brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. he admitted to letting down his guard, now he has a virus. french president emmanuel macron has tested positive for covid-19. he is isolating, but there are concerns about those he had contact with recently, including numerous european leaders. we will have the latest on the tracking and tracing. also coming up, physically and emotionally abused -- dw speaks with two elite german gymnasts who say they were bullied and

mistreated by their coach. and 10 years ago today, a tunisian street vendor set hielf a light, sparking a wave of uprisings and armed rebellions against repressive regimes. what has changed since the time? ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in united states and around the world, welcome. french president emmanuel macron has tested positive for the coronavirus. his office says it is highly likely the president caught the virus at the european council summit last week. he has begun 70's of quarantine. his diagnosis, fueling alarm and anxiety among europe's leaders, many had close contacts with macron at that summit. some are now restricting their

movements and getting tested. reporter: an affectionate squeeze, that is how french president emmanuel macron greeted officials and heads of government last week at the eu summit. and how he welcomed the portuguese prime minister to the elisees palace on wednesday. now that he has tested positive for the coronavirus, those close contacts mayor wish they had dodged his warm embrace. lessnau, the president started to experience symptoms indicative of covid-19. he immediately isolated and took pcr tests, the result of which confirmed he is positive for covid-19. as for everyone who tests positive in this country, contact tracing began immediately in order to identify the president's" tax -- president's close contacts. his symptoms are mild. he attended this meeting virtually from isolation.

the positive test has upended his agenda and the agenda of european politics, as the u.k. and eu at attempt to negotiate -- eu attempt to negotiate a trade deal by the end of the year. many are now working from home. working, that is, unless they become seriously a. -- seriously ill. in paris, there was little surprise that the president's misfortune. cash at the president -- at the president's misfortune. >> it affects everyone. there's no reason to blame him. >> it does not surprise me. he probably did not respect the social distancing rules. reporter: he joins a long list of world leaders who have caught the virus. just over a week before the eu was hoping to begin vaccinations. brent: our correspondent is in brussels, on the story for us tonight. good evening to you. we know president macron announced the diagnosis today,

this afternoon. he was seen speaking online at a conference. how important is it for him to show that he is still in charge? >> of course it is important for him to show that he is only mildly affected so far. by the covid-19 he has acquired. he was at a conference, sitting at a desk. we don't know exactly where this desk was, we presume somewhere in his private quarters at the elysées palace. there's also concerns he can spread the virus to everybody surrounding him. we don't know if there were technicians or some other people working with him. so that is also critical. you are supposed to stay in your room and also get rest, if you have the coronavirus. not to work. so it is a double-edged sword. a message which can also go in the other direction. of course, macron wants to show he is still in charge, still governing.

he will only quarantine for seven days, then will resume his work again. brent: he most likely got the virus last week at the european council meeting. what does that tell us then about the coronavirus protocols that are being enforced or not being enforced at these conferences? >> at this point, the elysées palace is saying it is most likely acquired the virus last week. at the summit. but, there is no proof of that, because all the other leaders so far have no get if had -- have negative covid tests. there are no positive tests. also, the german chancellor, angela merkel, tested negative for the virus. she is not self-isolating. she is continuing her work. there are others who are self-isolating. it is not quite clear if it is really the summit that was the spreader.

-- the spreader event. we don't know what macron is doing and private. there are also concerns about his family, his wife, bridget, was also in self-isolation. she is 67 years old. she is part of a risk group. so what is not quite clear if really it was the summit or if it was the other meetings macron had in the last several days. he was meeting in paris with several leaders. he has a very busy schedule. although the country is just coming out of a lockdown. some people are criticizing he is still so busy. brent: in brussels, thank you. with the u.k., canada, and u.s. all recently kicking of mass vaccination campaigns, the eyes of the world are fixed on a vaccine developed by a company right here in germany. here's a closer look at how the firm, biontech, is responding to both the plaudits and the scrutiny.

reporter: biontech started out as a small start up in 2008. now, the world's focus is on the vaccine developer. the german government provided funding for the company from early on. angela merkel is full of praise for the founders. >> i consider myself ahead of t federal government. we are incredibly proud we have research like this here in germany. reporter: he first read about the coronavirus outbreak in china at the end of january and predicted a global pandemic. he and his wife decided to redirect their resources from researching cancer to finding a coronavirus vaccine. >> it is a very exciting time. when we get the approval from the european authorities, we can start divering a vaccine, potentially even this year. our employees will work through christmas to make sure the vaccine makes it's all countries. reporter: initially, some

400,000 doses will be kept for use in germany. if the eu gives the green light by the 23rd of december, vaccinations could get underway here by the 27th. >> it is car who will be receiving the vaccine first. our primary goal is to protect people over 80 years old and of who live or work in retirement homes or care facilities -- and those who live or work in retirement homes or care facilities. reporter: others will be told when it is their time for the vaccine, if they need it. brent: let's take a look now at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the king of sweden says his country has failed in the handling of the coronavirus. the king made the criticism during a television appearance. sweden has left measures relatively voluntary. russian president putin has

blasted allegations that russia was behind the poisoning of alexa novotny. he smiled during a conference and said "if there had been such a desire, it would have been done." the bosnian capital is blanketed with smog, prompting authorities to warn people to stay indoors. fine particulate levels are said to be hazardous. windless conditions means the buildup is likely to continue over the coming days. the pollution is caused by heavy reliance on coal heating and aging power plants. now, to a controversy engulfing german gymnastics. him alex -- a magazine reported mistreatment by a female coach.

dw has been speaking with two former elite gymnasts, who say the problem is much wider than anyone thought. reporter: naomi and ruby are learning to love gymnastics all over again. for many years, their love for the sport had disappeared. aged 10 and primed for big things, the twins moved to an elite training center. when their performances dipped, they say they were called fat and lazy by their coach. >> the worst thing was when he said he would not come to competitions with us because we were in bears and him. when you are 14 -- because we were embarrassing him. when you're 14 or 15, you need to support, no matter how badly you do. reporter: on one occasion during a bar's exercise, naomi said she was purposely dropped on her head to teach her a lesson. >> he pushed me to were three

times to go down lower. but i'm you he wasn't holding me properly. that is why i did not go lower. then i did under pressure. but he let go of me and said, "there, you see?" reporter: a local association said it was surprised by the allegations, adding they take the allegations bears seriously and will clarify the facts as soon as possible. at that time, naomi and ruby were given three options -- either put up with the coach, with the sport, or if they ended up -- what they ended up doing, moved to the ompicraining center. earlier this month, problems there were uncovered bthe spiegel magazine. a dozen othegymnasts accused of the head coach, gabriela frazier, of bullying them and making them trained through injury. naomi and ruby say injections were handed out freely, without prescriptions, and without the knowledge of athletes' parents.

the 20 oh they could not speak up because of the baggage they had come with such the twins felt they could not speak up because of the baggage they had come with. >> you were told we were annoying, we were the problem. we did not want to be a nuisance we wanted to show we were hard-working that is why we did not mention a lot of things. reporter: the coach, who has been suspended pending investigation, has called the allegations baseless and says she never oversteps the mark. it was her strong denials that prompted naomi and ruby to tell their story. >> we can definitely confirm these are not baseless allegations that the other girls have made. two or three of them are with us. we witnessed how badly they were treated. we can easily say it is not baseless. reporter: these days, the twins only compete in the national

league, nlonger dreaming of international success. but at least now, they can perform again with a smile on their faces. brent: i am joined now by maximilian clyde, from the independent athletes' assoation and which lend -- into which lend, or athletes germany. -- in germany, or athletes germany. for your surprised by these allegations? >> not really. these allegations do not come as a surprise. we must assume cases of violence be it on high-performance level or otherwise makes you look to other cases and other revelations. in the u.k. and the u.s.. we must not assume that germany is any more strict and. we, for example, talked to our members --

the vast majority indicated they have experienced some form of violence or abusiveehavior. brent: why do you think that is? you say just the tip of the iceberg. why is that this abuse is so prevalen? >> especially in high-performance sports, it really provides favorable conditions that atetes a actually prone to this. the sports stem can be a closed system. physical and emotional proximities between athletes, also between athletes and their coaches can star there are favorable conditions for that kind of behavior. in high-performance sports, the sporting career of athletes really depend on the decisions by the coaes, by staff the federations. therore, there are areas for athletes to speak up. brent: we know we can't really

change these dynamics about competitive sports, so what can be done then to prevent this abuse from happening in the future? >> first of all, we have to see what is being done on prevention of violence and abuse and sports. this really has to be implemented on the ground. across the 90,000 clubs in germany. what is really needed, and i think the u.s. for example is a good example for that, we need to have a speak of culture on the ground. -- speak up culture on the ground. in the broader context, you find athletes are speaking up on a range of issues now. i think the more athletes are speaking up on abuse and violence in sports, the more other athletes dare to do so. secondly, the structure of the sport system is often times set

up so that the sport cannot self regulate. it is autonomous. many issuein sports, especially violence and abusive behavior, should not be self regulated by the sport. if everything is solved within the system, it is really hard for athletes to talk to independent persons, because they think they are not trustworthy, may beishonest brent: it is good to have someone to talk to, that you can trust, you feel is independent. maximilian from the independent athletes association in germany, thank you. 10 years ago, a tunisian street vendor set himself on fire in front of his local town hall. his desperate act was in protest at official corruption and sparked a wave of uprisings and armed rebellions against repressed regimes in the region. -- repressive regimes in the region. while they did topple some

longtime dictators, it also led to a number of civil's that continue to this day -- civil war's that continue to this day. reporter: this man let the spark that left scorch marks against the entire region. on december 17 of 2010, mohammed b. set himself on fire to protest official corruption in tunisia. he died from his injuries a few weeks later. by the his story of inspiration had inspired a nationwide outpouring of rage. and soon afterwards, the arab spring protests took down their first high-profile political target. >> tunisia's veteran autocrat fled to saudi arabia with only a few family members and close aides in tow. reporter: the antigovernment protests multiplied rapidly beyond tunisia's borders, with ger ov repreive reges,

economic hardship, and political faile spilling onto the street. social med was used to spread the word and organize. and few countries were left untouched by the unrest. some of the biggest upheaval was experienced in egy, where the decades long ruler was overthrown. setting the stage for a power struggle eventually won by the military. and libya, syria, and yemen became embroiled in protracted conflicts, which are still taking a huge monetary and told today -- humanitarian toll today. brent: the international committee played a role in the upheaval in the arab world. elias is a middle east analyst with the policy and to do says western countries prioritized their own interests over the humanitarian issues, which sparked the revolts. >> should definitely look at the

western democracies and how they have impacted development since 2011, as a have often publicly claimed and stated that they support the ideas of these revolutionary protest movements. right? first and foremost, the european union and its member states and the united states have actually put their interest in the region over the protection of human rights and the demands of the protesters for the most part, at least. the basic assumption underlying this is that the autocrats of the region will provide stability, and that is fundamentally flawed, in my opinion. as long as citizens experience this high level of inequality, repression, and the injustice that has sparked the protest 10 years ago, then these are actually the very basis of the authoritarian rulers in those countries, they do not contribute to stability in the region, quite the opposite. brent: the coronavirus pandemic has led to enormous upheavals in

our lifestyles, how we work, socialize, and even the places we call home. a study in spain has found a significant increase in demand for homes with more indoor and outdoor space. city dwellers appear to be packing up and moving to the suburbs or to the countryside. one reason is that more people are working from home, but there are others. to talk about that, my colleague, here at the big table with me. it's not just a spanish story. you can't do any of this if you don't have good internet. >> you are absolutely right. internet is key to many jobs. is not just in spain. spain released a report from the notary general counsel. essentially, the notary. when you buy a property, you have to go to the notary. they noticed there was a drop in the number of people buying apartments and a significant, sharp rise in people looking for houses, with a garden or tdoor spe.

in many european cities, people would live in apartments. not just in europe, across the world, we see people live in apartments where often they don't even have an outdoor space or a shared outdoor space or small block any. -- small balcony. we see that in berlin. after the pandemic, people now want a change, they want different aspects of their lives to be a little bit more outdoorsy. they don't have to be in the city anymore. because perhaps their job permits it. brent: is what we are looking at here immigration out of urban areas, to the suburbs, rural areas? >> in the u k and u.s. it is similar to spain, in germany as well, there's been a shift in the number of people buying bigger properties. you get more for your money. what has happened is -- the question is, this kind of space people want, is it really something that is sustainable, is this what is going to happen in the future? i spoke to a professor, a human

geography professor at ucl in london. this is what she told me. >>ith many caps on four, it is just not possible to move out of cities --ypes of jobs, it is just not possible to move out of cities. especially sector work, cleane, bus drivers, their work is not possible to remotely. if you are aront line, working in hospitals, these are jobs that are vy unlikely to be possibleo be donremotely. you ll see pblems, seeing this as a universal blanket applation in which people are just moving in a out of remote work. it will not happen everywhere. >> so the professor there told me that basically, not everybody can just work from anywhere. our profession is one where you can. some jobs, some you can, but it's more the fact that it's

actually people from lower income backgrounds are the ones that are most affected. really, the problem here is the pandemic has exposed major deficiencies with urban areas across the planet, small housing is one of the main problems. brent: also, you can't afford apartments now. if people are going to move out of these urban areas, does that mean urban areas are going to become affordable? are these areas going to improve? >> we need to focus on where the problems lie in urban areas. if people are living in poor housing and they do not have access to even clean air, proper facilities, that is really what we need to be looking at. it is essentially working from the bottom up, as opposed to the top down. brent: as always, good reporting, thank you. a chinese lunar probe has completed its historic mission and returned to earth, landing in mongolia. china is now the third country after the u.s. and the soviet

union that has brought back samples from the moon service -- moon surface. reporter: thermal imaging shows the capsule with its precious cargo touching back down to earth. helicopters then spot the lunar probe in the icy wasteland. support staff quickly move in to recover the spacecraft. china hopes the contents will help scientists discover new information about the geology and history of earth satellite -- of earth's satellite. it was one of the most complicated and challenging missions in china's aerospace history. when the rocket was launched on november 23, it was a source of naonal pride the probe was made up of four modules -- one was the lander, which dug for roxanne soiled or the materials were then transferred into a return capsule for the journey back to earth.

it is the first time in four decades that material has been ought backrom the moon. beijing now has its sights set on building a moon-base, cementing its role as a superpower in the new space race. brent: the estonian capital has found a way to pay tribute to one of its most beloved residents, the honor he roamed the streets for years before moving to the country earlier this year. he was known for his shaggy good looks as well as being a free spirit. he brought the city together. reporter: men are more beloved in this neighborhood. >> he touched everyone, young and old, estonians and russians. he was a source of ingration. >> he was not youlook the face cuddly type. t his presee in the heart of the capital was a familiar comfort, and is so messed.

his likeness stands there now. people wanted a monument here and still follow his life even though he is old and frail. age ravaged his body and mind, so he has been uprooted to live the rest of his days at a nearby farm. the four-legged vagabond has tried to escape back to the streets he has known since he was a pup. even back then, many tried to have them rounded up and put to sleep. others fought to feed and protect him. this time, kindness one yet again -- won yet again. brent: here's a reminder of the top stories we're following for you. french president emmanuel macron has tested positive for covid-19 and will self-isolate for seven days. eu leaders who have had contact recently with him are concerned. prime's already in quarantine. germany says it plans to rollout its coronavirus vaccination campaign beginning the summer 27, as leading doctors warn intensive care beds are filling

up quickly. the country recently set a record high for new infections with more than 30,000 cases recorded in the last 24 hours. you are watching dw news. we have some breaking news coming -- in nigeria, hundreds of boys are now safely back in government custody after being kidnapped from a school last friday. we will have much more on that, as the information comes in. stay tuned. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." we'll be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> welcome to live from pairs world news and notes from france 24, these are the headlines. around 300 boys released by the islamist terror group, they were among the group kidnapped from their school in northwestern nigeria last week, crossing out to our correspondent in laos with the latest. man u macro has tested positive for cova 19 currently isolating at the palace where he is reportedly still able to work, he caught the virus at a meeting with european heads of state. 10 years on, the impact of the arab spring, we will be visiting the place where it began in