we learned something, the hardware and software of our brain changes. so get really for the brain up to 40 to the answer to almost everything. starts january 15th on d, w. ah ah, this is dw news ally from berlin, hong kong joins china in easing. pandemic restrictions, including welcoming arriving visitors without pcr test showing their coven creek. but going the other way, hong kong ers and chinese citizens will need to test to travel to the us,

japan and some other nations. ukraine says russia has unleashed more than a 100 missiles across the country. just days after shelling the southern city of her song, the attacks there have prompted an accident of civilians. and concern grows over the health of former pope benedict. the 16th that a can says he is very ill and doctors of monitoring his condition around the club. ah. a michael ok, welcome. hong kong is dropping, most of it's covered 19 restrictions following similar moves by mainland china. starting today. travelers arriving to the territory will no longer have to undergo sensitive pcr chats. close contacts of those you test positive will no longer have to quarantine. hong kong vaccine pass system will also be scrapped. but compulsory

mass in public places will continue. it's a significant move given the city once had some of the toughest kroner virus restrictions in the world dw corresponded phoebe kong is following this story for us in hong kong. i asked her what dropping covered restrictions will mean for people's daily lives. for hong kong affectively can. so almost all of these i think it's a string to smash isn't happened in mealy. see that you have mentioned any reports and no more kids out test needed for arrival with and i know more limitations on public gatherings in the public space and also dining and also moist. actually the controversial vaccine coffee strap this well. so starting from today, people are free to go to any restaurants, genes ah, beauty salon, and the child without any vaccinations. so that is really

a big news uncle people and very exciting moment for them that they have loan that they have waited for so long off, or these are loosening out the aisle restrictions. so people are really excited about the new meshes, wi fi because they're speaking to me a little earlier from hong kong. meanwhile, the united states as it will screen all air passengers arriving from china for covered 19 italy made a similar announcement earlier. the 2 nations join a growing number of countries worried about a surgeon infections after beijing escrowed a virus restrictions, including for a tourism abroad. u. s. health officials say the decision came because china isn't sharing enough information, which is about covered 9000 number 2. how uni for chic on about ukraine's military says russia has launched a massive missile attack on several regions across the country. explosions have been heard in a number of cities,

including the capital. keith ukraine's presidential office says over a 100, missiles have been fired. authority say, however many of the explosions were the sound of missile defense systems shooting down incoming rockets. this is a developing situation, so let's bring in d. w. corresponded and manual sheds. she is on the line from the ukrainian capital . keith emma, we understand you're still under attack there. what's going on in keith at this moment? good morning, mike. oh, well indeed we are to very much under under attack. everybody's hearing cute and actually all over ukraine to stay in shelters. you and keith. i had several explosions this morning. i heard at least for explosions. they were the nissan which fell on the residential building. so we don't know if it fell. if she did,

saga though, if it was down by shut down by the defense and then hit the building this to people who have been rescued. we emergency workers to on size. once again is the critical infrastructure which hits all over the country in how to keep. there's also several me sounds which fell on the city there again, emergency workers are hauled up, work to try and rescue people, eat people trapped in those building. there's been extensions in me come in to me in odessa and cube here where yeah, and as well in the the western city of the. so it's a massive, a large scale attack against the ukraine, with the government announcing over a $120.00 me size being fired. 120 miss laws. you are in the midst of this. how are people they're dealing with the, the, the constant threat of get another russian missile barrage? well, you know, it's quite interesting because of course,

the 1st thing you would do, you check on your last one. did you check on your colleagues to see if everybody said, if you know shelter, and then you have the authority to send messages saying, well, please proceed to de niro shelter if you haven't already done so please charge all of your appliances, your phone cetera. please talk about also because of course now experience shows that there might be a power outage is coming out of those try. so people are, you know, you can never be prepared to have your windows shutter to, to hear exposures. this is always terrible. so everybody, you don't get used to it. however, people have coping sticky. they tried to be ready to be able to, to, you know, how they found that hand to ensure that their read, etc, etc. so a lot of resilience, but of course so. so a lot of fear here, sir, and resilience d w's emmanuel shaws in keep many facts that's going to round up of some of the other world headlines at this hour. a major fire at

a communion. hotel casino has killed at least 10 people and left several dozens, injure. the fire broke out in a border town around midnight. local time. neighboring thailand, st. fire trucks to help fight the blades. please say some 400 people were in the building at the time of the fire veteran is really politician benjamin netanyahu is set to take power as prime minister of a new government later today. this will mark the 6th time that yahoo has held the office. the incoming government is regarded as the most right wing in israel's history. ethnic serbs living in northern kosovo will now dismantle road blocks that were erected to protest the rest of a former ethnic. sure, a policeman. who did it? announcement comes after serbian president alexander vitric, urged ethnic serbs to reconsider their actions in a meeting to discuss the 19 day long disruption. kosovo declared independence from

serbia in 2008. pope francis has called for prayers for the former pontiff benedict. the 16th, who he says is, quote, very ill frances has visited benedict in his residence inside the vatican where he has been living since stepping down as leader of the catholic church. for some 600 years, no pope had resigned from a pontiff benedict the 16th. and at that centuries long stretch and 2013 fighting poor health since then his left a quiet life out of the spotlight known as pope ameritas burglary. so the benedict condition was named his successor pope francis has asked people to pray for him at a general audience in the vatican. we're here with you all. i would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for pope ameritas benedict, who in silence is sustaining the church as a fan, let us remember him. he is very sick hamilton,

asking the lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the church in christa until the end. more yet he is he not of whom benedict was pope for less than 8 years. he became the 1st pontiff to apologize for scandals over clerical sex abuse of children, but was criticized for failing to end cover ups by the church. and although his health has been declining in his retirement, but francis is known to have said that benedict retained a good sense of humour with her enrollment across europe in cities. many people were sad to hear the news of his blossoming help. yeah, i don't remember him. i spoke because i was still a child, but he is suddenly a good person but he's they sick. so i think it's right that people pray for him because die. amen. so december and then of course we identified with him very much because he was a german pope. and i have great respect for him to the pub sick as we're worried

because the death of a pope is very important. and we hope it's not going to happen a hope and pray us for a pontiff whose short and controversial p c broke with tradition benedict. the 16th is now being closely watched around the clock by dr. to can i asked author and journalist philip will in, in room for more about the condition of the former po, where benedict is receiving around the attention from my doctors. apparently is a condition that began to decline before christmas. and it's been said that he has a problem even reports in italian media that he's now attached to a respirator. clearly at the situation is grade. and the terms in which

francis i spoke about his health problems seem to suggest that he may be approaching the end of his life. on a respirator, we understand that the pope francis has been visiting his predecessor benedict frequently. what can you tell us about their relationship. busy when a very successfully in a very friendly atmosphere between 2 pope francis with his predecessor as being a wise grandfather who it was very convenient for him to have close at hand within the vatican grounds living in the monastery but can grounds. but over the years, a bit of a rift between the 2 with benedict,

representing a conservative forces in a certain amount of complexity about processes liberal reforms. benedict became the 1st pope to resign in 600 years. as we all know. remind us what his papacy was like. what was the thing that everyone remembers about him now? is the president resignation. but then it, it was a very highly respected theologian and his articulation of the essence of the catholic faith. ready was i think it is what people will remember about him, a clear minded, think a man of considerable, curious as someone who enjoyed the tradition, traditions of the church addressing in traditional people robes speaking in the

latin, basically someone very much concerned with preserving the past in contrast to francis, who is very much moving towards the future. that is the author and journalist philip will end in rome many, many thanks. well 2022 is rapidly drawing to a close in. it will soon be time to look forward to what the new year will bring. but it's also time to reflect on the good and bad of 2022. for some that mean shirley waving goodbye to unpleasant memories. that's exactly what people have been doing at the annual good riddance. event in new york's times square. i

dashing into 2023 after shredding thrashing and bashing 20. 22. for the people here this year has been one to for guess. they lined up to write down all the bad things they wanted to say. good riddance to in 2022. they range from poverty to single use plastics. a moment of catharsis, and an opportunity to look forward. so in 2023 i'm trying to get rid of a lot of south that i had in 2022. i just enjoy life more. you know, it's been very, it's been a very negative couple years. i hope that 2023 of course in scope. has gone down. oh, it will be better. and for woman, it was an opportunity to celebrate simply being alive. this was my hands or mass that i had the we're going through radiation and chemo. got diagnosed in january of this year. and my daughter emo radiates in surgery, and it means that i made it through at bay. i still alive. that's it. oh,

good riggins 2022. a year with its fair share of highs and lows. now all that's left to do is cross over into 2023 and see what the new year has to bring your way to do a $30.00 gift card. well, that is all for now. don't forget there's more to be found at our breaking news and on social media. the handle for instagram and twitter is at d. w. news. a michael local in berlin for me and the team here. thanks for your company. and wherever you are, please do have a good day ah, every journey is full of surprises. we've gone all out to give you some tim, why the indian.