♪ brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. tonight, the race to be the next german chancellor. it's now a duel. today, the nod was received. his rival is more popular with voters and not yet willing to give up the fight. also coming up tonight, vowing revenge, iran accuses israel of

sabotaging a key nuclear site. iran says it knows who was behind the blackout and has the right to retaliate. indian authorities hoping to stop a dramatic surge of covid-19 cases by pushing for more vaccinations, but the state is saying there simply isn't enough vaccine to get the job done. a trip to the pub, finally. england starts to ease covid-19 restrictions as a hard lockdown and a mass vaccination drive begin bearing fruit. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin with the race to become the next german chancellor. germans will go to the polls to elect a new government. after 16 years, angela merkel

will not be running again. now, her party and its bavarian sister party are trying to choose between two candidates. the man preferred by the powerbrokers and the man preferred by the people. >> the race to be the next conservative candidate to run for german chancellor is turning into an old-fashioned power struggle. the two men agreed the decision should come soon. less than a day later, battle lines seem to have been drawn. on monday morning, armin laschet, the recently elected cdu leader held meetings with his party's executive and, not really a surprise, they backed him to be the candidate. the man himself sounded impatient to get out on the campaign trail. >> [speaking german] translator: all the facts are on

the table. the problems we need to solve are so big that we should no longer be preoccupied with our internal party issues, but rather with the major tasks that lie ahead for germany, today, tomorrow, this week, and in the coming months. >> by monday afternoon, markus soder, head of the csu, had the backing of his party leadership. he thinks the conservatives should ponder the candidate question a little bit longer. not only is he more popular than laschet, he also claims to stand for a style of politics that people want. >> [speaking german] translator: polls are a clear indication of what the public is thinking, and we cannot cut ourselves off from the majority of people. >> what soder needs now is public support from the wider conservative parties, perhaps from members of parliament

worried about losing their jobs if the wrong man leads them into the national election in september. if those voices do not materialize, it seems very likely armin laschet will be the choice to seize the baton when angela merkel leaves the chancellery later this year. brent: for more, i'm joined by our political correspondent, simon young, covering the story for us tonight. i can imagine people watching from the outside would ask themselves, if angela merkel has been in power for 16 years, why isn't there a clear conservative candidate emergent to be her successor? what's the answer? simon: brent, it's a very good question. i think angela merkel has stood back from this contest so far. during her chancellorship, she's been in the habit of clearing contenders for her j out of the way. she hasn't gotten out of that habit towards the end of her time. in other words, there's no crown prince, no obvious successor,

and she's allowing these two figures to battle it out right now. it's interesting. armin laschet has been seen as close to merkel in the past. he's been at pains to separate himself from the chancellor in recent months, to be his own man, to the extent that markel -- merkel and laschet have fallen out, particularly over how tough corona lockdowns should be. he's drifted off in that direction. markus soder, for his part, has always stood aloof. the bavarians down in munich see things differently, they like to say, so he's always been his own man. he is pushing in from the other side. i think merkel is not involved in this race. she hasn't tipped it either way. as a result, she is just letting things play out. brent: the polls show that markus soder, the governor from

bavaria, he is more popular among the german public then -- than armin laschet, yet the leadership of the cdu voted for laschet. why? simon: i think they wanted to give their backing to their man. armin laschet was just chosen as the chairman of the cdu party in january, so he's got a certain amount of impetus within the party. i think there's a feeling from the cdu that they are the larger of these two parties and they should have the priority that -- particularly in big decisions, like who is going to be the candidate to run for the nation's top political office. that's why they wanted to clear this question clear the air, as they probably saw it. this evening, he has made it clear -- soder has made it clear

he won't go along with the decision. brent: who do we expect the conservative candidate to be? >> markus soder says we should think about this for a few more days. we should listen to what different sections of the party are saying, members of parliament and local party associations, and have a good think about how we can get above where we are now in the polls, perhaps on the wrong side of 30% in the latest polls. he says we can do better than that. he's obviously hoping a few people will come out and support him. if they do in the next 24 to 48 hours, this debate could go on to the end of the week and possibly longer. brent: simon young with the latest tonight from berlin. as always, thank you. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, says his country will never allow iran to obtain nuclear weapons. his comment came after tehran blamed israel for sabotaging its

largest nuclear facility. israel has neither denied nor confirmed involvement, but u.s. intelligence has hinted that an israeli cyberattack was behind the incident. iran is going to retaliate against israel in due time. the nuclear site suffered a large-scale blackout on sunday, just hours after uranium enrichment was restarted at the plant. the power failure took place barely a week after talks started in vienna to revive the international nuclear accord with iran. well, i'm joined now by an iranian analyst. it's good to see you again. what do we know for certain about what or who was behind this attack, this power failure? >> i'm afraid we still have no certainty, but as you already hinted, reports coming from the u.s. and israeli media itself, it is probably accurate to

assume the israelis are behind this attack, because we have seen attacks like that before. we knew before that the israelis have bnery negative abo the ongoing talks with the jcpoa right now in vienna. we certainly have no certainty. brent: we've heard from iran that the centrifuges there at the facility were damaged. why is that important, and do we know how has that impacted iran's ability to enrich uranium? >> in the history of iran's program, there have always been some setbacks, that iran somehow managed to relatively easily overcome. and every setback has led to an increased zeal of furthering the

nuclear program. and it's a perfect excuse, obviously, to say, now that outside forces are trying to undermine our progress, we will double down on developing new centrifuges, etc. right now, the iranian position is, we are going to recover from this. regardless of how many months it is set back, if there is no accomplishment on the diplomatic front with regards to the nuclear agreement, we can assume iran will try to further its nuclear program and show that it won't be held back to do so. brent: iran says that this is israel's attempt to sabotage those talks in vienna. how could those talks be sabotaged, if you will, by what we saw happen this weekend? do we know what iran is going to do now in vienna? >> obviously, the attacks such

as this one are designed to undermine any serious appetite for, not only diplomatic action, but also diplomatic courage. because both in washington and in tehran, resuming these talks and trying to find a solution comes with domestic costs, both by the administration, but also for the government of hossein rouhani. -- hassan rouhani. incidents like this one reduce the appetite to be bold and make courageousecisns and let go of some of the hardened positions. this is what, i believe, is behind this. i would for now assume that iran will not so easily leave the table in vienna. this goes back to what you said earlier, that the iranians are saying that they will respond in due time, which means that they are not going to respond immediately. brent: we will definitely be looking at those talks, which are resuming this week in vienna, to see if there is any impact.

as always, it's good to see you. we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. >> my pleasure. brent: let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the global chemical weapons watchdog says it has reasonable grounds to believe the syrian regime used chemical weapons in a 2018 attack on idlib. a report found the syrian airports dropped a bomb that the syrian government has consistently denied using in the country's civil war. lloyd austin has arrived in berlin ahead of high-level talks planned for tuesday. he is e to meet with his german counterpart and other top officials here in berlin. austin is the highest ranking member of the biden administration to visit germany so far. ukraine says russia has not answered its request to start a dialogue over the russian military buildup on its border.

kiev says moscow has amassed more than 40,000 troops on its eastern border and the same number in crimea. russia says the troop movements are defensive. in the united states, protests have broken out in minnesota after police fatally shot a black man. srelatives have identified him s 20-year-old daunte wright. the state governor says he is closely monitoring the situation at a time tensions there are already high. the incident comes as the tribal -- trial of white minneapolis police officer derek chauvin, charged with killing george floyd last year, is still underway. >> protesters versus police in the suburbs of minneapolis. teargas and rubber bullets, fired at an agitated crowd, an all too familiar scene by now. hundreds of demonstrators surrounded the police station after reports of another black

man shot to death. he died during what should have been a routine traffic stop. his mother said her son called her when he was pulled over. >> he called me at about 1:40, that he was getting pulled over by the police, and i said, why did you get pulled over. he said, they pulled him over because he had air fresheners hanging from the mirror. he was only 20 years old. he didn't deserve this. >> the killing came as tensions were already high with the trial of white minneapolis police officer derek chauvin, charged with killing george floyd last year. >> we are not going to keep taking police killing black people for no reason, traffic stops, mental health problems. this is the way we've learned to stand in solidarity and show we e standing for a cause. >> who knows if there's going to be a difference?

who knows if it's going to be the last time we all come together on something like this? >> the town's mayor called the shooting tragic and the governor said he was mourning the life of another black man taken by the government. a curfew is in efft. brent: tensions high again in the u.s. state of minnesota. our correspondent is monitoring the situation. serious unrest in minnesota, where daunte wright was killed saturday. do we know what the situation is there tonight? >> well, the city was immediately under curfew, then they lifted the curfew, and now it's in place again. after viewing the footage, the police chief said this afternoon that the shooting was an accident by the police officer. he claimed that the officer actually intended to use the taser, but discharged the gun

and fired one shot by accident. but he also said that his police force is prepared for protests tonight. president biden himself said at a press conference earlier this afternoon that there is already support from the federal level in place. so, obviously, everybody is expecting more protests to happen tonight. brent: and the timing of this -- it could not be worse. explain to us why this has prompted such outrage at this moment, in particular. >> right. this comes at a very significant time in the country and may be of the world. i'm sure many of our international audiences are watchi the trial of derek chauvin, the officer accused of killing george floyd last may. brent, many americans had hoped that real police reform would come.

we are seeing again a young african-american died at the hands of police. brent: the question that remains unanswered is, will fatal police shootings like these -- will they force the police to implement reforms and change the way they do things out on the streets? >> that's what many social justice activists and many average americans have been calling for for years. but, obviously, this has led to only incremental changes. there was some hope that the obligation to where body cameras on all police officers -- to wear body cameras on all police officers would bring some changes, but that didn't really work out. the problem is that the split of the senate back here in washington makes it very unlikely that a significant police reform will pass. most changes probably are going

to come from the local level. brent: all right. that's our washington bureau chief with the latest on the situation tonight in minnesota. thank you. you are watching dw news. still to come, mother nature blossoms in travel hotspots left empty by the pandemic. locals in some parts of thailand say they hope that the end of travel restrictions will not be an end to their paradise rediscovered. we will take you there in a moment. in india, daily coronavirus cases have topped 168,000. india has now recorded more infections during this pandemic than any other country except the united states. authorities are hoping to slow the spread by imposing new restrictions and persuading people to get vaccinated, but many states are complaining of a vaccine shortage. fears are also growing that many are failing to observe social distancing. >> the banks of the sacred river

ganges, brimming, despite india's soaring infection rates. mendy are -- many are expected to attend this festival. covid tests are required to enter the area, but other precautions are ignored. still, worshipers have faith that they are safe. >> there is no issue. they just have to take proper care. wear a mask, maintain some social distancing protocols. >> [speaking non-english language] translator: yes, we were afraid to come during covid-19, but nothing should happen to us. by the grace of the goddess, everything will be fine. there are no problems. >> but there are problems for the police, who say they are too overwhelmed to enforce the rules. >> [speaking non-english language] translator: we are appealing to people to follow the guidelines,

but in the riverbank area, social distancing becomes difficult. if we tried to enforce it, severe accidents or situations like stampede's could occur. >> prevention measures in india vary. lockdowns are in force in many areas, including the hardest hit state. it's also home to mumbai, india's economic powerhouse. across india, another event is attracting attention, the so-called vaccination festival, a four-day drive taccelerate the national rollout. india's inoculation program had been relatively successful, but several states are reporting vaccine shortages. in contrast, this festival, authorities hope the vaccination festival will bring infection numbers down. brent: british prime minister boris johnson is hailing it as a major step towards freedom. as of today, the english can

once again have someone else pour them a pint of beer and enjoy it while sitting in a biergarten. that's a big deal for the country, which had one of the highest infection rates in europe, with nearly 60,000 daily cases of covid-19. tough lockdown measures and a swift vaccination rollout have brought down case numbers significantly. now, business across -- businesses across england have begun reopening, all of the government warns against complacency -- although the government warns against complacency. >> many businesses reopened for the first time since january. long line sof eager -- lines of eager shoppers performed outside clothing stores. some brits got there first haircut of the year. for others, this is what they've been waiting all winter for, a pint of beer with their friends. >> british people -- i mean, the

way we cope with being british is going to the pub as often as possible. we've been denied that for months. now we are back to normal, but we are not back to normal. it's all very strange. >> i'm on my 10th pint already. i'm speaking straight. it's great. >> going out, walking out on the high street, seeing everyone smiling -- it really feels like -- fills you with positivity and hope that we are going to get over this. >> it wasn't just patrons celebrating the reopening of the outdoor seating at pubs. the owners are optimistic that they have made it through the worst of the pandemic. >> we have survived through some of the toughest restrictions that have been employed in europe. we now get the opportunity to open outdoor but that's only 40% of our pubs that will have space that they can attempt to open in. of course, it's not the best weather for us in the united kingdom to be opening, but we

really need to see the further removal of restrictions before we c really t backo trading levels that will mean that those businesses survive throughout this. >> health authorities are warning the british to remain cautious. . anher wave of the pandemic is not impossible, but if all goes according to plan, the government could lift all restrictions by the end of june. brent: remember how it was one year ago, when many parts of the world went into their first lockdown, when traffic jams disappeared, air pollution seemed to evaporate, and, in some places, wild life was spotted roaming empty streets? it was a reminder that, although the pandemic may be bad news for humans, it's been a good thing for the environment. in thailand, a popular resort island, boot cut -- phuket, will reopen this july foreign travelers. the locals are ready to welcome them back, but with a much greater awareness of just how fragile and precious their piece of paradise is. >> this view is like something

straight out of a tourist brochure. islands like these are the envy of the international tourist industry, but since the start of the pandemic, foreign tourism has been banned. for now, locals have this paradise all to themselves. he's lived here all his life, one of the last of the seminomadic people -- of a seminomadic people, an ethnic group whose way of life is under threat. >> [speaking non-english language] translator: we fish with a spear, but it's not easy. the fish are fast and swim zigzag. >> he's a master at fishing and hunts alone. recently, he has noticed a surprising and quite unexpected change. corona is good for the

environment. there are fewer boats, fewer tourist,s and also -- fewer tourists, and also less trash. fishing is easier now. i used to spend hours looking for fish, but since corona, there are plenty of them. with the tourists gone, life underwater has visibly blossomed. corals have recovered. fish stocks have multiplied. and animals that haven't been seen for years have reappeared. >> [speang non-english language] translator: bore corona, 40 million tourists came to thailand each year. millions of them went on beach holidays along the coast. suddenly, they disappeared. the boats are gone. there are no more beach parties, no more noise.

there is less sewage and rubbish from the hotels. what a difference. >> but, whil emptye -- while empty beaches are a boon for the environment, they spell ruin for many in the community. tourism is thailand's most important source of income. even environmentalists agree, it's about striking a balance. without tourism, without the dere for these wonderful holiday destinations, people would never have understood the importance of preserving nature. they wouldn't care if the corals died. anyone who goes to the seaside sees beauty and wants to protect it. we can't have zo tourism, but we can stop the pre-corona madness. a gentler kind of tourism could be the way forward -- more regulations, more environmentally friendly. phuket is set to welcome back tourists who have been vaccinated, in july.

only then will it be clear if the economy and the environment are compatible. the return of tourist means he will have to share this piece of paradise once again, and, hopefully, this time, the tourists will share it with him more sustainably. brent: we hope that for everyone everywhere. you are watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." tonight, the two conservative politicians who want to be the next german chancellor. we will be right back.

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♪ >> curfew and state of emergency in st. paul and minnesota after another police shooting results in the death of a young black man. meanwhile, at the trial of the police accused of killing george floyd, he cried as he remembered his late brother whose debt sparked riots and an ongoing debate in the u.s. on police and racism. iran valves request on iael -- vows revenge on israel after an attack.