then says 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 gets aren't available. when a man is nanine, the pharmacy, grandma, is not in the room, but 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. 4 countries are still grappling with rising case numbers. health authorities are also under pressure to reduce the isolation requirements for people infected or in contact with a positive case. the u. s. recently shortened its quarantine period, and germany's health minister says he's considering a similar move. the w reporter joel dull royce explains what's behind the raced reduced warranty. until recently, helpful authorities around the world have mostly followed, defined terrific recommendation that people isolate for up to 2 weeks to testing

positive or coming into close contact with an infected person. but now, as the army con, very kicks off a new way of infections around the world. more people are finding themselves stuck at home. tracking data shows over 19000000 people have tested positive to coven 19 in the past 28 days. and that has had an impact on the economy. some hospital schools and businesses are finding themselves short staffed recently, thousands of flights were canceled. us airlines demand a shorter isolation period to get people back to work. and this week, the u. s. center for disease control, cut the recommended isolation period down from the previous 10 days to 5 days for people without symptoms, spain, the u. k, and others are also reducing isolation and other countries may follow, including germany, france, and italy. but how risky is this strategy? the cdc's own modeling found that out to 5 days of quarantine, there was still

a 35 percent chance that a person could pass on the virus. now that risk reduces to one percent after 10 days. so why shorten the isolation period? well, previous variance had an average incubation time of around 5 days. however, some studies are showing that army current has a foster incubation period of around 3 days. infected people may develop symptoms more quickly, and some are arguing that that could allow quarantine to begin and end earlier. but other scientists are urging caution wanting that there is still much we do not know about the impact of ami kron. the decision to reduce isolation periods may be welcome used to millions of people stuck at home. but it's a calculated risk that is being made to get people back to work. so let's take a look at some other developments in the pandemic. a south african researchers have found

a booster shot of johnson and johnson's covered. 19 vaccine is 84 percent effective at preventing hospitalization. turkey has launched its domestically developed vaccine turco vac, amid a rapid surgeon. new cases is roll out was beset by delays for months, and new york city will ring in the new year in time square. despite record numbers of covered 19 infections, the event will be scaled back with smaller crowds and visitors will be required to have proof of vaccination. a jury in the u. s. has found british socialite gillian maxwell guilty of helping the late sex offender jeffrey epstein abuse under age girls over a period of years. after 5 days of deliberations, the new york jury found back swell guilty on 5 counts, including recruiting and grooming abstains 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 galle maxwell was

found guilty by the new york jerry. the road to justice has been far too long, but today justice 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 jailed in 2019 based on charges of sex trafficking minors, 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 of 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. that a fence up to 60 year old is being used as a scapegoat for other people's crimes. i, we firmly believe in gallons, 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. get round up of some of the headlines

now around the world. thousands have taken to the streets of cartoon and other sudanese cities to protest against october's military takeover. the demonstrators, a brave tear gas and defied orders to disperse, as they called for a transition to free elections. local journalists say the military has cut internet and mobile phone service. european union has said it supports an international arms embargo on me on mars military regime and says it's toughening its own sanctions on the country. this comes after humanitarian groups reported the military killed and buried 30 people last week in a village in the conflict torn chaos state. police in hong kong have formerly charged to senior editors from the online pro democracy news out that stand news with sedition. they've been identified in court documents as former stand news chief editor, shown week when and africa lum. the announcement comes

a day after authorities rated the officers of stan, news south africans had been paying their respects to archbishop desmond tutu in a memorial ceremony at saint george's cathedral in cape town. that's where the anti apartheid icon once delivered sermons against white minority rule. during the service, some of his favorite hymns were perform. the archbishop will lie and stayed until his funeral on january 1st. for many south africans to choose, legacy will live on long past his death at the age of 90. it's an honor and nothing seems to me to be at to day to say my fine will. goodbyes to the arch was done so much with his gun 30 in terms of founder bit ation and speaking to the to power. a total leader of the soil actually quite said actually that tweeted losing such could i people in this time became yet to express our deep sorrow

with the passing of the arch. i was a man of great faith person that we at my it greatly a true yet. oh, i struggle just yesterday to pay my very last speaks to this most amazing, great man will just remember him for his love and his ha, up spoke kindness between right and wrong, he was always the voice of the voiceless and always the voice of reason. he told me i want to love you told me how to cry. and he told me one thing he talked to how to play the anti apartheid icon in nobel peace prize. laurie had died last sunday at the age of 90 years, more on desmond to twos lasting impact. aah!

every day at noon this week the bells of saint george's cathedral and across south africa have chimed in. remembrance of the former archbishop flowers, a mass for desmond tutu though he wanted no grand display of mourning, his daughter on tom b. thank to people around the world for their support. it has been such an outpouring of love and support and that we, we, we don't have enough. now. there are times in the lawson and sharing story that times we are crying as we come to term is life without dead cape town. city icons are illuminated in the purple of 2 tooth clerical robes. south africa, the president added his words to the course of tributes because he was the voice of the voice that he was the one person who paid for justice. for people living with

a b. as for the l g, b, t, q i plus community. and for the d jacketed and the oppressed people, not only in our country footage from 985 shows to to coming an angry mob who had been beating and accused apartheid collaborator. he was one of the strongest voices for peaceful resistance against the system. a pricing south africa, black people. we know, we know, we know we got over every he later traveled the world containing for human rights against homophobia. israel's treatment of palestinians and climate change. one of his last public appearances receiving a cove at 19 vaccine, sending a message of social solidarity right to the end. that today's funeral will be limited to just $100.00 guests inside the cathedral,

but will be followed by countless more outside and around the world. in china, a ban on tattoos is forcing put boulders on the national team to rethink their inc, the days of sporting tattoos are over says china's sports authority considered a controversial decision by many. china says it's an intent to set a good example for society. players who already have tattoos are advised to remove them or in some cases, cover them up. and new tattoos or a no go with 2022, just around the corner. a sweet new year's tradition in japan has taken on gigantic proportions a rice cake, weighing 700 kilograms has been offered at a shrine into a cheaper prefecture, north of tokyo. it's an annual tradition marked by prayers for

a good harvest. the rice cake will remain on display until january 20th. then it will be broken up and given to visitors. you are watching d. w news. just reminder the top story we're following for you to day. surgeon covered 19 infections are causing governments concern around the globe. here in europe, france has posted a record number of infections with authorities reporting more than 200000 infections in a single day. italy, ireland, and portugal have also an else record numbers of new cases. you're watching d w. nurse businesses next with rob watts. i'm terry martin. thanks for watching. ah, ah ah

ah, does m a war and eternity? time. it can be measured precisely. indeed, everyone experiences it differently as if there are different forms of time. time, a phenomenon, a dimension. if we know we won't live forever and illusion about time presenting futures past starts december 31st on d. w in ah, 20 years of the euro as the euro is and marks 2 decades since it's radical, new common currency started filling up wallets. we discussed whether it's been

a monetary model of financial flaws. the orders 1st home grown battery facility has begun production. we'll look at what sweden's new north vote giga factory means to the continent. with energy prices still soaring across the world will look back on a year of power. struggle is also fuel fight. this is the to be business on robots in berlin. welcome to the program, 19 countries, one currency, and now europe is marking 20 years of the euro. it's been a roller coaster a couple of decades for the single currency. for some, the euro has been a stabilizing factor for the continent. others say it's just driven up prices, as we wait to see what the future holds for the euro. let's 1st take a look at the past a symbol of hope and prosperity for all of europe. the 6 story high euros culture in front of the european central bank in frankfort.

it was germany's way of celebrating the introduction of the euro as legal tender. since then, europeans didn't have to exchange notes and coins when traveling within the eurozone. companies also profited as trade within the currency union sharply increased on the eve of 2022 more than 340000000 people. the 19 e u countries use the common currency every day. at its introduction, one euro cost $1.00 u. s. dollar and 7 cents. since then, it has gone up and up in 2008. it reached its old time high of almost one u. s. dollar and 60 cents just before the start of the global financial crisis. there was also the 1st real test for the euro, a single currency for economies as different as greece and germany, a recipe for disaster. the e, you had to agree on a 1000000000 euro rescue packages to save the weaker countries of southern europe

from financial collapse the crisis, but the euro under unprecedented pressure. speculators tried to caching on the failure of the common currency in 2012, the president of the e. c. b spoke words that would go down in history. the c, b is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro. and believe me, it will be enough to e. c. b was pushing the envelope and it worked for euro survive the financial crisis to day. a tough new test. the corona pandemic lock downs have placed a heavy burden on the national budgets of the euro countries. in 2020, they took on joint debt for the 1st time ever made critics of the euro say this move makes financially weaker countries

a burden on those with stronger economies. many others, however, still see the euro is the best opportunity for the european union countries to grow even closer. well, to discuss further 20 years of the euro, let's speak to maria de maps. this is deputy director of the brussels economic think tank brew go. thanks a lot for joining us on doing business. great. have you on so 2 decades in can we say whether the euro has been a success or not? yes, of course, i think and the euro has been there has been a big success actually. and way of thinking about this is imagine how countries small countries, but also be countries will have weathered the 2 big crisis that we've seen in the past 20 years. had they been alone? i think that's a very important thing to try and contemplate is with a thought experiment. and then you realize that the scale and the stability that the youth has brought to the continent, different degrees with different countries has actually managed to keep

a europe together and, and actually whether the crisis is much less costly than it would have been otherwise. so yes, it is been an outrage, success as far as i'm concerned. but as he just mentioned, the impact of it has buried between countries. have there been winners and losers for the last 20 years? i think it's important appreciate that not on countries joint or the euro ended the you for the same reasons. i to the extent that one can have a distinction between the north of the south and i'm very reluctant to make these types of comparisons because they're never really accurate. but let's say, let's say for the sake of conversation we, we divide the continent in this 2 blocks. the northern countries are a more open country, so they are the ones we're looking for a greater markets. so they're real, the prime motivation for the northern part of europe to join the you is to expand their markets both domestically domestically being in europe, but so scale also internationally, globally. and then of course, the you provide amplitude countries of the north, kansas in the south and the other hand wanted stability. they wanted

a stable currency that is going to ensure that the consumer has got predictability in terms of purchasing power in their pockets. and they got that with the euro. so yeah, to that extent, if you so think about the motivation why every country joined, the you and all of them had something to do to wind from the adjustment to their to the euro hasn't been easy for all countries that i think is important. countries in the south found it a lot more difficult to adopt, simply because their economies are a lot more inflexible. i, but i think even countries in the south have found the stability of the year to been an upright success at survived to decades. and they've got through various crises, but there is another one on the way as the are as and recovers from the pandemic. how well set is the euro to get through that? i think you'll see that a european architecture, which is absolutely essential for a good a connection. i mean, and for sustaining shocks or sustaining crisis has been going,

has been moving in the right direction. compare the reaction, how europe dealt with the financial crisis and of what speed and to the reaction of the you in the current crisis to put in a crisis in 2020. and at what speed, you'll see that both of the unity of europe as well as the speed of reaction, have greatly improved. there is a thing as a serialization appreciation of the fact that a united europe can really, whether the storm so much faster. there are we important discussions in 2022 when it comes to a contextual issues. i'm thinking mostly of the fiscal pack that can really help increase the resilience of the continent. and i think there is enough understanding that important steps for what need to happen. ok, maria demetrius from brewer. thank you very much for joining us on date of your business. next, it's been labor day milestone for europe. sweden's north volt has officially begun production at the continents 1st home growing battery cell production line. it's

good news for customers like folks bargain, volvo and b, m, w, and their future plans. just 200 kilometers south of the arctic circle this factory and we'll, if they all produced its 1st battery cell this week, the location was chosen because it's near important sights of renewable energy production in northern sweden, including hydro electric power, intended to compete with the u. s electric car, joint tesla and asian producers of lithium ion batteries. the site is expected to produce enough batteries to power $1000000.00 electric vehicles every year. north vault expects to make its 1st deliveries to commercial customers. in early 2022. the company has already secured $30000000000.00 worth of orders from european carmakers, including germany's b, m, w, and folks, vargas and sweden's, volvo, with which it plants a 2nd european factory test lays due to launch its 1st factory in europe soon. and

asian rivals have significant operations in poland and hungary, but no european firm had opened a major facility until now. russian president vladimir putin is again turning up the pressure on german regulators to approve nord stream to is told a meeting of the government shown on russian stake tv, that the pipeline is now fully primed and ready to solve your it's national, natural gas supply problems. and these network regulator though, says it won't give the go ahead till no to nod stream to until it satisfied the swiss based operating company is complying with german law. a ones for approval may not come until the 2nd half of 2022 is cooker. and you put the rising tension. nathan nod stream to comes at the end of an extraordinary year for the global energy sector. as chelsea delaney reports, nicole natural gas and crude oil in this year. these fossil

fuels have been in short supply. whatever you want to call it, a crisis, a crunch. shortage. what's been unfolding across global energy market this year is impacting all of our live in almost every corner of the world, the energy needed to heat our homes or fuel or cars or power. our businesses has become drastically more expensive. it takes a long time for the amount of switch away from fossil fuels. in $981.00, oil gas and cool account for 84 percent of total energy demand. last year that there was to 84 percent. the 1st place where we really started to see energy shortages unfold this year was in china. china school supply couldn't keep up with the sharp bounce back in demand from its factory sector. by september, the government ordered some factories closed and told coal mines to increase production with the coal shortage at home. china turn to international natural gas markets to help keep the lights on and factories running. that huge amount of

demand coming from china rippled across global energy markets, including to those here in europe, the competition between china and europe for elegy has been building for years. but this years energy shortage is led to an all out bidding war and europe, husband losing to asia when they get cold and they get them in europe. ready have been less, but then i mean, there's pipeline supply in no way algeria, russia, they can supply as well. but that's where you have no problem. russia has been slow to finish tional gas the you this year despite the critical shortage of stocks. some analysts believe the limited deliveries are no quinn sentence and accused moscow of exploiting europe's energy weakness. why? inter nordstrom to the 9500000000 euro natural gas pipeline. russia recently completed constructing germany. the russians have spent a fortune under put in developing an entire new natural gas province. what happens

in europe then, as part of its climate policy cuts back on natural gas consumption? indeed, many politicians do see climate policy, namely, a faster move towards renewables. as the solution, but building out that infrastructure could take years. so what about right now for now, government seemed to have decided the answer is more fossil fuels. china has doubled down on coal while here in the u. for many countries have pledged to give a call in the coming decade. idle plants are being put back on line. fossil fuel stole power our lives. and until that changes, fossil fuels and the countries that produce them will continue to determine how much it costs to keep the lights on. chelsea delaney reporting now 2021 has also been a year of ups and downs for the world's shipping lanes in the sea of japan. things

have taken another bizarre turn as well. dozens of cause have become caked in ice, up to half a meter thick on my way to the russian port of blood voss doc. at that, japanese ship expanse high winds, with temperatures minus 19 celsius waves splashed over the cars, then froze, cracking wind screens and causing all kinds of other damage in the process. muscle from the business team here in berlin. if you want more from us, you had to our website to we dot com slash business. you can also find asked of on the database, use youtube channel. and of course on facebook at d, w dot business until next time. i finally learning to read 60 for her entire life osley emory has invested everything into education for her 10 children. she

herself is a literate like men, older women in turkey. but honestly in but i know that learning always pays off. focus on europe. next on d, w. ah, what secrets lie behind these walls? discover new adventures in 360 degrees. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. d w world heritage is 360. get the out now with hello and a very warm welcome and a to focus on.