>> this is dw news live from berlin. in china the crackdown on protests against the country's zero covid policy. more lockdowns across the country. public calls for president xi jinping to resign. coming up, and exclusive report from kherson in ukraine. two former prisoners tell us how they survived torture from russian forces.

an aide dead and a hotel siege in somalia, but the threat [inaudible] from the terror group al-shabaab and camerin looking to score for the first time. they exceeded expectations. ♪ >> i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching in pbs in the u.s. and to those around the world, welcome. we begin with china, the pandemic and protests. china clamping down on protests against its unpopular zero covid policy. thousands of people took place in protests, calling to an end to lockdowns and in some cases, for president xi jinping to resign. this is extremely rare in china. beijing eased some restrictions,

but is showing little sign of backing down completely. reporter: police cars, trucks and officers out in force. huge fences in place to stop crowds gathering. authorities are working to remove all evidence of the protests, demanding these women delete photos from their phones. here, they erased one protester telling police the reporter did not obey arrangements. he is not the only one to be detained. footage shows a bbc reporter. they say he was assaulted before being freed. chinese authorities say he did not properly identify himself.

many here are reaching their limits. [inaudible] >> i think it is good for the environment of the country to have such a space for discussion. reporter: rallies in solidarity with china's demonstrations spread around the world. large crowds gathered outside the embassy in london. in tokyo, calling for an end to china's strict covert restrictions. but chinese authorities are refusing to change course. >> we believe with leadership and support of the chinese people, our fight against covid-19 will be successful. reporter: there has been a slight easing of restrictions in a western city where a deadly apartment fire last week sparked

much of the recent unrest. some residents who have been confined to their homes from months, it has been small relief. an end to the policy so many are demanding. brent: a new york-based journalist told me why we are seeing fewer images today of those protests from china. reporter: we saw chinese authorities titens controls in reaction to the protests which happened over the weekend. in some cases, dispatching police forces to major subway stations in major chinese cities. that was one of the main reasons. brent: what about china's zero covid policy? it is not working. the rest of the world is moving on beyond the pandemic.

economically and politically when does this become a situation beijing no longer afford to live with? reporter: in some parts of the cotry there were signs local officials had eased se of the most draconian restrictions in response to the public discontent we saw over the weekend. just this morning state media issued an article reiterating support for xi jinping's zero covid policy calling it the success which has withstood the test of time and practice. i think we have to wait and see. if there is anything we know about xi jinping, his instincts are about being uncompromising in the face of perceived challenge to the party's rule. brent: the fact ofhese protests erupted so quickly, what does it say about xi

jinping's grip on power, politics, society? [inaudible] reporter: it is still too early to tell if these protests threaten xi jinping's grip on power, but they are a huge embarrassment. despite the party's line that zero covid policy has been a huge success, in reality we saw mismanagement of local lockdowns. and heavy handedness in the handling of the country's economy by local level officials all over the place. if it continues, we cannot rule out anything more dramatic happening to the country. brent: lizzie, thank you. in ukraine president zelenskyy

warning his country to prepare for a new wave of russian airstrikes. he says as long as moscow has missiles, they have caused the most damage to the power grid. millions remain without electricity and heat. that is happening with winter firmly felt in ukraine. i am joined by a ukrainian lawmaker, a leader of an opposition party. it is good to see you again. let's talk about what people in ukraine are dealing with. last time we talked about russian airstrikes a month and a half ago. now winter has arrived. it is cold temperatures and airstrikes that have become the two weapons pressure is using against your country, isn't it? guest: of course. thank you for having me.

russia is weaponizing everything. there weaponizing food, nuclear, they are doing everything possible and impossible to win the war. however, theyre losing o the military side. er 50% of ukrainian energy infrastructure is destroyed. the we are trying to fix it as soon as possible, we are falling behind because attacks continue. as of today half the population of kyiv have been without electricity, heat and running ter from time to time. it is hard in ukraine because of connectivity. you can survive without heat and water, and kind of without electricity, but it is extremely

hard without connectivity, connection to loved ones. brent: you are getting weapons from the west that you need. what you need now are enough spare parts to repair the energy infrastructure. that has also changed, hasn't it? guest: we are receiving more weapons, mor supplieand spare parts to help wh the rebuilding of energy infrastructure. however, every day we need more and the best investment by our allies would be air force protection systems that will allow us to protect what is not destroyed. we are one step before the total national blackout. this is dangerous bause it will affect everyone in europe. given that we have thenergy grid connected, but also that

people will be leaving ukraine and there will be another wave of refugees. brent: i know troops from the zaporizhzhia power plant has been occupied since the early days of the war. ukraine is claiming russian forces were planning to withdraw. do you have a confirmation you n share with us? guest: we do not have confirmation on that. i want to warn everybody not to trust russia's words. there has been no evidence in the past, so we should not have any illusions. the large nuclear plant in europe is the most dangerous and threatening part of the war for the whole world because we are one mistake away or one intentional missile away from a

nuear catastrophe. and all the fighting continuing around the plant [inaudible] to assure the plant is neutral. we have been through chernobyl. we know that radiation is not picking who has which passport. it would be a generational tragedy to so many people and nations. brent: i have to ask, there are reports u.s. weapons shipments to taiwan are behind schedule because of these weapons shipments going to ukraine. how worried are you that as we enter 2023 that decisions will have to be made in washington between kyiv or taipei? guest: i have recently visited taipei and we do have an agreement that ukraine is the

current epicenter of fightin for freedom and taiwan is potential future epicenter. production in the whole world will help us receive enough weapon and supplies in the upcoming years. at is coming up, i am less worrd the winter we need to survive. we need to make sureeopl physically will go through it. inebary we will still be capable of fighting. brent: spring cannot come soon enough. as always, we appreciate your time and insights. think you. guest: thank you, and glory to ukraine. brent: the city of kherson in southern ukraine has been liberated from russian occupation, but the fighting is far from over.

residents are trying to understand what happened during the eight months of occupation. [inaudible] reporter: queueing for food, huddling around the few working wi-fi hotspots. carrying on despite the shelling around them. this is what every day life looks like in kherson. those in kyiv evacuated away from russian guns. they stayed put during ght long months of russian occupation and are not about to go anywhere now. they may seem like old friends, but only met in september as prisoners. >> they forced their way into our flat, my grandma stted screaming. they let her into the bathroom and then they put a bag over my

head, beating me over and over. you are going to come with us. it will be a lot of fun. reporter: he had become increasingly anxious. victoria had been volunteering, taking food to people in need and her group had come under suspicion. the russians razed her home, found ukrainian souvenirs and postcards. >> i guess that means you are the enemy, the interrogator asked. what do people do to their enemies? they kill them, i replied. you are right, he said. but they torture them first. i did not think i would get out of there alive. reporter: they had no idea where they were kept. they spent weeks in the middle of kherson and recognized pictures of their basement shared online. we tried to go inside, but the

police are not letting anyone in. the risk of russian mines is too high. as little as they could see, they could hear more than they wanted to. >> the worst was hearing screams. >> i was the loudest in the basement during eight -- during interrogations. >> all i could do was pray that they would go easy on you. >> my last interrogation my hands were bound. the pain from electric shocks were so bad i did not even notice i pulled a nail out. i could feel the blood dripping. my hands, trousers, covered in blood. reporter: the most terrifying moment was still to come. after weeks without news, inmates were driven out of the city, the guards telling them it

was time to say their prayers. >> they made everyone record a short video. you had to say your name. for a moment i was worried. what do they need this for? did they need an ali? reporter: they were told to close their eyes and count to 100. instd of the shots they expected, they heard thr captors driving away. the likelihood their captors will face justice is unlikely. at lea one good thing came of it all victoria tells me, we are done being scared. brent: that was nick connolly reporting. security forces in somalia ended an hours long hotel siege by al qaeda inserteds. at least eight civilians were murdered in the capital mogadishu. the venue was frequented by government officials. authorities rescued 60 people.

the government has been battling al-shabaab for more than a decade now. this latest attack seeing some progress. reporter: this is southern somalia. hundreds of thousands of people are taking refuge year, displaced by the drought and extremists. the mayor and security forces are trying to keep al-shabaab outside the city, but the group is only 30 kilometers away. >> we are on high alert day and night to avoid getting ambushed. reporter: daily patrols give people a sense of safety. al-shabaab was in controlntil 12 when the government recaptured the city. >> this is what somalia has faced the last 50 years. now people are showing hope. reporter: local militias are

playing a supportive role too, here in their hideout. this person wants to remain anonymous. >> when i joined in 2007 they had control of the country. there was a lot of unemployment and no opportunities. reporter: he says after a few years as a fighter his job was to extort money from farmers and shop owners. but after a decade of witnessing torture and public executions, he changed his mind. >> i realized they did not want to establish a government or rule of law. bloodshed became normal. reporter:e managed to flee, but had to leave his family behind. his wife was forced to get remarried to an al-shabaab fighter and his son will be recruited to become one, he fears. they are among almost one

million people estimated to be under the control of al-shabaab, suffering the effects of drought. brent: here is a look at other stories making headlines around the world. police forces in six countries brought down an international cocaine ring. almost 50 people were arrested in europe and the uae. 30 tons of drugs were seized. the world's largest active volcano is erupting for the first time in early four decades in hawaii. lava has it started moving down the mountain. it is impossible to determine if it will flow into populated areas. crowds turned out at copacabana to celebrate pride. the motto is courage to be happy. rights groups say violence against brazil's lgbt community

has risen significantly in the past two years. at least 15 people confirmed dead, many more missing. the victims gathered on a hill for a memorial service when the ground gave way. at least eight people including a newborn baby have been killed in a landslide on an italian island. rescue workers are searching for others missing. the government declared a state of emergency. reporter: the serenity this island normally enjoys has been turned on its head. a violent storm sent waves of mud sweeping through the streets early saturday. the aftermath has stunned those tasked with recovery efforts. the rescuers include hundreds of

volunteers who now have to clear out seemingly endless amounts of sludge. >> this is all the mud that came into the compound through the sewers. so we volunteers are trying to help because the state and those in it are not doing their duty. reporter: the storm delayed the arrival of ferries bringing support from italy's mainland. it is not just the speed of rescue that is angered people. the local government is accused of not clamping down on illegal buildings. >> we know this island and town is an area with delicate soil. they should have been more careful. reporter: a significant number

of buildings on ischia island haveeduced green spaces and trees, making the soil more susceptible to slides. the national civil protection agency says these land planning violations affect more than 90% of italy's municipalities and they could also face landslides or other natural disasters. brent: in the footballer world cup in qatar match between cameroon and namibia. reporter: it was a first first serbia when they equalized just before the break. they were not done yet. just a minute later, 2-1 serbia

at halftime. after the break, serbia stayed in control. but cameroon would not surrender and showed their fighting spirit. a beautiful chip got them within a goal. just three minutes later, bayern munich's striker with an easy tap in for camerin. 3-3 the final score, which keeps both country's world cup hopes alive. brent: brazil and switzerland facing off. brazil made it clear they wanted the win. the goal was ruled offside by the video referee. brazil scored the only goal. switzerland need a draw or win

in their final group stage game. [inaudible] >> i was in the stadium. the atmosphere was amazing. there were so many brazilian fans here. i think 80% of the stadium was wearing a yellow shirt. brazilian fans are some of the most electric and football. brazil without their star player, which is a loss, because he can create magic at a world cup. but brazil are a team that are very deep. tonight they use that mix of experience and youth to get that victory and they are through to the next round. looking like a tournament favorite. brent: we saw a significant win by ghana to beat south korea.

cameroon beat serbia. [inaudible] reporter: they definitely are holding their own. positive performances today from an african team has never made it to the semifinals of the world cup. somebody will be looking to turn that statistic around this tournament. we had sent a gal --senegal, the reigning champion. but without their star player. morocco with a big victory over belgium. it is looking positive for african nations at this world cup. brent: let's talk about life away from the stadiums. i know you have been talking to fans about the accommodations and the prices.

reporter: the fan villages here in qatar, a very small country, they built these camps in the middle of the desert out of containers like you see that make up the stadium behind me. there are two beds, a bathroom and a fridge in these containers. we got shown around yesterday. the prices can go from $200 a nigt -- night for these. some fans told us it was a disaster. there were long wait times to get their rooms. some people had to sleep outside overnight because they were still under construction. there has been sewage problems, bathrooms flooded. qatar has been saying they will

refund people who had problems. we do not know how many people and how much. brent: sleep out under the stars in the desert. thank you. you are watching "dw news." after a short break i will take you through the day. stick around. be right back. ♪

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