berlin. a fourth wave of covid infections in germany. the country recording its highest number of new daily cases since the start of the pandemic. intensive care wards are filling up and german leaders are considering new restrictions on the unvaccinated. also coming up, ditching the world's dirtiest fossil fuel. britain announcing a deal to phase out coal power but the year 2050.

-- by 2050 the biggest polluters have not signed on. ethiopia on the brink. the prime minister vows to bury enemies and rebel fighters advance on the capital. paradise reopens. sri lanka's struggling resorts reopen after losing billions of dollars to the pandemic. i'm brent goff. to all of you around the world, welcome. tonight, the world health organization is expressing great concern over the search and coronavirus infections here in europe. the continent is once again the epicenter of the pandemic. germany is one of the countries hardest hit by the fourth wave

of infections. today recording its highest ever daily tally. nearly 34,000 new cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours. that is the biggest count since the pandemic began. german politicians urging people to get the shot. they are also telling others to get a booster shot. >> a machine at work in hospitals intensive care unit. the artificial lung is often the last resort for patients with covid-19. there are many such patients. the clinic has no free beds. the average age is 40 years old. the tragic thing is that there -- they are all parents and many are not vaccinated. some were infected by children or people in their social circles. there are similar scenes in many hospitalacross germany.

only 55 million germans have been leave vaccinated which is under 67% of the's -- operation. health minister's our meeting to figure out how to get the country through the fourth wave. in my opinion, the emergency is more present than ever. i think we must all take note and not lull anyone into a false sense of security. ministers are likely to debate options such as tighter restrictions, mandatory testing, and vaccine magnates -- mandates for certain professions. brent: let's bring in our political correspondent. it is unbelievable that we are talking about the pandemic in germany being worse than it was a year ago. how did we get here? >> exactly. we are nearing 34,000 new

infections in a single day which is a new record. it is topping that of last december when the situation was really bad in germany. we have hospitals warning that they are nearing full capacity again especially in intensive care units. patients not only being elderly or with a weak immune system. patients of all ages. health minister talked about the pandemic of the unvaccinated knowing that when people have resumed social life going to restaurants, clubs, studios, cinema, many schools have reopened. many have remained unvaccinated. brent: too many people have let down their guard. we have been told by the government that there will be no new lockdowns. what has to happen going forward? >> angela merkel said through

the pandemic that communicating on the vaccine was paramount to insight other people to get vaccinated and hence to protect weaker people. we have seen that vaccinations are stalling with 67% of the population fully vaccinated. they're trying to -- any attempt to incite people to refrain from interacting be met with fatigue. it has been almost two years since the beginning of the pandemic here in europe and no solution seems to have shut it down permanently. this is a new reality that people have to become used to. at the end of november, it will be the end of the emergency state and safety measures will

be the responsibility of the regions. the health state ministers are meeting to see what can be done so more safety measures, but not a general law down, more vaccinations and -- to help the vaccinated. mandatory vaccinations are being discussed for the elderly population or part of the population. brent: thank you for joining us to talk about the pandemic situation going from bad to worse. now to climate change. at the cop26 summit today, the u.k. government declared the end of coal is now insight. 77 signatories have pledged to phase out coal by the year 2050. the burning of coal is the single largest contributor to

climate change. some of the largest polluters have not signed on to the plant. -- to the plan. >> coal is no longer king. that was the message at the end of day number four. a number of countries have agreed to phase out coal power and and support to coal plants because it made sense. >> it is uneconomic. the g20 will and its financing -- it will and its financing for coal. today, among other institutions, these groups are joining the alliance. countries are turning their back on coal and toward cheaper cleaner renewables. >> not everyone is happy. critics say the pledge is made -- the pledges made are far from

uniform. some say they will quit coal entirely, others will not build new plants. others. financing plants abroad but will continue to do so at home. some of the biggest coal users have not signed on at all including india, the u.s., japan, and china. millions of people rely on coal for their liveloods and have no access to affordable alternatives. china is building new coal plants. outside the summit, activists called for japan to stop doing the same. >> it's a chance for the japanese government to show leadership. this is the very last chance for them to show their commitment. >> billions of euros are set to be channeled into the transition to cleaner power. there is wide disagreement on how that money should be spent.

france heads a group of countries pushing to classify nuclear power as climate friendly investment eligible for green funds arguing it is clean and stable. france is also a major player in the nuclear waste processing industry. germany and the u.s. are less convinced of the safety of nuclear waste storage and are scaling back on the power source. one quarter of the eu energy comes from nuclear power, but the block has yet to qualify as green. doing so would have a huge impact on the direction of the billions of euros of green funds and will likely have worldwide effects. brent: for more now, i am joined by the founder and director of uplift, an organization hoping to move toward a future without fossil fuel. you are closer to this than i

am. i am smelling some greenwashing in this announcement today with the headline that the end of coal power is insight. is my nose working? >> it's great to be with you. there are definitely reasons to scrutinize these announcements carefully. they are on the face of them very welcome steps to confront our ongoing globareliance and support for coal-fired power when the energy agency, the world's leading energy by in a report that was commissioned by the u.k. made it clear that if we're going to stay within limits, we can't have any new investment in new coal, oil, or gas production.

brent: is this something that can be declared a success of the summit? >> certainly think you're right, the absence of the u.s. in particular definitely has the resources to support a transition domestically away from coal use. he needs toe at the forefront making this kind of commitments and it weakens the power of these commitments that

the u.s. isn't a part. what it does show the momentum building around recognizing we have to get to the source of the problem of the climate crisis which is burning fossil fuels. the word fossil fuel doesn't en appear in the paris agreement on climate change which is the most significant treaty. it's good to see government starting to address the fact it's not enough to talk about reducing has gas emissions. we have to reduce the cause of the climate crisis which is extraction and burning of coal, oil, and gas. brent: do you think that our expectations of where we should be in fighting climate change, are they unrealistic? it sounds like we should be happy we are the frameworks in place and membership will take care of itself in the future. is that the correct metric for the best success we can have?

>> you are absolutely right to be skeptical. we need much more significant progress and accountability coming out of this conference if it's one to make a difference. there is recent reporting that shows that greenhouse gas emissions read out againfter temporary dip because of the covid-19 pandemic. in order to stay below 1.5 degrees, we need to half greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decade. these policies need to be put in place right away for going to meet those targets. brent: where'd you get your positive attitude? if we look at how things are with the pandemic, international cooperation has not been very good the past two years. if we're talking about something

bigger, climate change, when you try to apply what we have done with the pandemic to that, it looks like there is no way we can succeed. tell me where i am wrong in my thinking. >> i agree. international cooperation on the pandemic was a cause for despair i would say. the difference i think we have with the climate crisis and that will only continue to escalate is public awareness and demand for change tomorrow in glasgow and on saturday, there wl be huge mares in the streets from people who are deeply concerned about this crisis. especially young people whose futures are on the line. who will be living through some of the worst impact projected to happen. they are not taking no for an answer.

they will put the pressure on governments that will be required to finally make those changes. that's not by any means saying that governments are off the sponsible for this crisis ande for the fact that they have acknowledged what needed to be done. those two actors will definitely be held accountable if they fail to take this seriously. brent: we know time is running out. we appreciate your time and insights and your positive outlook. thank you. let's get around up the other stories making headlines. russia and belarus have moved a step closer to what they are calling the union state which would unite the two former soviet republics. an online meeting, presidents of the two countries agreed on

measures to harmonize their laws. lukashenko has moved closer to russia following a crackdown on pro-european supporters and belarus. a rescue ship run by a german ngo has picked up more than 800 migrants in several operations in the central mediterranean sea. the vessel was already carrying close to 400 migrants rescued on wednesday when it picked up more. a court in germany has handed down a life sentence to a woman found guilty of murdering five over six children. three girls and two boys were between the ages of one and eight. the woman sedated the children before drowning or suffocating them then attempting suicide herself. international calls are growing for an immediate cease-fire in ethiopia. that as the euro conflict between government forces and rebels intensify.

a state of emergency is now in effect as forces threaten to move on the capital. despite appeals for dialogue, ethiopia's prime minister has vowed to bury his enemies in blood. the u.n. has warned of possible war crimes by all sides in this conflict. >> a year of fighting and misery. the ethiopian military entered the region last november promising a swift victory over the people's liberation front. instead came 12 months of war as the two sides. -- battled over territory. this week in the capital, ceremonies marked the anniversary. fanning the flames of conflict was the one time nobel pce prize winning minister. >> this would be where the enemy will be buried not where

ethiopia disintegrates. until if the obit is free and peaceful, every citizen has to say i am a soldier. >> citizens can be conscripted into the army. residents have been told to prepare to defend the capital. many seem willing. >> i am young i will purchase a paid in the war in whatever way young people can. >> all sides in the conflict have blood on their hands according to a report released this week by the u.n. human rights chief. >> we have grounds tbelieve that during this time, all parties to the conflict have committed violations of international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law. some of this amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

this senseless war has continued and is escalating. engulfing increasing parts of the country. every day, more people are suffering and dying. >> the ethiopian based human rights commissioner detailed some of the brutality reported. >> various acts of sexual and gender-based violence including rape, gang rape, intentional transmission of hiv virus were committed by all parties to the conflict. >> the u.n. says there are continuing reporf airstrikes resulting in civilian deaths. the region remains cut off by an ethiopian blockade. agencies say they can't get in. few media reports come out. meanwhile, forces continue to advance forcing civilians to flee.

let's bring in a research associate at the african studies center. brent: the u.s. special envoy is there. we have regional powers calling for mediation. question remains unanswered, his international pressure going to make a difference? >> unfortunately, the leverage of the international community is fairly limited. this is a function of the tools at the disposal of the international community. it is made moves to restrict aid and ethiopia's patient and the trade program, their targeted sanctions in place and the eu is looking at those measures. in practice, after a decade of more forceful intervention and

the blowback that produced, the appetite for more forceful intervention is fairly low. what has ended up in practice happening is the moves have not reduced the appetite for reducing this through conflict by oth parties. it has ended up pushing them into extreme positions especially the government. brent: we know that weapons matter, but words do also. the leader of ethiopia vowing to bury his enemies in blood and calling on all citizens to join the fight against the rebels. what kind of impact does this rhetoric have on the threat of increasing the civil war to make it worse? >> unfortunately, the rhetoric around the conflict has been vile from the start. the disconnect and the large amount of propaganda th has

characterized this conflict from the government side, t diaspora, social media, has made it difficult not only to know what's going on but it has fed into increasing polarization in an already fraught environment. i'm not sure that this latest statement siificantlmoves the need. certainly in the aftermath, th eventual resolution of this conflict when it accountability comes to the table, these things will be brought back and used as evidence, a mobilization against communities when these kinds of things are being investigated in the future. brent: what do we know about what's happening on the ground? the forces say they are closing in. do they have the capacity to take the city? >> one of the things thais

characterized this conflict is that it fractured the ethiopian armed forces at the national level. each of ethiopian units has its separate security apparatus as well as police services and less well structured militia. which is been increasingly brought in over the last month as the conflict has re-escalated. there's a big difference between able to dislodge the government and think able to stay. keep in mind the tpl left work at the ruling coalition. until just a couple of years ago. this is different from the situation in 1991 when they were part of a coalition. they had won the war. this is a much more active conflict in the aftermath of them being pushed out of power. no one is interested in seeing

them back inower. being able to push an already undermined wkened government off of its power is a different prospect. what happens aer that becomes a very difficult question to predict. brent: we appreciate your time and insights tonight. thank you. after losing billions of tourism dollars, sri lanka is now open to the fully vaccinated. international visitors are returning much to the relief of hotels and resorts. when the first covid booster shots were made available, tourism workers were also included.

>> they are among the first guest back in the camp in southern sri lanka. alexander and carolyn have come from germany. they have waited for a long time to go surfing again. their coach gives them final instructions before they hit the waves. after 18 months of the pandemic, the surf camp sent out a newsletter hoping to bring surfers back to sri lanka. it worked. the hope is that they will attract other tourists back to the country as well. during the pandemic, we missed being able to travel. as soon as countries open up again, the servers will be back. nearby, those suffering from stress can come to relax this hotel is very popular with german visitors. the tour operator emphasizes the

freedom of movement and sri lanka. all you need is a negative test or proof of vaccination. >> there is no need for quarantine. tourists can come and move around freely from day one. they can leave the resort. there is a 14 day treatment course, but otherwise, they are completely free to visit national parks. >> the hotel is fully booked. the manager of this german agency specializing in breaks is happy. he hopes tourists will continue to come to the island. neil has had some short nights recently, but he doesn't mind. his travel agency doesn't just welcome surfers, other international guests are returning. 12,000 since september. >> last night, i had to go because there were a lot of tourists coming and to regroup the drivers to pick them up

helping the transport. to welcome them from the airport. i had to go and i come back now. >> the surf camp has been able to open again. many other hotels and resorts haven't survived the pandemic. >> it was difficult, because it was down to the ashes. everything was closed. the tours is been affected very much. brent: after a short break, i will back to take you through the day.

>> welcome back to the france 24 newsroom. we are alive from paris with the headlines at 9:00 tonight. no breakthrough in the fishing row between london and paris, but talks are to continue next week. daily covid infections hit an all-time high in germany. the world health organization warning cases are rising across much of europe. britain, meanwhile, becomes the first country in the world with a pill to treat