in germany, a why not learn with him? with simple online on your mobile and free t double easy learning course, nico speak, german made easy. ah. you're watching d w news asia coming up today and more controversy at the aging olympics. this time over chinese tennis star, punish. why is she or isn't she speaking under coercion? we take a closer look at her comments and her big career announcement. and in india, a legend has passed away millions more in the death of hollywood singer latin the guest car. ah

i. melissa chan, thanks for joining us. china and sports are under scrutiny once again. tennis star punch, way you may remember her has spoken up at the olympic games in bay. jean, she had previously accused a high level chinese official of raping her something she subsequently walked back . and ever since there's been fierce debate outside china over whether she's had to do so under duress. punch. why spoke to the french sports newspaper les, keep with a chinese olympic official in the room and said her allegations of sexual assault against a former official of the chinese communist party was an enormous misunderstanding. sexual assault. she is quoted as responding to pre submitted questions. i never said that anyone sexually assaulted me in any way before her accusatory post from november, 2nd was scrubbed from her verified account on chinese social media. though,

screenshots were posted on twitter, pung, writing, that young girl, li, of the all powerful politburo standing committee had forced her to have sex despite her refusals, she told like, keep that she is the one who erased the post. in addition to the le keep interview, the international olympic committee announced monday that i osi president, thomas bock, and others dined with pong on saturday. spokesperson mark adams said the i o. c will not judge whether an investigation on punk initial allegations is needed. i think we need also to listen to her and we need to hurt to read what she's saying. we've invited to come to europe and we will meet her again. and i think i, i think we can say that we all doing everything we can to make sure that the situation is as it should be at the daily news conference. adams wouldn't say whether i o. c. officials believe pong, as speaking freely with them, or under duress, as many experts believe the sports organization are doing everything to ensure that

she is happy. in her interview with le keep pung echoed the chinese government, saying her, quote, romantic problems. her private life should not be mixed with sport and politics. d, w 's, jonathan crane was at the i o. c press conference in bay, jean. he spoke to us about what olympic organizers are saying about pung situation . in short, not a lot, but that is a story in itself. because pung shrine, once again dominated questions by western media. the daily news briefing in between questions and chinese media about sporting equipment and athletic competition. pung, swipe as road back on her allegations in this interview. with les keep raises just more questions about how free she is actually to speak about her situation. the i see was asked about that in today's briefing, essentially mock adams, the spokesman said re sporting organization. he said it's not for us or you meeting

the much the media to judge her situation. now, thomas, back in his press conference last week, said that the i c would support punish why if she decided to pursue her allegations in the course. the ios is regard, have chinese course. they're probably higher than what most chinese citizens have in their rule of law. well, we also spoke to vincent mccallski earlier. he's germany director of human rights watch. part of what makes this story difficult for us as journalists, is that we kind of have to make inferences about what's going on here. since we don't know if pung is speaking freely or not, i asked mccarthy whether there's any way to figure out whether she means what she's saying now. not really because as you say, that's the problem. we don't know what's going on there. and we have to assume that whatever punctual i says now, she would be parenting the communist party propaganda line. and we know from other

cases that people are not free to discuss the problems they have with the government in china. so we have to assume that she's not speaking freely and that we can really beliefs any word as a 100 percent truth. that's the really tricky thing. how to even prove it one way or the other. now the io c has taken a lot of heat for taking what pangs says at face value? do you think those criticisms are valid against the i o. c? absolutely. the i o. c has made itself a propaganda too often communist party in china, of the chinese government, and without any em urgency, doing so. so i really don't understand why they going so far that they become like this spokes agency of the chinese government. the fact that punctual i is not allowed to speak freely actually, you know, you,

you should mock no organization or no media will actually engage with her now. and knowing that she does not speak her mind. yeah, and of course, and there's been some insinuations from the chinese government, a threats, veiled threats for all of the athletes at the olympics, not to break chinese law. and that is very of course, widely open to interpretation. and now, pang now says she's going to retire from the sport. we've seen other high profile chinese walk away from their careers after criticizing the government, i think of in the tech world jack, mom. * who is a billionaire and head of ali baba, for example? what's your take on what's going on here? again, because we can't independently talk to, nobody can independently speak with puncture. why we don't know really what's

behind that. i mean, that's a pretty interesting coincidence that after all, what happened with her and what was said about her that now suddenly she retired from the world stage. and as you said, it's not the only case in china where this happens online or social media criticism was expressed word wide. and it's, it's pretty suspicious. and i think the chinese government, it shows also that the chinese government can't really read what the democratic countries understand by doing this. because in democratic countries with 3 media with a free press, you pretty much understand that these kind of statements don't come without pressure in a dictatorship. so in other words, the chinese propaganda machinery is not doing a very good job. you know, a last question very quickly, sports and politics,

sports and human rights. they insist, some people insist that they're separate. what do you think then not separate as we have seen now was olympics in china. as soon as you grant dictatorship autocratic regime to use or use these huge, make our sports events for the propaganda. you make it political. i will see is responsible for the fact that part of the sports have to come has become politicized. plus sprint is big business and they are also part of the responsibilities like big business has meaning that in with, in the activity in the ranges of activity, they have to have the obliged to respect human rights fans on mccallski. thank you so much for joining us. ah,

millions of people across india and around the world are mourning. the death of one of the country's most iconic singers, lot home and get car has died at age 92. after being hospitalized with cobit last month, the bollywood superstar recorded thousands of songs and received dozens of awards in her long career. india has declared 2 days of national morning. this report from d. w. 's team in delhi. the people of mon, by bidding their final farewell to the much loved singer latham and jessica had captured the hearts of millions. with her music. there was an outpouring of grief at use of a death. prime minister entering the mo, the flew down to pay his last respects at a state funeral with full honors. hollywood, superstar shadow con,

was there from the fin industry, as was cricket at such. and then duca, the singers love for cricket was well known. let them engaged as reach, went far beyond the celebrities. her music had become an intrinsic part of people's lives. over the decades, the newspapers were full of headlines, remembering the singer and the legacy, the parliament was adjourned for an hour to honor her memory. the nation is in mourning flags of flying at half mast, and every one we spoke to her and the heart of the captain deli, expressed a great sense of loss at the passing of the nightingale of india. though i'm from told me i've heard a lot of her in the song with your tongue. and it's of course, a great love. the song she has been given as will always remain air we does, and that the something that will never, never leave. i like my own grandmother was to live a great grandmother was of it was so closely associated with that was the thought i

really felt as something has gone from our family, the hand right from our childhood. we have been just hearing her song. i almost fainted. i mean merlot obligation her ah, has been singing right before i was born in 1955. all my life. i been hitting out a melodious old. oh, this was wonderful. earlier songs in a regional fan, she went on to sing thousands more in many languages, with india's love for song and dance in the movies. it was left alone, getsco's voice that dominated different ministry. may right? she lent voice to the most glamorous of stars as a playback singer. but in her personal life, she remained unassuming with her girlish charm let and engage good one, numerous awards from religious leaders to india's high civilian award,

the potted retina, and in 2009, the french legion of honor. let them engage, curious, fondly remembered by fans in india and beyond the nightingale of indian they had gone, but her voice remains immortal. that's it for now, be sure to check out our other stories on d. w dot com, forward slash asia or on facebook and twitter. we leave you with the voice recognized across south asia, the nightingale of india latangelo car. thanks for watching and we'll see you tomorrow. ah. 6 i mean, ah, ah, i mean,

ah, meet ah, meet me, i will we got tips for your bucket list. ah, magic corner tread hot spot for food and some great cultural memorials to boot w travel off. we go done german with d. w at any time in any place using music videos of l as we have

to write a little question. so move the thing along to the is the co brookie from super ones eat c o o into active exercises? everything is online, mobile and interactive. non german for free, with d w ah, trying to live to the clouds of a war in german chance the whole of shoulders in washington for talks with you as president biden would take a look at which economic sanctions the west could impose in the russia, ukraine stand up, also coming up the united nation says north korea, stealing millions of dollars and crypto currency to fund it's nuclear missile program. we take a look at what's behind the claim and we'll go to mexico, where thousands of people every year phase violence violent evictions conducted by

criminal. again. i'm chris coldwell. welcome to the program. all our shows is in washington for his 1st trip as germany chancellor and his meeting with us president joe biden to show us came to present a common front on the ukraine crisis and keep relations smooth. germany has just taken over the g 7 presidency in the run up to the meeting. mr. charles said that germany is the strongest economic supporter of ukraine. and here's what's on the agenda. the meeting, the leaders will discuss the sanctions against russia. if it did invade ukraine, for example, possible penalties on the north stream to pipeline, which is to deliver russian gas to germany, bypassing countries like poland or ukraine. the leaders will also talk about bilateral relations and ways of fighting. the corona virus pandemic.