this is g.w. newsvine from berlin tonight europe's steps towards normality france and germany begin a gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions the goal is to get back to business without spreading the virus shops schools and restaurants will soon reopen also coming up tonight when fear of the virus turns to hate we hear how racism is directed at people of asian origin and a gas leak at a chemical plant in india kills at least 11 reports of people struggling to breathe

collapsing in the street hundreds have been hospitalized. and europe remembers will take a virtual tour of berlin 75 years on from the defeat of nazi germany in the 2nd. i'm viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and all around the world welcome we begin tonight in france where for nearly 2 months people have endured one of europe's toughest lock downs well that will begin to change next week the number of coronavirus cases is falling and some businesses will be allowed to restart but some still oppose easing any restrictions hundreds of local mayors are urging the government to delay the reopening of schools planned for this coming monday as in other countries the french authorities are under pressure to get the economy moving again but without

setting off a new wave of infections. marianne in a mass france's lockdown was stricter than most now the government has presented its plan for a gradual lifting of france's social commercial and industrial quarantine. we've entered a new stage in our fight against pandemic and it's good news for france and the french people. businesses are set to reopen on monday 42 percent of french employees are on reduced hours or if not work at all since the 17th of march schools are to open gradually despite misgivings from some parents trains and transit services also restart on monday but only about half of the rolling stock is ready to operate. the government has promised to provide masks for everyone and carry out 700000 tests a week. but people are skeptical after 2 months of strict measures they believe

their government has botched the response to the current crisis. they should have started large scale testing immediately like in germany i think there's no clear course it's all back and forth we're sick of it 3 years ago to the day emanuel mcconnell was bathing in the glory of his election victory now it seems much of that glory has faded. and meanwhile germany is also getting back to business as usual but with the option of shutting down again if necessary some call the virus restrictions will be eased over the next few weeks the aim is to prevent infection while allowing people to lead a more normal daily life. santan is an you guessed you'd end and today she is finally on her way back to school in berlin after 4 weeks of learning at home on left and she is now cycling 2 was her teachers and classmates to see them face to face. as when i miss you at all

a bit excited and nervous about how it will go but above all i'm really looking forward to it. she'll be back together with his school friends but not all of them to keep students safe germany has implemented strict hygiene rules face masks must be worn and could only be taken off inside the classroom only a small number of pupils is allowed in one room. teacher says it makes group work a lot more difficult if your. large groups create completely different dynamics completely different interaction then you get in small groups of. teachers and students are asked to use disinfectants and keep a distance but that's only possible if the total number of people in the building is limited therefore only a few selected subjects are being taught in person and teachers have to continue on

my lessons despite being back at school. that can be a challenge explains headmaster he. did come here here they come here to attend classes and then when they get home there are video conferences with the other half of the class always other learning groups the homework arrives through the portal the teachers have to correct that as well their workload has increased significantly. chantelle is grateful that she can now go back to school at least a few days a week she even sees some advantages in the new approach. i was on francis it felt a bit strange at 1st but it's basically a good thing and it went fairly well and it was quite nice to work in such a small group. first on talent. these small groups are likely to remain in the reality for months to come like other aspects of life school never be the same again. or for more now was pulling

a political correspondent thomas sparrow he is in berlin on the story for us tonight so when you told us do we know when all german students will be back in school branch we know when the gold is the goal is for all judgment of pupils to return to classes before the beginning of the summer holidays here in germany the process has been gradually and that's the key would he have gradual a gradual reopening those schools in germany schools had a few weeks to prepare for that reopening the focus at the beginning brand was on school leaver so in other words pupils who had important exams to take and gradually the pupils have been returning to schools again the goal as agreed on by the german government on regional leaders is for all peoples to return to school before the summer holidays start although there has been criticism and that's important to stress as well because apparently at least according to parents some of position leaders not so much focus has also been placed on kinda got ins for

example something that parents and opposition politicians have been asking that more focus should be put on them as well as all these restrictions are discussed and put in practice so we've got schools that are reopening we've got all businesses or shops and stores being a well and to reopen kind of summarize if you could the ways in which germany is living life returned to normal now. brand they says being described as an almost complete return to normal life in germany so shops and cafes are restocking to operate restaurants are also going to resume their operations obviously that depends on how exactly and when the regional governments decide that the german football league doesn't he go also restarting on the 16th of may the 1st big european league to do so sports activities also being resume so again the key element as it's being described is an almost complete return to normality some restrictions still in place the use of face mask for example the ban on god there

rings also important in the travel warning though the key elements that still remain in place we have been told that there could be a 2nd to wave of infections before all of them comes the chancellor she's made clear that reintroducing walked on measures is definitely an option how exactly would that work so the goal brand is to avoid a general lockdown in the country again but there is an emergency mechanism that has been agreed on by the german chancellor and regional leaders so that if there is a spike in the number of cases in a particular district enough articular region then the regional authorities can actually reintroduce some of those mechanisms locally again the key issue is to try and avoid a general lockdown of the country and that's why this emergency mechanism was put in place where there are political correspondent thomas sparrow with the latest here in berlin thomas thank you well since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis

there's been a rise of the number of people who say that they have been abused or even attacked because of the color of their skin they're being linked to parts of the world seen as viral hotspots for nowhere the reason just in their appearance and it's happening right here in germany as well. it all started in early march victoria noticed something that shifted when she rode public transportation skeptical glances from passengers others who had moved to different parts of the train. at 1st i thought i was imagining things then i noticed people would look at my face and then sit somewhere else i followed 3 of them just to make sure they didn't simply get off the train they went to other compartments or sat in the bicycle section. victoria corriveau who is german her parents moved here long before she was born she's used to experiencing discrimination for being

a visible minority but once the 1st cases of corona virus appeared here such incidents became more frequent. berlin is widely seen as a tolerant diversity there's an undercurrent of hatred one man even told her she should spray herself with disinfectant. i've been keeping a low profile because i'm afraid of more attacks like that one. and i have to admit when i see a bunch of people outside a bar i cross to the other side of the street to avoid being hassled. i'm glad to be working from home these days because i have the sense that even though i live in berlin people don't see me as german and. victoria tried to talk to her friends about it but they shied away from the subject she doesn't think they're taking the problem seriously. then through facebook she made contact with people across the country who were having the same

kind of experience since the pandemic began they have reported almost daily occurrences of hostility just because they look asian hi my c.e.o. . who's from china also lives in berlin he's filmed. it's of racial abuse he's experienced on the subway. and a friend told me you should you should totally report it even though i don't have much hope on the. police but because i want to at least to show people that i have this evidence and i'm not going to being silent was caught on a tool. to china. victoria court of who says it's been helpful to compare notes with others in the same boat that prompted her to create a website that helps bring people together and offer support. it's important for people to be connected this way in times of social distancing to share their

experience so others know what's going on. racism is nothing new in germany and victoria court of new fears it will be around a long time after the pandemic is over but she's determined to make a difference so people like her feel less alone. for more now i'm joined by stephen there he is director of the. institute for the study of ethnic and religious diversity it's good to have you on the program is the you know throughout history we see the connection between epidemics and xenophobia why use that. well you know unfortunately there is this goes back to at least the black death in the 14th century and we've seen it in many different societies as well with different groups being the target of this kind of scapegoating xenophobia scapegoating and i think it sensually for me it serves a kind of false cognitive function that is when a catastrophe like

a pandemic happens people are naturally looking for explanation trying to make sense of their world why does this happen and why it reaching for a particular group or for any group it provides a kind of simplistic quick fix that suddenly the world we expect sense to get it aha this group has brought it upon us and the world makes sense and it provides a kind of cognitive release now of course this is damaging in a couple of ways and certainly damaging to the group being blamed but i think it's also damaging to the people making the accusation because these kinds of simplistic explanations actually block us from seeing more complex and comprehensive reasons for why it is happened and why it has bred as it has and people people know that don't they stephen i mean people as high up as the us president have used the term the chinese virus for example and that doesn't help the situation at all i

mean there is there is an undertone there that everyone understands isn't there. well i think politicians making a phobic references also has a kind of function to it not only in providing simplistic explanations to help their their populations make sense but also for the politician it provides a kind of defense mechanism it allows them to kind of absolve themself of any kind of quote responsibility for the development of a pandemic. and it sort of empowers them it is well it self-appointed them as a kind of judge and jury and making a pronouncement on another group or another society and unfortunately all of this is the kind of political blame game being carried out not just in the u.s. but in many countries around the world but no you've have written that stigmatizing

suspicions could encourage new forms of ethnic profiling what do you mean can you give me an example. yeah well i mean iraq certainly you are as they say the evidence all of the new forms of xenophobia linked to the pandemic are are worldwide right now asians not just chinese the koreans vietnamese japanese and others being blamed worldwide europeans are being blamed for the pandemic in africa indians are being blamed for the pandemic in the middle east muslims are being blamed for the pandemic within india people are feeling around everywhere for this and. you know i think for me one of the most damaging things is that the kind of stereotypes and stigma attached to groups through xina phobia cure all the pandemic attention remain well after the pandemic subsides itself and if that was

the last thing stigma let's say all round asians in america that would lead to all kinds of everyday hostilities like your previous report just showed. institutional racism is and practices within policing criminal justice system within the health system itself within border control so it's this stigmatize ation of groups that's particularly dangerous right now. as a dangerous future that we see in the making right now stephen for the victor rector of the mox planck institute stephen we appreciate your insights tonight thank you. piers. well here's a brief look now at some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world the u.s. justice department has dropped the criminal case against president trump's former national security advisor michael flynn he was facing charges of lying to the f.b.i. about contacts with russia's ambassador flynn was a key figure in the investigation of alleged ties between russia and trump's 2016

presidential campaign. poland's parliament has agreed that the upcoming presidential election can be held exclusively by postal voting that the ruling party suggested the 12th of july for the date the announcement comes a day after the governing coalition gave up on holding the election this coming sunday. germany's biggest airline says it's negotiating a 9000000000 euro government bail well in return the government wants a 25 percent stake in the carrier and representation on the advisory board the lockdown has grounded the airline down at a cost of billions in lost revenue it's iraq has a new prime minister the former intelligence chief will stuff al qaida me was sworn in after lawmakers approved his cabinet lined up ending 5 months of political deadlock his government faces and a ray of problems including

a severe economic crisis and the prospect of renewed anti corruption protests in the country. at least 11 people have been killed in a gas leak at a chemical factory in india hundreds have been taken to the hospital and villages near the city of vision. have been evacuated. the leak caught residents off guard and hit the most vulnerable. some of the victims collapsed i think try to flee. others appeared dizzy and unsteady. eyewitnesses said the gas came like a mist suddenly in the middle of the night where most was sleeping. emergency services transported hundreds to hospital with several children among those needing treatment. or dollars.

800 to 1000 people have gone to the hospital and they have been taken to get off so now the focus is not so much on the guys leakage as the effect of the gas leakage on the treatment of the of the people who have been affected. most of those admitted to hospital are now reported to be either in a stable condition what have been discharged it's still unclear though it's a toxic fumes will have a lasting impact on their health and if you patients were still said to be unconscious hours after arriving at the hospital. the plant where the accident happened l.g. polymers makes plastics one report suggested the leak of a substance called styrene happened as the site was starting to reopen after india's lockdown because of the coronavirus. prime minister narendra modi said he was keeping an eye on the situation from delhi and wished all those affected a speedy recovery. it's clear many are still in shock over the incident but it

seems they will have to wait the results an investigation to find out how and why this happened. in the early hours of thursday there was a gas leak from a factory called as you polymer situated near the southern city. reportedly fumes of the stocks a gas called styrene spread over a radius of 2 miles impacting many religious hundreds of people had to be taken to the hospital i might about people have died after being exposed to this gas according to a local government official the leak happened when workers at this plant were gearing up to resume the operations since the plant had been shut down for a few days after the nationwide lockdown was announced to curb the spread of coronavirus. the people who live near the plant who live in the surrounding areas have been evacuated according to the officials their priority right now is to save lives the disaster management teams are on the ground and the forensic team reportedly is also on the ground conducting investigation into the reason behind

this leak. well it's been just over a year since a peace deal was struck in. public the scars remain from the country's civil war there. he did the government muslim and christian militias against each other or now the country is looking ahead to its presidential election in a few months but. barely any of. you have been displaced by the violence and he lives in desperate need. that movie time to come with me walk with me come and see i will show you my hands shine celine is 27 years old on employed a mother of 7 malnourished children she's an internally displaced woman currently living in a i'm on stable neighbor who still controlled where the groups are so 500 kilometers from benghazi the capital of the sadr african republic she fled here to realty of

safety after her husband was kewl. my doctor says where i live with my 7 children this could be considered my bedroom and my living room this is all we have. done this is not a good place for us sean flynn is just one of the more than 700000 internally displaced people in the central african republic. some 12000 you and blue helmets do the best to supply humanitarian aid and protection to those suffering here but it's a tall order they have to maintain peace and security in a territory larger than friends and belgium put together the problem here is you have several krises you cannot control an area where you put an end to these kind of violations whenever you move to other place to ensure security these armed groups start again. taxations which is extremely difficult so the solution is keep putting pressure and also move towards the sanctions

theoretically the peacekeeping missions monday is strong enough to supply the assistance of the central african republic. however the political situation remains fragile with international groups frustrated to do to record violations by groups in the country. for years of negotiations the current president has reached out to the rebels until he signed the agreement with them but on the other hand there is no answer with them because their primary mission is to get rich and do business. honestly for peace to return the government must impose itself and use the language of arms against these rebels who don't want to understand anything. but the security situation on the ground is not the only issue for people living in these regions who want to go on concerns to loom large with much of the population much able to afford to go to visit necessities their loved no one could help me when my husband died we ran because of the constant threats and insecurity i'm suffering

alone with my children the neighbor felt our pain and offered us this house the kids are still recovering and we're struggling to survive we have nothing to. the situation in the central african republic remains extremely volatile a few months ahead of presidential elections a few years back that is already taking place on the political field the current president wants to remain in power and is facing a tough challenge from a position of leader francois was easy a former head of state toward essentially returns to the country the ongoing core not pandemic is just adding more on certainties to an already almost future for the country. on this day 75 years ago nazi germany was just one sunrise away from surrendering berlin was a city in ruins but it would not stay that way very long the postwar period it was dominated by reconstruction and berlin was completely rebuilt. all you need

is a smartphone to get a glimpse of 1000000000 in may 945 and compare the scenes of destruction to what it looks like today thanks to the virtual exhibition to berlin and beyond book gate and the adjacent square. today alex on the plats is a lively downtown shopping area back then it wasn't all sambal off charred ruins. the creators of the online exhibition and the app that goes with it say nowadays it's more important than ever not to forget the horrors of the nazi era and the 2nd world war it's. we're seeing a shift to the riots in germany poland and many other european countries a resurgence of nationalism and a new radicalization it's smoldering everywhere. the exhibition which runs until september features people who experienced the war firsthand. as the bombs fell we saw children's bodies shattered severed hands.

punch you in the next generation our style we could let that happen and the generation that did let it happen had no sense of guilt they did not acknowledge their responsibility ha kodesh should see. photos taken in berlin at the very end of the war in europe that aren't many people left who lived through the horrors of the nazi regime and the 2nd world war and can tell us about it now that makes preserving historical memory in the digital realm all the more and the key cut i used to fight the war showed how terrible conflict can be and that we should never wish for anything like it again but in order to fight over more there are still so many conflicts nowadays it's important to point out the value of peace through and it's been fleeting and just i think it's germany's responsibility to make sure such mistakes a never made again because of the corona pandemic of all major events to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of world war 2 has been canceled digital commemorative

projects go at least some way to offset their absence. when you're watching. from berlin after a short break i'll be back to take you through the day tonight the pandemic and all we're humanity plus remembering the world that ended and the world that began 75 years ago to more of the rock than the 1st.

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in. this very. sound power. world. documentary stars made w. . the corona virus is killing people and destroying the livelihoods of many who survive in the last 7 weeks it has turned the united states into the deadliest place in this pandemic and at the same time it has turned the u.s. economy upside down tonight unemployment in the world's largest economy is at 20 percent in the u.s. but also in asia and here in europe the virus is.