berlin. tonight, travel. the european union is planning to have cod virus passports to make travel possible by the summer. critics have concerns, not to mention the slow pace of vaccinations. also coming up tonight, a u.s. man is charged on several counts

of murder after going on a shooting rampage at massage parlors. hatred against asian americans is cited as a potential motive. and deportation, how a german deportation rule means that some families are being sent back to countries where t sers theycutn brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers on pbs and the united states and to all of you around the world, welcome. just in time for summer vacation, the european union today outlined lands for a vaccine past to help launch summer -- outlined plans for a vaccine pass to help launch

summer travel. the so-called green pass will be a digital document showing a traveler has been vaccinated, tested negative, or recovered from covid-19. >> this is what many northern europeans are dreaming of right now. after months of winter, darkness, and lockdown, a holiday to spain would be a refreshing change for many. the eu wants to make that easier with a digital health certificate. for many who make a living from tourism, it is a welcome idea. >> our lives are fully dependent on foreign tourists. there are many people who won't agree, but we are so dependent on tourism, and suffering from this health crisis. the certificate will make it easier for us to come and go. the eu has made it clear it

will not limit the movement to vaccines alone. >> it shows whether the person has either been vaccinated or had a recent negative test, or has recovered from covid and therefore has antibodies. it will help reinstate the freedom of movement in a safe, responsible way. >> some remain skeptical about the covid-19 certificate. ireland's foreign minister urged caution on foreign travel to prevent new variants of the virus spreading. >> a lot ofouries are dependent economically on tourism, pushing for the european commission to produce some safe way of facilitating international travel, but i have to say we are very cautious in this space. >> covid-19 vaccinations are not required anywhere in the eu.

some critics have raised ethical concerns, worrying it will bring special privileges f some travelers while discriminating against people who have not been vaccinated. the european union is hoping the green certificate will be ready to use by the summer holiday season. it has to be approved byhe governments. brent: joined by a member of the eu parliament. it is good to have you on the program. let me get your take on this. we now have a plan for making summer travel possible in europe. but our plans for getting vaccinated look somewhat like a disaster at the moment. is europe putting the cart before the horse here? >> hello, good evening. no, i don't think so. first of all, we have a constitutional democracy and we are talking about fundamental

rights here. this has to be temporary. it has to be appropriate. i think the digital certificate could be a way to give people back their freedom. brent: what about the desire to be vaccinated so that you do't get si? >> first of all,accination is a very, very important step to fighting this pandemic. what we don't want is people discriminating. there have to be alternatives for people who don't have the possibility to get vaccinated at the moment. it also shows that you have had a negative test, for example. we are not only talking about pcr tests which are really expensive. we are talking about rapid

testing, which i believe we should do a lot more. brent: a lot of people say they would feel better about traveling if they could be vaccinated first. do you think this travel certificate will help accelerate the vaccination rollouts across europe? >> i come from the liberal party , so i believe we suld have mandatory vaccination. i believe the vaccine passport could be an alternative for people who might not have a chance to get the vacne or they might not get it becae they are little skeptical or whatever. i believe that with the certificate, we can ensure that vaccination, infections, antibodies, and testing. brent: what is the mood among

your colleagues in the parliament? do they have a positive outlook in terms of the vaccination@@ rollouts? in terms of the economy for the rest of this year? >> to be honest, of course. i am convinced we have to do a lotetter when it comes to vaccination. we have to work as parliamentarians to see why it took so long for the commission to get the vaccines. but when it comes to the certificate, as long as we don't see a discriminating character, we believe it is a good thing. right now, it shows that it has the support, that it is a supporting tool. most of my colleagues appreciate

having the certificate. brent: a member of the eu parliament in brussels. we appreciate your time and insights tonight. >> thank you very much. brent: let's take a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. voting has just closed in the netherlands general election. spread over three days to prevent crowds from forming, voters cast their ballots by bike and car. the election is effectively a referendum on the government's handling of the pandemic. the conservative prime minister looks set to win a fourth term. the u.s. secretary of state and defense secretary have met their south korean counterparts in seoul. it is part of an effort to shore up biden's to denuclearize north korea and join forces in dealing with china. russia's vladimir putin --

president biden has said that vladimir putin is a killer and will pay a price for interfering in u.s. elections. when asked if he meant putin is a killer, biden replied yes, i do. to japan, and a big legal victory for lgbt rights activism. a court in the city of sapporo has ruled it is unconstitutional for the government not to recognize same-sex marriage. the ruling represents a major milestone on the path to potentially legalizing marriage for all in japan. >> they came to watch history unfold. wishing to end discrimination, having their day in court. they sued for compensation over the fallout from japan's ban on same-sex marriages. the judge struck out that claim, but the court did decide that lesbian and gay couples should

be allowed to marry, a landmark ruling. this is the first ruling in japan to make a decision on same-sex marriage. the court ruled that not recognizing marriage between people of the same sex is unconstitutional. in that sense, it ushers in a new era. the verdict is just one step on the long march to equalit >> we can now see a pathway to our future lives. many of us could not imagine becoming adults or what kind of life we would have. many felt that way as cldren. the ruling will bring hope to a younger generation. japan is the only g7 country that does not formally recognize same-sex marriage.

but they are in favor of equal rights for lgbt people. japan has been conservative, but times have changed. i think we will be more tolerant from now on. another four similar lawsuits are pending. brent: a gunman accused of killing eight people in the u.s. state of georgia has been charged with murder. the 21-year-old was arrested after a killing spree at three massage parlors in the atlanta, georgia area. most of the women were asian american. the suspect claims this was not a hate crime but a result of his sex addiction. attacks on asian americans have increased during the coronavirus pandemic. now, i am joined by a political analyst. jessica, it is good to have you on the program.

the suspect told police his attacks were not racially motivated. he said he was addicted to sex and that was the motivation. can we take that to be a plausible explanation based on what we know? jessica: thanks, good evening. well, based on what we know, i find that frankly implausible. this gunman went to three asian american businesses and murdered eight people, the majority of whom were asian american or of asian descent. regardless of whether a sex addiction was also in play here, regardless of whether he was directly asked was this a racist attack and answered no, this does not rule out the fact that this was an ethnically targeted attack. and let's be honest here, the men who murdered armand aubry or the officer who murdered george

floyd would also not say those crimes were racially motivated, so we have to take these kinds of statements with a grain of salt. brent: if sex addiction was part of the motivation, is it possible that this was a crime that targeted women and the fact that they were asian american women may be was just a coincidence? is that plausible? jessica: we will have to see what comes out in theoming days of the investigation, of course,ut the point is whether it was sexually motivated or not, there was an ethnic element here. for victims and their families, for the asian american community, and frankly, for the american people, whether of asian descent or not, thiis a crime that has sent shockwaves throughout the country during a time when hate crimes, violent and nonviolent against asian amerans, have been on the

rise, so we have to look at this in the context not only of a single crime, but also what it means about violence toward asian americans in america. brent: i understand you grew up in an asian american community in seattle, washington. when you can -- when you compare how it was then to what you are seeing nationwide, wt are the biggest differences? >> that's a big -- good question. i grew up in sttle, which is a strong asian american community. but i did not grow up in that community. i am mixed race, half asian american, half germa even in ts context, i saw a racism in my childhood going in both directions.

i can say is an adult looking back, things have gotten better, but when this wave of hate crimes started picking up since cod-19, what we rlly were reminded of was that this kind of discrimination,hese hate driven crimes he old roots and an old history, going back to the 19 century when lynch mobs would attack and murder chinese immigrants working on the railroads. thes crimes, whether against black people, hispani people, asian american people, these are old issues that america has been dealing with since its inceptn, and even if the exession of these attacks, the radar fruency we e of them is fluctuating, the root causes have not dappeared, and this is a time when we need to look

thes things directly inhe face and ask oursees as a nation where is this coming from? how did we get here? what can we do to make a better future? brent: political analyst jessica berlin, we appreciate your thoughts and insights. thank you. human rights groups are sounding the alarm about germany's deportation of refugees to places they say are unsafe. unlike several other western nations, germany describes pakistan as a safe country of origin. we describe what one family from the ahmadi says about facing persecution. >> it feels like a small victory. in pakistan, the call for prayer would land him in jail. he and his family are members of the ahmadi, a community, and

islamic minority that faces persecution back home. two years ago, they fled to germany. >> here we live in freedom. since we came, we have been ever to wear whatever clothing we want and no one tries to harm us. my husband goes to the mosque to pray and we don't have to ask ourselves whether he will come home or whether someone will come to the mosque and hurt us. the family has -- >> the family only has tolerated immigrant status here, which means they have few rights and at any time can be arrested and deported. that has led to fear. they have heard that mass deportation is due to take place soon. >> it is not easy to leave your country, and now that we have, we are being told we cannot stay. where do we go? >> ahmadis believe the movement's founder was the messiah. they are considered heretics in

pakistan. there persecution is well documented. mohammed shows us schoolbooks that tell children to fight thee infidels. signs at entrances prohibit entrance for ahmadis. still, unlike the u.k. and u.s., germany considers pakistan a safe country of origin. the country has stepped up deportations. >> i believe there is a lack of knowledge or political will. unfortunately, this is to the detriment of many people who live here. they are now being deported in large numbers or are still in custody awaiting deportation. >> for these people, it is a matter of life or death. he knows this well. he says a mob killed his uncle when he returned to pakistan from the u.k.

they are desperate to protect their family but they have exhausted all legal remedies. for now, there is little they can do. just wait and hope they won't be on the next plane. brent: the president of the ahmadi organization in a german city joins me tonight. you are a member of this community. tell me, if someone such as yourself or to go back to pakistan, what would you have to fear? what could happen? >> thank you for giving me the opportunity. it is a great, great fear. only if you pose as a muslim you can be killed in pakistan. there are 700 cases like this. they have destroyed a mosque. they killed 200 peoe one by

one. they were killed and targeted. so it is a great fear for them. they fly from there with the risk of their lives and safety. with this type of news, you cannot imagine how to sleep at night. brent: what about people here in germany who fear deportation? how do they cope with that? >> i know all of them. they are around me as well. they are tolerated. you never know what night they will come and pick you up.

they are denied human rights. they can't open a bank account. they can't go to school. so, the police can come to send them back to prison. brent: have you been able to talk with authorities at the office for foreigners? do you have contact with people who could possibly change the situation? >> our community is actively in contact with authorities. they report every incident to the german parliament. they are also a member of the digital rights committee. the problem is that pakistan is

not a solution. brent: we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us tonight. thank you. a damming report in the u.k. has blamed the english football association for failing to protect hundreds of young players from abuse by pedophile coaches. the report says there were institutional failings by the governing body once they were aware of decades of abuse dating back to the 1970's. top-tier clubs such as chelsea and manchester city were listed. >> it was a former player who put the spotlight on the sexual

abuse of young players. police reopened investigations and charges were filed. this was years, decades after the fact. the player was andy woodward, who in 2016 inspired dozens and dozens of others to speak up as well. that was the year of the independent report on the football association. >> they acted far too slowly once they were aware of child protection being a problem. >> this man was among the predators. he coached young people from clubs like alexandria and manchester city in the 1980's. he is in prison now but was not banned from football after his first conviction.

the football association and clubs from the lowest tier to the top have since worked to make amends. >> we have to hold our hands up and apologize for the mistakes of the past and make sure we correct them. >> some abuse victims say the report on the football association could have been stronger in tone. the faa will be watched at every step by those who suffer over the years. brent: it is cuba's best known export, you see it right there. handrolled cigars. strong demand from abroad helped save the industry from catastrophe. >> garcia is tending tobacco plants that will be made into

famous cuban cigars. rc has struggled like others -- he has struggled like others with the economic fallout of the pandemic. unusually warm weather last year didn't help. but garcia is hopeful this year will be different. >> it has been a little hard due to the health situation the country is going through. we have to be there working to see if we can achieve a good harvest. this year -- so that this year will be as good as last year or even better. exports have been keeping the industry afloat. cuba sells around 100 million cigars each year. demand from overseas held up last year as smokers brought -- bought premium cigars with money

saved from travel and entertainment. even during the worst days of the pandemic. >> we are not going to say it's a negative impact. we areli simply a little limite. this -- we have continued to export. he thinks the worst is now behind the industry. he hopes to boost production to almost 5 million cigars this year. brent: today is st. patrick's day. my socks are green, by the way. ireland has been doing itsest to celebrate despite coronavirus restrictions. the centerpiece of the festivities was a spectacular drone display in the sky. traditional green being the

brightest color in the show. the national lockdown is still in force. pubs remain closed just as they were on this day one year ago. here is a reminder of the top story we are following for you. the european commission is considering a vaccine passed to allow people to travel. a digital certificate would prove they have been vaccinated, tested negative, or recovered after contracting the virus. you are watching dw news live from berlin. 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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♪ >> welcome back. it is 9:00 p.m. in paris. these are the headlines. the european union unveils plans for a covid travel certificate to be a made available with the will of restoring freedom of movement. amid rising tensions with the administration of president biden, the foreign ministry of moscow recalls its ambassador to washington. voting wraps up in the netherlands following a general election, which has been overshadowed by the pandemic. we ask, what are the prime minister's chances of reelection? ♪