♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin. east african countries and the u.s. urging the nigerian junta to restore rule. talks with a top u.s. official failed up put the president back in office. also, leaders from eight south american countries holding a summit to discuss protecting the amazon rain forest from deforestation and crime, the

first such meeting in more than a decade. slovenia again's mammoth cleanup after some of the worst ever flooding. we get a report from the ground from our correspondent. i'm brent goff. to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world, welcome. we begin tuesday in nigeria -- niger where efforts to restore civilian rule have hit a wall. the new military rulers refused to allow a west african peace mission to visit from neighboring nigeria and rejected a request from a top diplomat to restore niger's democratically elected president terry the military junta seems unwilling to back down even after other countries in africa impose

sanctions and trade restrictions. reporter: trucks carrying goods at a standstill on nigeria's border with niger. some drivers have been stranded for days while the food on board rots in the sun. >> it could spoil at any moment because of the heat. we open it every day. reporter: nigeria is a member of the community of west african states, ecowas, which opposes the recent military coup in niger. it has closed its border to its neighbor, stopped supplying it electricity, and is imposing sanctions. it is not only trade that is affected. niger has seen much-needed international aid be stopped from several countries who condemn the recent power grab. the e.u. commission underlined

its decision on tuesday. >> all activities are suspending, meaning financial assistance, civilian missions, security issues. we are not working together with the current illegitimate authorities. reporter: ngo's worn that retracting aid could worsen the humanitarian crisis for the most vulnerable. a delegation from the ecowas, african union and you and were rejected entrance by the new leaders. a day after they welcomed leaders from mali and working a faso. -- burkina faso. meanwhile ecowas hope a diplomatic solution can still be found. brent: i spoke with a former director of information at ecowas. i asked him what would be the best outcome of the ecowas

summit scheduled this thursday. guest: the best outcome would be that the west african leaders realized the warmongering strategies and are using discredited international organizations like ecowas, the african union, like the united nations. they have to realize it is a ocup -- it is a coup in the making. they were not elected properly in 2021 and was presiding over a country rife with corruption and

authoritarianism. west african leaders should look at all the options, not just military options. may be the best way is to open dialogue. brent: what are the options if the military leaders continue with this silent treatment? adama: they are right in doing so. civilians were mobilized in ecowas, they are not the people with the capacity to lecture anybody. when they come to power, it is one man, once.

nearly 53% of africans [indiscernible] we are not in support of a military coup, but there was no other option than to concede control by civilians. the west is coming in to take advantage, hiding behind international organizations, countries like germany, the u.s. and others to recapture, recall a nice african countries. it is not -- recolonize african countries. it is not going to work. brent: since you brought up france and the u.s. i want to mention the role of russia in this. there are reports russian wagner

mercenaries may be in the area, even in niger. what role is russia playing in this and could it lay a positive role -- play a positive role? adama: let's not get carried away. russia today is a weak country, nearly defeated by ukraine. they have shown the weaknesses of vladimir putin putin, no longer the powerful person we thought he was. at the end of the day, they do not have the capacity to change the fate of these countries.

they used to be an alternative to the western nations capitalistic brand of leadership. they cannot address the problems alone in africa. brent: unfortunately, we are out of time. we could tell by talking to you how much is at stake with the future of niger as well as west africa. we appreciate your time. leaders from eight nations meeting in brazil to secure the rain forest future. hundreds of people from indigenous communities have marched outside the event to draw attention to various threats facing the region. this is the first summit in 14 years, at a time when scientists are warning the destruction of the rain forest is approaching a tipping point. brazil's president da silva has

called the meeting landmark initiative to save the amazon. >> we had not met for 14 years. it is the first time we meet, the first time in a context of a severe worsening of the climate crisis. it has never been more urgent to resume and expand this cooperation. the challenges of our era and opportunities that arise demand joint action. brent: i want to bring in a senior researcher at the institute for advanced studies at the university of são paulo. he was there until just yesterday. the president calling for urgent action, but indigenous people are protesting. what is that going to do to the chances of tangible, real success being achieved at this summit? carlos: good morning.

of course, we hope the summit will agree on getting to zero deforestation, zero fires, all over the amazon soon. cultures have agreed in reducing deforestation to close to zero by 2030. but we need to speed that up. peoples in the amazon hold 25% of the forest, so they deserve a lot of protection. they deserve to benefit from maintaining the forest and we have to respect the indigenous peoples knowledge for thousands of years. they have maintained it for us. it is right for them to claim support of all amazon countries for maintaining their culture and the forest. brent: i would like to get your

opinion on the role of the president of brazil in this. bolsonaro was considered not a friend of the movements to stop deforestation. lula da silva is considered a green friend. is he enough to make tangible success possible? carlos: we hope so. 20 years ago when he was president for the first time, 2003, he also invited the minister of environment and then there was a clear reduction of deforestation. deforestation in 2004 was gigantic. in 2012, it came down 83%.

now in seven months we have a reduction in deforestation in the brazilian amazon. brazil has 61% of the amazon forest. we had a reduction of 43% in the first seven months of 2022 under the bolsonaro government. we are seeing policies president lula implemented in the brazilian amazon, so we are optimistic brazil will reduce forest degradation in the amazon. brent: are you optimistic that efforts to save the rain forest will not become more politically polarizing than they already are? there are comparisons between brazil and the u.s. with the environmental movement being a polarizing one and a culture struggle. carlos: yes, of course.

there is a cultural struggle. we have to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 50% by 2023. -- 2030. we are not moving in that direction globally speaking. but they want to get to zero deforestation before 2030. i think in this context and also when we have polls in brazil, more than 90% of brazilians want to preserve the amazon. politically, we will be able to succeed. we are hopeful we are going to achieve this goal of zero deforestation. brent: a lot of people are rooting for you. carlos with the institution for advanced studies at the university of são paulo, we appreciate your time.

carlos: thank you. brent: the issue of sustainable farming is high on the summit agenda. cocoa farmers say they will not be able to earn a living without a healthy rain forest. reporter: bright and yellow, this is how the cocoa pod should look when it is ready to harvest. >> this is of good quality, a bit acidic, though, but that can go away. reporter: she has been growing cocoa for 40 years. it is a family business. she invested her own resources in farming sustainably. on her seven hectares on this

island, she follows the rules of agro farming. without chopping trees are chemical fertilizers and in sync with nature. political leaders want to boost bio economies to protect the forest. >> we need leaders to really sign agrarian reform. so that small producers have access to microcredit, which has incentives, such as help with machinery. it is not to become a big industry, but small, traditional industries. reporter: small industries like hers do everything themselves, from the cocoa bean, to an array of chocolate she is proud of. an investment could give nature

a respite and help generate degraded areas. >> 20% of brazil's amazon rain forest have been affected by destruction, mainly due to agricultural activities. projects like these could lead to more sustainable agriculture and provide income for local communities. keeping the balance is paramount. reporter: demand for products like cocoa is on the rise which creates the risk of a monoculture that further damages the forest. a biologist says the concept of bio economies needs to strongly focus on local communities to work. these are also victims of the destruction of the amazon. >> they want autonomy over the decisions that concern their

daily activities, they want their children and further generations to have the same products. that is something we should be keeping in mind. they want their livelihoods to be maintained. reporter: quality is more important than quantity. that is also the way to go for a cocoa farmer that has long understood the future of a healthy rain forest will determine the future of humankind. brent: let's take a look at other stories making headlines around the world. imran barred from politics for five years. the country's election commission said the decision is in line with his conviction on recharges. he has been sentenced to three years in jail for selling state gifts during his 10 years as prime minister. france prosecutors released a 55-year-old german man accused of imprisoning and torturing his wife in an eastern city.

the husband denied the claim saying she had cancer and he had been caring for her. the prosecutor said there was no evidence to justify continuing investigations. russian missile attacks on the city of eastern ukraine destroyed a popular hotel and killed several people. the city is about 50 kilometers from the front lines in ukrainian held territory. last winter's massive attacks on ukraine's energy infrastructure as russia sought to weaponize winter against ukraine's civilian population. kyiv is preparing for this coming winter, hoping to avoid outages that left people in the dark and without heat. our correspondent got rare access to one of ukraine's power

plants, a plant that is vital for ukraine to survive the winter. reporter: nestled in the fields of southern ukraine is one of the country's most important energy utilities, the south ukraine power plant. ukraine gets more than 50% of its electricity from nuclear power. that makes it the country with the second-highest share of nuclear electricity in the world. the plans went on the grid in 1982 and has just undergone annual maintenance. the head of the state run company is inspecting its reconnection to the grid. also a rare occasion for journalist to get a glimpse into the plant that is highly securitized for fear of russian sabotage. russia targeted energy -- ukraine's energy system last winter and the country's nuclear

power plant have become even more important. >> this winter. we started last winter. the damages to the system of ukraine. it could be worse. reporter: russia has not only attacked energy infrastructure, it has seized the nuclear power plant in zaporizhzhia that used to produce half of ukraine's nuclear energy. parts of it are set to be mined, due to a series of security incidents, it had to be shut down. reporter: since zaporizhzhia is under occupation and off grid, this powerplant has become even more important to ukraine's energy security. there is a fear of attack on one of their power plants. in the beginning, russian troops marched on the site, but were

stopped before reaching the power station. now pressure is high to run the plant as effectively as possible. >> i would say we have improved our maintenance system. we found how to repair units. last year we had about 600 days total in maintenance of units. now we have only 540. reporter: with winter approaching, ukraine is placing its hopes in its soviet era nuclear power plants. brent: the european union chief is heading to slovenia wednesday to offer support after flash flooding ravaged the country and claimed six lives.

dw traveled to the region to meet those hardest hit by what has been described as slovenia's worst ever natural disaster. reporter: after the deluge, dirt, debris and sludge cover the slovenian town. a local carpenter is trying to save what is left of his family home. >> right now we are living day to day. we do not know what is going to happen. i do not dare think about the future. we will manage somehow. reporter: he takes us inside. his tools are ruined and he does not know how or when he will work again. >> the water came all the way up

to here, it was all over. now we have the help of the firefighters. they are doing an amazing job. reporter: they are not the only ones. upstairs the cleanup continues. neighbors drain mud from each other's homes with soldiers drafted into beef up relief efforts. >> we are happy to help people and do our duty. that is all that matters and all we can do. reporter: but the task ahead is massive. >> because bridges have collapsed and roads have been damaged, helicopters are having to drop in supplies, including fresh water and food. officials say cleaning up all this damage will cost billions. reporter: that is why this small country has called on other nations for help. germany is sending prefabricated bridges. france has offered machinery and croatia is sending trucks.

the president tells us that is a lifeline. >> i am happy we are part of the european union. there are a lot of funds. slovenia, we do not have enough money to repair all the damage. we do have courageous, hard-working people, and we hold in solidarity. all the damages will not be repaid, but slovenian's are stubborn and we are used to starting from scratch. reporter: with the sun shining, locals do not fear flash floods now, but authorities are keeping watch because in the hills, the risk of landslides remains. brent: ireland has bid farewell to singer sinead o'connor. thousands of flocked to pay respects at a funeral procession before the singer was laid to rest in a private service.

o'connor was found dead at her home in london two weeks ago and was best known for her 1990 hit "nothing compares 2 u." as well as her activism which included tough criticism of the catholic church. reporter: sinead o'connor is a hero from her home of ireland. since her death, flowers and personal thanks have been piling up outside her old house. it was this seaside town that family, friends and fans bid her farewell. after muslim funeral prayers and a private memorial ceremony, her coffin was driven through the seats -- streets with thousands of people. a volkswagen van led, draped in rainbow flags and blaring bob marley whose famous song "war,"

which she covered. mourners clapped as they celebrated her legacy. >> she was so passionate and forthright. she stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves. she was vilified for it and it was wrong. time has proven she was right. >> a big icon in the town. she walked up and down, talked to everybody. she was a fabulous person. >> in my lifetime sinead was an iconic figure, a controversial figure, besides being a fantastic musician. she instilled in people they need to speak out for injustice, for the different factions in society. >> it is an awful thing that we come here today. to such a large warm atmosphere,

she had to die to learn people loved her. reporter: as the procession passed o'connor's former home, it paused to play her most famous hit. a chance to reflect and remember one of ireland's most powerful voices in music and activism. brent: ireland saying goodbye to sinead o'connor. you are watching dw news live from berlin. after a short break i will take you through the day. stick around.

>> niger's coup leaders refuse to meet with leaders from the african block. the block's chair says diplomacy remains the best way forward. amazonian rain forest nation leaders hold a summit in brazil to discuss economic development and ecosystem protection, the first meeting of the kind in 14 years. climate expert december claire july as the