berlin. tonight, a frosty work -- run-up to the beijing winter limits. countries including the u.s. staging a diplomatic boy cap. harring coronavirus infections are threatening to burst beijing's covid bubble. matt has drawn a blistering

response from vladimir putin. his first public comments abo the crisisade busier. a manhunt for police killers. the men have wild anima carcasses in the trunk of their car. our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of you around the world, it is good to have you with that. we begin tonight in beijing with the winter olympics do to open this week. the united states and other nations are staging a diplomatic boy cap -- boycott. covid-19 cases are also weighing the athletes who are arriving. beijing insisting that the games will be safe. >> arrival at the airport in

beijing. chinese workers in protective gear welcome the incoming olympic teams and their baggage. then it is a pcr tests before a trip to the venues in the olympic village or similar tests are to follow on a ily basis. cautn is the watchword china's cross-country desk -- skiers are being shielded. >> with this team, we have been staying in china the full-time for the past two years. they have been extremely careful. we have not competed internationally for two years. >> foreign athletes who have already alive, one out of 25 have already tested positive for covid-19 and have isolated. it is not clear if they will all get the negative test that they need in order to complete ash competes. china is using the pizzazz of the games to distract from human rights abuses. >> to turn this arena into a

space for political -- and a tool to whitewash all of those atrocities. >> china boasts of its strength and promises a safe china -- olympics. >> it looms large over the winter olympics. with opposition suppressed within china, many are making their voices heard elsewhere. our washington bureau chief introduces us to a restaurant owner in lafayette -- los angeles whose father disappeared three years ago. >> these mountains remind him of home. he left china six years ago to start a new life in the u.s.. everything seemed to go well until his father who remained in china, was snatched from his home during the night of october

25 in 2018. his father owned one of the biggest publishing firms and he believes that his fight to protect the language and culture was the reason the chinese government put him in prison. he says his father was like a best friend. sporting them financially in the u.s.. >> biggest fear, i am really scared that he could not cuddle his grandchildren. to cuddle with me again. that is my biggest fear. to see him again. i wish the u.s. government and europe could do more to t pressure on china about the genocide. >> after his father was detained, he opened a restaurant

in the larger l.a. area. he named after a region where he grew up. a dish of hen with pooled noodles. most of the regions 12 million people live. >> surprisingly not many people know about us. there is so much news on the media. i have to trick them to create -- this t-shirt helps people a lot of. people ask about it and google it. >> some of his customers already know a lot about the topic. others are just about to find out. >> as an amecan, i feel a

sponse ability as conscientious consumer to understand that there inexplicably connected to capitalism. so many companies ou indirect relationship to their labor through the forced detention and labor camps by the chinese are inflicting on them and have been for so long. 1 >> i'm definitely interested in knowing more about them. i plan to google it later today. >> and joined by the president of the world leader conference. he joins us tonight from brussels. it is good to have you on the program. we are just a few days away from the start of the winter games in beijing and china has prepared, has left no room anywhere for a discussion to take place about what is happening inside of the country.

d-link it is possible at all for any attention to be given to the plight? >> thank you for having me. before i answer the question, this is not olympic games. this is genocide games. international olympic games undermine the olympic movement. it since a clear message to china and the international community that they encourage oppressive regime and genocide policy. today, more than one million people are suffering concentration camp. in this olympic comedy, ignore it. so many international organizations, activists have

been calling to move the. it has been ignored. that is why i am saying it is genocide games. >> let me ask you. you know the head of the ioc is a german. he has gone on the record to say the games are about the games and that is it. what would you say to him tonight ahead of tse games? >> he said olympic sidarity that builds a better wall, but the world should mean no camps, no forced labor factories, no police brutality, a world

without genocide is a better world. china is committing genocide. you are not honest, you are supporting the chinese government. you are part. you will whitewash the assault allegations and forced labor and genocide. >> the united states and other countries are not sending any politicians or diplomats. it is a double medic boycott. they are sending their athletes. is that enough for you? that a signal that is strong enough? can you hear me? oh unfortunately we have lost him there. we will try to get back with him if possible.

we apologize for that. the international community is stepping up diplomatic efforts to handle a crisis over ukraine. the u.s. and britain threatening to increase tough new sanctions if they invade the country. russian vladimir putin has hit back today. his first remarks on the crisis this year. he is accusing the west of ignoring moscow's request of security in russia. >> with the flags of the allies on proud to spray, the ukraine president announced a huge addition to his army. we will create a new political operation format between ukraine, great britain, and poland. within the nt three yea, we wi irease the number of ukrainian armed forces to 100,000 professional soldiers. british prime minister flew to

give to meet so wednesday. a diplomatic solution to the crisis. >> russian invasion of the ukraine. it would be a political disaster, a humanitarian disaster, it might also be for russia, for the world, a military disaster. the potential invasion completely flies in the face of president putin's claims of acting in the interest of ukrainian people. >> speaking from moscow, russian president vladimir putin accused nato's allies of escape -- using the crisis for their own benefit. the most important goal is to contain russia. in this sense, ukraine is just a tool to achieve his goal. this can be done in different ways.

one of them is to draw us into armed conflict. russia continues to build up its forces in the region even as dippel mats from both sides are trying to solve the crisis. russian troops are set to hold drills in belarus this month. these from caps like this one, just a few miles from the polish border. >> bringing our correspondent from kiev. he knows the ins and outs of ukraine. i know we have more threats of sanctions being directed at russia. has this visit from the ritesh prime minister, has it helped de-escalate the situation at all? >> it is definitely all about the optics. it is a show of diplomatic solidarity with ukraine. they basically have little in the way of breaks between western european and central european leaders.

this is not business as usual. the polish prime minister today, the dutch prime minister tomorrow in town, there is little in the way of escalation in terms of concrete steps in terms of sanctions. even they areeing spoken about now, you can imagine that% russian countries would have long done their best to remove any assets from u.k. or gus kit -- u.k. jewish jurisdictions. -- jurisdictions. this is not peripheral to the -- europe is being attention to what is being done here on ukraine's borders. u.k. has already provided the ukrainian army with antitank missiles and that is something that has gone down really well. it has been seen as a significant contribution to ukraine's ability to defend itself. as such, that is something that makes it more unlikely that russia will actually enter an. >> couldn't broke his silence today. we have not heard from him since december of last year.

he is accusing the united states of using ukraine to contain russia. is that something that is even on the radar in ukraine? is that something they'd see as being possible at all? do they feel like they are being used as a geopolitical pond by the kremlin? >> i think for ukrainians, the fact that they will be used not as part of nato or closely controlled by russia, there will be tensions around ukraine. it is too big around terms of population and size geographically and strategic location. that is a given most ukrainians are not surprised by that. the big thing for ukrainians is whether ukraine is at the table in these discussions take place. putin has taken to ignoring them in recent months. the u.s. for its part has made a

big effort to try and include ukraine and its format. secretary of state saying nothing about ukraine without ukraine at the table. i think for now ukraine is feeling relatively calm that they are being kept in the loop. >> we know that ukrainian president has told the u.s. and russia, tone it down. tone down the vitriol here about fighting. the same time, he has announced an increase in the number of ukrainian troops. how is this being received in the country? >> there are heads being scratched at the same time. a similar occasion last week where he came up with a message telling ukrainians do not panic by telling them they did not need to buy matches or other essentials. the next day he told u.s. newspapers that one of the cities on the border could be occupied relatively soon. a lot of mixed messaging there. on the part of ukrainian

leadership to not be seen saber rattling. not giving russia anything saying that ukraine is pushing for a fight. ensure they are doing enough for the population in ukraine. that time of great stress and ukraine. >> reporting tonight from kiev. thank you. headlines around the world. heavy gunfire has erected in the capital of guinea. raising fears of another attempted coup in the west african nation. he has issued a statement that he is safe and a calm has returned to the country. amnesty international says that israel's policy towards the palestinians amount to the international definition of apartheid. they rejected the allegation

saying that their citizens enjoy equal rights. they have called anti-semitic. guilt 77 people back in 20's -- 2011. here in germany, two suspects are being held for the killing of two police officers during a traffic stop. prosecutors believe the hunters shot dead the officers to avoid being called coaching illegal game. the case has caused widespread outrag >> the two suspects were arrested on monday evening. police searching their homes found a large number of guns. among them, they believe the numbers that took the lives of two young police officers. the main suspect 38-year-old man known as a traitor and world game. he has so far remained silent.

the other man, 32-year-old, has admitted coaching. why such deadly violence occurred remains unclear. prosecutors say the two officers were shot in the head. the female officer still had her pistol in her holster. she may have had a flashlight in her hand in the papers, she could not have seen it coming. the officers were on patrol on a country road when the fatal incident happened. they found a number of dead animals in a vehicle and was speaking with the occupants when they were shot. they called for help, but the time their colleagues arrived, it was too late. even seasoned investigators say they had been shot either killings. -- shocked by the killings. it is not our idea of germany that someone starts shooting on the street with hunting weapons and opens fire just because he might be caught poaching. that is why this is so disturbing.

prosecutors say it does not appear to be any political moment ash movement behind this crime. >> every day police officers are on the streets for us everywhere to protect society and to be there for the community. those who attacked these are attacking the op -- whole of society. >> the younger police officer was just 24 years old and still completing her training when she died. that fact only heightens the sense of disbelief across germany at this tragic loss of life. >> on the first day of february, journalists in mexico arm morning the debt of another calling. the fourth to be killed since the start of this year. mexico city ranks as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. reporters are being targeted for

exposing corruption at the top. the murders have sparked angry protests and the government is under pressure to make it safer for journalists to do their job. >> journalist was preparing to record an interview when he was shot. he died from his wounds in hospital. the director of the online paper he worked for said the team had been receiving death threats for months. today, those threats became concrete. exposing corrupt administrations and corrupt officials and politicians. today, this led to the death of one of our colleagues. his killing follows those of three other mexican journalists in january of 2022 alone. one of them was found sot dead

in her car in the border city of tijuana. 2019, she had appealed to mexico's president after becoming involved in a dispute with a prominent politician and media owner. >> mr. president, i have come to ask you for support, help, and justice. i fear for my life. the state of killings has put reporters across mexico on edge. it has sparked protests asking the government to step up protection for media workers. >> we stay in the americas were extreme weather in brazil has claimed 20 lives. hundreds of families are homeless. the governor has ordered emergency aid.

torrential rains and heavy flooding have battered brazil now for the last month. >> it is a race against time. the search for remaining survivors before it is too late. >> they think that there are people over there. may god help them if they are alive. yesterday, someone was calling for help today, he is not calling anymore. they are trying to get the body out of there. dead or alive. >> some flood victims are still being pulled out of the mud. they hope to find anymore is quickly fading. a desperate wait for those whose loved ones are missing. >> i am looking for my nephew, his wife, and a two-year-old child. they said the bodies are still there under the mud, but until now they could not recover them.

the landslides are a frequent occurrence during the rainy season. here in the city, they are especially dangerous for hillside houses. they are often the homes of the poor. firefighters say they will continue operation until all of the missing persons on the list are accounted for. both the living and the dead. >> here are other stories that are making headlines around the world. ecuador has been hit by a natural disaster landslide. jerry by flooding. killed at least 22 people. buildings and cars have been sucked away in the capital. scientists are blaming global warming. and marcus become the first union country to lift all of its covid restrictions. that includes face mask, vaccination passes, and limited opening hours for bars and restaurants. the move comes despite record numbers of covid-19 infections. the government is now relying on the high vaccination rate to

cope with the omicron variant. the world health organization meanwhile, morning countries -- warning people -- countries not to release the restrictions all at once. omicron should not be underestimated in cautioning the virus continues to evolve. workers in myanmar have staged a nationwide strike to mark the first anniversary of the two-- coup democracy protesters are organizing into armed groups, but this is an uneven contest as they are determined to hold onto power. >> the myanmar's regime's response to popular resistance tells the story of indiscriminate violence. from the first protesters gunned down just days after the

military coup. two airstrikes launched in a remote area in december. sending people fleeing into neighboring thailand. more and more, the conflict is becoming a civil war. and street protesters are deciding to take up arms. >> we hate the military dictatorship. we have decided to end it. rooting out the mitary from the country. we promised to help and try our best to finish them off when the war stts. >> these anti-to activists have joined and -- putting their lives on the line against a regime they have sworn to

resist. their decision, a sign of desperation. having no other option. >> see the stage setor prolonged conflict. neither sidseems lling to back down. it seems very difficult to see how the conflict will diminis will reduce in the near term, even in over the. of several years. >> neither side may be strong enough to win an outright victory. meaning villages and army bases, like this one, will continue to burn. >> and if you are afraid of flying, you may want to look away. this video will show a dramatic landing at london's heathrow airport. a british airways plane failed to land on first attempt as wins from powerful storm pattered the runway. the aircraft wheels touched the ground as the plane swayed from

side to side, forcing the pilot to head back into the air. the plane managed to successfully land on a second attempt. wow. pays to have a good pilot. this is dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day tonight. it patchwork of pandemic plans from vaccine mandates to lifting all restrictions. does any country have the right formula? we will try to find out after the break. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

■ú anchor: hello and welcome.

the headlines this hour. duress underway in guinea after a botched coup. the diplomatic effort to calm tensions over in ukraine while the prime minister needs vladimir putin in moscow.