♪ >> this is dw news, live from berlin. tonight the u.s. soldier who walked into berlin has been kicked out of the country. two months ago he crossed the border from south korea into the north. apparently he told the north koreans he was disillusioned with the u.s. and morning 100 people who died when flames ripped through a packed wedding hall in iraq. and at the european court of

human rights, the case of europeans children accusing adults of not doing enough to stop climate change. and a storm sweeping across greece, the second major storm this month. i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of your around the world, welcome. private travis king who dashed into north korea from south korea back in july is now on his way home. north korea expelled king after two months of detention for illegally intruding in its territory. he is expected back at a texas military facility sometime early on thursday. here's what we heard from the u.s. state department about how

travis king was brought back into u.s. custody. >> we appreciate the professionalism of our diplomats who work with their counterparts at the department of defense incarnated with the governments of sweden and the people's republic of china and we think sweden and the people's republic of china for their assistance in facilitating the transfer. he is now on his way back to the united states and we expect him to arrive in the coming hours. >> our correspondent has more details regarding travis king's release. reporter: we know that the release happen overnight. we are told that travis king is in good health and in good spirits. we don't know exactly why north korea has decided to do it at this particular moment, but as we heard there in the soundbite, we heard the u.s. government thanking the government of sweden in china for helping to secure travis king's release.

we don't know exactly who did what, but we know that sweden would have played a key role in negotiating, considering that sweden usually negotiates on behalf of the united states with north korea because north korea and the u.s. have no diplomatic relations. there is no u.s. embassy in pyongyang. we also know it was sweden who told the u.s. that travis king was about to be deported. we are told that an intense period of diplomacy followed, and that brings us to today, where he is on his way to that military facility in texas, as you said. brent: do we know what is expected to happen to him once he arrives back in the u.s. territory? reporter: that part really is unclear. if we look back on two parts of his story, we know that he was stationed with his unit in south korea and then detained for two months over assault charges. he was then released on july 10,

a week later he was meant to go back to the u.s. to face disciplinary proceedings, but he managed to evade his guards and instead of boarding the plane to the u.s., he decided to join a tour of the do militarized zone between north and south korea. that is when he crossed over into north korea. the military of course declared him absent without leave, which means he could face further punishment, like the forfeiture of his pay, like dishonorable discharge. he could even face more time in military jail. and whether he's going to be punished separately for this action, for actually going into north korea is also unclear, but u.s. officials have said that for any further decisions are taken on travis king, the priority is providing him with medical aid and psychological aid, and reuniting him with his family. all else will follow later. brent: considering the tensions

between the u.s. and north korea, it's surprising, is in, that north korea was willing to give up a u.s. soldier to begin with and that the situation was resolved so quickly. reporter: indeed, there was some amount of surprise. there were many who were expecting travis king to be held a bit longer, that he could've been used as a bargaining chip, especially as relations between the u.s. and north korea deteriorate over north korea's accelerating nuclear program, over the u.s. expanded joint military exercises with south korea, but there's also this reading that travis king was not a high value asset and it some point the north koreans decided he was not worth the trouble and expense of keeping. he needed food, accommodation, guards and translators. as for the u.s.'s part, they have taken pains to point out that they don't see his release as a breakthrough in u.s. and

north korean relations at all. they see this as a one-off occurrence and they say no concessions were made to north korea in securing his relief. brent: we appreciate reporting, thank you. now to a rack and a wedding that turned into a deadly inferno. at least 100 people were killed and more than 150 injured in a blaze that witnesses say may have been ignited by fireworks. >> charred debris now blocks the hall where hundreds of guests had gathered for a wedding. the ceiling collapsed onto the guests. turning the celebration to carnage. more than 100 people are dead, including the bride and the groom. eye witnesses said the fire broke out as the wedding couple were on the dance floor. >> how did this happen?

>> what can i say? they were about to do a slow dance, so they lit up fireworks, which hit the ceiling, which caught fire. >> how long did it take? >> the entire hall was on fire in seconds. >> survivors were rushed to hospitals to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation. as rescue workers sieved through the rubble, authorities are investigating the tragedy. >> the investigation is ongoing. the reason for the fire was that fireworks were set off inside the hall. fireworks were used in an unusual way. fireworks are not permitted outside the hall, let alone using them inside. that led to the burning of the ceiling, which fell on the people inside the hall. >> concerns mount as illegal,

highly flammable building materials may have spread the rapid -- fueled the rapid spread of the fire inside the hall. meanwhile, family members have assembled once more to lay their loved ones to rest, just a day after they had come together to rejoice at a wedding. brent: so sad. a journalist in the iraqi capital of baghdad joins me now. it's good to have you with us. the images there are horrifying. it looks like the entire structure there was completely burned out. did the fire crews have any chance of containing the blaze? reporter: they had very little chance of doing anything. this fire started and you saw on the image is how fast it spread. witnesses say it took seconds for the whole ceiling to catch

fire, and when the rescue workers arrived to the venue, they couldn't get in because there was one door that was closed and the emergency exit was supposedly also blocked, so they had to break into the venue to try to rescue the people that work fleeing for their lives and trying to escape the flames. brent: we understand 150 people were reportedly injured. any word on their condition tonight? reporter: many are in severe conditions. they have sustained injuries from the fire, from the flames. people are being given oxygen because they were suffocating from all the smoke that was in the venue. there are also people being treated for injuries that they suffered when they were trying to get out, whenever big crowds and people were crushed together. so many people are now searching for their loved ones.

many bodies were unable to be identified, given the damage they suffered from the flames. brent: the investigation centering around the fireworks that were allegedly set off inside the venue, which is shocking. what have you heard, and just people's reaction to that? reporter: there is a lot of anger all over iraq that this could happen all over again, because this is not the first time we have seen this in a rack. in the south and in the north, just a couple of years ago there was a deadly fire in a hospital in the south of iraq. so people are demanding that new measures be put in place, that there be security checks on these kind of venues. tomorrow, authorities have said they will carry out safety operations on any building that

is crowded, including schools and hospitals and malls. brent: the latest tonight from baghdad, just a tragic story there. thank you. here's a round up on some of the other stories making headlines around the world. azerbaijan has arrested a former head of government as he was trying to enter armenia. he is a billionaire who made most of his fortune in russia. he was taken to the capital of azerbaijan. his arrest comes as almost a quarter of the ethnic armenian population flees the region. the united states is admitting israel into a select group of countries whose citizens can enter the country without obtaining a visa in advance. starting november 30, israelis will be able to travel to the u.s. for up to 90 days simply by registering with the electronic

system for travel authorization. german police separated rated dozens of homes linked to an extremist racist group that remote it nazi ideology. germany's interior minister banned the group known as the race community. it was one of several right-wing groups banned in recent months. a russian soyuz spacecraft has landed in kazakhstan after returning from the international space station. on board were two russian cosmonauts and a u.s. astronaut, frank rubio. rubio set a new u.s. record by spending more than a year in space, after a technical defect delayed his return. back here on earth, six young people from portugal are taking the entire european union to court. they are between the ages 11-24. they are accusing you countries of doing too little to stop global warming, and action they argue is a violation of their

human rights. >> six young people and their lawyers against 32 countries they say simply are not doing enough to stop global warming. these activists have come to strassburg to argue the climate policies of all the eu member states as well as britain, switzerland, norway, turkey, and russia are so inadequate, they are violating their human rights. >> today's cases is about the young. it is about the price that they are paying after the failure of states to tackle the climate emergency. it is about the harm that they will suffer during their lifetimes unless states step up to their responsibilities. >> the group who range in age from 11 to 24 were moved to bring their case by the huge wildfires in their native portugal back in 2017. within 100 people died, with

scientist saying climate change made the fires worse. now the activists are hoping governments will drastically accelerate their efforts to combat global warming. >> what i expect from governments is that they take action over something that is real. this is the main problem because it is infringing on our human rights. >> before that can happen, they will need to persuade the courts judges of their case, with long years for the defending governments arguing the six young activists have improved a direct link between the harms they say they suffered and their climate policies. brent: what impact could this case have? i put that question to the you and special -- >> the case can have significant impact because it can allow the

court of human rights to articulate what of the first principles on the human rights responsibilities of states in regard to climate change. the court could also order states to do more to confront the global crisis. brent: there are minors here as plaintiffs, and that struck me as i was looking at this. shouldn't their parents actually be the ones taking the eu to court, or does it make a difference? >> it makes no difference. the court and the human rights regime is open to victims being able to seize the mechanisms of protection in order to vindicate protection for their rights. the arguments posed by the minors in climate change will have significant impacts on their lives as it aggravates during their lifetimes is a

strong one. it is well-established by scientific evidence that over the coming years, there will be increasing droughts, heat waves, and children are in the lines of bearing the brunt of those impacts. brent: is there any precedent to this case where you have young people taking grown-ups to court for failing to take action to protect the next generation? >> there are cases where minors have utilized human rights arguments and commissions in order to seek protection against the threats of climate change. what i would also observe is the case notes on decades of interaction between human rights and the environment. it is well-established that

environmental degradation can infringe on a number of internationally protected human rights and it is similarly well-established that states have an obligation to address the foreseeable risks posed by environmental degradation. what is unprecedented here is the application of these principles to climate change. brent: would it be a success for these young plaintiffs if the court were to say it is a human right to expect countries and adults to take action to protect future generations? >> that is certainly a possibility. we have seen national courts in european countries like the netherlands and germany ordering governments, telling governments that they are not doing enough, that they should toughen their emission reductions, and that's because addressing the global climate crisis will require deep and rapid reduction in the

emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. brent: we appreciate you taking the time to talk with us tonight. thank you. >> my pleasure. brent: torrential rains from storm elias have swept across greece, damaging roads and causing power outages. ports have been close. the european union has promised emergency funding to help cope with the flooding in wildfires that have cost billions of euros in damage. the greek government has declared that adapting to climate change is a national priority. i want to go to our correspondent who is following developments for us from athens. what is the latest now on this second major storm? reporter: right now, the situation, especially in a port city in central greece is

traumatic. the city is literally drowning due to the amount of water. the river has overflowed, it is almost three meters high. forces are there to rescue people that are trapped in their houses, trapped in their cars even. so right now these are the pictures that we see, and the people are cut off, villages and streets have been cut off so it is dangerous right now for the residence there. brent: i understand you have been talking with people and we know that all traffic there has been basically banned. what are people telling you? reporter: we talked to residents earlier and they told us that the amount of water that they see that is washing away the

city since early this afternoon is nothing in comparison -- when you compare it to storm daniel only three weeks ago, people are trapped in their houses without electricity for 4-5 hours now. we've heard 80% of the city is without electricity. water is coming out of the ceiling inside the houses. people are trying to communicate to tell each other if they are safe. the only thing that can really do is hope for this to stop, and they told us they are tired because it is only three weeks. they are reliving this whole drama again. brent: it's like a nightmare that is repeating itself. greek authorities saying it is a national priority to deal with the effects of climate change. does that mean much to people right now? reporter: it is a priority for the greek authorities to deal

with climate change. however, anger is rising in the population right now, the greek authorities are advising people to stay inside, to avoid unnecessary transfers. school will remain closed, the main roads will remain closed, but it is a huge challenge, especially if you consider what the country and the city have been through the last weeks and months. brent: it is unbelievable. sofia, thank you. it is undoubtedly one of south america's most beautiful sights and one of its important sources of fresh water, but now lake titicaca is in danger of disappearing all together. the lake lies in the andes mountains on the border between bolivia and peru. the area is currently experiencing its worst drought

in almost half a century and that is threatening the indigenous population that relies on it. >> lake titicaca is drying up. drought and high temperatures mean water levels are approaching an all-time low. that is affecting the indigenous communities in the area. pedro has farmed here for 60 years. he is increasingly concerned about the lack of rain. >> it's very serious. the lake is shrinking at depth and with at the same time. years ago, it always rained. now it doesn't raining and more. >> in recent years, the lake has been losing water at an alarming rate. on the left side are images recording -- recorded by dw in 2022. on the right, the same area a year later. there is not a drop of water inside.

>> in 2001, there was water up to the community over there. the water had risen up to that point. it was all covered by the lake. now there is no longer water. it has already disappeared. >> the drying lands have caused changes to the agricultural cycle. >> we normally plant potatoes here. beans, barley, quinoa, everything that grows here. but now we can't grow anything. >> the animals are left to eat dry grass. >> we can no longer live here with our animals. just cannot live here with the cattle anymore. >> jose from bolivia's institute

of hydraulics and hydrology say that planet change is to blame. >> the increase in temperature due to climate change is causing an increase in the evaporation rate. that means a greater amount of water is evaporating. therefore, there is a reduction of the water surface on lake tete cockup. -- lake titicaca. >> many people feel hopeless. some have already left. >> we have sons and daughters and most of them go to the capital la paz, or to another country. you can't live here anymore. there is an even pasture. >> pedro feels abandoned. >> nobody helps us. it would be great if the

government did something, but they don't even come to see what happens here. pedro wants an irrigation system, but while he waits for the government, he prays for rain. brent: at the asian games in china, arising chinese swimming star has bagged two more record-breaking gold medals. she won her third goal when she finished the 100 meter butterfly in a new record time of 55.86 seconds. she was part of the 400 meter medley relay squad that cruised to victory in record time. golf news now, ryder cup fever is reaping rome with the biannual duel between europe and the united states set to tee off on friday. the 44th edition of the cup is a treat for italian fans, with the country playing host or the first time.

around 55,000 spectators will watch the -- watch the action live each day and most will be backing a european team that is less experienced than usual. the former captain is ineligible having defected to another tour. european stall warts say the absences were not really on his teammates mine. >> it is certainly a little strange, but i think this week of all weeks is going to hit home with them that they are not here. i think they are going to miss being here more than we are missing them. brent: he said it. most visitors here arrived by bus. the german skydiver thought that was boring so he decided to detach himself from a paraglider and zip past the fairytale

castle in the bavarian alps at 200 kilometers per hour. after the 17 second flight, he landed safely in a nearby meadow , a scene that disney could have copied. you're watching dw news, live from berlin. our top story, the u.s. soldier who dashed into north korea in july is now on his way home. north korea expelled private travis king after two months of detention for illegally intruding on its territory. after a short break, i will be back to take you stick around, we will be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> welcome to life in paris, world news conference 24. these are the headlines. raising concerns of whether azerbaijan will keep its pledge to the unit stays keep civilians safe. more and more are fleeing the troubled enclave. the tragedy that shocked the world, over 100 people perished in a fire at a wedding in iraq. the bride and groom miraculously survived.