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 us. for less than a committee that tumble this talk about people getting a thrombosis in the brain is very scary. i'm going to wait until i can get by on tax 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 from a regulatory authority to 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. i

thought i we conclude that it has to be related to the vaccine. therefore, we have to act with the bavarian state, premier zuda 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 $4000000.00 doses of austria's anika 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 astra zeneca 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 u.s. up until now only 11 percent of people here in germany have received even a 1st shot at it. 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 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 that 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 cross 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 them back seen in the area, but again, that wouldn't be until june or july. the earliest our chief political correspondent, linda crane. thank you so much. now to some other developments in the pandemic, china says there is no basis to accusations that it did not share data with

researchers looking into the origins of the virus. the world health organization has accused beijing of not giving its scientists full access to available information. brazil has recorded another daily record in covert 19 deaths with 3780 people dying in 24 hours. brazil currently accounts for around a quarter of all, deaths worldwide on any given day. and australia has vaccine rollout has gotten off to a slow start. authorities said the country has fallen well short of its march targets . only 16 percent of the target was met. the violence in myanmar 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 curfews 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. 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 and you are now in thailand and we mentioned some people are fleeing to thailand from me in mar. 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 ast writes in korean states. so is yes, it's true that at the beautiful us back to the conflict zone. but at the end times time start easy also like every cd in some of the injuries and the improvised, some treatments. so and then this time so that kyla instructs you seen that the

post the events you'd see back to the conflict zone. so probably if i can pressure tank other men in me, they may cause you to actually see thousands of years in there. so i, so this is very important difference really in need of some, well i think can safely refuse and also to get something humanitarian support. otherwise their lives will be in danger. ok, i want to ask you about the developments in me in 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 cows and susie and that there is not so much the 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 as you supposed to have, like a hot cup here in butter because of the international count. and so, you know, it was kind so the court hearing that kind some. so that was the latest news that we hear about how important is she still to protesters? she is, in fact hundreds saved morrow vito's for some of the people who actually can actively in the protest. so they're trying to be good health and well have to be released and to govern the country. and so that is how important this president is, some of them as 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. let's get around to some other headlines now. 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 the coronavirus is making the situation in syria, even worse. 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, the air a boeing jet, were killed shortly after takeoff from jakarta. a public preliminary report found that the plane had problems with engine thrust 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. in the us, a minneapolis firefighter, us testified on the 2nd day of the trial against our charge in the white former police officer accused of murdering george floor. and the witness who was

a bystander to shabba kneeling on floyd's neck, said she had been prevented from using for emergency medical training to help him through movement through votes are being counted in one of america's most significant labor battles. in decades, the outcome will determine whether a union can gain a foothold at amazon. organizers are promising a union representation will improve the lives of nearly 6000 people who work for the internet. retail giant, amazon is expected to push back to try to keep unions out on siemens went to alabama to find out more welcome to bessemer. if you have never heard of this southwestern suburb of birmingham, alabama, you were not alone, at least until recently. bessemer home to roughly 28000 residents has become a daily news headline. a beacon of hope for many, but for others. now, a symbolizes a vicious attack on the good old capitalism. of bessemer is now at the center of

the biggest and most important labor fight the united states has seen in decades. thanks to amazon. so here we are at the amazon fulfillment center right behind me here in bessemer, alabama. this place, year or better, 5800 workers who work here could make history. yes, history, but only in the united states. why is that? because amazon was successful for the last almost 20 years to fight off any union effort to put cracks in the house off the sauce. this is the 1st time that a union has a real chance to get labor organized at amazon. local union organizers worked for months on getting amazon workers into the flock, flyers and posters rallies and shit like work. and this all came about because of this man,

darryl richardson. richardson shelled things are not all that great at the bessemer amazon fulfillment center. if you're late a minute, 15 minutes, a automatic on the way from you. i want to wait. so why take up? so we're just a lot of stuff need to be changed. last year, contact at the retail warehouse and department store union in birmingham and a representative met with him here. at the dreamland barbecue in tuscaloosa, over rips and iced tea, a plan to unionize amazon was hatched and set emotions fast forward to today. almost 6000 workers voted for or against unionization. now the votes are being counted. union activist alex gould says that won't be the end of it, likely, but what is it? that's a pro union leaflet? going to care if the workers win this vote. it's going to be

a big struggle for samaras to come to any agreement with them. you know, the law says that they have to bargain with them, but we all know it's a question of power. and there's also the other side, of course, amazon employees who don't want to, you know, we are against it and we are very happy with what we are getting is far as benefits . we're happy with our working conditions. we're happy with the advancement opportunities. speaking of advancement, whatever the bessemer vote will be, amazon is sure to face more pressure for unionization in the future. u.s. president joe biden has promised a more humane policy when it comes to undocumented migrants crossing the us mexico border. but a growing number of the number of people crossing the border is putting that promise to the test. many children and families are placed in detention facilities,

leaving them in overcrowded conditions. a packed u.s. border facility and don a texas social distancing not an option for thousands of unaccompanied minors held at this processing center. some lost their parents on the way to the mexican border . others were brought here by smugglers. u.s. officials say the influx of minors is steadily increasing. they know that we're releasing them. they know that right now there's nothing stopping them. we're not going to put them back to their country so they keep coming in board. right now, all these kids were starting to seem younger and younger kids being brought over by their sponsors, by relatives, by grandparents more than 4000 people are being held. and it was designed for just $250.00. every miner is given a health check on arrival. fever only people with symptoms are tested for covert 19

. the bad administration declines to send unaccompanied minors back to their home countries, as often happens under donald trump. they must be processed and housed within 3 days. the average stay is twice as long. there's a little girl that i talked to a little while ago. she said that she had lost her mom and that she doesn't have a father. so she's coming into this country because her uncle is going to be the sponsor and i asked her, what state are you going to? what's your final destination? she said, i don't know. all i know is that it's not, was there with more and more migrants crossing the border into the u.s. pressure on the biden administration is growing. president biden wants far ranging reforms to america's immigration system. but that could take you years now to a woman who has placed a trail for l g b, t q. people in germany's armed forces. anastasio of the fun was the 1st transgender commander in the german army, the bundeswehr on the international,

transgender day of visibility. her story shows how much has changed for gay, entranced people pursuing a career in the military. but it was a long and challenging road to acceptance. putting on makeup has become a part of her every day routine. anastasio of the following is a lieutenant colonel in the german army and a transgender woman. i am transgender, and i decided a top 40 to actually leave my male life behind the 40. i realize that i was a woman. it's the point of my life were decided to actually move into the direct consequence of coming out as a transgender woman came after 20 years of military service to anastasio own surprise. it wasn't a stumbling block in her career. shortly after her sex change surgery, she became a commander in charge of 700 soldiers. sergeant major dietmar shared a met anastasio after her gender reassignment for him,

honest as he is just another fellow soldier. to cuba, i just accept that people are the way they are and that goes beyond transgenderism . i feel the same way about other more mundane things like what party they vote for . what make of car they like. you just have to accept people the way they are. the reason that would be fun, lived as a man. she led a seemingly ordinary life but says she felt tremendous emotional pain because she didn't feel comfortable in her body as a male. look for flight into into the world. her probably helped to perform to male standards, but my inner self was always crying after that almost 20 years. i was at a point of my life where my emotional stability, my most noble being well being the point where i don't want to live this way anymore. after 3 years, as a commander honest career has taken off,

she is now the head of the division in the boom disappears, cyber and information domain service. she is also making it her mission to stand up for transgender people in the german armed forces promoting diversity and tolerance. what i know from my experience is what is definitely certain. if you are true to yourself and live the way you are probably open, you will have a better life. i think my mom once said that she seems to be finally happy. let's get more on the story now with jessica stern. she is the executive director at outright action international. that is one of the oldest l.g.b. t.q. organizations fighting for equality around the world. just got thank you for joining us. we just saw a report that suggests some progress here in the german military, but you've spoken about a growing backlash against france,

people even in countries that appear to have progressive policies for the trans community. so can you tell us more about these developments? thank you for having me. well, the truth is there are more than 13 countries around the world that still have bans on so-called cross-dressing, which basically makes it impossible for transgender people to do everything as simple as go to were, go to school without being deprived in truth. they are in the past year where the whole world has been gripped by the pandemic. there's actually been a concerted and series of attacks on transgender people in many countries around the world. so for example, in hungary, in 2020, the government tried to pass a ban on legal gender recognition to stop trans people for from filing applications to be seen before the law. thankfully in march of this year, the constitutional court ruled the ban unconstitutional. but you can only imagine

the kind of pressure that transgender people in hungary were living with right now in the united states. there's been more than 8. ringback states that have introduced bills seek interest to restrict trans related treatment for transgender youth. there's been, a constant attack on youth athletes who happen to be transgender. and in the u.k., there's been a political and or torkel series of attacks on transgender people. so yes, a backlash is very much real against people. we mentioned the u.s. . what about the new biden and ministration? putting l g q rights high on the foreign policy agenda. what does that mean in countries where trans people are facing that discrimination? i think that we need countries to show leadership in affirming transgender rights and the messaging and the follow through from the biden administration has been very positive. but we also know that the issue of transgender rights in the u.s.

is being hotly debated. and so we look to countries that have a longer history of cultural acceptance for transgender rights, like in tunisia like pakistan and countries that have more formal legal equality for transgender people, like argentina, or mult, or pakistan, for example. as kind years in this area and countries that we should own up to and be as fired. i just, i want to ask you about a piece information that surprised me when i read it. namely, last year, germany joined just 3 other countries worldwide to ban the practice of conversion therapy. more countries are coming on board, but how much progress do you see there? i'm so glad you mentioned that example. you know, unfortunately at this point, there are now only 5 countries in the whole world that an conversion therapy. and conversion therapy is neither conversion nor therapy, but torture. and so we really need to see progress from every country in the world

on this issue. so long as they're practices that are sanctioned by the state and by the medical community that say it's ok to force people to undergo electroshock therapy, you know, forced prayer or starvation and institutionalization because of who they are because of their gender identity or expression. no one can be free to be themselves, so we need to see legal progress. but we also need to see leadership from religious leaders saying we condemn these practices just very quickly. jessica, you know, the penn demick has rest, putting the cause of trance people on the back burner. what is your organization doing to make sure that they're not being forgotten? and so glad you asked that one thing is for celebrating today, international day of transgender visibility. we're also documented in the ways that there have been a series of backlashes against trance people in the context of the pandemic. truly in every country in the world. and we're also running in emergency farms to support

organizations that really serve as essential workers and front line workers, ensuring that transgender people don't slip through the cracks of the crisis. and why is that so important? well, the truth is that a lot of the traditional public health measures used to respond to the pandemic. they've screwed l.g.b. people. so we think that funding in supporting grassroots l.g.b. t.h.u. organizations transplant organizations, is the way we're going to make everybody safer. jessica stern executive director at outright action international. joining us. thank you so much. my pleasure., i. let's get a reminder now of our top story on d. w., germany as halting the use of astra zeneca as corona, virus vaccine for people under the age of 60. that's after new concerns over an old blood clots in

a small number of patients coming up next, our show made in germany looks at the challenges of increasing urbanization around the world. don't forget to follow us on twitter. our handle there is after the w. news. thank you for watching

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