from berlin. tonight, another blow to europe's vaccination attempts. germany says the astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine is no longer an option for people under 60. it follows new reports of lug lots possibly triggered by the vaccine. tonight we ask what does this emergency decision mean for germany's already sluggish vaccine rollout. also coming up, china tightens its grip on hong kong. beijing imposing fresh reforms

imposing who can run for the city's parliaments, saying it wants to see patriots governing. critics see this as a final blow to democracy. and not enough money. an international donor conference to raise funds for the millions of syrians during starvation -- and during starvation and poverty falls well short of its target. and activists -- the number of women being killed by their partners or exes is on the rise here. dw newset a svivor wh says the justice system is failing. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. tonight, germany is holding the use of astrazeneca's coronavirus vaccine for people under 60.

it says it will now only administer the vaccine to people 60 and older. the sudden decision was announced after chancellor angela merkel and the country's health minister convened an emergency meeting earlier today and comes amid fresh concerns over unusual blood clots reported in a tiny number of those who receive the vaccine. there have been 31 cases of cerebral thrombosis in germany that reportedly occurred after the astrazeneca vaccine was administered. nine of those cases resulted in death. german chancellor angela merkel announced a decision just a few minutes ago. let's hear what she had to say. >> we all know the basis for any vaccination campaign has to be trust. we have to be able to trust our vaccines. that is why we will wait until each vaccine has been thoroughly assessed and fulfilled all the appropriate criteria. brent: let's take this now to

our political correspondent leonie von hammerstein. it is good to see you. the chancellor reassuring people here in germany that they can still trust the government's vaccine and vaccination program. what else did she have to say to boost public confidence? leonie: angela merkel actually repeated what she said many times, that the vaccine is the most effective tool against the pandemic. and she and the health minister at this press conference just now really wanted to reaffirm that germans can still trust their government, that they are taking the risk seriously. they also said that those people over the age of 60 will only be administered with the astrazeneca shot, and shot -- and those people who belong to

serious risk groups and suffering from serious illness from covid-19, that they, in consultation with their doctor, can also get the astrazeneca shot. they then called on people between the age of 60 and 69, the vaccine group being added to the groups of people being -- that can be vaccinated from now on with the astrazeneca shot, to be a role model for others, to take the astrazeneca shot in order to show germans that it is indeed still effective. the health minister p did that multiple times -- minister repeated that multiple times. that this is a precautionary measure, and i. will be administered for those over 60. brent: how are germans reacting to news of this latest u-turn? leonie: obviously there is growing concern here in germany.

i went to the charite hospital today here in berlin to ask some people how they are feeling about the decision, and this is what they had to say. >> all this switching back and forth is undermining confidence. it is like they don't know themselves what is right. >> i am a nurse myself. i haven't gotten vaccinated yet, and i canceled my appointment. >> i would like to wait until we really know, and it's clearer whether all population groups should get the vaccine are not. -- or not. >> i can understand that the facts are constantly changing and that you need to make changes accordingly. that is the case with all coronavirus. but there is a lot of scared going on with astrazeneca, and then the politicians try to react to it. brent: we know that the german public is fed upi w -- fed up

with these u-turns. that is what the post office. we also know germans are resisting angela merkel's push for a hard two weeks lockdown. she is facing tough opposition now to her policies. leonie: she is facing tough opposition, also from state premiers within her own party. there are some state premiers, regional leaders who are defending their concept of a policy of easing restrictions, while at the same time using antigen test, quick tests, to open up some areas of public life, as pressure from the german public is also growing on the government to actually deliver a path forward. so, the chancellor is facing opposition from within her party, from the opposition, and obviously you see there is growing discontent with the

government with the slow vaccination rollout. 56% of germans say they no longer trust the government with handling this crisis, so this really is a test for the german government. brent: leonie von hammerstein with the latest on this. thank you. those suspensions in germany following decision by health officials in canada to pause astrazeneca vaccinations there in people under the age of 55. the move comes after reports of blood clots in europe. there are no reports of such cases in canada, where about 300,000 doses of the astrazeneca vaccine have already been given out. millions of doses of astrazeneca has been administered around the world as well, with several countries are lying on the shop further coronavirus -- countries relying on the shot for their coronavirus programs. let's take this now to an

epidemiologist joining us now from washington. it is good to see you again. we have candidate restricting the use of astrazeneca and now germany is halting its use for people who are under 60. why are we talking again about what appears to be the extremely low risk that this vaccine poses to people? eric: this is very frustrating. first of all, candide does not have dect date of their own. -- data of their own. but at the same time, i want to point out most of the astrazeneca vaccines, the country with the most use of astreneca per capita is the u.k. an the u.k. did not find the same pattern as germany. so while i am not dismissing with the german epidemiologists have found, i am curious why the u.k. did not find it, because the u.k. has been using it much more. so until i see iin multiple countries, especially the

largest one, the u.k., i'm not entirely convinced. but i understand the precaution. at the sameime, the precaution principal says we know the vaccine will save lives in the middle of a heavyheavy pandemic, especially in continental europe. people are ignoring the fact that there is a well-known major benefit versus an uncertain minor risk. and i do not think we are weighing it properly in this u-turn, and this about-face is giving people hesitancy. brent: how do you answer the question then, because people will pose it this way -- is the astrazeneca covid vaccine safe or not? what is the answer? eric: for me as an epidemiologist, the jury is still out. because until it is definitively found in all the major countries that uses it -- by the way,

india is the largest producer of astrazeneca vaccine. and the u.k. is the largest user of its and inventor of it. -- user of it and inventor of. brent: aren't you asking people to guinea pigs, though, if the jury is still out on a vaccine th is supposed to be given to hundreds of millions? eric -- whether the risk is real or not. the jury is not out about the benefits. we know the vaccine saves lives. we have more astrazeneca trials than any other vaccine trials. so we should be able -- if it is real, w should find it in the other countries that did do it, and we are not finding that daddy yet. -- that data yet. but we know lifesaving benefits, especially in the middle of a pandemic, that one, the kwn

benefits, way exceed the adverse ri, especially seen ijust one country but not the other jor counies that use the same vaccine. this is why i am saying the total net benefit is there, and i want to see more research of course, but the research on the overwhelming benefits we cannot ignore as well. that is the elephant in the room, that it does save lives. brent: the timing of it of course is horrible, especially for people here in europe. epidemiologist eric feigl-ding. as always, we appreciate your insights tonight. thank you. let's take a look now at some other stories making headlines around the world. the u.s. has accused china of withholding time information about covid-19. a long-awaited study released by the world health organization in beijing says the transmission of the virus from bats to humans is the likely cause. not a laboratory leak.

the u.s. has expressed concerns about the findings, pointing to china's slow cooperation and incomplete data sharing. rubbish is piling up on the streets of myanmar's main city after activists launched a garbage strike to oppose military rule. protests started two months ago when the army ousted the elected government, in more than 500 civilians have been killed in clashes with the military and police since. china has endorsed a sweeping overhaul of hong kong's electoral system, seen by many as another nail in the coffin for the pro-democracy movement. the reforms include increasing the number of beijing-approved officials in hong kong's legislature. china's aim, quote, ensuring only patriotic figures can run for positions of power. reporter: china's leaders of voting in favor of giving regular hong kong residents less of a say. members of beijing's national

people's congress standard committee, or the npcoc, voted unanimously in favor of the new rules, 467-0. they see the changes as necessary to filter out undesirable elements, to make sure the right people can stand in positions of power. >> this improvement of the electoral system prevent the anti-china rabble-rousers from being present in the election committee, or the legislative council. in order to engage and sabotage, subversion, or instigation. that is how we can ensure implementation of the patriots administering hong kong principal. reporter: the new measures also reduce the number of seats up for selection by ordinary hong kong nurse for the legislative council. previously picked 35 seats, half of the 70 seats in the legislature. that number is now reduced to 20. while hong kong's road paving --

probation government welcomed the move, pro-democracy -- the pro-democracy camp fears the voice of hong kong's people will be completely lost in the debate chambers. >> in the past we know that major problems we are facing is not just about housing or not just about whether or not young people can get social mobility. it is about whether the system can actually reflect what hong kong people think. reporter: on the streets, many hong kongers expressed concern. >> i always think about how that was promised that hong kong would not change for 50 years but it is not even been 25 and i think it is already changed a lot. that is why i am worried about my future as well as those people around me. >> hong kong has already changed. what's election? are you kidding? this is not an election, it is

merely again that benefits certain people. it is meaningless. reporter: with the system overhaul, that skepticism could soon be shared by many voters, making the first legislative elections under the new system in december all the more interesting. brent: an international donor conference to raise aid for the millions of syrians facing our nation has failed to meet its target. the virtual talks hosted by the united nations and the european union raised 5.5 billion euros in pledges, which is 3 billion euros short of the target. you and officials say the severity of suffering in the region worsened by the coronavirus pandemic is at an all-time high. reporter: stranded in lebanon. the u.n. is ensuring the survival of this syrian family, with the equivalent of 23 euros per person, per month. the problem is the ongoing economic crisis means that is no

longer enough. >> sugar and oil have become expensive. reporter: to continue help, aid organizations need to generate more money. >> to remind the international community, remind actors, that the crisis is still creating difficulties. reporter: the donors conference hosted by the eu and the u.n. was trying to raise enough money to provide another year of aid for 13 one million syrian refugees. >>hey need our full support. and of course, proper funding is crucial. to is therefore making its largest pledge in the last four years. 1.738 billion euros. reporter: donors want to offer money for emergency aid, not reconstruction, to continue suppting the assad regime. >> the rege offerso future

to the syrn people. akeso contribion to the ability ofhe regim less these changes -- this changes, it cannot be a partner to the european union. reporter: the summit failed to meet its goal, meaning there'll be fewer resources to people in need. brent: i am joint now -- it's good to have you on the program. this is the fifth time this conference has taken place. the donors missing their target this time. what do you make of this? is this a failure? guest: well, financially it is a failure. at the end of the day however, people are suffering. people are at risk of starvation, really. so every penny counts. but another problem besides the financial problem is not only is there not enough money, but there is not a consensus reached

politically on how humanitarian goods are even going to be brought to the people. specifically, decisions of the security council yesterday on the border crossing from turkey to syria, and from iraq to syria. there is only one border crossing that is used from turkey to syria, and there is nothing else. even if there was enough money, there is a huge problem when it comes to infrastructure. brent: t suffering is obvious, so how do you explain the fact that they were not able to raise as much money as they need? is itecause the potential donors just do not know what the money will be spent correctly? dastan: well, that's one part of the problem. because quite frankly, most of idlib is still ruled by a designated terrorist organization, and is a successor

of al qaeda. ruled by many other islamist groups. some of course there is this huge problem. on the other side, even if there were other groups ruling, for example the kurdish areas which do not get any help at all, the problem is the overall world is suffering under a pandemic, and many countries are also having their own problems and having a different focus. finally, i also think that, quite frankly, the average human has a specific attention span to specific problems. i think politicians have that too. i think a lot of politicians have syria fatigue. that is a problem because the problem is getting worse. but i feel like there is not enough attention anymore to even raise the money and to think it is necessary. brent: that is a good point. fatigue with the syrian war compounded with the fatigue om the pandemic. dastan jasim, we appreciate your

time and your insights tonight. thank you. dastan: thank you. brent: every day here in germany, a man tries to kill his partner or his ex partner. one in three attempts is successful. numbers show germany has the european union's highest number of reported feminist sides. murders of women or girls because of their gender. domestic violence is on the rise in this country and activists say the criminal justice system is failing the victims. we met with one woman who survived extremeiolence at the handof her parer. reporter: anger and grief follow the latest group -- case of femicide in berlin. activists want to establish this location as a place to denounce violence against women and girls. one of the activists is jane.

she survived an act of extreme violence. eight years ago, her ex partner almost killed her. >> he locked me up for 10 hours and choked me unt i was nearly unconscious. he did this over and over again. i was certain i was going to die and he said that he was going to kill me. reporter: it started when psychological abuse crept into the relationship. slowly, their interactions became more and more violent. when jane tried to end the relationship, the violence escalated. in court, jane was forced to justify why she had not tried to end things sooner. >> the court process was almost more traumatizing than the incident itself, or the entire relationship. i felt i was being accused as much as the perpetrator was. reporter: experts are calling for more gender-based training for the judiciary, prosecutors

and police who deal with cases of domestic violence. >> we need more measures for working with offenders. we need nationwide interdisciplinary case management so we can better assess and react to the ris level of those affected. in many femicide cases, there were red flags. instd of bei prevented, these situations escalated. >> these women are now engaged in the fight against nder-based violence so they can spare others from what they have experienced themselves. >> this gives me strength. it empowers me. i also feel it is a kind of self-defense when we join together and go out on the streets. we are making ourselves and femicide visible. reporter: jane and other activists are demanding that femicides no longer be treated as so-called family dras or isolated cases in the immigrant community.

as with the case of homer and jala, a mother and daughter who were murdered in berlin last year. brent: let's take a look at some other stories now that are making headlines around the road. a u.k. police watchdog says officers did not behave in a quote, heavy-handed manner when they broke up a vigil for sarah everard, a london woman whose killings sparked a global outcry about women's safety. images of officers tussling with women at the peaceful rally drew strong criticism and prompted an investigation. belarus authorities announced a criminal probe against top opposition candidate svetlana on charges of terrorism. this follows a sweeping police crackdown on protesters demanding the resignation of president lukashenko. she challenged the nation's authoritarian leader in a presidential vote back in august.

in india, hindus have been marking the start of spring with their festival of colors. most years, millions of devotees across the country throw colored powder at each other in huge outdoor celebrations. but this is not like most years. with coronavirus infections in the country spiking at 56,000 new cases a day and the death toll climbing, officials have asked people to stay at home. but they are not. health experts are worried these unchecked celebrations could turn into covid-19 super-spreader events. reporter: dancing, singing, and screaming. thousands packed like sardines on the streets, and inside ancient temples. masks play a performative role. it's exactly what public health officials desperately wanted to avoid.

amid a pandemic that has claimed 160,000 indian lives. holy is the festival of joy. >> we throw colors at each other. we have such a good time together. nobody gets upset. all of our problems are forgotten. happy holy. reporter: not all of their problems, however. holy is a celebration of winter giving way for spring. but for many, it was one hard facts gave way to blind faith. >> covid is gone. it will come back afr holy. >> it's a festival of joy and love. we forget everything. we forget that there is covid. reporter: it was a similar picture in towns and cities across the country, as revelers through caution and color pigments to the wind. >> everyone is maintaining social distancing. we're trying to keep up with the

traditions of our family, but by keeping everyone safe. reporter: in the capital delhi, police took a harder line, banning public festivities altogether. >> the festivals that are being celebrated now, like last night and today's festival of holy, these should not be celebrated in public. instead, it should be celebrated in homes, in small gatherings, so that the coronavirus does not spread. i am glad to say that these guidelines have been followed to a great extent. until now, no violations have been reported. reporter: the widespread rubric and comes at a time of rising infection rates, meaning indians may well face a prolonged hangover from holy celebrations that most of them never took part in. brent: bad news for bayern munich's stryker. he will be out for around four weeks after injuring his knee.

this is a crushing blow to his campaign to break the bundesliga record of 40 goals in a season set 49 years ago. the prolific pole scored 39 times so far this season, but will probably not return with only four games remaining. you're watching "dw news." after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." tonight, the persisting perils of the pandemic. we'll be right back. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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>> you are watching france 24. united nations says a french airstrike raises significant concerns. a report accuses france of killing civilians. the french government strongly denies it. 14 nations come forward expressing with the rations -- reservations on the origin of the coronavirus. myanmar international pressure is mounting. the un secit