Actions the consequences of this will be borne by the us. Greatly underestimated the degree to which beijing is ideal logically and politically hostile to free nations. Also on the day a year after of autumn is the lansky was sworn into president ial office in ukraine promising to end his countrys a war with progress or separatists whats the 1st hit on this comedian turned politician the mourners a boon as he hasnt been able to end the war putin wont let him. Put in the. He promised to end the war he should at least start doing something this war has been done for 6 years and nothing has been done. So lets start with the latest a verbal tussling between the United States and china and the apparent on the willingness on both sides to tone. Down the rhetoric the latest flashpoint is taiwan u. S. Secretary of state mike pumpin loud and bitter from beijing after he congratulated the taiwanese president on inauguration a condemning what is what he said it was interference in chinas condemning what china said was his interference in Domestic Affairs beijing of course claims sovereignty of the island which is governed itself since the communists came to power on Mainland China in 1949 this is the latest in a catalogue of disagreements on trade and technology amongst other things and more recently of course the us president blaming beijing for what he calls a massive worldwide killing of the coronavirus pandemic president she claimed this week the chinese acted with openness transparency responsibility i wish it were so its been 142 days since doctors that would answer to a hospital 1st started sharing information about a sars like virus and yet today we also hear this morning beijing continues to deny investigators access to relevant facilities to withhold live virus samples to censor discussion of the pandemic within china and much much more so i dont i want to stress that at the critical moment when the International Community is united facing the covert 19 pandemic the us is still upholding you not to listen like that you want to cause maximum pressure. This goes against the global anti pandemic cooperation and seriously violates the human spirit china urges the u. S. To immediately change course and correct mistakes. Lets talk through this with a heart of boxers a senior asia expert at the battle Zone Institute here in berlin welcome to d. W. Should we presume that secretary of state pompei comments to taiwan were being were deliberately provocative towards china. Absolutely this was a provocation aimed at chinas stage for the domestic u. S. Audience the u. S. Government wants to get tough on the world stage so this is not at all unfortunately about taiwan entirely is freedom or democracy theyre just being used for internal election reasons in the us its interesting though with though isnt it for us non china specialists that something as apparently innocuous as well done on your election madam president should bring such an enormous response from china absolutely. But taiwan is the biggest factors red line that china has and the u. S. And western approach need the u. S. Approach to taiwan has always been strategic ambiguity not saying too much about what it would do about taiwan and this has. Led to a certain stability in the region and of course trump is doing away with all this diplomacy we provoking china over taiwan at this time where the Chinese CommunistParty Government and he a big personally also under immense pressure is an extremely dangerous because weve seen a lot of speculation recently that for shooting ping ringing taiwan back home into as they call it in china the embrace of the motherland will be one thing that it will be very keen to do in his term and giving him a reason to move escalate the situation in the Taiwan Strait is really i would say the diplomatic equivalent to training doesnt affect and to get going right 19. So this latest disappeared over over thailand this this is the bad beyond of what has been a couple of years of china and the u. S. Butting heads on trade on huawei free passage through the South China Sea and of course on coronavirus should we see these as lots of separate files if i can put it that way or other part of a larger u. S. Strategy to achieve will to achieve what. It is one big fire a big strategy in the u. S. At least the rational part of it is to maintain. U. S. Position in the Asia Pacific Region and to maintain the u. S. Position as the main power in the world china is obviously challenging this. And all the disputes theyve had in the past were aiming at pushing china back and using china towards a more level Playing Field its hearing 2 established rules of the global order and Global Governance china obviously is having none of that they want to assert their power in the Asia Pacific Region so this is really an escalating situation between the u. S. And china ok and obviously also economically after the economic crash of 2008 it was chinese money through loans and business deal that helps lots of countries stay afloat and now we have the world in a economic crisis worse than that is china likely to be the lifeline this time. I dont think china is going to be the lifeline for western economies let me give you one example of what happened in the last crisis it was a financial crisis china had a massive stimulus package for example for infrastructure they needed machinery from abroad from germany for example and they needed that to build roads and housing fast now 101112 years later they again having a big stimulus package but they have their own technology and theyre much more insistent on using indigenous Chinese Technology so even in the last crisis what they did is something that they did for their own sake but the side effect was that it worked very well for western economies this time they dont appear to be the solution they must more appear to be part of the problem could talk if i think you for joining us about how to botch from the battles mend institute thank you. President ial election day the day passed peacefully despite fears of Political Violence in the east african country however shortly after the polls closed Position Party accused of vote rigging opposition leader. Said an actual observers from his party have been chased away from polling stations there were no independent observers on election day. Since 2005 but surprised many by not seeking a 4th term is annoying to its successor ever recent days is an army general considered too close to the governments alleged crimes nor as someone who tried to stop them in other words a compromise candidate. I would like to tell you that since founding no president has supported his successor because i too have never benefited from the support of my predecessors im aware. That sentiment reflects. His history in the transfer of political power and rose to the top in 2005 as the result of a peace deal that ended over a decade of civil war critics say his decision to run for another 5 year term in 2015 violated that deal the resulting violence cost at least 1200. 00 lives thats on top of hundreds of thousands of deaths from ethnic strife in the decades since he came from belgium in 962 landlocked burundi is one of africas smallest and poorest countries the World Bank Estimates that 75 percent of its 11000000 people live in poverty. Theres no money or nothing since morning weve just been sitting here looking but we cant find any customers and. The un has warned the governments efforts to repress criticism and new cycle of violence. Currencys as party and its youth wing has been accused of rape torture and murder Rights Groups say the president himself has encouraged crimes against humanity and campaigning has gone ahead without regard for the coronavirus pandemic as has public life in general critics accuse the government of covering up the true scale of the Public Health crisis something the winner of todays vote might not have the luxury to ignore. Although the vote was peaceful a number of election observers are saying that burundi fails to meet conditions for a free and credible polls his friend move from d. W. South africa to ask. Barriers are there from brandy and people and the International Community brewed in never accepted the International Observers their number to join now is were not allowed to count me in the country and even 2 years at least 2 years before they suspended some of the International Media organizations like b. B. C. Voice of america and key International Media houses and then there is also the problem of course they said that they said that guys if you want to come and observe these elections you have to stay you have to be current for 14 days and this was announced just one week before devoid. Of the coronavirus pandemic is proving to be a stress test for the European Union like no other but the blocks stability has been challenge before few know that better than john claude younker he was European Commission president from 2014 to 2019 he began his tenure during a currency a debt crisis that pitted wealthy and that was against a struggling. Your rival of more than a 1000000 Asylum Seekers in 2051st rattle the block tilting towards a far right and populist apart. From brussels. Consumed his final years in office a deed of loser bad reader asked here how populist parties a use in the corona Virus Outbreak to push their agenda. People who smile to belittles all of course use this crisis to explain how we need strict border controls. That every country would better deal with the crisis individually and not together with the European Union with the. Push with you all. Through the mission if you have what i believe the people of europe have learnt from this crisis. Take music in. Their learning that one country alone will not beat this endemic alive these are clues of history. Quite all have to pull in the same direction we. Should receive these it is maybe one consequence of the many small acts of solidarity. One such as french covered 1000 patients being cared for in germany in luxembourg. Or neighborhoods helping each other around. Will be that after the crisis well all be better people and better europeans. And you can see the band bigots are full interview with the former head of the European Commission. On line d w dot com. Today marks a year since a ukrainian a comedian and actor became president of his country and during a News Conference has helped to mark the anniversary of preservd law to me is the landscape i spoke about the situation in the dome past he called for direct talks with president putin on the issue and said he planned to meet with partners in the socalled normandy format as Russia Germany and france as soon as the Coronavirus Crisis was over before last years election presents events he had no political experience of and playing a politician and a hit t. V. Show the w. B. Correspondent Nick Connelly in kiev looks back now on the president s 1st year. No hesitation already smile and an eye for the cameras then again this was full of the resilience his 1st inauguration as president of ukraine done it all before the start of a hit t. V. Show the real thing was watched by millions online a reminder for anyone needed white picked up a record 33 percent of the work. For jones all my life ive done everything i can to make ukrainians laugh. Great for the next 5 years ill be trying to make sure you craniums have no reason to cry. Ukrainian certainly have had enough to cry about in recent years war with russian backed separatists has claimed some 13000 lives and displaced millions said that force of night im ready to do everything to stop our heros dying. Im ready without hesitation to lose my position to make peace happen. Soiree them for all the high drama of that speech the reality has been disappointing a quick end to the conflict is only possible on russias terms Something Like this lets get no many ukrainians are willing to accept even a stable ceasefire has remained beyond reach just as it did for his predecessor hundreds of ukrainian soldiers have died been seriously wounded since solecki took office. Selenski the only tangible progress has been a series of high profile prisoner exchanges with russia and separatists gestures of good will but no more than that. A summit in paris last December Linsky face to face with that image putin for the 1st time. He had hoped that personal chemistry could achieve a breakthrough where years of negotiations failed the hope that was soon dashed. And while the tone between moscow and kiev may have changed the fundamentals havent. But if selenski knew from the outset that his presidency would be defined by the war his 1st year in office was spent putting out fires he could have seen coming. Within months of his election the world was once again looking at ukraine and not for the right reasons. Ask yourself whether or not President Trump had pressured him into launching investigations into his democratic rival joe biden ukraines new president found himself stalling holding out just long enough to avoid his country being dragged into present trumps impeachment trial the us parks and politics. And just as one danger receded another arrives in the shape of covert 90 a threat ukraines underfunded Health System was always going to struggle to me. As the dust settles on a turbulent 1st year in office ukrainians are going to be expecting more from their president than crisis management. Is lengthy now as defined in news story of his presidency the story to inspire the 73 percent of ukrainians who entrusted him with the countrys biggest get a mandate. Well that report from nick conaway in kiev who joins us now i welcome it as a year enter a lansky of presidency how much closer are we to peace in Eastern Ukraine. Well phil weve barely edged forward this is well and truly a conflict that stuck the front lines havent moved in years but people are still dying soldiers dying the last week civilians and soldiers being wounded almost every day that hasnt changed you get the sense. That he thought that personal chemistry meeting. Face to face could somehow achieve more than it has been able to i think ukrainians voted for the water end but they were willing to give him to basically. Let russia decide the terms this would happen and that seems to be the only way to end this conflict in a hurry to give russia some kind of veto over ukraine does in the future so given that the only option on the table is. It looks very difficult see where this is going and it looks like hes going to have to find a new topic to kind of really justify his job ok but 73 percent thats quite a mandate why did you craniums vote for him in such huge numbers was this just about electing a celebrity. I think is about a mood about a tone youve got to think about what ukrainians went through in the last 56 years they had a revolution they had an economic crisis many people saw their savings wiped out then russia annexed crimea then the conflict in Eastern Ukraine began people were just exhausted and the previous politicians were just telling them hes got painful reforms ahead and the best you can hope for is some kind of frozen conflict with russia and then you have someone like selenski coming onto the stage someone the everyone knew his face from t. V. Someone associated with the lighter side of life with comedy who told them that there is a sort of easy solution to this and that he could really shake things up and basically take these problems out of their hands and appeal to a lot of people we went out into the streets of of the last few days and ask people what they thought about his 1st year in office. The moon is a boon as it hasnt been able to end the war putin wont let him. Im convinced his promises came from the heart he really meant it he just doesnt know how to make it all happen. He promised to end the war he should at least start doing something this war has been done for 6 years and nothing has been done. But so. Im disappointed and i voted for him but im really disappointed right now. I think selenski is an honest man but hes really trying its the people around him that are the problem. And they calmly ukrainian policy existed in quite an interesting phase at the moment to me as a landscape not the only high profile figure to take office there however any other ukrainian a mr scott. Well thats the thing he is only one of whole a cohort of people from showbusiness that have made their way into politics apart from him he was this countrys most famous stand up comedian and actor we have ukraines most famous rock musician. Who predictably set up a party called voice he seems to have slightly lost interest in day to day politics and has kept one foot in parliament but has been recording a new album but apart from him we have former world heavyweight boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko who is mayor of kiev someone who had a lot of skeptics the beginning but has really put in the hours and one of those people over hes seen as potentially one of his most serious rivals for the presidency next time around i think the takeaway from this is if we think in the west that people are kind of tired of career politicians then they have to come to ukraine this is a place where people assume that people go to politics to make money or to protect the money theyve got so that kind of association with something thats not politics with show business with music with sport that really comes into effect and in situation where people dont really believe in any kind of ideology that personality is the only thing that politicians have going for them and obviously if youre coming from showbiz you can sell yourself much better to the audience to the voters than any normal career politician but. You touched on in your report was supposed to attempt by President Trump to coerce ukraine into launching potentially damaging investigations into the son of his likely president ial rival joe biden that was a story that made big headlines over here did it attract much attention there in ukraine. Well thats the curious thing ukrainian leaders are always obsessed about getting attention and support from the u. S. And often struggle to do so and suddenly ukraine became the topic everyone was talking about in washington and it wasnt being talked about here in ukraine firstly most ordinary ukrainians didnt really understand what the allegation was and secondly if they did they werent really impressed by the concept or shocked by the concept of a conflict of interest the idea that a politician could be going off to government interest or personal political interests of business interests the same time that is just seen as a given in this part of the world so there was little shock about that obviously the people in power were very worried they saw the danger of ukraine getting sucked into this internal u. S. Power struggle of support for ukraine becoming a partisan issue where it hadnt been in the past it seemed like selenski was out of the woods that had stalled long enough for this to blow over but yesterday we had our ukrainian m. P. Giving a press conference where he said he had recordings of joe biden talking to former president poroshenko have to say that everyone involved in this has said these are fakes but he is trying to push this push a new investigation so we have now the prospect potentially of an investigation here in ukraine with joe biden maybe only as a witness in the months coming up to the next u. S. Election so potentially ukraine in the headlines in the u. S. For a few more months a quick word about the bread and butter issues jobs health corruption vehicle to me is the president making much of a difference. Well frank you havent had much time overseas have to deal with corona with ukraine gate as its known and trying to somehow get some kind of relationship with him if putin theres a big worry here among the reformers in governments or who have been in government that he doesnt have the patience or the understanding of how long it takes to really change things that hes someone whos come from t. V. And wants quick results whos looking at his rate ratings and is not really willing to put in the hard graft lots of ukrainians are really willing to wait theyre voting with their feet this is a country that seen millions of people leave you know western europe to better money they can here so theres a lot of pressure now on density to really deliver and make ordinary ukrainians lives better and they could connally n. K. F. Thank you for that and that was the day as ever the conversation continues online you can find us on twitter at stade only news or at phil gayle and dont forget to use the hash tag the day of a good dad. Conflicts in march Prime Minister obama secured an open ended right to rule by decree in order he said to fight the coronavirus pandemic my guest this week from budapest is voloshin dovekie hungary namea peace from the ruling field best policy is the government being honest about his motives or is this new law just the latest move to cement the othera terry and root conflicts are. Next on the discussion. Gets a deadly sin. And a basic human trait. It drives us going to and threatens to destroy us. Green. In part one. For humans greek church is greed something that. Greed a fatal desire. In 45 minutes on d. W. When the water rises cities will sink into the sea blockade entire stretches of land will be abandoned. When the water strives. It stopped its happening faster than anticipated. Massive great us are supposed to prevent flooding but they only delay inevitable. How will we live in the future. 66 metre rising sea levels starts to slip on g. W. We are now nearing the end thankfully of the emergency situation you happy about that Police Excessive behavior the people believe that the country is in good hands for some years the government of hungary has been one of the bad boys of year especially when it comes to issues about the rule of law but a much Prime Minister all been secured an open ended right to rule by decree in order he said to fight the coronavirus pandemic and now the outcry across europe is much louder my guest this week from budapest is by last years very good hunk gary an m. E. P. From the