And a german chancellor on the machall talking Climate Change in iceland a country that just said farewell to a glacier that simply melted away. Im brian thomas thanks so much for joining us social media platforms twitter and facebook have shut down accounts targeting the prodemocracy movement in hong kong those platforms said the accounts were part of a Chinese Government does Information Campaign aimed at groups and individuals twitter has suspended some 200000 accounts and plans to ban advertisements from state run media facebook has also taken action it has also closed a number of accounts some of the posted images showed protesters as cockroaches and terrorists. Or posts on social media platforms are just one of part of beijings propaganda war heres a look at what state run t. V. Is doing to get the governments message out. State propaganda can seem so harmless at hong kongs border chinas communist rulers have rustled up a fairy tale 600. 00 illuminated drones however in the night sky i love hong kong and i love china is their message but propaganda can have another aspect the evening news also has a message protesters are plunging hong kong into chaos. Shes the only indian who should take to the demonstrators are like you read droppings they have angered the people and the powerful in heaven here in the u. S. Chinas state media feed the viewers an endless stream of the same images of violence theres no coverage of peaceful mass protest demonstrators are equated with terrorists under the control of foreign powers no coincidence then that the stars and stripes flooders into the shot. It doesnt start as a very young its very sad that they are being led astray i mean that most of us i hope every good tale needs a hero that rules are reserved for food. A journalist for Chinese State media who is seized the sound and beaten by anti beijing protesters at hong kong airport whose fate went viral on state controlled social media presented as an assault on all of chinas 1400000000 citizens. While the demonstrators say they are defending human rights but they deny journalists their right to enter the airport i give that journalist a big thumbs up for the courage he showed footage of we dont get that propaganda is especially effective when it stirs up deeper feelings this side of demonstrators throwing the chinese flag into hong kong harbor triggered outrage on social media and in response an outpouring of patriotic fervor from chinese citizens branding hong kongs prodemocracy movement as an attack on their National Pride will soon trollish to say you it is a great honor for me to be one of the 1400000 defenders of our flag and i will do my best to ensure it is always respected hike without which as you well know its injured. And china isnt only flying drones at the border close by and the paramilitary Peoples Armed police has been Holding Drills this week more profit ganda that doesnt seem as harmless as i love hong kong. Ok lets break this down now with did abuse a charlatan until shes been covering the protests in hong kong for us today to charlotte what have you been seeing where you are just how broad is a propaganda war being waged by beijing. Boys thing is a real battle over the narrative of these process of course weve been seeing. Todays weeks this narrative thats unfolding from beijing in the social media from Chinese State media as well suggesting that all of these protests is a place to terrorists but the people here who are taking to the streets every day of course have their own social Media Campaign going on as well and they are frequently posting images 0 of what they say is Police Brutality just today weve seen one video in particular going viral that shows a elderly man apparently being assaulted by police in a hospital that is absolutely everywhere on social media say people getting very upset about that because of course anger at police is has become one of the main motivating factors for people taking to the streets people here in hong kong on breach trying to challenge the narrative but it is a case of course if you believe who you trust trust on social media that will dictate of course how affected you are by any of the posts that you read in our shows facebook and twitter are fighting back against the propaganda coming from beijing theyre closing down accounts and pages is this going to make a difference. Well the concern is of course that is sort of a whack a mole situation that facebook and twitter are going to be facing they suck shut down some accounts will then pop up just as quickly and twitter in fact has said that its already got up to 200000 other social media accounts under review at the moment so that just gives us a sense of the scale but this. Way this narrative that were seeing being played out is one of the reasons why people here in hong kong will never too concerned about those images that we saw of the Peoples Armed police on the border with Hong Kong Beijing people the police they felt that a lot has changed since Tiananmen Square in 1909 when beijing crackdown on protesters killing some suggest thousands of people people here know that china has other ways of cracking down on protesters social media being one of them they see those tanks on the border is just one part of this propaganda war that is being waged in beijing aims not only at people here but also people on the mainland as well proof that beijing isnt sitting on its hands when it comes of watching this process move in and 1st that they are prepared to take action its a show of force if you like ok what about the damage thats being done by this propaganda how much has a hurt the protestors image and their cause. For this propaganda has been going on for weeks and what we saw on sunday is that these protests still can gather an enormous crowd they still do have broad support here we saw overnight to say 1700000 people on the streets and one of the really. Defining features of this protest movement is just how inventive these protesters are how creative they are to try and counter the narrative to keep momentum going weve seen them on the streets night often. Right weve seen that they plan different ways of protesting that remain as peaceful as possible that because they are of course is that any image is a protest is behaving violently i will go around the out on social media and they need to show that this is con as possible charles thanks so much for that from hong kong. Lets preview now on some of the other stories making the news at this hour french president Manuel Mccall has hosted his russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a rare bilateral meeting the talks were aimed at improving relations between moscow and the e. U. Leaders vowed to make a new effort to bring peace to used in ukraine but remained out august over the war in syria and. There was no let up in violence in afghanistan as the nation celebrated its National Independence day dozens of people were wounded bombings in jalalabad in the east the capital kabul still reeling after saturdays wedding attack that claimed 63 lives socalled Islamic State says it carried out the suicide bomb. Turkeys Defense Ministry says 3 civilians have been killed and 12 wounded in an attack on a Turkish Military convoy in northwestern syria he was right group says the Syrian Regime and allied russian warplanes hit rebel held it live province to prevent that convoy from advancing. All for the very 1st time German Authorities have taken in children born to former fighters of socalled Islamic State the children were living in a refugee camp in syria in june a german court ruled that the country must take in the children with german citizenship other countries including france and belgium have already done so. Many 4 children are traveling to the country of their parents who had once joined the socalled Islamic State and died now for the 1st time and often tough negotiations with the kurdish Led Administration the German Government is repatriating children born to yes militants. For lish its a Welcome Development that for german children who had been in custody in Northern Syria were able to leave the country today. In addition will advocate for the possibility of other children in the same circumstances to leave syria is this essentially concerned small children whose Living Conditions are far from optimal. The kurdish calms us quality not whole combo 75000 people live in close quarters among them a many i guess followers hygiene and medical care are minimal and deceases spread easily german children are among those growing up in these conditions and their mothers want to return home as soon as possible. He says she arrived in syria in 2014 and lived in iraq die yes control she has been living in a kurdish come with her 2 children for 2 years. So its very difficult for the children my son is 4 years old i send him here to school he has to learn something i want to learn something too its already been 2 years thats time i wont get back i hope well get picked up so that we can get a 2nd chance. One out of many stories us pressure on the German Government grows to bring more of its citizens back from syria. Youre a news live from berlin still to come on the show is at the heart of an Election Campaign in the german state of brandenburg where it is the major employer we look at how the right wing populist if the party is fighting to keep this industry a law against government plans to shut it down. But 1st a 21 year old woman in el salvador whose baby was found dead in the toilet where she gave birth has been cleared of murder during a retrial Evelyn Hernandez always maintained her innocence saying that she didnt know she was pregnant and had lost consciousness during the birth of her case has been closely watched with womens groups calling for her acquittal. Its a happy ending for Evelyn Hernandez after 3 years behind bars a court and sent salvatore a quid at the young woman of aggravated homicide charges the prosecution had requested a 40 year sentence. Finally free hernandez couldnt hide her joy. Thank you for being here and thank god justice was done i also want to express my gratitude to those who have protested on might be half as well as my supporters and other countries and i want to thank my mother for it being there for me all along. Hernandez had been imprisoned after suffering a miscarriage and being found guilty of murdering her unborn child the womans lawyers argued she had been raped and was unaware of her pregnancy when an upset trick emergency at her home resulted in a stillbirth. Woman convicted under out salva doors draconian anti abortion law usually face sentences of 2 to 8 years but often those who seek medical treatment after a miscarriage are charged with aggravated homicide and 2017 hernandez was sentenced to 30 years in prison but in february El Salvador Supreme Court overturned the ruling for lack of evidence over the past 2 years the struggle of Evelyn Hernandez has become a symbol for the womens Rights Movement and the fight for a more lenient abortion policy in all of latin america. Thats why scores of activists outside the courthouse celebrated the ruling as a collective victory and a long overdue step in the right direction. Well here in germany in less than 2 weeks voters in the states of saxony in brandenburg go to the polls in 2 very closely watched elections thats because in both states the right wing populist. Could become the Strongest Party and push the established parties the c. D. U. Of the s. P. D. Into the background. Well whats giving the campaign extra appeal is coal the last major well for do producer in the economically weak region of the laus its now the f. D. A. Wants to keep coal fired power plants while the c. D. U. In the s. B. They have decided they have to go the coal industry employs thousands in this region. Its half past 3 and stephan kubicki is under pressure he needs to order a crane. And its me again what kind of crane do any kind of wine was it again what. Could be its key works in a coal fired power plant in the eastern german region of laos its lately hes been managing his Election Campaign qubits key wants to represent the far right alternative for Germany Party or in brandenburg state parliament. 10 years ago i never would have thought that i would get into politics so to speak and with this involved i could have gone to fish ingrid already taken my dog for a walk i could have had a lot easier its tough to be in the a. F. D. Hostile to you on your point of but the f. D. A. Is popular here germanys phase out of coal fired power plants has many people here worried and the a. F. D. Backs coal power which is practically the regions only source of income the party thrives on frustration with germanys mainstream parties. Whatever theyve done for the last 30 years they make most people sick people dont believe in all the promises being made again just before the election. And. After the collapse of communist east germany many people move to the west sense then the center left social democrats have governed the state of brandenburg. Most Party Supporters deny Climate Change and are prone to use fear mongering to stir up xenophobia this party which has links to neo nazis could become the most powerful force in the former east only a few people here are willing to comment on the f. T. s rise in popularity. I was a 100 times on where they want to go. We wont know until theyre in power what is on the bottom and also why then it may be too late all of those messages. A. F. D. Candidates steffen qubits key who could lure s. P. D. Voters to his camp dismisses concerns that his far right party is too extremist when georges issue of what they have something in the a. F. D. Became an example nightly out fast but i dont think thats an issue about it all week nish you mean a far right trend yes thats always the assumption but there isnt one its well informed and yet some of its keys own friends and family criticized him when he joined the f. T. Well my family was divided some other relatives were really surprised and some were horrified they said man youre a decent guy how can you join the effort. Even so other parties have been losing ground to the a. F. D. But not the environmentalist greens theyve won supporters on the issue of the Climate Crisis and say they dont know why eastern germans vote for the far right. People are doing well and thats why theyre willing to do ridiculous experiments we have 3 percent unemployment and our district is at the top compared with others. But when it comes to the f. D. A. They act crazy and take risks. With us he. Has nothing to offer and they dont contribute to solving any problems at all he said they just make vulgar complaints about their discontent. This evening another drawn out complaint. A f. T. National party coleader Alexander Galland is due to make an appearance he thrives on polarizing communities steffen could be its key also knows how to score points with this crowd. The funniest question was what do i think of the climate activist great to turn back i was taken aback so i answered i drive a v. A. With 388 horsepower do i still have to answer this question. But the party chief gets even more applause did i want them ladies and gentlemen if the f. D. A. Governs branden org we will patrol our borders again. When. We leave him dear friends even if that means things get ugly many voters say gellmans unvarnished frankness compliments steffen could be more amiable style i have here for mr kubicki talks so much like ordinary people other politicians use more of a parliamentary language but he talks like the workers in the power plant and of course people really like it. It seems the a. F. P. Can do what it wants in eastern germany at least its set to become one of the dominant political forces. Or is it the party of the people do their views chief Political Editor michelle talk about that with us the morning michelle is. The only Big Tent Party in brandenburg in saxony right now is it replacing the seaview in the as well thats the big concern amongst those established posses im going to michaels conservative see you on the social democrats but this is a trend that really goes into 2 directions yes the looks likely to become the Strongest Party and saxony at the same time at the other end of the spectrum the green party has been very successful in present representing a kind of count to balance to that they have a program they have a legacy of decades here and still a very young party and they seem to be able to mobilize voters as well the greens look set to double that figure from the last time around. But the look set to come on top of that election slogan is we all the people but thats all quite true. To get more than like 21 percent that still leaves some 79 percent with other parties ok youre just back from saxony in brandenburg and the greens have been out there stumping as well bringing out the big guns into those states right now is well they argue that the big gun is that they actually have an Election Program theyve been talking about c o 2 emissions for decades now and that they really want to present an alternative particularly for those coal mining regions but at the same time they say that they dont want to be fighting the 50 this is something that the f. T. Actually has been able to capitalize on they see themselves as the political out cost and they are representing themselves as the true alternative to established politics. And that certainly has struck in with people who are disappointed with developments following the full of the bout in war which is now theres real. What is this going to mean for the stability of the German Government a strong showing the a. F. D. Becoming the Strongest Party of both those states what does it mean for berlin well if becoming the Strongest Party and with also this right wing tendencies with parts of the posse being under suspicion of actually being in breach with the german constitution theyre getting a very close look at right now a definite particularly about we in the east and it means that the a. F. P. Will become get a stronger force to be reckoned with here. But the main concern amongst people who want to see this government continue is that the social democrats will get such a hard hit in these elections that back could lead to the end of the socalled grand coalition looking at opinion polls right now that coalition is not so ground anymore its a looking at the figures so. Loss of potential for instability on which could lead to the end of this government but the situation in my memory has never been so open as it is right now here in germany ok so this could threaten the survival of the governing coalition of germany as elections michel thanks very much for that. Were given shows all america is in iceland for talks on climate issues shell be meeting government leaders from the Nordic Council of ministers its members have pledged to intensify efforts to shape Global Climate policy. Arriving at one of icelands most Historic Sites with the future of the nation in focus. Right thing build their National Park icelands 1st parliament once convened here where 2 tectonic plates meet chancellor merkel welcome to steps iceland is taking to protect its Natural Heritage in so germany wont be far behind you sometimes see iceland has very ambitious climate goals and of course its own particularly natural conditions that germany also wants to be climate neutral by 205010 years later than iceland and were currently preparing intensively to make further decisions tigerman for. Americas governing coalition is due to announce a raft of new Climate Policies in september but the Coalition Partners reportedly disagree over issues like raising taxes on non renewables. The environment has topped the list of concerns for german voters in recent polling. You know iceland the Prime Minister has made tackling climate issues a signature policy that it seems scientists have predicted is happening now and thats why i think its so important to do everything thats human there possible to prevent the Climate Crisis that were already seeing around the world is the phrase draws flaws and a very serious disappearance todays german nordic Climate Summit has such a focus on finding Common Ground in a world where coordinated action on the environment is seldom a given. Wildfire on the Spanish Island of gran canaria has forced evacuation of 9000 people firefighters struggling right now to get the blaze under control but high winds are fanning those flames this is the biggest Fire Fighting operation ever carried out on the canary islands. Its the 3rd wildfire since last week more than a 1000 firefighters and soldiers are on shift work night and day to try and control the place in some areas flames from the fires reach 50 meters into the sky making water drops from aircraft difficult work is now concentrated on keeping the outer limits of the fires contained so they dont reach an area as mine you know today and tomorrow are decisive then well know whether the fires are under control but that doesnt mean theyll be out yet fires like these can last for days or even but i want your reaction several villages were evacuated as a precaution during the night and early hours of the morning around 9000 people left their homes theyre staying with relatives or in emergency shelters now theyre waiting for permission to return home here their good that im 87 years old and i can remember a fire like this is getting its unbelievable that its happened again we simply have to look after the forests and fields better. The wildfires are raging and part of a unesco biosphere is. Strong winds are making firefighting operations even move difficult. This is deja vu news im brian thomas for the entire team thanks for being here. Because. I did the business season starts off. In. This plant back. To the b. C. Dance team top management the 1st weekend of my i. Am. S. O. S. Europe. Is a crisis. Which has a future. Champion young champions. League involves a miss but out that spots you know for a long time i took pieces of the things we valued about europe for granted but now i sense this need be something that we you know the people in particular to me to fight i feel odd. Ties kempsey. For activists from for a few countries. They are fighting for the dream of a united europe. They stand a chance. And they saved in european idea. The most but im going to stand up to you right here and must and contribute to something simpler continued to succumb to. The future of europe start september 2nd on d w. C