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Day. We take a look at how unified germans actually feel, more than 30 years after the berlin wall separating east and west came down. Im phil gayle. Welcome to the program. Armenias parliament has voted to join the International Criminal court. The government says it is seeking security and legal guarantees in the aftermath of the latest conflict with azerbaijan. But the decision is likely to string relations with russia. The court has issued an arrest warrant for russian president Vladimir Putin for alleged crimes committed during russias invasion of ukraine. Parliament once parliaments decision takes effect, armenia it would be obliged to detain Vladimir Putin if he entered the country. I spoke earlier to asbed kotchikian, a professor of Political Science and International Relations at the American University of armenia. I asked him what is behind armenias decision to join the icc. Asbed thank you for having me. Well, its an escalation, at least for the last couple of months, of armenias deep disappointment and very deep rejection of what they view as a betrayal by russia. In many ways that included also military exercises with the u. S. Forces, as well as trying to disengage from moscow as a former satellite state. But the latest is obviously discontent with Russian Peacekeeping forces that existed in nagornokarabakh and their inability for not protecting the rights of armenians there. Phil right. So, time was when a former soviet state took this sort of action, russia would react. What do you expect to come from moscow . Asbed well, the military leverage is gone. The armenian population in nagornokarabakh were forced to completely leave their country, their ancestral land. Some people argue that just because of that, its russia doesnt have any more leverages, then why not go on a full frontal attack and invasion, leg al invasion of russia . But armenia is also very highly dependent on russia for subsidized gas and oil and a lot of businesses. Not to mention the possibility that armenia, which has been acting as a backdoor for russia among other countries, former soviet republics or otherwise, to bypass russian sanctions. So my biggest concern could be that, at least when it comes to natural gas and oil, russia might decide unilaterally that they will start to charge armenia the regular market price for that. Phil is russia losing, or has it lost its influence in the south corpus is . Asbed it has, mostly because of the recent developments. I think they are trying to play other leverages include and probably Bilateral Agreements now with azerbaijan. There are a lot of discussions that the latest invasion of azerbaijan and the exodus and forced removal of armenians from nagornokarabakh might not give russia any leverage because there are peacekeeping forces there to protect the armenian population. The armenian population is gone, so how are they going to justify staying there . There are also discussions that it is not beyond the from a possibility that azerbaijan might big deals with russia for their continued stay in the region. Dont forget that russia does have a military base in armenia and they also have a military presence although i doubt they will utilize that military base in armenia. Phil has russias involvement in ukraine, is that why it has been so inactive in the developments in nagornokarabakh . Does it just not have the bandwidth to deal with invading one country and keeping its backyard in order . Asbed i dont think it was an issue that they were focused on ukraine. Unlike individual states, they can engage in multipronged policies. But to a large extent, it was to remove the south caucasus, the regional politics from a euro Atlantic Security structure into more deeply entrenched regional structure where turkey, russia, and iran become the ones calling the shots. Because after all, for the last 30 years or so, europe and the United States were both very much involved in the process. To the frustration of azerbaijan , they could not find a solution. It could be inadvertently a russian decision, willingly or unwillingly, to allow this change to happen. Because now they dont have to contend with western european, american presence in the region. Rather they can find Bilateral Agreement with turkey as well as iran, a distant third player. Phil thank you for that. Asbed kotchikian from the American University of armenia. Asbed thank you. Phil meanwhile, tens of thousands of Ethnic Armenians who fled the conflict in nagornokarabakh are looking for certainty in armenia. Officials say more than 100,000 have left the enclave since azerbaijan took control. Despite reassurances, many refugees say they will never be able to return. They left everything behind. Now, the other looking for any opportunity to start a new life. Some of the nearly 3000 refugees who have arrived here have been sent to this former boarding school. As we film, two men appear, each carrying nothing but a small bag. They just came from nagornokarabakh. Some of the people staying here say that even before the azerbaijani takeover, they had little choice but to leave the territory. We were starving. For several months, all i had to eat were vegetables from my small garden. Potatoes, pumpkins, things like that. Reporter this man tells us he has cancer and is waiting to resume his treatment. For now, he has to stay in this reception center, which has very basic conditions and problems with heating and water supplies. There is a sense of abandonment and hopelessness in this place, which has been held together with the efforts of local volunteers. They are telling us they prefer not to send families, especially with small children here, because staying here even for a short time will be traumatizing for them. Volunteers being food, clothes, and other basic necessities that they collected in the town. They say many of the refugees are still in deep shock. We need to make sure they have something to eat, somewhere to sleep, so that they can get back into some kind of normalcy. Reporter svetlana and her colleagues take us around to meet other refugees. 11 members of this family have been placed in this private house, at lease for the next month. They are planning to buy a new property. They left behind a farm with many animals and equipment. They say the disaster could have been averted. Generally speaking, they did not do what they should have done. Reporter so what should they have done . They should have thought about ordinary people. But many in the elite only cared about their own business. What else is there to say . Reporter in another part of town, this family has found a temporary shelter. He was an officer with the separatist forces in nagornokarabakh. His wifes sister is paying for their stay in this apartment. The couple is looking forward to finding jobs and staying in armenia. Despite all the shock and sorrow, he strikes an optimistic tone. I cannot tell the future and we do not know what kind of political and geographical changes will happen in the world and our region. But we should have hope that one day we can get the lost territory back. Reporter this sentiment is unlikely to be shared by many of those who escaped the war in nagornokarabakh. Most of the refugees believe that their past lives are now gone forever. Phil most of nagornokarabakhs population fled in less than two weeks. Matt morris speaks for the International Committee of the red cross and we asked him how many people are still there. Matt it is not completely clear. What we do know is many thousands of people left in the last two weeks or so. The reports are 100,000plus. In terms of how many remain, it is hard to know for sure. We believe it may be people in the hundreds, probably mostly in the main city. But of course are going to be people in countryside dwellings. We are doing our best to try and see if we can find those people, but it is not an easy task. Some people will have decided that they will not move. Others will not have had the choice. They will perhaps be well enough to move. They are perhaps not as mobile, the people with disabilities. We know for sure that is the case. An example from our teams on the ground today is that they were in the main city in some streets and they were told that there were some people unable to move in some apartment blocks. They went around with a loud speaker to try and raise awareness that teams were on the ground and we could help them. For example, we know they managed to find a lady on the fourth floor of an apartment block. She was a cancer patient who had run out of food, water, and critical medicine. So obviously this was a really important situation. They managed to get to her, and they managed to get her evacuated down some stairs and into an ambulance and away from the area. So that is one example of what we are trying to do to go out into the community can find people who may still be there. It is a very complicated picture. We know that for example, most of the staff in the health premises, they have left. I think the same applies for the waterboard. So its very hard to know exactly what the situation is in terms of running water. We have also found something similar with staff working at the morgue. And that is a really important area of focus for us, because the dignified treatment of the dead is so important in situations like this and it is something we have been working on to prioritize, is the safe removal of human remains so that they can be taken away. But also to enable the process for people to identify their loved ones, and perhaps bring some kind of closure for them. Phil that was matt morris of the red cross. Some news just coming in from italy. The mayor of venice says at least 20 people including two children have been killed in a bus crash near the city. Local media reports say the vehicle appeared to veer off an overpass and fell to the ground close to real ray tracks in a suburb connected to venice by bridge. Victims have been dragged from the fleming wreckage. Train services in the area have been halted. Heres a look at more stories making headlines around the world. At least 18 people have been killed in a fire at an illegal oil refinery in southern nigeria. The blaze broke out at a makeshift refinery for spreading to a nearby oil reservoir. Locals warn the death toll could rise as dozens of people were on site when the fire started. U. S. President joe bidens son was in court and his home state of delaware. Hunter biden denied lying about his drug use on a federal form while buying a handgun. It is the first time the son or daughter of a sitting u. S. President has faced a criminal prosecution. Two people have been killed and five others injured in a shooting at a luxury Shopping Mall in bangkok. A 14yearold boy was taken into custody at the scene. The suspect appears to be suffering from Mental Illness. Gun violence is not uncommon in thailand, though Mass Shootings are rare. Reporter fleeing from an active shooter. These mobile phone images show terrified shoppers running out of a mall into the streets of central bangkok. After hearing gunshots. Witnesses describe the terror. We just heard if you gunshots, and there were just running all over the place, and everyone was scared and petrified. We saw a lot of people running past where we were eating. We did not know what had happened. Then, someone from one of the shops told us to go inside because there was a shooter. Everyone was trying to find a place to hide. So many people were terrified. Just like a scene in a zombie movie. Reporter the suspect is a 14yearold boy who was arrested at the scene and is in custody. The suspect suffers from a Mental Illness and had been receiving treatment at a local hospital. He had not been taking his medicine and felt like someone told him to go shoot people. It is like he has two personalities. This is what we got from the initial talk with him. Reporter police said the Ongoing Investigation is particularly sensitive because of the suspects young age. Phil now to one of the most dangerous and impossible impassable regions of the world. Despite that, this year alone, 300,000 desperate people have tried to cross it in search of a better life. We are talking about the infamous darien gap on the border between colombia and panama. It is the only land route between south and north america. People attempting to cross it risk robbery and death as they try and reach the registration center. Those who do make it often arrive sick and traumatized. Reporter the first boats arrive at noon. Often 150 per day with refugees from venezuela, ecuador and haiti. This is the last stage on their trip. After days of marching in the jungle of the darien gap, thousands reach panamas registration office. The hot and humid climate has left most of them injured or dehydrated. Johan also struggled for four days through the darien gap. His verdict . Terrible. The ordeal is over, but he cannot find peace. There is no trace of his relatives left venezuela before him. My hope is that they have already passed through and have registered that would reassure me. Reporter because some do not survive this route. It is 100 kilometers of jungle, rivers, and mud. Plus gangs that rob the grant. How many die is unclear. There is no help on the way. The darien gap is the only land route between colombia and panama, and thus, the only way to the usa, for people like jose. His whole family fled poverty in venezuela. You see dead people on the way. I tried to them. You just want to arrive. And you walk and walk. Reporter they rest because of the children. Even though most of them want to keep moving. Lajas blancas is overcrowded, littered, and polluted. Panamas authorities are overwhelmed. The darien gap is no route for migrants, they warn in campaigns. But despite the dangers, more are coming than ever before. 350,000 have arrived since the start of the year. Already 100,000 more than the whole of last yar. In lajas blancas, Doctors Without Borders help those who are worse off. Children with severe diarrhea and cough, their feet and flamed by the journey, traumatized by the experience. They demand a safe escape route where migrants are not exposed to these risks. Migration is a right. People should not be criminalized. Reporter others are using the migrants misery to earn a quick buck. 25 is what locals charge for a boat ride to lajas blancas. 1 to charge a cell phone, 40 for a bus ticket north. Panama authorities turn a blind eye because they want to get rid of the migrants quickly. Maria is also ready to leave. Her family has scraped together their savings. The we dream and hope for the best in the future. Reporter today they are about to board one of the buses. They have put the darien gap behind them. But their destination is still thousands of kilometers away. Phil our correspondent nicole ris is in the colombian capital bogota. She told us why so many people, including thousands of children, are taking this dangerous route to the u. S. Nicole these are indeed historic, record numbers. By the end of the year it could easily be more than half a Million People who have made this really dangerous journey. The motivation is very well known. Most of them are escaping poverty and also insecurity in some countries here in latin america. For example, in ecuador, insecurity has been rising, so violence is also a motive for them to leave. They do believe that once they reach the u. S. , that life will be easier for them. They will find a job, security, stability, health care, and education for their children. One out of five people is a child going through this journey. By the way, many of them go solo. It is obviously a completely different ball game for a child to pass through such a jungle, with the biohazard you can find, but also other threats like armed groups and gangs that can assault you, harm you, or threaten your life. Nevertheless, people are seeking better opportunities. This is why they are going through this i this ordeal. If we focus on the children a little more, it has already been more than 50,000 children who have passed through the darien gap only this year. More probably we dont know of. This is five times the number we saw last year. Theres a whole economy in the villages close to the darien gap which offer economy transportation, guides. Passage is being charged by armed groups, groups which many people fear. Nevertheless, this has given an economic stability to the communities. It also plays into the agenda of some local politicians in these towns and villages because colombia is heading into regional by the end of the month. Now on the agenda they have one item that is called stability, economic stability, that they can offer communities because of these migrant flows. On a local level this is happening. On a national level, the message is this needs to stop, that there needs to be a solution. But the National Government is usually not present in these regions, so measures are being taken into their own hands. On the other side are countries like costa rica which have announced a state of emergency to handle the mic and flows, or panama handle the migrant flows. Both of the countries will meet up this week in region to discuss further measures to tackle the crisis. Phil that is dws nicole ris in bogota. Germany celebrating unity day, marking 33 years since the formerly communist east merged with the federal republic of west germany, just under one year after the berlin wall came down. Germanys political elite gathered in hamburg to celebrate the anniversary. Germany was divided after the end of world war ii. Cold war tensions prevented reunification which only became possible after Mikhail Gorbachevs reforms in the soviet union and a peaceful uprising in east germany. More than 30 years on, how unified is the country . Our reporters have been finding out. Reporter berlin on october 3, 1990. The day when two germanys, the communist east and capitalist west, became one again. 33 years later and it took until this july for east and west state pensions to achieve parity. People in the east still earn less than their western counterparts and there are far fewer east germans in positions of power nationwide. Although german unity is complete, it is not perfect. Reporter in the hearts and minds of many, east and west appear to be drifting apart once again. Many of the east germans, especially in smaller towns like the one where i live now, really feel forgotten. They feel invisible, and that their problems are not addressed enough. Reporter a recent survey found that less than 40 of germans nationwide feel the country is more united than divided. Striking the perception of unity is notably weaker in east germany, with 75 feeling that division prevails. In 2019, germans had a much more optimistic outlook. Back then, 51 nationwide said the country was more united. In the pandemic, the consequent as of russias invasion of ukraine, Rising Energy costs, inflation. The country has had to battle with multiple crises. The majority of germans say they are not very or not at all satisfied with the may democracy in germany works. It is a sentiment being capitalized on by the far right alternative for germany party. It has been garnering substantial support in the Eastern States ahead of important Regional Elections in 2024. Political measures alone will not solve the disparities. It has to come from society itself. The interest in it as well as dealing with each other pick i think many eastern germans often feel snubbed and that they are being treated with condescension. There is no reason for that. Reporter while the physical process of germanys reunification has long been completed, it seems the mental divide between east and west is still proving to be a potent barrier. Phil Political Correspondent Benjamin Alvarez gruber with that report. Now here he is with more on the remaining divisions between east and west. Benjamin 33 years after germanys reunification there are still a lot that is to be done. At todays ceremony in hamburg, the president of the German Federal council, said cooperation is needed from People Living in eastern and western germany. An important appeal at times when people in the east but also people in the west see that divisions are predominant. A few years ago things looked differently. In 2019, a majority still believed east and west germany were growing closer together. But it is not only the task of politicians on all levels to ensure that discrimination against eastern germans is removed not only on paper, but also in peoples minds. The fact that 33 years after reunification, one in two people in eastern germany still agree it is justified to believe people in east germany feel like secondclass citizens, shows just how enormous this challenge still is. Phil that was Benjamin Alvarez gruber. The winners of this years nobel prize in physics have been announced in sweden. Here they are. Their Experimental Work generates splitsecond pulses of light to study the activities of electrons, which could help in diagnostics. She is only the fifth women to receive the physics aboard. Its very important. Half the worlds population are women, so it is important that there are more women winning the nobel prize, because that is the subject where there is the least amount of women. Phil tennis, the china open, italian jannik sinner stunned number two Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals and straight sets. The 22yearold won 76. The set that followed was as lopsided as it gets. He took advantage of several errors and won 61. Sinner will take on Daniil Medvedev in the final. A reminder of our top story. Armenias parliament has voted to join International Criminal court. The government is seeking security and legal guarantees after azerbaijan seized an armenian enclave. The decision has angered russia, whose president is wanted by the court. We will be back in a few moments, with more on that story and others. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] live from paris world news. These are the headlines. Caught between a rock and a hard place the u. S. House speaker faces a bid to kick him out from far right Trump Supporters in the Republican Party and no move from the democrats to save him. He is calling a vote to resolve the situation. We have the context and allows us analysis coming up, from the university of george washington, a professor will be joining us shortly. Haiti has a u. N. Peacekeeping

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