this is g w news live from berlin tonight another tragic pandemic record in india the death toll from cope with 19 has passed 200000 across the country infection numbers are rising and the crisis is being compounded by shortages of oxygen medical supplies and hospital staff also coming up hard hit in mexico races to develop its own coronavirus vaccine could a nasal spray inoculation help break the back of the pandemic in mexico and beyond also will the show greeting the u.s.

president's foreign policy we find out what some of germany's leaders have to say about joe biden's 1st $100.00 days in office plus german chancellor angela merkel presses china on human rights and expresses concern over beijing's treatment of muslim minorities improved democracy activists. i bring to our viewers on p.b.s. in the united states and to all of you around the world welcome to the coronavirus pandemic is showing no mercy for india today the 1000 death toll in india surpassed the 200000 mark the country continues to report record high numbers of the were infections medical aid from abroad has begun arriving but hospitals are still struggling with shortages of staff and supplies including oxygen india's health care system is so overwhelmed that many patients are now being turned away. a

covert 19 ward in a hospital in delhi this hospital like so many full to overflowing medical staff stretched to the limit some falling ill with the disease themselves one reality in india's coronavirus emergency and here's another woman receives oxygen outside a sikh temple. she's not alone there's no room for these people in delhi's emergency wards relatives are left to cope with severely ill patients by themselves describe some of the situation. it's one of these. and now she is not really a big. deal yesterday night it became 6 pm now it is. a long line outside supply people doing what they can to save their loved ones some

get the oxygen they need. but there isn't enough to go around. saying go home and if someone is dying there then let them they have nothing to do with our pain they have no one in their house who's ill. the state of delhi is reporting one death from covert 19 every 4 minutes and the hospitals can't cope with the growing numbers of patients so the commission grounds are struggling to cope with the rising number of deaths. the funeral pyres a burning day night. delhi is one hot spot of india's covert 1000 emergency maharashtra state in the city of mumbai is another here vaccination centers run out of supplies on wednesday india is one of the biggest producers of vaccines but it doesn't have enough to vaccinate the next 600000000 people who will become eligible for the job. ya know what that attending is that injections are not available as vaccines have not arrived i registered to come here

3 days ago i came all the way across the city and now they tell me so they've given me a helpline number and told me to try again tomorrow. one liberal but also bad now i'm at the frustration and suffering this 105 year old man and his 95 year old wife has survived a covert 19 infection the family says they want that story to give hope to us for many fighting the disease hoping pres are all they have to help them. more on the situation and indeed tonight i'm joined by jason kindred shook he's assistant professor in the department of medical microbiology and infectious diseases at the university of manitoba in winnipeg canada dr it's good to have you on the program the viral variants that are in india at the moment do we know what role they are playing in the spread of the virus it's a great question as we're learning. at each moment and what's really going on

certainly being 117 which was the very 1st emerged in the u.k. we know has been circulating in india and we know obviously that there are concerns regarding enhanced transmissibility with that variant the 1617 a certain is that it increasing in proportionality but we still i think are somewhat at it is you know standing what that actually means are we seeing that this housing has transmission like the other variants or is it just something else related to the current situation that is driving those infectious cases up we know that the models tell us that we have another 2 weeks in india of spreading of the virus as well as the death toll climbing after that things are expected to improve somewhat what role then does vaccination play here i mean is it too late to try to bring this under control with a vaccine. well i think you have to look at it from the perspective of the situation now versus where we're going to be a few weeks or a few months from now certainly to start back saying today is not going to curb the

transmission wave that we're currently seeing that's going to require you know probably a lot heavier restrictions be on vaccination but we know that vaccination has been able to help get situations over control in tandem with those other measures so i think certainly it's going to play a continued role we just have to get vaccines there frankly which i think is going to be that the biggest question there is of course concerned around the world that these viral variants in india could spread we know that some countries have stopped all flights from india do you consider that a wise move but this time. you know it certainly is the motive question right because we certainly don't want to limit people from being able to travel or do those things that are essential if if we don't actually know that it's going to limit spread but at the same time we also have to think enough suspicion with this particular variance on that there could be a chance fred and we certainly seemed easier to canada what happened with various

of concern reached us in eerily 2021 so i think certainly ringback there are a lot of people are being cautious to try and get the conditions you know basically as controlled as possible records to spread within their own countries and to try and limit the dissemination of this particular very we are in this pandemic now we're well into over a year of this pandemic and very criticism coming out of india that the government simply was called off guard they should have been much more adamant in trying to protect the people which they weren't as a medical professional how do you see it is what is what we're seeing right now in india could it have been prevented. i think certainly the impact and again i was in here canada we face the same situation and in different provinces as we face a remarkably strong 3rd wave you know we have to be proactive be reactive with codeine team that along with the various that we're seeing is simply not enough so

i think there's certainly to be a lot of questions that need to be addressed after we get through this wave and through the future how to better prepare to difference aside these 4 or these if abilities. and convention from the university of man a sober doctor we appreciate your time and your insights tonight thank you mexico has the world's 3rd highest 1000 death toll behind the united states and brazil over 215000 people are known to have died testing is limited and experts believe that the real death toll was actually much higher so the government is seeking to speed up that some nations only around 5 percent of the population is fully you not really didn't execute was appealing for more shots from abroad earlier this month president andries manuel lopez obrador received the astra zeneca shots but mexico is also developing its own vaccine if approved it would be the 2nd latin american vaccine the cuban shot is now in the final stages of testing

mexico one of the country's worst affected by the corona virus pandemic and dependent on imported vaccines in short supply globally. to help reduce the country's future dependency mexico is developing its own vaccine named patrika spanish for homeland the company spearheading the drive has already eyeing clinical trials. the mexican government hopes the vaccine can be approved for emergency use by the end of the year authorities say it has several advantages. if. this is a vaccine that can be administered as a nasal spray. and we've been laying the groundwork for mass production that will help keep costs low. and this in turn will make the vaccine more accessible to people in countries such as ours which are not as wealthy. as though.

that's things in large part to drawing on u.s. technology already used in other vaccines which the mexican developer says has proven safe and effective the mexican government has contributed to the funding. but if it were not i think it's good i don't know when it will come out the problem here has been the lack of support for research so it will take a long time i'm going to try to tell you. mexico is a country that should be a leader in the americas. and it should help supply other countries in central america provide. mexico's president has condemned vaccine hoarding by rich countries in the past he says his nation will share its vaccine with others. and i'm joined now by ellen alvarez buya who we just saw in that report she is the director of mexico's national council of science and technology which is working on

the development of the. vaccine it's good to have you on the program this vaccine we understand it if it if it's approved the approval could come by the end of this year will that be too little too late for the people of mexico. well you know because one of the goals is to recover this sufficiency this helps appreciates in mexico just to have 1009. to face all the diseases that have to be prevented with vaccines and besides we still don't know how these 1st vaccination would have to be reinforced and how mexico could help all the countries so it's not too late never too late to become less dependent on. it for a start to take it as fixed as health so that's why we can as he has been articulating capacities mexican capacities both public and private to recover these

operations in the production of vaccines not only against his house crop dollars. for other illnesses that are treated with such. back to the nation as a preventive needs we know that the vaccine that you're working on is designed to be administered as a nasal spray what are the advantages of that well the formulations are both ne sole and also intramuscular asshole the vaccine so both in animals at the park lane called trials and their clinical trials both types of formulations will be tested on the combination of these and of course even having one of the administration's being whole and not. make cheaper and also more practical to be administered at the very high rate so that's why we are very interested enough having one of the ration the nasal yeah i know that

a lot of people around the world not just in mexico would like to have a nasal spray instead of an injection with a needle i understand that the clinical trials are just beginning is it too early to talk about what level of efficacy we're going to have from this banksy. yes it is too early we are just starting the 1st phase one trial clinical trials for safety and the 1st data on it people see in response in humans but the perky day to our very very promising that's good to hear what are the plans for making this next scene accessible to other lower income countries. well if 3 clinical trial phases are successful both in mexico and in other countries then we will be able to have a local i mean latin american production we already have. both

a pilot. plant in mexico and also an induced charge and been set up a ready to a scale up the production of these vaccine in case everything goes well we to we hope to but we are radio also to transfer these technology to other countries in an open innovation lab to form which we have agreed by the way this he says technology that has been developed in the belak both by mexican and american scientists and also in spanish and distinct liberations the basis of the 2 which is based on the back door of newcastle's. has been gone for many years back now in collaboration between mexican public and private researchers and the american group so mexico hassid unique. formulation of these take tour for

a vaccine against. 2 you're doing very important work and we certainly wish you much success we hope that this vaccine works out exactly as you intended to do it maria elena alvarez earlier director of mexico's national council of science and technology we appreciate your time and your insights tonight thank you thank you. let's take a look now at some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world the european union's foreign policy chief says e.u. relations with russia are at a low point and that moscow is quote deliberately deepening the confrontation shows that the rails comments come after a spike in western criticism of moscow in particular over the troop buildup on the border with ukraine rudy giuliani's manhattan home and office and have been raided by federal agents and a major escalation of the investigation into his business dealings the personal

lawyer of former president donald trump giuliani has been under federal scrutiny for several years over his ties to ukraine. northern ireland's leader arlene foster has been else did by her democratic unionist party shills step down as party leader next month and as northern ireland's 1st minister at the end of june she had been heavily criticised for her handling of the fallout from britain leaving the european union that. german chancellor angela merkel has urged china to resume a dialogue over human rights issues as soon as possible she made the comments as she held her final government consultations with china as german chancellor hugh expressed concern about beijing's crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in hong kong her government has also raised alarm about china's treatment of its muslim with your minority but merkel stressed there were also areas where berlin and beijing could work together. it's not just the popular german cars

the chinese market has been a boon to the german economy on the whole throughout the pandemic but germany wants china to open its markets even farther that's a key issue for the intergovernmental talks that are being held virtually this time due to the corona restrictions german chancellor angela merkel called for more transparency regarding vaccine production and the reciprocal vaccine approval process and says medical the contentious topic of human rights should be on the agenda. we've always managed to broach this topic in the past and i'd like to see us get a human rights law going again as soon as possible. but tensions remain the e.u. has accused china of persecuting the muslim minority weekers but what beijing critics are calling reeducation camps the chinese government says are simply vocational schools. especially in these intergovernmental talks we have to make

clear which values we represent there can be no compromises there we have to make it clear to beijing that upholding human rights is non-negotiable with the 100 eyes chinese premier league chang admits to differences but says seamless cooperation is possible if both sides respect the other's core interests and refrain from meddling in internal issues it's a statement that seems to highlight the 2 countries problematic relations in his 1st foreign policy speeches u.s. president joe biden declared back in february that quote america is back the message the days of donald trump's america 1st isolationism were over but has the us president delivered on that promise we asked some of germany's leading politicians to grade the 1st 100 days of the by president's. because from the whole i like his political style it's factual it doesn't shy away from difficult topics

and it doesn't revert to activism in view of art so i give him a good grade and use it in this situation in the us is not easy because the country is so deeply divided and fast. and as the new administration is trying to bridge some of these gaps by investing in infrastructure and taking on a huge challenge of becoming carbon neutral. now it does psych change is possible even when starting from such a low base i was going slug can i factor is that on our worst fears have been confirmed by biden is leading america towards catastrophe both domestically and in terms of foreign policy our biggest worry is the confrontation with russia this clearly worries us the same goes for germany especially because to stop the north stream to pipeline north stream to project is clearly in germany's interest and the

u.s. has no business interfering in it. it has been an amazing change dr biden captures worked in a way america's back and we see with great satisfaction that many decisions that's been taken that really make a difference the united states is back and climate of course we're working with the united states and the world health organization this was gets was a lot of convict to bring in what joe biden is trying to do is a surprise. creating more jobs in people investing in infrastructure that they prioritize in sustainable development of the earth if you get. it shows he really wants to be kayne people's trust in politics from the for the one in the point to work of in then towards. president if i didn't is ready to listen despite soviet posy interests lined up against him. in that he's

completely unlike his predecessor. and it is a huge advantage to be able to talk to someone who is open and receptive. instead of the one who always gave you impression that he kept a good lead in history. all right that some of the views from here in berlin the schizo views now from across the big pond to the state of washington d.c. our very own in his poll standing by can he. we know the president biden's 1st 100 days in office they've been full of foreign policy decisions and some tough decisions that they're. absolutely for me one of his bold decisions actually really was the withdrawal of u.s. troops out of afghanistan something donald trump already has promised and something which is discussed pretty controversial here in the united states among

conservatives but also long members of the intel and intel and intelligence community because they fear their warrior like moving out also alters moving out of nato troops could lead to another power vacuum in the region and another outstanding move he made in my opinion is the way he treats russia the way he called protein a killer something president trump would have never done it it's very it's very important point a big difference there let's focus now on domestic policy and the role of vice president come over here as every time we see president biden be it at a press conference or when the president's holding a speech the vice president is always there with the president how do you read this . that's true she's very often on this side actually very often with her husband some of her biggest fans here criticize though that she didn't get more air

time that she's not allowed to speak more often but that's pretty common the 1st 100 days really belong to the president specially when you have a wife president with so many 1st i mean she's the 1st woman she's the 1st vice president who is not a wide but i'm sure that this will change we will see more of her especially as she now will handle the crisis immigration crisis and at the mexican border a topic which is very very important and brand a topic which will play a major role in the next elections yes b. of the next elections we know president biden has said that he plans to run for a 2nd term do you think he will. well right he said that some days ago. at this point will run again but what shall he do if he would say i'm not running again he would be a lame duck and no president wants that to be we have seen younger presidents aging

really fast in this job piece 78 years old no i think time will show if he still has the energy really to to keep doing what he's doing right now all right paul with the latest in washington just hours before that 1st presidential address to the joint session of the u.s. congress in just thank you. british prime minister boris johnson has denied any wrongdoing after an independent watchdog watched an official investigation into how he paid for the lavish renovation of his downing street apartment the electoral commission says there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offense has occurred it's the latest in a series of allegations against johnson and his party in recent days. this may well have been the most unpleasant day in boris johnson's political korea so far and the reason is located in downing street itself his apartment he had it refurbished in

this style for about 60000 euro and it's alleged that money came in the form of an undeclared donation to his posse the news gave the opposition another chance to attack the prime minister during question time on wednesday. so incredibly serious from the promise to tell house does he believe that any rules or laws have been broken johnson denied the allegations and claims he paid for the renovation himself you should know that i paid for down in st refurbishment possibly to speak that's right but johnson's explanation was not enough for the opposition leader on my reminded the minister coach says and i quote ministers who knowingly misled parliament will be expected to offer their resignation this isn't the only issue damaging johnson on monday the daily mail headline claim jumps in had said in october he drawled the see the bodies piling up in the streets then order now the

lock sound and all these allegations of beliefs of originated from jump since former advisor dominic cummings who he fired in november. organizers of the tokyo olympics will make a final decision in june on whether or not domestic spectators can attend the games with less than 3 months to go many parts of the country are under a state of emergency following a surge in corona virus infections organizers are also beefing up their safety measures which will now include the daily 19 tests for athletes instead of the previous every 4 days. michael collins the american astronaut who took part in one of the most famous space missions of all time has died at the age of 90 he flew the apollo 11 command module in 1969 while his 2 crew mates armstrong and buzz aldrin became the 1st people to land on the moon because

of that michael collins is often called the forgotten astronaut he died after a battle with cancer. you're watching the news here's a reminder of that top story we're following india's coded 19 death toll has now passed 200000 numbers are rising fast driven partly by a new more infectious coronavirus. after a short break i'll be back to take you through the day tonight the 1st foreign policy days of president by.

ready to go to extra. places in europe or smashing all the records stick them to move good adventure. just don't lose your grip. it's interesting. globetrotters discover some of europe's

record breaking sites. also in book form. imagine how many foolish old loves us thrown out on the water right now climate change means different office stores. faces watch less than when photos one week. how much worse can really get. we still have time to work i'm going. to access. to subscribe and morning news like this. up today don't miss our highlights w. program online d.w. dark come highlights. india's coronavirus prices i d w news special we'll look at the dramatic situation and venues and the impact of

the triple mutation on the country how can the rest of the world how welcome be done for the people and how can india bring the situation under control a special edition of d w news on the cover oh never. this crisis in india starts april 30th at 11 u.t.c. . almost 100 days ago joe biden moved into the white house since then the president has become known as the man with a plan 3 plans from fighting covert 19 to rebuilding infrastructure to shoring up american families all domestic and all costly with a combined price tag of $6.00 trillion dollars but this is not america 1st by any means president biden has also rejoined the paris climate agreement given iran's nuclear talks a restart and he's called the russian president a killer tonight we examine what joe biden has.