calculated gamble as a lockdown is eased. chancellor merkel say some places will reopen under certain conditions, but all events with large crowds banned until the end of august. also, the perils of pregnanancyn kenya duduring coronavirus, coud the baby bee infecteted?

can you get to the hospital during the lockdown. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> a survey commissioned by dw news shows the majority of fans are against the season resuming and empty stadiums. a hero marks his 100th birthday. he achieved the landmark after completing a record-breaking charity walk to raise millions for health-care workers battling the coronavirus in the u.k. ♪ brent: i am brent goff. to our viewers, welcome. we start with angela merkel performing a delicate balancing act, easing lockdown restrictions, but warning they could be reimposed if the

infection rate increases. museums, galleries, places of worship, and children's playgrounds are allowed to reopen, but sports fans will be disappointed because major events such as professional football matches remain banned until the end of august. >> chancellor merkel defended her approach as she outlined the latest easing of restrictions in germany, following a meeting with the 16 state premieres. >> i am strongly convinced we can best work in the interest of business, but also social context if we focus on taking small steps towards allowing more contact, but don't take a step back. that's why we have to adhere to measures of hygiene. >> under the rules, religious gatherings are allowed, provided hygiene and distancing requirements are met.

visits to zoos, museums, and memorials will be possible under the same requirements. intensive care units in hospitals will start receiving non-covid-19 patients, and playgrounds can open as early as this week. two decisions were postponed. one, should germany soccer league resumed its season with games behind closed doors? and two, which requirements need to be met before schools and childcare facilities can reopen? angela merkel said it was important to get a clearer idea of the impact of the first steps to ease the lockdown two weeks ago before deciding on steps, happening next wednesday. brent: let's check in with our political correspondent in berlin. so, what do today's decisions tell us about where we are right now in germany?

>> we have to see that what angela merkel emphasized today was that she wants to be cautious, do this carefully, do this slowly, to measure it. she referred several times to the scientists and theheir advie given in this crisis. she feels it is absolutely necessary to lift certain restrictions and wait two weeks and measure whether those lifting of restrictions allow the virus to spread more quickly. if that is not the case, then further restrictions will be lifted. at the same time, the e-zines -- easings for zeus and botanical gardens are -- zoos and botanical gardens are not every two weeks deciding on new

measures, but people felt the areas where these restrictions were lifted are that not great consequence for society as all in the spread -- as a whole and the spread of the virus. brent: chancellor merkel said don't shoot the messenger, trying to protect the scientists who sometimes have messages the public would not like to hear. give us a sense of the balancing act they have to perform here. >> they are under pressure from business, industry, the population, parents who have had to spend weeks behind closed doors with their children and need relief from that stress and strain. business needs financial relief. millions of people in germany aren't earning money at the moment, so the pressures are intense, severe.

against this background, angela merkel is defending her careful and measured measures in order to basically say if we do this slowly, step-by-step, in the end we will be more quickly at our goal of a normal society than if we had to take back and re-impose restrictions if the virus spreads too quickly. brent: a setback is not what anyone wants. thank you. britain remains in lockdown. almost 27,000 people have died from covid-19. prime minister boris johnson says the country is past the peak of the outbreak. his government has come under fire for the way it responded to the pandemic. tonight, he is insisting that it has so far succeeded in its first and most important task, to avoid the tragedy in other parts of the world. >> the british government has

not met its target of 100,000 tests per day, something pours johnson had to concede at his press conference -- boris johnson had to concede that his press conference. >> i will not minimize the promise we have faced in getting the right protective gear to the right people at the right time, both the nhs and in care homes. >> the situation is particularly bad in care homes and nursing homes, a majority of stafaff hae yet to be tested for the virus. >> there is s a tsunami of d des that we may have been n able to avoid if we had this testing much earlier. >> boris johnson will release a comprehensive lockdown xit strategy -- exit strategy. >> i will set down a plan next

week to get our economy moving. >> britain has europe's second-highest covid-19 death toll. brent: here is a roundup of the latest developments in the pandemic. the who has warned the outbreak is still picking up speed across africa, despite efforts to contain it they are. spain is to allocate time slots for outdoor activities to help avoid confusion. residents will be allowed out of their homes to exercise on saturday for the first time since march. denmark says its gradual easing of lockdown measures has not accelerated the spread of virus. kindergarten and schools began opening two weeks ago. u.s. intelligence agencies say they agree with the scientific consensus that it is unlikely that the new coronavirus was man-made. this comes after president trump

touted the theory that covid-19 was made in the laboratory in china. since the coronavirus outbreak began. the advice has been to stay at home. >> the lockdown from any means living on top of each other, no playgrounds, schools closed, everyone is finding it stressful, and it is worse for families were domestic violence is already a problem. agencies supporting women say attacks are on the increase. >> we know from the cases we are seeing that it nearly always affects women who have been subjected to lolong-term violene by their partners and who now cannot get away becacause they have to stay at home. it is just as bad for the chilildren, , as there are so fw opportunities for them to get away fromm it.

>> was police or social services are brought in,n, it generally means there is a serious inindent. workers at one e agency are especicially concerned. >> it is much quieter than usual, and that is worrying for us. that is because agencies can't make home visits at the moment can only talk to families on the telephone. it is the same for doctors, teachers, and neighbors who would normally pick up on women and children being abused. >> this is concerning. schools and day centers often bring us in. teachers tell us about problems. that's not happening at the moment. >> children subjected to serious violence may be placed under protection ordrders at beberli's criminal invesestigation office. it i is often the youngsters

ththselves whoho report thee ofoffenses. >> we hear about in those casess when the children afaffected get at thahat older.. juveniles also goo to the police station with familily members or call emergency numbers, but they also get reports from doctorss and hospitals. what we are not getting at t the moment o our reports and schools and day centers. >> restrictions are leaving home are often t triggers for violent outbursts. >> we know parents resort to violenence to stop their childrn going ou that i is not acceptable, and te children themselves often go to the police. >> it seemsms many families who need help are using the corona reststrictions ass a pretext too break off cocommunication. >> we fear thatat because of the

coronavirus and the reducuction incontact t that it t will be difffficult to reeeestabsh dialogue. it may not be possible for us to step in because some families have retreated into themselves. the authorities are appealing to everyone to be on the lookout for signs of domestic violence, and if necessary, to call the police. brent: here is a brief look at other stories making headlines around the world. russia's prime minister has tested positive for the coronavirus. russian state media say the 54-year-old was now enter self isolation. the first deputy prime minister will be his temporary stand-in. there have been traffic jams of up to 30 kilometers at the border between kenya and uganda because of mandatory coronavirus testing. the controls were introduced after several canyon truck drivers tested possible --

positive. they say they have been waiting for days. in syryria's civil war, a rebel leader has announced cease fire for ramadan. it follows international calls for a trucebubut the countries ininternationalllly recognized government sayays it'sorces will keep fighting, citing a lack of trust in the proposal. germany has banned the iran-backed has blood group and declared it a terrorist organization, in addition to a 2013 ban on hasas the lawaws military factionon, and now includes all activities by the group political wing. pregnancy can be a scary time for any woman, but during the corona outbreak brings a whole new set of difficulties . is it safe to go to the hospital, for example, could the baby get infected, and cook the women get to hospital during

lockdown? the situation is hard for women from p poor homes inin kenya. any hospital, especially herr hospital now houses the main coronavirus clinic. she has littlele choice but to o for her regular checkups. we sitit outside, far away, then the doctor comes and you have to stand d away from him. they take your health card and you gogo back outside. with the little time the doctors have come it is up to the local ngo to explain the results to the mothers. she checks if they are well and following doctorors instruction. >> you find that she has no money to go for a tesest, and se

is worried. >> the blood test cost the equivalent of one dollar, but like many families, she is spending all her money on food and b brent. in kenya's biggest islam, -- islam, the economic hardship is worse. her biggest worry is s the eveng curfew, one of the measures introduced to curb the spread of corona.. >> i don't know when i will go into labor. it is a problem w with the c cuw and the way police are beatining people up. what if the baby comes at night and i don't have any help? she can walk to a nearby hohospital at a any hour. >> i have my health volunteer jacket. when i put it on, the police

officer knows i am on duty. >> we visitited one m maternity clinic run b by the ngo.o. aside from the extra precautions, things are still normal, but health care workers are normal -- worried. >> we have seen a number of clans not accessing services, but doing all we can to make sure that mothers do not deliver at home. we have been working closely with relevant authorities that can ensure the success of this particular point. >> now kenya only has a few hundred cases of confirm corona, but the hope is women will be able to access services even when the numbers rise. brent: from suggesting injecting disinfecting to conspiracy

theories linking the pandemic to 5g mobile phone networks, there has been no end to the fake news during this crisis. now a new fact checking website has been set up to combat the wilder stories appearing on social media sites. those stories are wild. my colleague joins us now to talk about these wild stories. tell us about this new site >>. it is an independent, free fact checking site that has been set up in response to some of that misinformation and disinformation that has emerged over the coronavirus. the platform allows people t send aessage or a link that they tnk mighte urue to fact checkerwho will then investigate,ecide if t contenis true, false, or perhaps unclear. i spoke to one of the cofounders , the british politician damien collins, who explains that if

people are unsure about certain content should think very carefully about what they do. >> don't share content that can be proven. this is a serious issue. if they can't back up what they are saying with facts, don't spread it, whether a false theory or theory about how it started or what cures it, don't share that. brent: how do they stop people from sharing that? >> that is a good question. this stuff is prolific. the site has launched its own social media campaign calm isolate the lies, whether it is claims that disinfecting can cure covid-19, something even the u.s. president donald trump has suggested, or whether something else, the advice is don't let it spread. damien collins wants to go further and make it a criminal offense to knowingly and maliciously spread disinformation about the virus, and he says that even those in

power should be included in that. >> if a world leader is sharing information that is false, that shouldld be cold out. i think twitter took on messages from the prison of brazil that could lead to physical harm if followed, so they should. brent: it could have terrible consequences for presidents in north and south america. what about the social media sites hosting this fake news? >> exactly. damien collins has spent many years in the u.k. trying to push for more regulation of social media sites such as face book and making sure they take responsibility for what they are hosting. he said although some of them have done better during this crisis, he still thinks they need to be held liable if that disinformation is not removed and said he thinks it is crucial that the key networks that are distributing it are found and

stopped, because if that doesn't happen, then this battle will never be one. -- won. brent: yes, thank you. you are watching "dw news." if we can't be there to watch, don't bother playing. adw survey shows the majority of germans are against the bundesliga season resuming in empty stadiums. that story is coming up in just a moment. chances are most of you have not taken a flight lately. the pandemic has reduced global air travel dramatically. airlines are in trouble as people cancel holidays and businesses turn to videoconferencing. in an emergency move to save itself, lufthansa has started converting passenger aircraft into temporary cargo planes. >> the flight took more than 13

hours, the 747 was the last rescue flight carried out on behalf of the government. on board the flight, almost 280 passengers were happy to be back on german soil. it was also a special flight for the crew. they weren't looking forward to the end of their working day as theyey usually do. >> we will be working far less. this month, just one flight, not much next month. we don't know how long this will last, nobody does, and we are worried. >> lufthansa has canceled 96% of all passenger flights due to the international travel restrictions. it is trying to get a few planes in the air. to do this, technicians remove the seats large nets are

stretched where passengers normally sit. this airbus is ready to transport boxes and parcels. airfreight is piling up in warehouses because nearly every passenger plane also o carries freight, and since most airliners have remained on the ground, that freight is going nowhere. >> a lot of freight is flown in the bellies of planes, especially transatlantic and long-haul flights. this capacity is absent from the market now. 90% of passenger aircraft has disappeared in the cargo holds are no longer available to us, about 50% of total freight capacity. >> less capacity means rising prices. sending one kilogram of airfreight from china to germany cost five times as much as it did before the pandemic. that is why these repurpose passenger jets travel between china and frankfurt every day, mostly protective equipment and masks. peschel flights also go to munich.

>> it is an ambivalent feeling. it is good we can do our part to help, but of course it would be much better if there were seats on board with passenger sitting in them and all the seats were sold. >> the a additional cargo o flis aree only providing work for a few employees. almost all flight attendants and pilots are furloughed amid the uncertainty over the airlines future. brent: soccer is a sport for spectators, in case you have forgotten. a survey reveals that public support for resuming the bundesliga season is fading dramatically. the majority of the people surveyed say they do not support matches starting in may, if those matches are ghost games. >> bundesliga games behind closed doors, necessary for survival or the wrong message. a survey shows the majority are

against so-called ghost games. 49% don't support a resumption in may without fans, almost 20% more than an identical survey conducted three weeks ago. clubs and officials are desperate to play again to guarantee some 300 million euros in revenue. the restart would involve testing players and restricting stadium access. the head of the league says some clubs will go out of business at the season can't restart. >> i am asking all those interested for leniency. playing wiwithout spectators is not what we want, but it seems ththe o only thing possible at e moment >> any return to action depends on political sign off. now that signoff may be harder to get. brent: the british world war ii

veteran who raised millions for britain's national health service has been promoted to the rank of honorary kernel on his 100th birthday. the royal air force flew world war ii planes over his home north of london in his honor. the flyover was supposed to be a surprise, but the government had to confirm the rumors in the midst of intense media interest. he is not just a celebrity in britain. fans around the world have been wishing him well on this very special birthday. >> a flood of birtrthday wishes. >> it is the most amazing outpouring of love for a great man. he has captured the hearts of

everybody in this country and this is what it looks like. >> the centenarian being celebrated is this man, who completed 100 laps in his garden with the help of his walking frame, and raise more than 27 million pounds to support britain's national health service during the coronavirus outbreak. his aim was to raise just 1000 pounds with his chcharity walk, but his humble mission became th an unexpected hit as people watch his progress online. >> it is unbelievable that people would be so kind to give that kind of money the national health service. >> havining raise more donations than any charity walk in history, he has earned a spot in the guinness book of world records.

while politicians, athletes, and stars are jumping at the opportunity to applaud his initiative, his donations have enabled the opening of a brand-new 500-bed hospital facility in yorkshire, leaving little doubt there is nothing a 100-year-old with a strong sense of solidarity and a sturdy walking frame can do. brent: we wish him the best of birthdays. after a short break, we will be back to take you through "the day." stick around. we will be right back. ♪