germany. in 1000 soared to another record the country's disease control agency today reports new infections of nearly 30. their social contacts dramatically. also coming up the u.s. takes a major step forward. an expert panel endorses the. vaccine.

approval is now expected within days faded away for america to move ahead with mass immunization. and. past spending that also includes. relief. welcome to the program. the latest groan of virus numbers show germany has had a dramatic spike in new cases over the past day the country has hit a new high of nearly 30000 cases and nearly 600 people have died the highest daily total yet weeks of partial lockdown haven't slowed the spread of infection enough much tougher restrictions almost in every table now where the political momentum

building for a hard to lock down over the holidays. with only 2 weeks to go until christmas the looming question across germany is will a hard lock down come before or after the holidays at its weekly briefing on wednesday germany's robert cock institute said it was alarmed and that it was bracing for a significant increase in case numbers. but if it's all it's going to situation to feel free to pick and before it's a meeting between russian exponential growth putin said on the start. the situation is especially problematic in assisted living facilities according to german authorities residents of nursing homes are at more risk than ever. currently receiving double the amount of outbreaks in assisted living facilities than in spring and every outbreak affects a lot of people and are tough and. several german states are now considering tightening the measures already in place berlin's government is considering closing

all non-essential retail before christmas the busiest period of the year winter break may be extended and schools could return to distance learning. i believe these 2 and a half 3 weeks will give us plenty of opportunities regarding disease control. state leaders are now hoping to set out a co-working a good plan in a meeting with chancellor angela merkel. if you get a moment of fun also a few minutes look at the ring looks likely to take place on sunday. we were very interested in getting together as quickly as possible in order to rapidly gain clarity about the path our country will follow. to open door at one point take it in light of recent developments religious services over the holidays are also being scrutinized. then i would be if there is a possibility of a religious gathering endangering lives i'll be the 1st to call things off.

the so-called most wonderful time of the here now marked by deep concerns a new lockdown in germany isn't a matter of if but rather when. reported julia sell delhi joins me now julia give us some perspective here how worrying are these latest numbers. they're definitely concerning just even if specially if we consider that there are measures in place to try to contain the spread of the virus and just yesterday the head of germany's disease control agency said the situation is worrying we could even see a spiraling of of cases again going into exponential growth. the virus is widespread across the country and what is most worrying is that we see an increase in cases in older age group these are the groups that are at higher risk from called 19 and that's why we've seen an increase in intensive care beds and in

deaths recently and even if we compare germany to other countries for example the us which is not seen as a beacon of. responsibility in dealing with the pandemic and not a successful example necessarily we see that the incidence of call in 19 in the u.s. is 63 cases per 100000 inhabitants over 7 days in germany that number stands at $149.00. julie as you well know germany introduced a partial lockdown at the start of november it's really doesn't appear to have worked so what exactly went wrong. you have a partial lockdown is not working it was meant to bring down cases a significantly before christmas so that measures could be slightly relaxed over the christmas holidays and people could enjoy the holidays better that has not happened if we look at countries in europe for example ireland or belgium they

implemented a tougher shorter lockdown which was able to bring cases down significantly and almost stop the virus in its tracks that has not happened in germany that is also because there was not political consensus around tougher measures to be implemented in the last few weeks and therefore we only saw a partial lockdown come into effect but that is starting to change now with these really worrying numbers. what measures are likely to be taken now so we've seen already some states implement measures in this past week we are looking at the recommendations of germany's academy of science we are likely going to see the school holidays extended for a by a week until january 10th we are looking at shop closures non-essential shops

remaining closed and we will wait for meeting between america and the 6 american germany's chancellor and the 16 state leaders to decide whether to go ahead with a national common approach with with the rules the question is whether they will come into place before 6 christmas or right afterwards we have to keep in mind that it is an important time of the year for shops it's the christmas buying period so it is going to be a difficult decision to take. and europe still has a long wait ahead for vaccine regulators will need just over 2 weeks from now on december 29th to decide if the biotech pfizer vaccine is fit for mass distribution but the german government is already planning the epic task of how to deliver the vaccine across the country correspondent tess of author reports. the of arena and

berlin was well known for its rock concerts and techno parties now it's slated to house one of 6 packs the nation centers and berlin so far there isn't much to see but everything is scheduled to be ready by mid december project manager but i will miss convinced things were from smoothly. through this time the process we allow 4 minutes for each person to get in take of their coats sit down and roll up their sleeves then the vaccination team comes in they didn't inject and put some cause a new wound the last step is the documentation that say here the vaccinated people will then be looked after by doctors and nurses the patient doesn't have to pay their health insurance covers the costs 1st the elderly will be vaccinated then medical personnel then everyone else right now more than 300 of such vaccination

centers are being billed throughout germany the government hopes this is to simplify logistics and make it possible to vaccinate millions of people in the shortest possible time people probably won't be able to get the jab from their family doctor until spring time before that they will have to go to the center. i think will have to wait for hours at the vaccination center thousands of people will be. if not don't care whether i get vaccinated at my family doctors or the vaccination center lab it would have been off i would prefer going to our family doctor because they know about my medical history and will take any risks into account. doctors ability katzenstein agrees she was one of the 1st 1000000000 family doctors who specialized in treating covert 9000 patients vaccinating people as part of her daily routine when it comes to covert 19 she says she should be allowed to vaccinate and her own practice is. xa nation as

a matter of trust it's important to know the patient because every patient records differently to unknown risks i think the general practitioner is best equipped to advise each patient in making a decision about the coronavirus vaccination she believes she and other family doctors in germany can handle the vaccination campaign in the pendant i thought. in my opinion the vaccinations endos were probably not necessary in france can vaccinate its population using family doctors only why can't germany. germany has opted to mix a nation scientists a bit katzenstein argues that the best is possible consultation to roads $1.00 that's the one thing as much of the population as possible as quickly as possible. let's take a look at some other developments in the coronavirus pandemic an experimental vaccine developed by french drug maker son of 5 and britain's glaxo smith kline has

shown an insufficient immune response in clinical trials that companies hope to come up with a more effective drug by the end of 2021 australia has cancelled the production of its own covert $1000.00 vaccine after some trial participants returned false positive results for hiv the government said it would order other vaccines to make up the shortfall and researchers say the global response to the pandemic has driven a record 7 percent drop in annual c o 2 emissions the un says they have to continue to decline at that rate for the next decade to reach international climate. the u.s. appears on the verge of approving the country's 1st corona virus vaccine an expert panel of scientists and doctors have reviewed information on the shot and are recommending emergency use of the biotech pfizer vaccine their endorsement paves the way for the country's food and drug administration to issue the necessary final

approval once that happens the 1st shots could be given within days regulators in britain and canada have already approved of biotech pfizer vaccine for use in their countries joining me now is dr peter chin hong he is an infectious disease specialist at the university of california san francisco doctor welcome to. a panel of experts has indorsed the vaccine so what has to happen now before it's formally approved. well the advisory panel endorse it by a vote of 17 to 4 so they expectation is that in the next 24 to 48 hours we should have the official emergency use authorization which will then lead to people being able to be in the united states in the 1st week. so let's talk about next steps how quickly could a vaccination program start and what exactly will it look like. well

there is a frequent so to speak war where there are a few hospitals that have been given. authorization to begin. a month early has and these other health care workers emergency room staff intensive care unit stuff people who do diagnostic testing that's in the health care setting and then in the community there will be vaccines ruled out drug stories to schools and then they'll begin distributing the department defense has its own distribution so you can see that multiple different layers and pipelines to get vaccine in the united states. dr i have to say depending on who you talk to where you are it's easy to get the impression that there are equal measures of excitement and skepticism around the world when it comes to this vaccine what's the attitude among the american public when the attitude is any creasing go in approval

slowly in the summer it was 50 percent to restore what the box he was being used for political capital in an election year that they approved the rating went up to about 60 percent in the last month or so we're hoping that it's higher but again a lot of it was mired by you know the current administration dr peter chin hung thank you so much for your time thanks so much for having fun. you're watching the news still to come. down in afghanistan. in an attack and. those who follow her work to get the popular t.v. anchor and her message of hope. that's coming up in just a moment but 1st let's take a look at some of the other stories making news around the world at this hour is

really prime minister benjamin netanyahu has welcomed decision to normalize relations in a deal brokered by the u.s. donald trump broke the news on twitter calling it an historic breakthrough under the deal the u.s. will recognize morocco's claim over the disputed western. the 4th arab nation to recognize israel in recent months. cuba has announced a long awaited monetary reform due to take effect on january 1st the country will eliminate its currency system in a bid to attract foreign investment the move will likely spark inflation but the government has promised significant wage increases to cushion the impact. 3 weeks before britain is due to leave their european single market huge lines of trucks have formed at the english port of dover and the chant channel tunnel both are key crossing points to the european union but say british companies are

scrambling to stockpile goods ahead of a potential no deal. now leaders in brussels say they have come to an agreement on the e.u. use $1.00 trillion euro budget it includes hundreds of billions in coronavirus relief funds member states poland and hungary had blocked approval of the budget because it allows sanctions against member countries to breach democratic law but a compromise brokered by germany which currently holds the e.u. presidency and the deadlock. french president a man with kroll shows covered 906 kisses as a greeting german chancellor merkel waved the atmosphere seems jovial when leaders gathered in brussels but behind closed doors it was a different story. i never seen that and difficult long reach

is behind us and i never remember i don't remember any negotiation as difficult tense and strong as it was of a. relation to mortals. but material is material from what i've yet to keep the polish prime minister and hungary sweet to oban had threatened to be to the entire e.u. budget plans to link fence to respecting the rule of law other leaders criticized them for jeopardizing the european union because a lot was at stake to be precise $1.00 trillion euros roughly one trillion for the next 7 year budget and a $750000000000.00. to help breathe life into the virus hit economy but just in time for dinner a compromise tabled by german chancellor angela merkel seemed to do the trick the

deal is not without controversy the changes could see real floor proceedings to light by years in the case until after the next election but it seems this was a concession that had to be made desperately needed funds before christmas for more on this i'm now joined by our brussels bureau chief alexander. alexander good morning finally at long last this deadlock is over but at cost of course. what what consequences could this compromise eventually have. well that's we just saw in the report mechanism linking for the very 1st time the distribution of e.u. funds to the respect for the rule of law could be delayed maybe a few months maybe a year but we still they expected this mechanism to be implemented you were p. and parliament is going to deal with the compromise and she yesterday early next

week and even though there are critics saying that the should have been tougher on hungary and poland most of the members of parliament are happy that finally we'll get this mechanism and we really have to stress that this is a big deal for europe that a breakthrough was possible because now the money from the you covered for a corporate fund can be allocated and can help member states deal with the economic damage caused by the pandemic and it can help their continent of the continent transform asian to low carbon economy. grow virus recovery money will start to roll out who exactly will benefit the. the countries hardest hit by the pandemic italy is expected to get to

153000000000 euros spain almost 150000000000 europe's followed by france and poland and now their member states if they haven't done so before have to present their investment and reform plan so the you commission can approve then and then they will be given the money through grants and loans and italy for example has already said that they want to focus on women employment and they want to direct 60 percent of the money towards a green economy and 40 percent of the money towards digitalisation there are smiles all around no doubt especially when you talk about money you know and money being received but it wasn't all smooth sailing no you're right so actually did this questions are still going on how to tackle climate change this is

apparently a very difficult issue the european union wants to be carbon neutral by 2050 and the european commission put forward and vicious goal of reducing emissions by 55 percent by the end of the next decade however not everyone is happy with that countries in the eastern europe like poland or bull gary are saying we are still coal dependent we need more money to invest in our infrastructure so we will see if their leaders can agree on that there is a lot at stake for example and 1st and foremost you ups credibility as a leader of the global fire fight against climate change xander von neumann as always. well she was a woman on her way to work a high profile job that was too much for extremists in her country to stomach

malala may 1 was a female television news anchor in afghanistan shot dead on thursday along with her driver in the eastern city of jalalabad but those who took her life could not erase the depth of respect she had earned from the nation. prepares for a heroine hundreds came out to pay their respects to journalist mona la my wand and her driver assassinated on their way to work. for many young women in afghanistan my one was larger than life a t.v. anchor in a country where 2 thirds of girls are barred from attending school. my one was also an advocate for women's rights and continued to speak out even after her own mother was killed for doing the same. then early thursday morning in this street she and her driver were ambushed by gunmen the attack was

claimed by the militant group islamic state. where. my wand was a brave female journalist and her she was working for any local t.v. . but unfortunately today she was murdered by the enemies but not only her family but all the women of our province for. the. islamic state has claimed responsibility for a string of recent attacks on civilians in afghanistan. as the u.s. draws down troops there and conservative militant groups resurge many worry that a life like my ones will once again become impossible. or some other news from around the world time magazine has named us president elect joe biden and vice president elect camelot harris person of the year for 2020 they were picked ahead

of health care workers battling the 1900 demick the racial justice movement and president. since 1027 time has been honoring the people who most impacted the news during the calendar year. according to hong kong and media democracy activists july has been charged under the controversial new security law he's accused of colluding with foreign forces and in danger in national security lies the most high profile person yet to be charged under the new law police say he will face the chargers in court on saturday. in hong kong domestic workers toil away in 6 days a week serving offices and families many are filipino migrants who've sacrificed their lives back home for higher wages but sunday is their day off to do what they want one group has decided they want to be winners. know.

well drilled and athletic they look like they could be a professional team before these filipino women crickets and all the rituals that go with it is a hobby for their rare day off on a sunday. it's a chance to one mind after a week cooking and cleaning for households in hong kong. relaxing. worthwhile. it. just so. you know everything just focusing on what you do let's go. back home in the philippines basketball or baseball or a sport typically captures the imagination of sports fans the s.c.c. divas are working on changing that they're

a breath of fresh air in hong kong's cricket scene which is rooted in its british colonial past. and now on the run of luck to be yours the girls have done so much good and getting better and they did a learning lot of cricket in skills and on day 2 he's discussing how to play cricket more and better. not that this creep need much teaching now they've won their league twice and around britain safe obvious season maybe even provided most of the prayers for a newly created philippines national team. to look into the elsewhere you know really into was the stuff that we focused on line to set certain sports. and be defrosted guidance and close to you know support from all the all was a system to always. have it all the while they continue to

rack up the runs scoring for success a welcome break from into a job. well next up is our political talk show to the point today the panel looks at the cycle of violence in france surrounding both islamised hair and police brutality don't forget you get all the latest news and information around the clock on our website that's. forced a michael okuda for me in the entire new scene here thanks for watching this morning news from around the thing.

to the point. clear positions international perspectives. following terrorist attacks this fall french president jacques rogge wants to crack

down on radical islamists will they succeed in stopping the cycle of violence or further divide. country find out onto the point. to point. the good news to the teetotallers. stocks but only main ones concerns for the planet can also be felt in the financial markets shareholders want to invest sustainably but how does that work do green investments pay off for the environment the sustainability of financial chat revealed some surprising results. 3000. and 60 minutes on t w. will

be tough it is for me. just for. the children for. me. and beethoven is for. beethoven is for print on. beethoven 2022 the 50th anniversary year on d w. francis in a turbulent autumn with the pandemic only part of the reason ongoing street protests against police violence multiple terrorist attacks now president by car wants to take back control with legislation that critics see as a repressive turn to the right following terror attacks in october a new draft law to curb the influence of islamism would make it easier to inspect

or shut radical mosques limit home schooling and otherwise widen the government's powers to restrict behavior deemed harmful to the values of the repub.