>> this is dw news, live from berlin. the worst violence there in years. dozens have died as writers ransacked storms and parties. they're angry that the former president, jacob zuma went to president. also coming up, under fire in afghanistan as native troops withdraw, elite afghan forces are fighting and dying, trying to stop the advance of the

taliban. should the coronavirus vaccine be required or an individual's choice? it is becoming mandatory for health-care care workers in france. germany is not doing that. i am brent goff, two viewers watching on pbs and the united states and all of you around the world, welcome. we start up with the deadly riots gripping parts of south africa tonight. authorities say at the 72 people have been killed in some of the worst violence seen there in years. the unrest erected after the former president, jacob zuma turned himself into police. he is serving a prison sentence for contempt of court. his supporters are demanding he be released. >> this warehouse in durban was ransacked by hundreds of people. the shelves emptied, the goods

carried out in bulk. it is only one of dozens of malls, supermarkets and small shops that were targeted by looter like this party supply shop. >> it is over. it is over. i o bank's money -- owe banks m oney. i don't know how to pay this money, with what? >> our local residents went after the looters themselves. the government sent soldiers to the most affected areas as police struggled to control the unrest. >> the qatar situation on the ground -- we will make sure it does not deter it. we cannot allow anyone to do

this to our democratic state. >> jacob zuma began serving a 15 month jail term. the outrage of supporters was compounded by anger over persisting inequality and poverty in the country. . brent: i want to bring you professor cameron. the director of social change at the university of johannesburg in south africa. good to have you on the program. there were predictions of violence and bloodshed from zuma supporters. did you resptive to keep their word after zuma turned himself into police? >> i think it was the expectation that there would be some sort of mobilization but i

think what we have seen is quite unprecedented. this is much more than just about jacob zuma. it is much more reflective of widespread concerns about inequality and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. a lot of this is really about basic items, it is about food, this has become about much more than just jacob zuma. brent: i want to ask you more about that. what about the police reaction? they appear to be caught off guard. how do you explain their reaction? >> it is unfolding story. there areome allegations that some sections of the state security forces may have in some

ways supported what is happening. these are things that are all coming to light. as it unfolds, it is hard to verify these names but i think we are in a very difficult situation to get the scale of what we are seeing. neither of which have particularly good track records of dealing with these things in a way that does not escalate violence. brent: she is a woman that helped write the postapartheid constitution in south africa. today, she tweeted that what we are seeing is not spontaneous chaos. she writes that what we are witnessing was organized by transactional leaders to intimidate our judicial system to allow impunity.

she is talking about jacob zuma there and his supporters and their desire for zuma to not serve time and to remain above the law. do you agree with this? >> i think this began with some people supporting jacob zuma. i think it has grown much larger than that. the looting is much more reflective of other economic concerns. africa is at the peak of its third wave of coronavirus. we are going into lockdown restrictions but there has not been the social economic relief for people who are prevented from going to their jobs. there is some clinical turmoil combined with the socio-economic turmoil of the pandemic. brent: is this what we are seeing?

a perfect storm? you have the unkept promises. are we seeing the public that has had enoug promises from corrupt politicians? >> what we have seen from africa's democratic regime is the governing national congress has gradually been losing support. the this political fragmentation is also then combined with long-term economic inequality in south africa. 27 years of democracy has really failed to address it. we see the continuation of

apartheid labels. africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world and the pandemic has fully served to entrench that. brent: we appreciate your time and insights tonight. thank you. let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. joe biden says there is a national imperative to pass sweeping voting rights legislation despite republican opposition. several republican controlled states have approved laws that impose strict -- this refutes donald trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him with election fraud. the exiled rights group in cuba

says as many as 150 pple have be detained. thousands have been taking to the streets. italy has banned cruise ships from using the venice lagoon in order to protect ecosystem and th city heritage. the governor meant -- government decided to act after they threatened to place italy on a black list. the ban will take effect august 1. they will receive compensation. we go to afghanistan know where their government is facing an incredibly -- increasingly dire security situation. taliban insurgents has overrun several districts. it is up to government troops to provide their own security but they are facing a daunting task.

>> a convoy of afghan commandos under attack by the taliban. they were on a mission near the city but ran into an ambush before reaching their target. all over afghanistan, the taliban are on the advance. the u.s. trained commandos are an elite force, determined to stem the tide. afghanistan is an independent country and has an independent army, constitution and government. we are the defenders of the islamic republic offghanistan and its flag. this unitmeed from its latest battle without losses. things don't always end well. gruesome footage emerged showing

at least a dozen commandos being massacred by the taliban after they surrendered. the taliban surge is not just a military disaster but thousands -- >> an estimated 270,000 have been displaced since january of 2021. over 3.5 million. >> the follow from this conflict does not stop at afghanistan's border. 1000 refugees are fleeing the country every day. brent: i am joined by ali. it is good to have you on the program. the video we have seen of those

special forces who were surrendering to the taliban and who were executed is so graphic, we can show it. it begs the question, do these soldiers stand any chance ainst the taliban? ali: of course they do. as much as districts are falling into taliban hands, they are also being taken back. the war is still ongoing. things are happening, there is a fight being put up. the more we hand over a victory to the taliban, i think we are doing this service to the country. brent: in terms of percentage of territory, do you know how much the taliban has taken and how

much the afghan forces have been able to retake? ali: the problem with these territory issues is that these teitories trade hands all the time, they have been training hands for years. they are currently training hands all the time. next districts -- ex-districts fell to the taliban today and they were regained from the taliban tomorrow. the issue is there are areas where the government will have some presence but not full presence. it is hard tquantify these things. there is no one going out and doing these studies.

there is no one going around. brent: it is possible to go to your service positions, areas where camps were and see if they were under control of afghan forces, is that being done? >> it is being done and there have been instances where the taliban have taken or at least entered these bases of these camps and they have takethe media to show they have been there. when bagram was handed over, even though there was no official hand over, the u.s. just left in the middle of the night. the talib said it was not necessarily their priority to go and retake that area. they are concentrating on other areas and other tactics at the moment. they were happy the u.s. had

left that base because the base had such a negative memory for years. including the president who is known for abuse and torture and accusations and these sortsf things. brent: we appreciate your reporting, thank you. in southern iraq, at least 90 people have been killed and dozens were injured after a fire broke out in a covid-19 isolation ward. it was unclear how the blaze began. the prime minister has ordered the suspension and arrest of a number of people including the hospital manager. >> what is left of the coronavirus isolation ward? more than 60 patients were being treated here. fire swept through this unit.

a fire taking everything in its path. the front door was burning and the back doors closed. before the fire broke out, people were stuck inside and the ceiling fell on them. we managed to take some people out but they were suffering and the rest of them burned and died. now they are left counting the dead. charred belongings all that is left. devastation everywhere. the horrors of what has happened hard to comprehend. it is still unclear how the fire started. some officials claim an oxygen tank exploded while others point

to an electrical short circuit. this is just the latest disaster to hit iraq. the catastrophe is a tragedy and i am speechless. it looks like iraq again has to suffer anguish and calamities. medical staff continue to treat the survivors, some in a critical condition. the questions are already being asked. this is the second time this year of fire has killed coronavirus patients at an iraqi hospital. anger is mounting as people want answers. from politicians blamed for years of mismanagement and neglect. too late for the ones who have

lost their lives. for those left behind -- and for those left behind. brent: france is tightening coronavirus rules in a bid to head off a new surge in infections driven by that highly contagious delta variant. emmanuel macron has ordered all health-care care workers to get vaccinated by mid-september or they could there's their jobs. starting next month, bars, restaurants, trains and planes will be off-limits to people who don't have a special covid-19 pass. president macron says this is a new race against time to prevent a fourth wave. clicks for health-care workers at this hospital in paris, president emmanuel macron's announcement means a choice between getting the jab or losing their job. for some, it is an easy choice to make. >> it is true that the paramedical department and assistance are having trouble to understand the importance of getting vaccinated. i understand why a menu macron

ask for mandatory vaccinations. otherwise we won't get through this. >> other hospital workers are angry their jobs are on the line if they refuse. >> unfortunately, i will have to get vaccinated against my will. i love my job, i love my patients. >> the new measures include the need to show proof of vaccination or an expensive negative test for long-distance train travel and visiting restaurants. many parisians are embracing the challenges but some are worrying that the mandatory nature shouldn't be necessary. >> for me, compulsory vaccination is inconceivable. >> france is joining other european nations like italy and greece which have already announced mandatory vaccinations for h care and health workers.

>> from september 1, editorial vaccination will apply to public and private health care officials. -- professionals. it is unthinkable for an unvaccinated nurse to care for immunosuppressed cancer patient. >> this is an attempt to fight away if of inoculation fatigue that some countries are witnessing. with some -- with europe opening up, some politicians are saying this is the only way to motivate those hesitant together -- to get the job. >> ethic we have to be careful as we open up. -- i think we have to be careful as we open up. >> angela merkel has ruled out mandatory vaccines. she hopes more people will choose freely to get the job so

life can continue returning to normal across europe. brent: i want to bring in dr. john campbell. he joins me tonight from carlisle in the u.k.. it is good to see you again. let's start with france and greece. they are making coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for all health care workers. talk to me about why this is necessary. >> these patients are at risk and health care workers can pass the virus on to patients. people who are vaccinated are 50% less likely to get the virus in the first place and if they do get it, they are 50% less likely to pass it on. we are talking about a 75% level of protection here. there is a pretty good medical rationale for all of this. brent: is there an ethical rationale for not making the vaccines compulsory? i am thinking of angela merkel.

she says there is no need to make the vaccinations mandatory. >> this is a good debate. you will get us different opinions. it is a fundamental principle in health care for giving informed const for anything we do. i can't even take a patient possible pressure. it is perfectly reasonable that everyone has the choice what medications and vaccines the get. that is a basic human right but employers have a duty of care. they have a duty of care to their employers who they have to maintain the health of and a duty of care toward the patients for whom their employees are looking after. it is balancing this risk between -- between informed consent and all this. the first doctor who documented said first do no harm. it is incumbent on health care workers not to do any harm. brent: there is a lot of talk

about whether societies will reach herd immunity. is it even realistic to have that as a goal at this point considering there is vaccine hesitancas well? >> there is not enough people getting vaccinated general in the world but often this is due to lack of vaccine supply. especially in the u.k. at the moment as you probably heard. there is going to be a lot more cases, cases in the u.k. could go up to 100,000 per day. that is not impossible. that means a lot of people will be exposed to the virus. there will be a lot more natural immunity. people have been vaccinated and being exposed to the virus will give them an extra boost of immunity as well. community immunity and herd immunity is increasing but we are not there yet. it is probably going to be

around the 95% mark. this delta variant is so transmissible. brent: we know that pfizer and biontech are developing what they say is a booster vaccine that could protect against the delta variant. theda, the united states says it is too early to say. do you think it is inevitable that we are going to need booster shots? >> there are two questions. one is how long will he immunity last for? the immunity so far seems to be lasting for a long time. i am hopeful it will last for a year or several years. we mayeed to vaccinate to get vaccines, these tweak the vaccines. the plan in the u.k. is to give

a third dose to people over the age of 50 or 60. we have t decided yet. they are more clinically vulnerle in the autumn. this will be a dose of you might call the oldashioned vaccine this is going to increase immunity against new variants to some degree. it may be that we end up needing a booster vaccine specific to the particular variants that are around every year for the next few seasons. that is being actively planned for in the u.k.. brent: dr. john campbell, we appreciate your time and insights tonight. 10 days from the start of the lipid games in tokyo and the athletes have finally begun moving into the other big village. 11,000 athletes will be held in a strictly controlled environment due to the coronavirus. they will only be allowed to leave the village to train or to

compete and they will be tested every day. no spectators will be allowed inside the venues. one athlete who will not be making use of this is roger federer. he has pulled out of the upcoming lipid games. federick, a 20 time grand slam champion has been struggling to find his best form after having double knee surgery last year. he went out of the recent wimbledon tournament in the quarter finals. he says he is still experiencing problems with his knee but hopes to return to action later in the year. who will the awards go to? the nominations are in for the emmys. two different dramas are leading the way with the most nods. that is the crown from netflix

and the mental orient -- mandalorian both have an impressive 24 nominations. the pandemic disrupted production of tv shows, meaning some favorites did not return to our screens in time to be considered. the awards will be handed out in los angeles september 19. you are watching dw news from berlin. i will be back to take you through the day. jacob zuma is behind bars and being -- demanding to be released. is he holding his country hostage? we will be right back.

aaaaaaaawawawmñññxñrç rcrcrcrcrc

♪ >> u.s. president biden is to meet with texas democrats to prevent a change to voting rights. our core is standing by with this in washington -- our correspondent is standing by. italy bans cruise ships from the grand canal in venice. pressure from local campaigners has led to this decision. cannes film festival will underway. our correspondent near the red carpet. she will bring us all the news about tonight