Of how theyve waited 3 years ago i think the referendum must be respected. Great seats. Are going to break down and people want us out on october 31st. And migrants packed into overcrowded refugee camps in libya survivors who say they were kidnapped and tortured for ransom by the very small dealers they thought would bring them to europe. Im brian thomas great to have you with us u. S. Lawmakers are reviewing a classified whistleblower complaint against President Trump that has prompted an impeachment inquiry that complaint cites a phone call between trump and ukraines president a white house. Has already released its memo of the call that has set off a firestorm in washington at issue did trump abuse his abuse of power by urging ukraine to open a corruption investigation into his political rival joe biden and joe bidens son. Not for the 1st time on a difficult day in new york donald trump was forced to defend his conversation with ukraines fellow to me as a lenski using a familiar line which continues but theyre getting hit hard in this which arent because when they look at the information its a joke. Impeachment that i didnt do it to take a look at that call it was perfect i didnt do it there was no quid pro quo the allegation trump pressured selenski to look into dealings by his political rival joe biden and his son hunter trumpet hoped by releasing this memo of the call the problem would go away but phrases like do us a favor appear to back up the allegation that theres no mention of military aid being dependent on an investigation from discusses corruption Crimes Involving bidens son he says joe biden quote stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that the man whos unwittingly walked into a political storm had this to say for himself you sure that we had. I think good phone call it was normal we spoke about many seeing such and such so i think when youre ready that nobody bullshit bullshit me yes no great. No pressure on sense he may be but the impeachment inquiry launched by democrats has put trump under the microscope. That tact is that the president of the United States. In picture of his Constitutional Responsibilities has asked it fine government to help him in his Political Campaign that cannot stand he will be held accountable no one is above the law. The democrats may now be throwing caution to the winds for trump it looks like business as usual as he tries to ride out the latest scandal. Lets talk about this war now is heading reka is a Transatlantic Relations specialist at the German Council for Foreign Relations actually coming in this morning i loath one of the we have 2 competing claims being made in washington the democrats saying the president abused his power with this phone call the president saying he was asked to look at. Corruption allegations surrounding the Vice President s son how do you assess these competing claims i think you should see both separately there might be issues to look at in the case of hunter biden whether it was illegal i dont think so but but acting like this was at least not very sensitive because his father was Vice President and he was like capitalizing on that but. The real issue is that the president pressed for and very dependent leda to help him in the in the domestic case against one of his opponents in the coming election and the front runner of the democrats and that is actually a mixing of like the private interests of donald trump and the interests of the United States that is i think not appropriate and the need to be some investigation on that what it meant its clear in the phone call he didnt say you wont get any money if you dont do this but when you when you read the very. Like humble. And flattering tone that president s and applied you understand how depending ukraine is on the american a ok and assistance and the that plays out here ok this touches on the issue of americas Foreign Relations of course with ukraine with its european allies are also working to bolster the Ukrainian Government of course on the front line with russia how do you see this political battle in the u. S. Affecting americas relationship with its friends in europe. All in all its unclear for the europeans how President Trump stands towards russia the administration has a very tough standing on russia trump is. Warbling in that regard. It is clear though that the europeans dont do enough in the larger context to secure their own allies in europe but also to help ukraine and this is the reason why not only ukraine but other Central EasternEuropean Countries as well rather look for washington for brussels when it comes to this security and this symmetry is of course now helping helping trump and hes building up a position with Eastern Europe and hes also picking on the european allies who dont do enough. In the phone call and he knows john engler isnt doing anything which isnt quite true because although the negotiation for most of the sanctions we do on russia thats not nothing but. Hes using that as leverage if the other europeans were more more up to the task. Could use that ok we have time to talk about how americas adversaries in competitors of you just confrontation in washington would help them further their own goals america being wrapped up again with political issues like this. The point is that the impeachment process lights. Undermined the president. Even further losing credibility he might look like a lame duck in 2020 and that of course means that he is. In a more difficult position when it comes to press a for pressuring china he has to to withdrawal from certain certain conflicts where you. Might be sensible that American Forces are on board so there is of course an opening that the risk could use but all in all it is not clear yet whether this process actually helps the democrats to undermine the president or whether it helps trump to really support and and called it a witch hunt do you see the narrative. He already says look we didnt do anything wrong with what the democrats do that might actually help him to win the election 20 and were at the beginning of that process kind of sorting it all out and reka from the German Council on Foreign Relations thanks very much youre welcome. Its to britain our lawmakers are back to work after the countrys highest court ruled the Parliament Suspension unlawful Prime MinisterBoris Johnson had ordered that suspension earlier this month and on wednesday he returned to parliament and had to face some very angry m. P. s. The speaker of the house of commons pretending to oversee m. P. s many of whom were coiling with rage of the Prime Ministers a new full suspension of parliament this Prime Minister to talk about. The rather shady reactor strike force johnson had to do all he could to be hurt this is this if. I think they should this is because the Prime Minister dead the opposition to trigger an election accusing them of cowardice. Hes actually going to vote no confidence in this government is he going to dodge a vote of no coal produced in the primaries. In order to escape the burden over virtually no vote followed instead a coup for accountability the highest court in this land has found the Prime Minister broke fool when he tried to. When he tried to shut down our democratic accountability at a crucial moment in our public life the Prime Minister should have done the only able thing and resigned. But theres no sign of that for now the opposition is refusing to agree to an election and celebrex it to lace a kids favorite with johnson repeating his vow to take the chaos of the pathetic fest with or without a deal parliament is looked in stalemates reasonable justification of springfield now and some of the other stories making the news at this hour israeli president Reuven Rivlin as aspen imminent yahoo to form a new Israeli Government the move comes after deadlocked elections last week and yahoos like who party came in one scene by. In the blue and White Coalition led by pentagons neither leader has been able to put together a coalition with a majority in the knesset. A soyuz rocket has docked with the International Space station after blasting off from the Baikonur Space center in kazakhstan among the new crew is. On sorry from the United Arab Emirates is making history by becoming the 1st arab astronaut on the i asked us. The families of 43 mexican students who vanished 5 years ago have marched through the countrys capital remains unclear what happened to the students who went missing after a confrontation with Police Officers the best the gators are still looking for them an International Report on the initial mexican inquiry florida. This is the news live from berlin still to come starving tortured and extorted for ransom survivors of libyan refugee camps tell d. W. How their quest for a better life turned into a horror story. But 1st to the u. S. Where the most restrictive abortion law in that country is weeks away from taking effect the state of alabama passed the anti abortion law in may supporters hope its a sign of things to come throughout the country but opponents fear women will lose access to Reproductive Health care the 2 sides regularly confront each other outside one of the states remaining Abortion Clinics. Its 5 am in Montgomery Alabama and already antiabortion activists awaiting the 1st women to arrive at the clinic. Near raven keeps an eye on what theyre doing she manages a feminist Community Center next door hits her volunteers who escort women into the clinic. Theres always anxiety as you. Never know what could happen you know what kind of things are going to happen on the sidewalk or even you know between patients and the protest. The patients here are terrified of what will happen if theyre recognized they know women and alabama have lost jobs because of abortion thats scary and its already and emotional day out there yelling and talking and not. Change what i decided its just insulting and just make the day or. The last 3 Abortion Clinics could close here if prochoice campaign has failed in their lawsuit aimed at blocking alabamas ban in may it passed restrictive abortion laws that effectively overturned a Supreme Court ruling that 1st legalized abortion its to test roe v wade but the ultimate goal of it is is to make onboard children personage protected by law. Lawyer eric johnson wrote alabamas bill he says there are no exceptions to his proposed ban not even in the case of rape so if were making an argument that the unborn child is a person that a man has conceived we would be inconsistent in our legal organs so she women turned up at this Abortion Clinic today many were uncertain whether abortion was still possible here but the state law hasnt come into force yet but that doesnt mean the current rules at lax says the clinic sona june as says in fact theyve got stricter over the years its a war on women its it is a marching for war on womens rights because they not only if they if they do this i see you know their abortion ban them Birth Control is going to fall for now theres no sign that the standoff that the clinic will end soon on one side women seeking help on the other demonstrators determined to make their choice even tougher. Well a few weeks ago the u. N. High commissioner for refugees issued a passionate plea for Countries Worldwide to take in refugees stuck in libya agency describes Migrant Center in tripoli for example as severely overcrowded but its not the only go up libya is a major transit point for migrants attempting to reach europe and as the w found out from refugees some are being held prisoner and tortured by human traffickers and advisory a report contains footage some may find discussing. These images were recorded by refugees in different camps in libya they show appalling conditions human rights activists say the images are credible we came into direct contact with 2 refugees by a messaging services theyve been interred in a libyan migrant camp for 2 years they talk to us by a voice message we change their voices for their own protection. We have been tortured with skid was suffering and dying from various diseases. We were kidnapped we became victims of violence where starving people have died our lives are disgusting so we appeal for our voiceless voice to be heard. We are innocent refugees living in a land of hell. Are. In using our we speak to refugees who went through this hell. One of them is 18 years old we call her a mina she was kidnapped while fleeing from somalia and taken to a hidden building in the Libyan Desert many other style on the journey across the sahara i mean us kidnap us demanded 8000. 00 for her release they tortured emina to increase the pressure at parents but forced to listen to it on the phone. The whole with the little sister well they changed me up hung me up. And tortured me with electric shocks. They tortured men with electric shocks to their genitals and women with shocks to their breasts until they cried and screamed loudly. They did it so they would get the money faster than how to stand as a causal. In the torch a systematic many other refugees describe similar methods. About 1600 refugees live in this camp salt of the sahara they were all rescued from libya. This man from sudan doesnt want to reveal his true identity either and asks that we call him he says when he was in prison he was sold good. People came and bought us like slaves. And they said we let you work and you get money for so. That in the end you didnt get any money. They said youre a slave youre a black man they even woke us up in the middle of the not to torture us you go well look. These are horrific stories were hearing from refugees inside this. Area theyve seen and experienced things theyre going to have imagined before now here they are the 1st time that life is not easy here too all they hope for is a quick reset and. Many hope to reach. We managed to meet someone who profits from the refugees suffering he calls himself of the laziest occupation migrants modeler for 500. 00 to bring smiles rents across the sahara to libya but if they cant pay the driver sell them to torture chambers of the lizzies understands why they do that. Or not is it the good they say i spent money on you what am i supposed to do i want my money back and i want profit on top of that that was when i started torturing people. We often hear refugees say that theyre not put off by stories like this the smugglers other only hope and theyre prepared to pay any price even if it means risking their lives. Mario one of the authors who put the report together is with us now in the stork studio good morning mario morning that was a very moving reports very disturbing 1st firsthand accounts that you found there are people being sold to have stored to use torture. Is there any way to tell how common this is very difficult to say actually as its just the smuggler that we that we have met that we interviewed also in the report he says that sometimes refugees come to his drivers and say you know i dont have any money but i want to travel through this how it is that to libya i have a friend in libya who will pay for me but then they arrive there and theres no friend so at the drivers such father possibilities to get the money and so they sell them to the to these torture chambers and then they torture the mylan so that they get the ransom from their families back home. But i also spoke to my grans told me well thats simply not true i paid for my travel and i was i ended up in these torture chambers anyway ok what about the International Investigators getting into libya and looking into all of this i mean these are these are grievous tribes really against the most vulnerable of people is there any push for police from any agency i think about interpol for example to get into the camps well into now that doesnt happen no such thing as an International Investigators getting into these torture chambers because theyre all operating in the head and nobody really knows where exactly they are of course are some known hops smuggle hops where you know are some of their private homes sometimes underground so you. I dont even the refugees who escaped from them they dont know where they where. But the International Community is aware of the problem they know whats happening in there that they are also aware of whats happening in the Libyan Detention Centers for example the United Nations the n. H. The are actually are evacuating people from there to share but also to europe but there are some other Detention Centers where nobody is there so everything can happen to them and the reason theyre United Nations says were not there is. They say we dont have access to the tension centers the government funded Detention Centers dont let us in but i talked to him an entire in worker from Doctors Without Borders he said we have no problem in getting into these centers we dont know why the United Nations are not there so it would be possible for International Investigators for interpol for example to to follow the story run it down as he was happening with these extortionists well as i said its very difficult to to to find them you know libya is a war torn country theres no you know structure of security so its very difficult i think for for investigators to get anyone yes anyone to do that ok you know theres smugglers that are working the peace of people traffickers or the part of Larger Networks that these networks they start their work and the home countries of the refugees or for example every trails of don somalia and they have reasons to libya or even to italy sometimes and theyre working very professionally they hand over the migrants at the borders they also viable gangs who kidnapped migrants from one group to another but also talked to a guy who worked you know who did this job of transporting migrants through the through the Sahara Desert since decades he says it was a normal job before 2015 when the law was passed and the European Union put pressure on the government of new share to close the border of course in order to prevent migration to europe. So you can say in some points that the 1st European Border to africa is now in the chair ok in Human Trafficking in smugglers thats your next report youll be looking into that for us as well looking forward yes thank you looking for to see that tomorrow thanks very much for coming in and you can find more stories on migration at her website w dot com. We have some sports news now and skateboarding will be making its debut as an Olympic Event in tokyo next summer started around an 11 year old british skateboarding prodigy is on track to become the youngest female to compete at the summer olympics in 50 years. The sky is the limit 1st guy brown unlike most preteens brown is already an accomplished surfer a. T. V. Dancing champion and the youngest nike sponsored athlete in the world recently winning a bronze medal from the world skateboarding shippey and ships browns gotten one step closer to her goal making Great Britain skateboarding team for tokyo 2020 the feat would be just another day in the park for the 11 year old was all we were gonna do. It was to our surprise share. Right. For writing social food she said but theres no pressure. As though as i really. Like the programme for if brown qualifies it be more history made by this wunderkind shell be 12 years and 12 days old when the games began in july 2020 which would make her think youngest female summer olympian since puerto rican swimmer lee out of the sense in 1968 unlike many other olympic sports skateboarding does not have an age requirement for its athletes. Well too old too young too overweight too thin aspiring actors face lots of project and landing leading roles is especially difficult if the way they look doesnt conform to cultural expectations now one Theater Company in india is proudly putting on a show where only plus size need apply. Was. When. It was really. My fact what. Im. Standing up to prejudice and stereotypes the Big Fat Company has a very explicit agenda to show theatre comes in all shapes and sizes. Founded in bangalore in 2017 the troop only costs plus size actors in its productions. I dont know maybe its uncomfortable to see plus sized people moving and enjoying their bodies and not necessarily looking like theyre you know been torn down so bodies that were so used to seeing. Yet so yeah we did get some kind of pushback. Just as in hollywood stereotypes of bound across indias Entertainment Industry but body shaming happens offscreen to something the actors in Big Fat Company know only too well. Discrimination a very common like if i go out if i am in any family function people are to say look how much how do you thank you for you me more we dont get any forward so i mean im actually eating as of then what beat. The groups founder was tired of being pigeonholed so she created her own stage to challenge such perceptions she hopes plus size actors will eventually find space in all places without their bodies playing a part in casting so the future of Big Fat Company is to become obsolete. Because we shouldnt exist i mean if weve given opportunities every bit as you know not considering our size we didnt have the need of the Credit Companies or the aim is to become obsolete. Until then ill keep the prejudice one big fat play at a time. Thats all we have time for thanks so much for being here. The borderless 0. 0 bracing Northern Ireland. Frontex pro and con. Battled with rescuers on the. Conflicts in border region to help people deal with them. Our special europes for the. Next on d. W. Enter the conflict zone confronting the powerful the photo may not be known as the champion of human life for those one in particular who scored his ascension to the lights of worship so he looks like this this week you saw on the ground by ambassador wilsons emotional religious freedom is donald trump trying to hijack legitimate so political purposes conflict so few 60 minutes to the olympics. Closely. Carefully. Dont know the soon. To be a good. Match. Discover who. Subscribe to the documentary on youtube. Hello and welcome to a special edition of focus on europe this week were looking at examples of how borders and barriers are defining the european project to get things started we come here to Northern Ireland as you know Northern Ireland belongs to the United Kingdom and border with the republic of ireland the separate Member States that border is wide open right now but