this is t w news live from berlin china outlines its legislative agenda for 2021 it sets a modest goal for economic growth and plans electoral reforms that will tighten beijing's fripp in hong kong also coming up on the show thousands more in the protesters killed by security forces in a myanmar as calls grow for an end to the violence the u.n. security council is set to meet later to discuss the crisis. and germany's a new phase plan to reopen is matched with criticism retailers say it's too

cautious while public health experts warn it could lead to a nother wave of infections. are going. hello i'm kyra welcome to the show china's annual legislative session has opened in beijing a strong economic rebound and an overhaul of hong kong's electoral system are both in focus for the communist party this year it has set an annual growth target of over 6 percent for 2021 ne to build on its success in bringing the pandemic under control it's also considering an overhaul of hong kong's election system which would be another major blow to the pro-democracy activists in the territory of them yes. and from watching this i'm now joined by journalist and i test going to in a beijing so china was the only major economy that saw economic growth last year

why hasn't china been as badly affected as the rest of the world by the pandemic. there is no no magic and all the economies that have been able to control the kentucky coronavirus and to stop the chain of infections have formed way better than all those who have failed at that china's not the only economy that has grown taiwan which has been controlling the virus well from the 30 beginning has outperformed china's growth other the commies like south korea have contracted on a on an annual basis but they have picked up growth in the 2 it's the end of the year so it all comes down if you stop the corona virus from spreading your economy can grow and if you job and it can't now a budget report that was issued on a friday show isn't bad to china is also planning to increase its defense spending

by nearly 7 percent what is behind the boost. yeah that's in line what with what has been happening in the past few years spending has been even big in some 10 or 20 years ago china is trying to catch up it's already the 2nd already has the 2nd biggest military budget in the world behind the us a and it is ramping up its power to choose to pursue its interest militarily in the region and most of it is aimed at. conquering taiwan which is an option that china is always putting on the table if what they call a peaceful reunification if taiwan does not submit to china's claims to these to the territory this is what most where most of this bending goes but china sees itself as an emerging world power and its military expenditure is in line with that

and as i mentioned earlier in the show at the congress is a planning and major overhaul of hong kong's electoral system and can you tell us a little bit more about what's happening that it's. yeah the full details are not clear yet but china is making sure that only people it approves of will have will have power in hong kong and that includes the legislature their government was always loyal to beijing and was picked and they should have mechanisms to pick it according to its needs but in the legislature there was an opposition the opposition politicians have resigned now and some of them have been removed from the legislature prior to the resignation of the rest and beijing wants to make sure that only candidates that are loyal to beijing will be able to run for the legislature also the system for picking that. and the chief executive. in the city will also be overhauled so any any risk that was already minimal

that somebody might make make it that is not in beijing that beijing does not want will not have a chance to do to 2 to run routes only those who are perceived to be loyal to changing one went into his ninety's going to in beijing many thanks for not. the u.n. security council is due to meet later she just cussed the escalating crisis in myanmar last month the china vetoed a u.n. security council statement condemning the military coup but pressure is now growing for a strong response from the international community 38 protesters were killed on wednesday the deadliest day since manned mars military takeover. a procession through the streets of month delay for one of the young victims of the violence. a 19 year old university student was shot in the head during a protest against the military coup on wednesday rather subsaharan did her coffin

as mourners passed by singing revolutionary songs and chanting slogans. turns day brought new brutality security forces and protesters facing off again protestors know their defiance could cost them their lives. moment we don't want anything from them we just demand that our mother and censored she is back and the powers in the people's hands we don't want the military ruling the country that's why we're protesting and i'm also ready to die instead of others when soldiers come back again. women and i don't come in the tree to has ramped up its response with a show of force. scrambling fighter jets to make several low altitude passes over mountain lay. as violence continues the question remains who else will lose their

life for the chance of a democratic future. and for more i'm now joined by ayman time a journalist in yangon say we've seen at demonstrations throughout this week are there more protests planned for friday. yes protests are the gathering and you know given the amount of violence that people were faced with protesters have started to change up their tactics and if you look online in the last couple days there were calls for different sorts of protests and set of having standoff with the police to have more mobile smaller groups of protesters out the country. so as protesters are changing their tactics we're also seeing international pressure growing the u.s. for example has expanded its trade blacklist for myanmar how effective will that be in creating pressure. so the military has made in the absence

concerning this they have said that something along the lines of weeks had sanctions before and we survived really putting out this posture of not caring whether or not the international community condemns what they're doing and sanctions some for it however we also did see that the. military did invite foreign chambers of commerce in myanmar to meet with them and they were denied by a large majority of the chambers and so you despite the fact that you are seeing a strong posture from them regarding sanctions they are clearly still trying to maintain foreign investments as well as business relations there are people there hopeful that the u.n. security council meeting taking place on friday will make any kind of difference on the ground. yes people are so there's quite a number of groups especially within civil society who have been calling for you know march to be referred to international criminal court for crimes against humanity as well as for the u.n.

to essentially decide and make a strong statement and say that the military junta is not the legitimate government of government of myanmar until now we do have condemnations of violence but we don't see a lot of countries committing to the stance that they will negotiate with the hunter and that's what people here have been calling for and are hoping to see coming out of the u.n. security council meeting journalists in yangon thank you very much for that update thank you. meanwhile here in germany retailers have hit out at the decision to extend the country's coronavirus shutdown until the end of the month saying that the plan is a disaster medical met with state leaders on wednesday and agreed to a cautious reopening strategy the plan also includes measures to make rapid testing more widely available and to speed up the vaccine rollout so far germany has lagged behind many of its european neighbors in getting available doses into people's arms . on the streets of berlin the government's new step by step plan met with little

criticism even some sympathy. to understand if i didn't work for you mrs merkel shoes i couldn't do it any better that's why i'm cautious with autism pick. this country step by step isn't that the way to do it. i don't know what the alternative is opening everything up again i think you have to do it partially simply because the people want to see some restrictions. but there was also a fair amount of confusion critics say the careful opening strategy that i'm going to makan and state leaders agreed on this too complicated. they can with every song have to say that what's written there is pretty unclear very confusing it's almost as if people aren't supposed to understand what's meant to happen as. restrictions will be eased in 5 steps each dependent on infection rates remaining

below a threshold of between $50.10 per 100000 people access to certain services will also be based on a negative corona test to make this possible people in germany will get at least one free rapid test a week. and to boost germany's slow moving vaccination campaign jabs will soon be available at many family doctors. this strategy marks a significant shift from the chancellor's very cautious approach to the pandemic in the past then 15 you know we're at the threshold of a new phase of the pandemic in annoying thoughts or depending me it's a phase which we can't go into carelessly but i think it's important to say with justified hold the key to the argument that it's the only game going the plan has already come under fire from opposition politicians which might not even if 3 percent of germans have been vaccinated with both doses and despite that what

they've decided to open up even though enough tests aren't available yet doesn't and vajrayana just a warning that with infection numbers inching up again and new more infectious variants spreading fast the government's new opening strategy could prove very risky. let's take a look now at some other developments in the pandemic italy has blocked 825-0000 doses of the oxford astra zeneca vaccine from being shipped to australia. it's the 1st time an e.u. country has blocked a vaccine shipment under export powers that took effect in january the e.u.'s medicines regulator meanwhile is reviewing russia's sputnik view vaccine paving the way for its potential approval for use across europe sputnik has proven to be more than 90 percent effective in clinical trials and the world health organization is warning you're up to increase its vigilance for new highly contagious corona virus variants infections in europe a rose by

a 1000000 last week ending 6 weeks of decline through well lebanon's currency plunged to a record low this week sending people back onto the streets for a new wave of protests in crippling economic crisis has gripped the country and there's only a caretaker government in place to oversee much needed for forms the protests that protesters want and 2 decades of political corruption and mismanagement. protesters blocking roads with garbage containers and sit tires on fire as the deputies economy deteriorates the people are getting desperate. so i'm a hungry man a work in the beginning of my life i should have a future full the sky is the shia the sunni the druze in the christians are dying of hunger are going to have no work what if they have nothing where are we supposed to go to god no wonder you last week hundreds marched in the capital beirut

demanding local banks allow them to withdraw money maybe banks have dropped access to cash due to this idiotic is on the crisis. today the biggest looting in the world was carried on by livin in central bank governor incorporation with the costs are going to be along with the depositors committee that we hear to say that the money will have to be returned and those who took it must be punished mop up at the end that martin lebanon has been hit by one crisis after another. from a popular uprising against its political leaders to the covert 19 pandemic. and the catastrophic blast that rocked they reached cold last atheist as lebanon is crushed under a mountain of debt nearly half of the population have been driven into poverty the protests rage as anger against the political class grows but that's all from me

for now sara kelly will be with you next in just 45 minutes time and remember you can always get the latest news and information around the clock on our web site that's stealing dot com or you can follow us on instagram and twitter at. and character it's an embarrassment for me and the whole team thanks for watching. different on the islands of. show you here women are in charge of the park of color go has had a matriarchal system for centuries to. do with just. the kings of the wrangle starts marching on t.w. .

do you think that when 24 year old lee s. visits his mother in the suburbs of paris he's always on gaunt. he tries to be as discreet as possible. for the 1st i put my hood up those who deny fasten my coat all the way up so nobody recognizes me what with about. d.s. is gay he grew up here in general a town of some 47000 residents outside of paris people around here end of his face the young sales advisor has become the. target of insults sent stating on social media that he is gay. it. didn't include your going

said gave us did to me what did he say. gave mr shrum used to it. he was in his car. over the course of a year yes just reported $23.00 physical and verbal assaults. he's filmed the assault with his cell phone and kept some of the videos evidence of this daily harassment. that ended in these videos he's barash with slurs on. the 2 kilometers to his mother's house have become treacherous. by police i stay off the main roads i only take the side streets to avoid people especially young people i also avoid the rough areas. but today these precautions are not enough. the noise only knows some young people among them is one of his

abusers sitting on a railing yes tells us that this man threatened his life and his due to appear in court soon. hit me he slapped me he spat in my face he insults me all the time he's kind of the ringleader of the neighborhood home so i'm not welcome here. turns back using a hidden camera we confront his tormentor. i want to know why did lee s. accuse you of a death threat if you're claiming that the mohawk a mentally ill what do you care if i'm guilty or not we are journalists. ok see you later. a few meet his father on. teenagers come to me tell us. they know you don't like seeing him in the neighborhood but you can't set foot here he can't come here he's going to come in here he's signing a new guy you don't like him saying it. it's the he's trying to make us become like

him become gay you know he can come here in terms of around what. according to one study 39 percent of gay people living in low income areas have been subjected to physical assault but that doesn't mean this that in other parts of fronts in 2018231 physical assaults were reported roughly one attack every 36 hours i don't know 27 was beaten with a helmet in the french capital. 40 had his nose broken in central paris. like a virus this hatred is spreading throughout the internet. stop homophobia an association that defends the rights of. people a team of volunteers to track down homophobic comments and videos online.

burn those. what's wrong with that if i'm left alone with the gays all burn them all because you can be gay but you can't pretend it's normal sons of. newly come across $10.00 to $13000.00 a year and all that up homophobia makes a list is and then we send it to a lawyer to file complaints if we don't. come to your place or come find you i'm sure you want a real man. mr joe the man at the wheel is about to drive 700 kilometers to assault again man he found on the international. scene no one will know but i'll start with you swear you're the biggest mistake of all into this fight for a long time. i will have my fight if you'll hit me. that's it until one of us is going on the pavement. we see him assaulting his victim who following the attack was unable to work for 30 days. they will look it appears

he broke his arm and leg and strangled him for this unprovoked violence the man was given a 2 year suspended sentence to decide. to do in fact this kind of video not only spreads hate it encourages it today someone drive 700 kilometers to strangle someone tomorrow it might be someone with a go pro and a gun shooting at people in a gay area that's the truth of the matter. homophobic slurs have been outlawed in france since 2004 and yet tema phobia is still very real meanwhile in africa more than half the countries criminalize lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people for who they love. in uganda they can even face life imprisonment and known as the halls dead. to escape from the police some seek refuge in this high security shelter. some people would find you in the road if

they want to kill you similarly inchy musea same sex activity can lead to a prison sentence and the state employs humiliating methods for a conviction. here is examined in this position the examination is claimed to prove anal intercourse but it has no actual scientific value this degrading practice is applied in 8 countries. it was like being right i was forced to do it how it's not acceptable. we also look to the united states where gay pride was born a little over 50 years ago then the supreme court has ruled that same sex marriage is legal in all 50 states but while this. might allude to an image of tolerance bizarre so-called conversion therapy initiated by evangelical movements still being practiced. there's no scientific evidence that anyone is born yet we

infiltrated one of them. got scared and asked to make it 700000 americans have suffered through these kinds of conversion therapy and live with the devastating effects we want to look into the source of this homophobia. about an hour from philadelphia in new jersey we find the small town of viewing. here a woman has made it her mission to quote convert gay people into straight people. to. you. to the. a devout believer has been married for 15 years a graphic designer and a mother to 2 teenagers her life hasn't always been this organized i was in a lifestyle of homosexuality. you know i literally was living in

a bisexual lifestyle i was with men i was with women and i was very angry about what happened so i was very confused i was very annoyed. today chanel has turned her back on a life that she says brought her nothing but pain. in 2015 she costar to a ministry program called love broke the chains to reach out to the l g b t community as she puts it. this morning she is meeting 2 young women. elect says. antonia. they came all the way from michigan to me turn. all right now you guys very right here we go. being both lesbians and believe as these 2 women feel in conflict with their faith welcome to my home. now and as

a counselor for them of course i'll let you guys have a c. but you know here's one of the 1st things i wanted to share with you and i always pull this book out and also this image because people see me now but you don't know my story completely. all these pictures that's where i was because i loved i always wanted to model craziness and if i was not married then i probably would be i had less using these photos from her past as a bisexual stripper chanel wants to show young women that it is possible to change alexis 21 has been coming here for several months for tonya 43 it's the 1st time so tonya so my question for you at this point is as it relates to same sex attraction are you confident there was a time when i was dating 7 girls for serving these little. you know i had

a girl for every day and that was with time you know so i needed to be broken free from that you know because that was what was crucial in me was damaging me it was also doing my saw. she can who she is understand her emotions and her feelings give all of that to god and let him guide her to the type of relationship she should have. with male as if you were women both men have committed. perverse unnatural act. it was they began with a literal reading of a biblical text that is more than 2500 years old the goal is to make these women feel guilty ringback but the litany does not stop there. this sunday chanelle has invited them to an evangelist stick ceremony company ready to hear the word of the lord. to the media ready to hear the word of the lord. see how much you're ready to hear the word of the law. we say gosh i would do this to be less about 50 believe

this meet in this small church in new jersey every week they come to listen to that pasta salman's. british gas whatever happened whether miscommunication. really rich homosexuality. what ever ready that's been trying to take power for your marks. over your body you have the power to. take a little bit of the am need you right now to stretch your hands to examine and soon take control nicorette gum i. thank you. thank you galvanized by his words the followers fall into a trance. you. can cut to a hammer to the market hammer to live a happy and healthy. i was really sick for

a few weeks. ahead yet is overcome by this spiritual fervor the pastor promises he will help her cost out what he calls her demons. to help him i was a hack. all the members of this church belong to the born again movement after repenting their sins the believers say they can be reconciled with god my cornea wants to believe that this session will help her change her sexuality the act. isn't. really and i believe there will be

a. new new theory. before me in the way how. did you like this today tanya and alexis are continuing to follow chanel's program but how long can they ensure this stranglehold that religion house on their sexuality. according to the american psychiatric association the consequences of conversion therapy are devastating depression anxiety suicide. the practices employed are emotionally damaging and even amounts to brainwashing. these organizations authorized in the united states for adults are very secretive. our requests for filming were denied in philadelphia we asked a french american journalist to enroll in one of these conversion therapy centers

on the cover. the one we chose is one of the best known it has existed for about 20 years and office courses spanning several days to gay men from all over the world. the website highlights fraternal friendship you know well being and masculinity it invites participants to register online. they're up front about the pricing $650.00 for a weekend and. to get in are journalist 1st had to complete a long medical and psychological questionnaire or don't. they're asking if i've had a mental illness diagnosed bipolar borderline clinical depression. when i was there asking if i have a his.