this is coming to you live from u.s. lawmakers move to block troop withdrawals from germany a new defense bill aims to reverse president gul transplants room to move nearly 12000 troops why have democrats republicans united against wrong on this issue also coming up trying to keep covert 19 in check as infections soar in the u.s. and europe should its response be replicated elsewhere false live to beijing for more. plus help authorities say germany's 2nd wave of coronavirus is far from under

control a new poll takes a look at whether germans are satisfied with the government's response. hello i'm terry martin good to have you with us lawmakers in the u.s. congress have moved to block president all trumps order to withdraw all u.s. troops from germany it's a rare instance of the democratic and republican parties working together these days to pass legislation the final version of the annual defense bill which still needs to be voted on boyce's support for the continued presence of u.s. forces in germany and it would require an impact assessment before any troops are pulled out in july the pentagon announced it would withdraw all around a 3rd of the 36000 u.s.

troops based in germany. well stefan siemens is standing by for us in washington stephanie how likely is it that u.s. troops will not be droll withdrawing from germany no. i think the likelihood just increased actually it is very likely that there won't be any with you all at least not under the reigns of this administration of the trumpet ministration as you pointed out the budget defense budget package which is $4500.00 pages that is a double whopper they're. saying that they 1st want congress senate and. house of representatives want to hear from the defense secretary in a report about if this really makes sense if this is not harming national security and only after this report comes in and only then congress will give its ok or not and no more than $120.00 days after this report arrives is any

troop reduction possible and now you do the math this administration and as president of the united states will be 50 more days in power and then it will be joe biden and his administration and there is expectation by many when the experience of most observers see and by anybody in washington d.c. political washington d.c. that he will revoke this this plan to pull pull american troops out of germany ok this is a massive bill it contains lots of data and lots of steps that donald trump may or may not approve of could he be to this bill. yes he already said he will veto this bill but not for that reason not because congress is putting out the obstacle for his plans to reduce troops out of germany or out of europe in front of him he wants to veto is because he wants to have

a law in this package which has nothing to do with military budgets at all which regulates online platforms like twitter facebook google and so on because the president feels that they need to be now head liable for full want for treating him and concerned if issues unfairly and this is why he threatened to veto this bill 7 things thanks very much for filling us in there that was our correspondent stephanie months in washington state a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world today in peru at least one person has been killed during protests by farm workers demanding better wages and working conditions protesters block time ways and clashed with police attempting to disperse them cultural workers have been on strike since monday protests have spread northwards to regions known for growing grapes tangerines and blue bear. israel is urging its citizens to avoid travel to the gulf

region saying that iran may be planning to attack israeli targets the advisory comes a week after iran's top nuclear scientist was killed in an ambush outside tehran iran has blamed israel for the attack and has vowed retaliations. 3 egyptian human rights activists who were detained last month on terrorism related charges have been released from jail that's according to their organization the egyptian initiative for personal rights the man's arrests in november sparked an international outcry it's not yet clear if charges against the activists have been dropped for. leaders have been holding a special session of the u.n. general assembly focusing on the cause of it 19 this coincides with the release of a u.n. study according to the u.n. findings 10 years from now more than a 1000000 people could be living in extreme harvard ing due to the long term effects of the pending. as many countries around the world remain

in crisis mode china boasts a steady record of success in curbing covert 19 authorities there reported less than 20 new cases of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours that's according to local media no new deaths were reported on thursday well more now on why china is reporting such low kuroda by wrist figures across the board. in china signs of the corona virus pandemic are hardly noticeable authorities say there are only a couple 100 active cases and next to no new daily concerns. we have no evidence right now that the situation in china is anything other than extremely low levels all over the virus with a very aggressive response to any upsurge is. the moment some individuals test positive the authorities react by doing mass testing in the area that's why recently in the part city of camden 2300000 inhabitants were tested before that

nearly 5000000 in cash card and in the city of qingdao authorities say more than 10000000 people were tested in just a few days. it's a big effort and in the end a few dozen people are found who test positive and are immediately isolated. furthermore china has strict entry rules foreigners can only enter an exceptional cases and anyone who does must get tested and quarantine for 14 days. beijing's head of epidemiology says the priorities for curbing the coronavirus are clear. hiding the pandemic is like a war pool you have to be quick thought everyone bands together you can be strong and women need and that sense the right strategy and strong leadership on health cool than involved. everyone is required to download a state sponsored health app only those who show a green light can enter many places authorities are not forthcoming about how

accurate the apps are hong kong at the knowledge it's been collings has china can use tactics not easily used elsewhere. is very clear with the concepts of the test in mainland china a positive case is isolated to how so complex a quarantine everything is done very very strictly and that brings an end to transmission now forced people to stay home if they're in isolation or quarantine they won't it will be a recommendation it will be an order for chinese authorities every positive coronavirus case is one too many they react quickly and everyone is expected or rather required to cooperate. let's cross over to beijing where we can speak to correspond to tears bubbling up but trying it has reduced coronavirus infections to a level other countries can only dream of but china is not a democracy can other big nations still learn from its strategy. well yes china's not

a democracy and of course there are things that other nations might not want to learn from china let's just remember how china went from denying evidence of the virus spreading in the population to a full lockdown in 3 days let's remember the chaotic lockdown and the people locked up in their flats not knowing what time they will get food delivered for example all this is something you would not want to repeat although they solved it in the end but there are also things that other countries can learn from china and if it took you to take a wider look at the region china is not the only country that has been successful south korea has been quite successful taiwan has been probably the most successful country and australia and new zealand have also been successful further down south so there are definitely things that we can learn and just pointing to china being not a democracy is a lazy excuse for politicians in the west the contrast materials between china and

say the us or the e.u. is striking in terms of their success in getting coronavirus under control what did beijing do differently. i think what we can see for the countries that i've just mentioned is that none of them were content to say they want to flatten the could keep the number at a certain rate they wanted to eradicate the virus on their territory and prevent further spreading in that way the for that they needed strict quarantine rules that were also enforced that's also something that many countries in the west lack and of course mosse testing is the key to keeping the numbers under check once they see an outbreak in china they do all this testing in order to find all the cases in order to keep the numbers down in order to eradicate the virus in that area and here's thank you very much that was corresponding with tears boiling up in beijing

. africa is no stranger to dealing with viral epidemics despite this experience though the continent faces huge challenges to acquire and distribute coronavirus back scenes many fear that africa could be left behind as a global community races to secure supply now several african nations have decided to join forces to and launch a collective effort to ensure fair access to a vaccine better leave them alone is about to get her 1st covert vaccination she's taking part in by on take pfizer's vaccine trial and yana spark owing to 2 i think you know. i'm. making. a rule. she would not be able to

afford the vaccine herself regardless of which vaccines are approved they will cost billions of dollars to purchase and distribute that's money most african countries don't have it's a pipe dream to expect that the entire continent will get the vaccine politicians and doctors insist that africa not be left behind. you to be unfree as an example for 80 percent of the population of germany to be vaccinated but the high risk individuals in south africa and to plant health care workers in south africa are not gaining access to the vaccine until a pandemic is spot and we need to bring about the collaboration in terms of access to this vaccine for many countries kovacs is their only hope that scene initiative set up by a 190 countries including germany the purpose members are to receive cheaper access to the vaccine so they can vaccinate at least part of their population. through the

kovacs we aiming to have an initial supply of vaccines to cover. 30 percent of the population so the highest priority group to be covered and we're expecting this will be health care worker says as already been said the most vulnerable group which is there. but money isn't the only concern distribution logistics present another hurdle for example the biotech pfizer vaccine has to be stored at minus $70.00 degrees celsius the necessary infrastructure it doesn't even exist hopes lie in the vaccine for master seneca which can be stored at refrigerator temperatures but it must also be paid for and distributed to africa fears it will fall by the wayside. if one part of the. vaccine. becomes. 2 people. and. more difficult if.

we do not want to lag behind in many countries the pandemic has triggered on word economic spiral in south africa alone millions have lost their jobs with ice a vaccine their future looks bleak. it watching t.w. news still to come she's a lawyer with big dreams. prejudice in pakistan fighting to defend a vulnerable community. first let's take a look at the political mood here in germany now that the year is coming to an and the country has been facing some harsh realities from the pandemic like so many countries for the polling institute in protest has just published its new survey the air de deutschland trend with some stunning results let's look at some of those now despite soaring infection numbers and deaths according to the survey most

germans polled say they remain confident when it comes to the health care system if people are asked how worried are you that medical care for coated 19 patients would not be adequate well only a 3rd say that they are worried or very worried solid 63 percent say they're less worried or not worried at all. let's go through some of this with our political correspondent melinda crane goodsir melinda so no german angst when it comes to the country's medical infrastructure what do you make of the. i guess you could put it like that as you said only 30 percent 6 percent are worried or very worried that there won't be sufficient capacity to take care of patients that's more than we saw say back in may approximately about the level that we had in april but 2 thirds say they're really not very worried and the fact is there are currently 4000

intensive care patients with co fit that is filling up around 25 percent of intensive care beds but the fact is that germany is quite well positioned when it comes to intensive care units with one of the highest per capita levels of intensive care beds of any industrialized country so that i think explains why people are relatively confident despite the fact that intensive care capacity is shrinking that there will be enough for a crunch ok but there are some concerns about the strict contact restrictions in germany on those restrictions limit the number of people out to meet they're going to be eased slightly for christmas and most germans agree with this decision here's a with the survey found it found that 53 percent of germans say that's right that it's a good thing that the restrictions will be eased for for christmas 44 percent think

differently however it's the other way around when it comes to new year's eve only 30 percent say it's right to ease the contact restrictions for ringing in the new year while 2 thirds thing is shouldn't be allowed so christmas ok new year's not so good and what do you think of that light lighter restrictions for christmas or ok but not the festivities that the end of the year what's your take on that. well frankly i think it's simply common sense most people say they are planning to meet family members at christmas and that in fact they would have been careful anyway and they're not going to be significantly changing their plans and the fact is that the restrictions or the relent relaxed restrictions would allow people to meet and gatherings up to 10 people so that isn't really cramping people's style now they are well aware that new year's is devoted to partying and if we look back at the beginning of the 1st wave large social gatherings were absolutely super spreader

events so i think the word has gotten through to most people by now that being in a large group of people on new year's eve laughing shouting drinking and generally spreading aerosols probably isn't a good idea therefore people are actually concerned that there really rules have been relaxed in regard to new year's eve but less so in regard to christmas indeed a lot of people concerned that it could be another big wave. as well the so-called lockdown like which we're in right now here in germany is hitting the economy hard in not just restaurants and bars but when a few germans are worried that their personal economic situation could worsen only 24 percent say they're worried or very worried but a stunning 3 quarters are not concerned now it's a different picture when it comes to the federal budget to serbs of germans are very worried or at least worried that germany could end up facing in the excessive

debt burden as a result of the coronavirus relief measures while only 35 percent or less were not worried at all. germans more worried about their country's federal budget than about their own personal economic situation what does that tell us it tells us 2 things 1st of all in general germans are very frugal as we know they've tended to favor. austerity so this unprecedented lehi level of public debt is a source of concern for many people in principle but the 2nd thing we learn from this is that the german government has been uncharacteristically generous with its spending packages its relief measures there have been a succession of relief package is the most recent one in november and also very much targeted at helping groups that have been hurt by the corona restrictions so and by of course loss of jobs or having to work short hours therefore i

think what we're seeing is the success of those recovery efforts that people don't feel that their personal situation is greatly at risk although some economists say there may be a rather rude awakening for some people come next year ok a lot of germans well not a lot but some at least have misgivings about the government's handling of the coronavirus and make the tough restrictions don't sit well with them there been huge protests in several cities against the government and the coronavirus policies but most germans do not expect civil liberties to be restricted in the long run only 37 percent say they're worried or very worried nearly 2 thirds say they're less worried or not worried at all similar to despite some protests that we've seen is a very vocal protest might be said only one out of 3 germans is concerned about coronavirus

measures restricting their personal freedom is the german government doing anything to address those concerns. well 1st of all what we're seeing in every poll that's taken and including right up to the last couple of days confirms what we see here that the vast majority of germans think that the restrictions are appropriate have a fairly high level trus of trust in the government in general in terms of its corona policy and say that they would practice restraint even if there weren't such restrictions in place so that's the 1st thing to bear in mind here the fact is that this rather vocal minority that does feel their personal freedom is being limited this includes some members of the far right party that has absolutely been trying to instrumental rise the cove it situation so the government is trying to address the concerns of this minority by continuing to allow demonstrations as long as people comply with the cove it rules and by trying to make it clear to citizens why

it's important to comply and clearly that message has gotten through to many if not all went to thank you so much for your insight so is our chief political correspondent melinda cray across the world transgender people live life on the march around spent and violence posed constant threats this is often the case in pakistan or conservative islamic values and ignorance stand in the way of acceptance an estimated 500000 people identify as transgender in the country and the struggle for equal rights is alive and kicking at the forefront is a lawyer looking to make a difference. i have a common lot of obstacles to get to where she is today having run away from home at 18 she begged on the streets of karachi for years to survive and a full with an education she saved up the income to pay for books and even.

eventually gaining her law degree this year she joined the cover association and she already has one next month site. my vision my dream is to become pakistan's past transgendered jobs. and pakistan most transgender people are treated as outcasts other than begging dancing at weddings all sex life often the only ways to survive. it's a life on the edge of society that carries huge risks transgender people often become the targets of physical and sexual violence and rarely find recourse to justice. and 2018 pakistan's parliament voted to recognize transgender people as equal citizens and hospitals to protect them from discrimination and violence but in reality not much has changed discriminating

attitudes and prejudice remain a fact of daily life. but ral refuses to let such experiences stand and how way instead she uses them and how work it's the reason why many transgender clients have choice and. that is my case pertains to harassment as a working lady i face many difficulties. in understand my case better than any other lawyer as it would be despite recent progress in pakistan there are many challenges that persist for the transgender community. hoping to overcome them case by case as a lawyer and perhaps one day as a judge. or news no berlin's bragging rights are on the line this friday evening is how to berlin face rivals. when the teams last went head to head back in may to celebrate a thumping 4 nil win but this time. way ahead of their neighbors in the table and

go into the game a slight favorites fans will not be able to attend but that's not preventing tensions from rising in the days leading up to the match. it's eerily empty round by head to berlin's olympia study on these days on friday night the berlin davi will once again take place behind closed doors the hosts have had to get creative in their efforts to generate an atmosphere. you have all these are the reason why we distributed several dozen 1000 flags around the city in the middle of the night was to create a bit of darby feverfew the atmosphere. on tuesday but lynn is woke up to a city littered with hats of flags like here beneath the west berlin icon known as the beer brush concerts he thought a good idea was that fans could take the flags home with them and then get into the through with us on friday evening in front of the television. sure enough the flags were gone by wednesday morning but it wasn't only had the families whose had

a hand in their disappearance this new one supporter posted his interpretation of dobby atmosphere on twitter. flying high at the moment thanks in large part to this man summer signing max kusa has provided plenty of goals like this one the strike against frankfurt last weekend but also plenty of infectious energy and confidence even on your own opponents can't help but admire the fine form that the 32 year old has found. his and that is he's a player who sees himself in every position sometimes up front sometimes in midfield he drops t. he moves out wide so trying to mock him we've just one man would never work again it's up to the whole team and i wasn't much of a if love of the as men can keep clues in check they'll have a solid chance of defending their title the crown of the capital city champions is off the rule currently days to lose but friday's result will determine whose flag

flies above. you're watching t w news from berlin got more for you coming up at the top of the next hour and of course you can get all latest news information around the clock on our web site that's state of the dot com i'm terry mark thanks for watching.

good. to. be. true the point john opinion is clear positions international perspective such. can the fragile peace just declared in ethiopia's to be great profits be sustained ethiopia's prime minister of the op ed from the nobel peace laureate until now for more that's our topic on to the point. up to the point.

up next the t.w. . they are defining the climate change. in bangladesh have. stuck to their necks. they're growing in n.t. with. it's been a regional tradition but is touted as a model for the entire country. holistically idea. 3000. and 60 minutes. how does a virus spread. why do we pay. and we'll all miss them. just 3 of the topics covered and

a weekly radio show is called spectrum if you would like any information on the coronavirus or any other science topic you should really check out our podcast you can get it wherever you can get your podcast you can also find us at. one slash sign. of. the ethiopian leader who want to nobel prize for ending one of africa's longest running conflicts has for the past month been waging a war of his own making in early november prime minister abu ahmed announced that he had ordered troops to respond to an allegedly deadly attack on a government military base in ethiopia's t. gray province leaders there say the to grant people are being blamed.