Up. Millions at risk of starvation as yemens bloody civil war rages on the Un Security Council said to me today over the situation well look at whats fueling the fighting there and if theres a possible end in sight. And the Top German Court is set to decide on whether cities across the nation can ban diesel vehicles after emission levels are found to exceed its. Cost the german Winter Olympic Team has arrived back home and they have received a heros welcome after their success at the junk chang winter games on board to record all of thirty two long medals. And. Im brian thomas a very warm welcome to the show we start this program in syria. Were scheduled ceasefire in rebel held eastern due to is meant to begin right now the call for a daily five hour pause in hostilities came from russia the International Community appealed to russian president Vladimir Putin to pressure the Syrian Government to enforce a un approved truce but that resolution called for a month long cease fire ongoing bombing of the eastern area has killed more than five hundred civilians and just a week there have been unconfirmed reports of a chlorine gas attack as well now moscow says a humanitarian corridor will soon be put in place to help civilians flee this rebel held on clay the International Committee of the red cross in geneva is welcoming the move what matters now is that these people and it out maybe get out of there free we need. To dignify conditions and of course and security for themselves and at the same time it is obvious that it is critical for eight to be late even we speak with four hundred thousand people you cannot take all of them out if you have to and now humanitarian aid in and this is extremely urgent ok lets go straight to moscow our correspondent standing by for us erin the cease fire should be in place right now what are russian officials say. Well so far we havent been hearing any official announcements about the cease fire but of course were in the couple minutes into it regarding the likelihood of how it will hold at least from the russian side axis it will most likely see them or of the cease fire in these initial phases initial hours of of the deal what the question that it really remains open right now is how the rebels will react to many the rebel groups havent actually said whether or not they support the cease fire proposed by the Assad Government and by the russians and we might see some of those mortar strikes and rocket strikes in recent days that we have in recent days target umask is now if that were the case we could potentially see a reaction from the Assad Government from their air force to try to clamp down some of those rocket strikes if they continue so it really does remain to be seen whether or not the cease fire will hold today ok and that will make it very difficult as well for russia to ensure that the cease fire actually holds what can it do to ensure that for example the humanitarian corridor remains in place if as you explained things go wrong. Well right now we really dont know how russia would react and well react you have to remember that this deal this proposed cease fire wasnt necessarily unilaterally hashed out by the russians rather they are. Largest partner in the International Scene and this deal this ceasefire proposal would have been discussed with him and his government in advance so at least from their side were most likely to see them supporting the initial phase of the cease fire because you have to remember the Assad Government wants to continue to push against the rebels and what the ceasefire actually gives them is the opportunity to claim that theyre doing whats best for the civilian population while maintaining their military pressure on the rebel groups that are based in this enclave ok oh what about the larger picture russia politically russia voted to impose a thirty day ceasefire at the u. N. Security council but its only working for a five hour daily cease fire what is was that id go for a larger thirty day complete cease fire and we have to understand this kind of plays into russias larger game with in syria basically russia strategy from the get go has been to kind of hamper the International Peace efforts through the u. N. By introducing language into some of the resolutions that make the resolutions quite weak with this current one we saw them insist that a certain time when at this thirty day time when the not having a definite starting date which gives the Assad Government a little bit of wiggle room when it comes to actually implementing the cease fire we also saw them push very very hard for loopholes to be introduced into the u. N. Resolution which would allow the Assad Government to claim they are holding a cease fire while also targeting very specific rebel groups actually the rebel groups in eastern go to. Now what this actually does is allows them to claim that they are supporting the International Framework but then actually using their connection to the Assad Government to create facts on the ground basically by saying ok there is this International Effort to create. But were going to prove that we are the only legitimate and functioning partner of the Assad Government and only International Force that can actually change the dynamic on the ground by introducing our own ceasefire so while it does seem that theyre actually going against the u. N. Resolution what theyre actually doing is basically planting a flag and saying we are the only International Force in syria that can actually affect the tide of the fighting erin thanks very much for that from moscow now to some of the other stories making news at this hour saudi arabias king solomon has fired some of the nations top military officers in a major shake up to include the militarys chief of staff general durham on all but the and other defense officials no formal reason has been provided for the move which was announced early tuesday. Prosecutors in south korea are demanding a thirty year jail term for a firm former President Park in hay a landmark Corruption Case the expresident was impeached last march march on corruption and faces more than a dozen criminal charges parkas been in custody for about a year now. The front runner in colombias upcoming president ial elections pay throw as alleged voting is at risk of massive fraud he claims a decision not to digitize the results from the countrys polling stations sprawled more likely colombians will vote in a president ial primary on march. Well it is to yemen now and together with the civil war in syria the conflict in yemen has been described as one of the greatest humanitarian disasters of our time a Saudi Led Coalition has been bombing targets in yemen controlled by rebel who these millions of yemenis are now completely dependent on humanitarian aid in the u. N. Is warning a famine is in the making and Security Councils expected to hold a briefing for the latest on the situation later today heres a look at how yemen has come to the brink of starvation. The conflict in yemen dates back to a failed transition of power after the arab spring uprising in twenty eleven authoritarian president. Was forced to hand over power to his deputy but president up to robert months or haiti struggled with various issues including of attacks Food Insecurity and high unemployment who the rebels took advantage of this political situation and over several years gained control of various provinces in two thousand and fifteen who these and their allies seized control of the capital sanaa president haiti was forced to flee last month Government Forces faced another foe separatists captured large parts of the southern port city of aden they want to restore the independent state of southern yemen which existed until one nine hundred ninety the conflict reaches far beyond yemens borders its become a fierce struggle for regional dominance between saudi arabia which backs the government and iran which backs the who the rebels as the battle for regional control grows so does the enormous toll on civilian lives the u. N. Calls it the worlds worst manmade humanitarian disaster. Just seen there the fighting in yemen raising the prospect of millions of yemenis as reported dependent on food aid many of them are children our next report looks at the situation in a rebel held region of yemen as one doctor tries to ease the plight of the children there viewers this report contains some disturbing images. Its the start of a long and busy day for pediatrician a shrug my how to today shell be making house calls in the countryside. But first a father is waiting anxiously at the central clinic in what data with his emaciated daughter a shrugs occupation requires her to remain optimistic but shes frustrated during the three years of fighting the number of undernourished children has risen dramatically for her the suffering is unbearable especially when the children are brought to the hospital when it might already be too late. Crime idea dont cry dont be afraid. Doctors hope to save the childs life with an infusion of liquid nutrition when asked what her name is the six year old cannot answer she is too weak to talk. Her father says her name is i shot the girl doesnt utter a single word during the examination ash work will try to help her but the effectiveness of her work depends entirely on adequate deliveries of medicine actually reaching yemen. Drives to the harbor area of her data to find out what kind of relief aid has been delivered this time but when she arrives she can hardly believe her eyes. The United Nations sent this ship. A shrug asks the harbor workers if they know why such a small ship was sent but they say they dont know the reason. Why the cafe yanni that benefit is not enough unicefs and that ship we need unicef committed patients for food to combat the malnutrition among children cholera diphtheria can unicef only he says ships this small if you want is not supposed to be enough for twenty seven million people. A day does harbor is the largest and therefore the most important port in the hoofy rebel held area its under constant attack by the Saudi Led Coalition but a shrug says the bombardments of civilian homes nearby is a worse crime than. Began having them in this district this close to military bases the airport is nearby thats why it is continually bombed including the universitys medical faculty. And at the ash like a drives to a village south of hood a down the war is also hitting people in the countryside hard if you age deliveries that do arrive really make it out of the city thats why the doctor makes these trips. The town of adam now is near the coast the fisherman who live here are very poor i shrug my heart im his able to help them because of her relatively good income when she arrives she can see her rightful the people are shes almost their only contacts to the outside world the wars effects are highly visible here the children are terribly undernourished. Who really. Was before i could give my child milk every two days but i havent gotten anything for two months now. The parents are grateful to our swag for treating the children for free and give her a gift of him its a small gesture that allows these poor people to maintain their dignity. And has made it her mission to help people but this is becoming increasingly difficult she sees no end to the war and has made a professional decision revenues about the health of the children is deteriorating because they are not getting adequate treatment and ive decided that if we cant provide Food Supplies to adults we have to at least guarantee the children that because they need nourishment more urgently. Thats why shes come to this village bringing only powdered milk shrug believes its the children who must survive because they are humans only hope. And you can find out more on the conflict in yemen at our website thats the view that call. Well here in germany a final decision is expected today on whether major cities can completely ban heavily polluting diesel vehicles kristoff. Brian the decision is expected today from one of germanys highest cords and it could make it easier for cities in germany to ban the use of Diesel Engines a drastic move that activists say is long overdue and heres why according to the Group Environmental action germany every year an estimated Twelve Thousand people in germany die prematurely as a result of nitrogen dioxide emissions the e. U. Limit as forty micrograms per year per cubic meter of air on average over one year but thats regularly exceeded the banning the worst offending diesel cars could provide some quick relief but thats not easy its already in the cities of dusseldorf and stood god wants to impose a ban but not right but right now but they dont have the right at this hour germanys Top Administrative Court is deciding whether to. Bans legal at all and if so who would be allowed to impose them no surprise then that drivers car makers and politicians are all eagerly awaiting the decision and many european cities are thinking of ways to clean up their act and we are awaiting this decision as well and before it comes out i want to talk about the whole thing with dorothy czar one of the studio you are with Environmental Action germany a group that has been lobbying hard in favor of a diesel ban now what do you think what will the verdict be today well we have been lobbying very hard for clean air and for the compliance with existing legislation the limit values that you just mentioned arent you since two thousand and ten now we have two thousand eight hundred we hope for a decision that gives cities and regions the opportunity or the chance to implement effective measures that address directly the source and this is the Diesel Engine and the high school should there be a ruling in favor of a diesel ban what would be from your point of view the impact of that ruling for thousands of People Living here in germany. Well on the one hand we would see as i mentioned the chance for many many cities not only stood got them doesnt off to implement effective measures but means to implement measures that would exclude high polluting vehicles from the polluted areas and the cities will ban thats what i did the effective measures ok so. Its up to the quality plans to define exactly how this should work where it should be implemented cetera we have to hope that additional measures are being installed from the federal government such as a retrofit for the existing euro for your five and six fleet that would lead to a ok now this debate about Diesel Engines and pollution has been raging for years now it kicked off with the at least to the general public with the diesel gate scandal over a false flag and now do you have the feeling that policymakers have listened to you over the years or rather ignored you they have not listened to us unfortunately not we are asking for a long time to address the r two to respect the fact that the missing from days of a close are much higher on the road then theyre supposed to be then the official exhaust limit tells them to be ok and this is leading in the end to the problem that we face now in addition we still have subsidies for does the fuels for example and we still have a broad support for Desert Technology not only from the manufacturers but only also from politics and this is part. Of the Environmental ActionGermany Group lobbying for a diesel ban thank you so much for your visit here in the studio thank you. Now making our already very smart phones even smarter something that is harder and harder to do thats why many say the real innovation at this years World Congress in barcelona is in the tech network that keeps us connected the term on everyones lips is five g. The blazingly Fast Networks that most european operations want to roll out within the next two years and which promises to make Driverless Cars or talking fridges a reality. Rather than just seeing what its like to be spiderman how about feeling it sonys build a new dynamic vibration system into its top flight smartphone the Japanese Company can also turn you into a three d. Avatar the new Camera Technology can record and display high dynamic range images based on chips also produced by sony or us actually creating components that others purchase from us is extremely important meaning we want to be at the forefront of technology with our own smartphones but we do effectively have a lot of the value chain by selling our components to others the company is looking to the future by the end of two thousand and nineteen sony aims to sell the first five g. Compatible device the new mobile Network Standard is the topic at the trade show this german antenna maker expects five g. Will be rocket fuel for their business the new cellular masts can handle massive data volumes without any frustrating lag. The Finnish Network supplier nakia is in barcelona showing off how five hundred data streams can flow seamlessly the company says theyre ready to master the torrents of data expected from the networks of the future between all kinds of devices. For five g. Means will enter a brand New Territory in things cost he shuts the Health Care Industry it means that volume will be much higher than weve had in connection technologies so far. If the waves of new fangled tech leave you feeling lost at sea you might want to downgrade you can pick up calls with a touch of your thumb just like the forerunners to the smartphone forget three d. And five g. This phone can make calls and not much else but even that has its own charm. Now some see it as a revival of ancient trade routes some say it is a way of heightening chinas influence on the world whichever way you see it chinas belt and Road Initiative is a massive undertaking it aims to connect almost seventy countries German Companies believe they could benefit greatly from this socalled new silk road but despite the big potential there are pitfalls. To gigantic project is expected to cost a total of nine hundred billion dollars it involves sixty Nine Countries together home to two thirds of the worlds population china launched its bells and Road Initiative also known as the new silk road five years ago. It consists of two major trade routes the land based silk road economic belt winds its way from china through central asia the middle east and on to europe the maritime silk road creates a ceiling connecting Southern ChinaSoutheast Asia india east africa and also europe. Industry representatives say the project off is enormous potential for German Companies which can deploy the necessary resources. If it involves developing physical infrastructure especially in Central Asian countries which arent as well linked or developed and thats clearly something which well known and large german Infrastructure Developers are its very much at home with. But there could also be plenty of orders for small and Medium Sized Enterprises they can supply specialized machinery and other equipment to foreign partners involved in the large scale projects so there are some high hurdles to clear. As i get thats because many projects on put out to tender are financed by the chinese banks in the same way we used to doing things here and there are plenty of challenges when it comes to calculating prices as well. On top of that beijing hands over eighty percent of the contracts china is funding straight to Chinese Companies many of the countries along the two routes are politically unstable and theres a high risk of payment default but german business representatives still hope companies here will manage to get a piece of the new silk road action. And thats all your business for now and i can tell you im pretty glad were here in a warm and cozy studio because cold outside not always a cold kristoff is expected to get even colder has been called the beast from the east a cold front has blasted across much of europe here in germany temperatures dropping to their lowest so far this winter low of minus twenty seven point five degrees centigrade record the countrys highest mountain zoogz spezza number of people though have died in lithuania poland and france as a result of the harsh cold its also brought a rare snow storm to the italian capital. The coliseum covered in snow. Writing sledge is in the circus maximus. And in the vatican. A snowball fights. Room hasnt experienced snowfall like this in six years and its caught terrorists by surprise even the priests are enjoying this winter miracle do you think it is just incredible mother natures gone to. You. But not everyone is in china to buy the blankets of rights and move on in the kitchen snow in rome because were just not ready for it it started at three oclock this morning it seems like five centimeters a fall and but actually its much more fun its cold. In russia they are used to the cold but even the residents of moscow can be caught off guard by temperatures of minus twenty degrees celsius. The cold snap is caused by a giant low pressure system of. The n. T. Cycle uncovering the Scandinavian Peninsula is really big and spreads to poland the front of this on the side clone has brought the cold from the european part of russia east into the rest of europe. Its the poorest who bear the brunt of the cold in poland officials are appealing for citizens to help the hopeless and the elderly. The freezing weather is expected to hang around europe for the rest of the week extending even past thursday when according to meteorologists winter gives way to spring. We have some football now and the german bonus league last night dortmund looked to improve their game unbeaten streak as a lot horns with hausberg of home dortmund opening the scoring on seventeen minutes when marco royce cleaned up a defensive mistake from hausberg martin and it was his second goal in three games since making a back injury got back into the game at seventy three minutes thanks to kevin downs of goal one one the final score there. Well the double olympic champion esther lets go back home and the Czech Republic was found celebrating her brilliant display at the winter games thousands of people filling progs Old Town Square on a very chilly evening to give a warm welcome to the history making the medal winner became the first person in Winter Olympics history to capture gold medals in both Alpine Skiing and snowboarding. And the german Winter Olympic Team is also back home and received a heros welcome after their success at the winter games with fourteen goals and thirty one medals in total was germanys most successful winter games giving the jetlag plenty to smile about as they touch down in frankfurt. Touching down in frankfurt this was no ordinary flight on board tired but happy german athletes and a whole load of precious metal. Fourteen golds made in china germanys most successful Winter Olympics with temperatures may have been cold welcome here anything but. Yes. Its amazing im pulled over by how many people are here after that long flight i never expected this. Started celebrating after the much and carried on until five in the morning we demonstrate to the airport and i finally slipped a little lean. But while some athletes now get to rest. Japanese hockey heroes will be back on the ice in League Action on wednesday. This is do their bit is a reminder of our top story at this hour a five hour truce ordered by russia has taken effect in the rebel held area of Eastern Ghouta in syria russian president Vladimir Putin called for this daily pause in hostilities airstrikes over the past week have killed more than five hundred civilians in the area. Thanks for joining us were back again at the top of the. Claim. Play. Play. Play play. Play. Play. Play. Play come give to slaves the budget is back on Champions League shock to eliminate the game the ball such a mentality as a medication battle greyman be termed a huge win in the fight against the drug legless the lead. And enjoying the. Program helps women to find a nucleus claims many men are skeptical of but these women bring still. Claims the small but important step towards more gender equality play the arab summit play three six hundred sixty minutes cutler globe. Screaming. The Scholars Club solo and. Still touchable. The a go im glad to see the edge but. They have so far just. Do they also have a future. I really understand people who say they dont want to stay here. But i also admire people who want to stay here and who decided to create something. In peace time what needs to happen if. Things are getting frosty in the league on the cold as much day of the year a coach makes his comeback happy to be back mr lavandera. Does. Its kind of