brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, pushing back against the pandemic. governments across europe trying to turn back the tide of the coronavirus. germany's national and regional leaders are meeting to decide -- and the french government declaring a public health state of emergency after new daily cases surge above 20,000 for a third time this week. plus, rival demonstrators

face-off in the thai capital over antigovernment protests and controversial calls for curbs on the powers of the king. also coming up, theft or justice? an activist husband -- has been fined for trying to take an african artifact from a paris museum. he says he was only taking back what rightfully belongs to africa. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to all of you joining us on pbs in the united states and all around the world, welcome. across europe tonight, the number of new coronavirus infections is surging, and now so are the number of new restrictions to stop that surge. in germany, the government is preparing new measures to reign in rising infection rates. the heads of germany's federal

states have been hammering out the details with chancellor angela merkel here in berlin for the past several hours. that meeting is still going on as we speak. let's go straight to our political correspondent kate brady covering the meeting. i will ask you what i asked you one hour ago. do we know why it is taking them so long? kate: if you look at the very basics of why it is taking so long, this comes after the fact that germany has this federal system. you have 16 state premiers meeting with merkel today, now going into the night as well. so they all have their ideas and things that they want to see implemented, and things that they don't. so far during the pandemic, the state premiers have largely had their own control over what happens in their state in accordance to what the rates of new cases are at the time. just to give you an idea of some of the frustration going on behind those doors tonight,

seems these state premiers might be getting more than they bargained for. angela merkel herself reportedly was warning the state premiers that what has been agreed upon today so far simply is not enough, that it is not tough enough. with these new measures that have been agreed upon today, the state premiers and merkel could find themselves back in the closed room in another two weeks. brent: trying to hammer out a new deal. what sort of restrictions are we expecting the chancellor to be able to announce tonight? kate: things we have heard leaked so far will be further restrictions on private celebrations, at home and in public rented rooms. also we could see more requirements of masks, where and when masks will be required. and also an 11:00 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants. all of those would depend on the

number of new cases reported in a specific town or region within the past seven days. brent: and we know that the number of infections in this country, that number is increasing. which brings us ever closer to a national lockdown. how likely is it that that is what we are going to see? kate: the point of this meeting today is to avoid exactly that. as merkel is meeting with the state premiers today, they will of course be very much aware of what is going on in neighboring france, and the new, very strict rules that have been announced there. that is exactly what they want to avoid, and the rate of new daily cases is exactly what merkel wants to avoid here in germany. so she was putting that pressure on state premiers to act now. i think it is unlikely we will see a surprise turnaround and some very strict new measure announced this evening in

germany, but she has made it very clear she wants to see a united response from these 16 state premiers. kate: kate brady with the latest tonight here in berlin. kate, thank you. it is a serious situation in france as well. president emmanuel macron has reimposed a public health state of emergency, saying france is quote, in a worrying situation when it comes to the coronavirus outbreak. in a televised interview, the president announced that paris and eight other cities will now have a 9:00 p.m. curfew. he stressed that the virus is not out of control, but he warned that the health care system has little capacity left to deal with the pandemic. it comes as french authorities reported over 20,000 new coronavirus infections for the third time in a week. let's go now to lisa louis. she is covering this for us in paris. good evening to you, lisa.

so, france has declared the public health state of emergency over covid-19. what exactly does that mean on the ground? lisa: well, it actually just means that all local governments can impose local or nationwide lockdowns. now, that is obviously something that france, just as germany, wants to prevent from happening. that is why the government has now decided to impose that curfew in several cities, justst like here in paris. so if i want to go out after 9:00 at night, i have to have a good, the right reason, as the president put it. he is recommending you only meet up with about six people, if they meet at home or in the street, they should limit their circle of friends to six people. but the government has said in the past they cannot reimpose that measure. it is a recommendation. but the president really wanted to appeal to the common sense of the people here to limit the spread of the virus, and the curfews are part of that

measure. brent: lisa, stand by for just a moment. these measures, they come as many are still struggling to recover from the impact of the first coronavirus wave in france. let's take a look. reporter: there's not a lot going on in this paris restaurant today. because of the coronavirus pandemic, hardly any guests are stopping by. >> we are following all the rules, but the tourists are still staying g away. it is very complicated. our turnover has dropped by 50% to 60%. reporter: the french economy is suffering from the coronavirus. in the second financial quarter, the gross domestic product fell by 13.8%. >> we're expecting the economy to shrink by 9% in france in 2020. that is gigantic. and this is despite high government spending. unemployment will continue to rise in the future.

reporter: almost 23,000 new infections were reported within the last 24 hours. in the greater paris area, over 40% of the intensive care beds are already occupied by coronavirus patients. > the pressure e is growing,d we still have to take care of the other patients. we might reach the l limits of e system soon.n. i am very concerned about whwhat will happen in t the next few weeks. reporter: the government will now implement more coronavirus restrictions in response. brent: lisa, let me pick up on intensive care patients. i understand the number of french icu patients for coronavirus earlier this week surpassed the peak that we saw back in may. now, if we're dealing with that already in october, that does not bode well for the coming fall and winter in terms of the health care system in france being able to deal with it.

lisa: absolutely, you are right. and that is what the president was insisting on in the interview tonight. he was saying, you know, our intensive care units are already starting to be stretched, and we need to really bring down the spread of the virus. also because the situation is actually now worse than in march. in march, it was basically only paris and eastern france. now the virus is spread across the country. so whereas earlier in the first lockdown, health workers, doctors, nurses, could come to the concerned regions and help out. now this is no longer possible because they are needed across france. so the president has said we really need to limit the spread of the virus, otherwise our system is going to crack under the amount of patients it needs to deal with. brent: yeah, and if we were to see a second lockdown, i know that no one in france wants to see that after the first

lockdown that they experienced. do you think they are looking at coronavirus fatigue playing a role here in the spread of the virus? lisa: absolutely. we are already looking at that. many people here are complaining about the fact that you have to wear masks almost everywhere, like in paris, you have to wear them outside, on public transport, at work. but actually that is one of the reasons the virus has been spreading a lot more over the past few weeks. because once people get home at night, many of them take off their masks, meet up with friends and family, and that is where the spreads take place. the government is now insisting that people really need to stick together to win this fight against the virus. the president has said that this will go on until at least mid-2021, but he believes that the country can make this, and they should all stand together to win this fight. brent: lisa louis with the latest tonight from paris. lisa, thank you. here's a look now at some of the

other stories making headlines around the world. a warning that germany's economy is likely to be hit harder by the coronavirus pandemic than previously thought. forecasts now are that the economy will shrink by 5.4% in 2020. in a landmark ruling, a greek court has handed long prison sentences to the leaders of neo-nazi groups golden dawn. the group's leader and several other members were sentenced for running a criminal gang. the former political party has been linked to a number of violent hate crimes. heavy rain and flooding has killed at least 15 people in southern india. these images are from where police say 25 centimeters of rain fell in one day. authorities have been using baots to evacuate people from low-lying parts of the city. in thailand, thousands of

pro-democracy demonstrators have set up camp outside the prime minister's office, as protests escalate. they are calling for reform of the constitution, and more controversially, of the monarchy itself. in thailand, criticism of the king is traditionally seen as taboo and is punishable by law. reporter: valentin remain outside the government house until their demands are met, thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators are demanding the prime minister resign. this is the latest in a series of antigovernment ralallies that started in july. the crowds want a complete government overhaul that includes fresh elections and a new constitution. but many are also pushing for a less powerful monarchy, a move that has raised the political temperature and caused further divisions. >> i think royal supporters are out here becaususe they love the country,y, but we are out here because we love the country as well. >> i want usus to win, but i do not know how.

everyone seems to have the same goal, but i do not know how much we can do. reporter: earlier, scuffles broke out between protesters and supporters of the monarchy. thailand's royal family is backed by the military, but still enjoys supports of many. but the king is less popular than his father who died in 20 16. the king's motorcade being met with chants and the three finger salute would have been unthinkable in earlier times. the gesture has become a pro-democracy symbol, borrowed from "the hunger games" film series about a dystopian totalitarian regime. demanding reform o of the monary woululd have been unheard of jut a few w years ago, but now manyy qutition the kining's extravagat lifestyle. he has been absent from most of the coronavirus crisis, spending months in a german alpine retreat with an entourage of 20 women. criticizing the royals has long been off-limits in thailand. due to harsh defamation laws.

now a new generation of young protesters is breaking that taboo. brent: tonight, concerns are growing over the failure of a cease-fire to stop the fighting between the forces of armenia and azerbaijan in the disputed anglaise of nagorno-karabakh. russia is urging both sides to observe the truce and to end the conflict through diplomacy. the two former soviet republics blame each other for breaking an armistice that came into force over theeekend. reporter: the cathedral, a place of worship, no longer. it's roof ripped open, and its interior in ruins. the church has fallen victim to a conflict which has caused -- cost hundreds of lives since it erupted last month. the congregation now praise in a makeshift shelter. but they cannot escape the war. a cease-fire was supposed to come into effect last sunday,

but the shelling continues. destruction and death are constant companions. empty streets after thousands fled, the capital of a self procimed republic within azerbaijan's former borders. >> it is the elderly in wheelchairs who have stayed. it is scary. you cannot even imagine. whenever a shell flies, we do not know who it is going to hit. we tremble in a basement. what if it hits era again? every day we live with this fear. reporter: on the other side of the front lines, a fire -- artillery fire is also raining down. residents have sought safety in their sellers. -- their cellars. >> what can you do? we have no choice. the armenian guns and cannons made us come here. we run, we fall down, we get up

again, we get injured, and now we are here hiding. what can we do? i got injured here, here, here. reporter: armenia's prime minister blames azerbaijijan's ally turkey for the failed cease-fire. he says ankara is looking to expand its influence in the region. >> i am convinced that for as long as turkey's position remains unchanged, azerbaijan will not stop fighting. reporter: turkey for its part has called on armenia to withdraw from azerbaijani territory currently holds. so far, the international community have been unable to broker peace talks. with the two sides refusing to come to the table, peace remains a distant prospect for the people here. brent: here are more of the day's top stories. the european union has reportedly agreed to sanction

six russian security for officials over the poisoning of alexey navalny. the asset freezes and t travel bans a are to be implemented within days. russia has threatened to hit back with a similar blacklist. the vatican has opened its first known trial against clergy accused of sex abuse. one priest is accused of molesting an altar boy in the vatican's youth seminary between 2007 and 2012. another priest is accused of covering up the crimes. the vatican started investigating only after the victim went public in 2017. two russians and an american have successfully reached the international space station. the fast-track k flight tookk jt three hours, that is half the usual time. it's nasa's last mimission onona russian spacecraft. the u.s. now has its own access with elon musk's spacexx corporation.

scientists are warning that australia's great barrieier reef is disappepearing at an alalarmg rarate. a new study has confirmed that at least half of the corals in sight have died over the past 25 years. climate change has irreversibly dedestroyed the underwater ecosystem. israel and lebanon have begun talks on settling a long-running dispute over their maritime borders. the two sides held a brief meeting on wednesday, described by lebanon's chief negotiator as the first step on a 1000 mile journey. the sides are still technically at war, but it is hoped negotiations will clear the way for gas exploration. reporter: the mediterranean sea off the coast between israel and lebanon. these e e contested watats. both countrieses have long beeen locked in dispute over where the

maritime border lies. behind the scenes, negotiations have gone on for several years. now, israel and lebanon have agreed on a framework to hold indirect talks backed by y the u.s. to settle the issue. >> the united states intend to put all of its effort with the two concerned parties to have greater positive and constructive atmosphere between them. to preserve the talks and end them successfully, as soon as possible. reporter: in the past decade, israel has been exploring its owown offshore gas in the dispud area. the dispute is about a relatively small triangle-shaped area, with each side claiming their part as exclusive economic zone. the l last full-scale conflict

between israel and lebanon was in 2006. but there have been many incidents since between israel and the lebanese militant group hezbolah. part of the land border is also dispututed. am standing at the crossing, which is most of the time closed. it is along a line which w was demarcated by the u.n. in 2000 after r the israeli withdrawal. technicacally, both isrsrael and lebanon are at war, a and they have no diplomatic relations. let talks are highly sensisitiv. another country sees resolving the maritime border as a step towards a wider peace agreement. >> israel realistically does not look at it as a piece talk, althouough there is pototentialr security a arrangements. lebanese are very busy denying it hasas anything toto do with normalization. iti's all business, so they say.

reporter: an agreement on the maritime border could pave the way to more gas exploration, a potential economic benefit for both countries. brent: an activist from congo has been fined 2000 euros by a french court for trying to steal an african artifact from a museum in paris. he live-streamed his attempt to remove a 19th-century relic. he accuses france and other european countries of plundering the places they colonized and says they should return the objects that they took. reporter: many would call this theft, but this activisist sayse is only getting back what was tataken away from his peoplele. i came to reclaim goods that was stolen from africa during colonization. this video was live-streamed on facebook back in june. mwazulu diyabanza and four other activists were trying to steal a

post from a museseum in paris. he failed, but managed to draw attention to a topic that has recently triggered a heated debate. should african art looted during colonialism be returned? and if so, how, and when? the congolese born activist says action is needed now. >> you never ask permission to get back what was stolen from you. that is what we did. we have the right to defend ourselves because we were robbed. the fact that our works were on display here means the theft continues. reporter: he also caused a stir when he tried to steal a piece of art from a dutch museum, as well as in the french city of marseilles. some say these acts have to be considered as performances, not as theft. >> it's a different way of saying things that have already been said in many forms for a long time.

since african countries gained independence on a diplomatic level, and a dialogue between museums and international corporations. reporter: in a report commissioned by french president emmanuel macron, the art historians have always said looted art has to be given back, and that up to 90% of african art works are located outside of the continent. the museum here alone has more than 60,000 objects taken from africa. but according to this lawyer and ar lovert, not all of them are looted. he recently published a book on the topic. >> some objects have obviously been taken away. europeans have to give back what was taken in wars, but t there e other aspects. africans themselves sold art to europeans. reporter: for mwazulu diyabanza and his fellow activists, it is not only about bringing heritage back home, as he calls it, he

also wants european societies to face the reactions of their colonial past. >> it is our goal to reach the biggest possible audience. on the one hand -- reporter: he says he does not fear possible fines, not even prison sentences. in his eyes, this is about a lot more than just his own destiny. brent: sports news, football. there's no rest for bayern munich and their players. they are in action thursday, starting a run of eight matches in 23 days. they will be looking to take advantage of that, although their aims are modest, to say the least. reporter: quaint and sleepy isn't used to the big time. 100,000 people call this place home. it is also home to the club. the pride andir joy is this

stand, the oldest in germany. now, a couple game against the mighty bayern m munich. >> of course we have been having a bit of a joke about it. just get them out t of the way d then we wilill be one round clor to the final. we are all excited. you do not get drawn against bayern everyry year. it will bake huge experience for us. reporter: the gamame will have sosome personal significance. he used to play at these levels with current environ star. they remain in contact to this day. >> we wririte every so often how we are doing. the distance is a problem and now we are both parents. we don't see each othther toooo often, but we still keep in touch. reporter: friendships will have to be put aside during the game. they have been stepping up their preparations. and they have a former

bundesliga player in their sport. >> we have not spoken a huge dealal about bayernn y yet orr analyzed them in great d detail. but everyone knows what to expect. it is hard to find any weaknesseses with them. it i iabout giging them alall we have, enjoying the game, and seeing what happens at the end. reporter: usually when a lower lease side meets a team like bayern, they shy away from setting themselves target. but not fc during. >> imagine if we managed to concede fewer than eight goals in the game. then we can say we are better than barcelona, and that is worth something. reporter: they have both found themselves on the wrong end of the bayern g goal machine inn recent months. after all, success is all relative. brent: you are watching dw news.

france says it is reinstating a public health state of emergency from saturday, as numbers of new coronavirus infections surg abovee 20,000. in germany, state premieres are also discussing tighter restrictions as a number of covert hotspots across the country grow. you are with dw news. after a shshort break, i will be back to take you through the day. tonight, the u.s., germany, and the pandemic divide. we we'll be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

qéaawc>> welcome back to the fr4

newsroom. it is 10:00 p.m. in paris and these are the latest headlines. emmanuel macron says france is losing control of the covid-19 outbreak in has to react. the president goes on tv to announce that curfews have been agreed to with my 2000 new infections confirmed nationwide in the past 24 hours. schools shut and bars and restaurants ordered to close from barcelonana to liverpool. other european countries tighten their belts to prevent the virus