[000:00:00;00] played the lead player. to the c.w. news live on the land chancellor merkel defended before parliament germany's continued lockdown she expressed empathy for how hard the restrictions are and i'm told for patience for a few more weeks so that the country can conquer the pandemic. also coming to prosecutors failed chilling images to make their case against donald trump the 1st day of arguments in his impeachment trial they show rioters breaking into the

capitol as overlong police officers plead for help. last freedom for one of saudi arabia's most vocal rights activists change of heart little was held in custody for $1001.00 days after she campaigned for women to be allowed to try. to bust on congress overseas trying to keep their traditions a lot we visit a market in taiwan where hong kong others are free to purchase to tell political merchandise something that has possible at home since beijing's crackdown on pro-democracy activists. i'm sorry welcome to the program. german chancellor angela merkel has defended the decision to extend germany's lockdown until march the 7th telling parliament that easing restrictions too early could lead to

a rebound of infections merkel said that this is a hard winter but patience and perseverance are key she expressed concern about new aggressive you taishan saying they could undermine vaccine strategy she also defended the e.u. wide vaccination program and unified path out of the pandemic hj but she acknowledged people's freedoms are being limited in a way that would have been acceptable but would would not have been acceptable before the pandemic a simple cut you can go after democracy it is our duty not to have the restrictions one day longer the needed and to lift them when they are no longer necessary that is exactly the goal of the government and i know it's also the goal of the entire german parliament. let's get more we are joined by political editor michelle look of her who is standing by with the view from the german

parliament some michela put all of this into context for us. well it was pretty much yes we can reach saying that yesterday and he could beat the pandemic and that it could be led into a brighter future but and there are many many thoughts that she was now departing from that initial prospect that there could be an easing of restrictions if germany hits that magic figure of 50 or below infections or 100000 people within the space of 7 days that's just been lowered to 35 and a new system is now effectively in place which allows for very regional openings so germany now has a new corona formula but in the absence of large scale vaccination it still hasn't reached that light at the end of the tunnel and with me here is now a green m.p. . i would just like to bring you in on this because you yourself are

a medical doctor and what do you make of that machall speech which didn't address europe or working with the broader world but didn't it well i think it would be really necessary to come now to strategy where we see europe as a unique place together and take measures which are. more harmonized between all the countries because we will not be successful in the fight against corporate 19 if like all the countries follow their old rules and old strategies we need to come together and. speak right now chancellor merkel didn't address that point which would be necessary especially if we want to keep our borders open now you are from the opposition so what would you like to see would you like to see more of a lock down even deeper locked down than right now or is your emphasis morna perspective out of this through my opinion we have 2 problems on the one side there is

a lack of discipline when it comes to measure a switch. already are in place so people don't follow the rules as much as it would be necessary to happen like in fact when it comes for example to a mosque wearing at the workplace and also to reduce mobility which is one of the reasons why we still have high numbers compared to other countries and another thing i think. would be important to give the people perspective and one thing what. we need is a plan which has like a unique risk scheme where we have different levels which where we know what kind of action needs to be taken at what level of the pen done now you also trained in international clinics you also trained in favor for

instance in lebanon where does the german approach and the what's seen as success you know of a stretching their own health system needs of rest of the world well i think an important point is that we have to and to focus in the discussion about the pandemic only on a national level when it comes to the number of vaccine available to the international community we really have to take responsibility over here in germany not only for german citizens or europe but also for the rest of the world and have to. really. the production of vaccine for example the pfizer vaccine which is produced actually over here in germany and which would help the rest of the world it would be foster in the production off that special vaccine just briefly how satisfied are you with action taking the e.u.

itself has admitted that it's failing to deliver that well we are not fast enough and i'm very. cern's that we really. focus on backs you know is the magic bullet and leave all the other strategies a bit behind so when it comes to my opinion we need to be more disciplined we need to be more united as a team as europe together and we need to be faster ok thank you very much and with that voice from the opposition green party in the german parliament back to you. that was the chief political editor make. now in the u.k. coronavirus testing is being stepped up to locate and stop a new virus variants from spreading unchecked up to 10 percent of positive tests are being sent on to labs for further genome and now assess it's part of a growing effort to catch the more contagious virus mutations before they take hold

. in the global fight against co that 19 is mutations that are predicting the next great challenge and here in the u.k. authorities are taking that fight directly into people's homes where i feel they're doing do to do the testing in areas where we need to change and so been found to go to identify cases before they have a chance to spread. it was just one case of the south african variants found here in this community that no one's this door to door testing scheme but the concern is that one case could just be the tip of the iceberg ordinarily only a small amount of positive tests to scream 2 mutations meaning that when they all found authorities here a cracking down hard it's things to genome sequencing that authorities can pinpoint where to look the u.k. is the world leader in sequencing analyzing 10 percent of positive covert samples but the emergence of new variants into the team at the u.k.

is proof that 19 genomics didn't suit him is responsible for almost half the world's poor. by sequencing. work that will continue to prove crucial as more mutations emerge i don't think we've seen the full spectrum of mutations that could arise so the very common in england at the moment 117 that's very good at spreading but actually what i'm looking for very carefully is mutations going into that there isn't that also impact on immunity and that's what starts to worry me considerably and that is what we're seeing in the in the u.k. but no population is immune to take that's why professor peacock says genome sequencing needs to become a global priority without comprehensive international screening it's feared new more dangerous variants to take hold putting vaccine programmes at risk we take actions will be in the 4 corners of the year and they'll be lots that we don't know about that would be quite concerned if we did know about now the reason that

support of all of us is because some of these variants are actually going to lead to a challenge in terms of immunization now that is really critical as we go forward we need to know what the virus is doing so that we can keep up with that scene development work is already being done to modify the axes to protect against existing variants. professor paul heath is the chief investigator at the u.k.'s novak spanx in trial he says he's confident sequencing can help manufacturers keep ahead of mutations one of the beauties of be revaccinated technologies or platforms where. in the production of 19 vaccines a very christian and collects a ball and so it's entirely possible that modified vaccines will emerge very quickly from. their print vaccine manufacturers and vaccines will

likely have to adapt in the meantime identifying and isolating mutations will be an invaluable tool. the cats and mouse game between vaccines and variance. and here are some of the stories making headlines around the world the wife of jailed kremlin critic alexina volley has reportedly flown to germany from russia according to german news magazine dash spiegel yulia novel niobe flew from moscow to frankfurt on wednesday last week her husband was sentenced to nearly 3 years in jail for violating his probation after he was poisoned in siberia. and president alexander lukashenko has said that he defeated a foreign blitzkrieg to overthrow him the longtime leader made the remarks at a 2 day convention in minsk the opposition has been holding weekly protest since he was since his disputed election win last august local shango says external and not

internal forces are driving the protest. china says that it's a tough time when one probe has successfully entered mars orbit nearly 7 months after its launch its base craft will aim to complete one full orbit around mars before attempting to land on the red planet it locks a key milestone in china's mars exploration program. the united states now where house democrats have wrapped up their 1st full day of arguments at donald trump's 2nd impeachment trial the former president is accused of inciting the riot at the capitol building in which 5 people died last month prosecutors unveiled a chilling new video of the violent mob breaking into the building and the subsequent chaos. on the 2nd day of the impeachment trial democratic prosecutors wasted little time to make their case. they used security camera footage to reconstruct in painstaking detail how the rioters worked their way into the inner sanctum of u.s.

democracy coming within touching distance of the politicians inside. as the riders reached the top of the stairs they were within 100 feet of where the vice president was sheltering with his family and they were just a feet away from one of the doors to this chamber where many of you remained at that time you concede vice president pence and his family quickly moved down the stairs the vice president turns around briefly as he's headed down. other footage leaves little doubt about the mob's violent intent. recordings of police radio calls show how the embattled officers lost control of the situation. they were doing.

your duty near 00000000000000 well what are true hero you're up there. were 33rd of your. music when you walk a couple of hours during. the rioters did finally manage to breach the senate floor prosecutors say they acted ed donald trump spent hest. this was not a coincidence none of this was donald trump over many months cultivated violence praised it and then when he saw the violence his supporters were people who love he channeled it to his big wild historic event. democrats hope these dramatic images will convince some of their republican counterparts to vote to convict the former president. with millions of americans watching the televised proceedings the intensity of the prosecutor's arguments has

reverberated far beyond the senate chamber. and pressure is building on the on mars cool leaders after u.s. president joe biden announced new sanctions against the military regime that seized power a week ago biden also repeating demands for the generals to give up power and free civilian leaders meanwhile a close aide of ousted leader aung sang suu kyi has been detained kyoto and sway was among those taken into custody in a new wave of arrests overnight protesters remain defiant and are using increasingly creative tactics to make their demands. dressed in furry animal suits and risking their lives so these groups of young protesters and young go on to challenging the khud leaders with humor their protest tactics which is slogans with pop culture references i knew from my mom. and the most generations it's

a good idea from our generation said where l g b t groups and cosplay is and where wearing costumes and trying to get international attention on twitter people from other countries have noticed it was going to be a lot. to gain attention and support abroad younger generations are using both social media and lessons learned from protesters in neighboring hong kong anti-life and. wearing crowns and ball gowns. thank god. for going share this like these members of a bodybuilding club people are showing their opposition to the coup. demonstrators are calling for an end to the military dictatorship and freedom for the nation's elected leader own son suchi and her allies they also want to new constitution on their return to democratic freedoms the groups remain on deterred

off to choose days violence. security forces declared the rallies illegal trenching peaceful protesters with water cannons there are reports that police fired large rounds to disperse some marches. the teenage protester was shot and critically injured. a bomber shows the injured 19 year olds and demonstrators know their actions could risk a stronger crackdown from the authorities here but oh my god we are ready to give our lives if they're trying to threaten unarmed protesters we have nothing except our own bodies we are peacefully protesting but i'm so. worried we don't want to live under the military rules we want freedom. a curfew and restrictions on gatherings have been put in place but they have not

stopped fresh protests from breaking out across the country. now one of saudi arabia's most vocal a women's rights activists has been released after nearly nearly 3 years and person . who was arrested in 2018 allegedly for violating a saudi counterterrorism laws rights organizations say that the charges are unfounded and that they are politically motivated to openly advocated for women's rights to drive and for an end to the country's male guardianship system that restricts women's movements her imprisonment it drew international condemnation. and for more let's bring into it having a reporter i eba him this is joining us now i also you know we know that now women are allowed to drive in saudi arabia so just walk us through the grounds that authorities were using to justify her arrest and her jailing in the 1st place. while the saudi authorities accuse

a very serious offenses as you said you know spying for foreign countries i'm paraphrasing and conspiring to. you know bring down the saudi. regime and you know these are all it's important to remember that these are all accusations that have not been taken seriously on the international arena this you know these are largely seen as as you mentioned politically motivated. charges and while her release is now seen as a positive move and welcome by by many it's important to remember that it doesn't really mean freedom for jane she's banned from travel she's not allowed to leave the country and she's been released under a suspended sentence which means that she could be back in prison any time for perceived criminal activities if the saudi authorities deemed that appropriate there's a lot of there's been a lot of international pressure we have to mention to to for her release we

understand that some of it might be connected actually to the incoming biden administration tell us a little bit more about that. indeed international condemnation has accompanied this case from the beginning i think an important aspect is also just how ferociously her family has stood by her and campaign throughout these 3 years a sustained campaign always making sure that the world knew about the danes you know the conditions in prison but as for president joe biden he has even before being elected promised to be tougher on authoritarian regimes in the middle east more than his predecessor donald trump donald trump was notoriously easy on saudi crown prince mohammed bin simon you know in the aftermath of the murder of. the saudi journalists in the saudi embassy consulate part in in in turkey so there's definitely a connection there i think we're also going to be seeing

a string of releases in the middle east. you know journalists activists etc but i think you know it's an unfortunate situation because you really have lives and freedoms of people in the middle east dependent on how people in the united states vote and i think a lot of activists and a lot of journalists and a lot of people in the middle east would like to see in more sustained approach to human rights from the new u.s. president and not just a piecemeal approach of you know intense pressure for the released of one or the other individual individuals because by and large the united states government and the united states run policy has been supportive. you know a lot of these authoritarian regimes in the middle east be the saudi regime with you know selling arms and also you know regimes like the regime in egypt for example. as avraham thank you. here are some other stories making headlines around the world

a faction of nepal's ruling party has organized a march through the capital come on do opposing the prime minister's decision to dissolve parliament the nepal communist party is locked in a bitter battle between allies of prime minister sharma all the and critics within the party. 2 men and a woman have been rescued after 33 days on a deserted caribbean island the trio say that they survived by eating coconuts they were stranded after their boat capsized in the bahamas the u.s. coast guard rescued them after spotting the group during a routine air patrol earlier this week. well as the lunar new year approaches a traditional market in taipei is taking on special significance it's the only lunar new year market where hong kong and taiwan are free to purchase and sell political merchandise it was something quite common back home in hong kong but

things have changed drastically since beijing's heavy handed crackdown in the city . the smell of hong kong dame some walk through this taipei alley this is the chinese new year market told hong kong those who have gone into exile the wrong home. her home calm people can give a taste of home to encourage them to support each other as we struggle to survive in a foreign a latin culture this is the 1st lunar new year many hong kong those in taiwan are spending away from home most of them are stuck here because of the pandemic and the political turmoil back home. before beijing imposed this national security law last year you can frequently find political much dies in the chinese syria markets across hong kong now that tradition can only be continued in democratic taiwan. free hong kong revolution now

these slogans have been banned in hong kong how ironic is it that we can still chant them as much as be like in taiwan why has hong kong become like that. go along with visit. all the booths year our yellow ribbon stores indicating their support for the pro-democracy movement in hong kong some sour products made by hong kong designers some of the revenue were flown to needy home commerce in taiwan. the market attracts a few 100 fest it has mostly home cost students in university in taiwan they are the whole the whole dalai. lama we've been studying here for many years we never had such hong kong peoples gatherings before we used to be scattered across different schools but because of the pro-democracy movement and the political upheaval we gather together and spread the word that you'll be arrested if you

speak up in hong kong only. thought i would guess it was as well as that are they to be honest we can experience firsthand what happened in hong kong we feel more or less guilty we come here today as a group of guilty hong kong years hoping to do something or simply to support each other. you know at the high. tens of thousands of hong kong ers have already fled their hometown in fear of beijing scratch down those now overseas are trying hard to keep their traditions alive but i thought this event has a spiritual meaning there are things we can no longer do in hong kong but we can still do elsewhere in the world we can't stop what we're doing because of the oppression we must keep going wherever we are. these hong kong don't know when they can go home but home is always send their hearts.

sports news now out of japan yoshiro mori president of the tokyo 2020 alum pics organizing committee is set to step down on friday 83 year old maureen made sexist remarks about female board members during a meeting that shut off a firestorm in the media and michelle the more he refused to step down but after nearly 400 volunteers quit from the games earlier this week tokyo organizers revisited more his position as president according to sources a replacement has already been found. well that's half of a buccaneers football team have celebrated their victory in sunday's super bowl with a boat parade in their hometown fans and players took to the water and a flotilla of boats sailing down the hillsborough river in tampa thousands of supporters aligned to the riverbank to cheer on their heroes city officials asked

to wear masks and socially distance but their request was largely ignored. you're watching news from berlin coming up it is true that these business with my colleague christophe over my name is sarah kelly there's always more on our website www dot com you can also follow us on social media at thanks for watching take care

. they're crammed into overcrowded cellars under each humane conditions. in russia thousands of nifong supporters have been arrested some in the jails in and around moscow not 1st thing at the scene because modern tears are providing aid to the

jailed demonstrators because the prisons are cold and food is in short supply some good some are good. just 60 minutes w. . why are people forced to hide in trucks. above there are many dreams of the but there are many answers above. and there are many stories. above mine the big. w. made for mines. how does a virus spread. why do we panic and when will all be. introduced

through the topics covered and a weekly radio program. if you would like any information on the krona laroche 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 and. form slash science fair. a bruise relationship. us president 5 goals 1st phone calls with china's leaders bashing beijing among other things for what you are called unfair economic practices. also calling for more research germany sends many of its pandemic restrictions in the march despite the appeals of business groups for an earlier. and 6 weeks afterwards exit from the e.u. single market small u.k.