this is deja vu news live from berlin chancellor merkel and germany's regional leaders consider tightening the country's lockdown with coated infections high and vaccinations progress slower ports saying that war restrictions on movement are on the table and a lockdown summit now getting underway. also coming up america incoming and outgoing presidents rally in georgia had a pivotal run off election joe biden tells voters they can chart the country's course for a generation and donald trump repeats unfounded claims calling for

a republican victory so big the democrats can't steal it. after being smaller has advantages how these home bound cooks turned their limited operations at the big business during the pandemic. i'm seeing so much gotta thank you for joining us chances are going back all and germany's regional leaders are set to extend at the country's coronavirus lock down to the end of january and in a meeting just now getting underway they could further tighten those restrictions as well schools are currently closed in germany now parents are bracing for yet more home based learning. students in germany have not yet returned to the classroom after the christmas break most schools will stay close until january 10th while others are offering virtual lessons germany's federal and state governments now have to decide. on the way forward as calls grow for schools to say closed even

longer or to only open partially in berlin opinions on the matter very. like you know that i have 2 children myself one in high school and one in elementary school i think schools should remain closed a little longer even though it's difficult for us parents. perhaps we can find a good balance with some learning at home and others allowed to be in school. i think that as long as the lockdown stays in place and i expect it will be extended children should stay at home. hope for a return to normal lives with the vaccine as of monday germany had administered almost 266000 jobs but the government is coming under pressure it's vaccination program has been criticized for being slow and chaotic german health minister defended his government's plan. she was the vaccine delivery my own tech pfizer have always said they could only produce 50000000 doses worldwide by the end of

2020 that explains this initial shortage the 2nd issue is that those german states that are vaccinating are doing so mostly in nursing homes we have always said that this will take a little longer because of course the process there is more complicated new cases and deaths have remained high over the holiday period now medical experts report germany's critical care units are nearing capacity. let's bring in our chief political editor michelle equipment with the latest on the story. media reports are saying that a lockdown measure screwed get even tougher here in germany so what is going to be decided today. and so we're already all taking it for granted that that lockdown that with that near lockdown we're seeing right now will at the very least be extended until the end of january which in most states then leads into that break that follows that school break anyway so school children look very likely to

remain at home that type thing that's being discussed is already in place in some particularly tough affected regions like saxony for instance where people are not allowed to leave their homes outside a radius of 15 kilometers while the rest of the country in most areas we have not really seen that kind of lockdown even over christmas travel was possible it was legal for people to travel across the country even a broad and back and there was the intense plea by the government not to do so now we might see a shift into a legal requirement to basically stay put and not move around as germany faces. on average some 174 people per 100000 being infected within the space of 7 days the aim is at the very least to get that number down to 50 in some places it's nearer 300 we know that the german chancellor angela merkel is holding

talks with the regional leaders here in germany where are their disagreements on how to proceed well there's not really a full line between regional leaders and angle americal but she did go on the record a couple of months ago as we were heading into autumn into winter wish wish she basically accused them of not deciding enough not being tough enough now the situation is so deep in the red. we don't expect there to be such great disparity not a front between the states and the german chancellor but there are still regional variations when it comes to what priority opening schools should have for instance and what kind of measurements there should be whether if there is a certain spike whether that should immediately lead to something like curfews i think those are the details where we see some disparity but overall there is a tendency now to go down the road of a tougher lock down and

a longer one you mention the map looking very red i mean infection rates death rates are still very high in germany right now so where has the government strategy until now gone wrong. while the government is still figuring out these figures it's getting right now we saw almost a 1000 deaths overnight we have near 10000 new infections the death rates have gone up and that is what's really concerning people particularly health care facilities here that they are simply saying they can no longer cope if the german health system can't cope anymore that's kind of the worst situation that was imaginable here where the government has gone wrong well scientists say they should've had this locked down earlier that's what i'm going to also depended on her regional state leaders to follow suit to follow her lead they simply didn't and that is the big question of vaccinations which many feel of being rolled out too slowly here

and here the federal structure of the very regional decisions being taken that really was an advantage in the positive allows a lot of flexibility but that has to say the very least lead to quite a bit of confusion for those 80 plus people who are now figuring out how to get their vaccinations fast our chief political editor michelle because now with the latest thank you. well let's talk about the impact of all of this on business in europe's largest economy we can speak now to car suggests he's the chief economist at i n g germany carson thank you for joining us with some numbers coming in today showing that retail figures have actually been very strong thanks to online sales so what impact is this prolonged winter lockdown actually having on the german economy. harder to come up with numbers i think what we know is that.

hotels restaurants the travel cultures all this act as they had already been paid by the lock down by the pandemic throughout 2020 will also be hit the most this is this time around. when you look at manufacturing sector for example it has done quite well in the 4th quarter and also now at the start of the new year here it will really depend on whether schools will reopen or not because we have i think something like like 15000000 parents of of smaller students that if they have to stay at home again this will have an impact on growth so i think in some what you can tell right now is that it's going to be a very weak start to the year 2021 probably another contraction a mile contraction of the economy but i think with the spring time with the continuation of the rolling out of the vaccine we will also see then the german economy recovering starting 2nd quarter if you look at a comparison across europe in the early stages of

a pandemic the german economy was doing better than other european countries is that still the case. really in all honesty when we need look at the lockdown measure that we have seen since november even with the tighter restrictions before christmas it is still somewhat lighter than in other countries compared with france for example compared with the u.k. announced last night to germany is still doing well or better germany is also benefiting a lot from this v. shaped recovery of the asian economies led by china so the germany factoring sector is clearly benefiting a lot but we often know that this big bang of fiscal stimulus which had been in throughout 2020 has not fully reached the economy yet so it we would need to see more fiscal stimulus this year or at least paying out of the already announced fiscal stimulus to really get germany out of the starting blocks faster than the

risk and cost you mentioned looking ahead to the spring so how optimistic are you with that we will see a return towards economic normal the normality in 2021. probably not normality but i think we have to look through this high frequency shorto noise of for where are their bets in nations where are there low rates of nations the lot there will continue but i think i'm very positive that with the 2nd quarter we will see a reviving economy in europe in the u.k. in the u.s. and with a bit of luck and really a good vaccination strategy in the 2nd half of this year we could see for the 1st time in a long while really is synchronised global recovery so yes as dark as the short term outlook seems to be there is clearly light at the end of the tunnel and some positive news there cresting cesky chief economist at i know each germany thank you for joining us. now to some other developments in the pandemic indonesia will begin

a nationwide vaccination program on january 13th presidential call we don't know will be given the 1st shot of the vaccine made by a chinese firm moderna says israel has approved its vaccine and its order of millions of doses israel has already given shots for more than a 10th of its population but it is facing a new outbreak and brazil is reporting at least 2 cases of the new more contagious corona virus variant one of them after contact with travelers from europe and mexico is granted approval to the astra zeneca oxford vaccine that makes it the 2nd vaccine to get the go ahead there. people in britain are under instructions to stay at home as their 3rd national lockdown takes effect prime minister boris johnson announced the emergency measures just yesterday as the country battles a fast spreading new coronavirus variant britain's chief medical officer has warned that the country's health system could be overwhelmed in the coming weeks. desperate times call for desperate measures with boris johnson announcing england

would move into its 3rd national lockdown similarly strict to the 1st one that began last march that means the government is once again instructing you to stay at home you may only leave for a limited reasons permitted in law such as to short for essentials to work if you absolutely can't work from home to exercise to seek medical assistance such as getting a test to skate domestic abuse. with england experiencing a 50 percent jump in the number of patients in hospital with covered 900 since christmas day scientists hospitals teachers unions and opposition politicians have old cold for decisive action and recent weeks. parents support in the coming days because the schools the shot businesses will need support because they won't be able to operate that package needs to be put in place the

soonest possible because compliance needs clear messaging but also support for people to make sure that they can comply. in wales where patients were among the 1st to receive the u.k.'s 2nd approved vaccine produced by astra zeneca tough lockdown measures have been in place since the 20th of december. hours before johnson's announcement scotland's 1st minister nicolas sturgeon imposed similar restrictions while northern ireland's executive are expected to follow suit. british hospitals now have more covert 19 patients than at the height of the pandemic in spring with resources low and stuff overwhelmed. shifts of mind. so. many.

things aren't expected to improve immediately in spring it took nearly 3 weeks after the introduction of the lockdown for hospitalisations to reach their peak. polls have now opened in a critical special election in the us state of georgia 2 seats are up for grabs in the senate the outcome will shape president elect biden's agenda democrats will soon hold the white house and house of representatives but if republicans hold control of the senate they will block biden from pushing through many of his policies if we look at the balance of power in the senate right now republicans hold 50 seats at the moment democrats and 2 independent allies they hold $48.00 seats now democrats need to win both of the ga seats and vice president elect to come away harris's vote would break the tie in the senate essentially giving the democrats a $51.00 seat majority that polls show the parties are neck and neck with the

democrats enjoying a slight advantage a final pitch to voters that could reshape politics in georgia and the nation 'd ahead of tuesday's vote democrats raphael warnock and john are sophomore confident of victory. it is but this is a bit too because this is. this. will the customer is coming the day the bird do. both candidates also getting a late assist from the president elect joe biden's ability to implement his political agenda would be boosted by democratic victories here. the power the power is learning in your hands unlike any time in my career one story one story can chart the course not just through the next 4 years for the next generation. democrats may also be hoping to capitalize on recent comments from donald trump on

sunday audio emerged of the us president pressuring the state's top election official to alter the state's presidential election results citing unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. no love lost i want to do is as i use one of on. 11780 months which is one more that we have. on the eve of the runoff georgia secretary of state dismissed trump's claims once again that. it has been a big canard it's been a red herring people trying to blame shifting find excuses why they didn't turn their people out to win as a republican i'm disappointed with those results are accurate. but trump isn't backing down to us president flew to georgia to campaign for the state's republican senate candidates he once more refused to acknowledge his election defeat.

i want to thank you very much oh georgia by the way there is no way we lost george or this. was originally. his time in the white house may soon be ending but donald trump seemed to term and not to go quietly. a reporter stacey bivins is with us she's part of our u.s. elections team hi stacey thanks for joining us what impact has president trump and his popularity among republicans in particular have had on this stretch of race well so far in georgia donald trump's popularity has been eclipsed by. rhetoric and not in a good way he has tried to bully the secretary of state into finding 11000 votes for him and he has threatened to campaign against the governor in a year and a half these are 2 people who are part of his party but he's angry because they're not giving him what he wants and what he wants is

a victory in georgia and so. republicans are trying to decide are going to have to decide really are they going to stick with trump because they are interested in getting being able to tap into his base or they're going to say look enough is enough we've had an election the election is over it's time to move on and now it's time to focus on these very key senate run offs and donald trump has been kind of a distraction with this with everything that he's been trying to say so but for the for the democrats he's been a boost they're energized they are slightly amused some of them to hear him trying to strong arm the secretary of state so he might boost support among democrats but then suppress the vote among republicans who are having doubts based on what he said that their vote will even count he said it yourself she run off races why are these 2 senate seats so crucial because they'll determine how successful joe biden is as president biden would be in charge of the white house but if he was also had

the support of democrats in both chambers of congress if they had both control control of the house and the senate it be easier for him to achieve his agenda when it comes to cohabit health care the economy the environment and even when it comes to his cabinet picks because those aren't set in stone yet he has made nominations but he needs senate approval in order for that to happen so a lot depends on how these races go right so this really is about whether president elect biden can get through his agenda you know you mentioned this really has been a republican stronghold for some time georgia what extent of krauts. at least optimistic that they could win these 2 senate seats i think it's hope and i think when you look at the election at the map the democrats were able to flip some red state some get from some red states to blue and so that heartening for them but

also when you look at the candidates these are very important for them. john also was a protege of the late great civil rights icon john lewis. the were of red raphael warnock is very popular in georgia he's an activist he's very well known and he's a minister at the church where dart dr martin luther king jr was also a minister so he has very strong ties to the community so there is hope among democrats that beast 2 candidates can win both of these senate seats and then it would tie the senate and come to harris as vice president would cast the deciding vote making joe biden's life in the white house much easier stacie difference from our u.s. election scene thank you very much you're welcome. not to some other stories making headlines around the world but head of the far right group known as the proud boys has been arrested in washington police say enrique taddeo was involved in torching

a black lives matter banner taken from a church during protests last month and he was also charged with possessing illegal high capacity ammunition for fire on us. police say at least 4 people have been killed in flash floods that swept through the streets of the bolivian city of souping that after torrential rain and hail hit the city local media reported the storm lasted only about 30 minutes. iran has rejected accusations that it seized a south korean tanker to pressure seoul to release billions of dollars money that was frozen as part of u.s. sanctions over tehran's nuclear program iranian troops stormed the vessel in the persian gulf on monday claiming it was polluting the water. qatar's leader shaped i mean been tunney has arrived in saudi arabia where he was greeted warmly by the ruling crown prince mohammed bin sama the leaders will attend a summit aimed at ending a regional crisis saudi arabia and other gulf allies cut ties with qatar 3 years

ago accusing it of supporting terror a charged denies. coronavirus restrictions are forced people around the world to rediscover home cooking people who once frequented restaurants have become their own caterers and as our next report from india shows in some cases that has created new business opportunities. god has always found comfort in beach as in india architect numbers and science makes sense to her as does the precision of being in gradients and baking diamonds she's glad she left her job as an architect 4 years ago to set up home because as simple as buy because it made 2020 so you're defined by the pandemic a fantastic one i think because i would being from home because of it being produced by only one posting pony one posting that was all starting level of shots that plans have with us i actually managed to get through my business before and if

not all customers love god he calls her naughty and nice alcohol biscuits on the one hand and foods that big diet do destructions into account on the other. new clients are purely tang's to what instagram ph i'm bored of my god he acknowledges the tasman been easy. from working 12 to 14 r d's scrambling to find used at supplies right now during india's lockdown. but she got tired help in the kitchen get the goods more hands on deck could mean more exposure. if things get better in 2021 though she hopes to expand put the move one . and her daughter nicole have had a fantastic 2020 do they run a food delivery service mood and any named after an ever changing menu inspired by whatever is in the mood to cook. my loves the kitchen and had always wanted to do

something with food. 2 years ago she launched moved on instagram that nicole's help looking dishes from her childhood influenced by cuisines from the book done and tibet. started as a once a week after india's lockdown the spike in demand has meant to the now also 5 days of to me orders have multiplied 4 or 5 food. because it's job has been updating instagram and charging the customers she love sharing good reviews they deceive with customers nicole says mood has been ted a putin meeting the months fly by in a year where she hasn't left since early march it was just a huge blessing because you know we found something we were able to do something that kept us busy that you know made sure that we were productive so you didn't really miss the outside world and i think some days in that kitchen you almost even forget that everything that is happening is happening you know it's just we're just

like we're in a little food with more than nicole of course a must see this found this week 142020 and are actually looking to expand their fresh food output nicole does have some ideas the frozen foods is one and the popular meat because another. last year was overwhelmingly eventful for the do and it will set the tone 420211 of gratitude and enjoying love for good food. japan's top ranking sumo wrestler how cool has tested positive for corona virus just days before the start of the new year granda tournament to tokyo on sunday it is not yet clear whether the 15 day event will be postponed the mongolian born haku hope was the longest serving top ranked wrestler known as a yokozuna was tested after losing sense of smell earlier this year 28 year old

sumo wrestler. died after becoming infected with cold at night i. 12 women have joined the ranks of moscow's metro drivers after russia lifted the controversial legislation that banned women from certain jobs ostensibly because of health reasons women started working for the subway system on new year's day a previously women were employed as drivers for decades until the metro stopped hiring them in the early 1980 s. the profession was listed among jobs with harmful or dangerous conditions the recent legal changes also allow women to work as long haul truckers tractor drivers and boat scoops. mine are in our top story. german chancellor angela merkel and regional leaders are expected to extend the country's lockdown through the end of january reports say they're also talking about tightening the restrictions to further limit the movement of people. and in the u.s. joe biden and donald trump have held dueling rallies in georgia and head of the state's a runoff senate election the vote will decide which party controls the u.s.

senate during the 1st years of president elect biden's terminals. coming up next our documentary series close up statement. the book. good. good.

good good good. good good. good. is the toughest in torrance raised around. 1200 kilometers with a dog sled. in the far north of norway. and with practically no sleep. any more questions then off we go to fin market slow but close up. next on d w. the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

has the rate of infection been developing. what measures are being taken. what does the latest research say. information and context. the coronavirus of data the coded special monday to friday d.w. . why are people forced to hide in trucks. there are some. there are many answers. and there are many stories so.

make up your. job made for mines. every year as the extreme north of norway hosts an epic 1200 kilometer ranks in which competitors fight their way into icy wasteland that's right it's a scary. place is kind of like my birthday and there is a little of all wrapped in one for 8 days the competitors or moshe's and they. will be pushed to the absolute limit our dreams your favorite something you chose to do and it's what it's like a journey into yourself. who will prevail in this grueling in joran challenge

lasting over a week with sleep a rare luxury dogs are starting to get a little bit. and i'm getting a little bit. slower through fully aware of. the hard work stuff. in the fin marks region of norway september 29th seen here inside the arctic circle panel you know i guess preparing for the longest ducks lead racing your own canada fellow musher discussed how many dogs they have with them and which ones they'll have to leave behind they will. not see.

coming. and i've been driving dogs and so i couldn't stand up straight and i've been around dogs for all my life so when i was younger dogs were like my best friend so i've always. always like seen the world with a dog or through a dog's eyes. new york of the union. the parents' farm thrives on tourism especially from the growing popularity of tourists the family has more than 80 dogs all of them hybrids they've been trained in social skills and a highly with

a strong cardiovascular system and they love to run. we always start going. strong and then as mr get into shape we can always increase the distance and then the speed but these are long distance stones so they're never really run faster than. 17 kilometers an hour. long for 70 kilometers west of alta. bend folx lifting it with his family and 35 alaskan house gates. originally from germany he met his wife while studying geography and alpha in 2010 the couple. so yes a very good girl. but. we

just we need to warn you. that we have me right on the water or that on here we go and fetch that too but i think. this is the breakfast we're not basically a mixture of i mean if you drive a quarter with and cotton for that i'll be taking care of the docks is a full time job for ben. his wife is a teacher at the finish school peter i'm a conference on this for hero and so on you could say we're living our dream we have a great place to live for and have so much freedom i am so happy to have the children in our own dogs it's just beyond words. which i please i. ben started ducks lead racing more than 10 years ago and has also won a number of awards for the way he handles his animals the one the one that the faster the 61 all they're bred for this purpose and want to run but it's genetic and you can use the dogs but never should have the response you have to know them

inside out from training or living with the so you know what their limits are and you know you should never push them beyond that you're a constant force for a musher he was not even norwegian let alone local those distinctions are a very special on a. dozen. or is ruby the basically the queen are most importantly a dog is always i was i was i was 6 and i thought they were pretty big patrick was and sometimes they had their disputes like in a school rush week or so and as i don't know that's why it. and as their leader you have to master the art of creating a positive vibe so they work together as a team. and then 10 i still have another 5 months to prepare for the film out grace. for hannah to it is the ultimate challenge of course you can meet bad weather and you can get

an injured dog and you get tired and exhausted so always use all these things together for. right there with. people they only lasted. until the snow pack is firm enough for the sleds the docs train with the court on solid ground and there has to repeatedly push on the brakes to stop the team going too fast over the entire season from august through late may they cover almost 10000 kilometers. in the evening her friends family and stuff gather for dinner the top subject of discussion is as ever well preparations for the race a going today joined by a high profile guest named. al who won the event 3 time. training going ok. yes i hope so. i don't think we did enough training or. in terms of kilometers yes last year we had

$650.00 and now we only have around $300.00 and it's already the 19th for lent it's not enough. and those performances have also attracted sponsors. this season she's getting funding from a dog food manufacturer together with other successful mattias making hannah the youngest member of the world's 1st professional dog sled squad although other than sharing a sponsor the mushers are not really a team each competing fairy much for themselves. part of the team is like the biggest mushers in the world and for me it's an opportunity to. learn from the best so now i'm a part of that and i also have a few other sponsors and for me. i don't have a job or i'm not advocated i have to have sponsors and if not

i won't be able to do what i do every single day. then has to make do without financial backers. being a non-native makes him less attractive for norwegian companies. and only the very best mushers managed to secure lucrative sponsorship deals. stylish what if you see this mushing is becoming increasingly sort of fired up here it's hugely popular now with a growing number of people going professional. we're now starting to see big money sponsors and sponsor teams is a sides of sudanese as a family based cattle it's hard for us to keep up with our family. mushing means investing a lot of time and money on the dogs need to be put through their paces for the entire season from august through the end of may the financial outlay for their

food and equipment poses an additional challenge for the family then also just wants to win he's worked out that the animals cost us $30.00 to $40000.00 euros a year he went over there and would love to keep them and also do the race 2 so we're taking the plunge by asking if guests might want to go on a tour with us mr there's some sort of on some tour it's a brand is able to recover some of the expenses by offering docs like tours which also provide further training for the animals although that venture is compromised by having to tailor the tours to the wishes of his guests. 6 months on march 20 twentieth's and the finn mark slipping is about to begin the toughest dog sled race in your up with 1200 icy kilometers away to the competitors. but ben has doubts as to whether his team is in top shape. you would know they haven't done those long distances so far this year but have had to work really hard

. not to be true he's on board in the spirit i hope she puts in another good showing this hero. sureness ranma york new york marcus the clown in the team he's been great in the preparation it's. the dogs get a pretty race check up from veterinarians otherwise the national out to compete. and then is worried about the swelling on this one's leg. we will be our doctor says that if he has sound alternatives she'd suggest taking a different doctor mark. fortunately all the other docs are ok giving the green light for ben's team i talk about it and i take a photo of you next to each other pretty. well that they can go over. there is accompanied by her mother from one checkpoint to the next. trina competed in the race has self a number of times you have so much work with the dogs and to be able to be top 5

cup 7 in a race like this it's very very hard because so many are good they know what they're doing and you have to have some luck but you also have to be very good yourself. it's party time in. no ways maine public t.v. station has daily updates off the race. this huns hotfix and has been covering the event for more than a decade. mung among them it's getting bigger every year it's a multi-faceted sport and isn't throwing to watch. so. the starting positions are drawn by knots with ben in 14th with the fields comprises 30 teams from scandinavia plus a couple of contestants from germany and switzerland who all of the boys are

desperate to get going i just hope we get off to a good start and then we're on our own. on a journey that will take 8 days and 8 nights ben sets out on the initial stage. the 1st checkpoint is 12 hours away. among the last august is local girl hannah. with no weekend t.v. live on the scene. you already won the 500 kilometer race and the 1200. their traditional worlds we just want to decent finish for them what's the best part of the race being out there alone with my dogs the live wire and the one i enjoy and good luck. with. all that matters now with the finish with no more interruptions. the rule is a simple once out in the wild they're not allowed to have any assistance. over

the next 8 days the marshes are granted one extended break of 14 hours with short breezes always allowed to stage one is 132 kilometers and the longest. little lets up for the us they literally dig deep and have to push their sled through the snow especially uphill. the checkpoints manned by more than $600.00 volunteers taking care of the dogs. 12 hours in hanna rives the lever your check point and now every 2nd counts she's solely responsible for feeding the ducks the pack up emitted to take on nourishment but outside the checkpoint the foster manages to feed the dogs and get them wrapped up for the night. be able to get some shuteye has so for an hour or 2. it's

a routine hunter has practiced dozens of times we rested 2 hours. on the trail it's not. a lot of snow but it was a slog. almost 2 hours later ben also reaches the 1st checkpoint with some bad news. one of his best stall sprained his shoulder after stepping into a hole. if more than 8 of the 14 strong team failed to finish the race it's game over and the early loss of you is a bit of a setback for ben. unfortunately you have all the other teams breaking which creates divots. and then you have a dilemma. you want to help the dogs with lots of breaks but then get the portrayal for. whatever you. like you know. 10 minutes

late up then 6 out again from the checkpoint he prefers to catch a couple of hours now in his sleeping bag out on the trail away from the hustle and bustle of the help as cam. takes some more luck surest option and is able to get to analyze sleep thanks steph family's camper van being parked at each check point. boarding. but she has no time to chat nothing can stand in the way of her hopefully finishing 1st boyfriend mathias knows only too well. because she goes in life in the bubble. thing when you're going through the race. through the checkpoints or to just thinking about what you what you're going to do. on hand i now have 2 long stages ahead of them totaling for.