this is g.w. newsline but from berlin tonight sounding the alarm the german government says that the country is now in the grips of a coronavirus epidemic that is the morning coming from the health minister. as the country confirms more and more cases of the illness he says there is no way to trace all cases of the infection meanwhile countries are racing to respond as global coronavirus cases so worked for the 1st time the number of new infections signed in china is higher than inside the country. and germany's highest court

backs legalizing assisted suicide in the federal constitutional court overturning a 2015 law that prevented doctors from tel being terminally ill patients and their last. i'm burnt off it's good to have you with us we begin tonight with the latest on the coronavirus here in germany southern new cases of the covert 19 virus have been confirmed in the states of blood invertebrate and north rhine was fairly a short while ago the country's health minister in spawn said that the country is now facing a public health emergency if it known something we're at the beginning of a coronavirus epidemic in germany the cases in north rhine-westphalia and bought in verdun bags are a further sign of this change of infection are partly and this is a new aspect not trace of votes. there are multiple persons who have had contact

with the infected patients act. does is even likely to and that's a qualitative difference to the 16 infectious cases we've already hired in germany where in each case the chain of infection could be traced back to the i break in china. and. i have more on that now we want to take this to our political correspondent emmanuel shawn she's standing by here in berlin good evening to you emma so we just heard there the country's health minister sounding the alarm saying that we are. so what's the government doing about it well yes upon the house minister sounded much more worried than before like you said he acknowledged idea pedantic was a most likely no longer available here in germany because those who contracted a device have been in touch with so many people before being diagnosed so he asked house officials hospitals medical practices social security services in all of germany's states to refute their emergency plans for the pending

a plan that makes. the new cases he saved now more people should be tested better mood than most it is say here so encourage people with symptoms to come forward and get in touch with doctors but he also warned against a wave of panic some schools some kindergartens india area in north rhine-westphalia where 2 people have been diagnosed have been shut down as well as 2 medical practices out where that's where attended by 2 people infected was shut down until monday dots in line with containment strategic in place to prevent a virus from spreading as far as possible all right stand by we're going to show you now this report that takes us to the german state of north wind with failure where a new coronavirus cluster is spreading. authorities transported the 47 year old man and his wife to a. clinic early tuesday morning the man's condition is critical he tested positive

for covert 19 as the new coronaviruses named on wednesday officials confirmed both he and his wife were infected. and is gravely ill he's suffering badly from pneumonia and is on ventilation. the good news is that his condition did not deteriorate overnight showing signs of improvement if the woman is also ill inflammation of the lungs and a fever but she is by no means in the same serious condition as her husband. the couple's 2 children have so far shown no symptoms of the virus and it being closely monitored. the couple has an active social life and as you might be aware weekend there were carnival celebrations throughout the state of north rhine-westphalia. what's important is that the woman is a kindergarten teacher and of course was working in child care until the beginning

of carnival celebrations. children enrolled in daycare centers and schools in the area as well as their parents are being told to remain at home for the next 2 weeks the goal is to break the chain of infection. but that tradition and this is why the challenge considering the man was in various places while displaying symptoms during the virus is 10 to 14 day mission period so he's intentionally came into contact with an almost endless number of people there is a man who was recently treated twice at a university clinic in cologne for an unrelated illness stuff who had contact with them there i'm now under quarantine. all right so i mean if we look at that story can we add that to the warning that we're hearing tonight from the german government the warning we heard yesterday from the world health organization how worried should people here in germany be tonight well they're definitely more worried tonight than they were before all those new cases broke here i mean some of

them vent on social media say that they can't even restate g.p. to come on trees hotline some hotlines are saturated some people think they have symptoms and they assimilate a flu symptoms to doze of the corona virus what was especially wearing tonight is that the people who got infected is were in crowds disco indecl doff attended. assistive ities they also took a trip a short trip to to to to the netherlands and that will make it is so far it is a work to try and identify further cases more difficult so general genuine concern tonight here in germany you know there definitely is reason to be more concerned tonight than 24 hours ago that's for sure and sean thank you very much. well the new form of the coronavirus covered 19 1st emerged in the chinese city of back in december its claimed almost 3000 lives for the 1st time officials are reporting

more new infections outside of china than inside the country but china still has the highest number of reported cases more than 77000 south korea italy japan and the iran are next and a further 41 countries are territories have between one and 100 cases you see it right there in compassing the globe bringing the total to more than $81000.00 now in some of the latest developments south korea has reported its biggest one day jump in infections brazil has confirmed latin america's 1st case today and here in europe italy has begun the front there has become the front line in the struggle to contain the outbreak which is now claimed 12 lives there paris is just reported the 1st coronavirus death of a french citizen and the republic of georgia has just reported its 1st case elsewhere flights to korea we understand at hong kong they have been cut back while

others have been cancelled here's a closer look now at how countries around the world are fighting to keep this outbreak from becoming a pandemic. recovered coronavirus patients and are finally free to return home after one last spray the corona virus is increasing its presence far beyond china's borders it ranges from cruise ships in japan to test runs public transport it's also having an effect on countries where it has not yet to merged arland has postponed a major international rugby game with italy as a precaution he she is the country most affected by the virus in europe. despite these concerns health authorities in europe say there's no reason to panic about the coronavirus their. take the latest and it's a very very seriously at the same thing we should also remember that for both of fife. they shouldn't have mild symptoms and are over in the u.s.

which has remained relatively sheltered health chiefs warn the public to be on alert. the immediate risk to the general american public remains low but as we have warned that has the potential to change quickly meanwhile 11 towns in northern italy where the virus has been diagnosed remain under lockdown military police are stuffing roadblocks allowing only authorized personnel access nearly 50000 people have been placed under effective quarantine there or for more now we want to go to margaret harris she is with the world health organization she is working with the coronavirus team in geneva switzerland margaret it's good to see you you've heard what the german health minister has said that germany is now in the grips of an epidemic do you agree with that language or what's your advice tonight to people here in germany. good evening well i agree with certainly

something is i do agree with much of what he said particularly when he said don't panic now this is always difficult when somebody says you've got an outbreak outbreaks to make people frightened but the best way to get through this is to stay calm and get knowledged up so find out about these fires find out what you can do and think about what you your family your friends your community need to do that sounds very general but this lets you can do what about if for instance you do have to spend 2 weeks and partain or not if there is ongoing in fiction in your neighborhood or in your group or in your school so make those plans now and i'm not saying run to the shops to get the food but think about can you work from home talk to your employers talk to your children talk to your schools think about how you can educate them keep things going keep this normal as possible china has shown

they can do it and the rest of us can do it too what do you do more good so when you have a government or political systems that or working what appears to be a good student thinking about what's happening in iran right now the numbers there we can't verify the numbers in relations to infections the leadership in iran is claiming that the united states is scare mongering trying to use the virus to weaken the country what do you do in that situation. we look at the science now iran has asked us to go and help and that's what we're doing we're sending a group of experts in we're looking at what they need how we can get to them as quickly as possible and really help them get their outbreak under control now there are lots of other countries that we've already looked at long before. the outbreaks began to cut good in many countries we were pretty sure that this virus had

potential to do that with grateful that china managed to contain it for a long time so we have to do a lot of work with countries we've identified as the most fragile countries but now is the moment when we all have to look at what we can do and how we can get through this. from geneva switzerland thank you we appreciate it well here's some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world protesters on the greek island of lesbos have clashed with riot police for a 2nd day. plans to build a camp for up to 7000 migrants the regional governor's office has sided with the protesters and called a 24 hour strong police investigating monday's carnival car ramming in the german town of. our new closer to uncovering a motive a 29 year old suspect remains in custody in faces attempted murder charges more

than 60 people were hurt in the attack about a 3rd of those people children officials in indonesia say the death toll from floods that hit the capital jakarta has risen to far at least 3 others are missing and nearly 10000 people have been displaced floodwaters inundated entire neighborhoods on tuesday following heavy downpours. germany's highest court has overturned a ban on medically assisted suicide the decision comes after a group of patients and doctors argued that a 2015 ban on the practice was unconstitutional the ruling is fueling and emotional debate about euthanasia and end of life decisions it's a highly sensitive subject here in germany where the nazis used a so-called euthanasia program to kill hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities. the decision by the german constitutional court

took many by surprise. the ruling means assisted suicide by soon legally take place in germany. i don't mind because we need a common rights of the individual allow the right to a self-determined death. that right includes the freedom to take one's own life. also to seek help from a 3rd party as long as it's offered and that. one of the people who brought the case to court was how. he has a terminal illness and wants the right to end his life when it's no longer worth living. i don't want to reach that stage the difficulty breathing. perhaps i won't be able to communicate with my quality of life will have reached its limits. and i won't want to go alone. but not everyone welcomed the court's ruling at

a catholic charity hospice in berlin many see things differently. it's my. business i was simply concerned that there will now suddenly just be a really lousy way that's quicker and also cheaper that's not something i want in our society which has many forms i want to be certain that everything possible is done so that people can live with dignity until the last moment so. there are various opinions on the high court's ruling also out on the street yavin is that is a good point if everything is done according to the rulers and all the paperwork is there and the family agrees and i think it's a good thing any discord. think that people should always give life a chance among all the times a terrible misery something good can happen i find it hard to then get a doctor involved it's student and as if it's about someone who is terminally ill and has decided they don't want to live anymore then they should also have the possibility that someone can help them. with. the court's

decision now puts pressure on the government lawmakers will soon have to establish regulations for medication and procedures. well for more now i'm joined here at the big table by our ethics correspondent martin jack it's good to see marcus here today we've been talking about this all day we all know someone people who are elderly people who have been ill who talked about this is it impacts everyone the worry though that remains is that there's going to be commercial gain made through assisted suicide is that worry is it being exaggerated here i don't know if it's being excited charade i think it is certainly something that one should take into account and you know any are you aware profit is a possibility the question is of course what that comes with it at the very same time the fact is that we ground stations on the superstition that we actually have

good regulations and that we have systems to enforce to those regulations so you know there are difference between differences between states but i think that in so far as germany assiduous said one of the people that were interview on the street in so far as germany can show that they actually have the capacity to enforce the rules and make sure that the testing process and essentially the the greenman sorry in place then that's a risk that we as a society might say ok well it could happen that somebody profits from it or that somebody does it just for the sake of profit but it's a risk that we are actually willing to afford this court case today we know that i think the last poll showed 70 more than 70 percent of germans are in favor of assisted suicide is this is this the legal system catching up with public sentiment and mean an on the one hand it is on the other hand the fact is that we have all sorts of informal mechanisms for assisted suicide including sort of passive

assisted suicide i mean in principle these things were allowed not allowed but they always lived in a form of gray zone and i think that what we have now is indeed the kurds catching up with what already is sort of a societal center. and as to what it means to lead a good life because i think that the important thing to bear in mind is that the question here is not whether life being or not being worth living the question is what kind of life is worth living so i think that the sense is that there is a certain quality of life that is necessary for life to be worth living and anybody who as you point out has dealt with this issue is understands that at some point people feel that it is no longer the case and the court today said that the country's constitution guarantees certain freedoms and those freedoms extend all the way to what could be the last decision that a person makes and that decision should be the freedom to in his or her life

correct so i mean this is a technicality but actually a very important one in which what the court can see there is in the fundamental law of germany considers is that in so far a serious recession if the person is in possession of reese and then they can give rescind in favor of their choice and in so far as that finalization as you put it is sweden the space of life then they have the right and this is important thing they will have the right to make that choice and the state does not have the right to the private them off that choice but the important thing to keep in mind is that it is about choice yf there he said the suspicion that this is not being done out of free choice or with good reasons then the state can actually intervene and guidance and exactly free will is key there is always good discussing this with you mark thank you thank you. well on this week's conflict zone the w.'s tim sebastian interviews the saudi arabian minister of state. and he asked who was responsible for the murder of journalist jamal. and when will the country improve its human

rights record take a look so he has made great progress in terms of human rights this could make great progress in terms of reform in terms of empowering women in terms of empowering youth in terms of the citee in terms of diversifying our economy in terms of reducing our reliance on oil 38 bit is moving very very quickly in a very positive direction under the guidance and direction of the crown prince will come on to the details of that i want to take you up on that but the list of unanswered questions about the murder itself is extensive and we still don't know what happened to the remains of mr kushner how is that possible when you allegedly have all the criminals involved behind bars they have you know how do you know they have said that they had a local collaborator who disposed of the party. i don't know i mean didn't you interview game designers kind of i am not the public prosecutor we do foreign policy we don't do criminal investigations you can sell you will behind has

less speaking of the state telling you what we did and what we did is what every other country did all right foreign policy and justice in saudi arabia if you can see that entire interview with your coming up next year or you can watch it online on demand d w dot com slash conflict zone. arnel to the berlin international film festival screening today the british film the road not taken by director sally potter the crew of the cast including stores of your bargain and finding were out on the red carpet there's a saying in the film which is showing in competition explores a daughter's love for her ailing father. molly's constantly troubled her father leo suffers from mental illness and hallucinations. sally potter's film makes liers mental world visible taking the viewer inside and sealed off self memories pos by

feelings from long gone times come back to life. when one wants to feel that kind of illness or perhaps other kinds of mental illness are not always a disability sometimes hidden inside what seems something very tragic might be the capacity for a kind of time travel space travel memory travel or all kinds of interesting states of mind i was worried to get into the plays were i cannot control myself that's the whole thing and i don't know what's going to happen sally was so generous and brave in the lonely nights and i love we need to go where i needed to go. through theresa the film also deals with the difficulties families have of dealing with a mentally ill loved one what is that bell fanning plays molly with sensitivity showing how her father state keeps pushing her to her limits. my character is also

really about making choices in her life so for me i was kind of always in the middle of something the roads not taken is a moving father daughter tale featuring. extraordinary put trials but it's not just a story of loving someone afflicted with severe illness it's just that what we call normal life is just one possibility among many. all right let's take this now to my colleagues i mean yes if. you're on the red carpet at the berlin film festival good evening to you gentleman so the roads not taken after watching it was that the road that you're glad you took. that's a very good question you know this was a big night here on the red carpet javier bardem is an oscar winning actor and i

think this film allowed him to show off his acting prowess you know to get into the role of a man who is completely absent. suffering from early onset dementia but i think one of the problems of the film is that it wanted to make every scene an oscar winning scene and i know you both sim yeah i would i would say that the seeds were oscar winning seeds as i've been a huge fan of them but this is an interesting story but as with a lot of sally potter's films it didn't really pull it off i mean in the end you got an hour and a half of javier bardem wandering around mumbling and l. fanning looking sad and it doesn't really doesn't really work i mean. this is a film about alternative realities and past not taken the path that they should've probably taken is take care of our times character 1st 50 minutes then into the street had hit by a car that would have been a much better film i've been in i think there's a single road that this film can take that will lead to a golden bear all right all right well that sounds like a traffic violation there. let's go into the next film that is in the running for

the golden bear a classic 1920 s. novel remade a centuries century later i'm talking about berlin alexanderplatz so compare today to the 1920 s. what period. they draw in this film. yeah i actually was able to interview the director and i asked him specifically that question and he said that when he was reading the novel he saw great parallels because of the the great income disparity that was exist in 1000 and the growing in time disparity now in berlin in the 2020 and so when he decided to adapt this this book instead of taking the for the main character france fever cough of course in the original is a german he decides if you want to represent the sort of lower rung of society that he should take a completely different figure and so he took me eat made him an african refugee to better illustrate the sort of an underclass that exists now in religion

a i thought it really really worked i thought that that twist really made the the story up to date and gave it a real current relevance that makes this story the novel really come alive i mean when i think yeah i think that the novel really broke ground i don't know if the film was able to do that but still an epic tale of biblical proportions and i think it's definitely worth seeing visually unbelievable visually stunning definitely and we know we don't have. further until saturday when the awards are going to be announced you know of all the films that you have seen which ones do you think are the strongest contenders. yet we're talking about this just before the show and i think it's a good chance an american film could win the show the 1st time in 20 years maybe never rarely sometimes always american but a girl trying to get an abortion i think that's probably is the best chance of being very bare big critical reviews for me it was 1st cow another american film personal favor and i think it's

a strong contender all right gentlemen thank you very much i mean yes it's got rocks on the red carpet at the berlin film festival thank you. you're watching the w. news i'll be back at the top of the hour with more world news followed by the day the comfort zone is up next.

enter the conflict zone with tim sebastian 16 months of gone by since a saudi journalist jamal khashoggi was killed by agents of his own st margaret's news are the algebra the saudi minister of state for foreign offense why are there still so many unanswered questions about the mother and why the massive crackdown on human rights activists inside saudi arabia conflict of the will of the court

next is because of the doubling of the. whole. not nothing. well i guess sometimes i am but i stand up and went to that point and i think stephen turgenev culture of looking at the stereotype cracks in his thinking seems from the country that i don't. feel needed to be taken as grandma down to me it's all about. time my show join me to meet the gentleman from d.w. post. read that we're easy to be announced again. i believe the truth is respect. the. team g.b. and. load up the. money.

to such a. list. and respect exotic pet admitted that. this was a global pollution that it was not authorized we still don't know what happened to the remains of the most precious gift collars up possible we don't have a history of murder in our cities for 16 months have gone by since the saudi journalist jamal khashoggi was killed by agents of his own state is down both but the issue doesn't go away my guest this week here at the munich security conference is out jubera the saudi minister of state for foreign affairs why are there.