are the best ways to reduce pressure on a health care system, stretch to the brink. so we know there's lots of cases in the community that actually people are not getting se sick, but there are still people being admitted to hospital and they are still getting very on well having the mania and that decimal for us to be living after all they think that much better now that we have more treatment, most alpha, another holiday season, overshadowed by the coven, 19 pandemic. another new year on the horizon filled with uncertainty. and go now to dr. muhammed many years ago, there ologist at lancaster university in northern england, talking to a nice to have you on the program. again, new data from the u. k. suggest the ami con, very, is highly transmissible, as was initially thought, but that it may not cause as serious illness. what does that mean for the past the pandemic is taking? well, that's true because i think the, the studies from england and scotland are clearly a good news,

particularly for vaccinated and younger people that are on to, on a vaccinated, vulnerable groups or children is still lacking. but in all mean, it's certainly positive. and if that's holds true, then i would have positive knock on effect on to the new year and moving forward with this micron. however, in countries where the only khan is really high in number, particularly in the u. k, it certainly could have impact on to health care sector, for instance, in london, across the united, within one week, a 50 percent off, the healthcare stuff has got so you can be out to isolate because of the rules. so that good strain, the health care sectors will still need to be proceeded with very much of a worry then that this news has potential good news might send the wrong signal that people might take it less seriously. now. ok, so really important question because because our comparison of her miter or micron

infections is in comparison to delta v has been the most problematic among all the variance that we are back. so our comparison really with the, with the, with the delta variant. but if you compare the on the call with the original version or our alpha beater, it is actually at the same level as we have had a previous radius. which means that the implication of this on the car could equally be applicable for, for moving forward. so all what we need to do is that in this festive season, we have to be extremely careful not to let this one micron rip into the site to. now i want to talk to you about booster shots are the world health organization has taken a firm stance against rich countries, offering 3rd, or even 4th shots, while much of the world's population has yet to get even their 1st one. how can i turn to the 2nd, but let's listen to what are the w h o. director general had to say, blanket wooster programs are likely to prolong the pandemic, rather than ending it by diverting supply to countries that already have high

levels of fascination coverage. giving the virus more opportunity to spread and mitigate it's important to remember that the vast majority of hospitalizations and does are in unvaccinated people, not an boosted people. and a world health organization director general there. and he's again raising the issue of vaccine inequity. do you agree with that statement on boosters? oh, absolutely. i agree. and i think the booster requirement in the destination is going to going to certainly increase the vaccine and equity in the world. and just putting in the perspective in law 6 week last 6 weeks more booster, those have been given in you can usa than the, the number of those has been given in the whole africa for the last whole 2021 year

. so this really indicates that the gap we are having, and this booster, we certainly will include this gap off vaccine, inaccurate distribution across the world. definitely still a worry now, many of us here in europe and around the world, or of course, heading into the holiday season. what's your advice as of her ologist on how best to spend them and how to stay healthy? on the face of a highly contagious central smith below me, crohn certainly we have to follow those practices that we've been doing before. all those all true for the micron, we have to make sure that we have negative do perform the false tests. i left tease before you meet your family if you're negative, than you are good to go, keep ventilating, keep your nutrition double, hybrid thinking like monday and making sure that you are wide on the set together. then we have to make sure that we can reduce the chances of this on the chrome to transmit within the community. or i don't know how many of her ologist in the u. k

. thanks very much for your time. thanks robbing me. millions of germans are preparing to celebrate the christmas holidays, against the backdrop of the cove at 19 pandemic. strict rules on social gatherings will come into place next week with a country bracing for a 5th wave of infections fueled by the army, chrome variant. they w has been out on to take the mood of travelers and market go as the bags are pack. there are presence to wrap and trains to catch at berlin's main station. the christmas get a we is on. and travelers are reckoning with looming restrictions and household headaches. reforming calls, i am looking forward to celebrating with the kids. i just have to sort out our christmas tree stand. it can only hold trees up to 2 meters, but our tree is 3 meters high after figure that out. now that more we could not lose is cloud. i think you're alluding to whether the corona situation is

a burn. and of course, as, as a depressing situation, but there are plenty of other world events that don't make you feel happy the i madness furnished unless the highly contagious omicron variant has cast a shadow over the sheer celebrations and made the journey home on busy trains. fraught with risk at the lexia christmas market, nearby corona continues to loom large, but it appears to be no match for glue vine and festive spirit. and let people like it when i show this one field. freedom like foods. emma, how hard to contend with the threats of cancellation as markets were shut down elsewhere in germany. deborah, that one is very popular. there's also another version of your own, and even this is in for that. we are glad that you were allowed to be open, that we were allowed to sell. i can't complain. everything is great spot for this

gen maker. the market caps off a rocky year. problems in global supply chains forced him to rethink his business. oh, yeah, we had to change the last were we now we manufacture in germany completely. um and we do some, a craft men's work on our own. so we, we manufacture goods on our own completely now to make sure that we can deliver all goods all over the market. stories of people making the best of the situation. good on the anger, good. the children and grandchildren are far away. of course, that's a bit sod. that's why we came to the christmas marker to soak up the atmosphere. it was well enough not say it was 2 of us at christmas before the family is quite large, but all far away. and so we make ourselves comfortable at home, the leash as germany and the world hedge into another year of uncertainty.

one thing seems, indisputable. no one knows when the corporate 19 journey will end. as take a look now at some other stories making headlines around the world, united states health authorities have improved the use of an antique over 19 pill made by the pharmaceutical company pfizer. the pax lowered pill will be the 1st oral treatment for coven 19 trials show. it reduces the risk of hospitalization and death by nearly 90 percent for high risk patients. china has locked down the city of shyanne home to 13000000 people in response to just over 200 coven cases. china has pursued a 0 case strategy. the measures come just winked before, begging is to host the winter olympics. the government there is urging olympians to get both to japs. a cord into his ear has sentenced in absentia former president montes mon suki,

to 4 years in prison for jeopardizing state security. monkey has been critical of the current president kaya sired. he described science power grab in july as a coo and called for protests. germany has approved applications to resettle 25000 local afghan staff and their families. german foreign minister and alina burbock addressed the issue at a press conference a short time ago, and acknowledged only a fraction of that number have been evacuated with many remaining and danger. these are 2, a 2 and 4 situation on the ground has not improved quite the opposite him and many people, if and daily fear, especially those who have worked with us for a better future. and afghanistan, afghanistan's, and we have the responsibility, particularly for the many women and girls not to leave them in the lurch. i would like to say at this point thereabouts. 15000 people whom we firmly promised to take

in, in, who are still in afghanistan, who name vita in, in afghanistan's. and our chief political correspondent, melinda crane, is standing by 1st outside the foreign office in berlin. and lena burbock was making that statement. melinda, what's the focus of the so called action plan for afghanistan? well, it has 2 of focuses. one is sir, is evacuating those who do remain behind still in afghanistan. as you mentioned, the foreign minister said in the press conference just now that these are 15000 people, many of them highly vulnerable and they're as you, as you mentioned, she emphasized the plight of women and children. and she said, addressing them directly, we have not forgotten you. we are working with enormous effort to still ensure that you will be evacuated and that you can come to germany. and beyond that,

the focus of the action plan is what she called a humanitarian crisis on the ground of historic dimensions. she said that as many as 25000000 people in afghanistan are imperiled by drought, by hunger, by the consequences of the long running war. and that help must be gotten to them and to them not essentially going into the hands of the taliban. so she said there as well. germany is taking concrete steps to work together, both with non governmental organizations and with other countries to ensure that there is local support, a local help for those who are entitled to be evacuated. and also to all of those who are imperiled by this humanitarian crisis. again, most especially women and children says some concrete plans on support, but did the foreign minister offer any concrete plans say on how to actively

evacuate those on the german governments list? well, in stock to our colleague, nina has a, from our, our berlin studio asked for site least the, precisely that question and was told by the foreign minister that the government, the german government is still looking into means of evacuating people in afghanistan. for example, through charter flights, as you know, the flights were stopped earlier this year, but she said they are looking into that option. and that for those who manage to leave afghanistan to some of the neighboring countries, that germany is working with those countries with guitar, with iran, to ensure that there will be then further passage land a routes that these people can take in order to come to germany. beyond that, she said that germany is also trying to reduce bureaucratic impediments to taking

people in to widen the options, for example, for vulnerable relatives of those on the list of evacuees so that they are too vulnerable. women and girls can be brought into this country more easily and not face as many bureaucratic constraints as they currently do. all right, melinda. thank here. date of it. a political correspondent, melinda crime. russian president vladimir putin has been holding his annual press conference. this is event monks, the 17th time potent has rounded off fear by speaking to the media, covering a broad range of issues from the koran of ours to rising tensions with the west. it comes against the backdrop of weeks of international concern of a rush as trip build up on its border with ukraine. the news conference also marks and near record low in domestic approval for the long serving president. and joining us now from moscow, as on piero chief, you're

a rash. chateau hearing what has present important been saying at this length in his conference. well, as always, rebecca has been a traditional mix of domestic and foreign policy issues here and put in spoke about the vaccination campaign against the crone of iris. here in russia, at the presence of the army, kron variant has been confirmed here. but vaccination rates are quite low, even though russia was one of the 1st countries to make it's vaccines available to the whole population. as for other domestic issues, putin mentioned to the opposition politician alex in of only in a very briefly or brief answer. and the only who was poisoned he in russia is now in prison, and putin complained to the, to europe allegedly didn't to provide any evidence of his poisoning. our russian president has clearly shown that this issue is over for him. another important topic was energy security in europe, put in has been accused of gas prices in europe, being very, very high right now. and the president replied that among other reasons,

ukraine could be to blame because there is a great need there, and ukraine would get gas gas from europe. while he mentioned, it says, part domestic and part foreign policy. president putin also addressing the tensions between russia and ukraine. what did they have to say on that? while putting, has surprisingly, sat at his impression, is that, and you, military operation is illogically being prepared in ukraine. ah, the russian president didn't specify which operation precisely, but he said he has got the impression that there are a russian speaking people war being pushed out of their historical territories. and moscow was being warned not to interfere. i cannot say whether this impression by the russian president is a hidden indication of russian plans to attack ukraine, but couldn't blame the us for the escalation in don boss. we know that russia wants an end to nato military activities, including in the ukraine and also demands that there will be no expansion of nato,

especially into ukraine. every one of these annual news conference isn't really about. we were to saying live pictures of that conference happening as we speak it . is the president really being subject to public scrutiny here or is it more about public relations? i think booting recently attracted very much media attention when he sat in an interview that he doesn't exclude the possibility of running for president again. so that means that putin could be in office for even longer. so when he needs popularity and tear his real target, ah, is that the domestic audience? so put its voters here, putting shows himself as a kind of a father of the nation who is informed about everything and has all problems under control. and by the way, these press conferences, annual press conferences, always take a long time if they are broadcast on all national tv channels. so very important here for russian. all right, database iraq satisfying tests from oscar,

thanks very much. a monument to the victims of the 1989 tenement square massacre has been dismantled and removed from the university of hong kong. the area around the 8 me to high pillar of shame was boarded up and workers wielded away in sections. it was one of the few public remote memorials of the massacre still standing in hong kong and represented corpses of hundreds of pro democracy protest is killed in 1989. it's removal is part of china's cracked down on descent. joining us now from a dense denmark is the sculptor of that monument yann's gal showed mister boucher, thanks very much for being with us today. this mustn't be, have come as much of a surprise. you must have been expecting it in october. hong kong university officials announced it would be removed, but now that the sculpture is actually in pieces and being wheeled away. how do you fill out that readers, that they, this is, this is a christmas or so this is where you said this is strange because we

have really asked for 2 months. we have said letters to live up to receive will go to put it up and we have no concert or i have a lawyer. so try to get to project, no concert with no concert. so this is so we really don't know what happened. and in the middle of the diet, 2 days before christmas, this thousands of dollars should not fair. it sounds as though he would have been willing to assist with the breakdown, unfortunate as it is of the sculpture. why do you think authorities weren't returning your calls? i really don't know what happened. i think they are, maybe they're afraid. maybe they will do this kind of thing. libby, who lives amaica statesman to say we want to destroy this one when we want to show our power. and maybe this is the kind of showing the power to the rochester

movement and say, don't say anything about china. don't do it. the same to memory about to, to make parked out, don't to put her can to live anyway. i don't have it book about to, to me something like that this the read, bruce and we do that. so is by shocking how chrome is shipley chains of the moment . this is their story of a date, a hong kong used to be used to pride itself on promoting freedom of expression. that's clearly no longer the case. this is just another in a long line of, of things to counter that. what do you think that this particular event means? the kiddos shaven has a big focus on the whole democracy movement a everybody was agree with this form and was quite important because it's about consuming, correct and, and, and, and so it was kind of simple for the, this for the movement. and now all the people who are put it up, oh, they are jail,

all the people all escaped from her. and even at that moment they have smells. so some caused me a lot of thing for the democracy movement. but the strange thing is, if you do something with the axis work, then you'll make it stronger. your more you push it your more story or put it in. and even this, it's of you and this, what happened in the night where the put it down, the darkness, all in this photo from the of this breaking the sculpture down. this is a part of the story now. so that even the, even what you're doing, you making strong on so in the moment this come to us must draw a lot of people or all over the world are talking about what harper doing. so make the, make it simple for the how bruton it's on his system is now do you have any hives have recovering what remains of the out what i can if so do you have any plans for it? yes, we know we have

a co c on all the photo. i can see a doctor or not destroyed the holborn or those other pieces, big pieces of it. and i think we could bring it in my we could put it, i could put it to killer. i'm used to this kind of thing. and out of my goal is now to, to work for that and a, bring it out and put it in mind. and pieces, and then we'll put it together make it should be soon and does something in hong, this'll write a bunch of private property. so this is a case about trade. you, they have destroy a private person, need a buy structure, and this is not money or worse. so maybe they have making their crime against their own law, those losses to protect the straight and the privacy. so we would, maybe we're just to them to get it out a form come. i am cash, i will have to leave it there. but thank you very much for joining data. how many tonight with pandemic restrictions dampening christmas celebrations for the 2nd

year in a row. april in spain and taking heart in a 200 year old tradition. the l. gordo lottery, also known as the fat one. the top prize, a 4000000 euros is paid out to anyone with this he has top winning number, but there are many other smaller prizes to with an overall payout of almost 2 and a half 1000000000 euros. oh. 2 didn't they think me piano, but in that yard? so what i mean? 086148. this year's winning number and go to the as the top prize is known, was sung by 2 pupils from madrid. sunny la funds of school as tradition dictates across the city. the celebrations quickly got under way of madrid's a torture train station. spain's busiest rail hub. the majority of the winning tickets were sold by these lottery center o. e. wonderful. if it's

a very widely distributed number, i'm pretty sure people from all over spain of board, and i think it's everywhere that a board policy goes into you from the region of kentoria on the north coast and under lucy, undecided all the way to the canary islands. with the african coast, and although spark celebrations by the lucky winners. and what does it feel like to win one of the many big prizes. i don't agree with him. i haven't processed it yet . i was in the mountains with the dogs, and i came here because i received a call. my wife didn't believe it. she began to scream, turned the tv on to look for the number and check that it was correct. we're just not used to winning anything with that one plan on going to share it. and i'm really happy and how many people have won a prize? well, that's almost impossible to know because of the complexity of the drawer. but a total of 2400000000 euros was given away in prizes both big and small in the centuries old and world's richest christmas lottery drove this year. oh,

i mean, that's an update. this our daily news asia is up next. after a short break. they stay tuned for that layla harass will be with the next hour. i'm rebecca written in berlin for me. i me entire team here. thanks for watching. ah ah, with

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