♪ >> this is dw news live from berlin, tonight the pandemic's grip on germany is tighter than ever, the public health agency warns the country is far from away from the second wave of the coronavirus. the daily number of deaths this week now the highest and's the start of the pandemic. countries around the world are preparing to roll out mass vaccination programs but with demand outnumbering supply, we will look at who will get the first doses.

a moment of reckoning at the u.n. general assembly, word leaders convene for a special session, is there a multilateral way out of this pandemic? and the number of deaths in russia suggest the virus is taking a far greater toll than the government is admitting, we will meet an undertaker who tells us he is overwhelmed. a key architect of the european union and the g summit dies from covid-19, former french president led france during the 1970's and laid the foundation for europe's single occurrence -- currency. ♪ >> to our viewers all around the world welcome, we start tonight

with the latest from the pandemic here in germany and the news is not good, the head of the countries of look health institute says that germany is still nowhere near bringing the second wave of coronavirus infections under control. a partial lockdown in place since november has stabilized numbers, but those numbers remain too high. >> the coronavirus pandemic is not yet leading up in germany. the head of the country's federal health agency issued a stark warning. >> [speaking foreign language] too many people are still getting infected with covid-19 and the numbers are still too high, they are on a plateau but are not yet falling noticeably. we also see the number of serious outbreaks and deaths is increasing from week to week. since these occur with a certain delay, we must expect many more here. >> germany has been under a

partial lockdown since november 2. the daily increase in new infections has leveled off with just over 22,000 cases recorded on to -- thursday. despite resections, the numbers have not dropped restricted -- significantly. the country reported a record 487 deaths, the highest since the onset ofhe pandemic. with no change in sight, gensler angela merkel announced on wednesday that the partial lockdown will be extended. restaurants, bars, and leisure facilities will remained -- remain closed and contact will be restricted. some say that is not enough, the southern state of bavaria is considering tougher measures. >> in the coming weeks we will really have to ask ourselves whether all these measures are enough. whether we can keep the country and a half sleep like this or whether we should be clear and consistent and impose even stricter measures in certain areas.

>> some exceptions will be made over the christmas period to allow fred's -- friends and families together, in berlin, some think a loosening on restrictions over the holiday is a good idea while others fear it may be too risky. >> [speaking foreign language] it is very difficult, people cannot meet with friends or ran parents, -- grandparents, may be these few days will have a positive effect on our lives. >> [speaking foreign language] this will only make things worth -- worse, if we have to pause restrictions and beat back the virus again. >> still, some long weeks of coronavirus restrictions ahead with hopes and on the forthcoming vaccines. brent: let's bring in our political correspondent, is good to see you, let me ask you what is the plan here in germany for rolling out the vaccines? >> vaccination centers are being set up at this moment around the

country, the first ones should be able to open within two weeks, but at first there will not be enough vaccines for everyone. the supply will increase over time with production, there will be two faces, during the first one, vulnerable. people will be prioritized. i'm thinking elderly, first responders, and vaccinations will take place in those centers and mobile teams. there will be a second phase, once the vaccine will be more broadly available, than the general population will have access to it and the vaccine will be available at medical practices just like any other vaccine. that should be early next year. brent: we know the partial lockdown is going to stay in effect into the new year, january 10 i think, and yet we are not seeing progress in bringing down the numbers of new infections, why is that? >> >> because it is partial, it

takes time for the number of infections to significantly drop. right now, x financial growth hastopped, but it has not significant he reduced the number of infections. today we saw little over 22,000 new cases, but on day one of the lockdown, the number was over 23,000, so we do have more significant deaths at the moment. this partial lockdown is to be extended until general returns into some areas with particularly high infection rates like nurnberg or bavaria where tougher restrictions have been implemented. brent: these tougher restrictions are not going to be eased from christmas until new year, how will we know that will not great a super spender -- it's better -- super spreader event? >> this is up to local

authorities to allow it or not, here in berlin, the mayor has decided not to allow loosening of the current restrictions which are five people maximum in two households because the incidence rate in the german capital is too high. angela merkel had warned time and again there was a need for tougher restrictions. she called for individual responsibility to avoid socializing and traveling when this is not necessary. brent: the virus does not observe any holidays, emmanuelle with the latest year in berlin, thank you. is there were prepares for mass vaccinations, supply will most likely not meet demand at least at first. that raises questions about who should be at the top of the list. >> after mths of doom and gloom, a shot of hope or rather, millions of them.

most agree anyone who wants to get ccinated should be le to, demand is likely to out stretch initiupply. that is why the who is now recommending -- >> health and social workers, adults over 60 years of age, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities should be prioritized for access to vaccines. >> the recommendations closely mirror the plan announced on wednesday by the british government which said it will start vaccinations later this month. in countries with federal states like germany or the u.s., the question of who comesirst and who will have to wait will be left to local authorities. in the meantime, the german chancellor has a sot to come deaths -- calm critics.

>> nobody will be forced to be vaccinated, this is voluntary, the question of who will be vaccinated first is being discussed. i think i can reveal this much, first and foremost of course we have nurses, doctors, and people in high risk groups. >> many have hailed the new vaccines as potentially game changing, the beginning of a brighter future. across europe, an air of euphoria mixed with clouds of caution. >> it will inevitably take some months before all the most vulnerable are protected. long, cold months, so it is all the more vital that as we celebrate this scientific achievement, we are not carried away with over optimism or fall into the naive belief that the struggle is over. >> only after 50%-70% of people

will become immune to the various the various will be defeated, reaching that worldwide will take time. brent: the road to recovery is the focus of the special session of the u.n. general assembly, almost 100 world leaders are taking apart. the meeting coincides with the release of a study that shows more than one billion people could be living in extreme poverty by 2030 due to the long-term effects of the coronavirus. the u.n. secretary-general criticized some countries for going in alone, he stressed the size of the challenge facing the entire world. >> vaccines may become available within the next weeks and months, but let's not for ourselves, a vaccine cannot undo damage that will stretch across years, even decades to come. poverty is rising, the set of famine looms, we face the

biggest global recession in eight decades, and this intergenerationally affects us. there have been injustices exposed by the pandemic, it is time to reset. brent: another concern is making sure there is a -- equality of access to vaccines all over the globe, we spoke about this with a professor and director of global health policy at the center for global development, here's what she had to say. >> this is encouraging news on the vaccine, i think we need to look at the data and rely on more than press releases. we need to look at peer-reviewed publication of results, in the meantime regulators here in the eu and united states are proceeding with the emergency authorization processes and that is important and understandable. in terms of equitable access, i

think it is reasonable to assume that wealthier nations, those with advanced deals with companies will be the first to get to the vaccine and distribute it to their populations followed by resource constrained company -- countries. brent: let's have a look at the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic, over 1.5 million deaths have been reported worldwide from nearly 65 million cases according to johns hopkins university. u.s. coronavirus expert anthony factory has criticized regulators for their swift approval of the biontech pfizer vaccine. he suggests they just accepted the data instead of scrutinizing it. moscow says it's a vaccine is 95% effective. a russian second wave of the

coronavirus has hit some of its regions hard. in many cities there are hardly any hospital beds left, official statistics say almost 40,000 people in russia have died from the buyers, but media report -- from the virus, but media reports say fatality is probably four times higher than last year. our correspondent with to the city of ufa in the country's southwest where it is mainly undertakers who experience these grim figures firsthand. >> with a steady stream of coronavirus data, speed is of the essence at the morgue. every morning, the team from the funeral agency comes here to collect new victims of the pandemic. this 29-year-old has been working at the funeral home for 12 years, but he says he has never had to bury this many bodies. >> [speaking foreign language]

one time there is a huge line of hearses outside of the morgue, it was only then people started to understand that death had really come. call the relatives to identify the body. >> this morgue is only for those who died of the coronavirus or had contact with an infected person, the bodies have to be sealed in plastic, the coffins closed. many russians feel their dead should be treated with more respect he explains. >> [speaking foreign language] the relatives are often more tense than usual because they're dead are handed over to them in plastic body bags, they are not allowed to open the bags. i tell them that right away. some people cry and demanded that we open the bags, then i have to explain that they could get infected themselves. this virus is no joke. >> yuri has been in the business

for seven years, today he is in charge of a team of undertakers. he says since the second wave, there have been at least twice as many deaths in the city. funeral agencies have had a tough time keeping up. >> we had more work, a lot more work. >> over one million people live in the capital of the republic, government statistics save only around 80 people in the region have died of the coronavirus since the pandemic began, but official numbers also show during that time, over 4000 more people died and then the same period last year. coronavirus infections are spiking across russia, but authorities insist the situation is under control. the undertakers are not so sure. today, he and his team are -- a 92-year-old woman, she did not die of the coronavirus, that means the relatives can say they

are within opencast it -- with an open casket which is the tradition in russia. funerals are usually big family affairs in russia, but the pandemic has changed that, people are often worried about getting infected and staying away. so far, no one on yuri's team has caught covid, he can only hope it will stay that way. >> [speaking foreign language] in russia, people say if it is decided of their you will get run over by streetcar, he will not drown, fate is fate. if it is not my fate, it will pass me by. >> the next day, the team prepares for four more funerals, he and his colleagues barely have time to worry about their own health. at the moment, they are just too busy. brent: that was emily sherwin reporting there, let's ke a look at the other stories around the world.

a german city has held a minute of silence to honor the five people killed when a vehicle plowed into pedestrians on tuesday. a 51 euros man is in custody, prosecutors say the suspect was under the influence of alcohol and there are no indications of a terrorist motive. british police say four people have died and one injured after an explosion at a water treatment plant. the blast near the city of bristol is believed to have been involved in a chemical tank, the caused remains unclear. israel is urging citizens to avoid travel to the gulf region saying that iran may be training -- planning to attk isrli targs. it comes a week after iran's top nuclear scientist was killed in an ambush outside tehran. i run has blamed israel for it the attack and has vowed it delegation. three human rights activists have been released from prison, that is according to their

organization the egyptian initiative for personal rights. the men's arrest in november sparked outcry, it is not clear if charges have been dropped. the afghan government and the taliban have reached an agreement to continue with peace talks even as fighting between the two sides continues. u.s. officials have welcomed the deal as a chance to quell a sharp rise in violence across afghanistan. the u.s. military is moving ahead with president trump's order to withdraw thousands of troops from the country in january, a move critics say is coming much too soon. >> this is a city that has not had a sense of normality for four decades, in recent weeks, the security situation has worsened again. government buildings, hotels, and the airport are guarded by soldiers and police officers.

ali opened his cafe three years ago, many customers are foreigners, he is worried about what will happen if the united states withdraws half of its soldiers from the country in january. >> [speaking foreign language] if the international troops are's possible enough to withdraw, then there will be no more security and no more business. >> since september, representatives of the afghan government and civil society have been negotiating with the taliban. what direction is a country headed? is afghanistan at a turning point, is everything that has been achieved over the past 20 years in jeopardy? in this capital, boys and girls play together in the schoolyard, just two decades ago, girls were not even allowed to go to school or work. she was one of those affected, but she secretly learned to read

and write, today she is a history teach. her students are 17nd 18 years old, but do they fear the taliban ruling again? >> [speaking foreign language] afghan women will not give in, we have suffered so much to be here. we will not stop the fight. if they want to lock us up again after 18 years of change, than the taliban can forget about it, afghan women have changed a lot. >> just 60 kilometers from the city, the taliban control the seat -- streets. their leaders signed a peace deal with the united states, but do they want to see an endo terrorist activity and dohey want peace in afghanistan? >> [speaking foreign language] non-muslims who have occupied our country must leave, our goal is to have an iamic system in place and have an islamic government. >> the taliban have also

changed, there is a new generation of holy warriors. they have press officers and give interviews to western media, but the government rejects them. there are many who fear that if the united states withdraws its troops, afghanistan could fall victim to violence and terror and return to the dark days of its past. brent: firefighters in australia are struggling to contain massive wildfires, devastating a world heritage site. fraser island is the largest sand island in the world, the fires have been burning now for six weeks and have already destroyed almost half of this unique natural paradise. >> the flames here have been raging on for weeks. with more than one million liters of water and extinct aging agents, firefighters are battling the blazes to no avail. >> 50% of the island has been

affected by the fire and we have probably not seen the end of it yet, we are not going to indicate what that is going to look like in the end because we are trying to eliminate as best we can -- limit it as best we can. >> with a length of 122 kilometers, it is the largest sand island in the world and has been a world heritage site since 1992. the island is particularly popular with tourists with freshwater lakes and swamps, is characterized by tropical rain forests which is currently still unaffected. >> we are looking to see what the wind does, moderate winds are helping us in this work. we know if we have a winds kicked up on the weekend, it is going to make things harder. >> authorities suspect the laser was started by an illegal bonfire, this week, the situation wasurther aggvated by the force of an ongoing heatwave tourists have been instructed not to travel to the island.

it is known by native aborigines as paradise. brent: the former french president has died from complications linked to covid-19, he was cut -- 94. he led france in the 1970's spearheading a social revolution away from catholic conservatism. he also worked closely with germany to pave the way for the g-7 and the european union as we know it today. >> he was hailed as a modernizer and a champion of european integration in the 1970's. the former fresh -- french president helped lay the groundwork for the european union. born in then what was french occupied germany, he was just a teenager when he joined a french resistance group in occupied paris in the second world war. he went on to be elected

president in 1974, one of france's youngest postwar leaders. >> [speaking foreign language] i know that today marks a new era for french politics. that is rejuvenation and change for friends. >> during his seven years in power, he helped modernize french society. he legalized abortion and allowed divorce by mutual consent, in spite of fierce opposition from the catholic church. he also pushed to liberalize france's economy and as a strong advocate of technology, he was seen as the father of the country's high-speed train network. he was committed to the european ideal and forced a close

relationship with the former west german chancellor. together, they laid the foundations for the euro single currency and turned their dream of a more integrated europe into reality. brent: a teacher from rural india has picked up one of the professions major awards, the global teacher prize. ♪ he was honored for transforming the education of young girls at a primary school in the western state of - he redesigd all the ttbooks in the local language and embedded qr codes for multimedia learning. he was selected from over 12,000 nominations in 140 countries. he says he will share half of the $1 million prize money with his fellow top 10 finalists. the happy teacher there. some sports news now, italy will

host the nation's league finals next year in october 2021. italy have been drawn to face spain as belgium will face france in the semi finals on october 6 and seventh to set up the final a few days later. the matches will be played in a stadium in terrine and the stadium in milan. albania will host the first ever final of its new third tier club competition in 2022. you might remember the story from last week of the mysterious metal monolith found in the utah desert, now another one has been spotted on a hiking trail in southern california, local media reporting that unlike the utah original, this one is not bolted to the ground and could be tipped over. the utah monolith which disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared, captured the imagination of many with its references to the classic sci-fi movie 2001 a space odyssey.

a similar structure has also been spotted in romania. the mysteries continues -- mystery continues. the head of germany's public health institute says he expects the coronavirus to claimant many more lives in the country, daily deaths this week reached their highest level since the beginning of the pandemic. you are watching dw news, after a break i will be back to take you through the day. tonight, vaccine nationalism, hazardous to your health. we will be right back. ♪

thomson on france 24 and

france 24.com.ance 24 and >> you're watching france 24, live from paris. here are the stories making road headlines. free to all. that is the message from french prime minister, jean castex. the government is setting aside 1.5 billion euros to make the vaccine free to all. cases of covid-19 spiraling out of control in the united states. the nation set a record for the number of daily deaths with more than 3000 dead in just 24 hours. the controversial crackdown. the government sal