berlin. tonight, our attention goes to her as the world marks international women's day. tens of thousands have taken to the streets to show their solidarity and appreciation of what they do around the world. many women are counting their losses, not their gains. also coming up, harry and meghan in an explosive interview with oprah about their break up with

the royal family. it includes accusations of racism and indifference to mental distress, even suicide. plus, revisit rebel territory in the democratic republic of congo where one woman is fighting for justice after a militia killed her family. and, hitting the gym again after months of couch potato life. hopes that germany's economy can start getting back into shape. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. the world is marking international women's day at a time when the pandemic is placing extra burdens on many women. united nations commission says the global health emergency has forced women to take on more

housework, homeschooling and caring while in many cases, also losing their jobs. the isolation and stress of lockdowns has led to a surge of domestic violence, which mainly affects women. across the world, they have been making their voices heard today. >> decked out in pink, these women in italy's capital are determined to make their voices heard. on a day that celebrates women, they are protesting against a rise in violence and gender disparities. >> domestic violence has increased alarmingly and the number of femicide is an important indicator of this. in the first two months of this year, there were 15 femicides. >> thousands of ukrainian women and men took it further. they are demanding authorities ratify a law that protects women from physical, sexual and

emotional violence at home. the lockdown brought on by covid-19 has unveiled a harsh reality for many. >> i grew up in a family where my father kept beating my mother. he was not held responsible for it. such cases are covered up. there is no working law. >> in the philippines, activists claim the government for not doing enough to address vulnerabilities many women face. they went more to be done to tackle unemployment and poverty. in pakistan, the festive feeling echoes demands for social justice and better education. the u.n. says progress for gender equality is slow and the lasting effect of the pandemic is beginning to show. women are paid less than men with a pay gap sitting at 23%. >> education is in trouble.

in developing countries, one of the areas of progress in the last two decades has been girl'' educatioand it would be devastating for us to learners -- to lo those gns. women outside the labor market in an era were even t nature of jobare changing and the new skills that are required for the economies of the future and t jobs of the futurere t skills that women do not have. it means that we may be getting into that era where a woman's place was at home. >> while women are the ones paying the highest price, call for everyone to play their part continues to resonate around the world. brent: our correspondents are

following marches around the world. here is more from istanbul, paris and islamabad. >> pakistani women are determined to they are asking -- determined. you're asking for a culture that respects women and treats them equally and allows them the space to flourish and have opportunities men in pakistan enjoy. >> every year, the march on international women's day in paris is like a huge street party. protesters have been telling me the situation for women in france is still dire. ev more so since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. women have been taking over a large share of household chores. more women than men have lost their jobs over the past year. women earn about 23% less than men in the country. experts say this wage gap is

likely to widen with the covid-19 pandemic. >> many women have gathered in central istanbul despite a heavy police presence. police have locked all the main roads leading to the city center. they have closed metro stations to prevent a larger crowd from gathering. women took to the street. they are here and they are making some noise. they brought drums. they brought posters. what they one is gender equality. they are also here to draw attention to what they say are skyrocketing rates of gender-based violence in turkey. according to one well-known rights group, more than 300 women were murdered last year alone. they say the pandemic has made this problem even worse. women are here today to speak up and demand better protection against violence from their government.

brent: correspondents with a wrap up of this international women's day. as part of our coverage, dw invites you to check out a special program on our youtube channel. it is called merkel's era, the women of power. the first episode features the belarusian opposition leader. >> my allies and i and all belarusian women who took to the streets have proven their resilience. the belarusians will not have any doubt a woman canecome the future president of the republican of belarus -- the republic of belarus because women are just as strong as men, sometimes even stronger. i can do anything. i proved it to the world. you think i cannot take a leadership position? brent: you can watch the entire interview on dw news on youtube should -- on youtube.

it has been three years since #metoo became a global movement but only a couple months since a public outcry began over sexual abuse and harassment of women in the balkans. dw has been to belgrade to find new ways to push for equality. >> she is getting set to get pretty loud. that is the name of the band she joined in 2015. >> i am loud against early marriages and i am loud for women's rights. >> the band wants to give women of the significant minority in seia a voice. sylvia wraps messages of equality and justice on behalf of the women in her community. >> i see our responsibility is through our songs and lyrics, what we write, this woman who do

not have support, to feel the support from us and to stand up and have a more self-confidence and fight for what they want. >> in roma communities, getting married at 16 or younger is considered normal. not for sylvia and her band. they are rehearsing new moves and new songs to perform live and help empower others as soon as the pandemic is over. theyractice several times a week to get their message across. singing for equal rights and against any form of abuse by men. this roma band is striking a chord among so many women as the balkan region is currently experiencing its own #metoo moment. women of different backgrounds across serbia are coming forward to speak up. an actress is one of the faces

of this movement. front pages are full of her allegations that her former teacher raped her. allegations he denies. it sparked a discussion of women's rights across the balkans. the issue generates mixed reactions from men. >> it is simple. we are different from europeans. abuse affects a society and women need to talk about this a lot. in our country, no matter how great something seems to be, women have less rights than it seems. >> she has been writing about women's rights long before the recent discussion began. but it is different this time, she says. >> there is this seed of universal female unity and female solidarity among women regardless of ethnicity, class. we had the #you are not alone. none of those women or none of

us as a loan because you will hardly find a woman that has never been through some sort of harassment or abuse. >> for sylvia and her group, the current momentum is helping raise awareness on multiple fronts about being women and being roma in serbia. they want existing laws in serbia that support women to be better enforced. helping make their country a safer place to live. brent: now for the prince, his wife and what they have the rld talking about. wins prince harry and his wife megan have spoken on television for the first time since their exit from real life. speaking yesterday with oprah winfrey, megan who has a white father and black mother revealed while she was pregnant, a member of the royal family weight concerns over the possible skin color of their new baby.

she added the potenti of life as a royal drove her to suicidal thoughts. prince harry says the family has cut them of financial a he sayse feels let down by his father, prince charles. an explosive interview. let's go to our correspondent in london. i know this is what everyone is talking about today. what has been the reaion in the u.k.? >> it has dominated all the front pages, all the conversations we are hearing with people on the streets. this is an explosive interview. it was one allegation after another. to give you a sense of how big is was, the couple revealed during that inrview the gender of their child they are expecting. they said they got married three ys before the royal wedding. that big spectacle so many of us watched. those revelations would have been enough to dominate the news

agenda in the u.k. today. we had a real explosive insight. some of the inner workings of the royal family. some of the relationships between harry and his family. the royal family have this mantra we know about, never complain, never explain. the world cup are here -- though royal couple here did both in this interview. their detractors willay they are trying to trade on their titles. away from the royal family to avoid publicity. here they e in one of the most publicized interviews in decades. critics also say it was an extremely sensite time for the interview to go onir when harry's grandfather is in hospital. on the others of the spectrum, there are manwho feel there has been an outpouring of support for the couple. particularly some of the claims

made by meghan markland heard treatment and some of the statements put to her. one we know as she said during the interview there were concerns about the cor of her unrn child's skin. brent: we know there were accusations that meghan bullied members of staff at buckingham palace. the world is waiting tonight to see whether or not buckingham palace is going to give an official response. how likely is that? >> those blion claims cameut when the interview had been announcedut was yet to be aired. it did raise a few eyebrows. the timing of the claims. we have not yet had an official response to the interview. it has been aired in the u.s. there was speculation in the british press the royal would refrain from making any kind of

immediate comment. given the nature of the comments, the feeling now is they are going to address some of these claims because this is worst case scenario for the royal family. they are likely going to have to say something. whether or not they get involved in a tit-for-tat public warfare begins -- remains to be seen. brent: it makes you wonder how damaging could these revelations be for the monarchy? people are already comparing what harry and meghan have gone through to what princess diana went through. >> they are, particularly in light of some of the revelatns from meghan about her mental heth. she said she had considered suide and ll extremely isoled. those are alllaims we heard from princess diana now those years ago. this now is -- the monarchy once

again. one saving grace if you were looking at this from the monarchy's perspective is the queen has emerged from this unscathed. meghan describing her as bng lcoming. we know from oprah winfrey it was neither the queen nor prince philip her husband who had made those comments about the skin color of her unborn child. from that sense, there will be some relief on that front. brent: charlotte joining us from london should we are going to have -- from london. we are going to have transatlantic coverage of the story this evening. thank you. let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the trial of former u.s. police officer derek chauvin over the killing of george floyd has been delayed until tuesday as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the courthouse.

the judge received a last-minute order to consider, adding an additional murder charge. last may, the former police officer knelt on floyd's neck as he pleaded he could not breathe. 18 civilians are reported dead and three others injured in an explosion south of aleppo. two cars carrying farmworkers are said to have struck landmines apparently left by terrorists. pope francis has ended his historic trip to iraq, speaking to media on his flight back to rome. he said his meeting with the i iraqi grand ayatollah has been good for his soul and he wants to visit lebanon to show solidarity of people -- with people of all religions. the democratic republic of congo has suffered years of conflict. a complex web of armed groups controls the eastern part of the nation in central africa. it is difficult for outsiders to visit. dw gained rare access to rebel

held territory. one woman bearing the scars of war but with a glimpse of hope. >> from now on it is what they call no man's land. nor the government nor the a specific rebel group controls this area. right behind me is where no man's land begins. this is where fighting happens on a regular basis. we are on foot. the beauty of the landscape cannot distract from the constant fear of kidnap or being caught up in fighting. as soon as we get close, the rebel militi sends an escort to take us to their base. one of them joined in the militia almost 20 years ago. after another armed group attacked her village. the man killed her parents with machetes. six of them raped her. she was just 15. she had already been married. the same group had killed her

husband earlier. >> i felt defeated. my life had defeated me. i saw what they had done to me and how they killed my family. i could not continue my life like it had been. so i decid to beme a fighter and drive them out. >> given the chance, she would shoot them othe spot she says. when a former teacher began recruiting people to take revenge, she joined him. many in her group survived similar atrocities. it is a militia of traumatized, damaged young people. >> they killed my father. they killed everyone in my family. that is the only reason i became a fighter. >> the group offered her revenge and survival. they control around 20 villages in the area. security for food in a deal they

say is consensual. we saw local people running i fear from them. the idea of consent is complicated for everyone. it is only when we are alone that she says this. i hear that other people run away from the group, but i think, how can i run? i have no one to help me. i have no land. i have no one who could help me build a life. >> she would like to trade her gun for the life she had before as a farmer. >> i would have had a good life with my husband. one like other people had. but that was taken away from me. >> now, she pours which -- would hopehe has into her children, that they will have choices one day. >> if god blesses me, i could at least give them an education. if they are blessed, at least that. i could nev get another job,

so i cannot help tm by myself. brent: rescuers are searching for survivors after a series of powerful explosions killed at least 20 people in equatorial guinea. hundreds more were injured. the blasts were part of a military base in the most populous city. nearby residents were also obliterated, trapping people under the rubble. the foreign minister has called for international assistance. >> panic, confusion and flight. in the city, the largest in equatorial guinea, residents are in shock over the disaster that struck. >> we do not know. we do not know what caused this. >> we do not know what happened. we only know there was a fire.

>> according to the government, dynamite exploited in the military barracks, setting off a series of blasts that left few buildings undamaged. >> the situation in the city is that there were a couple of blasts during this afternoon. and they have caused the loss of several human lives as well as substantial material damage. >> in flattened neighborhoods, survivors are pulled from the rubble. they are brought to hospitals, suddenly overwhelmed with people injured by the multiple explosions. over half of equatorial guinea's 1.4 million inhabitants live in the city. the powerful blasts have shaken notch as the city but the entire

country. brent: a small measure of normality is returning in germany in line with the cautious coronavirus reopening strategy announced last week by chancellor angela merkel. bars, restaurants and most nonessential businesses remain closed but some sectis of the economy are welcoming customers. >> time to get back in shape after the enforced inactivity of lockdown. gyms like this one are limiting numbers. timeslots have to be booked online. the fitness fans are glad to be back. >> it is a great feeling to finally be able to do some real sports after three months of jogging and a few push-ups at home. despite the restrictionsith the mask, it is a bit more freedom again. >> for retail, there is a relief after months of window shopping

only. this clothing store can finally let customers in again. only those who have booked a slot can enter. the system is called click and meet. >> click and meet is a chance to make some money. whether it will be the same turnover we would normally make, i doubt that because the customers do not want to book a fixed appointment. spontaneous purchases are completely out. >> in many parts of the country, museums are opening to a trickle of well spaced visitors. in some winter resorts, even ski lifts have started operating again. to check if more activity means more infections, there is a promise of one free corona test per week for everyone. tests are available t not many came to get one on monday morning partly because of confusion about what was on offer. >> for a long time, it was not

clear which groups are supposed to come in and what was being asked of the test centers. we were able to open this morning. we got the documentation at half past seven and got going. there were some nervous moments before that. >> as germany emerges from lockdown, people have to get used to the new rules. building strength and stamina is also a good idea. the government has warned it will be months before the pandemic is over. brent: taking some time. tennis legend roger federer is back in action after an absence of 14 months. the grand slam champion had major knee surgery last year. fedor says he is excited to be back on the core in the qatar open. >> a lot has changed since roger federer walked out to prepare for a tennis tournament. the effortless ground are still there despite months away from

the court. federer says he is now pain-free. >> i must be feeling good enough otherwise i would not put myself in this position. i am cious to find out how it is going to go. i do not know myself yet. any result is a good result at this point. >> federer had two lots of knee surgery last year. one tournament any particular on his mind. >> i am here to test it all out and go day by day. my first goal is from now until wimbledon, use this time the best i can to build up step-by-step. i have not had any setbacks the last few months and that has been positive for me and makes me believe good times are ahead, but matches are different to

practice. i still have a long way to go. >> a record extending ninth wimbledon title in july it seem unlikely but if federer can stay happy and healthy, anything is possible. brent: here is a reminder the top story we are following. tens of thousands of people around the world rallied to today to mark international women's day. there is a focus on the special challenges posed by the pandemic. the u.n. says women are facing more unpaid job losses and domestic violence. i will be back to take you through the day. tonight, the prince, his wife and what they said. we will be right back. ♪

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anchor: welcome live from paris, this is france 24. these are the headlines. the trial of the police officer who knelt on the neck of george floyd as he gasped i cannot breathe, is on hold. an additional charge of third-degree murder is causing arguments in the judges chambers in minneapolis. covid deaths in italy are over 100,000. this as a year after italy became the first european country to go on lockdown because of the virus. we have stories around the world of women nicking a difference, calling for fairness and safety

in their lives.