Great to have you along everyone. Has the feud over north Koreas NuclearProgram Moves to center stage on the eve of the Olympic Games in south korea u. S. Vice president mike pence has arrived in seoul and is promising new more aggressive sanctions against the north in met with south korean president moon jay in following on his warning not to allow pyongyang to quote hide behind the olympic battle and today kim jong moon presided over a military parade a show of force after sending athletes and performers over the border all that move is seen as either a bit too thought relations with the south or a ploy to provoke the u. S. North korea and the United States are still sending mixed messages a day before the twenty teen winter games. Despite signaling it was willing to talk north korea hasnt traded the same for the olive branch quite yet pyongyang staged a massive military parade marking the founding of its armed forces. Addressing his troops north Korean Leader kim jong un called on his military to be on the ready to repel quote invasive forces much further south young is trying to put its best foot forward sending kim yo junge sister of the north Korean Leader as part of their olympic delegation shell be the first member of the norths ruling family to cross the demilitarized zone. The u. S. Is response is also a mixed bag american Vice President pence is meeting regional leaders ahead of the games hes already warned the u. S. Is preparing more aggressive sanctions on the north. And he promised south koreas president that the u. S. Wouldnt rest until pyongyang abandons its nuclear ambitions. And allow me to do the sure you. The people of south korea and the United States of america will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder in our effort to bring maximum pressure to bear on north korea until the time comes when the finally and permanently. Reversible abandon their nuclear and Ballistic Missile ambitions. In the world may be coming together for the Winter Olympics but the gulf between washington and north korea is as wide as ever. Our joining me now is eight and Foster Carter korea expert at Leeds University in the u. K. A very good day eight and up john yang holding a military parade as it rattles south koreas nurse just before tomorrows Winter Olympics opening ceremonies. I think i think its annoyed them that when this is a new rather delicate tightness here bonhomie they have said so and its totally gratuitous for not go into lots of detail we havent got time full february eighth used to be the army day in north korea but it hasnt been for years they changed it to april and so if suddenly brought it back again and they can be no other reason for that than to slightly rain on the souths no military parade so its a kind of annoying but the south has kind of brushed it off and hopes that tough you know things will go well nonetheless ok well arguably it collapsing tomorrow is opening ceremonies as the arrival of the norths a diplomatic delegation on saturday that slated to meet with the south korean president tell us more about that. Well this really is something i mean until the announcement that kim jong uns systems coming and i tended to the view that mr what was happening although very welcome its nice to have some respite from months and months of crisis if he doesnt seoul and a lot of course but it was it was all stuff thats happened before you know weve now got a twenty year history there not recently most of it ten years ago almost ten years ago of the last south contacts you know theyve had cheerleaders for a vote thats not but its really interesting as as was correctly said its the first time a member of what i guess you can call the royal family of the logo this must be a coat his country is coming south we dont know what can come of that because of course the whole situation is hemmed in by the Nuclear Issue and if we were so i forget that we have Vice President pence of the us a firmly reminding everybody at every opportunity how about north koreas i say have a talk to us a little bit about south korea as that president because he finds himself a bit between a rock and a hard place. Thats nice ive just written something with a different much a full i think as a kind of olympic sport Cold Mountain tightrope walking. Is good too but you know he hes going to be really capitol hill luce is followed so we have skating on thin ice sorry so many choices he really its a very delicate line because what is the space exactly i mean its not tickle of faith that people like him center left South Koreans of a certain age but she his family was from the north that you want to you know the circle sunshine policy if you may remember back in the day that engagement is a good idea now a lot of younger South Koreans to his surprise dont actually share that view they wouldnt say pleased about the joint hockey team for instance and the americans certainly and im a Prime Minister of japan reminding everybody that north korea is a Nuclear Family factor which is true of many other things horrible human rights record so its quite easy to see how each will be watching to see how he how far he leans i wish him luck a layby doesnt fall off that tight rope all right and just for the record im going to go with then ice a to Foster Carter korea expert at least university in the u. K. Thank you so much for weighing at leisure. All right away from the political posturing the athletes at the Winter Olympics are raring to go or some of them at least thirteen the russians have failed with appeals to the court of arbitration for sport they want to compete despite a doping bad on their country an additional forty seven russians will find out on friday if they can participate just as the olympic torch which is the host city county. The olympic torch is journey is almost over with the Opening Ceremony just around the corner flame took a spectacular ride on a zip while on its way to be on chang. This is one of the more daring stages of its two thousand eight hundred kilometer journey around south korea. Not a fate for the faint hearted. At least the next leg was far easier for those watching to stomach and the Olympic Village there was an unexpected visitors russian athletes who had been banned from the games by the i. O. C. Were presenting their case to the court of arbitration for sport in the hope of having the decision overturned at the last minute the hearing concluded we presented the arguments and the fifteen kids were cleared last week but had to guess and also and thirty two hundred athletes were not invited by the issue a final decision is expected early on friday with only hours to spare before the games open but the i. O. C. On the only ones with a close eye on the courts decision regarding the russian athletes the World Antidoping Agency is also in south korea for the games president craig really made his views clear. Bunch of you much wider. Entirely. To a process that. And just to try to pin the compliance and the improvement of the russian onto dont think agency. Organizers are hoping the legal wranglings and other issues surrounding the games will fade into the background once the action is fully underway phrasing how city pyong chang is ready for its moment in the sun for the next two and a half weeks it will be at the center of the sporting world. Right now to some of the other stories making news around the world. Thousands of people attended a Memorial Service for a russian pilot who died in syria Romana Filipov blew himself up to avoid capture after his jet was shot down by militants according to the Russian Defense ministry his body has been repatriated and hes been awarded the nations highest honor. The former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Zia has been sentenced to five years in jail for corruption the court in the bangladeshi capital dhaka found the seventy one year old swindled funds from a charity into her personal accounts. Eight people have died and three others are missing after a road collapse in Southern China a local media report that a seven leak inside a subway station construction site cost the major road to cave in. And. Rescuers in taiwan are combing through the rubble following choose these powerful earthquake around fifty people are still unaccounted for at least nine were killed and hundreds more injured in the quake aftershocks combined with rain and low temperatures are hampering rescue efforts. Hard to believe that this was once a three star guesthouse in a taiwanese beach town today while ians Marshall Hotel is just a pile of mangled wreckage. How low can you hear me the rescue is you know theyre hoping that somewhere in the rubble someone is left alive but this search is proving very difficult and dangerous. Aftershock the rescue is called walkie talkie so the First Responders of forced to retreat for now many of the quite victims why the inside the marshall or now the three star hotel the bt in ivory daylight the residential tower its like a didnt is to listing precariously they supports have been brought in to stop it folding ivor entirely. And this is the moment the cost of the destruction a same captured inside a utah style. People rush for the exit as a magnitude six point four tremors strikes it hits in the middle of the night a used to quite a even side that was shocked by these quakes impact. States and thats not what then that at this time i was really scared until now icon is that fear is still that you know that i am still a phrase because things kept on fooling both and chopsticks fell in the kitchen and broke my mother that was even more frightened because she cannot walk i made her want to go over and its a rescue operation continues people are starting to us why did some buildings but not others collapse taiwan has strict building codes but Construction Experts say the worst hit buildings were built before then now some are asking if more should be done to enforce the codes and stop more towers toppling when the next quakes. Strikes. European leaders are welcoming the deal reached by germanys two biggest parties to form a Coalition Government its been more than four months since germany held elections while European Council president donald tusk travelled straight to berlin for talks with Anglo American he called the deal quote good news the Coalition Agreement reached on wednesday would see berlin contributing more to e. U. Budgets something proselytes sees as a Welcome Change merkel is also due to meet with the commission president. Later today. Our right lets find out what this would be government could mean for europe with Political Correspondent thomas farah here with me on the set and with max hofmann brussels for chief a very good day to you both gentlemen want to start off with you thomas if i may the e. U. Is not wasting any time to v. I. P. s in town today indeed and that just stresses the importance of europe for this Coalition Agreement if you read the Coalition Agreement its one hundred seventy seven pages long but it starts with the message of the new stocks to europe and thats something that is also reinforced by the fact that the Foreign Ministry and the finance and as you will be in the hands of social democrats the Foreign Ministry will be in the hands of martin shows which is passionately pro european hides who has indeed stress on various occasions that he would like a strong good judgment participation within european institutions and he has a proven track record as well all right max nobodys breaking out the champagne just yet but is this agreement a step in the right direction for germanys european partners. Well i think i heard some champagne bottles over there at the European Commission because of what thomas does mention its all over the handwriting of drawn through a joker the president of the European Commission im sure hes very satisfied with it and he told us as much but the real importance here is the really Important Message for the rest of Europe Germany is most likely at least back has most likely again or likely at least a functioning government and thats important for what the European Union is attempting to do in the next months and years big reforms for example the euro zone reform and again as your produce one could put it we have to repair the roof of the European Union as long as the sun is shining and you cant do that without German Government ok you cant do that without a German Government thomas this is a marriage of convenience its a day after give us a sense of how this deal is going down well its such a not a marriage of love you can say that to these very much reluctant partners who feel the need to Work Together in order to avoid fresh elections or avoid avoid a minority government so from doctors that if there is a certain side of relief that germany at least has this Coalition Deal but that has been criticism today criticism leveled against and Eleven Oclock in particular about the loss of that Key Finance Ministry lets remember that the finance minister was held for a very long time by a vote of control of the conservatives here in in germany that has also been criticism leveled against not insurers who had previously said that he would never enter a. Led government and now hes saying that he wants to be the next foreign minister of germany on government so old though there has been some relief that germany has this Coalition Deal it has also been accompanied by a lot of criticism now right now max a year features prominently in this Coalition Deal but its short in detail and substance does that worry brussels. And youre right its more about the big vision for europe and a commitment to the European Union but if you look at the text that its unclear how they want to fulfill this goal just to give you an example more importance to the European Parliament all right but in this is treaty change for example how do they want to do that more money into the into the e. U. Budget ok but does that mean only germany or also all the others but i think the bottom line here at least for the european institutions right now is that the message is positive that the euro germany is willing to pay more that is one of the key messages as we just heard earlier so for now even if there is a lack of detail and even if we know that. Michael the french president are not necessarily on the same page when it comes for example to a euro zone finance minister or euro zone budget they have proven in the last months that theyre more than willing to Work Together and to try to find some Common Ground thomas does this didnt deal now mean that the social democrats are out of their rut got their mojo back well or suddenly good for them that they got those three key ministries Foreign Ministry finance minister. Minister they can push their european policies forward on the social justice policies forward but if you look internally in the s. T. G. There is a very big division among Tea Party Members and in fact those Party Members will be deciding whether this goes ahead they have to vote four hundred sixty three thousand of them have to vote on whether they approve this deal then just under no circumstance sure that they will give the green light all right Thomas Sparrow max hofmann thank you both gentlemen. Well germanys next government will start on a very solid economic footing the nations trade surplus has shrunk for the first time in eight years which could ease some of the International Criticism some countries say germanys strength is causing a dangerous imbalance in the euro zone u. S. President donald trump also feels threatened the good news is that while exports hit an all time high last year of close to one point three trillion euros worth of goods imports also increased to just over a trillion that narrowed germanys trade surplus to two hundred forty five billion euros slightly lower than the year before experts say an increase in sales contributed to the figures. So that trade surplus is still huge and trump has threatened with measures he said china with tariffs is germany next thats a question i asked comments on chief economist york came up. First of all as a liberal economist im totally relaxed about a trade surplus the trade surplus was not made by politicians or the government is not the result of pressure but its simply the results of the buy and sell decisions of millions of corporates and consumers in germany and outside germany and i dont know why somebody can criticize this unless unless unless these millions of positions are biased for example by manipulating Exchange Rates but this is not the case what about trumps Corporate Tax cuts lets move on to that germany has some of the highest rates in the world is it going to start losing business. While. The Corporate Taxes and germany asked that high also they had been higher couple of years ago they had been lowered but i think when i talk to our corporate clients they do not primarily complain about high Corporate Taxes they complain that the new government would continue to put more bureaucratic burdens on them that they tighten the regulation on the german labor market i think that the new government is theyre not investing enough in better roads bridges and ditcher to infrastructure i think these are the main problems from the viewpoint of German Companies germanys last tax overhaul as you point out was a decade ago. Is it time i mean so much has happened in that decade and so much is happening right now as far as the Digital World goes at least you think germany would be rethinking how it does taxes considering how the direction the rest of the world is going in at least the u. S. I dont think so we have a government which is in terms of Economic Policy dominated by the social democrats and during the negotiations were. With this americas Christian Democratic Union they wanted to raise the top income tax weight which would have been a problem for for for for corporate owners. And i think the the corporates were happy that the social democrats did not push through a hike in the german top income tax rate do you see any positives coming out of this new grand coalition i mean a positive is the first the fact that hes getting a government at all after such a long time do you see pushing ahead any any positives. Where you already said it we have a new government this is positive of course they are also a couple of positive minor detail its. The broader picture is that germany will continue to roll back the labor market reforms with. Which paved the way for the council excess of the German Economy i think all the corporate sector is quite skeptical as far as second as a new socalled grand Coalition Germany is concerned your claim of joining us from thank you very much for the analysis. Another economic heavyweight is reporting similar figures to Germany China and its trade picked up in january after stumbling the previous month whats new is the surgeon imports putting the chinese economy onto a new footing import surge was fourteen percent here on that point by rising Commodity Prices and Consumer Spending exports jumped to by eleven percent chinas trade surplus narrowed thats being closely watched by the u. S. As well as the two nations tussle over trade the troubled ministration recently creasing judis on chinese washing machines and solar modules aging retaliating by studying and antidumping investigation on u s although make sports. Twitter has recorded its first quarterly profit thats good news for the twelve year old social media firm whose stock has long underperformed rivals like Facebook Twitter said it earned ninety one Million Dollars in the Fourth Quarter its the first time in positive territory since growing going public in twenty Thirteen Company shares surged on the news although a favorite platform of celebrities and politicians twitter has yet to achieve the broader appeal and ad revenue of other social media networks. After the successful launch of space x. s falcon heavy rocket into space the image of a red tesla roadster floating in orbit is set to become an unforgettable part of a long musks legacy but down here on earth tesla revenue is anything but taking off its posted its worst ever quarterly loss of six hundred fifty seven Million Dollars in warnings of increased spending and it will cost Company Rather has yet to see real revenue from its mascot model three production delays of pampa deliveries only fifteen hundred vehicles made it to buys last expectational. Through Us Government investigators say theyve struck a major blow against an International Cyber crime. Syndicate the Justice Department says chance thirty six members of the crime ring with offenses linked to credit card and postal Identity Fraud police have arrested thirteen members of the Organization Called fraud in the us astray of britain france kosovo and serbia investigators say the group was a key hub for credit card forwarding its believed to have caused over five hundred Million Dollars in losses. And voted best occasions in hungary reached Prime Minister a big toll bonds family again prosecutors following a recommendation by the european at the photo office to investigate they suspected major fraud involving e. Q. Funds in thirty five public lumping projects in several hundred garion towns and they were carried out by being in the us but they controlled by obama and law in the us is investigations politically motivated ahead of a National Election in april and we received billions of euros in e. Q. Development funds a. Huge talking tough on turkey thats right ben the European Parliament in strasbourg has adopted a resolution expressing deep concern about the human rights situation in turkey while the debate addressed measures introduced by president s wretch of tired want in the aftermath of an attempted coup back in two thousand and sixteen this includes the firing of Civil Servants the closure of media organizations and the arrest of journalists while turkey is also being heavily criticized for itself on a growing a military assault on a kurdish enclave in Northern Syria while meanwhile an urge to on has been invited to talks with you ministers in ball garia in march or we can talk to our turkey correspondent julia han now she is in istanbul good to see you how has the European Parliament resolution gone down in turkey where you are. Well such crazy criticism never goes down well with the turkish government for sure turkeys even says minister today specifically picked up on the commons made by the European Parliament on turkeys military operation in syria he said on twitter and i quote him the concerns of our allies are baseless turkey is only using its right to selfdefense and thats what the e. U. Doesnt want to understand and he also accused the European Parliament of showing sympathy with the terrorists and here he is referring to the kurdish Syrian Kurdish militia in syria he has been rather silent on all the other criticisms concerning the human rights situation here in turkey and that might be due to the fact that turkey is now saying it fulfils all the necessary criteria for visa free travel to the e. U. Sanctions own for turkish citizens lets remember the e. U. Gave turkey a list of seventy two criteria all conditions including freedom of speech and a certain human rights standards it needs to fulfill on the way to visa liberalization now ankara says we did our homework everything is fine with submitting everything to brussels but you know in the end the European Parliament and the Member States have to decide on that and after todays resolution i doubt the European Parliament will come up with a positive vote are now or you have to your point to relations between the e. U. And turkey are currently in a deep freeze what kind of leverage does the e. U. Still have over on craw. Well it comes when it comes to pushing for democracy standards for the rule of law and here in turkey i think the e. U. Lost most of its leverage on the ankara thats my impression at least the e. U. Is not considered a critical of a credible voice anymore by prison aragon and his ruling a k posse and offer all membership talks everything is on hold right now between turkey and the e. U. But that doesnt mean there is nothing turkey wants from the u. They want to reserve re travel they want Economic Cooperation especially in upgrading of the Customs Union they want security and migration cooperation so the use still has sticks and carrots are after the car has to come up with our im the only odd strategy or reporting a firm thank you very much. And thank you for spending a part of your day with us well be back at the top of the hour. In good shape. And gods are disinfecting. Good times you can prevent syrians to be. Excessive hygiene will cause problems. Margin is important in everyday life but dont overdo it. Down lifes really beat. Good shape next on. Quadriga International Talk show for journal. Discuss the topic of the week after germanys longest political deadlock in postwar history a new governing coalition is finally taking shape can it deliver on its promises and how weak is chancellor thats our topic this week on quadriga joining us. Sixty minutes. By. The countdown is on for britains withdrawal from the European Union but whats next exit. The reporters are seeking answers in the year ahead of this pivotal event. Today in our series the universe. Created movie milestone. Was an instrument of propaganda and persecution. It underwent a bankruptcy and restructuring. But it still turning out films today. In germany as the biggest and oldest film company. A cinematic history from the german empire to the present one hundred so far starting february eighteenth on. A. Welcome to in good shape coming up losing weight the wii going away does it work and is it safe. Polly neuropathy how do sensory disorders happen and what can be done to stop them and