>> this is dw news live from berlin. tonight, the $9 billion to get to keep lufthansa flight. germany approves a bailout for the airline that has nosedived in the coronavirus travel shutdown. it will be the largest corporate rescue since the pandemic began and it should protect thousands of jobs. also coming up, the new cost of cleaning up volkswagen's dirty secret -- germany's highest civil court orders the company

to compensate customers fitted with emissions cheating software. in hong kong, lawmakers claim a new security law is needed to deal with what they say is a higher terrorism threat, but opponents are staging protests, worrying that it leads to an end of hong kong special status. plus, no regrets -- a top aide to the british prime minister excuses himself for flouting lockdown rules. both men are now accused of making rules that do not necessarily apply to them. ♪ brent: to our viewers on pbs and the united states, welcome. the german government is throwing a 9 billion euro lifeline to the airline giant lufthansa. the carrier has been locked in

talks for weeks, nailing down the terms of a bailout to largen corporate rerescue since the crisis began. >> lufthansa's airplanes sit motionless in frankfurt, their engines covered in plastic, an image that symbolizes the weeks of standstill the company experienced during the corona -- coronavirus crisis. have any flights, passengers, or revenue, but now the german government will be helping with an emergencyworth 9 billion. after a long fight over the fine print, an agreement has been reached. "we want to make sure germany maintains its leading position in the field of civil aviation. it is about helping a company that is rich in tradition get through the difficulties there were confronted with during the coronavirus pandemic and steer toward a more healthy future.

over the last few weeks, very few airplanes took off or landed. the majority of those that did were cargo planes. thousands of lufthansa employees have b been worrying about their jobs. the german government is set to receive a 20% share in lufthansa in exchange for giving the airline billions in aid. wl airline executives will get seats on the airline supervisory board. both parties are waiting on the european union's approval before the deal is finalized. brent: my colleague chris colbert is with me. we have this deal. what does it mean for lufthansa are we looking at a leaner, meaner airline? chris: yes, once this whole debacle is over -- which we cannot tell when that will be, but even weeks ago, before the aid package was on the table, or talks about it were being conducted, lufthansa's ceo said

whenever the crisis is over the company will look much different than when the crisis started. we can fairly assume it will be smaller, it will be less people working for it, it will become as you said, leaner. brent: the basic terms of the agreement -- we know they were agreed to last week. why did it take both sides to finalize the -- so long to finalize the details? >> there was a struggling how long it would take -- lufthansa was keen on not allowing politicians to meet business decisions, but it is clear that without the money, the 9 billion lifeline, lufthansa was likely to go under. brent: 9 billion for lufthansa -- take that number apart. you will need an act. chris: there will be 3 billion

in the form of loans. 300 million euros will be given in terms of extra shares. it leaves us with $5.7 billion -- 5.7 billion, a direct injection of cash of taxpayer money into a special fund to tackle the economic fallout of the coronavirus. take the money from that 100 billion fund, 5.7 billion of it, and give it to lufthansa. brent: what is the government getting out of this? chris: if everything goes land from a fewer people unemployed. even though we said. it is likely to look leaner after the crisis peter will keep the company going. -- crisis. it will keep the company going. it is a symbol of german wealth. it will get a 20% stake in lufthansa, which can be grown to 25% plus one share -- and that

is an important figure -- 25% plus one share -- in order to block any sort of take over from another airline, another company, so they can be increased. in the end, the finance minister says hopefully once this is over it will -- they will share the product -- the lufthansa shares for a small profit. brent: get the money back. i guess they are too big and too traditional to fail. any stumbling blocks that could block takeoff of this agreement? chris: yes, the european commission has to give its thumbs up, and it has already said two very suspicious things here. one is -- lufthansa needs to, reportedly, give up slots -- takeoff and landing rights at its of in frankfurt and munich, all for the sake of competition,

and that is something that does not go down well with chancellor merkel. she does not want to give business to competitors. along with the fact that the eu wants an exit strategy from the german government. news merkel already said it will be a hard struggle -- talks between brussels and berlin. brent: and would like for the pandemic to be over first. chris: that, too. brent: chris, thank you. a top german court has ruled that volkswagen must pay compensation to customers that bought vehicles fitted with emissions cheating software. the ruling paves the way for tens of thousands of others to receive damages. >> the feather -- federal court of georgia says anyone that bought a vw car equipped with

emissions software test is entitled to compensation. the plaintiff can request compensation on the purchase price of the vehicle, but must take into accouount the car has been used and they must make the vehicle available to vw. the plaintitiff was thihis titi. he had thought a full refund from volkswagen of around 31,500 for a vw he bought in 2014. >> it is a great day, and a great rolling. it is a woman i had expected. it wilill not just help me, but thousands of plaintiffs that were waiting to bring their lawsuits to a speedy conclusion. >> around 60,000 individual lawsuits are still pending before the courts. vw is pledging to act quickly to resolve those outstatanding cas. >> volkswagen will approach

plaintiffs in these cases and offer a one-off payment. >> sets a decisive precedent is the first judgment from the dieselgate scandal from the highest court in germany. brent: let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the world health organization has one that africa could face a silent epidemic if leaders do not prioritize coronavirus testing. africa has the fewest diagnosed cases of the virus thus far, accounting for less than 2% of the global total. in burundi, the rulining partnes -- part of ---- parties candidae has one thehe vote.e. --won the vote. the main opposition leader is disputing the result, claiming widespread voting irregularities. russian prosecutors have asked the court for an 18-year prison

sentence f for a former u.s. marine accused of spying. paul whelan also holds british and canadian and irish passports. he was detained in 2018. the court will deliberate on the 15th of june. hong kong's security chief says terrorism in the territory is on the increase after police arrested 180 protesters during renewed unrest. tens of thousands of people took to the streets to demonstrate against the planned national security law they say will undermine the semi upon a status -- semi autonomous status. >> the last traces of protests are swept away. 24 hours earlier, the streets were packed with people railing against beijing's proposed security laws and the stakes could not be higher for the territory's future. >> a lot of people think that we

exploited their freedom when coming out to protest, but i think the national security law will affect our freedom in the future, and the freedom of future generations. >> the scenes on sunday were and i go of last year's mass protests. protesters came out again due to beijing's new proposed security framework for the territory. they fear it would mean the further curtailing of hong kong's right to protest. international critics say the legislation would be a breach of the territory's one country, two systems basic law. in a statement, more than 200 law and policy makers from around the world have joined in. this is a comprehensive assault on this is's tyreek hill -- the city's autonomy, rule of law and

international community cannot trust beijing to keep its word when it comes to hong kong, you will assist patient is significant of the proposed law is -- it is within chinese sovereign rights to put on hong kong. the national congress is expected to rubberstamp the new legislation later this week. analysts think it marks the greatest reform to beijing -- beijing's relationship since china took control of the territory. brent: -- i am joined by the chair of the human rights and humanitarian aid committee in

the german parliament. it is good to have you on the program. hong kong's protesters have turned back to the streets. do you think their anger about this new security law -- is it appropriate? >> well, g good evening toto be. yes, it isis definitely propriatee.. when we see, and t take a look t the proroposed nationonal secury law that will be passed, and i am very certain that it will be passed on thursday by the standing committee of the national people's congress, we see that the principles of freedom and the promise of one country, two systems, not only hangs by a thread, but it will be breached beyond compare, and that is why i think it is necessary for the hong kongers to take to the street again, to

protest, and to fight for their freedoms, definitely. brent: on your social media channels, you are demanding consequences is beijing imposes this new law. whwhat would t those consequencs look like? >> well, the first cononquence for germany, and i i very angry, actually, with regardrd o the reactions or thehe non-reactions of chancellor merkel and our foreign secretary, foreign minister, the first consequence would be to condemn these actions by beijing. second consequence would be that we need to talk about sanctions -- individual sanctions that can directly linked to human rights violations to officials that are directly linked to these security laws that will be passed, and the european government needs to talk about everything when it comes to china and eu contractas that

human rights need to be enshrined in potential contact -- contract. brent: you mentioned economic sanctions. do you think it is realistic to expectct the german government, the european union, to threaten economic sanctions right now with europe being in a major recession and trying to deal with the consequences of the pandemic? >> well, in my opinion, , it is crucial to link economic freedom to freedom in society. the thisisamerica.net can only go -- the two can only go together. if there is a breach of contract, a breach in the agreement, and the report said that before -- if china does not pay attention and does not reach these principles that they agreed upon, they might be likely to breach other contracts , and that is an economic question, and thisis trust needs

to be rebuilt, and it is not there at the moment. brent: i am sure you are aware that many countries say china is in breach of many contracts already. we appreciate your time and insight tonight. thank you. brent: you are watching dw news. still to come, russia's top ballet performers pushed off the stage during the pandemic. dw news ends up how they are coping and keeping in stec. -- instead. dominic cummings has defended his decision to leave london. cummings saw to justify why he made the trip after the measures

had been imposed. >> i thought it was reasonable in these circumstances. if you are given with small children, there can be exceptional circumstances, and i think the situation i was in was the circumstance i was in and the way that i dealt with it was the least risk to everybody concerned if my wife and i had both been unable to look after our four-year-old. brent: of course many people say -- would say they were in exceptional circumstances and the lockdown. talk about that i am joined by my colleague here. he is following this story for us. how did he defend his actions?

>> well he said the laws allowed for exceptions and his circumstances were exceptional. he and his wife were worried they had contracted coronavirus and were concerned about what happened to your four-year-old son. while there, he says i did not have close contact. he says that was in order to test his eyesight because they had deteriorated with the virus. he read out the law that says follow this advice to the best of your ability, which is what the lockdown rule says. he says the media was to blame for whipping up anger. of course, this is in stark contrast to the government's own message which said stay at home. there are also laws about traveling to other cities, but

dominic cummings says those laws were flexible. brent: it is hard to manage the special advice to the british prime minister would not be able to find childcare in london. what has been the response on social media? >> it has brought up ridicule. especially since he went for a drive while believing he had more i said. this press conference is being likened to a car crash. we can look at the tweets -- anger amongst those that did obey the rules. if you had not seen their grandparents while lonely, crying, desperate, not held the hands of loved ones while dying, you should have broken the rules. doctors and nurses manage to sort out childcare while you needed to drive 260 miles to figure out yours. he did have some support from

steve who said he had provided a credible explanation, and others say this is a distraction from the real disaster that has gone on. the government has failed, kelly now go back to talking about who should be held responsible for the 36,000 dead and counting. brent: there is also breaks it. you could argue the prime minister needs cummings as much as cummings needs the prime minister. well anything change? >> cummings serves at the behest of boris johnson, who has given his support. johnson given other pets conference and said he retains that support. he does not have to worry about public opinion because the next election is not for another four and a half years. the real concern is that the lockdown measure has been undermined now that all britons know the rules are flexible.

this at a time when the u.k. continues to have one of the worst infection and death rates from coronavirus anywhere in the world. brent: do as we say, not as we do. joe, thank you. let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the government of afghanistan has freed 100 taliban prisoners as a jester of goodwill for the heat holiday. -- eid holiday. it follows a three-day cease-fire. japan's coronavirus state of emergency has been ended following the whole of the country following a sharp decline across the whole country following a sharp decline in new cases. the move lifts curbs on economic activity in tokykyo and elsewhw. prime minister shinzo abe has warned the outbreak is not over. sports now, the second week of germany's bundesliga return after the coronavirus lockdown -- that week is overpaid all

matches were played an empty stadiums. sunday's game featured title challenger against the struggling man's. >> transfer rumors continue to swirl, but it was his strike partner that took center stage before kickoff. the dane was handed the captains armband as he was making his 250th appearance for the ballclub. it turned out to be a banner day. he opened the scoring after 10 minutes. he took advantage of lax defending to guide home conrad's cross. sir -- shortly after, he marked the special day with a goal of his own. his header was two strong -- was too strong. leipzig were in the move. he was also involved in the third goal. the midfielder had no trouble

finding the far corner. the brake didn't nothing to hamper their momentum. a slick move was finished off to make it 4-0. the buildup made it easy for the striker to double the tally. bernard then completed the rout, matching onto the long ball to complete the first-ever ghost-game hat trick. a performance to remember and a fitting way to celebrate reaching his milestone. >> you cannot put a face mask on an opera singer or on a wind instrument player. those are the words from the head of moscow legendary theater. they captured the dilemma facing artists in the pandemic. they can only safely perform once covid-19 subsides.

performers are suddenly facing challenges for which there has never been a rehearsal. >> on the world's smallest stage -- this is how the day starts. that is how both ballet dancers have kept themselves in shape the past two months, by doing classical moves on just six square meters. this is the most unusual ballet show i have ever seen, but unusual times demand unusual solutions. before the coronavirus pandemic, yvonne was the printable dancer at the renowned theater in st. petersburg. his wife maria had been enchanting audiences as the leading soloist at the bolshoi

ballet. however, since mid-march, they cannot perform any more, at least not in the usual way. >> you can take the theater from us artists, but you cannot take our creativity. >> we train every day to try and stay in shape, but of course we still end up getting out of the shape we were and with no stage, no real rehearsal rooms and none of the physical strain we usually have one we train more than six hours a day. >> cultural life in russia has been on hold for more than two months now. the seats at the bolshoi theater have remained empty, and the end of that emptiness is still not in sight. >> you c cannot put a protective mask on an opera singer nor a wind instrument player. in a music theater with numerous participants, you cannot carry out measures that protect against the coronavirus.

a music theater can only open up again once the protective measures have been completely removed. >> and no one knows when that will be. along with the u.s. and brazil, russia has one of the largest high -- highest numbers of covid-19 infections of any country worldwide, and that number continues to rise. there isis also controvoversy at how many russians have died d fm the disease because of the different way statistics are counted. critics accused the authorities of covering up the chew number of deaths. russian doctors are massively ovoverburdeded, and many ofof tm have been infectcted with the virus themsmselves. despite a few of the restrictions being slightly loosened, covid-19 still has the country in i its grip, andnd its keepining both balletet dancers

stuck at their home in moscow. ♪ brent: you are watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." we will be right back.

the french government promises health workers a significant increase in pay as franz profess to overhaul its hospital system the decision comes on the back of multiple protests by health workers it's in regards to the status. boris johnson's chief adviser dominic cummings it releases a statement defending his breach of a lockdown trip cummings stands by his decision saying his actions were legal. and the world health organization suspends clinical trials