that's because the arctic has been heating up faster than anywhere else in the world. the sea ice in many places is now only half as thick as in the past decade. the polar region is closely linked to the climate of the rest of the world we won't be able to predict the climate if we don't understand what's happening in the arctic right now there are huge uncertainties in our understanding of the climate system here. this is the last supply ship for the crew once it leaves scientists who spend the winter in darkness until the sun rises again next spring. well let's take a look now at some of the other stories making news around the walls police of clash with anti-government protesters in the lebanese capital beirut firing tear gas to prevent them getting through barricades neapolitan meant demonstrations calling for political reform been taking place across the country the last 2 months . of course in sudan has convicted the country's former dictator omar bashir of corruption the man who rules did on whole session yes was sentenced to 2 days of detention as she was ouste

that's because the arctic has been heating up faster than anywhere else in the world. the sea ice in many places is now only half as thick as in the past decade. the polar region is closely linked to the climate of the rest of the world we won't be able to predict the climate if we don't understand what's happening in the arctic right now there are huge uncertainties in our understanding of the climate system here. this is the last supply ship for the crew once it leaves scientists who spend the winter in darkness until the sun rises again next spring. and finally hunters from across met in the region for the annual national falconry competition he is an actual but are you now although falconry was bud's during the soviet era ethnic kazakhs in china among. the life is now seen as a symbol of the country's new magic pasta. you're watching news coming up after the break is that one is legal with crest harrington perennial champions by munich have underperformed this season they were hoping to get back on track when they host is struggling and that it was a man on saturda

but the arctic hit the headlines for something else in 2019. fire. millions of hectares of forest burned within the arctic circle in scenes described by experts as unprecedented. higher temperatures and a greater frequency of lightning are partly to blame. in order to better understand what's been happening in our polar regions during 2019, i've come here to the scott polar research institute at the university of cambridge. it's the oldest dedicated polar research institute in the world. and professor julian dowdeswell is the director. so, julian, tell me a little bit about the work that goes on here. our main expertise, i suppose, of where we put most of our resource is what we call the icy world and in particular, ice and environmental change. and, of course, a huge amount has changed since captain scott, shackleton and edward wilson first went into the interior of antarctica. scott's first expedition collected over 20 volumes of data concerning the antarctic at that time, which provides arguably the earliest baseline against which we can judge con

the annual arctic report card 2019 says the arctic is also melting at an alarming rate. the area is undergoing changes much faster than scientists anticipated. it also warns that without action, the melting of permafrost could be releasing up to 600 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. erich 0sterberg is associate professor of earth sciences at dartmouth college. right now, professor, i know you're at the american geophysical union conference in san francisco. i guess most scientists of note are either in san francisco or madrid at the moment. what is the buzz there? that's right. there's about 28,000 scientists at this conference, and the buzz right now is those two reports you were just talking about, the paper that came out about the greenland ice sheet mountain, and the arctic report card that came out and the headline is arctic climate change is getting more and more dire. if this was an annual health check up, we would have to say the arctic is chronically ill and getting progressively worse. 2019 was a really bad year in the arctic. we had the second warmes

but it's not as concrete as the arctic railway. heini, the handicrafter, who lives close to the russian border, has found out that a proposal for the arctic railway has been included in the development plan for finnish lapland. those plans i have seen. so it seems like it would go straight through our house. and my opinion is it would be a genocide. if the plans for the railway are approved, it's likely that heini would be forced to move. it's a painful reminder of the past. heini is a skolt sami. many of her people were forced leave their ancestral homes in russia and resettle in finland in 1944. all these kind of mining plans are our big nightmare here. yeah, we're very afraid of those. that is why skolt samis had to move after the second world war. nazis did want to have this nickel mining in petsamo. we are only few. in finland skolt samis are around 600. and everyone has kind of tried to work to maintain the culture, keep the language alive. and if we have to fight against this kind of international greed it takes too much of

what happens to the arctic doesn't stay there and this is just the arctic doesn't stay there and this isjust the beginning. and our scientists are saying this could be reversed if there was global action and a real determination to combat climate change and global warning, could this be reversed what is happening in alaska and where you are? that is a really tricky question. climate change is not something where there is necessarily a silver bullet solution or something where we are going to snap our fingers, solution or something where we are going to snap ourfingers, have solution or something where we are going to snap our fingers, have a new technology and reverse it overnight. a lot of the changes we are seeing are going to be playing out for the decades and centuries to come. you know, think the carbon we have emitted into the atmosphere is already causing feedbacks. it's already causing feedbacks. it's already causing feedbacks. it's already causing ice losses that's allowing more heat to be trapped in the arctic ocean that are amplifying the arctic ocean that are amplifying th

campaign against him coming just days after one of his close allies was construed conscripted to a remote arctic base. we start off in india the world's largest democracy is in the grip of widespread unrest over a new immigration law that critics see as anti muslim it grants amnesty to undocumented migrants from 3 neighboring countries but only if they're not muslim and his prime minister narendra modi says it's a way to offer asylum to persecuted religious minorities from neighboring muslim majority countries but many of india's own citizens are outraged and these 25 have died in protests across the country. a sea of defiance it is the biggest challenge to new rent since he came to power in 24th for the thousands here it is a battle for india's constitution to look at what we're seeing is that you're not so. different here i guess and. also argue. if this is implemented in the rest of the country 40 percent of you know. if it there. for weeks protests have raged against a law that would grant citizenship to refugees from neighboring countries but not muslims some see it as lama for big all thos

it's more than a thousand miles from up here in the high arctic of finland to the north pole, as the reindeer flies. but that hasn't stopped the fins from naming the capital of lapland santa's hometown where rudolph's cousins provide sleigh rides, albeit on the ground, and where you know who welcomes children of all ages. but all is not what it seems in this winter wonderland. so rudolph here, real name yermo is a healthy young reindeer, but hundreds of thousands of others are in real trouble. to find the real reindeer and the real trouble, you've got to go about 250 miles north of santa's village. and then drive a snowmobile another 30 or so miles across rough open tundra in temperatures approaching zero. but winter even up here isn't what it used to be. our guide is antti from the ancient sami people who have been herding reindeer since the beginning of time, and the climate here in lapland he says is changing. >> it's warm weather. snow going to be -- >> reporter: it melts? >> it melts. and the next day cold, freeze. >> reporter: freeze. does it happen more often now where you hav

the region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe arctic permafrost is thawing. with deadly consequences subsidence has led to the collapse of homes roads and bridges. it's become an everyday problem in many arctic cities and melting permafrost also has consequences for the climate. organic matter trapped in the ground since woolly mammoths roamed the earth is being exposed. and with that microbes that devour these plants remains releasing c o 2 and methane into the air. greenhouse gases that warm up the atmosphere even more than one thing to invite a vicious circle. yeah the more the permafrost thaws and the more carbon is released on them and convinced of its field. landing considerable quantities it's estimated that almost twice as much carbon is stored in permafrost as is found in the earth's atmosphere. in summer 29000 there are wildfires in the arctic places themselves are not unusual but they lasted longer and were on a far bigger scale than ever before many of them burnt through the pete layer that protects the permafrost against heat in summer. when ther

and gas production lead to the greenhouse effect in the arctic but in the. back among their endian ahmed's if these theories don't mean anything. nobody here is afraid of anthrax and there are me included randian meat i was there all freshly cooked but the shirts also don't deny climate change. i don't believe in anthrax why should i it's much worse that our rivers and lakes dry up every summer. in the 13 years ago or fishelson here declared a state of emergency things got better. but the next summer heat is just months away. abdul qadeer lost both his arms after accidentally touching a high tension electric cable still used to term and to win a gold medal in swimming for india in the 2024 summer paralympics d.w. caught up with him in delhi. the water is after all cut here in dorry's happy place. swimming has helped a young boy overcome big obstacles and made him an inspiration for many in his native india at the age of 7 abdul qadeer lost both of his arms after an accident but he refused to let his life be ruled by it. so. when he was 7 years old my son acc

did over the news from berlin up next it is world stories reporting on the melting ice in the russian arctic that's releasing dangerous bacteria to forget you can always get the latest news on our web site that is d w dot com i'm headed home for 8 cc's. what secrets lie behind. discover new adventures in 360 degree. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. w world heritage 368 get me up now. i was fishing when i ride here i slept with 6 people in a room. it was hard but i was free. i even got white hair and. learning the german language helped me a lot this gets me a little push maybe to interrupt let's say you want to do their story. that's providing and reliable information for margaret. this week on world stories. south africa from taxi driver to opera singer india a swimming champion without arms we begin in russia here is also where climate. change is making things harder. and that affects the health of both man and beast a trip to the amount peninsula explains why. daybreak in the ton truck. time for breakfast. we are on the arm out peninsula near the pool our circle this is where

climate scientists release warnings about the arctic. attempts to reform maryland's parole system, where those sentenced as minors to life have only a sliver of a chance at release. and more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and in the west,rothe walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. story, broken by the washingtong post, of a trove of government documents that broadly condem' america'operations in afghanistan over nearly two decades of war there. ea nick schifrin with one of the chief policymakers on the afghan war effort during the bush and obama years. nick: afghanistan is the graveyard of empires. so goes the saying that describes why the u.s. faced an impossible task after overthrowing the taliban after 9/11. but the fate of the u.s.' longest war was not preordained. the u.s. has made many tactical and strategic mistakes. and we now know many u.s. ficials knew about those mistakes as they were making them, thanks to reports by the washington post's craig whitlock, based on 2

the annual arctic report card 2019 says the arctic is also melting at an alarming rate. the area is undergoing changes much faster than scientists anticipated. it also warns that without action, the melting of permafrost could be releasing up to 600 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. twila moon is a research scientist, at the national snow and ice data center, and is currently taking part in the american geophysical union conference in san francisco. thank you for your time. these are huge and important questions. we might get dumped off air because we are short of time, you have to forgive me. from the arctic and agreement, we are not reducing any effects, they are all getting worse? yes, right now we're seeing their record or record permafrost, decline in sea ice and loss of land ice but i want to reiterate that we have not set in stone the future and there is a very large difference between taking substantial action to reduce greenhouse emissions and not doing that. this is really a warning for us that. this is really a warning for us to move to action as qui

the arctic cic and the arctic summer has melted, causing a blue sea of the arctic to soak up sunshine and the arctic to soak up sunshine and the arctic circle region is now heating up arctic circle region is now heating up 2.5times arctic circle region is now heating up 2.5 times the rest of the planet and sitting in the arctic sea is greenland and when all the ice on greenland and when all the ice on greenland melt, global sea levels will rise by seven metres. now, seven metres means almost every city on coastlines will be underwater. even one or two metres is going to make city like calcutta well under before then, but even cities like new york and london, shanghai will be virtually under water at that point. david, we have to leave it there, said david can, thank you very much for your thoughts. a man is in a critical condition in hospital, after being shot by armed police in hull. officers were called out to a man believed to be in possession of a firearm in the early hours of this morning. crispin rolfe reports. one of hull's main streets, hessle road, shut after police shot a ma

a big die-off was discovered on the arctic islands last summer. and the huge wild herds of carabou, same animals in northern canada have been reduced to half according to a recent government report. they dig down through the snow. and the reindeer herder knows why. >> this is what they're looking for. >> reporter: the reindeer feed even through the winter on liken, a moss seed plant they dig through the snow to get at. except when all that thawing and refreezing means they can't. and when the snow turns to ice, what happens to the reindeer? >> we have to feed them. >> reporter: because they can't -- they can't dig for the food. >> no, no, we have to give them extra food. >> reporter: up here in the land of the northern lights, it's a constant battle. ante lives in a village of just ten houses, five families. no power, no running water. the most remote village in finland, he says, which is saying something. and every day he travels up to 60 miles each way through the few hours of dim winter light to find the herd and check it's okay. >>> how many r

parents to save them from the nazis, the ballet company that defied racism, the first african in the arctic, and the man at mission control when neil armstrong set foot on the moon. but first, a moment which in many ways said the cause for the second half of the 20th century, the birth of the people's republic of china. on the ist of october, 1949, mao zedong declared china a communist state. we spoke to one young recruit in the people's liberation army took part in the parade in beijing which marked that momentous day. translation: i was in the infantry, marching in a prominent position. i was so excited and proud tojoin the parade. i didn't sleep well, i kept thinking about my steps. if my commander ordered, look right, would i be able to do it? in 1949, i was 19. only some of us could be selected tojoin a military parade to celebrate the birth of the people's republic of china. we had a month's practice for the parade at a compound in southern beijing. we learned how to goosestep in unison, marching together as if we were one man, looking to the right towards the audience. on the day, i

to the northern end of the arctic sea well the tariffs would go turn times higher. actually st petersburg in their lingo. you're still single economic union and it was controlled and managed to. get. back in the soviet china now that. the 2 regions but it's actually just one region. interests on different. schools. and we know that many people in that region go to same put his work and work there and they produce that garbage and then it's transported back anywhere it has to be transparent 100 percent sure the situation shall change and we'll try. you all soon need to set up the necessary facilities we need to repower the number of those facilities recycling facilities you need to be communicated to the completely need to understand what are their what can be their operations with all the impacts on the environment kind of it will be high. community is. megacities tokyo for example but there are. but if you're good at the recycling plant within the territory of the city there are no is no pollution no mission they don't have an impact on the. people impacts are only

lapland to be exact that's at least according to the finnish village of revenue me which lies on the arctic circle and does a brisk business in everything christmas british visitors are especially important for the town which leaves the question what happens after. a wonderful evening to you. so many people here in my much you go home for about. the christmas season has begun and finland's north sun tickles loves coming visitors to his home here north of the arctic circle but hotel operators in the open yemi have been nervous the brig's a just as will keep many british visitors at homes people here are quietly celebrating but the departure date has been shifted back to january. is definitely good news for us because the u.k. market says it's great for us we love the u.k. cast so they love us no we have snow no we have cold no we have no great city police at the moment so it's looking good for the. sleigh rides with randy or. grilling marshmallows. and eating in an igloo these are some of the attractions of poor tourists here around christmas time and for the british as for other you citizen

the russian icebreaker arctic has returned to the port of st petersburg after a 2 day test run with a length of 173 meters the nuclear powered vessel is believed to be the largest of its kind the ship is part of a fleet built to guarantee russian access to arctic resources natural gas. thousands of tile opposition supporters have rallied in the capital bangkok threaten to ban their party is the biggest protest in thailand since the time of the 2014 coup which led to the current government the future forward movement is funded by a billionaire it opposes military rule and has attracted many supporters. there is anger at the u.n. climate summit in madrid as talks appear to have stalled and activists fear there will be no significant deal protesters at the conference want more action on climate change the meeting was supposed to end on friday but disagreement among participants means it's dragging on into saturday for the past 2 weeks representatives have been trying to agree on new emissions targets in line with crucial 2020 deadlines they were set by the landmark paris agreement on gre

and later as a superintendent for nearly two decades in arctic alaska. "after words" i spent a couple more years to school board president. so i'm intimately familiar with the struggles alaskan educators face. both from the teaching and administrative perspective. we cannot move forward as a state while leaving her children behind. we can't just be about him lex. how much you put into the system it also has to be about outputs. how well our kids doing. how well is a system? and finally albedo my best to change laws that are crippling our budget. as i alluded to a few minutes ago, 55% of alaska operating budget is now on autopilot spending. in other words, statutes, laws are driving the spending. and ... laws laws are changed, that will continue. and i know you folks are fighting a similar battle at the federal level. if you want to fix the numbers, we must change the laws. the flat funding and they hear it's the budget will not be enough to balance the budget in the years ahead. that brings me to the third priority. tell alaskans the truth. the boom year

there were scorching heatwaves across europe with unusually high temperatures in the arctic circle as well. one researcher told us he was concerned about the trend of increasingly hotter summers. this is worrying because this is a new level of temperature extreme, and the regional impacts of that are likely to be unprecedented in some regions. so we are likely to see things that we have not seen in over the hundred years of observational records. there was another threat to our climate from the most unlikely of places — bizarrely, from the sources that are supposed to be helping to save the planet — renewables. these, like all electricity networks, use a gas called sf6 in their switches and relays for safety reasons. this is what would happen if they didn't. but the gas that keeps us safe is harming the climate. it's much more damaging than carbon dioxide and it's leaking out into the atmosphere. matt mcgrath discovered that the problem is getting much worse because of the increased use of sf6 in the growing number of renewable energy electricity networks. this new wind farm, bein

there were scorching heatwaves across europe with unusually high temperatures in the arctic circle as well. one researcher told us he was concerned about the trend of increasingly hotter summers. this is worrying because this is a new level of temperature extreme, and the regional impacts of that are likely to be unprecedented in some regions. so we are likely to see things that we have not seen in over the hundred years of observational records. there was another threat to our climate from the most unlikely of places — bizarrely, from the sources that are supposed to be helping to save the planet — renewables. these, like all electricity networks, use a gas called sf6 in their switches and relays for safety reasons. this is what would happen if they didn't. but the gas that keeps us safe is harming the climate. it's much more damaging than carbon dioxide and it's leaking out into the atmosphere. matt mcgrath discovered that the problem is getting much worse because of the increased use of sf6 in the growing number of renewable energy electricity networks. this new wind farm, bein