Im melissa chan welcome to news asia thank you for joining us more than a 1000 migrants from pakistan bangladesh and afghanistan during inning westward across the continent for better opportunities has ended up in the town of the lead in bosnia border in croatia its an entry point into the European Union and it has become a hub for these travelers and many of them do not have adequate shelter he has this report. From far away the woods on the outskirts of bosnias danika peaceful. But beneath the foliage a crisis is unfolding here hundreds of south asian refugees and migrants spend their nights in shacks made of plastic sheets. And then yes we are staying here in the cold at the time of the coronavirus pandemic lileks food and other basic needs to survive here the e. U. Should have. The already refugees living in the improvised jungle camp fear a harsh winter already the temperature is less than 2 degrees celsius in the mornings the migrants use twigs to make a fire and stay warm but there will be snow fall soon and the cold will make living in the huts impossible. Gambit dog they dont let us stay in the io ams migrant camp nearby if i manage to enter somehow they check at midnight and send us out even if its raining and hold out or do what i think of. The migrant shelter known as mate our camp is run by the International Organization for migration or i. O. M. And its only a few 100 meters away from the forest. Migrants there have better facilities including proper beds to sleep in and regular mealtimes. But the camp can only accommodate a limited number of refugees. Because you can put all these 700000 year old already in full with the capacity but also outside of the candidate is another socalled wildcat an improvised scam where around 800 people are. So wired over there that they dont get fluxus to food to medical treatment or medical care you know osha to go and if i didnt that they need Something Like sleeping bags blankets and set up when they were at work you know the i. O. M. Wants to open another camp in the area to accommodate refugees living in the woods but locals reject the idea they often protest in front of them in hot camp demanding that it be closed journalists have been barred from covering the protest was able to say we dont want any more migrants and were all really what we want this to be moved away from our town because its crossed all limits our streets are full of migrants now for seconds its when im going to be going to. Meanwhile more and more refugees are trying to cross the border between bosnia and croatia in an attempt to reach their ultimate destination the European Union even though they are often stopped at the border and pushed back they hope to make it across one day. Running as. The reporter behind this story do we know what usually ends up happening to these migrants at this town do they eventually make their way into the. That he said migrants or try to get a place in di you him scam been for. The winter season some of them not even considering going to the other same set on by the u. N. Organization in bosnia where they are they still thomas faces left however most of them are they still trying to cross the border to begin. Duty to European Union i met some migrants who have to cross the border to 15 times but fate some of them already have been beaten brutally by the Border Police and to go to intrude very badly but they havent given up hope. That hes still trying to cross the border out of going about this the johns and some human traffickers and dangerous journey to the you in exchange off to 4000 euros from. Their often taken to the border in groups by boss off that theyre there to cross the border by walking through forests that migrants only successfully make that with 2 countries like italy or france and. Even 2 really if you off them manage to get through to you whats your sense of the expectations the migrants had versus the reality of what they found themselves facing i mean did you sense that they regretted their decision to travel. Some of them told us that they were not. Difficult because of the route and it was a wrong decision off of believing human traffickers who lured into taking this challenging johnny off reaching the you that lost each of them. In 2000 euros and monts as they had to go on trips including. God key and agrees they could have done Something Else in their homeland this and wont and time so some migrants to do declared their decision to. Do so it and as a result of their regret did you get a sense that there were people who plan to actually just go back home well i dont program 4050 and migrants who want to return to their own countries however they dont want to return mainly because the money they have all it is spent on the journey was taken as long as from prettier sources even if you dont know they might not be able to the pier the loans which would make their life even more complicated than now but. Somehow gives them hope that one day they might be able to read to you. Thank you almost 4 years ago outgoing president barack obama warns incoming President Donald Trump that his biggest Foreign Policy challenge will be managing north korea where things stand well there has been no war and no detonation of a nuclear bomb but yang continues to flex its muscle most recently with a military parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers Party a spectacle including new long range ballistic missiles. Joining us from seoul is kelly who is managing editor of n. K. News dot org kelly whats your report card on how President Trump has handled north korea do you think the region is more or less dangerous now than 4 years ago you know thats a really hard question to answer i think as you know the beginning of 2017 for and sense things were starting to look pretty scary on the Korean Peninsula granted a lot of those tensions were ramped up by president himself you know his term has been extremely unconventional in terms of how the United States has dealt with north korea and there are people that really support the summitry that hes done with north Korean Leader kim jong un and 202019 and there are people who say that he should have never met with the north Korean Leader without some kind of preconditions in the 1st place but now we know were a little over a year or so since. Chop met with kim jong un and february 29th no i saw met you walked out of that meeting and the 2 countries have not really made any meaningful progress since so i would say its pretty hard to assess seans progress but near the latter half of his term it hasnt been so great what our next steps youd like to see from the u. S. Government when it comes to dealing with pyongyang on the nuclear issue. You know i think no matter who gets elected in the coming days or weeks the next president of the United States really needs to have a clear plan and path forward with north korea ive been speaking with a number of experts and so has the rest of our journalist safa and again you know this and we hear everything from you know the United States should consider some kind of preconditions before meeting with chemical they should spell out step by step verifiable denuclearization more specifically so north korea knows what has to be working well and there are people that also argue that at this point with everything that north korea has done in terms of concessions to the United States the u. S. Should at least consider a partial lifting of economic sanctions against the country im quite frankly what ive been hearing again again in washington and in seoul is that the United States is working on negotiations but theyre not willing to give much up on their end of the negotiation so from what im hearing it seems like the next president or if chuck gets another 4 years should really consider the real give and take process if were going to work towards getting north korea to dismantle its Nuclear Facilities can make us feel less thank you. Many of us used to have stuffed toys when we were small kids and sometimes these cuddly animals happened to accompany their owners for many years even into their adulthood but what do we do if these beloved toys start to fall apart if youre in japan you can now bring them to a special toy clinic. Which. The she is not in good shape 18 years have passed since she met her own a cuttle her skin has become tattered and she needs a specialized treatment thats when a toy clinic like this one in tokyo comes into play. I have always slept with you john at home so i would really feel as if i had lost all my memories if she were to disappear i would feel lonely. Needs to be reconstituted from scratch. Getting a good bath is just the very 1st step. The shop owner started this business 4 years ago after she discovered that many of her customers at a cloth alteration shop were deeply attached to a cuddly toys or cars of the day i had clients who care for their stuffed toys like family i wanted to treat each of the toys with good care so that they can be with the family for a long time but obviously. The repair costs around 800. 00 euros. But cattle says the high price is worth it. I know what all of it is a new book but a part of the memory is still in her for me shes just the same baby that i met 18 years ago. With treatments like this the clinic hasnt just restored the toys form but also memories which have made the toys so special and irreplaceable. Thats it for now be sure to check out our other stories and e. W. Dot com for slash asia or im faced book and twitter we leave you with pictures out of sri lanka where more than 100 whales have been stranded on a beach the government has launched a rescue operation involving the navy and with locals pitching yet most of the whales have been saved thanks for watching well see you next time and good buy. Every journey begins with the 1st step and every language but the 1st word published in the. Rico is in germany to learn german why not live with him simple online on your mobile and free cell d. W. E learning course nikos speak german made easy and this is homey push. Us right now to the world right now Climate Change if i can cough the story. Faces once less leeway for just one week. How much worse can it really get. We still have time to ask. What it says. That subscribes like this. Is the American Dream really just that a dream photographer matt black documents americas underdogs a look at his work coming up and later on arts and culture oh. Oh american baritone Thomas Hampson joins us to talk about this years unprecedented president ial election. First though talking about that election another singing sensation joins us from her home in new york. She. Grew up in germany made waves around the world with her musical roles and singing performances she also proved to be the perfect german voice for does news the little mermaid. Own she he. Should be here in berlin with a show about. If it werent for the coronavirus thanks for joining us you have long said that you consider. That you consider yourself a new yorker not an american does that have something to do with the divides we see in the us well i am definitely a new yorker because it is a place of great diversity of cultures short. Place where the free mind and the progress of spirit a liberal spirit so i certainly feel very home here and new york is a very inviting city i came here in 199798 and after 3 months i was fully fully welcomed and integrated in this come glamour and multicultural it to epa street so it feels good to be here and i always felt great i didnt here and in some way i didnt. Feel the little nationalistic. Dimension that i also felt in europe i have to say i lived in london for many years and thats out the brits can be very british and sometimes too great theres something about nationalism thats going to trump because in new york where you are weve seen protests against falsely and prematurely declared his victory what do you make of that what was that moment like for you. Well it was a typical moment it didnt surprise me his banter is always the same always too fast too loud its a kneejerk reaction and almost like infantile way and i wasnt surprised by it it didnt mean anything you know you dont have im not listening to him for a long time so that was not not new but i was a little bit worried when the it ended in the night of the election and then in the course of it i thought oh my god he has the lead how can this be i was also very surprised about the absolute you know tight tight election that the country is so divided even after 4 years and after the incredibly incredible crisis of corona that is out of the box because of the lack of mass mandate and the management of the crisis through the republican government just one more question youve been in the u. S. For so many years how have you managed to wrap your mind around this Electoral College system what do you think of it i think its and its an Old Fashioned reactionary system and it should be just the popular vote every vote should count and yes it should not be and it should be retired. Thank you so much for coming on arts and culture can i just mention that my lifestream concert is on november 10th and november 16th downtown in the east village in Allen Cummings club and it is my beloved show on digital with my thanks so much for coming on arts and culture thank you. The u. S. Is the richest country on earth but there are huge disparities between those who hold the wealth and those who dont for target for matt black is interested in the have nots as exhibition here in germany had to close this week due to coronavirus rules luckily we got to check it out before that happened. The exhibition in hamburg shows pictures of america that exposed the myth of the American Dream. Magnum photographer matt black called this personal inventory of poverty like gratian and powerlessness. Using bold black and white images he depicts the underdogs in the land of opportunity the photographs look as if they were taken in another. Sense of his when i look at these pictures i have to remind myself that we are in the 21st century with a powerful show and a World Premiere which the photographer couldnt attend due to coronavirus restrictions. Black grew up in california the public image of disneyland of Silicon Valley of hollywood all of that exists but there is another california where its hot deserts where farming is done and thats the one he comes from. Black began to document that california in 2014 the sadness the desolation. The struggle for survival. For 5 years the photographer traveled through the u. S. Bypass paid. This isnt hundreds of places whose residents live far below the poverty line gathered data discovered things he met people who dont have Health InsuranceUnemployment Benefits or any means of support the photographer recorded his observations in a diary. Might drive north to flint past buick city which was once the largest automobile plants in the world in 1980 General Motors employed 80000 people in flint today there are fewer than 8000 People Living here. Blacks photographs tell stories about loss about lost job security and confidence in one interview he said when it comes to power in the u. S. Its always a question of race as well my work also deals with the same issues who has access to power and who is excluded. Perspective of change or perhaps simply of the future is in the pictures and this creates a glimpse of something that completely contradicts the American Dream i mean. Much black isnt trying to shock with his pictures he keeps a distance and preserves the dignity of those struggling. Shocking is that these images show the present day here President Trumps promise to make America Great again remains unfulfilled. American classical singer Thomas Hampson one of the worlds top baritones has been living between europe and the u. S. Now for decades. Foundation promotes understood. Inning of various cultures including American Culture through education on songs and poetry and hes a close follower of u. S. Politics. Thomas hampson welcome to arts and culture watching this whole election cycle do you believe that the United States can still come back together as a country or is america just headed for more division. I think we can come back i think we must come back i think we need to although our American History a little better and know that this kind of very close election. Both in legislature as well as president ial politics is not a new phenomenon that 13th amendment passed by 2 coats which gave freedom to the slaves and john f. Kennedy was elected by the slimmest margin ever in the history of president ial politics so i think we have i think i think we have significant reason to to realize or to believe that our our volatile lalo messy politics will produce a direction we all have to commit to ok speaking of possibly a new direction do you think its finally time to change the us electoral system and get rid of the Electoral College. Well i think thats a very complex question i personally wouldnt have a problem with it. But being applauded being an old Political Science major i know why they Electoral College is there and its and its essential to protect population bases from non population bases and it interesting if you see the irony of that that a great deal of the power of american of the american electorate is in the non Populated Areas so i think it should have been reexamined should it be adjusted shouldnt should be should be right up in front of everybodys face that we know this is why it needs there and what it does yes i think its it it is sort of sampras a moment in me and my playing instead lets just switch gears a 2nd i want to talk very briefly here about arts in america 4 years of time so far at least now the pandemic are you worried about americas culture saying. You know im worried about im worried about people getting used to not having cultural events. The covert disaster on top of the accompanying Financial Stress has thrown in a very sharp relief that the Business Models of America American are such institutions are essentially donor base and philanthropy based on salons or be in america is an amazing thing its a we can only be grateful and proud that we have such philanthropy however when when they are known shows up and when the end when the unexpected is is the stress on the business model. To get ticket sales and artist fees are the 1st things a bottle someone on the show that we have 60 we have 1600 orchestras right now that are in the dark and you know not really for months time this has turned me to Thompson Thomas hanson thank you so much for coming on this i really appreciate it why appreciate being here. A quick look now at some culture news milans milan italys less scala opera house is canceling its season premiere due to several coronavirus cases among musicians the gala event is normally one of italys cultural highlights and netflix is tapping into the hollywood of the middle easts the Network Launched its 1st egyptian series paranormal based on the books of gyptian novelist think about a doctor forced to question all he thinks he knows about science. Now imagine if someone told you your bathroom mirror once belonged to a french queen well thats exactly what happened to a family in england theyve been brushing their teeth in this mirror for decades before a london auctioneer told them it once belonged to the nets now there is a little plaque on the mirror about its former owner but all that time the family just thought that was a joke not a joke at all the mirrors now set to go under the hammer and expected to fetch tens of thousands of pounds. Well thats it for this edition of arts and culture for more news from the arts world check out our Website Online at d w dot com slash culture season. W. s crime fighters are back to africas most successful in radio drama series continues this season the stories focus on hate speech color of prevention and sustainable charcoal production. All of a sows are Available Online and of course you can share and discuss on africas Facebook Page and other social media platforms. Crime fighters to news know. How does a virus spread. Why do we panic and when well all miss an answer just 3 of the topics covered in the weekly radio show is called spectrum if you would like and the information on the prong of virus or any other science topic you should really check out our podcast you can get it wherever you get your podcast you can also find us at cong. Slash science. Its their obsession for spectacular pictures. Its their passion for nature and. Place instead complete devotion that makes them the best wildlife photographer in the world. Playing this amazing. And traumatic. Confrontational. And stirring. Play of 5 adventurers. One goal. The preservation of our planet. Is not just an issue of heart and trees and saving the planet is a. Sauce thats dangerous surat cost. Cutting starts november 6th on g. W. This is g. W. News not from the votes in the u. S. Election are still being counted but joe biden is feeling confident. That weve won. But i am here to report the count is finished we believe we will be the winners. Supporters protest the vote count taxes Campaign Legal challenges in several crucial swing states