the report ranks 149 nations and asks people about social support freedoms corruption and generosity it's suggested finland's relative success and curbing coronavirus may have helped i think everywhere in the world and in finland us well of course people have been suffering and the pen damage has really costing science and concrete problems but again i think in finland and in the nordic countries people are really lucky and have been lucky because the scientists still supports this sort of the system of buffering these kinds of shocks most people don't have to completely worry about losing their livelihood or not having access to health care. well again the headlines on al-jazeera results presidential your boss and arrows taking several of his country estates to court to try and force them to overturn pandemic restrictions on friday the country recorded more than 2800 fatalities the

2nd highest number in a single day germany's national disease control center has warns coronavirus cases there are rising at an exponential rate it says more contagious strains of wiped out progress made last month in containing the pandemic chancellor angela merkel says some restrictions will have to be reimposed u.s. president says asian americans have been attacked and scapegoated joe biden and his vice president have been visiting the state of georgia talking to community leaders 8 people were killed in a mass shooting on tuesday 6 of the victims were women of asian descent and. they've been attacked. harassed verbal abuse old physically. documented that is against the hate against asian americans have skyrocketed spike over the last year and violence often hard in plain sight.

it's often met with silence that's true true throughout our history but that has to change because our silence is complicity we cannot be complicit high level talks between china and the u.s. have now ended in alaska without a significant breakthrough both sides head out of the other's policies in front of the cameras revealing tensions over here when rights and economic power us judge has rejected an attempt to postpone the murder trial of a police officer charged over the death of george floyd lawyers for derrick chauvin had argued that a highly publicized settlement paid to his family had jeopardize his chances of a fair trial video of george floyd's next part global protests last year those are the headlines there'll be more news on al-jazeera at the top of the hour that's and 30 minutes time next up front thanks for watching. on counting the coles myer

a druggie save the euro but can he turn around the struggling economy. of the oil rich libya's unified government you know the war told east and west including the country's central banks and chile rethinks the best. counting the cost on al-jazeera. as prime minister narendra modi's government cracks down on dissent can india still call itself the largest democracy on earth. i'm marc lamont hill also on the show anger and desperation is mounting in lebanon over a financial and political meltdown the country is hurtling toward collapse what can be done to stop it that's our debate but 1st india's growing crackdown on dissent including farmers' protests internet shutdowns online censorship and the jailing of

activists is ringing authoritarian alarm bells is democracy being dismantled and the ranger modi's india at last this week's headliner national spokesperson for the ruling by the t a janata party. thank you so much for joining me on outfront thank you very much. india has long been touted as the world's largest democracy but in recent years under prime minister narendra modi. india has been seeing its democratic credentials called into question just this month the democracy watchdog freedom house has downgraded india from free to partly free and soon after the institute in sweden reclassified india no longer has the world's biggest democracy but as an electoral autocracy have these institutions gotten it right is it time to recalibrate whether india is a democracy anymore. well let me tell you that it is not only largest

democracy but it's the mother of all immigrants. because we have. just been back to stick of our history. of history and you will find that democratic process is something which is followed in this country that it even invented the relations something we inherited. and it is an odd d.n.a. to follow. for the democratic process let's talk about some of those democratic processes you know you're right i mean the thing that makes a nation a democracy is its democratic processes and practices but what we've seen in the last few months alone is a series of things that some have considered to be anti democratic. cracking down on dissent in recent months in light of the agricultural reforms that have taken place in the form of protests that have ensued since the reforms your government ordered twitter to block more than 1200 accounts including journalists and media

organizations deemed to be sharing content or views on the protests that the government didn't like this doesn't seem like a democratic process or practice it seems dictatorial. not it does not on a computer disagree with people who have this kind of began to disappear going to because safety and security of citizen is that is the paramount importance for every every government. sponsored look up this government fog and it is important that some but somebody who is trying to use the social media to propose something which is secular and own little sense necessarily. but rejecting or getting information to friction within the society into the budget for the government will ensure that those. which can create tricks in particular collection should be taken down if you're saying that if there is something that is dangerous and in correct in unfactual and causing some kind of public crisis so public damage

is up there then yes i can understand the conversation about potentially taking it down but 1st of all according to human rights watch just to give one example they're saying that this is a kind of attack against journalists and media authorities oppose bail for the journalists to decompile and after he was arrested on his way to report on the gang rape of a dallas woman in a dish also all sharma as a journalist who was charged with spreading false information disobeying the order of a public servant and acting negligently to spread infection of a dangerous disease what did on sharma do it was the posting of a facebook live report that showed stranded workers in need of food during a lockdown what did they do that warranted these charges do you even in retrospect believe that this was appropriate. well you have to understand. the sensitivity of your particular sure and how it will impact the society and if it's in the heat

of the moment if you. put something on to get out and we're like sure because we're going to do a lot of. security issues then it is it is the authority which is asking looking not to go on because of the way that in every every channel every. shows and the government can you can you comment on those 2 cases because i don't i don't i don't want to see. you in a big country you cannot just pick one or 2. 100 plus and i could put hundreds are you can you courts and my dear pradesh denied that's there's another court in my department pradesh denied bail to a muslim stand up comic know what a photo who was arrested under section $295.00 for jokes that apparently hurt hindu sentiments even the police admit they have no evidence that he even had a performance and basically didn't make the jokes so i get it seems like time after time which in crackdowns on dissent you could you acknowledge that at least appears

to be a threat to democracy do you. no let's. get a few clinical information and the daily it what is being followed in the country see then in the you're talking about the muslim community i come from the muslim community and i said that no government in the past has been overly concerned about dispersed in community because this government will actually hold the interest of the government is that if you're not a muslim we have been left a standard by the previous governments that successive governments that's fine but that doesn't that doesn't that you have yet to answer any of the question about how the iranian government transept treats journalism that i gave 3 specific cases of crackdowns on dissent whether from a comedian whether some journalist do you have any interest in greece writing to those specific cases if not i'm happy to move on but can you sir address those cases not absolutely no distinction only for the government is not about

a dozen list not about anybody with that it's you know do you let anybody on that list who are who have been to create some kind of fiction through their life being all of them or that a statement other than one will be. that would be under the law but let me if i if i move on people protesting the citizenship amendment act last year which was seen by many to be unfair and discriminatory against muslims were beaten arrested and killed in subsequent crackdowns during the citizenship protests copula mishra a member of the b j p in delhi used inflammatory rhetoric against protesters including the slogan shoot the traitors shoot the traitors he also issued a fiery speech declaring that a police didn't clear the streets he and his supporters would the violence that ensued ended up killing 53 people most of whom were muslim why is capital misha still a member of the b j p s. he he was he was

a member of another political party ignore his part of the big it big and political party then damn it he was indicted the political party was making noise no extremely happy and comfortable with this kind of hypocrites he is. but if somebody i'm dealing with conviction and i'm telling you that let everyone must know that if anybody got mixed but i am going to speculate that it's from the bar they don't but might be or the ruling party or from the other party and its citizens look at me and constriction and aspect of their affair i don't get the association of the political party they will not be spent it will not work in their favor because a lot of the land is absolutely let go it's a good fiction mostly punished so you've said. that now minister of home affairs described migrants from bangladesh as termites you've had to janet the chief minister of the country's most populous state say that there is nothing wrong

with india becoming a hindu state and referred to muslims as quote a crop of 2 legged animals that have to be stopped i would ask a very simple question that i'd love to get an answer to do you condemn this language well it has been spoken in a very different perspective and it should enter into doing. one of the chips when it's done it's going to stop this clear country you have to see how many statement is given for the community and to simply add to this time in writing or do you condemn it is laying a worse or do you condemn this in human eyes and language. not this is. us they're not going to for the committed this must seem that there's less spoken of would be the. people who are coming to india and getting just a disruption suddenly and he referred to muslims as a crop of 2 legged animals who have to understand that it's not.

completely disagree with. the kind of. statement you are making and that was not bent then and then it is saying it is already there you are picking what that sentence and you are making that kind of. your your analysis but fact that it must be spoken in a very different perspective and people who are all knowing this he called them a crop of 2 legged animals would you say under what circumstances an is it proper to use a sling without heat migration bangladesh as termites i mean would you look at let's let's let's focus on that for a moment so just so that i can get a clear response from let a little is there ever a time what's ok to call migrants from bangladesh that termites know anybody was enduring into our country illegally they're coming illegally in our country

not through a legal process the out of their made what does that make go would be the basic approach to make. it may consider though they read about it they're going to become the system and that's what they were doing in many parts of the country illegally come into our country and what do what is sources available for our country many of us because we live so you can say. this well that people of this country are not for the people who are coming illegally so it has so you're saying so your source again taken from site please continue let me let me let let me tell you you're talking about. you know that they're not who is the couldn't. define a set of the largest in a state and let me tell you you're talking what he said he said something about the muslim community but i am dealing with it in perspective but when you see his militants martin you see that are not suppose that people in addiction 22000 homes

which i don't want to have been given. citizen wouldn't have changed it in but the but i hate that i have ties muslim community it can cause and of the 22 was given to muslims so minute lead that electricity connection to the which was left in darkness by the u.s. government all the electricity connection with it had been given. the gas connection the water connection everything had been provided by the state and. so he's very clear calling for him to supremacy in fact he said there's nothing wrong with india becoming a hindu state let me let me ask you very directly do you agree with the idea of india becoming a hindu state would that be proper. which is as i said it's the mother of all democrats but that's not my that's not my question my question is if you have said there's nothing wrong with telling a hindu state do you agree with this statement so literally you mustn't stand when

you became a center that must understand what exactly it means it does not. and in this case he said that he's ready for a religious war he said we are all preparing for a religious war he said that muslims were a crop of 2 legged animals that had to be stopped he said he's from a temple that is known for hindu supremacy and then he said there is nothing wrong with a hindu state that is not a single sentence that is a body of work sir and my question for you is do you agree with this would you prefer india become a hindu state yes or no i have already. 3 and i'm going to something that every. being good as it is a good thing unlike many many places in the world including. where. very differently than my and. so permissive. actually nationals that other faiths are being created. in this great country no

other country probably gives the kind of freedom which we. will have to leave it there sides for islam thank you so much for joining me. a dying economy a pandemic that has crippled the health care system a currency in freefall and more than half the population living below the poverty line add to that a government stalemate and one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in modern times lebanon is suffering on an unprecedented scale since 21000 protesters have been on the streets calling for change they say the political elite beset by corruption and mismanagement is to blame but they will not relinquish power is lebanon hurdling towards total collapse. joining me to answer that question from beirut is camel artist she is nonresident fellow at carnegie endowment and the author of the book black wave and dana as cultural and social activist and executive director of haven for artists thank you both for joining me in the arena

dana i want to start with you last august nearly 3000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in the port of beirut that killed more than 200 people and injured thousands of others between that and the country's financial crisis many were hopeful that lebanon would finally see. genuine reform. a lebanese citizen a director of the average farm initiative called it quote a once in a lifetime battle for the soul of lebanon but today people are still in the grips of a mounting crisis why did all of these catastrophic events happen and yet they didn't become the tipping point for the kind of change that many thought we'd see. when it comes to the tipping point i think that 1st you have to assume that the situation was deteriorating was to. a pretty 2nd better it was at any point stable or efficient and that was never the case it was never stable there was never a question we had presidents every couple of years we've had occupations from 2 different regimes that have found what i love a not so the premise

a bit being it's open what was always something that we were negotiating with on an everyday basis because it wasn't just a blast it was the way that we were able to even live in this country was practically impossible prior to it but the problem i think of it isn't whether we like it or not there is too many persons in power when it comes down to it we're not fighting one lesion we're fighting different persons that are in control of one regime so it's not like you can go after one of them and be able to remove that person from their chair all in a way protecting one another because they know that their interests are extremely interconnected and that if one of them falls all of them do and we're waiting for lab i don't moment i don't think activists have ever relinquished the streets and i don't think they ever will and can do with that assessment yes i do agree with some of the points that mate we're still in the process of bringing down what is essentially a system a political establishment of former warlords for the large part you know mafia

lords in some ways a political cartels and malicious you know how we should not forget to mention hezbollah as the militant shop political group not to iran as one of the main key players in this equation which is not the only problem but is the most powerful group aren't to the chiefs which helps to uphold the system because it too benefits from the corruption and it feeds into that system but i want to add one thing to what do you not said i think we're going to continue to see. tests on the street i think we're going to continue to see popular pressure against the political establishment. and we're going to see also regional movement because unfortunately for another not one we're at this sort of crossroad of 2 politics where everyone is involved the russians the americans the french and what we really

need here is international pressure as well as vocal pressure it is also up to people here for us in lebanon to push for true reforms can you brought up hezbollah of course the shia political party and militia which has dominated the country's politics for decades for some they are the problem and same time hezbollah provide social services schools health care we could go down to youth youth programs etc is hezbollah's popularity a roadblock or should we incorporate that into whatever salute whatever political solutions we develop or imagine hezbollah is a state within a state they are free to provide social services to their community but there is no reason for them to remain aren't and there is no reason for them to use lebanon as a base for their regional military adventures in syria and iraq in yemen they are

a paramilitary expeditionary force that is wardle to iran they did play a great role in helping to liberate southern lebanon from israeli occupation but that was then and today the lebanese want to i think in the majority of them want to build a state they need governance they need rule of law and so you have a lot of charities organizations that are politically if you do that to provide social services and hezbollah's social services are great and they can continue to do that. the shia community in lebanon on should be free to choose and should be provided with other opportunities beyond border to trust fund and i think what we're seeing is the shia community making very clear that as well as not even providing enough for them anymore they are too going hungry and that's why you are

seeing people protest in areas where hezbollah has a strong presence there to help me think through this has below question because this is one of the most contentious issues some countries designated as a terrorist group others see it as a legitimate social political force now of course we know in 2009 the lebanese parliament overwhelmingly approved hezbollah to have weapons the only militia to do so after the civil war this creates a very unique dynamic for hezbollah in terms of its power in the region in the country specifically the question though is do we disarm what do you say is that the only way out to have to have this kind of coexistence. i think we cannot eliminate the president of the presence of people that supports hezbollah or support the m. other movements because there are shihad that do not follow his ball of the problem either there are other shows that are independent so the shot going to and of itself has multiple leaders but the premise of it is if we want an actual democratic representative state we all need to come to the table coming to the table with a gun no matter who it is is

a problem including or when it's somebody like the lebanese forces who say they don't have guns but one can't push comes to shove there are. all ready to go out to the streets because everyone personally under god doesn't need to be the militias because i also think that this is a very different understanding we always assume that the militia itself is the only one that has a gun but there's also people that we the people that don't consider themselves with guns like el appen f.m.p. which is appreciate your articles and where one of the largest blocs currently with hezbollah the last time we had a protest they went down with guns and they were shooting up and you know they were shooting in the air trying to shoot at protesters so you do have different different elements of it and 1st of all before we even get to the point of this army because we need to set up the tactical i don't think we've even gotten to a point where we've coexisted truly and fully there's always been someone it was this was just what the sitting at the same table looked like as a practical matter in the current context. i think well 1st of all iraqis are coming on and we're extremely excited to finally present ourselves with independent

candidates and especially women candidates as we know we only have 4.5 percent of our entire parliament that is represented by women. of course of the many laws that are all entailed into that so firstly we have to just get to the elections in a promise that people understand there is an alternative because the state media is owned by the same you know militias that are running the country and like kim said hezbollah does offer social services and so to all of the militias and their own way whether it be the dollars in the short or i'm going to be happy and problems with somebody so all of them do this thing the premise of it is that he made the government so in fact so incapable that you must follow them as a militia all of these militias are doing the same thing all of them the difference is hezbollah is not of course that is easily negotiated with because they are so much controlled by external postle but also let's not forget that the saudis are not easy and the saudis are also and are and how do you think so you have multiple

elements of geopolitics playing here and the 1st premise of it is understanding that these politicians and about them in of themselves are the problem not just the people that they're leading another big geo political question in the middle east and certainly in lebanon is the question of the refugee there are 7000000 people in lebanon and in that country there is an extraordinary responsibility to house refugees to host 1500000 syrian refugees that's a proportion of refugees higher than any other country in the world. the lebanese people right now are finding it more difficult to feed themselves for a living on less than $14.00 a day we've seen food prices skyrocket as this goes on what future is there for the families who have fled neighboring countries to lebanon what's the future the refugee when it comes to the refugees it's all up to allow. us to decide when they should go home to a country that still at war it is

a very large burden for lebanon and the international community has not done enough to help lebanon on and syrian refugees in general my great hope for for lebanon as we go forward begin up i saw things that day not say that is that activism is going to turn into political work i see a lot of the groups that have been that have taken to the streets over the last 18 months really understand that activism on its own charity work n.-g. o. were is not enough and that they need to get involved in the politics they need to run for elections elections will take place we hope in 2022 sometime in may or in the sprint we hope they will indeed take place and the establishment will not try to cancel them because i see a lot of really excellent work game changing approach to how you run elections and how you run for elections and you know i don't want to put up my hopes too much but

i think we could be looking at a new political leader political leaders coming onto the scene that's all we have time for chemical at this dana bash thank you both so much for joining me in the arena that is our show up front will be back next week. examining the impact of today's headlines it didn't matter you're rich or poor what your religion is you are battling this and you're staring at it in the face and you're dealing with it setting the agenda for tomorrow's discussions that are unfolding on capitol hill international filmmakers the world class journalists bring programs to inform and inspire you each and in one of us in the responsibility to change out there's this place for the middle on al-jazeera.

thanks love to make loans to sufferance because behind the suffering a millions of taxpayers because those taxpayers never go away there's a new one born every single day a 19 it is an urgent national message that it be officially request the activation of the support mechanism we created together because i happen to live in creeks somehow i'm a sinner i'm a bad person. that's machine on al-jazeera. for afghans with ties to international organizations. this rate has never been greater . left exposed by the withdrawal of foreign troops. may be the path to safety. but alienation makes home feel ever further away. part of the viewfinder is

a series on al-jazeera. al-jazeera . every. a snapshot of brazil's battle to contain covered 19 says keep cramming on board public transport backed by their president. i know that i will start the attain this is al jazeera live from also coming up. we've been attacked by. a call from the president and hate crimes against asian americans.