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tv   Focus on Europe  Deutsche Welle  February 12, 2021 7:30am-8:01am CET

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because the prisons are cold and food is in short supply and some concern. what secrets lie behind these walls. to discover new adventures in the 360 degree. and explore fascinating world heritage site. w world heritage 360 get here now. very well welcome to focus on europe with me liz show things are not calming down in russia ever since the arrest of kremlin critic alex a now volley people have been taking to the streets across the country the response
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from the authorities has been violence and intimidation security officials have arrested thousands of critics are condemning the acts which they say i tried getting not only opposition politicians but anyone who dares to protest. just recently a russian opposition leader saying a volley me was sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison and many of his supporters have also found themselves behind bars with jails overcrowded some protesters have been brought to a detention center outside the capital moscow friends and relatives often have to wait for hours outside in the bitter cold to bring the prisoners basic supplies. it's minus 15 degrees celsius and herman has been on his feet since 6 am that he's one of dozens of people waiting to get parcels to the inmates of the soccer over detention center. berman is here for his flatmates fiddler. she was
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sentenced to 5 days for participating in anti-government protests in moscow. we've collected warm t.v.'s here's a sweater that blankets. you even knew for friends of in a trying to cover up with. underwear t. shirts and gloves just in case. thing is just terrible it's even brought me to tears. my friends in there. looking over 7000 people have been arrested since the protests began the police have been especially brutal in moscow and st petersburg they've even taken people away who had nothing to do with the protests just because they happened to be in the area. not just this group of young people had to sit in a freezing police van for 7 hours they were told there wasn't enough space in the
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jails for. these images show conditions in the sun hover over a detention center near moscow overcrowded cells inmates having to share the bare metal beds there's an open latrine right there in the room of it permits flatmates medline expect also had to endure these conditions. after 5 days spent lana is released she's relieved to be back at home with herman in their kitchen. she says she was unable to contact the outside world during her incarceration and was overjoyed to receive herman's parcel. ok. we suspected our friends were standing behind the fence. but we worried about them . we thought they might be worse off than we were at least we were inside and not out in the cold. when the thought i haven't was that looking out for me helped a lot. of the boys who were. she shows us
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a video from when she was arrested she and other protesters were standing in front of the jail where opposition activists alexina vaal name was being detained the police surrounded them and arrested them one by one. with someone close to you. like here for was kidnapped. even if he arrested a legal basis it was totally unacceptable from a humanitarian viewpoint. the law abiding citizens respect our constitution not doing anything is prohibited and suddenly this happen on top of that we're told it's right. it's wrong simply awful svetlana tells us she didn't get anything to eat for the 1st 3 days after her arrest because she was taken from one police station to the next and nobody felt responsible and. she was so tense the whole time that she's only just begun to realize how inhumane the situation was. he
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ches. at 1st i thought i would leave the child to get everything. because in the but now i'm becoming aware of things in retrospect. and wondering why we were treated with so little respect for thought. and i keep thinking about how any human in this whole system is just like a reporter their shiny and. she just like many other protesters herman and said mama did not take to the streets only because not only was arrested they were demonstrating against the current political system or generally. they're going to lose their village and people have to have a different russia to live in just a russia where we have the freedom to decide our own future is across the street you gotta rushed into this system where the powerful rake in the cash and then
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tried to tell us how to behave this system is wrong he. said and. many of the detainees have now been released and they think much the same way many want to take to the streets again to protest against the system. for years the e.u. has had a tense relationship with vladimir putin but the russian president has often been unfazed by appeals from brussels right now there are calls from germany to hit putin where it hurts the economy some and activists are demanding an end to the construction of the controversial pipeline nord stream to it's supposed to transport natural gas from russia to the german town of mean through the baltic sea axel forte is the man there at the moment he and other residents are caught in the political tug of war between moscow and belin. this is where north stream 2
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ends the 2500 kilometer pipeline is said to run from russia through the baltic sea to the coast from one is supposed to look me in northeastern germany at the german end the infrastructure facility with its massive pipes and heavy duty safety valves has been ready to go since the summer of 2020 but look means may or acts are forked is worried the pipeline might never be operational it's been defaced about so i'm firmly convinced that we that is germany and europe as a whole still need the natural gas from nord stream. we've begun shutting down nuclear power plants and our phasing out lignite coal but until the time when we are able to power everything by renewable energy germany and europe's energy needs have to be met so i see natural gas from pipelines like nordstrom's as indispensable. some 130 kilometers of pipeline have yet to be laid on the
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baltic seabed but controversy surrounding the project is stalling progress it concerns the supplier russia and may prove to be north stream tos and doing. even before opposition activists alexina of on his arrest many were calling for a halt to the construction as a means to exert political pressure on russia's president putin in the mean there's a different view. is it right to tie a case like nobel need for example to a project like nord stream to it or should it be considered in isolation. especially when the facts at least as i understand them aren't so clear as to warrant sanctions against the russian government. if in the whole i find novell nice case is reported by media very much from the ball nice point of view. and the arguments of russia's government get brushed aside or disregarded and he could be other than. mean and russia have a long history in the 1960 s.
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the soviets but the biggest nuclear power plant here and what was then is germany many of its employees were russian and they lived here. their mark remains in the community to this day. means beaches are largely deserted these days only a few locals are outside and they share much the same view. about the is not important but no stream is full of iraq. can we afford to throw millions or even billions to the wind they ought to find some kind of compromise so i think the pipeline has to be completed. only one man we spoke to was more critical. reason the longer they were only a dependable partner for as long as it was good for them not because of the nuts and i was for leadership that i wouldn't do this project for political reasons was a mishmash. the baltic sea gas pipelines have become
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a bone of global contention pitting russia against the united states both have natural gas to sell to europe and want a strategic edge the u.s. has threatened sanctions against germany should europeans opt to use only the cheaper oppression natural gas. prices from the local trade association sees natural gas imports as a purely economic issue he says politics should stay out of it. is give me for one moment on the board or do you need gas suppliers make their boards and whoever offers the best price and the best service will win the tender $100.00 and the deal is made a customer decides that sanctions. the people of the main don't want their home to become a stage for world politics but tend to side with what is familiar is this also there is no denying that we don't want to give up our close ties to russia or. we have
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a past with russia and that past wasn't all that bad it's only flicked down at the beach locals are also happy to receive other russian imports. whiskey or vodka i'm used to vodka but whisky is not bad. now actually i'd rather choose. where our side it's vodka no question whatever the spirit of choice many here would toast the day when natural gas flows from russia to no mean. they just want freedom and a better life the weaker is are an ethnic minority in china most are muslims and they are facing persecution in their home country at least 1000000 are being held in so-called reeducation camps some have given reports of forced labor and even rape and torture $50000.00 weekers have fled to turkey. cheek is one of them up until recently she thought of the country was
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a safe haven that welcomed her and others but now many are afraid that they may be deported. her father her uncle her grandfather paul for shame seek it sheiks family was arrested in china because their weakness. not on the medical market for weeks shamsi has been joining protests in front of the chinese consulate in istanbul. everyone here has missing relatives everyone here hopes for a sign of life. because it is half of what these photos are all we have we are not dangerous we just want our families back online and that but i don't understand why they're not being released and why nobody talks to us maybe they are afraid of us or afraid of the truth that you know use that make them call feel that.
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5000 files are piled up in this car 5000 disappeared week is. the other demonstrators have tried many times to hand the documents over to the chinese consulate but they have not been admitted not today either. at age 15 shamsi it came to istanbul she grew up in cian junk the home of the muslim league a minority in china the father wanted her to go to high school in turkey now she is studying she wants to be a nurse. shamsi has not had contact with her family for years a friend of her mother's who also lives here in istanbul is the only connection to her old life. there have been when you've been you from what i know my father was arrested in may 2017 and taken to an internment camp and cian junge for
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reeducation as the chinese authorities call it i think he's in a terrible situation i. see many videos on social media where we get is a force to labor in the camps and in the factories one of these people could be my father all of the. stories like shamsi is can be heard by the dozen in the streets of the 18 born in the istanbul distrait is the center of the exiled we get community in turkey i but now they're saying theresa means to be a terrorist turkey could soon ratify its extradition treaty with china many we guess who used to feel safe here are now afraid. useful for example he works as a cook in a we go arrest wrong the thought of possible deportations war easy and even more than all the economic problems brought by the coronavirus crisis. to look good
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there so if turkey sends us back to china they will put us in jail forever or shoot us dead. a. lawyer who represents many weaker refugees he has a thick folder with extradition requests from china there have been no deportation so far says ag in but pressure from beijing is growing. especially during the coronavirus pandemic chinese investments have become very important for turkey's troubled economy 2 major chinese mobile phone companies have recently announced that they want to invest here and he relies on the chinese made vaccine i think china uses all of that to exert pressure on turkey. with. chinese capital has become increasingly important for the turkish economy in recent years comport for example one of the country's largest container terminals
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is now majority owned by chinese consulate so is it stumbles fulton celebrates does this make turkey more accessible to chinese interests the ruling a party denies that. this extradition treaty with china is about criminals we have similar agreements with 32 other countries it is extremely wrong to present it as an agreement against al we get brothers and sisters. i mean you see a kid she has always been grateful to the turkish government for its support of the weakest but now she feels that something is changing or should the extradition agreement with china be rectified she fears her name could also appear on the deportation list than saw up there i am now an activist the fact that i search for my father and other relatives makes me a criminal in china's eyes. and now i'm afraid that what has happened to others
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could one day happen to me. but shamsi it does not want to give up her protest be quiet disappear in the crowd. she wins for the fate of her father and that of the many other disappear week is to not be forgotten. in spain almost 2 and a half 1000000 people work in the tourism sector the spanish island of majorca is an absolute visitor magnet beautiful beaches and a legendary nightlife attract millions of people each year but just like everywhere else in europe the coburn 1000 pandemic has hit majorca tourism sector pretty hard now beaches are deserted many locals are drifting into poverty because they have lost their jobs in hotels and restaurants they are hoping that the summer will bring back some visitors be it foreigners or locals. palmas sunny
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winters normally attract plenty of tourists but there are just a handful of people on these beaches. almost everything is different on the island these days. despair is growing and the few visitors can feel the somber mood and unusual emptiness. that's at the heart and wouldn't of thought it would end this way i don't get out and chase bills and really sad when i got. lost his seat here is a ghost unit at least in public to me. due to the high infection rates on the lyric islands almost everything is close bars restaurants and the large hotels. tourism has come to a standstill. scenes like this are now part of palmas new cityscape people waiting patiently for a free food package for example at the tar door aid organization. prior
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to the corona crisis 200 meals were distributed here daily that number has now risen to almost 2000 all the pandemics effect on my orca has been brutal and although the government gives out subsidies they're often not enough and this is the case for indiana say that and her partner she lost her job as a hostess in a hotel. that here's how we got out there ever so many people line up here that i'm not ashamed to be here but when i just find it sad to have to ask but i mean you get used to them if they're in need of a camille you know them a bit of it tony organizes the aid programs for target or the organization is financed solely by private donations he says majorca social structure is slowly crumbling. when i was there i mean the people who have long been on the fringes of society. now who we see normal families of children be able to work since the
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summer on. the aid organization also run shelters tony showed us one just a few blocks away up to 80 people can stay here. more and more locals are trapped on a downward spiral and are losing their homes as a result of losing their jobs. majorca has just under 1000000 inhabitants a 3rd of them are now living in poverty. danielle chavez from argentina is sharing a single room with his wife and 3 children. until 6 months ago they lived in an apartment and both parents had jobs at a hotel. almost. job's emerging really well. when suddenly the virus came and things began to go downhill he was in
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because. the people of majorca have been hit hard by the crisis. but activist is demonstrating with others in front of an apartment building to prevent an eviction. mohamed el from morocco has been pressured by as landlord to move down as he can no longer afford the rent. despite the pandemic there are about 10 evictions in palma every week and if that moment. if it is a french apartments are on the rise and families are squatting in places because they have no other option are being kicked out. of here that. mohammad is lucky with the help of the protesters his eviction has been cancelled for the time being. many people on my orca are angry they're demanding the government's resignation and say state aid has
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a right to slowly or not at all politicians argue the lockdown cannot be relaxed because the infection rate is still high and intensive care stations full is not a month i mean. it's normal that people protest and we understand that but at the same time our main priority is to improve the health situation there has to be less pressure on hospitals after all human lives are at stake this is. the times are tough but the people of majorca are showing solidarity restaurant owners distribute food packages to those in need and among them jose money on the border coast who's fighting for the survival of his business. little letting up. until now the state has only provided subsidies of 1500 euros do you know how many that have occurred i don't think it's that we want to help those who are worse off
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than us this is going to be our worst year ever got out it see think government is just talking or actually action because we are already in a dire situation and we must tell them when then we might at the window. at noon they distribute a hot chocolate. and a sandwich people receive their package with hesitation they know all too well to feel that when your guy is heading into another tough year then it will be a long time before vacationers return to the island. from a holiday island now on to a winter paradise that is also experiencing the absence of tourists in france the skiing season is basically over because of the coronavirus skill lifts are not operating but the shutdown is not stopping some from going out for winter sports anyway many are escaping to the snow covered for unease in search of some action.
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the 1st lesson in sushi is anyone who looks backwards falls. these days many beginners are heading to the tree nice and with good reason. i want to go along with the lift stations are closed because of the pandemic so you can go snowshoe hiking or cross-country skiing you don't need lifts for either the will to make a. mountain deadly weekend who would make sure nobody runs the risk of an accident and those should except for avalanche dangers groups a small as this are still a loaded friends. in a fog it's a different kind of exaggeration and skiing. you can reach other places on us and i should try. a bubble it's peaceful calming and not to talk crowded through all
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this is this vast and this is an authentic nature experience which is exactly what we're looking for in that. the fact that many people are hungry for nature is a boon for the french economy this new she manufactures orders have shot up from 30000 pairs 210-0000. and 4. we are drowning in order here we don't know how to manage to do both but it's a positive stress better than begging the government for a loan or asking for financial aid as far as covert 19 is concerned we are one of the lucky ones also. snowshoe hikes in the mountains give people a chance to breach french here without masks and experience nature. from 1300 to 1700 meters and back down again. can't replace.
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that shoes he don't need skillets city could break in the mountains and escape the stress of the pandemic at least for a short time. i'd like to try it out sometime but that does isn't enough snow in this region and well that brings us to the end of focus on europe for today take care and see you next time. you. i'm.
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going to. cut. to the point of strong opinion clear position to an international perspective some odd. as covert 19 takes an ever harsher told me are becoming their hopes on vaccines developed in record time yet in many places they are rollout has been patchy the race for covert vaccines british against for our top
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a question about to the point i'm going to come up and some of us on t.w. . come to. one giant problem and we're nearly in the americas she beat you. mean by it. the chances. of time getting. how will climate change affect us and our children. and e.w. dot com slash water. it's about billions. it's about power. it's about the foundation of the border
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the silk road. china wants to expand its influence with this trade network and so. conflicts are inevitable the consequences unpredictable that can is book of the shaking the chinese state has a lot of money at its disposal question and that's how it's expanding that one asserting its status and position in the world he said the following. china is promising its partners rich profits but in europe there's a sharp warning you could never accept money from the new superpower will be coming to london tonight. china's gateway to europe. starts feb 19th on job. cut.
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cut. cut. cut. this is the news live from prosecutors complete that case in the 2nd impeachment trial against almost i say senators should impeach trump all the violent scenes from the u.s. capitol could happen again. also on the show kremlin critic of the again due in court this time he's charged with slandering a world war 2 veteran.

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