♪ this deed news live from berlin. donald trump announces he's pulling the u.s. out of the open skies treaty. it includes more than 30 countries and was meant to prevent conflict between the u.s. and russia. president trump says moscow has not been nearing its end of the deal. also on the program -- honoring its end of the deal. the pandemic accelelerates, the government faces growing criticism of its handling of the

crisis. and china signals its attitude toward hong kong is hardening. aging prefers its new laws to criminalize sedition, secession, and subversion in the territory. hong kong lawmakers say it's an attack on the areas autonomy. >> i want to say to the international community that this is the end of hong kong. this is the end of one country, to systems, make no mistake about it. ♪ >> welcome to the program. u.s. president donald trump says his country will withdraw from an important treaty known as open skies. he justified the move saying russia had not been complying with the deal which was signed two decades ago to increase military transparency among 34 countries. this will be the third arms-control pact mr. trump has

pulled out of since taking office. the other two worthy inf nuclear treaty with russia and the nuclear court -- nuclear accord with iran. dw's washington bureau chief is here. put this in context for us all stop how important is this open skies treaty and why does the president want to leave it? guest: the treaty has been very important for stabilizing relations between the u.s., its european allies and russia because it grants mutual permission to sending reconnaissance flights over the entire territory of its 34 members of the 34 countries that signed this treaty. this way, they have been allowed to spy on each other to see what is going on on the ground in terms of troop movement or military buildup. this has meant to the old trust

that no one is planning a military action or even a war. this treaty has been very important, but the trump administration has been complaining about russia's violation of this treaty for quite a while and now one of president trump's advisors said we have reached a point at which you need to say enough is enough , and that was obviously the thinking behind this decision. but let's have a listen to what president trump had to say about this decision. president trump: when we have an agreement, when we have a treaty and the other side does not adhere to it, and many cases, they are old treaties, old agreements, then we pull out also. i think what's going to happen is we are going to pull out and they are goingng to come back ad want to make a deal. we had a very good relationship lately with russia and you can see that with respect to oil and what is happening with oil. phil: this sounds like a

bargaining position. what might the president be after? guest: he considers himself the best dealmaker in the world and he doesn't have much respect for the deals made by his predecessors, so maybe he is hoping to get a better deal with russia. it's no secret as well that the u.s. is trying to get china involved in such treaties, international treaties, and the decision to withdraw from this treaty starts a six-month clock, so there will be time to negotiate, however, at the moment, what kind of solution can be found to satisfy the trump administration. phil: there are 34 signatures to open skies, so how would a u.s. withdrawal effect the other 33 members? guest: it will be very difficult for them, especially for the

european countries to remain in the treaty, which has been very important for europe, even if they remain in the treaty. russia is likely to cut off its flights the european allies used to monitor troop movements at their borders and that will be another blow to this system of europe-wide security. especially it will be difficult for the baltic nations and for those european countries who do not have significant satellite capabilities to monitor their neighbor, russia. phil: thank you for that. let's stay in the u.s. with a look at the country's efforts to get the economy back on track amid the coronavirus pandemic. in just over two months, the crisis has wiped out nearly 40 million jobs. the countries truckers have been

hit particularly hard, some of them taking their concerns directly to washington. reporter: with the u.s. economy in tatters, these truckers are out of work. hundreds have been camping out in front of the white house for three weeks. one of them honked her horn several times a day to draw president trump's attention to their plight. >> we are going to lose everything. the drivers are filing bankruptcy, losing their trucks, we don't have money for insurance, we don't have money for anything. if we don't get paid better rates, everything is going to be lost. >> we have families we have to provide to and that is our biggest thing. we lose this, what are we going to do? reporter: almost 2.5 million americans applied for unemployment in recent weeks. since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, around 39 million have lost their jobs, more than any time since the great depression of the 1930's. democrats in congress are

calling for additional aid, but the white house has rejected the bill. president trump insists the economy will recover because lockdowns are being eased. president trump: states are opening up, rapidly, safely, and we look forward to that. we will get back and have some very good numbers, i project. i think we will have a great transition which is heard quarter. i think you will have a very good fourth quarter and i think you are going to have an incredible year. reporter: now, all 50 states have gradually begun to reopen. phil: there are now more than 5 million confirmed covid-19 cases around the world and more than 100,000 infections reported in the last when he for hours alone. many of the cases are in south america. brazil in particular has seen a -- has seen an alarming rise in infections amid criticism of the government's handling of the crisis. reporter: only a small group of mourners is allowed to gather at

the cemetery in rio de janeiro. the deceased woman was 22 years old and doctors say she had several symptoms of covid-19. her father is grief-stricken. many brazilians don't wear masks. they need to beware, the virus israel. my daughter is buried over there. -- the virus is real. the president has played down the pandemic, even though the number of cases in brazil is increasing. he's allowing unrestricted use of the malaria drug, chloroquine , but experts say it could have serious side effects. that is why the governor of sao paulo wants to and it. >> we will not allow unrestricted use of chloroquine because scientists do not recommend it. reporter: sao paulo's governor has also threatened to impose a lockdown because not everyone is practicing physical distancing. meanwhile, the cities cemeteries

are prepared for more aerials. hundreds of graves have been dug. sao paulo has registered by far the most coronavirirus infectios and deaths in brazil since the start of the pandemic. theyey all scarere center in the amazon region has s collapsed. doctors work around the clock fighting to o save patients livs and cheering on those who recover as they leave the hospital. phil: let's take a look at some of the stories making news around the world. donald trump's former lawyer, michael c cohen, has returned he after being released from prison amid a drive to lower coronavirus among inmates. he serving three years for campaign finance violations and will serve the rest of his time under house arrest. sri lankan officials say three people have died in a stampede in the capital, colombo. they say residents were scrambling to receive aid being distributed to people who lost their livelihoods because of coronavirus restrictions.

a new law on face masks has taken effect in spain. it requires anyone over the age of six to wear them in indoor public spaces and outdoors when a distance of two meters cannot be maintained. this comes as the spanish government starts to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions. tokyo's top prosecutors to resign after it was revealed he ignored official advice on containing the spread of the coronavirus will stop -- front of virus. he was widely criticized as he played a group gambling game while the country was in a state of emergency. he's a close ally of shinzo abe. china has announced it will propose new national security laws to give the communist party more power over hong kong. the legislation is aimed at the chinese territory's pro-democracy protest movement and is likely to undermine its unique freedoms. the proposals are expected to be

discussed tomorrow when china highest political body begins its annual assembly. reporter: some 3000 delegates from all over china have gathered for the national congress in beijing. normally lasting two weeks, the congress has been shortened this year to one because of the coronavirus pandemic, so it is straight down to business. the national committee chair saysys new security laws for hog kong will be discussed on day one. >> to ensure the policy of one country to systems is withheld over the long-term, we will strengthen the members representing hong kong and macau and support the improvement of systems and mechahanisms for forcingg china's constitution ad the basic laws of those two special administrative regions. reporter: beijing has long considered limiting opposition movements in hong kong, but the issue intensified after large

antigovernment protests last year, when pro-democracy activists took to hong kong streets to protest a number of proposed changes to the city's laws. demonstrators believe beijing is chipping away at the city's unique rights to assembly and free speech. just this month, a number of hong kong lawmakers were dragged from parliament amid a row about a chinese national anthem bill that would criminalize disrespect of the song. any new laws coming from beijing are almost certain to spark more protests in hong kong and attract attention from the wider world. phil: our correspondent is s in beijing a and gave us more on these proposals all stop -- on these proposals. >> it is quiuite controversial because it says they want to stamp out what beijingng consids susubversive, secessioninist movements andd activities will stop it is basicically directedt

the pro-democraracy movement and is the big responsee, the demonstration of power against the movement we have all been expecting. phil: india and bangladesh are assessing the damage left by one of the most violent storms in years. the cyclone left a trail of destruction in coastal communities in the main city of calcutta. millions of people are without electricity and the coronavirus pandemic is hampering relief efforts. reporter: in a last ditch effort, these bangladeshis are preparing for the worst. filling sandbags with their bare hands, they brave conditions brought on by one of the most powerful cyclones in decades. meteorologists have dubbed it a super cyclone, and as it headed inland, it lived up to that name

. it sent water surging inland some 25 kilometers. the damage compounded by winds of up to 185 kilometers an hour. income or condition, volunteers helped to bring locals to safety. more than two point 5 million people were evacuated to shelters like this one, which brought new concerns amid the corona pandemic. >> there is a shortage of drinking water. there are sanitation facilities but no social distance is maintained. for that reason, the feaear of e roronavirus spreread is p persit ththere. rereporterer: authorities scramd to evacuate residents in the path of destruction but that may leave them vulnerable to an increased risk of the virus. 50 kilometers west, attempts at social distancing were futile. >> there are too many people

here. it's impossible to mamaintain social distancing. i'm very concerned. we could not statay home due to the storm and here is the tension of corona. i'm just trying to dodge both. reporter: an unprecedented challenge for millions, it could not have come at a worse time. phil: we will take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world -- severe flooding hasas hit the u.s.s. de of michigan after two dams failed following heavy rain. ofofficials are warning 40,000 people could end up under almost three feet of water. thousands have been evacuated from their homes. hungary has announced it will close refugee reception centers in so-called transit zones on its southern border with serbia. the asylum-seekers already there are being moved to centers within the country. hungary is complying with an eu court ruling that deemed the transit zones illegal. votes are being counted after the burgundy election day past

peacefully despite fears of violence. the opposition has accused authorities of election fraud. there were few independent observers on election day. this is dw news live from berlin. ststill to come, she has capturd the imagination of children for 75 years. say hapappy birthday to pippii longstocking, the r rel and role model who continues to inspire readers around the world. the german airline lufthansa has confirmed it is close to sealing a deal with the german government to secure a 9 billion euro rescue package. airline and its subsidiaries have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. in april, fewer than 3000 passengers they traveled with lift anza compared to a pre-pandemic average of 350,000. reporter: there have been weeks of rambling leading up to this point. between angela merkel's conservatives and the centerleft

junior partners, the spd. the rescue deal is worth 9 billion euros for lift anza, giving the german government a sizable stake in the company. here is what the government wants inin return -- no dividend payments for shareholders, limits on salaries for managers, and two seats on a supervisory board. lift anza's shareholders will still need to approve the deal and then comes brussels stotop e eu's competition authority has to give its blessing for the rescue to go ahead. phil: let's get more on this from steven beardsley from dw business. tell us more about this deal. stephen: you're talking about 9 billion euros. of that, 3 billion euros would be from a state loan from a state bank. 6 billion euros would be through the purchases of shares, a 20% stake in the company. what is interesting is those shares will be silent or

dissipation shares. that means there will be an agreement that says even though you earned this many shares, you're not going to vote on daily operations stopped in addition, there is what is called a convertible bond, debt that can be turned into a share purchase, in this case of an additional 5% of lift anza shares plus one. thth is important -- that gives a a blocking minority shares. that means it can overrule a major mo by other shareholders, and in this case both sides say that would only be exercised in the event of a hostile takeover. that is why berlin wants to intervene in the first place, why it wants the shares, to rule out someone withth deep pockets looking for cheap assets to come and say we are going to snatch set up. phil: despite that, it doesn't sound as though berlin is going to be an active participant. guest: it doesn't. despite some of the earlier

rhetoric we heard, some on the left side of the political debate in germany saying it would be nice if berlin took this opportunity to push certain goes, let's say in the are -- certain goals, let's say in the arena of climate change. airlines are the biggest emitter of co2. the green party saying it would be nice if we could use this position to better that and. others are saying perhaps for labor agreements. the biggest controversy was whether the state should intervene at all and to what extent. in that case, it has come up with a rather clever solution -- it does require certain concessions on the part of lift anza. that includes -- on the part of lift anza. that includes dividends and reeling in compensation for managers. phil: the reaction to this? guest: we have only seen one of the three unions reacting to this and they have expressed

disappointment, pointing to the lack of news on a labor agreement. lift anza -- they have said so many of their jobs are redundant . they are flying a very reduced rate and layoffs could be a possibility. it has talked about shuttering german wings. that's 1400 jobs at stake. the labor union here mostly for flight attendants pointed out there is word on german wings in this agreement. we've yet to hear the full tales but it seems that's not part of this agreement. phil: how unusual is it for a government to step in and save a national carrier like this? guest: it is probably more common somewhere like europe or governments tend to take more of a role in the economy and they believe, they tend to intervene on behalf of labor a little more. in the u.s. come of seen major cash injections, but they've been in the form of grants. the u.s. saying we will get this

back through payroll taxes. they have minor share positions but they are very minor. this is a national flag carrier. there's only one major airline in germany and this is it, so the german government believes this is critical that they maintain this and that is why they have chosen this move. phil: thank you for that. australia, singapore, iceland, china, norway, libya, and ghana. the list of countries that use an app to combat coronavirus is long. germany is missing from the list. it has become a divisive issue in the country. mixed messages from the german government have been described as chaotic and disastrous. reporter: the german coronavirus app would look something like this -- for a few days now, a mo version has been available. simple design, easy to use, so

what is the fuss of the last few weeks about? the german government is not taking any chances. they have commissioned sap, germany's largest software company and collaborating with another tetech giant. ththe cononact was a awarded ate end of april. >> as a spokesperson for the company, w we knenewmmediatelyle had a lolot of worork to do. it is an o obligation but also n honor. expectctationsre higigh the a ap cacan be developed quickly. reporter: it had proposed an app that rather data on centralized servers. they were warned it would be to hacker-prone. the government switched to a decentralized solution where the data stays on the phones. the app uses bluetooth to determine which other smartphones have beeeen cloloseo you and for how l lg.

ifif an app user tests positivee for the virus, all the people who have had contact with that person receive a warning message. angela merkel has made the project a top priority. chancellor merkel: it is n nothg new that the development can take time. the app has to inspire coconfidence, but the work is being fast tracked. reporter: experts say around 50 million germans would have to use the app to make a diffeferee in the fight against coronavirus. >> all the partieses involved, e it participating companies or the federal l government will promote the idea of german cicitizens using the app. wewe have to make it clear this app will not suddenly eliminate the virus.. instead, we have one approach out of several to at least slow down, if not stop the chain of infection. reporter: still, the project is

gaining a lot of attention. german corona app is scheduled to be launched in mid june. phil: now it is time to say happy birthday to a rebel who is also a role model. the book character, pippi longstocking, have been delighting children, especially girls since she first appeared 75 years ago today. here's a closer look at this unruly redhead. >> pippi longstocking for short -- she lives with a monkey, horse and a colorful house with no parents. she does whatever she wants andd is nevev in a bad mood and is incredibly strong. the brainchild of a swedish writer, she was created as a gift for her daughter on her 10th birthday. her parents published the first germrman chancellor -- translatn of her adventures.

>> they were so different to what i had read before. she was a very special person, strong, brave, and a girl.l. so, complpletely unusual to geto know a girl like this or to read about h her. repoporter: when astrid lindgren showed the manuscript to the publisher, she wrote do not inform the youth welfare authorities. soon, every child in sweden and germany knew if he longstocking. this little force of nature became more popular in germany than almost any other country. >> she's definitely the girl in children's literature. as a girl growing up, without her, it would be unthinkable because it gives children the ability to be strong and face anything that comes up without being afraid. reporter: and kids just love her.

>> she can go to bed anytime she wants. she has a horse in the middle of the city. and she can lifted up. -- she can lift it up. she has two braids. i want to do that, it would be best if there were to pippis. reporter: in germany, many bookstores are celebrating her birthday this one in berlin. >> we still -- we sell a lot of pippi longstocking book but i think a lot of people read them rather than buy them because they are old books. they read them to their children. that's what we did and certainly lots of other families do, too. reporter: strong girl characters. they are just as important today as they were 75 years ago. phil: to london to the return of rare turtles, coronavirus has

allowed nature to thrive in a lot of ways. in berlin, a group of wild boar took a trip into berlin. 20 of them including piglets had a proper family day out. they roamed a southern district in berlin. police arrived, blocked off the street and help them safely on their way. this is dw news from berlin. i will be back in a moment with "the day." will have more world news at the top of the hour. have a good day. ♪

for insight into french culture and current events to understand what makes. them presented by flaws. france twenty four en france twenty four .com. a us pullout at the open skies treaty president donald trump says russian violations make it untenable for the u. s. to stay in a poultry to the permits thirty plus nations to conduct observation flights over each other's territory. china is set to impose strong new national security laws in hong kong. in the wake of last year's protest washington is done in the strong response