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to subscribe. to. you're watching news asia coming up today is a setback for indian prime minister narendra modi's party and regional elections that finished this weekend as the pandemic spiked his ruling b.j. pete did not win in a key state of west bengal despite an aggressive campaign. and on world press freedom day what india's track record when it comes to open media especially when the government in power has shown so much hostility towards journalists. i'm melissa chair. anna thank you for joining us on news asia parts of india

finished holding regional elections this weekend and they were closely watched as possible indicators for how people feel the ruling national government of prime minister new renda modi is doing but it was the incumbent triple congress or a i t c that prevailed by a nearly 3 to one majority though the b j p did gain new seats west bengal saw a lot of attention in part because modi's b j p spent so much time and energy campaigning there the pandemic has played its part in the election as it has in so many elections around the world this past year with many citizens pinning the blame on modi when the cases started rising up the government had a plan. but turns out that it didn't work in the 1st week or so that the governments have no idea they're not prepared for anything if you don't have enough manipulators in one hospital forget about all the whatever you need for the entire

city argument armys we have minnows joshi with us he's a distinguished fellow at the observer research foundation i know should the pandemic has played a role in the outcomes of these regional elections but do we know how much well actually i was just reading. the newspaper an analysis in the jungle of india would say that the pandemic didn't play any significantly in reading you know all of the. 6 or 7 different. segments and they say that there was no change in the dominance of the true meaning. in gold is right through. you know i'm not sure that every room in the oakum. i am still kerry s. though is it really possible that the pandemic has not played a role in people's feelings in terms of how they feel about modals government he's just pivoted to focus on the fight against covert to help shore up his support what

do you think about that and do you think moving forward this will have an impact on politics in india well it could have an impact no you see the thing is that as the the elections were going on. was not immediately affected by the time of things that are happening now in delhi ordered in some of these other places you know where people are running around the administration has collapsed but in bangalore the elections were going on the people didn't quite focus on what is happening elsewhere meaning what was happening in maharashtra mumbai or in delhi but no people are focusing on it and people are focusing on the absolutely. the state was within a week meeting the state is doing nothing next to nothing in being with this spending and that really have an impact i think in the coming days and so the chief minister

is going to have a lot of pressure moving forward now what if depending on the course of the pandemic in respect of meaning just hope it shapes up dealing with it yes it's going to be you know more than a handful if it catches on like it caught on in maharashtra where. almost catastrophe but no monster is improving but in delhi as i said it's the pandemic is going on unchecked and there is absolutely to go there is no government really people are running it on their own looking for oxygen cylinders hospital beds medicines so if that kind of a situation occurs let's see how the west bengal government deals with it but they said that for the future that hasn't happened is it. thank you so much for your insights.

it's world press freedom day and we're sticking to india and taking a closer look at its record for democracy the country ranks poorly 142nd on the index compiled by reporters without borders which says it has become one of the world's most dangerous countries to report in and like in many other places the government has used the pandemic as a pretext for its policies infringing on civil liberties. a health system that's crumbling. as the outbreak in india rages many have turned to social media to voice their criticisms about the country's handling of the crisis. criticism that the government has decided to go after. in april it ordered social media platforms to take down dozens of posts including critiques from politicians that accused the government of underplaying the crisis on the same day

a report in newspaper the australian titled modi leads india into viral apocalypse prompted a sharp rejoinder from indian representatives and camera the high commissioner asked the news outlet to refrain from publishing quote such baseless articles in the future. the couvade crisis critics say is another blow to the already embattled media and press freedom in the country. under to be g p party which has been leading the government since 2014 journalists say intimidation and attacks against them have increased. in jammu and kashmir for example when the region was put under lockdown in 2019 after being stripped of his political autonomy. journalists struggled to keep objectivity in their reports and.

in the latest global press freedom index india ranks of this 100 and 42nd out of 180 countries and regions reporters without borders khost india one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists citing killings attacks prosecutions and coordinated hate campaigns against them. it also slams the government for taking advantage of the pandemic to step up control over news coverage like reports from supriya sharma the executive editor of a new spot oversaw rested and accused of defamation and negligence that could cost a coronavirus to spread. a delhi based think tank price and risk group says dozens of journalists were booked by the police or even arrested for their reporting on covert 19. were prime minister narendra modi came to office

in 2014 he said quote our democracy will not sustain if we can't guarantee freedom of speech and expression a statement many find contrary to what's happening in the country right now. joining us as pamela phillipos journalist and man for india news site the wire pamela the wire has aggressively covered the government in power as it would presumably for any other political party in power but their ruling b j p has taken this quite personally tell us more yes it's only just introduced into match the rules. to actually i'm sure they're not. that just doesn't or t t platform says bell as. news. so

basically it just controlling the narrative that is the intention and. the government then has the right to assist us to censor settles all they have the right to take down content that they consider a sense give us a bit more detail about how cold it has given the authorities an excuse to curtail press freedom yes 8 when cooled it began when the pandemic began last year the 2 intention was that the government and the government was very interested in projecting itself that someone or some entity that this totally in control and then the talk of the government of course it is the son defied in the state the office the prime minister mr necker and there most of the so basically it was

seen as a way off rejecting the netherlands or more of these governance that mortal and best choice was made important that the media the media as narrative and then falls to the government's narrative and what was attempted at that time that was about your article a was your job the more the government reached out to all nights of the media as well as senior journalists and i asked them for their cooperation in handling a very deceitful sit to be sure of course everyone understood that it was a difficult and that we didn't want to spread by nick so that's what's in camps. 5 this tank decision right now would cut the hell out of us. oh sorry inishmaan i thought what the was that the vent to cook

and try to get a court injunction against the media's coverage right and so you have issues with coal it also the legislation how can careless in india fight back. you know the movement got journalists in india facing a triple by me on the one hand they have over it and many of them are falling ill and dying a slow bit they have quite a few about a 100 people have been affected to run the other hand you have governments trying to control the media narrative and finally you have a direct stake your question arrests and so on so you have this triple whammy that journalists are chasing how they're like that yes it does it just.

does it's just for individual journalists to fight back although there are of united nations and networks trying to you know dream john this to guarantee. that while he's stress thank you so much pamela phillipos. that's it for this monday there's always more on our website d.w. dot com for slash asia we leave you with pictures of celebrations over the results of those weekend's regional elections in india thank you for watching see you tomorrow and goodbye.

are you ready for some great news i'm christine winblad on the eye on the edge of my country with a brand new software go to show that tackles the issues shaping the content of the car with more time to off on in-depth look out all the time stuff. what's making the hittites and what's behind it well on the streets to give you the end of reports on the inside. w. news in africa every friday on g.w. . got some tips for your bucket list.

possibly. some great cultural memorials to. a pretty good. odds. it's world press freedom day and then arts and culture will be looking at how different people have found ways to tell their stories and make their voices heard despite censorship and oppression. in zimbabwe will meet 2 comedians who are fighting injustice with a surprisingly effective weapon satire but. we'll see how director clothes and the oscar winning film nomad land are being censored in china. and as an antidote to journey to fast find can place is without ever leaving home in our series 100 german must reads. welcome to the shell every year on

world press freedom day d w awards its freedom of speech prize this year's recipient is nigerian reporter to bora of warre in 2013 of war a embarked on a courageous and dangerous project she went undercover as a sex worker to investigate human trafficking in nigeria experiencing violence and abuse in the process her resulting report shed light on the problems facing young women who are louer to lives of forced prostitution in europe the report also lead to criminal inquiries and inspired the netflix film or new to re. of warre will receive the award next month during the w's global media forum now let's stay in africa but travel south to zimbabwe where 2 women are taking a different approach to fighting injustice with the economy in crisis and government critics brutally silenced comedians maggie and gone yeti are airing

their dissatisfaction through humor their satirical sketches broadcast online are hitting a nerve the pay as you tube videos have racked up thousands of views. this is a parody but it reflects the reality isn't bob way. oh i'm over here to my i don't know whatever i'm up for to. file why do. many zimbabweans still don't have access to good health care. and the weekly skits maggie and 2 young female comedians talk about the daily issues affecting their fellow citizens. a lot of women are facing difficulties. delivering their babies. you friending many lives was when the flaw so my giving bev in public transport. is this. said the channel

bus stop t.v. started as an experiment among friends they posted this get some social media and then they quickly grew in popularity. and that's what we thought. were valid so. they decided to reproduce these conversations skits and spotted by the news and real life experiences. just before the start of the covert $900.00 pandemic and even launched the show in a mini bus like you to the pandemic that show had to be halted social issues local governance national governance service delivery so such issues that is that we cover but there is still to boot topics insulting the president for example is punishable by law after the ousting of former president robert mugabe who was in

power for 37 years and had hoped for better days but they call me is in ruins and those who criticize authorities are still being silenced. bus stop t.v. offers an alternative to the mainstream news and by disguising their messages in humor they try to avoid government censorship. yes just like what we're going to get your next meal and in the meantime you'll see a skit from bus stop and she laughs but when you make fun of the situation we're not going to give me lightly but actually telling you things are. like when talking about police violence but what i would like to assure that they should that we do not promote violence it's something that the team members experienced 1st hand i was i don't think last year i guess last year. after doing as kids the kids we were. we're talking about police brutality that's.

pretty. through the roof where it was it was tough it was something else going yet he feared for his safety but the reactions of her followers kept her going some are saying you are good at what you're doing really highlighted the same situation in our beloved country. more tragic than fun thank you buster do you hear it again who are letting this story while letting this sort of state of our mission through committee what we're trying to do. is head like people our. people are relating saw is good. young team at bus stop t.v. make people laugh and they give them some form of comic relief they're looking for change in zimbabwe and as they watch by so many they hope that they too can contribute to this change. clothes our made history as the 1st asian woman and the 2nd woman ever to win the best director oscar but viewers in

her native china were not able to enjoy her triumph the ceremony was censored along with all mentions i'm sorry in the media have film a nomad land which won best picture still hasn't opened there the backlash began in march when beijing discovered an interview the director gave 8 years ago. the world is talking about filmmaker chloe except china where the director of the oscar winning film nomad land was born the reason is an interview style gave him 2013 where she described china as a place where there are lies everywhere she and her film have been censored from the internet in china so have people in beijing heard of her. money sorry i haven't heard anything. i haven't heard her name very young. this man decides what people in china are allowed to see right after taking office

president g. jinping declared that art has the fundamental responsibility to serve socialism he's increasingly been using china's economic might to censor hollywood as well. thanks to the pandemic last year china was the biggest film market in the world with some 2000000000 euros in revenue now or in a situation where attending the chinese government means potentially being shut out on the largest box office in the world and that is an increasing source of pressure on hollywood decision makers to play ball so hollywood has really edited films for the chinese market like bohemian rhapsody the bio pic of freddie mercury lead singer of the band queen in patrolling his life it addresses his homosexuality including a scene of a kiss which was removed from the chinese release. a scene

recreating a famous music video in which mercury dressed in women's clothes was also cut homosexuality is taboo in china. in a report titled made in hollywood censored by beijing james taker analyzes the self-censorship by the us film business. hollywood enjoys this reputation of being an industry that speaks truth to governmental power to see that this sort of free pass that the industry overall is given to beijing to influence their movies is disappointing. china's president knows that if he controls hollywood he also controls what the rest of us see and what we feel. is hollywood being willing to change content for the global release of the movies not just the version of the movies that show in china so that the chinese communist party centuries ship

dictates actually expect what the entire world watches the chinese posters for nomad land had already been printed before the ban china's propaganda apparatus loves films that are critical of the u.s. not criticism of its own country nomad land is unlikely to ever be shown in china. in other news here's something i bet you haven't seen for a long time thousands of revelers have attended a music festival in the u.k. city of liverpool without masks or social distancing the event at the weekend was part of an experiment to test the safety of not scale gatherings ahead of the country's to be opening attendees had to produce a negative $1000.00 test. u.k. police say they are assessing allegations of sexual harassment by as yet unnamed man that statement follows accusations against actor and director no clock made by more than 25 women bafta has suspended his award for outstanding british

contribution to cinema clarke is best known for kidulthood adult and brotherhood films about bullying and drug abuse among young londoners. the pandemic has turned many of us into 2 ists only able to dream of the adventures we might enjoy if we could just austrian author christopher runs my own has been all over the world for he and he's fictionalized his adventures in a collection of short stories the result of an anxious man is the latest book in our series 100 german must reads. what if you could travel the whole world see every continent and you wouldn't even have to quit your job abandon friends and family or max out your credit cards well i may have an idea. and.

here's a little tip atlas of an anxious man by austrian author co stuff i miss my r. who take you want to world tour you want to have to leave the house for it's more adventurous than it sounds you'll meet a golf player at the north pole and a welsh birdwatcher drinking whisky on the great wall of china. you'll experience a terrifying drug search on the malaysian border you'll hear an aztec human sacrifice back from the dead playing accordion for spare change. 70 very short stories about different places different people different landscapes each poetic tale starts with the words i saw and the runs miles lets us see with him the wonders and the horrors of humans and nature and their violent collisions for instance a brazilian anaconda the queen of the wild getting run over by a truck. the anaconda was still alive and slithered on words slower now without

its former fluid grace and occasionally as though seized by spasms but on words nonetheless there was no visible wound on its pattern skin but its spine must have been broken this queen would now reign only over the realm of the dead with her broken back whom could she hunt now without once raising its head above the foliage the queen crept silently into oblivion. author coastal crime smiles spent decades travelling to the places he describes in the book his adventures either make you want to go out and collect some stories of your own or maybe you'll just be glad you read his instead. you can find more in all the books in the series on our you tube channel books and check out our website about the w dot com culture for more stories including the latest casualty of the pandemic

germany's iconic october fest which has been cancelled for 2nd year running for more about the often culture in berlin. or not too well. what about a sharing economy instead. of the change in thinking is

changing the economy to create something new. economic magazine street journal. w. do you feel more each of the planets. please him. i'm neil. on the green fence post cost and to me it's clear we missed. the solutions are out there. join me for a deep dark green transformation for me. for the books. books

and on calling it big picture. the arab spring began in 2000 that. people stood up against corrupt rumors and dictatorship. all these moments. have left deep banks in my memory. it was an incredible feeling to be put to work liberty to. play they had hoped for more security more freedom more dignity. of their hopes for full. 10 years after the arab spring. era bally and starts june 7th on d w. business

news live from ve you prepares to welcome tourists again with national vaccination program speeding up the block plans to open its borders to travelers in time for the summer holidays also on the program indian hospitals making motions the appeals for oxygen the supplies have run out this crisis shows no sign of improving despite its assurances.