a necessary first step, debugging this rocket, figuring out how to make it fly. i think the hopes of flying to the moon in 2025 with a derivative of this vehicle are maybe a bit optimistic. i would be really surprised if it is ready by then. but the history of spacex has been that it has always taken them longer to make things work than they initially hope but that they plug away at it and they get there in the end. nicole: how are spacex endeavors different at this point from what nasa is doing? jonathan: first is that they are very much more willing to have

explosions like this. it is a much more silicon valley software approach, where you build a bunch of them, you blow a bunch up, and you learn as you go. whereas nasa and issa will dot every i and cross every t before they start cutting metal and fly anything. so it is a more, shall we say, cowboy approach to space exploration, but it has been working for them pretty well. when you look at the falcon 9 rocket they have been launching, it goes off like clockwork. i think you have to distinguish that from an early stage development, which is going to have problems. but if it works, starship will completely revolutionize space launch. and i am afraid it will be a big challenge to the european area and six which is a be one or two generations behind. if they can get it to work, they

will dominate the industry. nicole: astronomer jonathan mcdowell, thank you so much for your insights. jonathan: thank you. nicole: let's have a look not at some of the other stories making news around the world. tornadoes have ripped through the u.s. state of oklahoma leaving at least two dead and thousands without power. the twisters were some of 18 tornadoes that swept across the central u.s. overnight. authorities are forecasting more dangerous weather and urging people to find shelter. the world health organization has opened africa's first mrna vaccine hub. it was established during the pandemic and has been producing vaccines locally for some time now. the center will now coordinate an accolade across the -- coordinate inoculation across a continent. the u.n. secretary-general as appealed to the warring parties in suu down for a cease fire. more than 300 people have been killed in fighting between the giller army and the rival

support forces. he says civilians should be able to find shelter and medical treatment. reporter: a last-minute attempt to leave the city, which has turned into a war zone. people at this bus station in khartoum are trying to get onto one of the buses still offering their services. >> i am praying for safety, and that god ends the bloodshed. we're praying they reach an agreement. and god ends bloodshed of all muslims. reporter: hopes for a cease fire were high on wednesday, but a pause in fighting never came about. sudan's army said they would not negotiate with the paramilitary

rapid support group. the generals want a full surrender. it means more suffering for the civilians trapped in the conflict. >> according to the health ministry, 20 hospitals have had to shut down because of attacks and lack of supplies. eight more health centers are at risk of closure because of work overload and a lack of medical personnel. we call on all parties to commit to a sustained humanitarian pause in fighting as soon as possible. reporter: washington says it is sending more troops to its naval base in djibouti to prepare for a possible evacuation of u.s. embassy employees. other nations are reportedly also planning to get their people out. >> people have been really kind and helpful to us.

at the same time, people have also been getting more and more desperate. there was a huge fight breaking out, and as people get more and more desperate, things get more and more tense, so people's access to resources is dwindling. that's when things start turning for the worse. reporter: at a virtual meeting with african and arab leaders, u.n. chief and tenure gutierrez called for a three day truce starting from friday. when muslims mark the end of the holy month of ramadan. with fighting on the streets and prospects of a cease fire unclear, many are packing their belongings and leaving while they still can. nicole: at least 78 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in a crash in yemen. the tragedy unfolded as a crowd gathered in the capital to collect financial aid during the monthly holy month of ramadan. a warning before we take you there, this report contains

images some viewers might find distressing. reporter: desperately trying to free themselves. as security guards shouted at the crowd to turn back. others attempted to pull people from the mass of bodies. but for many who lead come in the hopes of receiving 5000 yemeni rials or about eight dollars u.s., it was already too late. dozens of injured people were taken to local hospitals. as were the bodies of the dead. >> in total there were 78 people that were killed. the hospital has brought in 73 injured, some seriously injured and some in less critical

condition. there are two patients in intensive care and 13 others are in need of intensive surgery. reporter: officials from the houthi rebel group were quick to visit the injured. >> we are experiencing a great tragedy. a large number of our people have died during the stampede. reporter: officials also visited the scene of the stampede. where investigators are already looking into the causes of the tragedy. some eyewitness reports indicate that the crowd may have panicked due to gunfire. it is yet another bitty blow for yemenis already suffering from more than eight years of war and a devastating humanitarian crisis. nicole: nato secretary-general jens stoltenberg has made his first visit to ukraine since the russian invasion.

he discussed bringing ukraine's military into line with nato standards during a meeting with president zelenskyy. he also paid his respects to the ukrainian soldiers killed during the 14 month war. and stoltenberg said ukraine should be a member of the alliance. >> let me be clear. ukraine's rightful place is in the euro atlantic family. ukraine's rightful place is in nato. and over time, our support will help you make this possible. nicole: dw's emmanuelle chaze has been following events in kyiv and told us about the significance of this visit. emmanuelle: it was one of the most anticipated visits of a foreign personality. jens stoltenberg had been invited over and over here in kyiv by volodymyr zelenskyy. he had not been here yet. this is now done today.

very significant, very symbolic of course. you mentioned when he paid his respects to the soldiers who died in the russia, ukrainian war that has been lasting since 2014. so that's quite something as well for people here to see the nato general secretary paying his respects. also, because this russian war against ukraine, it was one of the arguments used by vladimir putin, is the fear of ukraine joining nato. that was one of the arguments he used to invade ukraine. so of course this visit means a lot for ukrainians. also because jens stoltenberg said in no uncertain terms that nato was standing by ukraine, that he saw ukraine as becoming a member of nato. and he said that nato's support

would continue, that nato stood for today, tomorrow, and as long as it takes next to ukraine. he also reminded that in terms of humanitarian aid, emergency aid, and military aid, nato is doing a lot, with over $70 billion in military aid alone already provided by nato. nicole: these promises and positive words, ukraine's rightful place is with us, i feel like we have heard these many times before. have they turned into any concrete pledges from stoltenberg? emmanuelle: that is what ukrainians hope, that is what volodymyr zelenskyy helps as well. he thanked jens stoltenberg for the invitation to the nato summit over the summer, but he said he also hopes ukraine will get an invitation with any nato, and not just him at the table of negotiations. so he is hoping that the talks will lead to concrete action

with jens stoltenberg, reminding that the military aid is continuing and that he is hoping that tomorrow at the meeting of ukraine's allies, more military aid will be pledged. today we have already had a glimpse of the next shipments of aid with denmark and the netherlands buying jointly together 14 leopard 2 tanks they will send to ukraine in 2024. nicole: emmanuelle chaze reporting from kyiv. always great speaking to you. brushes foreign minister sergey lavrov is touring latin america in an attempt to forge new alliances. he has condemned western sanctions imposed over the war in ukraine. on his trip he has been welcomed by the governments of brazil, venezuela, nicaragua, and cuba. reporter: russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov on a diplomatic push in latin america. he met with nicaragua's president, a vocal supporter of

moscow's invasion of ukraine. russia and nicaragua are key allies and are both under western imposed sanctions. lavrov touted a multi-polar world order and announced the west's sphere of influence. >> attempts by the west to establish dictating anyone to everything anywhere in the world can be seen in what is happening around ukraine now, and in nato's claim of having a role as a global security guarantor, including in the asia-pacific and a number of other regions around the world. reporter: in venezuela, lavrov held talks with president nicolas maduro, another leader looking to counter the west. plans to expand energy, investment, and trade agreements were announced. >> we have a very rich agenda

with venezuela. many practical projects are being implemented. we discussed this in detail today and told you about it. and this cooperation actually contributes to strengthening the foundations of an independent national economy, not dependent on whims and blackmail from our western colleagues. reporter: lavrov stressed that both nations are committed to implementing the united nations charter's principles of sovereign equality and noninterference in world affairs. after his tour, lavrov will head to new york to chair a un security council meeting. nicole: we can now speak to nicole riche, are latin america correspondent joining us from bogota. is this a pr tool or what is russia expecting to get out of this trip? nicole r: obviously this trip is

seeking to further strengthen ties with longtime allies here in the region in latin america. lavrov is doing this visit at a time when pressure is further isolated, and also sanctioned by western countries due to its attack on ukraine. so it is crucial for pressure to go to these regions where they still have relationships, where they still have partners. and it is also a show of strength of course towards the west to say we are not as isolated as you might think. we still have these partners and we have had them for decades in some cases. these are relations that are going strong and we can still do business with them. this is the case with venezuela, where it has received support during years where it has also been suffering from international sanctions. venezuelan president maduro during his meeting with lavrov this week pretty much also transmitted this message of a deep and profound relationship and even friendship. this was a message they clearly wanted to transmit to western

countries that are putting sanctions on them. this is a way russia is treating its way around certain problems right now that the country is also experiencing due to its attack on ukraine. they have shown their influence in latin america is still there, still going strong, and there are still important allies they have. nicole: so we know what russia's agenda is, but what about the companies -- the countries welcoming lavrov, what do they want from russia? nicole r: they are also looking for a stable partner they can trade with, that they can sell goods to but that they also receive goods from. venezuela alone has 300 signed agreements with russia. nicaragua is receiving wheat from russia. and brazil, for one of its most important sectors, agriculture, is importing fertilizers. 85% of these fertilizers come from russia. russia is also selling them fuel, so these are mutual relationships. both parties depend on them.

latin american countries also of course want to trade with other countries in the world. and if this is an obstacle because of their stance towards the war in ukraine, this can become a problem for latin american countries in terms of trade. so there is no surprise that a few days ago the brazilian president called for peace negotiations, but he did it in a very clumsy way. he also blamed ukraine for the war that is going on, and then he also said that the u.s. should stop encouraging the war by sending weapons. and that went down very badly in the eu and in washington. he was heavily criticized for these comments and needed to backtrack very shortly after the comments, also stating that he condemns the attack on ukraine. but it makes it very difficult for someone like lula da silva, who wants to be a mediator in possible future peace talks, it is a very unstable landscape for him right now after these comments. nicole: briefly, would brazil

even be a serious contender for mediating and leading peace negotiations, holding that position? nicole r: at least since lula da silva has taken over office, he is pushing for that position. he wants to have a group of countries that sit down at a negotiating table with russia and ukraine. but it is, at the moment, i think not on the table for the international community that he will take this position. it will not keep him from trying, though. although he makes controversial comments, it is not the first time this week. there were other comments he made in the past, for example that ukraine should leave crimea to russia, and that makes it complicated for him to take that role he so much desires. nicole: nicole ris reporting from bogota, thank you so much for all of that. and a quick look at some other news. k-pop fans around the world have mourned the death of the south korean star moonbin. he was found dead at his home in seoul at the age of 25.

police say they have found no evidence of foul play. the son of cambodian leader has been promoted to the right of four-star general. the prime minister has publicly backed his son to lead the kingdom in the future. scientists are warning that europe is likely to feel the effects of climate change and experience more extreme weather over the summer. they say heat waves, torrential rain, and floods are all likely. parts of spain have already seen unusually early forest fires, and the northeast has recorded 32 months of drought. reporter: this reservoir in catalonia, now an arid expense. structures submerged since the valley began a source of water have resurfaced as persistent drought has deputed reserves. with reservoirs tricking fast, they have turned to rationing. temperatures worldwide are rising at record speed.

in europe, scientists say the increases twice the global average. >> the mediterranean countries were particularly hard-hit by both extreme heat and extreme drought. you can see that if you look at the precipitation records and their moisture records, that the majority of the mediterranean countries were much drier than average. and in terms of the affected area, over 63% of rivers were below average discharge for that area as well. reporter: experts say that along with mounting polarized caps, the change in the circulation in the gulfstream is to blame. >> the gulfstream is our climate engine, and it is affected by the melting of the ice sheets in greenland. we're losing 250 gigatons of ice every year.

reporter: the old and the sick will be most at risk as the world heats up. nature will adapt. >> they will be changes in the type of plants you see. a lot of trees will still be here but there might be new species appearing as well. it will not be a huge difference, but it will be a more resilient landscape. that is the best way of looking at it. reporter: while still denied by some, climate change no longer be ignored. scientists are urging infrastructure upgrades and changes in behavior to preserve precious water reserves. nicole: in berlin, climate activists have began disrupting daily life in an attempt to get the german government to do more to reach its environmental targets. the group called last generation aimed to bring the city to a standstill. among their demands is a speed limit on germany's famous motorways. reporter: this is what the latest wave of civil disobedience looks like.

climate activists blocking one of berlin's most iconic streets. they have come to the heart of the capital to send a warning to their government. >> when the blitz happened, everything changed. the whole country realigned in order to defend itself. that kind of mobilization is what we need. we need to save ourselves, and the governments are failing us, all of us, by doing basically lipservice. it is not enough. reporter: peaceful, with the odd skirmish. the activists who had come from across germany eventually took a rest, before police forcibly removed them from the road. disruption tactics like this have divided opinions. what do you say to people that disagree with this method of protest? what do you say? >> i cannot understand them, because it is not easy. they want to go to work, they have children in their cars, and are stopped. we just want to reach the

government. it is the most effective disruption we can make. reporter: this group, one of many on the go today, what the government to phase out fossil fuels completely by 2030. down the street, activists glued themselves to the road. police officers, armed with cooking oil, had a messy job on their hands. >> practicing civil disobedience sucks, it is really not nice, but we do it because it is necessary. it is the only effective way of bringing about change, which has been proven by history. reporter: even here, the group finds support in the unlikeliest of places. you are a taxidriver? >> yes. i support this movement. how many times i am in a traffic jam because of the individual traffic? and nobody says, hey, you are blocking the street with your -- private car. reporter: for now, they will

take all the help they can get, but they know ultimate success will only come if political leaders act to drastically cut emissions. nicole: and here is a reminder of the top story were following at this hour. the world's biggest space rocket has exploded, just minutes after takeoff. spacex starship lifted off from texas but the capsule failed to separate from the booster, causing a huge blast. stay with us now. after a short break i will be back to take you through "the day." hope to see you there. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> welcome to "live from paris," world news and analysis from france 24. the united nations is asking for a three-day truce in sudan to cover the holiday -- the eid holiday. 85 dead at a crowd stampede and crushed in yemen. police tried to disperse a crowd where people had gathered in hope of the eid money gift. spacex explodes shortly after takeoff.

elon musk chooses to accentuate the positives. lesson learned, he says. no casualties. changes to be made before the spaceship can reach the moon, mars, and beyond. this is "live from paris." thank you very much for being with us. sudan's military ruled out negotiations with a rival military force in says it would only accept surrender. the u.s. secretary-general appealed for a three-day cease-fire in sudan to mark the muslim holiday of eid. >> fighting is particularly

dangerous for civilians, including children, who were repeatedly forced to shelter in schools. this is completely outrageous. warehouses, vehicles, and other humanitarian assets have an, looted, and seized. mark: the united nations secretary general, antonio guterres, there. over 300 people have been killed so far. over 3300 wounded in fighting. the majority civilians. >> smoke billows in the distance near khartoum international airport. the escalation in violence in recent days impacting residents in the sudanese capital. with the airport now close, getting humanitarian assistance into the country by air is impossible. medics are warning a catastrophic health care problem

is looming. >> the primary challenge we face is not the availability of hospitals or not. it is how we can get the sick to this hospital. how we can get the wounded to the hospital due to the dangers of the situation. getting the wounded there, getting the medical supplies to these hospitals, all of this is very difficult. >> sudan's military has ruled out talks with the rival pillen -- the rival paramilitary force for now. >> schelling has not stopped them in the areas of conflict in khartoum which are even hard to define at the moment, but there are places that are we can say worse than others, but at the same time, we cannot say that there is any one place that is really safe. >> the international community had called on both sides in the conflict to lay down weapons and talk. while some residents in khartoum

tried to get to safety, foreign nationals remain in limbo with the airspace over sudan close for now. mark: at least 85 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a crush at a ramadan cash handout that took place in yemen. women and children reportedly among the dead. three people were detained over the stampede. after big crowds gathered at a school to receive gifts of 5000 real, equivalent to about eight dollars, which is enough for a large family meal. this comes at the end of eid al ramadan, the muslim festival. >> hundreds attended this event, and dozens were killed. eyewitnesses described security personnel firing into the air in an attempt at crowd control hitting an electrical cable, which then exploded, causing

stampede. the event now a crime scene strewn with shoes and stained with blood. the rebels who run the city promised to thousand dollars in compensation to each family who lost a relative while the injured would get around 400. eight years of fighting between 70-backed government forces and iranian-backed houthi rebels have left the country reeling with more than 21 million people, 2/3 of the population, now in need of humanitarian aid. 6 million yemenis on the brink of famine with 2.2 million children suffering from acute malnutrition according to united nations figures, and aid

pleasures coming up short. mark: the situation in yemen already extremely difficult for the people living there. this adding to their sense of tragedy. let's bring in an expert in arabic and islamic studies joining us from oxford. thanks so much for being with us. this is a really shocking circumstance, isn't it? it is a sat observation that in a country where things are going badly wrong for ordinary people, ordinary people once again the victims. >> that's right. rather than putting the blame on the charity or those running the event, you have to look at the bigger picture, which is -- why were hundreds of people -- why were hundreds of desperate people flocking into that school for a cash handout of just a few dollars? it is because this is an impoverished nation and because

the war which has gone on for more than eight years, is so much more than a battlefield war. the economy is in freefall, and the pledging conferences that the united nations has helped, particularly the one this year in february, are just not coming up with the cash needed. the $4.3 billion that was sought by the united nations in february, only yielded about a quarter of that. it will be followed up next month by a new pledging conference fronted by the united nations with the u.k. and the netherlands, but the reality is that there are so many things going on in the world right now that distract from the war in yemen. there's ukraine, ethiopia, now the sudan, afghanistan -- that we really don't seem to have the bandwidth to tackle this crisis in yemen. mark: why is it that yemen has become this forgotten conflict? we at france 24 have reported on yemen, but one could say you could never report enough on a

tragedy like this that has become an ongoing situation. as you point out, eight years and counting. >> part of the problem is we are not really seeing this in our faces directly in europe or america. it is not like crises in syria or north africa where refugees end up on our doorsteps. it is very much in a forgotten corner of the arab world, and it is not a rich country. yemen has already -- always been a poor country and it does not have much in oil revenue, so it does not seem that it is a priority. there are glimmers of hope at the moment, so let's not be too down on this. there might be a path to peace in the offing right now. mark: let's hope that pathway can be cleared and that pathway can be trodden toward peace, but in the meantime, we are not there. is the involvement of saudi arabia the fact that has made the west rather cool on the region?

>> we have been supporting the saudi-led coalition in this war in yemen. it was supposed to be a quick war. it was supposed to last about six weeks. it has lasted over eight years and has not achieved any of the aims it stated. it has not -- it has not made saudi arabia's border more secure, and it has not reinstated the old government, but nonetheless, saudi arabia is looking for an out, and it is talking to those erstwhile who these -- houthis that just five years ago it had declared terrorists. i think there is progress and there are talks going on between saudi arabia and the iran-backed houthi rebels. that is a glimmer of hope, but it will not sort out the war because ultimately, it is a to mystically generated conflict, and it will need to be settled between yemenis, but it is a glimmer of hope. it is a start.

mark: we take it back to earlier times in the war of atrocities being committed, including war crimes we have investigated. there are many complicating factories -- many complicating factors. >> there are. transitioning justice will be one of them, but right now, the focus is on tamping down the regional dimension to this conflict. the hope is that the agreement signed between iran and saudi arabia a few weeks ago -- it is just a roadmap, not a polished agreement, but the hope is that somewhere in that lies a resolution to their specked of roles inside yemen and that it will generate some kind of framework that can lead to peace talks between the factions themselves, so all is not lost. mark: before i leave you, can we bring you back to the incident that has taken place, the people who have been hurt badly by the

stampede? viewpoint of the people rushing to this school to get a really modest hand of cash but cash they need because of the situation. do you have a final thought for those people? >> i have a final thought that they mustn't give up hope. it is easy to say that when we are sitting in our homes in europe, but so much is going on behind the scenes that is really looking for a way out for them that really does recognize finally that talks need to be inclusive and that their new to be transparent and robust mechanisms for these people that recognize their trauma and that there will be investment in their country to help rebuild it. we just have to keep that momentum going. for many of us here, they are not forgotten. mark: thank you very much indeed for sharing your insight and analysis of the situation with us. we, of course, continue to watch

all that's going on in yemen. a judge in tunisia has ordered that an islamist leader remained in custody. the news was revealed by his party denouncing in a statement on social media the unjust imprisonment of its leader after his arrest by police on monday. he's been charged with conspiracy against state security and ordered pending trial. >> following the closure of his party offices, a judge ordered his detention pending trial. the leader of tunisia's main opposition islamist party was arrested monday after mentioning a risk of civil war if opposition voices are suppressed. he's being charged with plotting against state security. one of some 20 political opponents and activists arrested since february. >> the judiciary must fulfill

its duty during this time so that it meets the expectations of tunisians and of history. we do not want to harm anyone, but we will not allow the country to become prey in the opposition's hands for them to mess with as they please. >> opponents have dubbed the president's actions a coup and a return to autocratic rule. in a statement, he condemned what he described as an unjust ruling which aims to cover up the failure of authorities to solve economic and social problems. the party held the most seats in congress before the president dissolved the chamber in 2021, allowing him to rule by decree. >> there is a desire to silence the entire opposition. this is something tunisia experienced 30 years ago. today there is a clear message

-- you mustn't oppose the current government because it is engaged in a kind of holy mission to save tunisia. >> the eu has expressed its concern while the u.s. has condemned the arrests, comments tunis described as unacceptable interference. mark: the nature achieved declared this thursday that ukraine's rightful place is in the military alliance and pledged more support for the country on his first visit to p.m. since russia's invasion just over a year ago -- on his first midget -- on his first visit to the region since russia's invasion over your ago. stoltenberg has repeated his promise throughout the war, though the organization has established no pathway no timetable for ukraine's membership. >> a show of support from nato's secretary-general.

the end stoltenberg in kyiv on his first official visit since the war broke out. >> we must continue strengthening ukraine's armed forces, and we must ensure that robust, powerful arrangements are in place for ukraine's security. ukraine's rightful place is in nato, and over time, our support will help you make this possible. >> officials in moscow often refer to the war in ukraine as a proxy conflict with nato, and allocation the secretary-general and individual member states denied. on thursday, denmark on thursday, denmark and the netherlands became the latest alliance members to announce leopard tanks for ukraine. the announcement comes as officials in kyiv continue to plead for more. >> the supply of weapons means

we are losing time on reaching peace and ukrainian troops who don't get the tools to fight pay the price. we want to understand when we will be a nato member. we also want security guarantees on our path to nato membership. >> ukraine applied to join nato last september in a move intended to send a clear message to moscow. kyiv hopes its application gets fast-track. a stink like members would like a symbolic gesture given to ukraine at an upcoming summit in july, but as long as the war continues to rage, it is unlikely to happen. mark: we are watching all the development on the situation in ukraine. next, the importance of peace in the taiwan strait. emmanuel macron speaking with his u.s. counterpart. the call comes in the wake of macron's words that europe should not necessarily follow the u.s. line on matters relating to china, including

taiwan. joe biden has about to defend taiwan's independence in the case of a chinese attack. french police fired tear gas in a village in the south of france. authorities said it was to keep angry protesters away from president emmanuel macron, the target of chants and echoes for a second day over his unpopular pension reforms. they had a state traveled to the region to discuss education. spacex's giant new rocket exploded minutes after taking off donna's first test flight, crashing into the gulf of mexico. elon musk's company was aiming to send the nearly 400 foot starship and rocket to a site near the x can border.

it was carrying no people, no satellites. >> these images show the highly anticipated test flight the starship created by elon musk's company space x. despite gathering speed, it started to spin in altitude, and it took only three minutes before starship went up in smoke. despite this, spacex is still celebrating the mission, as the test flight's mission was to gather data, and the odds of success were low. according to space x, the rocket's lower half with a super heavy booster did not separate itself from starship. nasa also wants to use a version of it to land astronauts on the moon's surface by 2025. >> congrats to spacex on

starship's first integrated flight test. with great risk comes great reward. looking forward to all that spacex learns and to the next flight test. >> space x already has customers lined up despite not being operational. the first crude flight is to be made with american billionaire jared isaacman, the rocket's first privately funded trip around the moon is scheduled for this year. mark: the demise of spacex. some sad news now, a singer from south korean boy band astro has been found dead in seoul. the news coming from his agency. the 25-year-old was found by his manager who went to the singer's home wednesday evening because he was not responding to contact.

police have said so far there are no signs of foul play. >> the k-pop singer first signed with his label in his preteen years. he then made his debut in the boy band astro. the group has sold over 1.4 million albums. he was found dead in southern seoul late thursday. korean media suspect suicide, but the police have declined to comment, saying only that there is no evidence of pal play. his record label posted attribute saying on apple 19, he unexpectedly left our world and became a star in the sky, also calling on the public to refrain from speculative and malicious reports out of respect for his grieving family. he was last seen in concert last week and was set to perform at the dream concert next month, one of the biggest dates in the k-pop calendar. south korea has one of the

world's highest suicide rates, and despite the upbeat culture surrounding the music, it is an industry that has been grappling with suicide in recent years. >> k-pop fans the world over morning -- mourning the death of them are -- a member of boy band astro. let's turn now to truth or fake. tonight, bud light beer facing a boycott in the u.s.

tell us more about this. >> anheuser-busch is facing calls for a bud light boycott from conservatives in the u.s. it began with this post on instagram from april 1 when a transgender influencer who has a following of 11 million people on tiktok announced her partnership with bud light years with this video on instagram. she explained that bud light sent her this personalized can that we will see in the video with her face on it, to commemorate 365 days of being a woman. shortly after the video was posted on instagram, far right wing figures in the u.s. called for a boycott of the brand, launching this trend on social media where those in favor of the boycott destroyed their bud light cans. here we see kid rock shooting at

a bunch of cans with his rifle. we will see this happening shortly. just right here where you can see him shooting at the bud light cans. there's more viral videos such as this one right here of this woman who stuck these bud light cans under her car tires, destroying them one by one, together with the song, if you can hear it, in the background, a song that has gone viral on tiktok, and then we have one more video that was posted on twitter where we can see hundreds or even thousands of alleged bud light beer cans being destroyed by this roller where you can see the caption in this tweet that reads, the bud light boycott is full gear. thousands of cases being steamrolled after it was revealed that just one sip of bud light turns you trans.

mark: you are painting a picture of a truly messed up country. what is true, what is fake? please clarify. >> as you said, as crazy as it might seem, both of the videos we showed are real, actually people destroying bud light cans over this transgender partnership. sometimes reality seems crazier than fiction. however, the final video we showed up thousands of cases, this video on twitter of thousands of cases of beer allegedly destroyed, being steamrolled, as they say, in this post, this video is real but was missed caption and does not belong to this current bud light cut. we conducted a reverse image search and found the original video in this news article. that explains that the scene took place in baja, california, when 87,000 beer cans were destroyed after piling up at the border throughout the pandemic

because they were imported illegally. here's the original post on twitter with this video posted by this mexican journalist with this witty caption that reads, a minute of silence for this tragedy, posted on february 28, 2023, so one month prior to bud light's partnership with trans influencer dylan mulvaney. mark: what a world. and q very much indeed. stay with us. much more news to come here live from paris. -- thank you very much indeed. >> for the third year running, revisited takes you on a tour of the monumental notre dame project, a challenging, enormous, yet nasa needing undertaking. >> [speaking foreign language] >> we meet the craftsman in

charge of re-creating the centerpiece of a reconstruction and also the many different tradespeople breathing life back into the cathedral. >> [speaking foreign language] >> watch "notre dame revisited," on france 24 and france24.com. ♪

04/20/23 04/20/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> this case is not about health and safety. let's be clear, this case is about nothing but ideology and this is incredibly dangerous for millions of people in this country who need access to medication abortion. amy: the abortion pill mifespristone remains available at least for