brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, on a mission to stop the fighting. a u.s. delegation heads to turkey in hopes of a cease-fire in northern syria. turkish president recep p tayyip erdogan says he will meet with u.s. vice president mike pence and u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo, but he will not and his anti-kurdish assault. also coming up tonight, how close to a deal are they? u.k. and european union negotiators appear to be on the brink of an 11th hour brexit agreement.

and a major speech by hong kong leader carrie lam is cut short after she is shouted down by pro-democracy lawmakers. plus, they say a picture is worth 1000 words. so what is n north korean leader kim jong-un saying with these imageses o of his equestrian ecstasy? ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs and all around the world, welcome. tonight, u.s. president donald trump is warning that u.s. sanctions against turkey will be devastating if a meeting between vice president mike pence and turkish president recep tayyip erdogan is not successful. but successful for who? erdogan has rejected calls for a

cease-fire in northern syria, where his incursion against the former u.s. allies, syrian kurds, has now drawn in troops of syrian president bashar al-assad. meanwhile, syrian troops have entered kobani, the city where kurdish and u.s. troops first defeated islamic state militants four years ago. reporter: the turkish military has been carrying out its offensive for over a week. its targets are kurdish militias in a town on the syrian border. bombs are exploding in the city center. the military has released images of soldiers firing at the city from the turkish border city. even with a clear military disadvantage, the kurdish mililitia has beenen able to kep the turkish offensive in check. both the u.s. and eu countries have repeatedly called on turkish president erdogan to halt the attacks. turkey's offensive has forced tens of thousands to flee the region.

many have gone to iraq. but erdogan has rejected international demands for a cease-fire. he's holding fast to his plan to free up a protection zone in northern syria. >> we can end this operation once we are in control of a 35 kilometer deep area of land reaching from the city of manbij to iraq. no one can stop us before we have reached our goal. reporter: u.s. vice president mike pence and secretary of state mike pompeo are set to meet with erdogan in ankara to discuss a cease-fire. brent: to go through this i am joined now by dw correspondents alexandra von nahmen in washington, d.c., and dorian jones is in istanbul. good evening to both of you. alexandra, let me start with you. the turkish president saying turkey will never declare a cease-fire and negotiate with kurdish fighters.

so what are pompeo, the secretary of state, and pence, the vice president, what are they hoping to achieve with this trip? alexandra: well, white housese officials told us that vice president pence and secretary of state pompeo would not be heading to turkey if the white house was not confident that they can achieve their goal, and their goal is a cease-fire in northehern syria. but this was two days ago, and the vice president and the secretary of state are still in washington waiting, and president trump told us today that they might be going tomorrow or today, but maybe tomorrow. so, it seems that the white house is not confident no more that their mission can be successful. brent: dorian, the united states has already imposed economic sanctions on turkey. what more can it do to get its

message across? dorian: those sanctions were broadly dismissed by turkey's financial markets, and turkey's leadership has been mainly symbolic. but the u.s. congress does demand and are proposing far draconian measures. and if this visit by vice president mike pence is a failure, then the pressure to introduce those reforms, which could even have so much support to override any veto by the u.s. president trump, could come into force. and those could have major effectcts on turkekey's financil markets. turkey is dependent for over $100 billion a year on loans, and much of that comes from the u.s. financial markets. if that was interfered with, then turkey would be in trouble. brent: earlier today the u.s. president said that turkey's incursion into syria, quote, has nothing to do with us. and he also added that the u.s.'s former allies the kurds

are quote, no angels. here is more of what he said. >> the kurds are very well protected. plus they know how to fight. and by the way, they are no angels, but they were with us. they are no angels. but they are fighting. we are largely out of that area. brent: no angels. alexandra, how damaging are comments like that for america's reputation, domestically and internationally? alexandra: very damaging, i would say. internationally, because u.s. allies now can question if they can rely on the u.s. when things change on the ground, or whether they can be abandoned, just as the kurds. so, president trump's decision has undermined u.s. credibility as a partner. and it is also very damaging domestically for president trump.

he is facing a lot of criticism from democrats and republicans alike, more than ever, i would say, since the beginning of his presidency. the house of representatives has passed a resolution condemning his decision to withdraw troops from northern syria, with an overwhelming bipartisasan majority. and many republicans in the senate are also very critical of the president, and this is very difficult and damaging foror him at a time when he needs republican support during the impeachment inquiry. brent: that is a very good point. the impeachment is still in the air in washington. dorian, the russian president vladimir putin says that he will ensure that turkish and syrian troops do not fight each other. do you think that turkey will accept russian troops in the role of peacekeepers?

dorian: well, i think erdogan will be very wary of any confrontation with russian forces. president erdogan is very aware of how much of a dangerous foe putin can be. the two men have been working closely in the region. and d given the fact that turkey is facing international isolation, calls to end the operation are coming from washington, the european union, the arab league, russia is the only ally turkey has left in the region. and president erdogan is expected to visit moscow to talk with putin in the coming days. those talks will be critical in determining the outcome of this mission. putin is expected to offer the possibility of talks in damascus. given the fact that damascus is now working with the kurds and will secure turkey's border. in many ways that offers a way out of the current situation turkey is in, but that will require a big step back from erdogan. erdogan has no diplomatic relations from syria and is calling for bashar al-assad to be overthrown.

so it will be a very difficult step back for erdogan to take. brent: alexandra von nahmen in washington and dorian jones in istanbul. to both of you, thank you. here are some of the other stories now that are making headlilines around the world. unrest has erupted on the streets of the spanish city barcelona for the third night in a row. demonstrators have also gathered , tens of thousands to protest against the long prison sentences given to nine catalan independence leaders monday. with more violence expected, hundreds of spanish police are on alert tonight. italian authorities have begun recovering the bodies of migrants who drowned over r a wk ago. the wreckck of the bow and t t bodies of at least 12 people were located earlier wednesday. 13 other bodies have already been found. the european union's new commission, headed by germany's former defense minister ursula von der leyen, will not start work as planned on november 1.

that, after the european parliament voted three of the nominated commissioners down. france, romania, and hungary will now each have to propose new candidates. there are indications tonight that the european union and britain are close to finalizing the terms of a withdrawal agreement for the u.k. to leave the european union, but unconfirmed reports from london say there will be no deal in the coming hours. eu and british negotiators are meeting in brussels to discuss the terms of the withdrawal treaty. the talks have focused on customs issues between the republic of ireland, which is an eu member, and northern ireland, which is part of the united kingdom, seemed to be outside the eu. brexit is due to begin on october 31. and our correspondents charlotte potts and barbara wesel are on the story for us. charlotte is in london, barbara is in brussels.

good evening to you both. charlotte, let me start with you. the indications from london suggest that there will be no deal tonight. is that what you are sensing as well? charlotte: this is definitely what we are hearing. sources close to downing street are telling us that there will not be a deal tonight. and the main sticking point remains the dup, the northern irish party. they have very little power in parliament, just 10 votes there, but boris johnson needs them to get a final deal through parliament at some point if there was to be a deal, and the dup is reaeally insisting to staying as close as possible to the u.k. we do not really know what a new deal would entail. on the u.k. side, downing street has been very, very tightlipped, but the dup, which boris johnson has been holding intense talks over the last days with, seems to be the sticking point. they do not want to get on board and boris johnson has some

serious convincing to do if he indeed wants to reach a deal. brent: if this turns out to be true, does it mean that there will be a no deal brexit? is that where we are headed? charlotte: well, we are hearing from downing street and boris johnson, every indication speaks for that they are still seeking a deal. they are hoping for a deal at ththe eu summit in t the upcomig days to finalize that. but let's say if there was a deal, we have to remind our viewers that we have been there before. theresa may brought back a deal, it was rejected by parliament. and it is very dubious if boris johnson really has the numbers in parliament to see that deal through, to get a majority there. and if there is no deal, what then, you are asking? no deal scenario is on the table, but there is a law in place that keeps boris johnson from a no deal. he would have to ask for an extension.

and he would have to do that by saturday. and really if it comes down to breaking the law or asking for an extension, boris johnson does not really have a choice in the end. brent: yeah, and as you say, it is all deja vu. barbara, we have been here before it seems like. you are there in brussels where negotiations are taking place. i mean, what is the status of these last-minute talks? barbara: the status is that the eu chief negotiator has been talking to the ambassadors of the eu 27, the other member states, and has been informing them about the state of play and told them about what is now in the text, because there is in fact text on the table. it has not been published yet, it is not open, we cannot see it, we cannot read it, but it is said behind the scenes here, through diplomatic leaks, that the eu and the u.k. have sort of

really bridged all the gaps -- and they were huge when they began on saturday -- for all those questions of customs, of the border not in northern ireland but somewhere in the irish sea, about how the compensation for fees will be done in the future, about controls, etc., etc. i mean, this whole long convoluted list and a lot of technical questions. it is all more or less done. it is almost ready to go. and then at the very last minute the no from london came. and this is the main point. the eu leaders want boris johnson to come there tomorrow at the summit and say, i have the numbers in the house of parliament. if he does not, they will not agree. brent: and as you say, we have been here before. all right. barbara wesel in brussels, charlotte potts on the story for us in london. the both of you, thank you. still to come, daring to dream.

japan is gripped by rugby mania ahead of its world cup quarterfinal with south africa. that is coming up in just a moment. pro-democracy lawmakers in hong kong have disrupted a major policy speech by the territory's leader. carrie lam left the legislature and had to deliver her speech by video after being shouted down by legislators calling on her to meet the demands of hong kong's protest movement. reporter: a hostile reception for carrie lam. hong kong's chief executive had come to deliver a speech, but as fellow lawmakers heckled and jeered, she could barely get started. >> all lawmakers, please remain silent. anyone who does not stay silent will be asked to leave the chamber.

reporter: prpro-democracy lawmakers projected the slogan, "the five demands, not one less," on the chamber's walls. these include universal suffrage and an independent inquiry into police violence during demonstrations. when carrie lam did not address any of these demands, she was shouted down, forcing her to abandon her speech. she later delivered her address via video link. lawmaker tanya chan is one of lam's most vocal critics. she earlier toldld dw that the chief executive's time is up. >> absbsolutely. absolutely. i do not thihink she canan still govern hong g kong, and after al this we can clearly see her incacapability. so, i think that the v very firt step foror hong kong to go forwd is for her to resign as soon as possible.

reporter: as night fell, yet more cause for anger. a prominent protest organizer was left bleeding in the streets after at least four men reportedly attacked him with hammers. his supporters say the assault was popolitically momotivated. they have vowed to carry on their protest. brent: leaders on holy see is enjoying the great outdoors. equine ecstasy. you might remember this image right here taken of vladimir putin. it is on his calendar. the bare-chested russian in siberia. and now it seems he has inspired another leader. north korea's kim jong-un has been seeking his own putin-moment in a nature-based photo shoot. my colleague federica baggio is here to take a closer look. i know you have been looking at the calendars for the story. so tell me more. you brought your saddle.

federica: so, north korea's state media released a series of these pictures featuring kim jong-un riding this majestic white horse while visiting snowcapped mount paektu. mount paektu is a sacred mountain to north koreans. it is also the highest mountain in the peninsula. these pictures of course have been making the rounds online. peopople have and wondering g if this was a funny spinoff of "game of thrones." no, there is actually a lot of sysymbolism inin the pictures.s. the whitite horse is a propagana symbol for the kim family, which has been ruling north korea for seven decades. state media has shown kim and his sister and his father on these white horses. so clearly it is a way of projecting the strength and authority of the kim family. brent: you almost get the feeling he wishes he had long hair so it could flow and wave in the wind. i mean, all joking aside, is there a political meaning behind

the choice of this background? federica: well, that is what some think. in fact, what is interesting is that in the past, kim's visits to this particular mountain have preceded important decisions or announcements. for example in 2013, he visited mount paektu before ordering the execution of his uncle. then he visited the mountain before entering diplomatic talks with south korea and the u.s. in 2018. so there has been speculation as to whether this is now preceding some other kind of announcement, whether maybe he is announcing a new strategy in his relations with the u.s., with donald trump. also the pictures came together with a press release. and inin this press relelease, e is onene sentence ththat partrticularly sto outut. and it is this one saying all officials accompanying kim, they believe that there will be a great operation to strike the

world with wonder again. so, it is too soon to say whether this is just a propaganda stunt or whether he actually has something big to say. brent: i wonder if u.s. president donald trump will appear on a horse as well. federica: who knows whether he will take this as a challenge. brent: equine ecstasy, as we said. federica, as always, thank you. the spanish football league have asked for the match between barcelona and riel madrid to be moved to spain's capital over fears of civil unrest following days of protests in catalonia. barcelona's stadium was set to host a so-called el classico match between the fierce rivals on the 26th of october. the league made the request and both clubs will be consulted before a decision is reached. police in bulgaria have arrested six football fans following monday's euro 2020 qualification match.

during the match, england players were subjected to racist abuse with incidents of monkey chants and nazi salutes. police have so far identified 15 supporters who are thought to have been involved. the incident has calls for the head of bulgaria's football association to announce his resignation. european football's governing body, uefa, has yet to issue a punishment, as antidiscrimination organizations calls for bulgaria to be kicked out of the competition. japan has gone crazy for rugby. the country, more often associated with sumo wrestling, is hosting this year's rugby world cup. and the national team has booked its place in the quarterfinals for the first time. now shops are struggling to keep up with the demand for merchandise. reporter: rugby mania has reached fever pitch in japan. the world cup hosts are into the quarterfinals of the competition, and fans are daring to dream.

>> japan showed its strength. i have been a rugby fan for 35 years and it is like a dream. reporter: support is so high, the official team megastore is struggling to keep up with demand for merchandise. >> yeah, the demand for all items has been really good, especially the japanese jerseys. the japanese jerseys are selling like crazy. and we are getting them whenever we can, but unfortunately it looks like most of the japanese jerseys in japan are sold out. >> my daughter and husband want tickets for the quarterfinal. they wanted to go see the match with japanese jerseys, because against expectations, it is a japan match. so i am disappointed not to be able to buy a jersey. reporter: reaching the last four is now the goal. standing in their way are two-time winners, south africa. a tough test, but one japan has passed before. a famous victory over their

opponents at the last world cup announced japan's arrival on the rugby union world stage. if they can do it again on sunday, rugby mania might just go into overdrive. brent: it has been six months since a fire ripped through notre dame cathedral in paris, and a number of problems are now slowing down restoration on the landmark structure. experts say that the government's timeline for rebuilding it within just five years is not realistic. reporter: notre dame cathedral is very much a part of denise charensol's life. every day, from her balcony, she looks to see if it's still standing. half a year after the blaze, denise is still not over the trauau of it. denise: there, straight ahead, was exactly y where the towewer.

we saw howow it caughtirire, started wobbling left and right, and then broke off. it was terrible. rereporter: the fire broke outun april 15. why, is still a mystery. bewildered, and in fear for notre dame, thousands of people gathered spontaneously in front of the cathedral, millions worldwide in front of their screens. through the night, denise and her husband anxiously watched from their balcony. construction is moving ahead, but much slower than residents would like. the cathedral is still in danger of collapsing. the building must first be ststabilized, sasays architectca quub.. she is angry at t presidt emmanuel macron. he promimised to rebuiuild the cathededral in just t five year. she says that's completely unrealistic. elisa: renovations will take at least 10 years, and that's only if a miracle happens and they find the right kinds of wood and

stone, and if all those employed work well. this fire has plunged us into an enormous crisis. we expected the governrnment to ask k e french p people to trust us experts.. but that was not the case. reporter: after all, notre damae is a unenesco world heritage si. the government must put all its cards on the table. it owes it to the parisisians ad the tourists, 15 million of whom came here every year before the fire. what eyewitnesses on the night of the fire could not hahave knn was that more than 4 t tons of toxic lead wouould be varizezed and spread over the neighborhood. official information on the dangers after the fire was almost non-existent. thisis so shocked d mathe toullr that she took on what the authorities failed to do. she went from door-to-door over the following weeks to warn the residents.

mathe: actually, the construction site must be completely sealed. lead molecules must be prevented from getting into the environmnment during the coconstruction work. reporter: claude and denise are devoutut catholics and believe that god has personally protected notre dame from collapse until now. claude: there was a protecting hand. denise: nothing happened to the virgin with child. there was dedebris everyrywhered she didn''t even have e a scrat, not even a s scratch. that'a surprisese. reporter: claude and denise are quite sure that their notre dame will stand here as splendidly as before, and they hope they will live to see it. brent: extreme weather has disrupted australia's world solar challenge in which 40 teams greece across the country in the world's fastest solar

powered cars. high winds proved more difficult to combat the lightweight vehicles, two of whicich were blown off the road. there was a maximum speed limit of 80 kilometers an hour was lifted later on in the d day as conditions improved. the sun, not the wind. after a short break i will be back to take you through "the day." stick around for that. we we'll be right back. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuraracy. visit ncncicap.org]

. it's nine pm here in the french capital you watching live from paris some from thirty four i'm somebody justst wilson n and these are te headlines. one week into thehe turkisish offensive against the kurds in northern syriaia asset regime troops and russian soldiers. have enenredhe ststrategic border town of. bonnie that is according. to the syrian observatory for human rights. the optimism that it breaks the deal would be struck of the seasoning and rubber stamps on thursday at the european council summit have been dashed sources say that deal unlikely to be reached the c. an american journalist accused