from berlin. tonight, more unrest in china over the covid-19 lockdowns. protesters confrontingecurity forces in the southern cities, even as some pandemic restrictions are being eased. also coming up tonight, nato foreign ministers pledging more weapons and money for ukraine and underlying their support for key joining the

alliance some day as a test drug slows mental decline in the early stages of alzheimer's, but there can be serious side effects. and a group of transgender footballers winning over a tough city in mexico city with a message of unity. ♪ i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and around the world, welcome. we begin tonight in china. authorities are redoubling their efforts to stamp out unrest over beijing's zero covid policy. students seen as leading the protests against the lockdown restrictions, those students have been sent home. police are on the streets in force of at least 16 cities. but despite authorities also

relaxing some restrictions, there is widespread unrest. >> it's a display of public rage not seen in china for decades. what began as a position against anti-covid restrictions has morphed into something bigger -- a thinly veiled discussed with those in power from beijing to hong kong. >> we want human rights. >> the protests have become too loud to ignore. the ruling communist party has staged a massive show of force by security services and vowed a resolute crackdown on what it has labeled sabotage activities by hostile forces. this is what the crackdown looked like in guangzhou. through the lens of a citizen's mobile phone.

police in mobile tech to equipment trolling the streets with riot shields. here and in other major cities, people said their phones were checked for photos, band apps, or other evidence that they have taken part in the demonstrations areaeijing has made it clear it will not tolerate dissent. >> china is a country governed by the rule of law and various legal rights enjoyed by chinese citizens are fully guaranteed in accordance with the law. at the same time, rights and freedoms must be exercised within a framework of the law. >> in an apparent concession to demonstrators, authorities have eased some anti-covid measures and announced a new push to max and -- vaccinate vulnerable groups. but it might not be enough to quell this type of anger. in a recent video, also from guangzhou, protesters can be

seen toppling a pcr testing tent and throwing objects at police. over the last few days, demonstrations have also spread beyond china's borders. these people protesting in toronto, canada. containing all dissent everywhere is the challenge even the powerful chinese communist party is unlikely to win. brent: earlier, i spoke to a senior china researcher for human rights watch. i asked her if the protests are becoming more and more about something more than just the pandemic. >> i think it's obvious it's already about something else, because some people are calling for democracy, the rule of law, and even calling for president xi to step down and for the end of communist party rule. it's extraordinarily risky for people to say those things in

public. brent: i will ask you too about the former chinese president minh, who died at the age of 96, reportedly. could his death be useful politically for jie zheng paying -- xi jinping and what is happening now across the streets across china? >> i see a lot of people mourning his death. they missed the time he was the president. they are using the death and the morning and the death to send the message, we don't like the current guy. i also saw, some people are saying, let's go to the streets to hold a video commemoration of him, but they wanted to use this event to show they do not like the current rule and the current president.

brent: and president xi jinping, you could say his grip on power is stronger than the former president's ever was. is that grip now beginning to be weakened? >> i think the protests on the street are a sign that peop are very unhappy with the zero covid policy and the people are connecting the dots -- we know that we have this abusive use of the zero covid policies because of the political system, because one man in beijing decided this for 1.4 billion people and they have to suffer for his decision. brent: that said, china has an incredible surveillance apparatus and uses artificial intelligence to keep checks on it citizen. we have reports that the police are spot checking people's mobile phones.

if people want to protest and get away with it, the chances of them doing that in china have to be incredibly small. >> right. the surveillance equipment t government can deploy did not even exist 10 years ago, not to mention 40 years ago, when the tiananmen massacre happened. it's difficult for any kind of protest to sustain when the government has that kind of capability. that being said, you know, everyone wants to live life with dignity. everybody wants freedom of speech and this is a kind of power that the party has to reckon with. brent: our senior china researcher for human rights watch. we appreciate your time and insight tonight. here's a look at some other stories making headlines around the world. a cou in mozambiq has begun handing down verdicts in the country's biggest ever

corruption scandal. the verdicts include the son of a former president, who he and others used companies to illicitly borrow $2 billion a year ago. that triggered a currency collapse. spanish police say a man was handling a letter when a device exploded. ukraine says it will tighten security at all of its embassies. the upper house of the russian parliament has approved a bill for the restctin of the promotion of lg rights. the new measure criminalizes the promotion of what it calls "nontraditional sexual relations " online and in public. human rights groups says the bill will effectively outlaw same-sex relationships in russia. nato has redoubled its promise to stand by ukraine, that after

russian airstrikes have left millions in ukraine without power and heating. meeting in the romanian capital of bucharest, nato foreign ministers agreed to send generators, fuel, and medical supplies to ukraine. moscow's strategy of targeting civilians will not undermine nato's resolve. >> we are clear eyed about the difficult winter that lies ahead. we know president putin's playbook. freeze and starve ukrainians, force them from their homes, drive up energy, food, and other household costs not only across europe, but around the world. then, try to splinter our coalition. president putin thinks if he can raise the cost high enough, the world will abandon ukraine. that we will leave them to fend for themselves. his strategy has not and will not work.

we will continue to prove him wrong. that's what i heard loudly and clearly from every country here in bucharest. brent: so how important is nato's promise of nonlethal equipment and supplies for ukraine? i asked our correspondent, reporting from bucharest. >> it is crucial for ukraine, as the country is fang constant attacks on its energy infrastructure and russia has bombed one third of this infrastructure over the last few weeks, according to the u.s. administration. it's clear that ukraine urgently needs what nato allies are offering -- generators, power transformers, other mint. the u.s. alone has pledged to provide ukraine with more than 50 million u.s. dollars. however, we also have to say that the ukrainian foreign nister, who was also present

here, made clear once again today that what ukraine also wants is for instance, u.s.-made patriot missile defense systems, something thatllies will talk about, according to nato secretary-general stoltenberg, but the decisn on that, whether those systems can be provided to ukraine, has not been made yet. brent: that is our correspondent, reporting from bucharest. ukraine is a security issue for all of europe. today, the berlin security conference happened in the country with prime minister olaf scholz. >> prime minister, you share a border with russia and you are a member of nato. how has the war in ukraine changed thinking in norway? >> i would say fundamentally,

like in other european countries and especially ordering countries, we wake up and learned that our neighbor has attacked another neighbor, massively. that's what we have seen since february, basically. aiming at destroying buildings, workplaces, infrastructure, driving millions of people to escape. it's a fundamental change to the whole european landscape. so yes, it is crucial that our neighbors, sweden and finland, decide quickly they wanted to be in nato. we do not have a perceived direct threat at our border like what we have seen in ukraine, but we are taking measure to safeguard our security. >> you said in the past that russia and norway have and at peace for more than 1000 years. do you think there is a direct threat to your norwegian territory or the norwegian and structure coming from russia?

>> after what russia has demonstrated in ukraine, nobody can hide that question or deny it. russia has moved both military equipment and people from the north to ukraine. we have observed that and have not observed direct attention at our border, but we follow developments here and at abroad. we sail our navy and fly our patrol plans to monitor the situation. we do that closely with our nordic partners, but also with our nato partners. when we now put a major emphasis on securing our infrastructure, we do that as norway and we do that in close cooperation with our allies and partners, first among them with germany. >> you are here in berlin for a security conference and talks with the german government. let's talk about nato's stance. is it the right one, providing technical support but waiting

for ukraine to win the war on its own? that might take a very long time. is it the right approach? >> you know, this is not a war against a nato territory, but close to a nato territory. ukraine is a free, democratic nation that deserves support. they made a historic decision back in february to offer military equipment to a country at war, and we have done so in norway, we have not done that since the 1950's and have provided military equipment. it's ukraine's right to defend itself and our right to help ukraine defend itself. brent: norway's prime minister speaking with dw news. people all over the world are living longer, and more and more are dying from alzheimer's. chances are, you know someone with disease. i certainly do. tonight, and experimental drug is bringing hope for a possible treatment.

that's the good news, but there are, however, serious side effects. >> a rare beat of good news for this 70-year-old woodworker and his loved ones. he had to quit his job when he was hit by alzheimer's. he could no longer to -- no longer remember how to use his tools. >> could you get the broccoli out of the fridge for me? >> yep. >> he has taken part in the international trial of the experiment told drug designed by japan and the u.s. >> when we began this, we did not think it would help us. but we thought we were doing something, and could help future generations. >> it turned out the drug could actually help. the trial has shown that the treatment is able to slow down mental decline by 27% when

diagnosed at an early stage. >> this is so exciting. now we are getting results, the first results indicating that the drug is successfully treating the underlying cause and is slowing down the symptoms of cognitive impairment and also the behavioral symptoms associated with alzheimer's disease. >> there have been concerns over side effects, which include brain swelling. two people of died -- have died while 14% suffered brain bleeds. scientists stressed that the same number given a placebo also died. they say the treatment is not a cure for alzheimer's, but does bring help for people like have -- devitt. >> it's a horrible, nasty thing. if someone can slow it down and eventually get it stopped altogether, you know, that would

be brilliant. >> the companies behind the drug are planning to apply for licensing, which would make it available for treatment within two to three years. ♪ brent: to the world cup, in qatar, where tunisia were hoping for a major upset in group d against defending champions france. the win would offer a slim chance to advance to the knockout stages, and they seemed on track in the eighth minute. the liberations or overruled when the goal was ruled offside. but another shot did result in a goal for a one-zero win for tunisia. that put all list really a -- australia on the spot for their match in denmark. here is how that game unfolded. >> denmark showed their metal

right from the start, but australia was in the way of their lead. the pressure continued, but australia's defense stood strong or denmark was not accurate enough. australia's first chance came just before halftime, and after halftime, australia dominated the game. the shot just outside the box was cleared by the danish defense. five seconds later, denmark's hopes were kept alive. just before the one ho -- one hour mark, denmark's hopes would come to an end. brent: group d finishes

in last place, but thanks to goal differential, australia's victory puts them in second and they advanced to the round of 16. tunisia was a close third, but they and denmark are out. >> ok, so france had already qualified for the next round, so they had the opportunity to rest a bunch of players going into this match. that's exactly what they did. a bunch of their starters on the bench, which is important in a tournament like the world cup. you want to have your best players as rested as possible going into the next round and france has the luxury to be able to do that. tunisia, they had to win this game to have the slightest chance of moving to the next round -- interestingly enough, 10 players from tunisia were born in france, so a pretty tough match, despite the fact that they did win, unfortunately

they were eliminated. france, despite the loss, also looking like they might win this world cup still. brent: denmark considered one of the top 10 teams in the world, but now they are out of the tournament. what happened? >> it's been a really disappointing world cup for denmark. they had a really good performance in the euro, so a lot of people expected them to be a dark course in this tournament. they do have a solid side, good midfield, but they have not been able to score goals. when you cannot score goals, you cannot win games. australia, on the other hand, did not have trouble scoring today. they got their goal and got to the next round. this is the second time that they have progressed to the next round, so absolute happiness for australia. >> and here in germany, people like to watch football, soccer, and have a beer. they're in qatar, what is it

like for fans who are used to doing that when they are standing in line and realizing that they cannot have alcohol? >> it's probably worth mentioning that if you are one of the vip fans in the booths in the stadium, you can still drink. they did not ban that. but for the other fans, they have gotten used to it at this point and accepted it. some have been caught trying to smuggle alcohol into the stadium. one man actually had alcohol and binoculars, which is an inventive thing. other fans, i talked to some argentinian fans who says they were waiting in line for over an hour and after not getting a beer, said you know what? we're going to detox for this month and it will be healthier for us. brent: alcohol in his binoculars -- that gives new meaning to beer goggles, i guess. thank you.

from qatar, we will travel to mexico city to meet a team of transgender women footballers who say they would not feel welcome at this year's world cup , but they say they haven't always felt welcome at home either. at first, they were at odds with the macho culture around them, but now they are the pride of a notoriously tough neighborhood. >> lacing up their football boots and slipping into their sports pants, these women feel invincible. naomi, paola, manuela and the others are transgender women, part of a football team called the gardening as of to peto. >> it was difficult being a team from here, but we have earned our place and our respect. >> this is one of mexico city's most infamous neighborhoods, notorious for crime, drugs and poverty. but it is also

colorful, diverse, and known for its transgender women's football team. the decision to host the world cup in qatar, were trans people are persecuted, they find particularly painful. >> you cannot deny that transgender people exist, that gay, bisexual, and non-binary people exist. we are part of the population and standing up against this discrimination from qatar. >> the women know what it is like to struggle. naomi moved to mexico city as a teenager, leaving behind a strongly religious family where she struggled to be herself. >> in my village, i would have been known as the gay one, and i wanted more. i wanted to be something different. >> visibility is important. that's why the gdenias were founded.

transgender women in mexico are often pushed to the margins of society. >> we are showing we are not just putting on a show or, to put it plainly, working as prostitutes. but we are not given normal office jobs. >> they have been playing football for 35 years, facing resistance and prejudice along the way. they used to be called names and people would throw tomatoes at them, but now attitudes e shifting. they say that because they stuck it out and people have gotten to know them. today, they are ambassadors for tolerance, but above all, they are people with dreams and a passion for football. and they have a message for qatar. >> we are human. let us live in freedom. >> after all, football is not meant to divide, but to unite. brent: finally, it is one of the most enduring symbols of france,

the big -- baguette has been --. >> viva la baguette. this culinary delight is the toaster france and the culinary world. >> it's crispy. >> i will definitely try a baguette in france. >> the united nations heritage body has put their artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread on its list of intangible cultural heritage. they have come to be a symbol of france around the world and have been a central part of the french diet for at least 100 years. >> you can tell from the smell

how it looks, the color. >> the ingredients are simple -- flour, water, salt and yeast. but in the right hands, bakers say, the humble bread becomes a masterpiece. >> you learned by touching and shaping the dope. it can take as long as 10 years. >> maybe it is the car cutting, but fewer people are slicing into baguettes in recent decades. but france still bakes 16 million lobes a day -- that 16 billion a year, and sold for about one euro. it might be worth taking a bite. bon appetit. brent: chinese authorities are redoubling their efforts to stamp out unrest overhe zero covid policies. despite official's relaxing some

was friction, there is still widespread dissent. and an experimental new drug is bringing new hope for an alzheimer's patient. the treatment has, for the first time, seem to have slowed mental declines in patients, but the trials have also shown it can have serious side effects. you're watching dw news. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. stick around. we will be right back. ♪

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mark: welcome to "live from paris" world news and analysis from france 24. at the world cup, france loses to tunisia. already qualified, though, but is it's a winek cannot take the north africans through. australia go to the knockout phase. argentina and poland facing off. the salaries and mexicans -- the 70's -- the sa