20000 by weeks end. Im brink off its good to have you with us its the Coronavirus Crisis is getting worse and the reactions to it are increasing french president emanuel make wrong is facing a growing backlash in the muslim world over controversial comments that he made about islam mccrone stops angered by defending cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad after the brutal murder of a french teacher since then a growing number of muslim countries have criticized macron and have joined a drive to boycott french goods. The target of their anger is clear. Here in pakistan protesters in karachi and islamabad accuse the french president. Of attacking islam. For asking the behavior of the french government is actually an insult to billions of muslims across the world its open terrorism and an attack against the muslim world may slump and im like oh. We should boycott french products muslims should boycott their petrol stations which is one of their main product we shouldnt use that fuel at all. In the bangladeshi capital dhaka there were 10 scenes as protesters renewed calls for a boycott of french products. By demonstrations also took place in gaza and in tel aviv all in response to microns defense of satirical cartoons including some of the prophet mohammad. His comments follow the brutal murder of a French School teacher who taught a lesson on freedom of speach. Leaders in several muslim countries including saudi arabia and iran have condemned france turkey to weighed in with the president at the one saying mcallen needs mental checks over his attitude to islam but the french president is sticking to his stance saying we wont give in ever. His interior minister echoed his opinion. Scituate that its our sovereign right to define what freedom of expression is public order if you give us freedom of worship what is and isnt acceptable except acceptable. Words that one served to calm the growing wave of anger sweeping the muslim world france is warning its citizens in several muslim majority countries to take extra security precautions. And for more now im joined by our religious Affairs Analyst martin its good to see you what is going on here are we talking about a clash of cultures different values different value systems here or are we also talking about maybe clashing political interests at play. I think that we have 2 story so i mean one story its most certainly the question about whether. Its in its current theological farm is compatible with the republican system which is to a great degree based on data we have to find ways to deal with offense that its not by humans that its not essentially censorship. On the other hand there its mostly nearly a political dimension to these and there are certain fights that had been happening for quite a long time i mean france and turkey for instance had been embroiled in what was a military installation a couple of weeks ago with the turkish government was looking for oil in what are greek waters and this actually. Was a flare up that then disappeared so some of these tensions i think had been going on sort of exceed that particular situation but its very clear that the situation itself has actually given the excuse to translate those political beaches into now what he says caution about valise and really just freedom because we know the fringe president he has defended freedom of expression freedom of the press many times before why do you think were seeing this massive wave of protest against him in france now. I think that this is something that happens you know happened said almost regular entire regular regular space i mean in a sense we had this with the u. S. We had this with france before we had this with denmark after the union. Put out a few years back oh so curry got your is the big thing the profit so i mean these are this is something that happens at regular intervals i think that what we are is seeing nonetheless its that at this point we can count. The remarkable number of 5 selfexpression by the lessons that have come out of from winning the Muslim Community i mean we have had very often lone wolves that have acted in accordance with say that agendas of terrorist groups but the parts purity of this case hes done the goals for that for for the action of some sort and then collaboration with actual attack from people that were not terrorists but were actually part of the community so barton self students other students in the school he said he changes the shape of the conversation because now the question that youre asking is no longer about organizations no the question that many french are asking is about what are the sentiments of the Muslim Community relation to the republican freedoms of the french the french state a for its religious Affairs Analyst martin gak with valuable insights tonight martin as always thank you. Its a sure fire lets take a look now at some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world the Opposition Leader on the tanzanian island of zanzibar has been released hours after being arrested while voting early in the president ial election the official polling date is wednesday Security Forces have shot at least 9 people in election related clashes ameet kone barrett has been sworn in as a Us Supreme Court justice republican secured her confirmation in a close vote the moves walks in a conservative majority on the Supreme Court handing President Trump a big victory just a week before the election. For here in germany millions are bracing for strict new rules aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus the country is seeing a big surge in new infections the economics minister warning that new daily cases could approach 20000 by the end of this week chancellor Angela Merkel and state leaders will reveal just which restrictions that they will impose meanwhile ordinary germans are preparing for life under what is being called a lockdown. Back much toss a spec district this is one of 10 busy streets in the german capital where people now have to wear a face mask germany has seen record numbers of coronavirus cases has been particularly hard hit now all 12 districts here a concert at hotspots pressure is growing here in germany a politicians to introduce new stricter measures against the coronavirus especially as numbers continue to grow this is something that is being debated on a daily basis here in germany both on the streets but also in the press the latest topic to be discusses the possibility of introducing a socalled lockdown might. Under this proposal which is reportedly favored by chancellor merkel schools on take a would remain open except in the worst hit areas restaurants and bars would have to shut. Would be banned so far most pozen restaurants have to close only between 11 pm and 6 am for many by late as new measures are necessary even if they mean fewer freedoms but others are more skeptical we all have to give ourselves a push now and see that it goes in the right direction. The numbers are always going up so you have to do your part to make them go down again and govern great performance and success i hope that we will be spared but unfortunately we cant rule the salt completely although im not sure if it will really help to contain the pandemic and the answer then you go for those with people i assume that there will be new issues theres nothing you can do about it and we have to get the infection under control in this new pursuit of. New restrictions are expected on wednesday after chancellor merkel meets with germanys 16 regional leaders. Spring in our correspondent julia so delhi shes on the story for us tonight here in berlin good evening to you julia so we know that the chancellor has called this meeting for tomorrows scheduled actually to be later in the week but the situation is so dire the chancellor wants it to happen on wednesday what more do we know about whats going to come out of. As you said the fact that america brought the meeting up a shows how serious the situation is and its going to be up to mack of to try to find unity among the 16 state leaders and try to find a you know more uniform set of rules that can stand for the entire country media reports here in germany have said merkel intends to propose a socalled lockdown lights that is quite similar to what we have see them place here in germany in the spring during the 1st wave of the coronavirus and that would mean restaurants and bars would remain closed Public Events would be canceled shops can remain open under certain conditions and most importantly schools with remain open that is a priority for the government and stricter lockdowns would then be imposed to areas where cases are rising out of control and that is already the case in 2 areas in the Southern State of area and now tomorrow. Will push for these new restrictions to be. Applied there is hope that since some state leaders including michael server from bavaria and. From northwest running this failure has already expressed their approval for a new measures to be put forth that an agreement will be found and were talking about new restrictions which will mean more sacrifices people in the public german chancellor today she paid tribute to the medical staff in the country thats dealing with this Public Health crisis take a listen. To me you know if you could do it if the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of care in a very special way we are only aware of the sometimes stressful situation of those in need of care and during the pandemic and the outstanding performance of the nursing staff. That is why i want to thank all of the workers and the participating representatives for the very exceptional commitment of the care workers among the jets hospitalisations your body have increased the number of people who need intensive care for example thats doubled within the last 2 weeks how hospitals prepared another sure. Currently there are about 1519 patients in intensive care here in germany hospitals that as you said is a higher number compared to the last couple of weeks but it is still lower compared to the peak reached in april that was around 2800 kovan 1000 patients in intensive care in total germany has around 30000 intensive care beds and we are far from reaching that limit at the moment so the system is far from being overwhelmed in fact germany is taking in coded 1000 patients from the neighboring netherlands germany is also well equipped in terms of ventilators what could be a problem here is the lack of specialized staff specialized nursing staff and if hospitalizations were to rise that could become a problem for the German Health system especially in rural areas we understand. The latest here in berlin julia thank you. News now and the soccer club in conservative mexico that is working towards greater inclusion for the l g b t community the team of gay and straight men is offering a safe space for people of any Sexual Orientation while showing discrimination the red car. Sometimes a team has to create its own enthusiasm and build from there these are members of mexico citys Football Club called the mooses and they are building themselves up along with the rest of the l g b t community. Theyre doing it in a country where a vast majority of people are practicing catholics where football is the number one sport as played by straight men. From beam on which is by. What were breaking many stereotypes because soccer has always been seen as a game for heterosexual men in fact we played in heterosexual tournaments and were always discriminated against but we knew how to get through it. The mooses are named after the indigenous transgender women who have been part of southern mexican culture for hundreds of years their black uniforms are adorned with a rose and a soccer ball and have slowly gained prominence she giant nike has come on board as a sponsor. And they can put it on a gun in a heterosexual team you cant be who you really are. When you get to n l g b t teen its completely different. Its an Inclusive Team you feel comfortable if youre not discriminated against these could mean then in england moment you know if youre you know next up for the moshes within the l g b t Community Growth to include more lesbians gays bisexuals and transgender people a Training Center will open this coming spring meaning more chances for more roses to bloom. And youre watching news ill see you again at the top of the. Combating the corona pandemic. Where does research stand. What are scientists learning. Background information and news. Hour carona update. Covert 19 special next on d w. Ws crime fighters are back africas most successful radio drama series continues this season the stories focus on hate speech the tension and sustainable production. All of a sows are Available Online and of course you can share and discuss on africas Facebook Page and other social media platforms. Current writers to news now. Get. The coronavirus pandemic has spawned its own epidemic of dissent from ation social media is awash with it emanating from the political fringes and even from those at the center of power to turn see this all the gulf coast down recovered over. You know why theyre trying to judge everybody out of voting people arent buying it so youre dumb bastards that dog. Business off many governments and medical organizations are waging a secondary war against misinformation and to deliberate to disinform ation. That some countries are using claims of dissent from ation as an excuse for suppressing legitimate reporting and to suppress the spread of Accurate Information domestically and abroad. They using the pandemic to ramp up censorship and secrecy legislation thats having a Chilling Effect on journalists and the spread of information and accurate timely information is essential to saving lives. But come talk of a daunting special here in the daily news i want to get johnson the lead. Good to have you with us it is the job of journalists to uncover facts and share them with the public but what are those facts support of the official line a democracy should be able to handle that but now during the pandemic some governments think otherwise and thats often puts journalists and Public Health at risk. Behind the mask of coronavirus censorship spreads journalists around the world have come under attack for reporting on the pandemic it started in china where citizen journalists dared to deviate from the official narrative. Chain sheesh where shared images of overstretched hospitals in whichever has been virus is right in front of me chinas criminal prosecutors are behind me im not afraid of death do you think im afraid if you come in this party of china or polish. Chang she should wear disappeared in february and was only seen again by friends in september fun been another reporter remains missing he had released secret videos of corona virus victims. She. Reporters without borders has documented coronavirus coverage restrictions in nearly half of all u. N. Member states those who are jailed are at risk of infection. Al jazeera journalist mohammad more near died in july from coronavirus after being arrested in egypt as the reporter. Jailed for documenting corruption in saudi arabia the deliberate targeting of the press has worried the United NationsHuman Rights Commission or across the world cup in 1000 is also being instrumental eyes to limit peoples right to speak to express opinion and to participate in making decisions that affect their lives in the Russian Federation china course of already cut our many other countries by not reports of threats and intimidation against journalist brokers and civic activist particularly at the local level with the apparent aim of this courage in criticism of the author of this response is to keep it 19. At a time when information can save lives press repression can fuel the pandemic. Im joined now by ali funk a Senior Research analyst for technology and democracy at Freedom House good to have you with us your freedom on the edge report states that the pandemic is fuelling digital repression worldwide how does that work. Hi thank you so much for having me so freedom has found that 2020 was the 10th Consecutive Year of decline and Internet Freedom in this is that it time would have been dramatic has really accelerated our reliance on Digital Technologies so what we found is that governments around the world have imposed broader share chance to express and access to information political leaders are using the pandemic to scapegoat ethnic and religious groups since around favorable news and arrest critics so you know in at least 45. 00 of the countries that we study we found that activists journalists and members of the public were arrested or charged with criminal offense as for their speech relating to the 19 and then we found the governments of at least 28. 00 countries censored websites or social media posts to the press and favor girl health that mistakes and corruption allegations and then we also found that theres been increased surveillance around the world theyve been using the pandemic as a cover to extend Data Collection but i mean we also on the other side see a lot of protests more and more protests against corona virus make their messages i mean how do you differentiate between authorities using covert 19 to curb freedom of speech and those genuinely trying to flatten the code of. Its a great question i mean during times of crisis certain restrictions to freedoms can be justified these restrictions just need to be grounded and laws they have to be the least intrusive as possible and include independent oversight but restrictions to press freedom and Free Expression and really only undermine governments ability contain the virus as weve mentioned you know information can be the difference between life and death restrictions to free speech limit peoples ability to access Accurate Information to keep themselves safe and then in order for people to be willing to take these drastic measures such as closing their shops staying at home not going to school its really important that they trust their elected leaders and government officials can only gain this trust by being transparent in a free and open information environment right and of course what you mentioned very important Accurate Information of the internet social media suddenly is sadly a perfect breeding ground for fake news and a conspiracy theories especially now during the pandemic weve seen that how can journalists help expose those lies without putting themselves at risk. Our research has shown that theres been a concerted strategy by state officials and their supporters to promote these conspiracy theories pseudo science that really aligns with their nationalistic or just in a phobic goals so what journalists can do its more important ever that we expose the to these distant from asian campaigns including where theyre coming from to do to stay safe really they can using cryptic Communications Platforms such as signal to stay safe from you know government censorship Virtual Private Networks are going to be really important to be able to continue their reporting and its really through this reporting now more than ever journalists and their work are more important its a life and death issue. You mentioned in one of your previous answers and many studies suddenly agree with you namely that 19 is pushing Digital Technologies ai the internet what needs to be done to use this development to promote freedom of speech and democracy. So youre right were really sleepwalking into the world in which our most sensitive personal and biometric data our face our fingerprints are going to be at the mercy of private companies and state agencies so thats why Freedom House is actually calling for a freeze on the use of biometric surveillance such as spatial recognize facial recognition until we you know how these new technologies really attract human rights and democracy any new surveillance programs or encoding 1000 also need strict safeguards we need to prove 1st that there you know if active in limiting disease spread and then if public expert Public Health experts agree that they are we need to ensure that data is deleted after the pandemic theres independent oversight and also that any program is transparent and thats really the only way and its going to take collective Global Action to ensure that the pandemic doesnt create a long term deterioration and Internet Freedom of the human rights of privacy and for expression and the funk there from the Freedom House joining us in new york thank you so much thanks for having me. Sometimes even the experts dont agree hand thats making it harder for us laymen to grasp complex issues luckily we have our very own scientific correspondent to turn to time to ask derek. What are the risks of the focused protection approach on it out in the Great Barrington declaration. Since the very earliest days of this pandemic there have been those who believe that our responses to covert 19 so the lock downs and all the other measures that they have actually caused more damage than the disease itself and they believe that we need to look for other options even without access to a vaccine since really wide scale infection would be at least theoretically a pathway to what we want which is herd immunity the concepts laid out in the highly controversial declaration that you mention was proposed several weeks ago by 3 scientists from the u. S. And britain and its been signed by others it says that we need to only focus on protecting groups that it classifies as vulnerable especially the elderly and that urges a return to normal life immediately for everyone else that means basically not trying to limit infections among those that it says are at minimal risk of death so what would be the dangers of going down that path there are some pretty major ones and the big flaw in the declarations reasoning a lot of experts say is the fundamental assumption that people who appear to gain at least some immunity after surviving that disease will keep that immunity for extended periods weve already seen some cases of people who. Have gotten covert 19 a 2nd time though there are so far theyve thankfully been few and far between them still the coming months could see many many more another big question how exactly would you go about protecting vulnerable populations effectively in societies where the virus is basically raging unchecked is that even possible and in aspects that the declaration doesnt address at all is the potential long term damage that poke at 19 could do to many younger people even those who survive then of course at least some people who werent classified as vulnerable will turn out to be very vulnerable took over 1000. 00 after all and theyll die from it potentially even millions of people worldwide and people who wouldnt have died if social distancing measures remained in force until effective vaccines are available. Well Derek Williams there on spring one of your questions and hell be back again tomorrow so keep posting your questions on our you tube channel and if youd like to keep up with the latest developments on the coronavirus to subscribe to our newsletter just log on to t w dot com slash corona dash this letter. And i was 19 special for today for me and the team in berlin thanks for giving us company stay safe and healthy. Kids. 3 now see a dog can wipe out shell. After the revered davido while police are now 9 months without when. I think they. See byron steve carroll. Cranfords mamas live in dosti ships a new plane this legal records. To go. To mexico many polish muslims are thrown out of the water right now Climate Change event off the story. Faces much less than when photos one week. How much worse can really get. We still have time to act im going. To sort of set. It subscribe like this. Beethoven is for me. Its for you. Beethoven as for hell. Beethoven is for. Beethoven it is for the. Beethoven is for us. Beethoven is for. Beethoven 2020 the 250th anniversary here on deal here. Sometimes they kick off maps very fine in germany the queues at stadium turn styles the short of them those the coronavirus test. Cases across