sure the ice disappears earlier and it keeps retreating. our future depends on the interior in one of the most fragile ecosystems are. going to watch. arctic circle storage december 21st g.w. . a landmark investment deal is in sight the european union and china have reached and in principle agreement on a bilateral investment deal that's been 7 years in the making to talk to our correspondents in brussels and from foot also coming up they survived the 1st walk down by the 2nd good breaks that wholesalers in berlin are struggling to stay afloat. hello and welcome to do business on morning joe johns in berlin good to have you with us and we're starting with sobering numbers more than 33000 newly

registered cases in germany in the last 24 hours the coburg 19 pandemic continues to limit every day life but and that's a big but this doesn't seem to weigh on the mood of business here the munich based evo institute said its closely watched business climate index rose in december for the 1st time after 2 consecutive months leading climbs this means managers assess the outlook for their business is more optimistic than previously the index is based on 9000 monthly responses from businesses in manufacturing retail trade and construction. and for more on this we're joined now by claims 1st was the president of the evil institute like this institute for economic research at the university of munich good to have you with us please explain to me business sentiment rose what's behind that. what's behind that is primarily positive situation in

manufacturing this has been going on for some time so manufacturing companies are benefiting from the recovery in asia in particular which is more advanced than in europe and the u.s. but generally german companies are benefiting from good development in other countries in manufacturing and a factory has less affected by the pandemic then we have certain areas in services that are doing surprisingly well this is transport or just ticks it's all related to manufacturing activity but also to online trade so there are some sectors that are continuing their recovery despite the current lockdowns and of course we know that i mean the state was they were generous with state aid and it was even more generous when it comes to the code 1000 insolvencies this ancient act meaning that companies that have financial difficulties now don't they're not obliged to file for insolvency and that has even been extended now to the end of january 2021 but

what to then. well there is. not being obliged to file for bankruptcy is dependent on a number of conditions so maybe these rules of the impact of these rules as small or than many people think in general i would expect an increase in the filings for bankruptcy because that's something we always see in the late stage of recessions but not necessarily a big wave and that's related to government help as you mention it's also related to the fact that we have relatively low interest rates at the moment so that makes it easier for companies to borrow so i wouldn't expect huge wave of bankruptcies although of course companies in the most affected sectors have problems right claimants those that president of the if institute in munich thank you so much for your time thank you. so we had it business sentiment is up

but for many companies this 2nd lockdown poses a real challenge the next report looks at the die is situation for wholesale assemble and. when discussed quite say our business right now is best described as disastrous normally just samberg the christmas holiday period is our busiest time it's really busy the yard is packed with people and we're worried that we won't be able to shift all the goods in time. at the moment you can see for yourself it's the dance of death. grocers have never seen anything like this at the berlin wholesale market because restaurants and counting have been forced to close sellers of gourmet products are losing their christmas business it's especially bad right now is that usually the best time of the year for sales. fedderson normally sell some 6000 different products are currently his workers can't even fill the space the managing director expects a loss of 1000000 euros this year during the 1st lockdown you have to throw at

a lot of products another best before date is coming up on others even frozen goods . during the 2nd lockdown many businesses are struggling to stay afloat like the greek fruit and delicatessen wholesaler like cos currently its sales are just 35 percent of normal levels. like us ball steven lots com pays bills another company is insolvent. we have on a mass knocked on hunger already badly hit by the 1st lockdown we never really recovered during the summer because tourism didn't come back to the city. my employees have been on reduced working hours for months their wages are down because they're not getting night bonuses it's a really tough situation they're all afraid of losing their jobs and. the fruit and vegetable market where like us has a stand belongs to the city but instead of counselling rents the city is just suspending them and that's not the only criticism about financial assistance from the city. right expect

a bit more honesty before you start expecting praise for being a big supporter of business. for many companies the main problem is that when the funding comes will it still be enough. the big question for many companies is whether to be too late because they lack liquidity. there's already rules of frogger. one long established fruit dealer next door has already fallen victim and gone bust lycos itself is still holding out just. an hour to some of the business stories making news negotiators are striking a pessimistic tone around britain no deal appears likely the european parliament says it needs the draft of any agreement by sunday chinese take joint on about uscis it is dismayed that a unit within the company touted software for identifying weak or minority members on a barber says the technology was used only in testing and was not sent to any customer

china is the least to hold as many as 1000000 we gris in internment camps. after years of negotiation a historic investment pact between the european union and china is in sight the south china morning post reports that both sides have reached an agreement in principle on a bilateral investment deal it's a is to expand trade investment between both sides reaching a deal has not been easy talks began in 2013 the e.u. wants the government in beijing to open up its market respect copyrights and eliminate a discriminatory business practices against foreign companies. it's interesting so for more let's bring in jessica lane in frankfurt and to get in a brussels a good day to both you and i would like to start with you baron to now this deal has been 7 years in the making what's taking so long. but so far china has been reluctant to strike the view because china wanted to protect its own emerging

companies and force the as much transfer of technology and knowledge from europe to china as possible this attitude today has obviously changed in you and china now agree on the necessity to have a more level playing field and to use all its are willing to engage in with this one party dictatorship and human rights not much under consideration it's all about business all right we'll get back to the bend but 1st chelsea what potential would this new agreement have foot you business well the aim is to make it easier for european businesses to operate and china so businesses here in europe have long complained that there are a lot of barriers and a lot of difficulties to setting up shop in china and this can include everything from very high bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles to being forced to work with

a chinese company setting up a joint venture with a chinese company to even have access to that market so china has agreed to bring down some of those barriers on things like investment caps for certain industries as well as easing requirements for joint ventures and this comes as we've seen over the course of the pandemic just how important the chinese market is for european companies if the only major market that is growing for most european companies south of us would be certainly welcomed by a lot of european businesses the rise of chelsea basically echoing also would ban just as the business comes 1st hiya but to beyond i mean germany i believe being you council president pushed for this deal and it's currently being discussed among the $27.00 you members what's the likely outcome. but i think there will be broad agreement of all 27 member states germany is pushing for this and also france is pushing for this and many others because they see more

business opportunities and it's also a chance to level out the playing field with in europe because so far china was also a preferring some e.u. countries through its silk road initiative and this maybe. and also after this investment trade deal it's a very important building block in this to cheat jake partnership that you that the e.u. is trying to have with china right dan so you get in brussels and chelsea delaney in frankfurt thank you so much to both of you. now this next report could be disturbing for those who can't do their christmas shopping due to the lock downs in europe as for the rest and joy australian. sydney residents are still crowding streets and flocking to shopping centers in this final week ahead of christmas for the most part without concerns and without

masks. that's because australia has excelled at combating the coronavirus with help from recent warm weather yesterday there were just 13 newly reported cases in the whole country. stores can stay open and people are able to shop and see family members in person this holiday season that's one thing to be grateful for really lucky when you look at what's happening on the other side of the world yeah i just feel so grateful people are going back into lockdown now and when you look around at how busy the mole is it's like yeah old times it's grey this 25 metre tall christmas tree is one way that the city of sydney is going full throttle on the holiday cheer after a year of uncertainty and lock downs and death for now all is merry and bright in sydney. good for them and there's a reminder of the top story this hour. after years of negotiation

a historic investment pact between the european union and china is in sight the south china morning post reports both sides have reached an agreement in principle on a bilateral investment deal. that's your business update here and e.w. you can find of more on our web site at t w dot com or follow us on social media for me in the team here in berlin thanks for keeping us company stay safe.

the fight against the corona virus 10 damage. has the rate of infection been developing what does the latest research say. information and context the coronavirus update 19. on t.w. . how does a virus spread. why do we panic and when will all this tremendous through the top. weekly radio show is called spectrum if you like and information on the chrono larouche or any other science topic you should really

check out our podcast so you can get it wherever you get your podcast you can also find us at. science. people with disabilities are used to facing obstacles. as a group they often struggle to access tailored education and are more likely to fall into poverty yet their experience is far more widespread than you might think . 15 percent of the global population has some form of a disability. as people age the experience becomes more common half of those over 60 are disabled among children it is one in 10. for many especially in developing nations the pandemic has made things all the more challenging overstretched health care systems and lockdowns mean many of the

services they rely on day to day have disappeared how has covert 1000 affected this diverse group of people and what can be done to make sure their needs aren't neglected. welcome to over 19 special i'm chris called. now doesn't come as a surprise that people in need of special care are facing extra difficulties during a time when health care systems around the world are stretched sometimes beyond the limits of the pandemic is taking its toll on people with disabilities on several fronts here's one example from india. samir khan was just 10 when he was 1st diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy. disorder that has a crippling effect on his whole body it means he needs help from others for all of his daily activities. but despite his condition confound it

a garment factory and amount appear district it took him 3 years to set up the business and to establish trust with his clients even though. we the members have come to the they had some hesitation in working with me. again but i was confident others were not. one for the name likely to win their confidence was the biggest challenge. for them when i got there but i was coming. but then there was another challenge the covert 19 pandemic led to a nationwide lockdown at the local markets where i can sell his wares shut. and even now the lockdown has been lifted business has failed to pick back up. people with disabilities are among the worst hit as a result of the virus in india. many have lost their livelihoods and face financial

difficulty. particularly those working in the informal sector according to a study by an indian disability rights organization. you were situation where everybody's impacted right and people with disabilities going just be that much more impacted almost 3 times as much women by disability as well but have be even worse. and without intent and without political really it's going to be on with that and. most of comes workers have not returned and he was forced to sell off half the machines in his factory con fears a 2nd wave of the virus could mean the complete breakdown of his business. that we risk our lives doing business and they go to the extent that i can sit around doing nothing for a very long time i have to work to fulfil my financial needs. financially is to. become a factory was

a means for economic self-reliance the con he wanted to employ and support people like him but today and for the forseeable future the factory will remain empty. this pandemic is challenging on so many levels let's get more from jane buchanan she is the acting director for disability rights and human rights watch she joins me via skype from new york welcome to the program jane we're talking about a very diverse group of people here now facing a whole array of challenges which part of that group are you most concerned about during this pandemic. we're especially concerned about the most marginalized among people with disability is and that includes people who are segregated and locked away in closed institutions institutions or people with disabilities psychiatric hospitals as well as the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are chained and locked in prayer camps and other types of

institutions down the way you know i'm able to lever access any service as whatsoever and how is the been impacting the care for these people. well people with disabilities around the world all types of disabilities can face a lot of barriers in accessing health care and that includes even just basic things like accessible transportation because if he had get to your doctor or the hospital there's no chance to even even get care so i'll many of the obstacles that people disabilities are already face in their marginalisation are just amplified with a pandemic. do you know is there any indication that people with disabilities face greater health risks from covered 90. well that can certainly be true

for people with certain types of disability is where covert 1000 infection could create more complications but again people who are lacking access to health care and people don't have the information they need for about cope at 19 because governments are presenting it in an accessible way so the materials aren't accessible to people maybe with intellectual disabilities who benefit from a different type of language in communicating about these things sign language interpretation for television broadcasts and messages about the pandemic and how to protect oneself where to get care now you mentioned that you're most concerned about people being locked away and institutions because of their condition do you see that the danger that the concerns and needs of these people on a state level are being neglected now that societies are eyeing the vaccine and try

to not catch the virus in general. or or extremely concerned about people who are basically already forgotten by society ignored as he said locked away. they've been left you know in very precarious conditions for the entirety of the pandemic in close contact with other people and without the opportunity to socially distance and so yes indeed even as societies begin to really. take steps with a vaccine in syria to. minimize the impacts of kobe and hopefully reduce infections and deaths governments really can't forget those who are most at risk most marginalized. and they people who are locked away shouldn't be there they should be out living in the community with the supports they need and that would be

an end and also a really urgent step that government should take at this time to protect those groups which countries are you particularly concerned about and why. you know there's so many different situations around the world it's it's really impossible to pick one or another country i mean i think at this point where concerned about equitable vaccine distribution among the lower income countries and middle income countries you know for all of those people but again especially people with disabilities or are there is who really. may be left out of. the vaccine distribution early on but around the world we see you know people who are already. lacking access to the economic markets are more likely to be unemployed. the economic impacts of cove it will be long lasting and in many places

and they'll need there needs to be really. extra effort on the part of governments to ensure that quality and accessibility for people with disabilities otherwise they risk you know even greater paparazzi and isolation as the economic impacts go on to begin and of human rights watch thank you for your thoughts thank you. and now it is time to take a look at some of the questions about the pandemic you send us and as usual our science correspondent there growly i'm sorry says ready with the answer. you get vaccination if you had covert 1000 but we're a form to magic. the messenger r.n.a. vaccines now being approved for emergency use in countries were tested on tens of thousands of volunteers and and it's thought that between 5 and 10

percent of them had actually had covert 19 before those trials and there were no reports of serious adverse effects among those test subjects also in most other diseases there are mechanisms that would cause someone who had them once to react badly to subsequent vaccinations many experts have said they think that was coded 19 vaccinating someone who has already had the virus will act like a booster shot reminding the immune system that sars co 2 is still around and possibly even strengthening and reinforcing the immune response so if you had the disease already whether symptomatically or a symptomatically the current consensus is that getting vaccinated should be safe and maybe even beneficial but but that raises another question if you've had covert

19 do you need the shot from what we've seen so far in the vast majority of people a natural immunity to the disease after an infection lasts for a while at least at least for several months and while boosting that with the vaccine makes sense don't forget that supplies of vaccines will be critically tight in the short term that means it's likely that. many governments will probably tend to bump people who've had the disease more to the back of the lawn assuming that they're simply in less danger than someone who's never been exposed but eventually when supplies of vaccine are sufficient i assume experts will recommend them for almost everyone including those who had coded 19 and recovered. do you have a question for derek well just send an e-mail to feedback english add to d

w dot com and type expert in the subject line or leave a comment on our you tube channel the social thanks for watching stay safe see you back here tomorrow.

to the point. clear positions international perspectives. as. the year draws to a close politicians everywhere struggling to bring the pandemic under control but sub are slipping behind our citizens paying for government's mistakes that's our topic on to the point. to deploy. a sports team through the middle of a school on w. . what keeps us in shape what makes us see and how do we still come to. my name is dr carlson because i talk to medical experts.

watch them at work. and i discuss what you can do to improve your health. state use and let's all try to stay. w. . they want to know what makes the devil you just hit the gym. and batting them away from. him like that of course my own daughter and everyone with little holes in every step getting you ready to meet the defense then join the rapist do it under. legit lead. of the century print some trick

monarch. oh fantasy. oh. this is the new trend i am. the secrets to success starts december 26th. up the. plane.

this is a news line from the end hundreds of abducted boys in nigeria walking to freedom 1st images of the schoolboys kidnapped last way fine islamic militants arriving at government buildings in the northern city of katsina their doctrine problems of public anger and fresh demands for better protection to nigeria's children.