brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. claims of vaccine nationalism. prime minister boris johnson has denied the british government is blocking the export of vaccines. the european council president says otherwise. we will look at how this is affecting relations between london and brussels. also coming up, shots fired at protesters in myanmar as the

military crackdown continues. the un security council has condemned the use of force but so fall -- so far calls for restraint have gone unheeded. japan marks 10 years since a triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdown. we'll take a look at how the country has been coping. plus -- >> we're committed to doing that. however, there's a challenge with both of vaccines that are out there. brent: dw speaks with jordan's foreign minister about the country struggle to vaccinate just -- not just it sounds -- not just its own citizens but hundreds of thousands of refugees. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs in the united states into all of you around the world, welcome. we begin tonight with another

diplomatic row between the european union and former member great britain. this one over covid-19 vaccines. british prime minister boris johnson says his government has not blocked the sale of covid-19 vaccines to the you. this was after london summoned that you envoy took spain cassation's made by the european council president. he's accused -- the latest bat comes as that you faces increasing criticism over its slow vaccination rollout. let's listen to what boris johnson said earlier today in britain's house of commons. >> i wish to correct the suggestion from the european council president that the u.k. has blocked vaccine exports. let me be clear, we have not blocked the export of a single covid-19 vaccine. or vaccine components.

the pending has put us all on the same side and we oppose vaccine nationalism in all its forms. brent: let's take the story to london. charlotte joins me now. boris johnson says there's no band, the european union says were talking about a defect oh band. what is it? -- were talking about a de facto ban. charlott the astrazeneca bandit -- vaccine is the only one produced in the u.k.. the new is painting a picture here at the u.k. essentially benefiting, whereby it has a priority to vcinate its population with doses of the vaccine produced in the u.k.. the u.k. he for its pt is

pushinback very hard on any claims that there is an outright ban on the export of ccines from the u.k.. as you mentied just now, the pushback is so strong th a top e.u. diplomat was summoned to discuss the claims that such a ban exist. but the you pointing out that the da just isn't there at the moment to look at how mh the u.k. is eorting the vacne, meaning its muddy waters here and the u.k. is pushing back very hard. brent: britain has had a very successful vaccination drive and the you rollout remains very slow. as is because britain has more vaccines, or is there more to this story than that? charlotte: i think it'a bger picture that you need to lk at that goes beyond just supply. first of all, britain was quick

to point out that th vaccination programtarted earlier here. almost 23 million people have gotten at least the first dose. it als started a different dosing strategy. it decided it would try to separate doses by up 12 weeks, eating that more people could receive the first dose of the vaccine faster. it was a controversial strategy at the time but since it has seemed to be supported but -- by the data that's emerging, even the older population, we know there is some skeptism in otr parts of europe about the efficacy othe astrazeneca vaccine. no such debate was had in the u.k. so the trust level when it comes to the oxford astrazeneca vaccine or higher. brent: charlotte, as always, thank you.

one year into the pandemic, many teenagers are struggling to cope mentally and emotionally after months of missed school, disrupted social lives, and the heavy responsibility of protecting their loved ones. in belgium, mental health services for young adults are now overwhelmed. dw visited one hospital to see how the pandemic is impacting vulnerable young people. >> long months of lockdown have been a battle for many young people. teenagers in acute mental@ distress come to the hospital for psychiatric care, often after traumatic events or suicide attempts. among the residents the 17-year-old we are calling alexandra. >> covid was an extra thing that just made me kind of collapse. it was too much, too heavy. my dad is at high risk, so i had to be kind of isolated from my family. i had to eat by myself, stay by

myself. i couldn't hug my parents. >> alexander is not alone in struggling to cope with covid. but she is one of those fortunate enough to access this hospitals help. the director says new admission request for troubled teens has skyrocketed since january. some think it's due to exhaustion, and death toll for return to normality. there are no places left and now even the waiting list is closed. >> how can you choose between a suicidal 15-year-old and a suicidal 16-year-old. it's impossible. >> the doctor believes they can save lives by prioritizing teens. >> integrate places for lay, so people can be part of the fabric

of life. something so crucial for teenagers. if not, there is a real risk that mental health will keep deteriorating, and i'm truly afraid we will see suicide rates increase. it feels like we are at the edge of a tsunami and we urgently need to bolster our defenses. >> as the young people living here build up their emotional defenses to reenter the outside world, olexander hope sharing her story will give strength to other teens who are suffering. >> the fact that we are also here, we are all still fighting against it, is something very positive in something that will make us grow and be able to look at after and say wow, i went through these tough times but i made it out. >> our priority is getting better as soon as she can, which could open the door for another young person who needs help.

brent: let's get you up to speed with some of the other stories making headlines around the world previewed the u.s. congress has just approved a sweeping pandemic leave package. this is the first major triumph of the biden administration. covid-19 bill is now set to be signed into law are president joe biden. the measures include relief payments for most americans and billions of dollars for schools, local authorities and businesses. th former brazilian president has criticized the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. the state of the economy and key policies. he made the comments during his first official appearance since his corruption conviction was thrown out by brazil's supreme court over the weekend. russia's dia watchdog says it is slowing the speed at which content can be uploaded to twitter, accusing the social media platform failing to remove

3000 sites containing band content. they been cracking down on site supporting imprisoned opposition figure alexei navalny. at least one person has died between -- in clashes between students and police in johannesburg, south africa. thousands have been unable to register to study this academic year because of money owed him 2020. -- from 2020. security forces in myanmar have raided a neighborhood that houses railway workers have been striking in protest over last month's military coup. the new government has been cracking down with increasing force, using tear gas, water cannon, and live rounds on protesters. the un security council has strongly condemned the military's use of violence and at least 60 people have been killed so far and more than 2000 arrested. reporter the moment any member of the overthrown political

party trans, cct catches securi forces ashey pull up and rush into the house of a leader of the national democracy party. he is a farmer -- former guard for aung san suu kyi. he is pulled fromhe home and pushed into a waiting vehicle as others move into get in on the moment. such arrests have not slowed activism in myanmar. this in the southeast where protest turned into a sit down with makeshift barricades at either ends. another sit-down pro cast -- protest in the northern city of mandalay saw engineering students figure way to keep police at bay, using bricks turned vertically in the roadway. the strategy is for quick hit gatherings and then retreat to avoid security forces.

and in mandalay, police again arrived with a vengeance. slowed perhaps by the bricks. but the sound of armaments can be heard as yet again, protesters make a run for it. avoiding arrest, or much worse. at the hands of security forces. curi forces like those who took t now detaid memberf the erthrown nldarty. armed persnel snappe pictures d got set to dri off with their detainee, who is no doubt aware that to fellow party members have died in police custody in recent days. the troops also found th keys to his vehicle and decided to take it into custody as well. brent: china is under scrutiny again for its treatment of muslim uighurs. a report from u.s.-based group of experts say china has violated every part of the united nations genocide convention.

activists say that china has detained one million leaders in detention centers like this one seen here, which china says is a vocational training center. aging controls all available footage from these sites, but the report describes them as extrajudicial centers where uighurs suffered torture, rape, and forced labor. china has denied the allegations, claiming the reeducation programs help to fight extremism in the region. for more now i'm joined by one of the report authors. it is good to have you on the program. talk to me a little bit, or describe, if you could, what is it that the uighurs or injuring? >> they -- are enduring? >> this report we undertook is probably the most comprehensive and detailed report on china's

breach of the convention, we review testimony of over 13,000 detainees and that we corroborate that it seems clear that over 50 global experts in international law, they have all come to the conclusion that china is in clear breach of the genocide convention of 1948. brent: you said you conducted interviews. how were you able to gather information and analysis beyond that? we know the region has been cordoned off for years and it's almost impossible for reporters to get into. >> we didn't have access to the individuals directly in the camps. we did take a look at the evidence of former detainees, many of them giving testimonials and we utilize that material and related material.

and much of the chinese government some documentation in terms of how they want to treat the uighurs. if i could just mention a few, they intended to wipe them out completely and destroy them, break eir linee, breakheir roots and break their origins. it's very clear exactly what the chinese government is trying to do with the uighurs. they're essentially trying to wipe them out and their identity. brent: these are horrible accusations being made in your report. i'm wondering, can china be held accountable at all for this? >> there are 152 parties including china. if they don't do so, according to the convention, they are compliciwith the genocide. the convention was set up to

prevent genocide and also to punish those parties that engage in this kind of behavior. so business as usual cannot continue when the countries are secondary to the genocide convention. brent: how concerned are you that geopolitics will be part of the equation here and prevent the international community from doing what needs to do to stop these human rights abuses? >> obviously that is a deep concern. there's not one small part of the world that you can isolate, particularly post-covid. many countries are reluctant to call out china's genode whichci is why they uyi a -- an inquiry

to make the determination. these are all delaying tactics for countries that don't really want to step up to this responsibility under this convention. brent: the latest on the report claiming attempted genocide against the uighur minority in china. we appreciate your insights tonight. thank you. >>gh thanks for having me. brent: japan is preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of two disasters -- one of the biggest exact stirs in the countries history. the massive -- earthquake and tsunami that caused a meltdown at the fukushima nuclear power plant. more than 18,000 people killed and there was widespread devastation. here is a look back at what happened 10 years ago tomorrow. >> march 11, 2011. japan's east coast is rocked by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the country. shortly afterwards, a tsunami

ripped through fukushima prefecture, taking everything with it. the tsunami also cripples the fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to explosions and meltdowns at three reactors. >> radioactive clouds spread over kilometers around it. >> thousands of people lost their lives as a result of the disaster. tens of thousands were forced to evacuate their homes. at a press conference just nine months later, japan's prime minister at the time maintained the situation was under control. but the battle wasn't over. the fukushima meltdown would count as the most severe nuclear accident since the turn noble disaster in 1986 -- since the chernobyl disaster in 1986. to this day, there is still restricted access to 1600 square kilometers of land near the

nuclear power plant. at around 230 square kilometers, the fukushima is>> the fukushima nuclear disaster continues to contaminate the air, the earth, and the groundwater to this day. bags of radioactive contaminated soil allowed -- lie scattered throughout the province and it's unclear how it should be stored for the long-term. the radioactive cloud was pushed away and out tsea. >> we have seen radioactivity in the past in the ocean but not at these levels.

>> radiation levels in a large number of marine animals registered much higher than the levels considered safe in japan. the fishing industry in japan is only recovering slowly. in order to keep cores and reactors from melting, tons of water are used each day to melt them. over one million times is stored in hundreds of tanks near the power plant. because storage space is limited and the tanks will soon reach capacity, japanese government is considering discharging contaminated water into the cnn 2022. -- into the sea in 2022. >> the threats remain. >> residents, fishermen, environmentalists a the plan offe no solution to an ongoing disaster. brent: i'm joined by our

environmental reporter, good evening, sarah. we just heard in that report that you japanese government is planning to release contaminated water into the ocean next year. is that a good idea? sarah: it certainly depends on who you ask. the japanese government will tell you it is safe because the radioactive water will be filtered out, it will be diluted, and it will be discharged into the ocean over a long period of time. and the only radioactive element that is staying is relatively harmless. however, locals, residents, fishermen and environmentalists do have concerns and have said, first of all, we don't really know what the long-term effects on the environment are and there are also concerns that not everything will be filtered out correctly. and now because of the fierce resistance, there's another option on the table now, which

is to store additional tanks outside of the plant. brent: speakinthe ecystem in tha prefecture recovered? sarah: radiation levels are not as high as they were 10 years ago. however, there are still hotspots today and greenpeace japan said there are some areas that haven't beenecta dmi all, d that causes problems when there are typhoons or heavy rainfall because it essentially washes down radiation from forested areas and actually greenpeace japan said they have evidence of re-contamination. just last month, fishermen found atop type of fish that had five times the amount of cesium that is allowed. brent: and what about the human

angle of this? how are the locals coping 10 years after surviving a major natural disaster and at the same time, a major nuclear meltdown? sarah: certainly, not everyone who was evacuated at the time, who had to flee their homes, not everyone has returned to fukushima. many decided to stay put where they had been living for a number of years, and even those who have returned, some of them are concerned about radiation and some have taken to measuring their own radiation levels just so that they know where they are at. and just to put this into perspective, one town used to have 20,000 people, and now only a fraction of those have returned. brent: it's hard to imagine what it must have been like 10 years ago. sarah, thank you. jordan says it is not getting enough coronavirus vaccines from

the global initiative to get doses to countries in need. speaking exclusively to dw, jordin's foreign minister said the middle eastern nation is reaching out to china and russia to get enough vaccines and it warned against politicizing the issue. jordan faces the additional task of providing vaccinations to hureds of thousands of refugees from neighboring syria. the foreign minister is here in berlin to discuss the crisis, as well as other regional issues with his counterpart. a reporter set down to discuss the daunting vaccination challenge. reporter: jordan has been praised for providing refugees with vaccinations, but jordan is getting rather a small number of vaccinations from the international community. the system has been set up in the first allocation, jordan is

getting around 440,000 doses. that's barely more doses that haitt real dusioes ough, ior vaccinate everybody who is in jordan. we were the firstrsourswehohevee that all the vaccines that are out there. >> are you disappointed that western countries are prioritizing their own populations to such a massive extent? >> the virus doesn't know borders. the experience we had with the

vaccine is showing how interconnected we are. it must be a global effort and everyone must have equal back -- equal access to the vaccine. >> your own prime minister reportedly received the vaccine. >> we are in talks with the chinese government and we in talks with astrazeneca to try to get the vaccine. pretty much we are knocking on every door that is out there to try and get the vaccine. reporter: are you concerned about the issue of vaccines turning into a battlefield? there is concern in the west that the russians and the chinese are in their vaccines when western vaccines are not available. >> this is an area where politics should not be a factor. what should be a factor is ensuring that we all protect our

citizens, because again, unless all our citizens are texted, none of our citizens are safe. politics should not become a factor. brent: finally, the berlin zoo's baby gorilla finally has a name. thousands took part in an online vote and they chose the name tilla. the first time mom took a break and snacked on a special fruit and vegetable feast to mark the name day. that's a happy mother and a happy tilla