♪ >> this is dw news. from berlin. a former police officer goes on trial for the mart of black man is america's racial reckoning goes to court. >> he's in the courtroom but america on trial. >> etions and securities are both high as the trial for the killing of george floyd gets underway. derek chauvin has pled not guilty. also coming up tonight, $9 billion worth of trading goods ready to move through. the container ship that has

been blocking the suez canal for a week is finally out of the way. and mexico's covid-19 fatalities. the country with the second highest death toll in the world. doctors there and compare the pandemic to being at war. plus, germany's chancellor angela merkel says the country does not fall into line to slow the virus. stricter measures including curfews could be on the table. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. we begin tonight with the trial in the u.s. that the world is watching. today the jury in the case of derek chauvin the white police officer accused of killing george floyd viewed the video showing the moment when floyd

died. handcuffed and pressed to the pavement, floyd calls out 27 times "i can't breathe." chauvi could face up to 40 years in prison. >> for eight minutes and 46 seconds they kneeled outside the courthouse to recognize the length of time floyd was pinned under the knee of former officer derek chauvin. >> no justice. >> no peace. >> we are here to see the case of a man that used his knee to lynch a man, and then blames the man for the lynching. >> black lives matter. >> police charged with killing unarmed black people are really convicted in u.s.

floyd's brother believes this time will be different. >> this is what democracy looks like! >> we cannot sweep this under the rug. george floyd, philando castile, they were all killed by officers that were sworn to protect us. but one thing i can tell you, we will get justice. >> during opening arguments, the prosecution showed some of the witness video with george floyd begging to get ups, for his mother and then falling silent. prosecutors planned to show that he used excessive force through witness testimonies. derek chauvin's defense team accused floyd of being under the influence of drugs and insisting their client did exactly as he was trained to do. they urged jurors to ignore calls for social justice. >> is about the evidence in this case. the evidence that you will see

in this case during this trial, it is, i agree with the counsel, it is nothing more than that. there was no political or social cause in this courtroom. >> activists say the case is about justice for george floyd but they hope it will also lead to equal protections for unarmed black americans who encounter police. brent: we want to bring in our correspondent covering the story in washington. good evening. you have covered the story from the very beginning part talk to me about the significance this story has for the united states. >> it's a landmark trial. i cannot even over blow this significance for racial justice, for the criminal justice system in the united states, for acuntability of police. all of this is in this trial, wrapped in this trial. of course, you not hear the word "race" or any notion of race as

a motivation or as a point in those proceedings because the defense, as well as the prosecution, they have to leave that out. but for the outside, for america, for american viewers, for american people all over the country, and, of course for the african-american impunity-- community, this is not just about a policeman causing the death of an unarmed civilian. this is about race. no doubt. and that is why it is so significant pick brent: what did we see today on this first day of the trial? >> the prosecution and the defense team had their opening statements. we also saw the call of first witness, 911 dispatcher. one of the people who takes emergency calls. and they stay on the line.

in this case, that was the same thing. interesting fact. the dispatcher said she felt so uncomfortable watching video monitor there, what she saw, that she felt she had to alert her superiors of the police officers. which she did. this all goes to two things. the prosecution tries to to produce evidence, which shows that derek chauvin's specifically had no reason, no cause for acting the way he did and used force inappropriately and disproportionately not in tune with his training and with minneapolis police department policies. the defense will try and did already try to deflate this. to water the stone. brent: so what is going to be the defense strategy for derek chauvin? >> they need to show doubt as much as they can. they have to try to distract

also from facts, or from also pre- preconceived notions which they suspect even the jury -- has, because of course, derek chauvin will have maybe a very fair trial but the defense says there's no fair trial for him anywhere. that is a major flaw. it is debatable. the defense has only one chance to sow doubt in any evidence, for any witness the prosecution brings. and they will try to do this. brent: our correspondent with the latest in washington. thank you. ok, let's bring you up to speed with some of the other stories new from headlines around the world. the united states has suspended a trade pact with myanmar as countries look for ways to respond to the brutal military crackdown against protesters there. more than 100 people including

children were killed this past weekend alone. the terrorist group is long -- has claimed responsibility for attacks on mozambique's strategic coastal town. dozens of civilians were killed and many survivors walked for days to escape the violence. it's a hub for international gas projects. 10 percent of global trade goes to the suez canal in egypt every day. tonight, that trade is fl oating again. almost one week ago a container ship ran aground in the suez canal blocking all traffic in both directions. today engineers were finally able to wrench the skyscraper sized vessel with the name "ever given" from the canal. >> just look at it go. after bringing one of the world's most important waterways to a standstill, the 400 meter long ship is moving along at 1.5 knots. >> the selvage team did an

excellent job. we ran a real critical situation, touching on both banks. it was a real risk of cracking in the center of the ship. the game entirely change once i got the stern free and were able to pivot it, pivot it parallel to the canal. >> pressure andreescu workers had been mounting as a traffic jam grew to 400 ships. suppliers had to decide whether to wait indefinitely or sale around the ef african continent. for now, they can breathe a sigh of relief but questions remain. >> i think this probably goes to show is the fragility perhaps of the global supply chain. i mean, this is avery significant maritime artery. e of only two major canals operating in terms of moving ships from one ocean to another. and so, i think any blockage

there has proven to be really, really challenging. >> the ever given's technical manager said initial reports ruled out any engine failure as a cause of the accident. but human or other technical errors can still be uncovered in the investigation to follow. brent: rob watts from dw business joins me now. if we look at this picture, we can see how severe this problem was. why did it take them a week to finally free the ship? >> you get an idea of a scale from the picture. because the ship is in orma's. it is because it is 200,000 tons, -- it's enormous. 2/3 the -- weight our state building to get it moving it's required to ship 30,000 tons os -- of sands.

to be wrenched free fire dozen -- by a dozen tugboats. it is not gone smoothly. it became briefly stuck again until eventually they were able to get it straight and lead it to one of the lakes that separates the canal where it i being checked. they do not think there is any damage. they also do not think there is any damage to the canal which is why they are now along ships that have been waiting for days, almost a week, some of them, to pass through. brent: i set in the beginning about 10% of global trade uses the suez canal every day. and they have been without the snow for a -- this now for a week. what economic damage every talking about? >> a huge amount of damage, because you cannot understate how important this route is. it is the shortest sea rout betweene asia and europe by a long stretch. it will take a 10 day trip around cape of good hope to avoid it.

98% seaborne freight from china to europe goes through the suez canal. so, there is a big -- cut that has been taken there. there also be a few more days of backlog. it is not as though this this will start to start flowing through the same pace. we were only maybe at 113 boats they reckon through between now and early on tuesday. there had been 400 boats waiting to get through. the costs will be huge. allianz reckons it could be $9 billion. brent: how is the business reacted to this important canal being open again? >> there was applause on the banks of the suez canal. and applause on trading floors, release there would be if their are people allowed on the floor. in germany, dax hit a record high today. the impact it has is that oil prices have dropped. as the refloating of the ships. there are been 400 boats, and

many hair carrying -- are carrying oil. they've been trying their hardest to get oil prices up we sleep at the egyptian or 30's will be very pleased that this is going again. a lot of foreign trade goes through each of by this canal. relief all around. brent: as always, rob, we appreciated. we are going to go to mexico now. experts have long warned that the deaths related to covid-19 was much higher than numbers released by the government. revised figures have now confirmed that. putting death toll at 300,000. that is 60% higher than previous the reported. exhausted doctors in mexico are now bracing for a third wave of the pandemic. >> the caused the scale of the suffering is too much for the hun mind to grasp. ndreds of died in this meanness of hally on the edge of

mexico city. --hundreds have died in this meanness -- municipalityh of mexico city. . >> he was every thing for me. he was my partner. he was my support. >> overwhelmed hospitals -- and people left to die at home. that is why experts say mexico's virus death toll is far higher than earlier figures pizza by -- survivors points to people's irresponsible behavior. >> we have to be conscientious and take care of ourselves because if we do not doubt for selves, this virus will not go away. we don't know when it will end. >> another survivor. mexico's president obrado. he was diagnosed with the virus

in january. he compared the effects it had on him to a hurricane tearing through his body. now he has recovered and he is optimistic his government can heal mexico, too. >> the second wave is receding. and we don't want to see another rise. we want to see it disappear. >> but the president's own officials have worn mexican doctors to prepare for another wave after the easter break. already, these physicians are exhausted from the second. they compared to being at war. the hope now that these people will ride the third wave, too. thanks to vaccinations and the sheer number of mexicans who have already survived the virus. brent: well, it is a prediction that europeans can only dream of. today u.s. president joe biden said 90% of the u.s. adult population will be eligible for a covid-19 vaccine by the 19th

of april. biden warned americans however not to drop their guard. he called masking up a patriotic duty. the massive vaccine push in the u.s. will see a record 33 million people vaccinated this week alone. biden praising this, calling it a great american story. >> my fellow americans, look at what we have done in the past 10 weeks. no other country has come close. 100 million shots in less than 60 days. and now we are moving to the next 100 million shots in just 40 days. you heard me say many times before. our progress in vaccination is a stunning example that there is nothing, nothing this country cannot do if we put our minds to it and we do it together. brent: a very different store in germany. chancellor angela merkel i s lashing out at local leaders

to not reversing plans to ease restrictions she warned the federal government may override state premieres in a bid to curb a third wave of the pandemic. >> chancellor merkel may have backtracked last week on a plan to shut down germany over easter, but she is not backtracking on her idea that more action is needed to stop the rise in covid-19 cases. >> we now have to employ the appropriate measures with a great deal of seriousness. some states are doing that. others aren't yet. >> the chancellor and the regional state premieres had agreed to reverse openings with too many new cases but with number rising, states are hesitating to do so. merkel says she will not sit around and wait for case numbers to keep growing. the government could push for parliament to change the law to decrease the premieres influence. >> one possibility is to modify the infection pretension act again and to say specifically what has to happen when. we are obliged by the law to

contain the incidence of infection and right now the containment is not there. >> the cdu leader is one of the premieres being criticized by merkel. he's conceded leaders are at an impasse. >> it cannot go on like this. the fact the state premieres and half the federal government are sitting in front of screens for hours, that every word is being leaked is not appropriate for the crisis. >> that's why we propose that the next conference should take place in person. >> for the opposition greens, more measures are needed to curb the third wave of infections. they think the chancellor should be more proactive in in tackling the crisis. >> the federal government has an overall responsibility here. it is not a matter of saying the states or the municipalities don't have one. everyone has responsibility but the federal government can best coordinate. >> a new meeting to decide on

next steps won't take place before easter. in the meantime, -- merkel will look at ways to reassert her authority. brent: we are hearing other developers in the coronavirus pandemic. the number of patients in intensive care units in france are climbing to more than 4800. doctors are warning they may have to start turning away patients. johnson & johnson says it will start delivering its single shot vaccine to europe on april 19. that should help the continent speed up its sluggish vaccination drive. and england is easing restrictions slightly as of today. people are allowed to meet in small groups and they can resume outdoor sports, such as basketball, tennis, and golf. an international team investigating the origins of the coronavirus says it is extremely unlikely that the virus leaked out of the laboratory. their report concludes the virus

probably passed to humans from a bathrough an intermediary animal. the researchers visited wuhan earlier this year where the virus was first detected. well, questions are being raised in the united states about how the suspect in the boulder mass shooting was able to pass a background check allowing him to a buy a semi automatic weapon. that is despite him having a previous conviction for assault. ten people died in a rampage, which has reopened the debate about gun control. dw's -- reports tonight from boulder. >> what started as a regular day at the supermarket ended in a nightmare. a shoer open fire and killed 10 people. residents of boulder have nkme to pay their respects, many with tears in their eyes. >> many times, i pick up my

prescription here all the time. the my rmmate come shopping here all the time. this i down the street from where several of my friends live. it was terrifying. i was frantically texting all of my friends to see, are they ok? are you safe and accounted for? because of this situation,, it's , you really never know. >> only a few miles away at a local shooting range, customers are here to shoot. to get advice on gun sales. and to -- to buy equipment. the incident in boulder doesn't stop people from coming. quite the opposite. his and his is blooming but the shooting -- business is blooming but the shooting is a sensitive topic. visitors refused to talk to us. they don't want to get sucked into any political discussion. at this point about gun control. off the record they told us that

they fear stronger restrictions and want to pile up. others want to be ready to defend themselves for the next shooting. but that is not the only reason guns are important for both sides of the political spectrum in colorado. the state is home to the rocky mountains and known for a stunning landscape, wildlife, and outdoor activities. for many locals, hunting is their man -- main outdoorport. the hunting culture is deeply ingrained in their identity as it is for many in the united states. forgot enthusiast, any restrictions against the right to beaarms is seen as a threat to the individual freedom. inside the walls of colorado's capital, there is an ongoing

fight over gu safety. state senator t sullivan wants -- lost his son in a fatal shooting in 2012. he wants better background checks and gun sales and calls on gun supporters to be part of the conversation. they need to begin working with us. >> because it is not an us versus them. it is all of us. we all live in this community. we are all impacted by the violence and the tragedy that just happened last monday in boulder. we all have to be a part of the solution. >> communities like boulder can't win this fight alone. real change can only happen on a federal level. brent: the coronavirus pandemic has seen many countries restrict entry and discourage international travel. so many people have been staying - staycationing, going on

holiday within their own country like these two tours in south korea discovering -- these tourists in south korea discovering their very own purple islands. >> no, there is nothing wrong with your screen. these islands really are purple. from the purple roofs, roads and bridges to the lavender fields and even the locals working in them. >> in the morning, i dress up in purple from head to toe, even including my underwear and shoes. and it makes me happy. when i go to other cities, people praise me as i am from the purple islands and i feel great to hear that. >> inspired by a native flower, and a government tourism initiative, residents of these islands in southwest korea have transformed their towns into a tourist attraction.

more than 4 million u.s. dollars have gone into purpling up pretty much everything. there are purple hotels and restaurants. there's even purple food. >> we could not travel overseas due to covid 19. so we thought about a local trip instead. we found these purple islands. i'm here with my friends. we're all dressed up in purple. it is amazing and looks like fairytales and magic. as i'm seeing the grandmas all wearing purple clothing, too. it is dreamy. >> visitors who wear the magicolor are allowed free entry to the islands. they can stroll along the three foot bridges conneing the islands and if they get tired they can take a break on one of these benches. it was made popular by member of the -- the kpop band bts. >> i'm a big bts fans.

there are many places i want to visit because of the connection to bts. this is one place i saw online and i thought it was so beautiful and wanted to come.it is true. is just as beautiful as in all the pictures. i did not know they would even have this i-purple. it is nice to see all of these things. >> little more than 100 people actually live on the purple islands. they are mainly elderly farmers. they say they are happy about the tourists now visiting the home, even if some do wear the wrong color. brent: if you need to see some smiley faces on way to take a look at these pictures from india where people are celebrating the hindu spring festival of colors. not a mask in sight as crowds threw colored powder on each other. there have been more than 68,000

new cases in india and just the past 24 hours. . we are watching dw news. in the united states, the trial of a white police officer charged with killing a black man george floyd has begun. the accused officer has pled not guilty. the case has sparked waves of outrage across the u.s. and beyond. you are watching dw news. i will be back to take you through "the day" tonight, the trial of the officer accused of murdering george floyd.

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>> you're watching france 24, live from paris. opening statements begin in the high-profile trial of a white police officer accused of killing george floyd. video of the officer kneeling on the black man's neck sparked ouage around the world and will be a key pce of evidence in the case. this islamic state group is claiming which fonts about it for a deadly attack on this beach. they have taken control of the city of palma. thousands of people are dead d others have fled for their lives .