contest of the cathedral. 12 d w. this is g w news live from berlin a new setback for europe struggling vaccination rollout germany halts astra zeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under 60 after new cases of blood clots in march. also coming up italy's baby bust the country's birth rate falls to its lowest in over a century is locked down stressed to blame for more couples having fewer children.

mean mars violent crackdown on protesters intensifies the military launches air strikes on its own citizens forcing thousands to flee their homes but protesters are not backing down. and pakistan's 1st ever religious schools for transgender people it is a safe space for those on the margins of society where some are finding comfort in faith. i'm sunni so much gun it's good to have you with us germany is halting the use of astra zeneca corona virus vaccine for people under the age of 60 there is still the option though to decide to take the shot but only after a medical consultation new concerns over unusual blood clots in a small number of patients led to the suspension our coverage begins with this

report. more bad news for germany's troubled vaccine rollout the government says it has made a tough but necessary decision. i believe that taking everything into account this is the path we need to follow in order to provide confidence in. earlier berlin's shocking to hospital decided as a precaution to hold vaccination off its staff members with astra zeneca a decision is expected in april over how to proceed with those who have already received their 1st dose. citizens can rely on the fact that substances permitted in germany are meticulously monitored the results are transparent and openly discussed. public opinion on this latest u. turn was divided at this berlin vaccination center only those aged over 60 can get

their astra zeneca job everybody else is turned away. there are a lot of rumors and headlines in the news about it i wouldn't get vaccinated with it but for leslie mcgee that tumble this talk about people getting up thrombosis in the brain is very scary i'm going to wait until i can get by on tact or. i have no problem with it it's not a positive effect in england and they've all been vaccinated with astra zeneca. this latest blow to germany sluggish an occupation campaign follows new guidelines from the national vaccine commission you know. we're going to from a regulatory authority is that younger women but also men are suffering from severe cerebral vein thrombosis. and have died from it. and the number exceeds what we would normally expect at that age. we conclude that

it has to be related to the vaccine therefore we have to act. without. the bavarian state premier. favors taking a flexible approach. but some point with astra zeneca we're going to have to operate with a lot of freedom whoever wants to and whoever dares to should have the opportunity to take it almost 4000000 doses of astra zeneca will arrive in germany next month but another dent to public confidence in the vaccine means using them up could prove difficult. let's bring in our chief political correspondent melinda crane for the latest on the story hi melinda what does this decision on acid seneca mean for germany's efforts to get people vaccinated. it's another very disappointing turd in a vaccine rollout that was already lagging significantly behind other countries

like great britain or the us up until then now only 11 percent of people here in germany have received even a 1st shot and in fact astra zeneca is a major linchpin of the german vaccination strategy because of ongoing shortages of other vaccines like biotech pfizer and look down at so for example for the coming weeks tens of thousands of quite ments have been scheduled for astra zeneca vaccines for younger people teachers people with preexisting conditions who are at real risk if they contract kuroda and presumably those appointments most likely won't go forward meaning that a number of people will remain at risk so it's a very real blow what about the effect this has on the public how does it influence people's trust in other vaccines as well. it's certainly likely to reduce trust in

the as a preventative vaccine and we have seen that in the past a few weeks ago germany and other european countries also suspended use of the astra zeneca vaccine after the 1st reports. from those this and at the time trust here in germany plummeted when it came to us presenting about 55 percent of german saying after that decision that they would not trust this vaccine that did not seem to have a spillover effect on other vaccines however and the chance that pointed out in making yesterday's decision that in fact the only way to ensure trust in vaccines overall is to investigate every report of possible danger so clearly the authorities are hoping that this step will help to maintain trust over off and what about the option of stocking up for example other vaccines and how likely is

it that the e.u. might then give approval to russia sputnik vaccine. well certainly that has been under consideration the chancellor had a video conference yesterday with french president my craw and russian president putin in which they talked about sputnik but the chancellor has made it clear that from her point of view a german order a sputnik be it could only go forward if the european medicines agency approves the vaccine they are currently reviewing it they're supposed to send observers to russia to look at production processes within the next month or so but it's going to take time to get that approval there are also plans to produce the back scene in the bay area but again that wouldn't be until june or july the earliest our chief political correspondent linda crane thank you so much. now italy has ordered a mandatory 5 day quarantine for travelers entering from other europe european

union countries travelers from outside the e.u. already have to quarantine much of italy remains under tight coronavirus restrictions as the country battles a 3rd wave of infections the whole country faces a 3 day lockdown over the easter weekend italy has reported more than 108000 deaths so far the highest toll in the e.u. now the pandemic also seems to have affected many people's plans to have children over the past year italy has seen a significant drop in its birth rate with numbers reaching their lowest in more than a century max under reports. the children's playground eerily quiet the numbers are out italians are having far fewer babies during the pendency. they too have had to put their family planning on hold more in admin chancel just bought a new home in a suburb of baghdad a big step for the young couple and everything is ready for the next. ques the comment i made my meaning this will be the children's room that has yet to be set

up we want to put in one or 2 beds depending on the size. we also have some space downstairs which could become another room for the children. and had. been changed in that we're planning on getting married last summer before their but they had to postpone because of the pen demick and having kids before marriage for the 2 devout catholics was not an option to the union on a fast enough. for us marriage means union and creating a family of our own marriage home family and children moving was supposed to be after the wedding but we had a switch. while the individual reasons deferred the situation is emblematic for hundreds of thousands of couples across the nation wanting to have children. exactly 9 months after the start of the lockdown in december here in

italy the birth rate dropped by more than 20 percent compared to the previous year with many couples calling off their plans to have kids the birth rate in italy has reached a historic low but even before the pen demick italy was left trailing behind most of its neighbors on average women in the e.u. had a 1.55 children in 2018 in sweden this number was 1.76 in germany 1.57 and italy 2nd to last in the e.u. with just 1.29 births the per woman. it is too early to determine with certainty what exactly is causing tell you numbers to drop even further says hole geologist giuliani the pandemic is likely affecting couple sex life but more importantly financial security seems to be the driving factor in the decision not to have kids . i think. young capos are becoming much more economic rationale than the emotional not convinced that it's important

to have another child so there may be more worried about the future of children buying a house postponing marriage while working full time for the moment when chance one more day and i have a lot on their plate but that hasn't changed their wish to start a family of their own has soon as the time is right. right let's get a round up now some other headlines in the united states minneapolis firefighter has testified on the 2nd day of the trial against eric czaban the white former police officer accused of murdering george floyd the witness who was a bystander to chop a kneeling on the floor its neck said she had been prevented from using her emergency medical training to help him through. an international conference on aid for syrians facing extreme poverty has missed its target the virtual talks raised 5 and a half 1000000000 euros that's 3000000000 euros short of its goal the united nations

says coronavirus is making the situation in syria even worse and divers in indonesia have recovered the cockpit voice recorder of a passenger plane that crashed into the java sea in january all 62 people on board these air boeing jet were killed shortly after takeoff from jakarta a preliminary report found that the plane had problems with engine thrust. the violence in me and maher is escalating as daily protests demanding the restoration of democracy face an increasingly brutal crackdown more than $520.00 civilians have been killed since the start of february on tuesday the military launched air strikes on its own citizens forcing thousands to flee their homes and seek medical treatment in neighboring thailand protesters have defied strict curfew is to hold funerals for those killed in the violence in mar has been in turmoil since the army ousted elected leader aung san suu kyi detaining her and reimposing

military rule. let's get more on the story we can speak now to tintin young she's the managing director of the ethnic media organization burma news international and is joining us from bangkok good to have you with us you are now in thailand and we mentioned some people are fleeing to thailand from me and we've heard reports that the thai government has allegedly been forcing people back across the border what can you tell us about that. yes our members are also do we are the in-depth reporting about the the refugees as part of the astronauts in korean states so yes it's true that at the beautiful it's back to their conflicts so. that at the end times to start easy also like of receiving some of the injuries and then the improvised some treatments so and then this time so that kyla instructs you seen that the post the bat to the conflict

zone so probably if i can pressure tank other men in me because you don't receive thousands of refugee 2 years in the us i so this is a very important difference really in need of some well i think can safely refuse and also because that humanitarian support otherwise lives will be endangered ok i want to ask you about the developments in me and mar at the moment because the civilian leader who was ousted aung san suu kyi has been seen and is apparently in good health what more can you tell us about her situation actually we do not yet met about ourselves who do you and there's not so much do you recall calorie about her because like i on news that everything is very strictly restrict at so many media groups and also close friends kind of access to her so the last 2 times are

supposed to have like a hot cup here in butter because of the international count and sold in the us console because he had a lock on some so that was the latest news that we're about how important is she still to protesters. she is in fact hunters they. cannot borrow. some of the people who are ticket actively in the protest so there. are to be a good health and well have to be released and to govern a country again so that is. how our present. people in the country. who have to leave it there tintin young managing director of burma news international joining us from bangkok thank you very much. now transgender people face stigma around the world and in pakistan and

overwhelmingly muslim country it can be difficult for them to attend religious schools or join prayers at mosques on the international transgender day of visibility we visit an institution aiming to change that the country's 1st ever met or religious schools or trans people founded in october of last year. a step closer to finding peace for the soul. behind this story pakistan's 1st transgender only madrassa over a dozen students learn about the teachings of the qur'an here every day. founder ronni kahn decided to open this religious school after she herself both spiritually lost. identify and went to rome begging for 5. then one night i had a dream i saw that a transgender friend of mine who had died was in a state of great agony that dream changed my anti-life and that's why i made this

turnaround. khan also teaches to students to sue quotes and hope that one day they can sell them to cover the operation costs she has used her life savings to open up the much. the 34 year old was determined. a life on the margins of society. most families do not accept transgender people they threw them out of their home. start dancing and begging and doing other things one of them. ventures to distribute bring help she tries to convince the transgenders to become her students. started to learn the qur'an say religion gives them comfort. when the qur'an. degradation it's better to improve my life. khan hopes to connect many more

transgender people through islam in the future she encourages others in a community to do the same. they can also come to life they can also designate a room for prayer and recitation where they can remember a law and make atonement to gain a better life after their. rights groups say pakistan may have well over 300000 transgender people in the country just a fraction of them are practicing islam in this school before the students it's already a milestone to greater acceptance and a safe haven. let's get some perspective on the story now with maya she's an associate from the forum for dignity initiatives and joins us from islamabad in pakistan my it's good to have you with us as we heard there are transgender people often face discrimination in pakistan can you tell us more about what forms that discrimination takes. hello thank you so much on in.

in on. and talking of and into community in pakistan. except unfortunately when we talk government and the progress of the laws there is the thought of lot of progress in 2011 we got to have the provision where we can apply force the n.a.c. which is the our identification card and we can change agent imago in 2018 we britain best remarkable mindstorm off getting our bill drawn into protection act fast and with that achievement have been continued but unfortunately there is very much lack off social acceptance acceptance from people and we really need to work on transforming the attitudes of the world for acceptance and for that we 1st need to start from a homes so. we see

a lot of transgender people they don't get accepted from their homes by their balance by the family and they disown them and they are the problem if if they are only being accepted by their own family i don't feed that they will be a matter off to engender going to mother size or even schools are ticking education because the ownership is in the family the family is just born supposed to protect so how do you change them and how do you make it so that there is more acceptance in families. our families also belong to the scene society so it's just a side to pressure that the families cannot bear and because. listen to our loose connotations the negative things for having a transgender child in the family to a white that obviously the families also kind of abandon or try to avoid such circumstances because then i'll just have links life are being affected so it's not that we can work only on one segment and we can ignore the other it's going to be.

all the work together and weekly segment has to work together to improve the situation so this is citing needs to realize and they need to understand that they cannot only box johnson if people in said in. certain roles in certain professions like begging him to dinners or anything like that once this mindset goes away in the family has to be easy and they can except their own gender a child with the whole hog without being budget and then definitely decrease the under validity and into the situation what message would you want to give on the state to those who might not fully accept the transgender community. as i said again that this is all. cause and effect because the community was marginalized for short or long that they were left with no no i did option rather than just being into dana's all it being into a fix business or backing on the road so we don't have any visibility issues we do

seen since my childhood i have been seeing transgenders on the on the streets on the signal as they come to our homes so it isn't all of. it's not that we are disappeared over to another part of the society but we are part of the society in a body negative way on this day i would like to see that we should celebrate this day and not that in talking about the issues and the survivors and the crisis next year i want to have not only visibility but also meaningful visibility and rules so that the boys can remember us in more larger and positive scenarios so do the government on audit let us give us give us a johns so that we can prove ourselves that we are more than that and so next year when we said to me hey we can have more examples off resilience more examples of success and and whenever the ordinary people the normal people who when they see

transgender people and they don't box them those certain professions ok we have to leave it there my examen from the farm for dignity initiatives thank you very much thank you so much. let's get some more headlines now emergency crews are searching for 11 workers trapped in a flooded gold mine in colombia the men have been stuck in an underground shaft for the last 5 days rescue teams are trying to pump out floodwater officials say the mine was being operated illegally. an authority is in belarus announced a criminal investigation into opposition candidates. based on terrorism charges this follows a police crackdown on protesters demanding the resignation of president alexander look i should go to challenge the nation's authoritarian leader in a presidential vote last august. massive protests swept belgariad last summer with thousands of people of all ages taking to the streets demanding

the resignation of conservative prime minister prime minister boyko body solve over corruption allegations but over a half a year since then borisov remains in power and looks likely to win a 4th term in office our correspondent funny for char reports from sofia as well gary i gears up for parliamentary elections this coming sunday april 4th. this figure is turning heads in bulgaria's capital sofia a new opposition party called rise up mafia out ridiculing prime minister self many here consider him in corrie gibli corrupt as does dimiter dimitroff an activist in his twenty's we meet him in front of bulgaria's problem in building which used to be the house of the communist party that iran is long gone but autocratic rule is still present he says fortunately garia is a captured state institutions and the people working inside them do not serve the interest of the citizens but the interests of. the all the guards are all this

demented joint thousands of others in nationwide anti government protests last year they took to the streets to express their frustration over politicians when rich themselves disregard the rule of law and protect powerful tycoons at the center of the corruption allegations of head of the ruling party survive the protests. and the protesters the protests the energy died of both the protest short europe and the world the real face of our prime minister who sleeves next to a pile of gold for hundreds of euro and a good on his bet now bulgaria is gearing up for an unprecedented election with new parties and alliances but according to the polls all of them fall short of a parliamentary majority and then there is voter apathy only 45 percent of all bulgarians

who are eligible to vote have indicated their willingness to do so. whom to vote for the debate over a cup of tea and autonomous they too cold for the resignation of body self and his cabinet last year they too dream change but there was no direct. it's like still in the home like. they are about like nothing had happened when disappointing. and also a lot of people from the political parties go to. has tried to take adventure. his body soften his body get reelected they say they've considered leaving bulgaria for good the country has already seen many of its educated youth leave in the past and the method he says he wants to stay he decided to turn his anger into politics and he's now running as

a candidate for an opposition alliance called democratic bulgaria hoping to reenergize the protesters that no longer come to this square. business is up next chris caldwell will be looking at why the pandemic has pushed back gender parity i had generation for that.

in the. movie. welcome to the city of the future. instead of a permanent traffic jam. good instead of concrete. pillars instead of air pollution a. new concept for the magazine of tomorrow. made

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'd on what numbers women especially of victims of violence in. part. train always to understand this new culture. not the visitor. you want to become a citizen. in for migrants your platform for reliable information. a setback for. men and women coronavirus been pushed back to gender parity by a generation that's according to findings of. one of the authors of the read. the biggest i.p.o. in london for decades but shares of note delivery service delivery.