berlin. the u.s. surgeon general is taking google to court. the justice department announced that it believes google is taking advantage of the search and -- demonstratators unfazed gatherig

and defiance. curfews and closures. europe tries to slow the second wave of coronavirus that is threatening the continent by introducing new restrictions. we will take a closer look at restrictions here in germany. plus, touch and go in outer space. a nasa spacecraft will attempt to get samples of rock from an asteroid. i'm brent goff. to our viewers, welcome. we begin with the u.s. government and google. the government today filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit against the search engine giant. it claims it has been using it

dominance as a search engine to fend off rivals. google controls about 90% of global web searches. it has long denied claims of unfair competition. the lawsuit claims that google uses billions of dollars to pay telephone manufacturers -- cell phone manufacturers to make sure it is the default browser. for more now, we are joined by our washington correspondent. what is google being accused of? >> the allegation is that google is unlawfully maintaining a monopoly and it is cutting off its rivals. the areas s are search services,

search advertising and general text advertising. it is a significant case. the biggest in 20 years since the groundbreaking case against microsoft. it is also one of the government's most significant acts to protect competition. google has responded they believe this case is deeply flawed and that people use it voluntarily because they choose to. they stress that there are other search engines out there and they're going to fight does. >> we understand the attorneys general are all republicans. not a single democrat has signed on. why is that? >> that's right. 11 republican state attorneys general joined the department justice as plaintiffs.

those states are arkansas, florida, and others. they are all led by republicans. it looks like a partisan move in an effort to support the department of justice. brent: what about the timing of this? why are we seeing this now just ahead of a presidential election? >> the timing is particularly interesting because we are two weeks ahead of the election. donald trump promised his voters to punish big tech for having an anti-republican bias. as you know, he is behind in the polls. he's trying to keep his promises trying to gain voter support. it could be an openining salvo against other big tech companies and other antitrust actions.

donald trump benefits from posting misleading information. they make the case this might be case of retaliation. brent: thank you. here are some other stories making headlines. protesters in thailand spread out across the capital to sing the national anthem at 6:00 in the evening while showing the three finger salute that has become the movement signal. it was the latest action in defiance of bands on public gatherings. the government wants a new constitution and reforms to the monarchy. french authorities have ordered the closing of a mosque in paris.

the director insists that sharing a clip was not a call to violence. the eu is pledging millions of euros to several countries and africa. it is part of almost 1.5 billion euros the eu says it has for the region. the recipient has been plagued by a lack of development. in nigeria, thousands of protesters are defying a 24-hour curfew. reports say police have fired shots into the air to disperse crowds and are making arrests. the curfew was imposed after attacks on police stations. almost 2000 prisoners escaped after a prison was assaulted.

>> they gathered in defiance of the curfew. hundreds of young nigerians pledged toto remain on the stres despite a l lockdown. protests have been spiraling over the past two weeks. they were initially triggered by anger at police brutality. especially at abuses carried out by an anti-robbery squad. rights groups have accused the police unit of extortion, harassment, and torture. sars has been the one that made me live like this. i was in my house sleeping around 2 a.m. when they came scattered everywhere and started shooting. the outpouring of anger forced the government to scrap the police unit a week ago.

people here aren't satisfied. the protests have become about much more than that. they are calling for sweeping changes and and and to corruption and widespread unemployment. africa's biggest oil producer is facing a recession as the fall in crude prices has battered government finances. nigeria got independence in 1960. since then, we haven't achieved anything. we haven't benefited from anything. we have so many -- this is my colleague he is a graduate. no job, no nothing. >> we don't want the president anymore. let him go. >> the new measures of the government will make it harder

for the youth voices to be heard. on top of an indefinite lockdown in the capital, nigeria's police chief announced that riot police will be released among the country -- across the country to quell the protests. brent: countries across europe are scrambling to contain a fresh covid-19 wave. in germany, bavaria has the most cases. it is under a strict lockdown with 100,000 residents confined to their homes. >> this is now the number one coronavirus hotspot in germany. locals are back and lockdown and only allowed to leave their homes with a valid reason. the number of new daily cases in germany is rising.

as the second wave hits berlin, authorities now require people to wear masks and all crowded places where social distancing isn't possible. for now, the public is remaining calm. >> of course we are afraid of a second wave not in the sense that you would think about it all the time. we are protecting ourselves just like before. parks i live with my parents. i found it bad last time around and this time to. >> we are better prepared this time around compared to the first time. i see how people are behaving and it is much much better. what it means for us, i am in berlin for the first time in 10 months. of course i am a bit afraid.

and political spheres, pressures are growing for more involvement of the parliament in decision-making. a president wrote to the mps on monday saying the parliaments role must be more distinct and handling the pandemic. a reminder that in germany's democracy, parliament makes the laws, nothing government. brent: here's a look at the other developments in the pandemic. researchers in the u.k. are planning to deliberately infect volunteers with the virus that causes covid-19. the technique could speed up development of a vaccine to help and the pandemic if it receives approval. singapore plans to roll out rapid coronavirus tests for weddings and business conferences. the health ministry says it will identify other events that require rapid tests like sports

events and concerts. india has announced its lowest number of new cases in months. another victim of the global pandemic has been press freedom. journalists have been around -- harassed and arrested for reporting on the spread of the virus. some governments have attempted to post-truthh -- punish those who publish coronavirus news that does not follow the official line. > journalists have become e r fire for reporting on the pandemic. this one shared images of stressed hospitals. >> the virus is right in front of the.

-- in fronont of me. i am not afraid of death. >> he disappeared in february and was only seen again in september. another reporter means missing. he had releasephotos of coronavirus victims. reporters without borders has documented coronavirus coverage restrictions in nearly half of all u.n. member states. those jailed or a risk of infection. an al jazeera journalist died in july from coronavirus after being arrested in egypt. as did reporter jailed for documenting corruption in saudi arabia. the targeting of the press has worried that you went here and right conditioner -- commissioner.

to participate in making decisions that affect your lives. in the russian federation and many other countries, reports of threats against intimidation particularly at the local level with the parent aim of discouragiging criticism of the authorities responses to covid-19. >> at a time when information can save lives, press repression can feel the pandemic. >> tonight, we want to get the view on press freedom in latin america. we're going to talk to our correspondent in caracas. venezuela is still experiencing a political crisis. how have they performed during the pandemic? have there been attempts to control the information about the virus? > venenezuela tends t to ince restrictions on price when a crcrisis reaeaches extrememe les

and we have seen that with the pandemic a as well.. one journalist awarded with a prize was arrested for inforormg on social media aboutut the risg cases. venezuela has many unresolved problems like humamanitarian crisisis and gasoline shohortag. there are cases -- aftetethe u.n. accused nicolas maduro of crimeses against huhunity, ththere have been fewr cases as these investigations are taking place. >> we know that venezuela's health care system was already in tatters before this began. has the public been able to get reliable information about the coronavirus? >> the o officiaial covid-19 res

that the g government puts out have beeeen criticized for being inaccurate. there have been efforts by the opposition that have gathered health experts and launched a website about covid-19 information. the webpage has been blocked by the government. the maduro administration has blocked overer 70 outlets including web -- news s websites and portals. that is a problem for people who have access to the internet, because a recent investigation by an institute found that 15% of venezuelans found in what they called news wastelands where there is little or load -- little or no information other than that from the official state media. >> when you look beyond venezuela, have other governments used the pandemic to implement curbs on the media? ask >> yes we have seen the causes and effects of fake news

and misinformation aroround the world. governments usee it as an excuse to limit fake -- information. we were surprised toto see how violent social unrest was threatening what we thought were stable governments in ecuador and other places. the pandemic has been used by some countries to implement social control. that includes information. if it is an authororitative government like an venezuela, there e is little to no public information available for journalists. or it can be inaccurate. to get the whole story andnd get it right, journalisists he to put ththemselves a at higher rin south america to get the facts. brent: that was our correspondent from caracas. thank you. here are other stories making headlines.

the president-elect of bolivia says there will be no role in his government for the former president. morales governor for 14 years before resigning last year than fleeing the country. morales remains the leader of the socialist party. the u.s. supreme court has ruled that the state of pennsylvania can count some mail-in ballots for three days after the election even if those ballots do not have a clear posostmark. the ruling is a blow to republicans who sought to nullify such ballots and this could prove consequential. with pennsylvania one of the most critical swing states in the election. firefighters in colorado were battling the states largest wildfires on record. blazes continue to abrupt across the state and have stricken 26 homes. authorities say the fire is

happening at an unusually late time of year when it should be snowing. a nasa spacecraft is ready to reach out and make contact with an asteroid more than 300 kilometers from earth. the spacecraft is designed to collect samples of the asteroid then bring them back to earth in 2023. data and images are already being collected. scientists hope the mission will help them learn more about how planets formed and how life began. fofor more onn t this, go to washington dc. we understand the spacecraft will lend soon. it was launched four years ago.

what could go wrong? >> spacecraft is not going to land, it is going to t tap, touh and go. it's going to blow out t some g, have a collector that grabs material then it will back off. this has been donee once or twie before by the japapanese. it is s an intricacate thing w e you d don't want to b bump into anhihing on thee asteroid. the asteroid, they thought it would be nice and smooth. it ends up, there's a lot of rocks so they have to be v very careful as they come in. brent: what we are talking about is a spacecraft reaching into an asteroid trying to take a piece out without damaging itself. >> exactly. brent: that has been done once before? >> actually twice.

the japanesese attempteded and fafailed then didid it again. this is like doing surgery from a couple hurered million kilolometers away. you n never get g good at it, ad you always have to practice more. brent: what insights do scientists hope to gain about what these samples brought back to earth? >> this is a smaller asteroid. this is a walnut a and this is a skyscraper, the spacecraft is about the size of a truck. this is mostly a rubble pilile. it isn't solid. this asteroidd could conceivably come close to threatening the earth. the idea is what is made out of? they discovered it was a pile of rocks a and the m material onone surface implies that there may have been water on it. it is maybe teases -- pieces

from a small planet that has been destroyed. there are chemicals relatated to where we geget the origin off l. just a littltle pile of rocks is providing a lot of intereresting ininformation.n. things we didn't expect to find. brent: this asteroid, you said it could become dangerous for the earth. why is that? >> the way that it orbitits the sun, it is s called a near earth asteroid. if it does hit the earth, it cocould land and cause a proble. if it is likelyy to be fragigil, it could burn into little pieces and not come close to the earth. we should knock on it and see how it is put together which is exactly what they are doing. brent: let's hope the fed have a successful mission.

good talking to you. we appreciate your insights. back here on earth, berlin is famous for its nightlife. that all came to a grinding halt earlier this year during -- due to the coronavirus. nightclubs remain closed, bars are operating under major restrictions. we have been out to see what is happening to berlin. >> berlin, once the nightlife capital has quieted down since the pandemic. doors are closed, dance floors are empty. clubbers are not the only ones affected. owners face a winter without business. many believe the cultural landscape will be the poor. >> for us, there are two priorities during this pandemic. first, save the people.

second, save the club culture. if you have experienced what it's like, you know that people often function in a club atmosphere than in mainstream society. you realize the club culture is an expression of how science -- society could be different or better. berlin is known as a haven for artists and musicians. they have been especially hard-hit professionally and in everyday life. >> as an artist and event manager, a lot changed. the situation as we have never seen before. >> the measures have put a damper on socializing and they are a big challenge for restaurant and bar owners. they fear limits will threaten their livelihoods.

>> there are some things that we find absolutely necessary. social distancing, wearing a mask, those are good measures and so is making sure bars on crowded. what we don't understand is why the gastrononomy and nigightlife sector has been saddled with the blame. we have been treated as culprits and that's not the case. customers have had to adapt. some of them although willing to make sacrifices, find the measures perplexing. >> i had to think about what i was about to do more, but i don't think it changed the number of people that i saw. >> if you're inside your house with close friends, it changed a lot so you get to know the people better and you get to spend much more time with these people. >> for safety sake, most people

have expected -- accepted the restrictions with grace, but many wonder if berlin will be the same. brent: that is the question. the u.s. has filed a l ldmark antitrtrust lawsuit against google. it alleges that google abused its donna -- dominance to maintain its position ahead of its rivals. european states have begun to reimpose their toughest restrictions to fight covid-19 resurgence. belgium orders bars and restaurants to close for a month. you can always get dw news on the go. just download our app. that will give you access to the latest news from around the world.

if you are part of a story, you can use the app to send us photos and videos. you are watching dw news from berlin. i will be back shortly to take you through the day. the numbers look good for joe biden, but not so bad that they are bad for donald trump. we will explain why. ♪