yes, we're all about the stories that matter to you. whatever it takes. 5 policemen follow with you. we are, your is actually on fire. made for mines with this is d. w. news coming to you live from berlin. people around the world in different time zones bring in the new year. australia's largest city sydney is

among the 1st to welcome 2022, drawing thousands of revelers to watch its famous fireworks. despite record numbers of cobra, 19 cases. also coming up, germany's new chancellor gives his 1st new year's address. olaf shoulds urges the public to stand together and get vaccinated. ah hello, i'm terry martin. good to have you with us countries around the world, a big gun ringing in the new year and australia is one of the 1st to kick off 2022 with a bang spectacular fireworks display at the sydney harbour bridge . it, as his tradition in the city after festivities were scaled back last year, due to the pandemic authorities, encouraged people to go out and enjoy for the evening this time around. but with

corona virus case, number's soaring in australia and particularly in sydney. many have chosen to watch the show from home. germany is new, chancellor has recorded his 1st new year's address to the nation in comments due to be broadcast later today. all of sholtes urged all germans to stand together in the fight against covered 19 and to get vaccinated. other than tackling the pandemic, the german leader. so the biggest challenge for the upcoming year was to lay the foundations for germany's future development. i think one small change is that today i am the one speaking to you on new year's eve as your federal chancellor. the things that the friend this year after 16 years of new year's addresses by angle america, germany's new head of government who hosted a task for the 1st time chancellor shall send out the challenges faced by the country in 2021. acknowledging the hardships that have been endeared, such as these summer slots in western germany, and praising the resilience,

people have shown, especially doing the pandemic monte bagley's day. some people complained that our society is divided. i'd like to take this opportunity to make it very clear that in fact the opposite is true. our country is standing together by what i see everywhere as tremendous, solidarity, and incredible spurts of helping others. and people coming together and mutual support. in order to cab copied 19 infections of shots appeared once again to people to get vaccinated. if isn't that the, we know that those who are not yet vaccinated are at particular risk of becoming infected and suffering from long and severe illness. for this reason, i would like to urge you once more to get vaccinated for the new government fascination efforts have already heed their 1st milestone with 13000000 vaccines administered since the end of november. and further,

13000000 doses planned by the end of january allow shield so, so took the opportunity to emphasize to coalitions goes on climates, mix them up within 25 years. we want germany to become climate new chosen. to achieve this, we will move forward with the greatest transformation our economy is seen in more than a century. in this period we will achieve independence from coal, oil and gas. and he reminded listeners of one of his social democratic parties, key election, thomas's and pay is also a matter of respect. that's why in 2022 will be taking a major step in increasing the legal minimum wage to 12 years per hour. shelter. 5 new year's address sewn with optimism. it was a declaration of good faith, but it also called on people who played a part in forming the future. 15. i'm the grid, the beginning of the new decade, a new era as dawning, lawyer and era that will be successful if we actively shape it is because we can make a difference if we remain determined and take our fight into our own hands than the

one in the spring in our chief political editor, michela crooked here. mikaela. tell us why this annual address matters for the new chancellor. well, 1st of all, it is 1st address mocking the beginning of the new era, the post macro era. and it's the only scheduled direct address to the people of any german chancellor. i'm going to mca deposits from that once when she addressed people directly here in germany over the call, the 900 pandemic, right at the beginning. and last holds many felt missed an opportunity by not doing that just after or in the midst of the transition to the new government. so this is a direct address to ordinary germans and he clearly he's calling on people not to let themselves be divided. now we saw a couple about tags from the, from the speech just a moment ago in our, in our package. but you've seen the whole thing. are there any surprises in the

speech mckayla? did we learn anything new about chancellor shelves as priorities? well, no huge surprises. but what i think is notable is that not any the spend less to studs on just cove at 19 and the internal challenges, but he calls them people not to let the nascent be divided at the same time. we've heard from the president of german parliament about bosses from his own s p, the party who calls on people to bridge those divisions. now this is more than just semantics. clearly, there seems to be a strategy of the incoming government to call on that unity and to simply not address those divisions that are clearly tangible and that too much to avoid them from becoming ever deeper. and the only concrete policy change we've really heard from all r. so it says that he is determined to see the german minimum wage rise within the

coming year. 212 euros is just over 9 years at this very moment in time. so it's very much nitty gritty domestic stuff with just pretty much the bottom 3rd of the speech really reserved for international issues, which he clearly also sees as important as he wants to see on that agenda. wanted to ask you about foreign policy in the speech. was there any mention of china or the tensions with russia on europe's eastern flank? it's getting a lot of attention lately. well, there was mention particularly of the contract with ukraine, but he didn't address it directly and this is very much all actual. it's the social democratic s p d party. his policy is traditionally one could say, more understanding of rasa than the conservatives were. and when it comes to concrete issues, he says that violations of orders are not acceptable. he stresses the close trans atlantic ties. but he disney doesn't go into what that will translate into when it

comes to concrete policy night like the know stream to pipeline. so criticize both by the united states and the u, that direct link between germany and russia and china. we are still to learn where this new sold government will stand both on a boy course of officials like the united states. go over those paging olympics, but also on the question whether germany would also refuse to import goods that are produced in tiny regions, whether weaker minority is suppressed and in camps. so he's still owed some concrete policy answers. at the same time, you sending a clear message that germany, europe is in for drastic change. first and foremost, oh, climate neutrality. mckayla. thank you very much. archie, political editor, mikella kutner. and you can watch the new year's

address by the german chancellor in its entirety at 7 p. m. central european time here on t w. now let's catch up on some of the other stories making headlines around the world. today. the 3 nuclear power plants go off grid in germany today. the last remaining 3 stations will be switched off the same time. next year. nuclear phase out started under chance, was under the michael after the nuclear accident in fukushima and is set to finish . as i said by the n 2022 american president joe biden, and his russian counterpart vladimir putin have discussed russia's troops build up near the ukrainian border wide and demanded at d escalation and threatened russia with new sanctions. but putin warned, such measures would cause a complete rupture of ties. despite their differences, both sides agree that progress was made on the coal. people in south africa are streaming into cape towns, cathedral for a 2nd day to pay their respects to the archbishop desmond. to 2 anglican clerics

carried his coffin into saint george's cathedral, where the former nobel peace laureate, once railed against apartheid, might rule. to 2 died last sunday. at the age of 90, tens of thousands of residence in the us state of colorado had been forced to evacuate due to quickly spreading wildfires. the flames swept through residential areas near the city of gender, burning hundreds of homes of shopping complex and a hotel authority say, these are the worst fires the state has ever seen. fakes mike fills the air outside as the fire approaches at this diner in superior town. just outside denver, colorado panic families try to get out strong winds of finding the fire women dinah's rush to that cause hoping to out

race the fast moving blaze. gusts of a 100110 miles an hour can and have moved this fire down a football field in a matter of seconds. very little time to get out very little time to even get the most important parts of your life. and yes, it'll be a difficult process for colorado families who are different direct to affected, to rebuild their lives. before the fi is consumed, nearly 600 homes, tens of thousands of residents in 2 towns. north of denver were evacuated. officials believe power lines down by strong winds could have caused the initial sparks and grasslands dried by an extreme drought. offered the conditions for the wild fires to grow out of control. testing even the most seasoned imagined c cruz

we've actually had though, duffy sheriffs and firefighters in areas that had to pull out because it, which they just got overrun. so there was a lot of brave stuff corner to do out there. as the size continue into the night, the weather service is full, costing a much needed snow full later on friday, snow that residents will be hoping can help dampen these flames. and give you an update on some of the latest of elements in the corona. virus pandemic. ah, britain has approved. pfizer is covered 19 pill for patients over the age of 18. the approval comes amid a surgeon corona virus. cases in the united kingdom is israel has started giving a 4th dose of covered vaccine to immunity. come from eyes, people, heart transplant patients were among the 1st receive, the shots and hong kong has recorded its 1st community transmission. in about 3

months, authorities say an air crew member broke home quarantine rules by going to a restaurant working infected to people with the all me chron, marriott. well, some up lifting news. now, on the pandemic of, from south africa, government officials there say it's possible the country may be passed the peak of the army crohn barian, which was detected there last month. it was feared sick patients would overwhelm the health care system. but that didn't happen instead, hospitalization, rates decreased despite the more contagious nature of bombing crohn. now ahead of the new year, south africans are feeling hopeful. this was the epicenter of only crone, but infections have dropped and residents of doubting province a basking into relief. as our local health care workers, me grown woe at i at prominent housekeeper level. definitely for the average patient cause as much mild as symptoms. then even delta,

if i look at my own personal experience out of a 110 patients, we had to admit it from 3 to 4 patients. i'm not various if you the probability of landing in a hospital with only crone is 80 percent lower than the delta infections expert fe . the reason is threefold. a great many people in south africa already have some immunity against the virus due to past infections. secondly, the new parent is weaker, and thirdly, vaccines have helped. almost 40 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. patients who nevertheless need hospitalization, are not severely sick. disability often hospitalisation often listen, we monitor how many needed oxygen or ethan. i see you more cynthia chemical cause

and asked that he, when he has seen the vehicle when noted in those with on cranberry some south africans wonder if omicron is a blessing in disguise. those who fall sick are not too sick. and the infections act as natural boosters. you are watching. did a be news from berlin, coming up next as business with rob watson. of course, you get all the latest news and information any time you want on our website. that's d w dot com. if you're looking for us on social media, you'll find this under at d w news. i'm terry martin from me and all of us here at the w. thanks ruth with.