berlin. germany plans to boost its stalled vaccination rollout program. chancellor merkel promises to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate, and to add flexibility to traditional german thoroughness. also, germany honors its scientists that brought hope to the world by developing the first covid-19 vaccine. the biontech founders will go down in history. and the u.s. and china, set to resume bad tempered superpower

talks. the first under president biden. washington describes beijing a threat to global stability, while china accuses the u.s. of hypocrisy. ♪ phil: i'm phil gayle. welcome to the program. germany's federal and state leaders held a virtual summit to discuss the country's stalled vaccination drive. like other european countries, germany is dealing with a third wave of infections. following the summit, chancellor merkel announced measures aimed at speeding up the vaccination process. these include allowing family doctors to inoculate patients and possibly even ordering russia's sputnik v vaccine. so far, less than 10% of germans have been vaccinated. far fewer than in the u.s. or in the u.k. here's the chancellor talking about the vaccination drive. chancellor merkel: we want to, and from april, we will become faster and more flexible.

we want to demonstrate the proverbial and the tried and trusted german thoroughness, while complementing that with more german flexibility. phil: let's get more from dw's chief political correspondent, melinda crane. welcome, melinda. part of the way of speeding up this process is to bring in family doctors. how will that change things? melinda: well, the idea is to try to make the logistics a little bit less centralized and a little bit more adaptable. but the fact is, logistics is only part of the problem in germany. certainly, there have been some regions where the vaccination centers have not moved as quickly as people had hoped. but the ablute central difficulty here, and the reason why germany is far behind many

other countries, in terms of the share of the population that's been vaccinated, is quantity of available vaccine. and here's an example. even once the family doctors are allowed to begin administering the vaccine after the first week in april, after about the fifth of april, the fact is, there will only be a million vaccine doses a week available for these family doctors. and that may sound like a lot, but the fact is, per medical practice, that's going to be 20 doses. so that's going to be one hour a week that the family doctors could actually be administering vaccines. that will change a little bit after 3-4 weeks. but the fact is, this move toward greater flexibility isn't going to make a rapid difference in the number of people vaccinated or how fast we can contain this new wave. phil: so what happens in 3-4 weeks that will change the actual supply vaccines?

-- supply of vaccines? melinda: then, according to plan, a lot more vaccine will become available in germany. for example, those family doctors, they will then get up to 3 million doses a week. that would allow significantly more vaccination by them. there will also be more vaccine available to the vaccine centers. by the way, today, the regional leaders meeting with the chancellor also decided that regions that are near hotspots that are on the border to other european countries that have a very rapid rise in infection, they will also be allocated more vaccine going forward. phil: briefly, melinda, there are plans to talk about germany's lockdown next week, but that doesn't look like it's going to be eased soon, does it? melinda: definitely not. we heard the health minister saying this morning, look, we need to put rules back in place,

we simply are moving into a rate of exponential infection increases. and the chancellor, saying this evening that she believes that on monday, the government full impose -- will impose the so-called "emergency brake." that is something the local regional leaders agreed on with the chancellor about two weeks ago, in which if the infection rate goes up above a certain level, then in fact all the measures to begin opening would be halted, and we would go back into tighter restrictions, including on the number of people being permitted to meet. phil: chief political correspondent melinda crane, thank you so much. germany is one of several european countries to resume inoculations with the astrazeneca vaccine after the eu met its regulator and he was regulars concluded it is safe and effective against preventing

over 19. they continue to monitor rare cases of blood clotting that may be linked to the vaccine. a team of german scientists say they found out more about the clots, and perhaps how to treat them. sophia wagner from dw was asked about what the german researchers have incurred. >> scientists from the university in northern germany got six samples from the federal german agency for vaccines. they say they studied these blood samples in great detail. if they were able to connect the vaccine, the astrazeneca vaccine, to a special form of immune response, which leads to the formation of the blood clots that have been observed in these patients. we have to keep in mind they only looked at a very small number of samples, only six blood samples, and to the

results have not been approved by other scientists and they have not even been reprieved by other institutes. in general, young women and middle-aged, young to middle-aged woman are at the highest risk of developing this kind of thrombosis. we don't even really know if the astrazeneca vaccine heightens the likelihood of developing this form of thrombosis at all. the good news is, because the scientists were able to study the mechanism in such detail, they are also pretty convinced they will now be able to treat it's very well if symptoms appear. phil: germany has honored the scientists who developed the world's first covid-19 vaccine. the married founders of biontech have been awarded the order of merit. they achieved their breakthrough largely by starting work on a vaccine before their rivals. reporter: it is an award for services to the nation, and yet, this couple's extraordinary achievement has global dimensions.

>> your groundbreaking discovery is saving lives and livelihoods. it is ensuring our social, economic, and cultural survival. each time a person's vaccinated, we take a small step back towards normal life, towards the life we miss and the people we love. of this, i am certain, seldom has a scientific achievement of such existential importance been recognized in this palace. reporter: the couple founded biontech in 2008. at their company's headquarters, they and their team had been working on the next generation cancer treatment for more than a decade using mrna technology. that was until news from china emerged about doctors discovering a mysterious new virus spreading rapidly in the

city of wuhan. at first, the world didn't pay much attention, but they did. even before the who issued its first major warning, the biontech team started working around the clock. less than a year later, the vaccine was approved in many countries around the world. that not only earned them one of germany's highest honors, but also thank you letters from around the globe. >> we saw grandparents reunited with their grandchildren, doctors and nurses that no longer needed to be worried about by their electives. -- by their relatives. when i read messages like this, i can say the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. reporter: but to end the pandemic, he emphasizes one last big concerted effort is necessary. he appealed to people to remain cautious. >> two thirds of the way out already behind us, one third is ahead, and i am absolutely sure that if we can do this, we will get the pandemic under control.

reporter: like everyone else, the couple will then be able to return to normal everyday life. for them, that means getting back to work on their original mission, developing a new treatment for cancer. phil: we will take a look now at some other stories making headlines around the world, starting with tanzania, who has its first female president. she took that both as head of state following the sudden death of the former leader. she will serve the remainder three years of his term. young environmenta activists have staged a protest since around the world as part of a first global climate strike of 2021. swedish activists let a demonstration in stockholm criticizing world leaders failing to treat climate change as a crisis. rural communities in eastern australia are battling a plague of mice, running rampant,

invading silos and barns, threatening grain harvests. the united states and china have resumed their talks in alaska -- a dramatic first high-level encounter since president biden took office. the face-to-face meetings have laid bare the hostility between the two superpowers. washington accuses beijing of threatening global stability. china hit back at what it called u.s. hypocrisy. amongst the sticking points are human rights, the pandemic, and china's military buildup. reporter: it was supposed to be a traditional photo op between two economic and military superpowers, but instead, a backroom brawl exploded onto the world stage,s both sides launched scathing indictments. >> we will also discuss our deep concerns with actions by china, including in shenyang, hong kong, taiwan, cyber attacks on the united states, economic coercion toward our allies.

each of these actions threaten the rules based order that maintains global civility. -- global stability. that is why they are not merely internal matters and why we feel an obligation to raise these issues here today. reporter: the chinese communist party's foreign affairs chief fired back by questioning america's status as a leader. >> so we hope when talking about universal values or international public opinion on the part of the united states, we hope the u.s. side will think about whether it feels reassured saying these things, because the u.s. doesn't represent the world, it only represents a government of the united states. reporter: the u.s. secretary of state reasserted america's leadership role. >> i have to tell you what i am hearing is very different in what you described. -- from what you described. i'm hearing deep satisfaction, that the united states is back, that we are reengaged with our allies and partners. i'm also hearing deep concern

about some of the actions your government is taking. reporter: but with a mutually agreed diplomatic protocol scrapped, china's foreign affairs chief the afflicted criticism of its own human -- deflected criticism of its own human rights record by dwpointing back at the u.s. >> in regard to human rights, we hope the u.s. can do a little better in this aspect. the u.s.'s human rights issues are deeply rooted, it didn't just exist during the past 10 years. the slaughter of african-americans has always been a problem. reporter: with a chilly start to the new normal for relations between china and the u.s., the rest of the world is watching closely to understand where they fit in in this new balance between global powers. phil: let's get more from our u.s. policy analyst. welcome, liz.

why such a public and undiplomatic acrimony at this first meeting? liz: botfolks that came to the table, china and the u.s., have a lot to prove. the u.s. has to say, ok, the last four years, we did't ru things the way we traditionally do. we are back. they mentioned that, america is back. that has been set several times -- said several times already into the biden presidency. china, as well. chinwants to be considered an equal global power to the u.s. both parties come to the table already with their guards up, as wells kind of anticipating what the other one was going to be doing. there was a lot to prove here. so i think they both wanted to come to the table, start with, hey, you can't push me around. and that doesn't start off a great cooperative conversation. so i think they just kind of approached the situation already aggressiverom the start.

phil: the last four years of u.s. pressure on china, we've seen sanctions, trade wars, they don't appear to have brought the chinese way of thinking around. so what are we to expect from the biden white house, more the same? liz: absolutely not. that was something biden signed very early on in his foreign policypeech. i remember at the time thinking, this harkens back to obama, what obama was talking about in that asia pivot. it's less about maybe theatrics in diplomacy and more about actually legitimately checking china. and i know this is a conversation about america and china, but i think blinken was right, there are other powers who are not putting their name on the check, but are absolutely at stake here. we're talking australia, canada, they have invested interest in america stepping up and calling

china on some of the aggressive moves they have made, both militarily and in cybersecurity. i think this was a very important step for blinken to step out strong and show that we will also follow-up with action. it's not going to be theatrics in diplomacy. it's going to be real consequences if we can't meet in agreements. phil: what consequences? liz: i think tt's where you are going to see some pushback. a refocus back on the asia pivot. there's one to be a tough conversation globally about their role in cybersecurit i know it is somethinghat here in germany and the eu they have started talking about. and i think it's not letting diplomacy frost over everything. and letting it say ok, we all agree, actually knowing china is making some moves, as was mentioned in the report, in other countries, in other areas that threaten what blinken sees

phil: good talking to you. thank you so much for joining us, liz s., u.s. policy analyst. he was president joe biden and vice president kamala harris are heading to atlanta, georgia. the city was the scene of racially motivated mass murder this week, in which a white gunman killed eight people, mostly asian american women. the number of hate crimes directed at asian communities has sharply increased during the pandemic. the campaign recorded almost 4000 incidents last year. we have reports from new york. reporter: every day, she makes her way from her workplace to the post office through the west village and lower manhattan. -- in lower manhattan. considered a safe area in new york city. but one day about a year ago, she experienced something she has not been able to forget. >> write about here, as i was on

the phone, someone was so close from behind me, came from here, and then just started spitting at me. reporter: at that time, cases of covid-19 were surging in new york city. then president donald trump was pushing anti-asian rhetoric, calling it the china virus. making people of asian descent a target for racist attackers. >> i just kept yelling, why would you do this? why at this time? he yelled at me, because you are sick. reporter: for weeks, she says she couldn't walk the streets without constantly looking over her shoulder. even now, there are some scars from that day that have not healed. >> it is the feeling of being baile lead -- being violated. that feeling of being alone. and the feeling of disgust. those three things are hard to erase from my memory. reporter: anti-asian hate crimes have searched all over the united states in the past year.

in new york city alone, the number has increased more than eightfold. activists say that is the tip of the iceberg. many victims often don't want to come forward or speak to the police. the near police department set up a specific task force to reach out to the asian american community. >> a lot of them don't speak the language. a lot of them are undocumented. they are afraid of coming to the police. a lot of them don't want to cooperate because they don't want to miss work. they also fear retaliation. this task force builds a bridge that community of victims. we gain their cooperation. we tell them the benefits of cooperating. we have officers who speak their language. have similar heritage. reporter: a step in the right direction, but for many in new york's asian american community, not nearly enough to tackle a problem that has plagued them since the very beginning. manhattan's chinatown is one of the oldest chinese enclaves. migrants settle down here back

in the 1850's. -- settled down here back in the 1850's. this is the latest flareup in a long history of anti-asian sentiment, just as old as the migration from asia to the u.s. itself. especially in times of national crisis like now during the pandemic, americans of asian descent have repeatedly been made the scapegoat for their country's's's plague -- for the country's plague. >> when we say we are from here, nobody believes you. i think its easy to target and victimize people that you don't think belong here and you don't think should be here. that is the underlying system of racism in this country. reporter: despite what she's experienced, she still considers the u.s. her home. she's been here for more than 20 years. she has not given up hope that

things will one day get better. >> if people educate themselves, they endp being more informed, they end up being kinder. i think, then, hatred against other races would stop. reporter: for now, many asian americans remain vigilant, as every new attack for their fans the fear among their community. phil: police in turkey have raided the homes of pro-kurdish peoples democratic party members two days after beginning legal action to brand the group. dozens of party officials were detained. accused of having links to militant organization's. the party denies the charges and describes this as a political coup. they seek to outlaw the people's democratic party. the latest of crackdowns against parliament's third-largest party. we can get more on this from our

research fellow at the german institute for global and area studies in hamburg. welcome to dw. turkey has been taken action against hdp lawmakers for years. why is ankara only now trying to ban it? what's thbasis for the ban? >> day's news might sound like tragic and bad news for people in the opposition, the people supporting this party, but first and foremt, it's really talking about the bad news that tuey's facing. the turkish government is facing a huge political economic and political crisis -- a huge political and economic crisis. they accuse the party thout having good proof. it stirs up this conflict and gathers people to support

erdogan more, supporting the image of him being a strong leader, even though he doesn't know his way around the crisis. phil: this is a distraction tactic, you say. but this has drawn a sharp response rhetorically from the eu and the u.s., among others. is that likely to have any impact on erdogan? >> and the eu, youeard criticism last year, especiay from france, cyprus, these were e countries that were the criticism. at the end of the day, turkey haa strong part and a -- in the eu, with germany, a country especially be doing for turkey in the last years. they can depend on that. in the u.s., it's a bit more complicated. i think joe biden's cabinet is a bit mixed on that. antony blinken has always been

generally pro turkey. he is righnow indicating turkey could take up an important role with the negotiations in afghanistan. he's really trying to find a connection, while joeiden, ever since he was sworn in, has not even cald erdogan which he perceives as a great insult. it is mixed signals from both sides. phil: you believe that germany has and would try to water down any action by the eu against turkey over this? >> i think they would. you can actually see it in the statement. if you compare t u.s. statement and the eu stateme with the german statement, the german one is th only one that is specifically citi the claims of turkey met hdp allegedly has connections to the pkk. therefore they are calling the hdp the distance -- to distance themselves fro the pkk, which makes him the only country by dog that, by repting the praganda kind of of turkey.

phil: thankou. >> thank you. phil: not to sports and the story of an italian volleyball. that sparked outrage in italy. she lost her job for getting pregnant. the dismissal struck a nerve with female athletes. partly because it was entirely legal. reporter: someone needed to ignite a spark. this volleyball athlete was that someone. it took her about two years after the fact, though. the fact that she was let go for being pregnant. on international women's day earlier this month, she announced when she asked then sued for her last paycheck, the club countered, saying the egnant pyer ruid the ason and cost money and sponsors. >> i am shocked by what's

happened. it's been a few days since i received this document. i waited a while to make a story known -- the story known. because it's personal stuff. but then i thought it was in port for everyone, for myself above all -- important for everyone, for myself above all. reporter: what is important, too, is that she knew that when she got pregnant, she would get dumped by her club. most female athletes in italy sign club deals with a clause that allows the clubs to dismiss them if they get pregnant. >> i believe this is a very serious matter. it is time the situation italian athletes live in must be taken seriously. reporter: a month after she was dismissed, her pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. she is now retired. but her story has gained traction. picked up by traditional and social media. momentum, building, she hopes, for radical change will be on volleyball. perhaps will be on sports in

italy -- well beyond sports in italy. phil: he is a reminder of our top story this hour. german leaders agreed on a series of methods to speed up vaccinations. family doctors will begin giving shocks. the government's motto, chancellor merkel says, is to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate. all in attempts to contain a third wave. you are up-to-date. more world news at the top of the hour. i will be back in just a moment with "the day." have a good day. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ew ú/ññññw?w?w?ç?ç?ç?

anchor: you're watching life in paris. it is not :00 in the french capital. these are the top stories. france joins a delete and italy in resuming the astrazeneca vaccine. the french prime minister got his jab earlier this friday. paris and 16 other regions are gearing up for a lockdown to come into effect at midnight. americans give president biden the thumbs up in tackling coronavirus and economic woes, but less convinced over immigration, according to a poll released today. we will look at some of the policies.