edge me just because you can see violence against children doesn't mean it. isn't there? make the invisible visible of us my violence against children's disappear? ah me ah, ah, you're watching dw news ly from berlin covered 19 cases, surge to record highs around the globe. alma chron is quickly becoming the dominant very well. delta is still hitting hard. we'll assess the threat with the leading

glen rawlins, also coming up. glean maxwell found guilty of helping sexually abuse young girls for a decade. their survivors say it's a step towards justice for the victims of jeffrey epstein. and the stories that moved us in 2021, the taliban takeover of afghanistan. how to trade in opium thrive while many things the threat of hunger and starvation? ah, i'm michael, look who, thanks for joining us. the world health organization is warning that the army kron and delta court corona virus variance could produce a sin nami of cuba. 19 cases that will put immense pressure on health care systems . in europe, france has posted a new record with authorities reporting more than 200000 infections in a single day. italy, ireland,

and portugal have also all announced record numbers of new case. its officials say the sky rocketing infraction rates are being driven by the highly contagious amok. on variant a new national record for france here. every 2nd more than 2 people are testing positive for the corona virus. your police patrols have stepped up in response. there was a bars and restaurants checking people's vaccination passes and for the still unvaccinated french authorities have a grim message level patrol who precipitated with you'll to do that is really little chance that you can escape it. this time the virus is spreading too fast and unvaccinated people are more likely to get infected or get severely sick. germany to is putting more pressure on the unvaccinated leading to several protests across the country. in munich, police initially banned a rally,

but protesters came out any way by the thousands saying they're just out for a walk. that is also concerned that germany is under reporting cases, due to staff shortages during the holiday season. you will, the fossil meizlish i mentioned the under reporting is probably of the order that the actual incident is currently 2 or 3 times as high as the incidence. we are measuring all, smithson, the u. k is facing a surge in omicron cases, and that is frustration that rapid test kits aren't available when to pick them up and there's none in the pharmacies. illinois is not, there will got the signs outside the run outside. many people need a negative test to be allowed to work. i'll gather to celebrate the start of a new you both ganga prize, your ease of religious ad stellan boss university in cape town. thanks for joining us. you're on d. w. i want to start by repeating, we're seeing record infection numbers here in europe and in other parts of the world. how worried are you about all these new cases?

well, it actually shows very much what we had seen here and kept on where i had it in south africa aware on the current 1st spread throughout the country. we had a very steep increase to record numbers of infections. and we were extremely worried that over the 5th period because it started in late november here, we would didn't have frequent numbers of severe cases being admitted to hospital and, and very fortunately, our in fixed numbers have peaked. so we are now on the queue, downward change, and dead one has to be careful because of the long holiday weekend. so numbers may be lagging behind, but i don't think that picture is going to change drastically. and luckily, our hospitalized ation rate has to be lagging behind significantly. so we team for us to via cases needing hospital treatment and in the previous waves. and of course,

the reason here in south africa is that the majority of people that have had cove it during depending over the past almost 2 years. and in addition, we have just short of off the added population having had the vaccine as well. so put this in perspective for us, there's been a lot of talk about a micron being not much more harmful than the common cold water virology learning in south africa about our mac on and it's potential threat there. we are looking at data as day emerging, and when really has to say it's, it's all very early day. so you know and, and, and we know that days a time lag between becoming infected and developing severe disease. but we are cautiously optimistic. however, we think that the main feature in ami drawn is the a large percentage of the population that has some degree of immunity against it, from positive fiction or vaccination. and i think that something that's different

in many european countries where those who have not been vaccinated remain largely unprotected. if i protection i don't mean predicted for me fiction, we know that i'll make for this very good at closing breakthrough in the infections . so having had it all having been vaccinated will not protect from becoming infected and also from becoming infectious, but it will protect from becoming severely ill. and that is what we're seeing in our hospitals. we are getting patients of course with severe disease due to only chron, but those are the people who have not been vaccinated. a lot of people are wondering whether there could be a silver lining here that is, the rapid and wide spread. obama crown will bring us closer to turning covered into a more manageable threat. but it sounds like you're saying that the reason why amr con is not manifesting is dangerously as other variance is because to a large extent, people, particularly in south africa,

may have had the virus are ready and therefore have antibodies. it's very difficult to tease those 2 factors apart. again, i'm cautiously optimistic that maybe only one is a bit less virulent than the previous trains, but we are still seeing patients dying from it. so you know, it's, it's, it's not a question of a common cold virus. yet, it may be moving into that direction and that would be good news. but the bad news is that i like what, what was said in france in your report that with this very and it will be next to impossible to escape infection. and we have seen the whole fall, it's grades and how fast the numbers rise. many patients also many infected people are a symptomatic, so not necessarily recognize that can still pass it on. so i would say that with the next few months, the majority of the population will get it. and if we need to keep it there, we'll have to keep it. they're both going private. really appreciate your time in

cape town. many thanks. a jury in the us has found a british social, like elaine maxwell guilty of helping a late sex offender jeffrey epstein abuse under age girls for years. after 5 days of deliberations, the new york jury found maxwell guilty on 5 counts, including recruiting and grooming epstein, teenage victims. the verdict could see the 60 year old spend the rest of her life in prison, recruiting and grooming teenage victims and trafficking a minor. these are the heavy charges of which british socialite delayed maxwell was found guilty by the new york jury. the road to justice has been far too long. but today, just as has been done, no one, no matter how powerful or well connected it is above the law. jolaine maxwell is the daughter of british newspaper. baron robert maxwell,

in court accuser showed evidence of maxwell's close relationship to late fine and sheer and convicted sex offender, jeffrey epstein. epstein was child and 2019 based on charges of sex trafficking miners, but he committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial. in the current court case of killing maxwell, she was found to have helped epstein systematically procure young girls some as young as 14. the charges against maxwell were brought forward by 4 victims, but many more feel they have been served justice. this is a victory for all the victims of miss maxwell and abstain. moreover, i think this is a victory for all young children, boys, girls, women, and men who are victims of abusers like this. it will give them the needed push to step forward and to speak their truth and to hopefully get justice like these young girls have with respect to miss maxwell,

the defense as to 60 year old is being used as a scapegoat for other people's crimes. i. we firmly believe in glens, innocence. obviously we are very disappointed with the verdict. we have already started working on the appeal, and we are confident that she will be vindicated everyone the healthy, have a happy new year. how you doing, maxwell now stands to spend the rest of her life in prison. if she receives the maximum possible sentence of 65 years. so where does the case go from here? here's the d w correspondence stefan simon's. now there is a sentencing error dates to be sets and this is when the judge comes out and announces what he sent it to. but you heard already the attorney for mr. xle saying that they are working on the appeal. so this will definitely go into an appeal and an appeals court will be a then have the,

the job of sorting this out if this appeal is, is legitimate. and if there is, are grounds actually, if there are grounds for an appeal. now the prosecution, that's what many experts say made really, really sure that they're, that they give because they were actually expecting an appeal, no matter what. when, if it makes mist maxwell or would have been found guilty, but they made sure that this is somewhat of an air tight prosecution. they delivered with the testimony of those 4 victims, for example, as at rest. so this is going to be a hard time from his maxwell in the appeals court, i would think, and again, 65 years in present. this is the rest of her life. a media, economic, malaysia in afghanistan, there's one market waking in cash. the opium trade, the un has reported a record opium harvest in the country for the 5th year running worth up to $2700000000.00 annually. over $100000.00 afghans are involved in the illegal trade

. for many farmers, opium is the only way to make ends meet. dw correspondent ne connelly met some of them. oh, these are definitely not seen as afghanistan's new telephone rulers, with the outside world to see opium being smoked and sold, improved daylight. this bridge has long been home to cobbles, best and community of drug uses. but now its members, starting to disappear, rented up nightly by telephone patrols and taken to forcible treatment centers went in to get they come and beat us up. if they catch you, you're sure to get a beating. the way they tell us to stop using drugs and change our ways. and they go after the dealers either of the years voting protection money from the legal drug trade, or fighting their insurgency against afghanistan's western back government. taliban now say they want to put an end to the cultivation and use of what is by most estimates. the country's most valuable exploit. this at a time of extreme stress with the countries farmers, drought plummeting,

consumer demand, and board closures have seen the incomes dwindle. the one cropped still performing for these farmers is the opium poppy. here in candle province, it sold openly alongside the farmers of the producer and on the 3rd nothing. the only thing the taliban announcement changed, the phone was tell us was to drive opium prices up the time when prices father crops collapsing as well. it was jo john, i just tavis did onions and couldn't even sell them for $0.20 a sac that we know this isn't a legal crop and it's not right to them. honestly, these are illegal drugs and we know that. but what else can we do that even yell amazon or promote one that you homer the much? why would you them would have kenneth dove land borders, logic shop for legal experts into harvests of pomegranates and other crops have rotted or been sold repeatedly. while smoking roots for o payment cannabis who stayed open, this farmer lost his leg to soviet land mine as a child. more recently, his village, so repeated american bombing rates targeting taliban insurgents,

they in turn brought their own improvised minds, leaving some fields too dangerous to cultivate. it's real to tell us a to dry for most crops this year, even for opium poppies. so he's planted cannabis instead. nike revenue for it's apart from the leaves, which we so we also get the seas to feed our chickens and the stems to use for straw gives us 3 harvest and one that doesn't go bad in storage, like onions or corn. i mean, if i fi, margins, he at a tight, even at the best times. right now he's struggling to find the 20 years per month. he needs to send one of his sons to school money. he has no chance of making with legal crops your way around. national community was helping us. we wouldn't be growing cannabis or opium palms. yeah, of course we draw the grow legal crops. we do the labor and get the blame, but the big profits end up with the foreign smugglers, korea much. but for now, this little prospect of international aid returning in anything like the volume seen under the previous government. without it, afghanistan's economy looks set to suffer for the foreseeable future,

opening the way from well puppies and will cannabis across these fields. and when aquatics on the streets of afghanistan's neighbors. you're watching dw news. here's a reminder, the top story we're following for eve, readers, social i killing natural, has been found guilty of learning teenage girls to be sexually abused by american millionaire jeffrey epstein. the new york jury founder guilty of 5 counts, including recruiting and gloomy teenage victims. and the most serious offense trafficking, a minor for sense coming up next is your business news on michael oke, who in berlin, thanks for joining me. you watching d. w i.