Transcripts For DW DW News 20240712

Tonight huge crowds in hong kong defying a ban on gatherings to hold a mass vigil on this the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and recovering from 19 germanys government approves the biggest economic stimulus package since the 2nd world war. Says its time to give the next generation a future. Im burnt coffee its good to have you with us at this very moment in minneapolis minnesota in the u. S. Thousands are coming together to remember the wife of george floyd it is the 1st of 3 planned but morial services for the African American who died in Police Custody last month earlier today floyds coffin arrived in the citys north. Central university where the veteran civil rights activist the reverend al sharpton is to deliver a eulogy President Donald Trump has been widely criticized for threatening to send in the military to stamp out the civil unrest which has swept the United States in the wake of floyds death. Well joining me now from minneapolis is d. W. Correspondent stefan simon stefan and were looking at the memorial the 1st of 3 that are planned for george floyd talk to me a little bit just about the mood there and about what what youre seeing youve been on this story since the beginning. Its quite a change from what we had about about a week ago when we got here and came to a city. In flames the whole most with looting and rioting and now i see this hundreds of people here at the North Central university gathered to celebrate George Floyds live Family Service inside the facility here speakers here people can witness whats going on inside at least audio and this is triggering reactions as you see applause for what people say inside people are here to celebrate George Floyds life and to mourn his death. The mood is somber but also celebratory in terms of really making a statement about this life about this lost life and about the lives this man had. Has been told this loss of life will ignite a National Movement in the United States that wants to End Police Brutality wants to insist immigration is im in the United States do you get the sense that were looking at a Sustainable Movement or are we looking at as some have said another flash in the pan moment where people react and then forget. Good question its also a very hard question to answer but. I think this is going to be sustainable and i think this is going to be different i think people are absolutely fed up with how things were i think they really want change sustainable change they are sick and tired not just here nationwide now sick and tired of systemic Structural Racism Police Brutality but beyond that and they want and demand change and not just the Africanamerican Community is not that its not just black people its minorities all over america and its european white americans too who do this and who are joined the band wagon and who who i think will forcefully not violently but forcefully and sustainably and ask for real change from their politicians from their leaders instead of looking behind you there when i look at the people who are standing there im trying to listen in to this service and we see their black americans we see white americans that speaks to what weve been hearing that this this is a loss of life that speaks to all americans. Absolutely absolutely this is i dont know how to describe it better than but but just was the drop which brought the whole barrel to flow over i think and. As we said before i think this is sustainable people are still angry of course frustrated they want the know the space to be to be greedy and they want the space also to to be said its and they wont and will demand out of this this anger they have they will demand change and this is a. Sort of universal thing which we are witnessing here not just a monopolist across the United States i think politicians and everybody else should. Be good advice to realize that this is a force to reckon with this is not going away one way or another you know its also interesting to see this mass gathering the 1st collective outpouring of grief that we have seen since the pandemic began and thats another part of the story stephens on simons in minneapolis defined as always thank you. Well hong kong has also seen a mass gathering today this one to mark the 31st anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square Authorities Say they refused to allow a rally because of the corona virus but opponents insist they did that just to curb freedom. An act of defiance. Protesters pushed down the barriers meant to stop them from congregating thousands flooded into hong kongs Victoria Park lighting up the evening with a sea of candles candlelight vigils and minutes of silence were held across the city. Some scuffles broke out when protesters tried to set up roadblocks Police Use Pepper Spray to disperse them and several people were arrested. It was the 1st time unrest took place on the 10 men anniversary and the 1st time that hong kong authorities banned all commemoration they said it was necessary to enforce social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic but to protesters it looked like an excuse to limit their freedom. That people must be concerned and worried but we cant stop commemorating just because we are afraid or worried we can only do it step by step we can only try our best to safeguard our freedom to march and assemble and try to remind the people around us our next generation and even the older generation how unbearable our region is. From. China has started clamping down on protesters in hong kong after a year of demonstrations on the streets of the city. Earlier on thursday a controversial law was approved making it a crime to disrespect chinas National Anthem beijing also plans to impose National Security laws on hong kong the fear is they will allow china to tighten its grip and suppress freedom in hong kong. Well heres a look now at some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world and russia has intensified efforts to clean up a major fuel spill in northern siberia environmentalist say that this is the worst environmental accident in the arctic on record and that the ecosystem will need at least a decade to fully recover so far one person has been arrested in connection with this spill. German chancellor Angela Merkel has firmly rejected suggestions that she might seek a 5th term as chancellor in 20 teams she said that she would step down when her current government leaves office which is due to happen next year it remains unclear who will replace miracle as the german chancellor. Staying here in germany it is the biggest stimulus package that the country has seen since the end of the 2nd world war the measures agreed to by the government after marathon talks last night should help the economy recover from the coronavirus shutdowns the 130000000000. 00 euro plan includes cutting the sales tax giving cash to families and providing extra funding for municipalities. After 2 days of intense talks they have now its with 50000000000. 00 euros more than anyone expected and a dramatic surprise aimed to get jam engines reaching for their wallets the 80 will be cut by 3 percent until the end of the year v. M. S. And to fizzle the sea it would know that a long time and we need to make sure that everyone has the courage to invest again and to make sure that the consumer demand rises to unseat. For weeks Industry Leaders have lobbied hard for a message and see help in the end there was a little for everyone. So then if you. Must not there will be a great number of further measures aimed at reviving the economy and we will agree on a bridging Program Using exiting means for middle and small businesses. Among the measures families will receive 300. 00 euros per child the government will help local municipalities cover billions in touch falls there will be bonuses for companies that keep Training Programs despite the pandemic and purchase incentives for electric cars in all the package has 57. 00 promises and economists are pleased with the outcome but the package has 2 sides one is to boost consumption in the short term its not about sustainability we have to revive the economy and then there is a part with future investments thats plain protection by investing in infrastructure there are lots of points in the wealth. This is all about missing amid the measures long hoped for purchase premiums for cars with petrol and diesel engines here even the mighty Auto Industry could not prevail. Are for more now im told by our Political Correspondent simon young here in berlin good evening to you simon germany is known around the world for its frugal fiscal nature now weve got a government that because of that history can afford to go into debt are we witnessing almost a paradigm shift here in germany. Well brant i think it is a massive change from the policy of recent years as you say under 30000000000 euros a huge amount the economy minister referred to it today as a Power Package and all the politicians have been talking about a big bang to get germanys economy out of this virus crises all the fiscal prudence and balance budgets of recent years seem to have gone out of the window for the moment at least and you know germany is really turning on the taps and these measures of course are in addition to nearly 3 quarters of a trillion euros in other measures that have already been agreed the German Government is taking on debt again it seems like they found the credit card and theyre ready to use it right the plastic is definitely heating up to 130000000000 euros what are the biggest takeaways from this package done. Yeah i think one of the most controversial aspects is this drop in sales tax for 6 months now the chancellor says you know its good because it its a tax that everyone pays when they buy things but others have spoiled it out that you know it will really only make a difference if people do decide that they are going to make significant purchases that in that case it can stimulate the economy but if they feel the they dont have much confidence they worried about possibly losing their jobs maybe they wont spend and then it wont achieve much and of course poor germans in any case dont have that disposable income which they can use they are the other thing the car industry they didnt seem to get what they wanted which was a big subsidy package for people wanting to buy a fossil fuel fossil fuel powered vehicles theres been a bit of support for the need. Electric car sector but the economy more generally is where the focus of the government measures is on retail on families and on local authorities in summer weve got about a half a minute here the german chancellor as she has been known as the chancellor of all stare at the todays she was forced to defend this fiscal war just what did she say yes she said in an interview you know its good that germany has resisted criticism in recent years that it could be a mini with its economic might can do to support its own economy is definitely true simon young on the story for us here in berlin simon thank you. Heres a reminder now of the top stories were following this hour a Memorial Service is taking place in minneapolis in the u. S. For george florid who died in Police Custody last months president has been widely criticized for threatening to send in the military to stamp out the unrest which has swept the u. S. Since floyds death thousands of hong kong are is have lit candles across the city to mark the anniversary of chinas crackdown on Tiananmen Square defying a ban on gathered gatherings chinese troops are thought to have killed thousands of prodemocracy protesters in the square 31 years ago today. Youre watching news live from berlin ill be back at the top of the hour with more of all news followed by the day i hope to see you then. Combating the corona pandemic. Where does research stand. What are scientists learning. Background information and. Our corona. Coated 19 special next on d w innovation. But jenny conquered the major issues of our society. The 3rd seed