this is good news live from berlin sleeping me and mars violent repression of people targeted by its military rulers are making their way across the border to india but many say the government in delhi doesn't want them there we ask india's former ambassador to myanmar if that is because. also coming up fears of a new conflict in eastern ukraine increase as russia a mass of its military forces along the border the white house calls the escalation deeply concerning. and in new york city people are allowed to laugh again together

some public venues have started to reopen and vaccinations began to beat back the panda. i'm serious it was gone it's good to have you with us the number of refugees fleeing the military's violent crackdown and me in mar is rising india shares a 600 kilometer long border with me and more with strong ethnic and cultural ties between local communities on both sides so india might seem like the natural destination for those who are forced to leave their homes but can those who end up there feel at home we need one woman and her daughters who have settled in the indian capital delhi and a warning that some viewers might find this report disturbing. for the last 6 years and her girls have felt safe here in delhi. but it didn't come easy to

get here they had to leave everything behind in their need of man much when he says her husband was bought jordan killed by the military. later they were forced to run for their lives after they were caught sheltering students protesting against the military now the situation in myanmar is bringing back painful reminders from home again last month when his brother was arrested for demonstrating against the group he was released a few days ago but this still isn't good news. right now he said the hospital because when the military arrested him they tortured him so much that we're told his face isn't even recognizable. i. protests broke out across non-modern right after the military coup in february this year. since then hundreds have been killed a vested and eating for opposing the armed forces. and the numbers are likely to.

india myanmar share a long border in times like these people have often fled across the border into india to escape the authorities but the indian government is not happy with the influx of refugees it has ramped up border security to stop them. here in delhi where thousands have sought asylum since the late eighty's refugees are disappointed by india's lack of support the valuable friends and relatives back home as internet shut down slow regular updates to just a trickle. all. requests for information have been pouring into james from mine. who heads the refugee support group here the group has written to indian prime minister in a dream to more the urging him to condemn the putsch as a democratic country they are shocked by his silence it is indeed aside how things

are in myanmar the violent. human rights violations you know the way the military tortured the people just looking at them in the street and dead body and all but india is doing nothing. this penny feels helpless in her safety because she can do nothing for those back home but she believes that the international community should speak up when. asked sisters and brothers have to defend themselves against the military with their bare hands they don't have any c.v.s. please i beg other countries to help my unmarked citizens even before the cool henny knew me on my would never be safe for her again she was to use that if things remain as bad as they are far too many people in home country will end up feeling the same we can speak now to go through he's

a former indian ambassador to me in march as well as to afghanistan and to syria mr ambassador thank you very much for joining us here on d w we heard we heard refugees in that report there saying they are disappointed with india for not taking a stronger stance why is it that we haven't seen the in an indian government explicitly denounce the school and also the violence that we've seen from the military junta. i think the indian government's reaction has been one of the i think the latest statements have been have condemned the violence in general that india has stopped short of condemnation but as expressed both deep concern and voiced not calls for they've done of democracy for respect of the election results and also you know condemn the violence perhaps it may not have gone as far as many other countries particularly you know other countries that do not share an immediate neighborhood you know india has certain compulsions that stem from being

just a close neighbor he has stakes and compunctions in myanmar the really from security issues in general security external security we have insurgent groups in the northeast it's a you know that border demarkation issues are trying junction now in modern china is right a fine there also in the interests relating to development as well as in fact keeping on tax with some of the war that have been viewed with really difficult you would be refined actually to use them in a diplomatic we do to make the realize to make the regime realize that they have made a mistake ok and i think that's the action has it in line that issue countries it's ok mr besser understand the need to keep those that channels of dialogue open to the military junta but india is not only a neighbor it is the biggest a marcus in the world isn't incumbent upon india to take a strong stance here. that of course i mean as i said you know it is an evolving

situation we have seen india's position you don't get more critical time and i think we should give it a little more time i think you can get there's a great consciousness and awareness about the pain that the myanmar people are suffering that is very little justification for the kind of violence or you know that even for those who do have taken place i think you know this is a situation where in fact really it's not just india the international community's response has been put even as he on which is that kind of natural partner to be able to do something about this has not been able to really do much so i think india has is is looking for evidence in which of course the impact of the situation favorable for the people of myanmar and please note that all our statements have been in favor of that in a democracy and that is the prince of creation that the government of india is and what about the disappointment of refugees who feel like they are not welcome in india at the moment is india not want refugees from myanmar. you know india has had

a tradition of accepting the fugitives from me and that tradition will continue as you know particularly in the got eastern states that border myanmar the people who have been built mean if you even do 'd the central government may have issued a circular actually doing or discouraging refugees from coming and that maybe because you know they just simply aren't prepared for the different in flux in that in reality this policy is being implemented in that you know enough even some or you can see it with not relaxed but in a lenient manner and many of the fugitives are coming mover and getting shelter. in the northeast states you were as we mentioned in fact much more risk away measurement are the ones that are italian market and i want to ask you what a position you would take in right now you must be concerned by what you're saying and then are if you were the ambassador a moment what position would you take. thank you no i don't want to prejudge my

government on this but i think the statements that have been coming out of delhi have been getting stronger i think i would like to 1st get give diplomacy a chance this diplomacy can be jointly with other particularly asian countries which have states and have equipments union money israel and us and countries maybe individual us and countries japan $2.00 countries that are being much come to mind the fact that you know they may have nothing may have happened so far does not mean that the government is not. you know is not looking for such an opportunity or that is not keeping an open mind perhaps it is just a little you know a little work to be done but you know we have signed up for statements under the cord which have been critical and have made special mention of the situation in myanmar so i could not get a place i think that under the disappointment is understandable perhaps they would like something stronger and faster but i would not get it today it's definitely not

that it today is the end in this pond and sympathetic to the people of will have to leave it there got a mock up of the former ambassador of india to me in marseilles to afghanistan to syria thank you so much for joining us on did any of which with thank you. german chancellor angela merkel has called on russian president vladimir putin to pull back his forces from russia's border with ukraine the u.s. says russia now has more troops there than in 2014 that was when a conflict broke out in eastern ukraine after the country's progress and president was ousted in a popular uprising moscow backed separatists have occupied the eastern region ever since russia says its new troop build up comes in response to ukrainian provocations. the russian state television offers a different way of looking at things it reports that ukraine a nato pose a threat to russia and not the other way around. the narrative present ukrainian

soldiers as the aggressors and shows video footage of moscow's response russian troops engaged in military exercises in crimea. what to the west looks like saber rattling is viewed differently by russia from moscow it's a necessary reinforcement of its defenses against the west or young. for bush and the majority of the ukrainian military understand the fatal consequences of any actions that would lead to conflict. you know i hope they won't be provoked by politicians who in turn are being provoked by the west especially the united states . that the ukrainian president volodymyr selenski sees western troops especially those provided by nato as essential backup for his own forces on. the mission here he says almost and starts now there's an escalation in the donbass region it's a bunch of everyone can see it when our soldiers are attached and there are

casualties obviously we must retaliate i mean if you put it that. a few days ago zelinsky paid a visit to nato secretary-general un stoltenberg selenski stressed that the western military alliance is ukraine's only way to end the war in don't pass experts in moscow say that statement would not have gone down well in the kremlin. any cooperation between ukraine and nato any help from the north atlantic alliance is a red flag for the kremlin. but that doesn't mean that all members of the alliance welcome ukraine's desire to join nato as soon as possible letting right know there are steps towards membership are not on the agenda. a clear statement that gives many in russia hope that a war is preventable. the people of donbass are less optimistic though the pro russian separatists insist they don't want war either. useful if you crane

takes the 1st step nobody knows where it will end the muslim youth which of. kremlin is doing all this to blackmail ukraine and the west. if truth be reinforced if they escalate and continues even a small provocation will be enough to set things off with unpredictable consequences. russia's defense minute. street says this footage shows recent exercises if the situation escalates t.v. screens may soon be showing the real thing. let's get more on this now with our correspondents yuri were shadows standing by in moscow and david stern is in do you have welcome to you both here and let's start with you it was suggested in that report that the saber rattling we're seeing from russia is part of an effort to blackmail ukraine in the west can you explain that strategy

well some or all experts i spoke to assumes that russia isn't going to annex donbass as it once did with crimea instead to moscow as soon as possible once done bus to be integrated into ukraine but that's important to me on the largely russian control through that political control in donbass of the ground and could put pressure on the old ukrainian politics and that's obviously the geopolitical russian goal the ukrainian president selenski knolls of that and also that and therefore a he has changed his strategy towards russia in the beginning of his presidency he pledged a new dialogue with moscow now he's going at a completely different way and seeking in the age old membership for ukraine which is a red flag for the kremlin of course also recently there has been remarkable pressure on the program when politicians in ukraine russia friendly t.v. channels will just let me putin lost one of his few tools of influence in ukraine and he's now obviously taking revenge the next reason is that the verbal exchange

with u.s. president joe biden who called putin a murderer that consequently worsened to the relations with the us and finally russia's going to vote when you parliament this year the kremlin apparently needs and you have gender for the parliamentary elections which distracts from the internal issues and 6 and even outside why not ukraine well david let's come to you in kiev now as things have been escalating ukraine earlier this week called on nato to create a way for ukraine to join the military alliance what did you make of that. well the 1st thing that should be said is interesting that the lecky initially president selenski initially was much more neutral on the question of nato when he was a candidate just after he called for a referendum on the issue of ukraine joining now he's openly calling for the path towards membership which is obviously much stronger i've spoken to people who are talking to the administration and they say 1st of all this isn't this position is and. joining nato is

a foreign policy goal in the ukrainian con constitution that the membership action plan was discussed 13 years ago a nato summit and so this is shouldn't come entirely as a surprise but what concerns the most recent developments is that this is reflects a puzzlement and frustration on the ukrainians part say say that they've tried everything they've peace part process as reached a dead end and that is the lens he was calling for a deescalation and cease fire in the in the east neither of these are got anywhere so what we're seeing really is a move after everything at least as they say move after everything else has failed . as russia indicated how long it plans to maintain its troops at the ukrainian border. well the crusher insists on its right to put its armed forces or whatever it wants as long as they are on the russian grounds and that's clear nobody can

force russia to withdraw its troops bot for pool political reasons russia cannot disregard on us because of the loss of don't bust could result in further political losses for russia bought on the other hand there is a risk of getting involved in a big war with almost the entire western world given that russia has hardly allies or even sympathizes with the west so we go on some consequences for me putin could be absolutely unpredictable ultimately it would be better if moscow stops its direct link as soon as possible and withdraw its troops from the border voluntarily maybe just before let me put in state of the nation or address to the russian parliament on april 21st all shortly after that may be our correspondents yuri resettled there in moscow and david stern in ts thank you both very much. let's 2nd hours of other stories making headlines around the world in northern ireland amassed demonstrators hurled petrol bombs at police and set fires as

sectarian violence spread to pro irish parts of belfast crowds have ignored lawmakers pleas for calm rest started last week and pro british communities tensions have been fueled by the time demick and post breaks it barriers to trade. iran has freed a south korean oil tanker it seized in january tehran had demanded the transfer of $7000000000.00 held in south korean banks student u.s. sanctions it's unknown if the payment was made the ship sailed hours before talks were seen resumed between iran and other countries over the nuclear deal. germany's coronavirus infection numbers are rising rapidly the government is warning that emergency rooms are filling up but german political leaders have been at odds over how to handle the crisis a meeting of state and national leaders scheduled for next monday has been cancelled due to disagreements some states want to loosen regulations while chancellor angela merkel and others are calling for tougher restrictions health

minister against bond today warned that the situation in germany was serious and called for a unified national approach and tougher restrictions because it signed the order to reduce the numbers we need consistent and if possible nationwide measures and feel that many citizens also recognize the need to break this wave of infections with additional measures many polls show it's very clearly. you could get in at any rate citizens have a realistic view of the situation and the gravity of the situation and the majority are in favor of stricter rules a lot don't is needed to break the current way from the ark to the village sheepishly. let's talk about all of this with our chief political correspondent melinda crane melinda as we had the infection numbers in germany are rising at the moment and intensive care units are also filling up so how serious is the situation in germany it's grave as the health minister and also the head of the country's

center for disease control said today we are in the midst of a 3rd wave we're seeing numbers edging close to the highest numbers we have seen in germany and both said that we are also seeing more and more serious cases amongst younger people even even teenagers and children and as the head of the center for disease control put it every day we don't bring these numbers down is a day that has cost in human life and as you said intensive care units increasingly stretched also personnel in intensive care units increasingly burdened so all of that makes it imperative to act meanwhile this comes as there's a battle between state and national leaders on how to proceed and we're hearing that the german government is trying to change that now or tell us more. indeed there have been battles because according to the german constitution health policy

is 1st and foremost in the hands of the federal states and there are wide variations among different regions in germany we have regions where there are just 37 new cases per 100000 residents and others where there are nearly 300 new cases for the same number of residents so clearly a lot of variation now with the heads of the federal states actually agreed on a plan in march that was supposed to have different levels of restrictions depending on how high how how high the level of infection in specific regions were but there's a lot of latitude for interpretation in this plan and some regions with high rates of infection have still tried to sort of find a middle ground where like in berlin they test more but they allow people still to go shopping and they have only a limited restriction on contact so the federal government has now said it wants to get a more reliable more automatic clearer plan for how to proceed based on levels of

infection and it is going to apparently revise germany's federal law to make that possible the interesting thing is the federal states apparently have agreed to this so we will see action next week to put more control in the hands of the federal government and get a more reliable more automatic plan for how to proceed our chief political correspondent linda crane reporting there for us thank you so much. let's check in on some other developments in the pandemic india's coronavirus crisis continues to worsen record numbers were registered for the 3rd day in a row japan has tightened restrictions on bars restaurants and events in tokyo and several other areas amid a growing outbreak just weeks after loosening them and the city is due to host the olympic games in july and french medical authorities are expected to recommend that people aged under 55 who have already received one dose of the astra zeneca vaccine should get a different type of vaccine as

a 2nd shot new york city's cultural scene is seeing some glimmers of hope after more than a year of pandemic restrictions the city's world renowned theaters and concert halls probably will not open before september but with millions of residents now vaccinated against the corona virus some venues are being allowed to reopen and the excitement is catching on. new yorkers are finally getting the opportunity again to pursue one of their favorite pastimes standing in line. i'm really excited for the sea to become the city again as we always knew it would it's pretty pretty exciting that you can feel the feel the energy ok they're not actually excited about queuing up but rather that after a year of zoo meetings and elbow bumps they're about to see a live show at one of the city's most iconic entertainment venues the comedy cellar in manhattan's greenwich village. the

comedy cellar has hosted nearly all the trades greats over the decades but like most venues it's been shuttered for more than a year now it's open again but at just 33 percent capacity in accordance with new york's regulations no code 19 test is required to enter and neither are masts when seated the club's owner is cautiously optimistic the venue will stay open now for good so i don't expect things to turn bad now they're back said he will very very quickly i think it's going to be ok. i hope it's ok and honest and if it's not i hope they'll shut us down again you know they should do what they need to do despite rising case numbers the risk of aerosols and virus variants the comedians in the audience breathe a sigh of relief and yeah there will be jokes about the pandemic. for the comedians for me it's pathetic to talk about this. to just say what i was going through and then i think for the audience it's not just them identifying in

a relating to that is one level and that's huge too but also just being with other people physically being around people around your peers in some social setting that itself is as important and gradually there are more and more places for new yorkers to do that restaurants are allowed to host patrons indoors at half capacity most of the city's museums have been open for months and now major sports venues are also welcoming fans again. madison square garden home to professional sports teams like the new york knicks and the new york rangers is open again at 10 percent capacity but to get in you have to have either a recent negative covert test or be fully vaccinated new york has just launched a new app that will help users prove their health status and that authorities say will make it easier for new yorkers and visitors to access venues and activities as the city slowly opens back up as tourists are returning to new york a so-called vaccination passport could be an important tool to bring back major

attractions like broadway most theaters here is saying they won't reopen until all seats can be filled they're hoping sometime in the fall or winter. but for now it's spring and new yorkers are enjoying their newfound freedom in the sun after a year in isolation this is our 1st day one year coming back to downtown so we are kind of like 5 it being so many people but it's a shame i'm a music teacher and i like that's teaching in person a few days a week. after a year of being on soon. i don't think i'm ready to sit in a concert hall over i am going to give a concert in one of their concert hall so it's i'm looking around here my mind is blown seeing how many people there are i haven't seen this many people in one spot i think scientists are warning people not to let their guard down pandemic they say is far from over if cases keep rising seems like quickly again become

a thing of the past. coming up next a growing dispute between washington and beijing the u.s. blacklist some chinese companies for building technologies it says could be used for dangerous purposes chris covers more into your business sector.

economy for. drought instead of rainy season in rwanda climate change is threatening harvest. a startup is now increasing. its south informs farmers about the plant's water needs and solar energy and sure his chief irrigation. comments march. first go. in 60 minutes on d w. i was issued when i arrived here i slept with 6 people in

a room. it was hard i was fit. i even got white hair. the gym language not all of this keeps me and they go but you need to interact with the site you want to know their story the migrants are fighting and reliable information for migrants. more than a 1000 years ago europe witnesses a huge construction boom. christianity for the established itself. both religious and secular leaders mourning to display their power. grace begins. to create the tallest biggest and most beautiful structures. stone masons

builders and architects compete with each other. this is home massive churches are created. contest of the feel good story. on t.w. . get a little bit of. the tech fido's widening the united states black lasting 7 chinese companies and if you choose a building supercomputers for the military get reactions and backgrounds from our correspondent also coming up want to buy a new car well you might have to wait a bit longer because of a drought taiwan and we take you to brazil for the long hours and damages leaving half the population was not enough to say. i'm chris cuomo welcome to the program.