from berlin. britain's prince philip dies at the age of 99. he served as royal concert or nearly -- consort for nearly 70 years. also on the program, germany's chancellor takes control as berlin says it will override state leaders and impose tougher coronavirus restrictions. world leaders express concern as

russian forces march on the ukraine border, and the kickboxing kids of thailand. hundreds of thousands enjoying the sport and for many, it is a route out of poverty. but the doctors are now warning it could cause long-term damage. ♪ phil: i'm phil gayle. welcome to the pgram. britain's prince philip has died at the age of 99. his health had been deteriorating over recent months and was recently released from hospital. he stood at the queen side for 70 years. world leaders have expressed their condolences and citizens have gathered to pay tribute. >> it has been a year filled with pain and isolation for

those in the united kingdom. but much of british society is pausing to give special attention to the passing of one man they hold dear. >> i have a huge, huge amount of respect for the royal family. i'm quite emotional, actually. the news broke as we were walking through parliament square, and we felt like we had to come down here and be near the palace, safely, obviously, and just be close to the royal family today. >> prince look was a wonderful father and a real asset to british life. i am sure the queen is grieving terribly. my wishes to her. >> very sad. i actually shed a tear. you knew it was going to happen, but still very, very sad. >> very sad. he has been through us through all our lives. >> people in london make their

way to windsor castle or buckingham palace to pay their respects to prince philip. the royal family urged people not to gather in large numbers due to the pandemic, asking them to make a charitable donation instead. westminster abbey's bells ring once every 99 minutes in tribute. u.k. prime minister boris johnson says his thoughts are with the queen, who has lost her husband. >> so we mourn today with her majesty the queen. we offer our condolences to her and all her family, and we give thanks as a nation and kingdom for the extraordinary life and work of prince philip, duke of edinburgh. >> the government says flags will fly at half mast all over the country, until the prince's funeral.

his death will also be marked by a 41 gun salute at noon on saturday. phil: let's go straight to the british capital. our correspondent joins us from london. i know you have been to buckingham palace today. tell us about what you have seen and what people have been saying, charlotte. charlotte: tributes are pouring in, not just in the u.k. but from aund the world. leaders pang tribute to mr. -- the duke of edinburgh and offering their condolences to the queen and the whole royal faly. i was at buckingham palace earlier and there were small crowds ghered, some people laying flowers outside the palace, but both the but there meant -- government and the palace are saying that people

should pay tribute to the duke of edinburgh in a book of online consolation, because it is not being in -- encouraged, cues or large lines gathered. there is covid-19 restrictions at the moment, so there's a concern about any crowds gathering, but there has been a big out during of grief here for the duke of edinburgh, who passed away two months shy of his 100th birthday. ph: so h will he be remembered? charlotte: he isemembered as a modernizing figure after the u.k. rebuilt in the aftermath of the second world war. he will also be rembered, as i said -- why so many world leaders are mentioning it -- his public service and sense of duty and responsibility, regardless of how you mig feel about the royal family. there is no doubt that his sense of duty over decades, by the side of the queen, on their 50th wedding anniversary, described

him as her strength and stay, talking about the sacrifices or alluding to the sacrifices he has made in his years as a consort. of course he will be remembered as well for his bright personality. a lot of people ve been paying tribute to his sense of humor, and it has to be said, he is also being remembered as someone who is known to have occasionally made more controversial, more offensive remarks as well. toda a lot of people paying tribute to him andhe losses family will suffer. he was a husband for over 70 years, father, great-grandfather, and a grandfather as well. phil: stay, -- stay with us, charlotte.

ursula bonder line -- ursula von der leyen has sent her condolences, as had president joe biden and his wife jill. charlotte, this has bn a difficult time for the british royal family, with the recent, very public rake up with harry and meghan, after that explosive interview with oprah winfrey. charlotte: indeed. prince philip has been by the queen's side for numerous tumultuous periods. the one that springs to mind is the deh of princess diana in 1997, but the interview that harry and meghan gave to oprah last month was just the latest in a string of controversial

moments, megan making some allegations about the way the palace treated her, her mental health, and of course, an explosive allegation suggesting racism from an unnamed member of the royal family. the palace forced to respond to that, something they weren't expecting to do. such was the level of controversy surroundg this interview, prince philip was a hospital when it was ven. some people commented it was insensitive for this interview to g ahead, but the queen has wehered so many storms in the past, few doubt she will continue to whether furer storms, although very sadly going forward without prince philip by her side. phil: charlotte, thank you. we will take a look at some other stories making headlines around the world now. starting in the united states, amazon warehouse workers in the u.s. state of alabama have voted against forming a union.

e decisi is blow to campaigners, who were hoping for a new era of worker activism under president biden. many states have passed " right to work laws." -- only people who have been vaccinated. the eu's drug regulator is reviewing reports of blood clots in four people who received johnson & johnson's covid-19 vaccine. the european agency is also expanding its investigation of astrazeneca was shot over a bleeding condition. german chancellor angela merkel is to remove the powers of the 16 federal states to decide on coronavirus restrictions and cetera lies him -- centralize

them with the federal government. this will happen when infections rise over 100 infections per 100,000 people. the country is battling a devastating third wave of infection, and decision-making has led to a confusing patchwork of regulation. >> i can get tested before hand in front of the shopping center in the test is for free. >> the testing bird goes in and out and the shopping can begin. with these rapid tests, many cities are loosening restrictions. meanwhile, in other places, new covid measures are implemented and curfews are in place. everywhere in the country, the rules are different, leading to confusion for many. >> nobody knows anymore what the regulations are right now. i think it's chaos, especially if you look at the different vaccination strategies.

in berlin, they are very good. in other areas, they are a disaster. politicians want to distinguish themselves with new proposals, but the scientists are doing a much better jo they are very clear on what germany needs right now. >> we look into our morbidity analysis and we see that contacts has not been reduced as much during the first lockdown. that's what we need to come back to, because we are dealing with the new variant, b117, which is spreading faster. the only way to do that is through a systematic, intensive, and maybe shorter lockdown. here at the chancellor's office, chancellor angela merkel is calling for a strict nationwide lockdown, but these states have very different views, especially now that the election campaign

has stopped. this is the political management ofhe crisis, and is it going out of hand? >> politicians always say we ha to makeong-term decisions , but actually, they are thinking of the next ection. at's w they want to avoid uncomfortable, inconvenient decisions that people won't understand. that's a mistake, because in times of crises, peoe want security and are prepared to take responsibility. but politicians have to lead the way. >> straightforward covid measures -- that's what people are calling for here in germany. stricter laws could now ensure this. the political discussion continues. phil: dw's chief political correspondent explained why germany's federal government is taking this action. >> german law until now has

placed responsibility for infectious disease control largely in the hands of regional authorities. there is enormous variance in the rate of infection across different regions of germany, so some rural regions have rates as low as 30 cases per 100,000 residents. others go up to almost 300 cases per 100,000 residents. there's been a lot of variation in the way that different regional authorities approach this. however, they do regularly negotiate with the federal government about what kind of register actions -- restrictions to put into place. all agreed in the beginning of march on a phased plan that would see uniform restrictions in the event of one particular circumstance, namely infection rates over 100 cases per 100,000 residents. however, that has not occurred, and that's because the fact is that there are places, including the capital here in berlin, that

have infection rates over that number and are still trying to sort of do a lock down lights, where there might be a light curfew, but at the same time, more testing and shopping. that's what the federal government now wants to change. interestingly enough, federal state leaders say they are ready to go along. i think there is recognition that we need more reliability, we need binding plans, and we need clarity. clarity also for citizens, to ensure they comply with the rules that are put into effect. we could see action as early as this weekend and beginning of next week. that will change the federal infectious disease loss in order to give the federal government more power. many citizens would say this is long overdue. phil: dw's melinda crane. world leaders are increasingly concerned about troops along russia's border with the ukraine.

the u.s., germany, and france are calling on moscow to halt the movements of its forces. observers say russian backed separatist rebels have reportedly breached a cease-fire. ♪' >> russian state television offers a different way of looking at things. it reports that you can nato pose a threat to russia, and not the other way around. it shows video footage of moscow's response. russian troops engaged in military exercises in crimea. wild to the west looks like saber rattling is viewed differently by russia. for moscow, it's a necessary reinforcement of its defenses against the west. >> the majority of the ukrainian military understand the fatal consequences of any actions that would lead to conflict.

i hope they won't be provoked by politicians who in turn are being provoked by the west, especially the united states. ukrainian president vladimir zelensky sees western troops as essential backup for his own rces. >> there is an escalation in the don bosse region. everyone can see it. when our soldiers are attacked and there are casualties, obviously we must retaliate. a few days ago, zelensky paid a visit to nato secretary general jens stoltenberg. he stressed that the alliance was the only way to end the war. experts in moscow say that statement would not have gone down well in the krein. >> any cooperation between ukraine and nato, any help from the north atlantic alliance is a red flag for the kremlin.

but that doesn't mean that all members of the alliance welcome ukraine's desire to join nato as soon as possible. >> right now, further steps towards membership are not on the agenda. >> a clear statement that give many in russia hope that a war is preventable. the people of the area are ess optimistic, although the pro-russian separatists say they don't want war either. >> if ukraine takes the first step, no one knows where it will end. >> the kremlin is doing all of this to blackmail ukraine and the west. if troops are reinforced, if the escalation continues, even a small provocation will be enough to set things off. with unpredictable consequences. russia's defense ministry says this footage shows recent

exercises. if the situation escalates, tv screens may soon be showing the real thing. phil: the number of people fleeing the violent military crackdown in myanmar is rising, and many of people are crossing the border into india, which has a large population of myanmar refugees before the coup two months ago. he met one family in delhi who are worried about family members back home. >> for the last six years, this woman and her daughters have felt safe here in delhi. but to get here, they had to leave everything behind in their native myanmar. her husband was tortured and killed by the military. now, the situation in myanmar is bringing back painful reminders from home again. last month, her brother was arrested for demonstrating against the coup.

>> right now, he's in the hospital. when the military arrested him, they tortured him so much that we are told his face isn't even reckon eyes of all -- isn't even recognizable. protests broke out across myanmar after the military coup in february this year. since then, hundreds he been killed, arrested and detained for opposing the armed forces. india and myanmar share along border, but the indian government is not happy with the influx of refugees. it has ramped up border security to stop them. here in delhi, where thousands have sought asylum since the late 1980's, burmese refugees are disappointed by india's lack of support. requests for information have been pouring in. a group has written to indian prime minister modi, urging him

to condemn this as a democratic country. they are shocked by his silence. >> violence, human rights violations, the way the military tortures the people, shooting at them in the street and dead bodies lie -- but india is doing nothing. >> -- feels helpless in her safety because she can do nothing for those back home, but she believes the international community should speak up. >> our sisters and brothers have to defend themselves against the military with their bare hands. they don't have any saviors. >> even before the coup, she knew myanmar would never be safe for her again. she worries that if things remain as bad as they are, far too many people in her home country will end up feeling the same.

phil: more news from around the world now, starting in greece, where police have launched a manhunt after a crime reporter was shot dead outside his home in athens. he was ambushed and shot several times as he arrived home from work. dd offices in greece are -- media offices in greece are frequently targeted. -- regrets his response to the european commission head ursula von der leyen being left without a chair during talks with the turkish president. if you could go back in time, he said, he would make sure everyone had seat. russia is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its historic first flight into space. and tobacco farmers in zimbabwe are expecting high prices because of good rains this year.

some bob way is africa's top tobacco producer. the leaves are the second-biggest export, after gold. >> a busy time. it is timeo sort bales of tobao for the auction flo. about 200 workers are employed at this farm, which produces an average 200 tons of tobacco annually. the farmer is upbeat about the years returns. >> i am very positive about this ar's quality and the yield has been good. we all thought it wouldn't go as well, but w are quite happy about the quality of the crop this year and are hoping that will translate into much higher prices. >> option flows are now officially open for the 2021 marketing season.

tobacco is zimbabwe's pride, accounting for 50% of the country's agricultural exports and 25% of the gross to muster prodt -- gross domestic product. it has become a source of livelihood for many families, who make up 60% of tobacco growers. >> this is the moment where farmers could be disappointed or smile from what they will get from this market. the highest price so far was $4.30 i expected to be sold at this auction flow until the end of august. >> is about ways -- zbabwe's tobacco is in demand. china takes the bulk of the exports. the government plans to increase tobacco production to 300 million kilograms, a $5 billion

industry by 2025. >> it is a strong and principled view that the potential is immense. it is in this regard that governments are at a very advanced stage of developing >> governments plans are - zimbabwes alsoxpecting high yields froother crs due to the goains ireceived i the 2021 agricultural season. phil: now to thailand, which has

a rich boxing tradition that appeals to all ages. there are an estimated 300,000 boxers under 15, and one of them as a kickboxer, although some doctors are calling for a ban on children kickboxing, but this child wants to punch his way out of poverty for his family. >> tata packs a serious punch, but at what cost? >> when i box, i always get bruises on my shins, so i have to put ice on them to heal. >> tata's mother, who is often ringside during his fights, has mixed feelings about her nine-year-old son boxing. >> i do feel pity for my son when he gets hurt. i know he is hurt when he is in the ring, but he always tries to hide it and tells me about it later. i feel bad, but i know this is what he likes.

so i have to fully support him. >> thai lawmakers have sought to ban boxing for children under the age of 12, but to no avail. extensive damage could impact intelligence levels and brain development. >> boxing causes brain injuries, as we can clearly see from older boxers. boxers are at a risk of memory loss, losing the ability to control their muscles, and parkinson's disease. >> in 2018, a 13-year-old boy died after a thai boxing match, renewing pressure on thailand to ban children from the sport. but its popularity and revenue potential has kept it thriving. tata, despite the risks, wants to cash in. >> one day i can afford to buy my mom a house, a car, and earn more money for her.

>> the main income of the family at the moment comes from tata. for example, the last fight he had helped pay off all my debts. >> until the law in thailand's changes,@@ children like tata wl be allowed to put themselves in harm's way, waiting for a payday that might never come. phil: all right, more world news at the top of the hour. we are back in just a moment to take you through the big stoes on the day in the -- in "the day." ♪

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♪ anchor: the world pays tribute to the late prince philip. the husband of queen elizabeth the second passed away at the age of 99 after more than seven decades of service to the british monarchy. police brace for another night of violence in northern ireland after more than a week of riots. there are fears the unrest could shatter the fragile peace forged by the good friday agreement. and myanmar's ambassador to the u.n. pleads for targeted sanctions on the military, this as the crackdown on