Independence, a report from the drc and perspective from brussels. Plus, fenced off and under surveillance. The Palestinian Family tetells w news what their lives have become in the west bank as israel plans to annex parts of the territory. Brent im brent goff. To our beers on pbs in the United States and all around the world, welcome. A new security law for hong kong supported and pushed by beijing is now in effect. Prodemocracy activists say this could be the beginning of the end of hong kongs autonomy. The new law allows authorities to crackdown on activities which beijing regards as subversive. It could see protesters dealt wiwith by authorities in chihin, rather than in hong kong. They fear this might be their last chance to protest. Tuesdays flash mob in a Shopping Center was small, but defiant. Everyone knew things were changing. Some feared to show their faces. Today i feel sosomewhat sad, just very sad, because today china passed a law, and even though no detail of the law and they just pass it, and no one reject. So i think most of hong kong people are scared, as well. The details have now been released. The Chinese Security level crackdown hard and what it terms terrorist activities and criminalizes subversion and succession efforts as well as foreign interference and could enable chinese authorities to operate in hong kong. Those convicted could be jailed for life, and will be barred from standing in elections. It was scenes like these last summer that prompted the law. Huge demonstrations in favor of democracy and against chinese ininfluence. Overwhelmed, hong kong g and embarrassed authorities. Hong kongs leader, carrie lam, told the United Nations the law was nothing to worry about. It will only target an extremely small minority of people who have breached the laws. Basic laws and freedoms of the overwhelming majority of residents will be protected. But fear is reaching prodemocracy activists. Joshua is nonow in hiding, but expectcts to be arrested. He says he has resigned frfrom s group p to protect them, sayingf my voice will not be hurt soon, i hope the International Community will continue to speak up for hong kong and step up concrete efforts to defend our last bit of freedom. Alas colson to support hong kong nurse in their scared, new world. Brent we take the story to a Research Fellow at New York University school of law. He has also worked as a barrister and lecturer in hong kong. He joins me tonight from new york city. Its good to have you on the program. You have worked as an attorney in hong kong before this new security law. What does it mean for a prodemocracy protester who is arrested . Willll they have access to an attorney andnd legal representation, as has been thee case . Well, frarankly, there is stl a lot that remains to be disclosed about how this new law, and i use the term very loosely, will operate. We have seen from article 55 that certain nebulous sleep find serious cases may be sent to mainland courts for trial and prosecuted by mainland and in those ability in those instances the ability to maintain representation may be in doubt. But for quote unquote National Security cases that are tried and hong kong courts, it remains to see just how much access to lawyers will be allowed. Even under the preexisting laws, weve seen that arrestees have repeatedly complained that they are not being given proper access to lawyers. I expect that trend to continue and intensify under the new law. Brent in the language of the new lawaw, as we understand it,s rarather vague and a ambiguous. Is it that way on purposese . And does it mean that someone protesting beijing in hong kong could be arrested for anynythin . You are right to point out that t the offenses a are definn extremely vague terms. I suggest that that is by design. What that means is that a much larger number of people are at risk of being prosecuted, and that leaves them at the mercy of the whims of the state. In fact, to go back to your hypothetical, the law goes much further than that. Article 38 says that this law applies to acts done by nonhong kong residents outside of hong kong. So this encompasses any antihong kong government or antiprc government speech and conduct done by anybody, and if they happen to papass through hg kong, they could pototentially e prosececuted under that law. Brent whahat is it mean for h g kongs judiciary that the judges, for example, in hoho kong, will they now be bypassed and will everything t take place in maiainland china . Theres an arguablblcase that that h has already happened. We have seen w with the interpretation of hong kong basic law by the National PeoplesCongress Standing committee that any legal decision, any constitutional decision of any importance is already being taken out of the hands of hong kong judges. I expect that to become much more frequent, especially with the article 55 mechanism, and even with the specifically handpicked quote unquote National Security judges in hong kong, i suspect mainland authorities will be keen to use their new powers to cut hong kong courts out of the equation. Brent any collusion with foreign forces, foreign governments is banned, what is it going to do for countries like the United States that wanted to help the protesters in hong kong . Is is basically going to block a lot of the foreign aid that these protesters have enjoyed until nowow . Well, i would argue thahat thesese testers s have an enjoyd mumuch in the way of foreign aid at all. They havead statements, large numbers of statements expressing concern, occasionally expressing support, but not very much as happened in terms of substantive aid to demonstrators. So at least on that front, nothing will change. The difference is that these hackneyed allegations of foreign interference go now warrant prosecution potentially in the mainland. Brent alvin joining us from new york cityy. We appreciate your time and your insights tonight talking about this new security law in hong kong. Think you. Some of the other stories making headlines around the world. Donors at a huge online betting event have pledged, some a billion dollars, to help syrian refugees, but the United Nations had hoped to raise 10 billion toward aid programs in the wartorn country. Aid groups are warning thats not enough, with millions of syrians at risk of starvation. Tens of thousands of people have marched through sudans capital, khartoum, calling for reforms and investigations. Top with her list is justice for those killed in last years uprising that led to the ousting of the president. The Prime Minister said his Transitional Government is listening to the protesters demands. As the democratic republic of congo marks 60 years of independence, belgians King Philippe has expressed his regret for his countrys brutal colonial rule in the congo. His letter to the president , the king acknowledged belgiums racist legacy under king leopold the second, expressing deepest regrets for the harm done to the congolese people, the memory of which is still burnened into the countrtrys collective memory. It was 60 years ago that belgian flags were taken down in the capital of what was then called the belgian congo. Guided by the independence leader of the republic of congo declared itself independent from belgium after 75 years of colonial rule. He went on to become the countrys first elected Prime Minister. It capped a violent chapter of history. Millions of congolese were enslaved and killed during belgiums colonial rule. In a letter to the drc presisidt , the belgian king expressed regret for the suffering and oppression caused by belgian colonizers paving in kinshasa, people had mixed reactions to the letter. A letter, yes, its not bad. As it is from belgium, i cannot really take it seriously, especially since they are still responsible for all the crimes against humanity committed in the drc. But all those who are responsible for instability in the drc take the example of belgium, a former colony that is asking for a pardon. They have asked for forgiveness from the congolese people, and all those who are destabilizing the congolese people will one day ask for forgiveness. This year, celebrations to commemorate the countrys independence were toned down because of the coronavirus pandemic. No big ceremony was planned, but the thoughts of many congolese will be with patrice lumumba, who to this day is considered a National Hero for leading their country towards independence. Brent the Israeli Cabinet is poised to debate annexing several jewish settlements in the occupied west bank. The move would inflate tensions with the palestinians and could hamper future peace negotiations over the status of the territory. A palestinian enclave on the west bank just outside jerusalem is completely surrounded by a village of israeli settlers. Soon, the settler land could become part of israel. The palestinians say that would make life even tougher for them. Our correspondent tania kramer reports tonight from their. This road leads to the palestinian village, to the security barrier that separates israel from the occupied west bank. At this particular spopot, onene house belongs to a palalestinian family. They live in this most unique enclave right next to a jewish settlement. The entrance gate and cameras are remotetely monitored. Like other palestinian, they wonder what willappen to his hohome if thehe settlement t cos officially part of israel. A move based on the controversial u. S. Peace proposal put forth in january. I consideder the annexation e are hearing about to be a show of american and israeli arrogance. In order to confiscate more land , the israeli and american governments just want the land but without the people. So far, israel hasnt presented any official maps to explain which areas it could annex first and where the lines would be drawn. He is concerned that the move could lead to yet more isolation anand further restricictions on movement, especially since the plan envisionsns only limited enclaves for palestinians. Theres no future. Theres no hope. My hopes are gone because of the support we see for the israelis. Nobody cares about us palestiniaians at all. Movement between different parts of the occupied west bank is already very complicated palestinians. So now we also want to go to the settlement thats liteterally a meteter awawafrom us. But to get there, we have to drive to the nearest checkpoint, and it will take us some time. Its more than an hours drive to cross the checkpoint, only palestinians within is ready permit can cross from here. From there, we returned to the settlement. This is one of the settlements founders. Like most resesents, he is waiting for morore details on te annexation plans from ththe israeli government. The significant things that could c come out of this plan is that it can open up a very positive opportunity for us to expand our settlements for our children. And its also good for the people on the others of the fence. If annexation goes ahead, its expected to be a long process. On the palestinian side of the fence, uncertainty is growing is once again, maps are refigured without the people l living thee having much say about where the lines are drawn. Brent the German Military plans to dismantle parts of its elite ksk commandos. The countrys defense minister made the announcement, citing reports of growing rightwing extremism within the unit. It would specialize antiterror ran rescueperations would face reorganization and that some of its personnel could be cut. It was announced this year that they they suspected 20 of its personal of holding extreme right wing attitudes. Media repororts quote the defene minister saying it has a toxic leadership culturere, and cannot continue to exist in its present form. Serious words there. Our Political Correspondent is on the story here in berlin. Good evening to you, thomas. S. Its important to stress, on the one hand this is not new, these alleged cases of farright extremism in the German Military already for some time. There was an important case in 2017 on what makes this particularly serious, on the one hand is being described as a new dimension. Those are the words of the military intelligence agency, one of the three federal intelligence agencies here in germany. On the other hand, specifically this ksk commando, and you mention what role they play here in germany, its a very Important Role they play. Were talking about potential cases within the ksk. Itit means it is also serious fm a political perspective. Thats why the German Defense minister will be presenting some of the measures that she and the Defense Ministry will take to try to make sure this problem is resolved. There are a wide variety of measures being discussed and she will be presenting some of those, which include, as you mention, the dismantling of one of the groups within the ksk. Brent this isnt the first time weve talked about problems within these elite groups. Why has it taken the German Government so long to react . Reporter this is an argument used by the german opposition and groups critical saying the German Government has trivialized some of these potential cases of farright extremism in the military. When you look specifically at what the government has done, the government says it has been reacting to the situations and will be presenting this plan tomorrow, which is the result of a working group created by the German Defense minister precisely trying to address these issues. The issues include, for example, everything from recruitment to prevention making sure the government can react fast when it comes to addressing these issues. You can clearly see that the government is trying to address this problem, although from the perspective of the opposition, its being done probably a bit too late. So again, the question will be, is this enough to transform a specific problem in the German Government. Brent we noticed the Terror Threat in germany remains. This announcement today, doesnt mean the end of germanys special forces . Reporter it does not mean the end of the special forces. That is something that was obviously discussed. They did not agree on that. Tomorrow we will hear more from the German Defense minister on specifically what is being decided on to try to make sure that the forces can actually continue but can do their work in a way according to rules and regulations without that farright extremism threat. Brent our Political Correspondent on the story for us tonight here in berlin. Here are some of the other stories that are making news around the world. The european plane maker airbus is cutting 50,000 jobs after seeing its business plummet because of the coronavirus. The majority a position slashed will be in france and germany. The company ceo describing the situation as the gravest crisis the Aviation Industry has ever experienced. Torrential rains in Southern China have led to severe flooding, forcing more than 700,000 people to flee their homes. Much of the damagage has been ft in southwestern provinces. The downpour is forecast to spread to central and eastern regions later this week. Here are more the latest developments connected to the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization is warning that the pandemic is speeding up. It has again stressed that Contact Tracing is the most important way for countries to control outbreaks. With latin america currently the worlds worst hit worst hit region, the who has warned that the death toll there could reach nearly a half million by october. It is forecasting that regional giant brazil is still weeks from reaching a peak in its first wave. And concern is growing in the u. S. State of california over a massive outbreak at the states oldest prison. Over 1000 inmates are now infected with the virus at san quentin, near san francisco. Its one of the worst hotspots driving the surge in infection rates in the countrys most populous state. U. S. Governments top Infectious Disease expert has issued a grim warning about the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the u. S. Dr. Anthony found she said the number of daily cases could more than double if the country fails to contain the surge in infections and several states. Here is more 40 told the u. S. Congress today. Take a listen. Dr. Fauci cannot just focus on those areas that are having these surge. It puts the entire country at risk. We are now having 40,000 plus new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day, if this does not turn around. And so i am very concerned. Brent dr. Anthony found you there, predicting possibly 100,000 new cases a day. America struggled to get a handle on the outbreak means it is being kept off a list of socalled safe countries approved for travel to the european union. That you agreed to reopen its borders to 14 countries whose travelers will be granted entry beginning july 1, thats tomorrow. But the u. S. Is off the list of approved countries for the near future. That means europe will be coping without one of its major sources of tourist income. Rome biggest sites are once again open for tourists. But for americans, there is no place at the table. A painful reality for many businesses. American tourism is very important. Its a country with many inhabitants, and the number of tourists is very high. They always come to rome, or they always have come. If they dont come, everything will be affected. Reporter the u. S. Was europes second largest source of nondomestic tourists in 2018. Americans even visited ireland in higher numbers than ritz. Than brits. One bright spot, travelers from china could soon be allowed back in the e. U. Still, the going is slow this summer. Even europeans are staying closer to home. And that can leave many businesses with no other choice but to shut their doors. Brent the burden of tackling a Global Health crisis has fallen more heavily on the shoulders of one group than any other, the Worlds Health care workers. They are dealing with death and disease on a daily basis, risking their own health at the same time, and not always with the level of protection they need and deserve. He waves goodbye to his colleagues at the end of his shift. He has been a nurse for 30 years. He works in one of the largest hospitals in paris. Right in the city center. He looks after up to 12 patients a day on the geriatric ward. His net income is 1735 euros per month. For months now, there has been virtually no time at all to pause for a break. Im the only one working at my station and have to do everything myself. There are doctors and other nurses, but theres a lot to do. I hardly get a break. I barely have enough time for a cup of coffee in the afternoon. He has witnessed how the coronavirus pandemic pushed the French Health care system to the brink. There were draramatic scenes att hospitals, with shortages of all types of supplies, ventilators, personal protective equipment, masks. Oedipal staff worked courageously, pushing themselves to sheer exhaustion. Many hospital workers became sick themselves. Some even died. The system nearly collapsed. We were not prepared for such a wave of pandemic, not at this intensity or duration. He agrees. After budget cuts and reforms, french hospitals were left with insufficient emergency room capacity and not enough staff. Doctors and nurses have to work around the clock. The covid19 crisis made working conditions even worse. Im not the only one. All of us noticed how badly things in france have deteriorated. The resesponse, every night t 8 00, the french have gone out on their balconies to applaud medical workers. A movement that has spread across the country during the stringent lockdown. He shook a performance is mobilized entire neighborhoods. People were conscious of the crisis playing out in hospitals. French Prime MinisterEmmanuel Macron admitted mistakes were made. Hospital budget cuts have been too drastic. Administration too sluggish to react, staff to poorly paid. Now cgt, the Influential Health care workers union, is calling for raises of at least 300 euros and for the retirement age to be lowered to 55. More funding, resources and personnel, but above all else, we need higher wages. So he is off to protest, even of the french government has just promised to increase wages considerabably and reform the health care system. Brent thihis i is dw news. Heres a reminder of theheop stories we are folollowing atchl security law for hong kongg that many fear will erode the territories autonomy and democracy. It criminalizes subversion as well as interference. Those convicted could be jailed for life and barred from running in elections. Belgiums king has written a letter to the president of the democratic republic of congo, expressing regret for his countries brutal colonial rule in africa. The letter was released as the drc marks 60 years of independence. Youre watching dw news. After a short break, ill be back to take you through the day. Belgium reckoning with its colonial past and the u. S. Dealing with the consequences of its disastrous coronavirus policies. Be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] g. Five saw hello leaders in the french president s meeting the mauritanian capital to discuss that joint efforts to stamp out jihadist insurgents. Emmanuel macron sees gains made in the last six months mean the victory is possible. How rage in the west as china gets tough in the east a string of global powers voioice the anger of beijings new National Security role for hong kong. Trying to say is this legislation is essential to stop violence pro democracy protests. Abbas announces the fifteen thousand jobs must go chiefly i