>> this is dw news live from berlin. cubans recruited to fight for russia in ukraine. the government in havana says it has uncovered a human trafficking network signing up humans in their homeland and in russia. also on the program, the kremlin silent on possible weapons talks between russia and north korea. u.s. media says kim jong-un plans to visit vladimir putin to discuss arm -- arms sales for the warm in ukraine.

micro boats leaving tunisia, we need a man to risk his life -- we meet a man is king his life to profit from the journey. american teenage tennis sensations if to a career-best of the u.s. open, the 19-year-old is chasing her first grand slam title. to those of you joining us on pbs and all of our viewers around the world, welcome. kubrick -- cuba says it has uncovered a traffic ring -- even trafficking ring recruiting fighters for ukraine. the organization has coerced cubans living in russia into signing up as well as those back home. cuba is a close ally of russia but the foreign ministry dresses

it is not involved in the war in ukraine. cuban authorities are working to dismantle the network, they say. our latin america correspondent told me why cuba might have spoken out so publicly. >> this is quite an unusual situation, it was probably prompted by a video that surfaced a few days ago which shows two very young cuban man around the age of 19, shown on a spanish speaking program in miami, claiming that they are currently in russia and that they had gotten an offer to work there in construction, followed up on that offer and been allegedly flown to russia where they found nothing but the situation of recruitment. there was no real job waiting for them. they say that their documents had been taking away -- take away and their passports and their money. they said that they are not the only ones from cuba, and they are asking for help, for authorities to get them out of

their, they say they are scared. this is a video that we cannot verify, but this had quite an impact on media in cuba as well, the tv station claims they have received some response from other cuban citizens who want to stay anonymous who claimed that they were in a similar situation and i think this was enough pressure for the cuban authorities to offer such an allegation instead of looking at it behind closed doors in silence. >> but cuba is one of russia's closest allies in the region, isn't it? >> it is one of the closest allies in the region, not only cuba but venezuela. they had these economic times that go back in time, it -- they have invested in their energy sector and steel factories. there is a good relationship between the two as the state

visits have continued during the russian attack in ukraine, and they have been confirming that they have a good relationship. nevertheless, it seems to be the case that there are cubans in russia, we don't know how many of them go there voluntarily to get involved with russian armies or how many might be tricked into going or lured into this situation where these two men are claiming that they have experienced it. it's very tricky to say that. what do we know about the incentives being offered to the cubans being driven to join russia's war effort? >> cuba has experienced a massive exodus of people for a long time, due to a severe economic crisis. the country is suffering a shortage of products, there is huge inflation, people are living in poverty, and young people don't see any prospects of staying in cuba. some of the incentives might be that there is a job offer

outside the country, money waiting for them somewhere else, even citizenship that might be offered. i got to talk to a person from cuba living in the united states just a few weeks ago, and he preferred to work a 20 hour day in the united states instead of going back to cuba because the situation is so bad and he sees more prospects in the united states for his future. that is the case for many young people, and were trying to build lives and futures. there might be motivation from that side and other motivations might be possible but we cannot verify them at the moment. >> nicole ris, from the colombian capital of bogota. the kremlin is refusing to comment on claims by u.s. officials that kim jong-un is to hold talks on supplying russia with weapons for the war in ukraine. the security council says that negotiations between the two nations are actively advancing. the two nations had previously

committed to closer military cooperation. >> north korea's military might on full display. at a celebration in july, marking the korean war armistice, russian defense minister circuit showing you s --ergei shoigu side-by-side with the president. they made a big show of the expanding nuclear program. but what russia needs is more simple. ammunition. notably, artillery shells and antitank missiles. as many as they can get. eu officials estimate that russia has fired around 50,000 artillery shells per day since invading ukraine. international sanctions have limited moscow's options to replenish supplies. and so it appears to have turned to north korea. pyongyang holds significant quantities of ammunition,

although analysts are unsure about the quantity of its stockpiles. north korea can also offer raw materials, particularly iron ore, which russia can use to ramp up its own production of cells. another question for ukraine's western allies is what russia might give in exchange. in the immediate term, food is a top priority for pyongyang. years of lockdowns and sanctions have many north koreans on the brink of famine. south korea suspects russia has offered to hold joint enabled euros with china and north korea. a mirror to the annual exercises held between south korea and the united states. others fear that russia might offer advanced technology that could be used to further pyongyang's nuclear program. a prospect which would violate over a dozen you and sanctions. -- you and sanctions. >> a member -- i asked a member of parliament how concerned he

was about the latest of elements. >> we are concerned because these negotiations show how desperate the russian federation and vladimir putin is that the last state he could cooperate with and get what he needs with his north korea. >> that's really annoying. > you don't want you -- a desperate man in the coming, but that is what we're dealing with. what is russia hoping to get from north korea? >> due to the international sanctions, we see that these really work, the russian federation has the problem where they don't have no weapons or modern technology, so they have to use very old-fashioned ussr weaponry, especially artillery, and that is the ammunition that north korea can provide because they use the same weaponry. he needs these weapons, and he needs them desperately, because the ukrainian people are fighting for their freedom and

they are fighting with the support of most countries in the world. >> north korea is not going to give up anything for free, though. the situation gives kim jong-un a lot of leverage. what is he going to be part in return? -- want in return? >> north korea is one of the first -- poorest countries in the world, a dictatorship, this whole country is on the break of famine all the time, and -- what he needs is basic food supplies, which is what russia can offer at the moment, not the least from ukraine, what they are stealing food there. and north korea seems to play a role in the diplomatic world with russia now. that means -- makes kim jong-un even more important. they are interested in being taken seriously. russia is giving this dictator

the opportunity. >> besides all the points that you raise, are you concerned about russia helping north korea advanced its nuclear ambitions? >> i'm concerned about russia starting a war in the center of europe and killing thousands of ukrainian people and killing thousands and thousands of their own young men. in an absolutely unnecessary war. i'm not really concerned about the nuclear program. russia has nuclear capability, but they are not willing to use them. russia might cooperate and support the korean nuclear program, that's a bigger concern. this does not help russia in the more -- more. >> we have been working for many years to stop north korea from developing weapons of mass destruction. is that work possibly coming undone? >> chancellor had a word for

that, the change of times. we really have to see what these two dictators, vladimir putin and kim jong-un, negotiate now. then we will find an answer for that. >> we don't have much time, but i do want to know if you think that there is any way to stop this alliance from growing stronger. >> [laughter] as i said, it's two dictators negotiating that, i think we should not take that too seriously, the chinese are not stupid enough to interfere with these two people, and we have to strengthen the international community and strengthen the coalition against russia. i think that's going to work. >> the member of the bundestag for north korea. -- r correspond. world food programs cutting food programs to afghanistan, 2 million people now cut off from food support.

the united nations is raising the alarm over shanking aid, warning of a catastrophe if supplies are not increased. this torrential rains have triggered flooding in eastern greece, killing at least one person, and leaving another missing. the rain follows major wildfires that ravaged the north for more than two weeks, killing 20 people. a number of migrants -- the number of migrants crossing to europe is higher than it has been for years. more than 140,000 people have survived the treacherous journey and an unknown number have died. they leave from tunisia, usually heading to sicily. the european union has pledged hundreds of millions of euros to stop the crossings. so far without much effect. we report from tunisia. >> this fisherman has been fishing out of this harbor for

more than 20 years. he says that things changed this spring. that is when they started seeing boats for the people heading for europe. when the weather is bad, the fisherman tried to warn them to turn back. but he says they hardly ever do. >> we keep finding bodies in the sea. they get tangled in our fishing nets. we call the coast guard when that happens. you can't work like that, it's awful. there people just like us. >> most of the people who try to cross the mediterranean to get to europe set up -- off from this region. 2000 people have died in the attempt. local authorities have trouble collecting all the bodies that wash up on the beach. along the coast, thousands of people wait for their place on a boat. this man is from burkina faso. he knows how dangerous it is. but he says he is determined to

try to get to europe. he says he is good at repairing medical appliances. >> my only hope is to get across this scene to europe. -- see to europe. i'm doing everything my that for my mom. i want her to be happy for the first time in her life. the coast guard often brings survivors to this hospital when the boats sink. the doctor here says that recently it has felt like a war zone. >> we civilly get too many people coming at once. we do not have enough doctors and nurses to take care of everyone. we are short of everything, medicine, equipment. it is more than we can manage. for those whose plans are still intact, the focus is on preparation and securing a spot on a boat. the smuggling networks which stretched across the region have arrived here as well.

one smuggler is prepared to talk to us. as long as we don't film his face. >> i only do the job to make money. everybody wants to make lots of money. we take the migrants to europe, but they do next is up to them. >> they will squeeze 40 people into a small boat. a trip like that would earn 40,000 euros. they are not the only ones profiting. >> are people control the whole beach area. some of our guys have direct connections with the regional security forces. they will tell us when it is safer a. -- safe for a crossing. we pay up to 10,000 euros for the service. >> he doesn't care who profits from his trip. he has to learn a few hundred euros with all jobs. then he will have enough to get

on a boat and take his chances. >> reporting from the institute for international security and affairs. welcome back to dw. the european commission president has pledged one billion euros to fight illegal migration. what is that money going to do to change the lives of the people we just met? >> not a great deal. one has to be careful. it's more complicated than this headline figure. the commission pledged around 100 -- one billion for border security, 900 million for other forms of assistance and economic stabilization. there is a lot bigger chuck of money from pi left to come if the president agrees to some reforms. it's about stabilizing tunisia because a lot of migrants coming from tunisia. while this is very controversial what is going on, we also have an interest in stabilizing the country and not just putting in

ephesus on border control. >> eu lawmakers have voiced concern repeatedly and ngos we don't even have to start with about the inhumane treatment that migrants are receiving from the tunisian authorities. why does it seem so difficult to curb illegal migration and respect human rights? >> i think over the last 10 years we have really -- steadily eroded our standards. we continue to cooperate with libyan forces despite critical allegations of as of human rights abuses. we can't just dictate to those countries do this or do that, we have to cooperate with those who are not -- in our neighborhood. it's also fair to say that we cannot cooperate with every actor. in tunisia it is unfortunate that it used to be the model case lee speaking and in the last

year that half it has got down a bad path of increasing autocratic role, and on the pressure of italy and the italian government, and the situation that we face in europe, decision-makers have this impression that we don't have a choice. we have to do it. i would not necessarily subscribe to that, but i could see the rationale that there is an alternative and we have to cooperate, let's go ahead. >> 90% of the people wanted to migrate say that they are willing to pay large sums of money in order to make that treacherous journey across the mediterranean. what can be done to kill that business of people smuggling? >> very little. of course, we need to put a load of pressure by law enforcement on criminal groups, but it is kind of, not exact, but comparable to trafficking.

you might be able to catch some, some of the worst criminals, but the demand and supply is such that it will be a business that will go out of business. -- won't be a business that will go out of business. there was a country different -- controversial debate about legalization, if you open more legal channels of migration you decrease the demand for illegal means of migration, but it's not a silver bullet. we can't just open the doors. it is unfortunately a problem that we cannot just solve, we cannot attenuate, and try to at least shift some of this dangerous migration to regular legal migration. >> let's talk about that, because the eu is struggling with a huge labor shortage at this point, there are people not only in africa seeking a better life and risking their lives to come to the eu, what it not only from a humanitarian standpoint but an economic standpoint be in

our interest to open more channels of legal migration? >> obviously it is. these things take time, and it's not a one for one, you take one person in and one person away, it doesn't work that way. we are weak that shift in germany and in other countries. italy, the very right wing government that is putting a lot of pressure on see rescues and cooperating with the authoritarian regime, at the same time has opened several hundred thousand new work visas because they need these people. it is a very sensitive time where we also need qualified labor, not just everybody. we also need unconfined labor at the same time, and to get that mixer right and get good cooperation with other countries to say you help us control borders in a more humane way and at the scene time we offer more visas, that's what the german

government is trying to do now, but that takes a lot of time. >> always great speaking to you, thank you so much. african leaders are calling for fairer ways to finance the world's response to climate change. africa's first climate summit is taking place think -- in kenya. they have criticized rich nations failing to deliver on climate pledges and they want developed countries to invest more in green energy. >> a len root summit on green potential. to reach their potential, leaders say the global financial system has to change. >> we want a fair financial system that treats everybody equally. ladies and gentlemen, that is not too much to ask. >> while the rich nations produce 80% of all global emissions, africa contributes

very little. but african countries are severely affected by the impact of climate change. researchers say the continent receives only about 12% of the financing it needs to cope with the effects. during the summit, germany, the u.s., and the uae pledged new investments which would boost africa's climate resilience and help accelerate its transition to green energy. african officials welcomed the investments but said that the high borrowing costs they are faced with hamper their ability to fight climate change. the u.n. secretary general called for a change in the course of climate action. >> african countries pay form -- four more times more for borrowing than the united states, and eight times more than the wealthy and european countries. judging for that green transition while supporting

development more broadly across africa requires a dramatic course correction. >> many african nations attending the summit were calling to increase lending with more favorable terms to countries vulnerable to climate change. another proposal is a carbon tax which would help finance projects for developing. organizers of the burning man festival in nevada have reopened the only road leading out of the site, allowing stranded revelers to finally hit home. heavy rains had turned the desert into a mud bath, leaving 70,000 to make the best of terrible conditions. >> the exodus was long and tedious. thousands of vehicles snaked their way along this eight kilometer stretch, desperate to get out of the northern nevada desert and onto the nearest highway. a summer storm had left them

stranded, heavy rains turning the ground at the annual counterculture celebration into a sea of mud. the heavens opened up on friday, the rain tore down installations, leading organizers to cancel events and institute a driving ban as a safety precaution. >> when the rain came down, we all just kind of went back to our tents and hung out with each other and waited until it stopped. it was incredibly muddy. a lot of us had to put bags over our shoes or take them over our feet in order to protect our feet are our shoes. -- for our shoes. nothing that happened, it was just money. >> tired revelers carrying mud covered bags offered mixed feelings about this year's event. >> i had an amazing time, what i want to do it another three or four days, never. but we are not in the churches in ukraine, where not in a

refugee camp. -- we are not in a refugee camp. we are playing in the desert. >> i wish there was more committed case and in terms of events like this. especially for those who come knowing that we cannot get refunds and knowing that we spent a lot of time wanting to get out of here. >> the annual burning man celebration attacks -- attracts tens of thousands of musicians, artists and activists everywhere. community and self-reliance are among the core principles of the annual gathering. values, which were very much put to the test at this year's event. next coco gauff has made it into the semifinals of the u.s. open for the first time. she made light work of the former french open champion. >> coco gauff is often compared to serena williams for a reason. she became the first american female teenager to reach back to back u.s. open quarterfinals

since serena did in 2001. in the quarterfinal -- the quarterfinals work eight walk in the park for her. the first set ended 6-0 against her opponent. it lasted only 20 minutes. she did allow her to win two games in the second set, but it was all over in just over an hour. coco's best grand slam showing so far was making it to the final at the french open in 2022. >> spain's football federation is seen -- head women's coach is mired in scandal for kissing someone after the final. he was applauding during a speech when he refused to resign, and he has been under fire since 50 players called for his resignation because of

inadequate coaching. spain's federation has appointed a successor, making her the first ever woman to manage the site. here's a reminder of our top story. a trafficking ring course and people in cuba to fight for russia in ukraine. cubans were signed up in russia and back home. authorities are trying to break up the network. you're watching dw news from berlin, stay with us after a short break and we will be back to take you through the day. i hope to see you there.

>> hello and welcome to france 24. the headlines this hour -- the u.s. warns north korea it will pay a price if it provides arms to russia. the latest warning comes as washington announces a meeting between vladimir putin and kim jong-un is in the works. ukraine's president needs soldiers on the front lines in bakhmut. volodymyr zelenskyy's visit comes as authorities in moscow accuse kyiv of ramping up strikes. and the heat is back on once again across france. temperatures in paris above 30 degrees celsius all we l