♪ >> this is "dw news" live from berlin. olaf scholz tightens restrictions as the country gets ready for omicron. the germ chancellor announces new measures for after christmas, including a limit on social gatherings for everyone regardless of vaccination status. large gatherings on new year's eve have also been ruled out. ethiopia's government says troops are reclaiming territory

as rival tigrayan forces begin their retreat. and tens of thousands displaced in flooding, and us the waters subsided, anger swells at the government's response. i'm phil gayle. welcome to the program. german chancellor olaf scholz has outlined new restrictions to prevent an expected jump in covid-19 infections caused by the omicron variant on the coronavirus. following a virtual meeting with the country's state leaders, he outlined new measures that will come in worse after christmas. i but gatherings of fully vaccinated people will be limited to 10. non-essential shops will stay open only for the vaccinated.

nightclubs will close and sporting events will be held without fans. some agencies called for the immediate imposition of maximum contact restrictions. germany had reported a dip in infection figures, but the chancellor did not want to take any chances. >> looking at the first experiences of other countries facing omicron, we expect a number of infections here to also rise significantly. more infections need -- mean a higher rate of illness than in any other phase of this pandemic. we are asking all critical infrastructure services to activate or refresh their pandemic protocols. even if they have high rates of illness, they can keep basic essential services operating. >> dw's chief political editor was at that press conference and joins us now. just round up the measures the chancellor announced this evening, if you would. >> first of all, he is keeping

measures in place affecting those who are not vaccinated, and the real change is that even those vaccinated will now face contact restrictions, but after christmas, he says the latest this will have to start, that only up to 10 adults can meet who are vaccinated will be december 28. clearly, christmas maybe on for many families, but new year's celebrations simply are off for larger groups. also, groups will not be allowed to gather in sports stadiums, and other events will have to take place without any audience. the soundbite we heard is also a new tone. clearly, there's fears similar to the united states that they will be such an overwhelming amount of people, overwhelming number of people who are ill that critical infrastructure will potentially be affected, and that is something germany is trying to brace itself for,

calling on those providers for electricity and other basic facilities to factor that into their christmas and beyond. >> despite the advice of experts, these measures will not come into force until after christmas. why is that? >> yeah, what i just excited is a paper that was decided today. what also came out today was a recommendation by none other than the government's chief advisory institute, which called for maximum contact restrictions that can be translated, rightly so, as lockdown measures. clearly, politicians did not go along with that, and that is raising the alarms on the experts' side while the government is saying it will implement tighter measures and is also leaving open priming more measures on top of that, but clearly, politicians, those in the states and at the federal

level, shied away from ruining christmas for the country. phil: we have been doing this for two years now, and it shows no sign of ending. people must be getting fed up. how is this news likely to be received? >> yes, well, nobody likes the news, and the chancellor did not like bringing the news today, but what is noticeable is that when you see public, there is noticeable support for tighter contact restrictions and tighter measures, but not for closing down restaurants and not for closing down hotels over christmas. i do not think it is just a coincidence that the paper we see from the government today leaves out those areas that are so important at this moment in time. >> thank you for that. the united states is also battling a surge in omicron infections. the new variant has quickly become the dominant strain,

causing 73 percent of all new infections up from 12% just a week ago. here is president biden addressing the challenge posed by this variant. >> we should all be concerned about omicron, but not panicked. if you are fully vaccinated, and especially if you got your booster shot, you are highly protected. if you are unvaccinated, you are at a higher risk of getting severely ill from covid-19, getting hospitalized, and even dying, so the best thing to do is get fully vaccinated and get your booster shot and, no, this is not march 2020. 200 million people are fully vaccinated. we are prepared. we know more. we just have to stay focused. phil: let's get more from dw's washington bureau chief. what message is president biden contemplating? >> he really wanted people to

convince that they should -- [indiscernible] there's no reason to panic, but he emphasized that numbers are increasing, the hospitals are running out of capacity, and he tried to make it clear that people can do something. it was very interesting he referred to president trump twice in a positive way, saying he was or is boostered and paid credit to the former government for being prepared. that shows he really wants to reach out to those who are hesitant to get vaccinated. phil: economically, it is interesting where this is all going. what has the president said about dealing with the economic impacts of this covid pandemic? >> that is true, that is a huge concern, especially for families

who are lower income families. what happens if schools will be closing? who is taking care -- especially, you just mentioned at the program which is called child tax credit is running out. he did not really talk about the economic itself, but he stressed the fact that it is important that people again get vaccinated and take the responsibility they can. phil: the pandemic is just one of a number of fronts the president is fighting on at the moment. how precarious is his position? >> his presidency is at the brink, and he feels it. that is one reason he is addressing the nation today, to show that he is still in power. he experienced a huge defeat in one of his most important pieces of legislation over the weekend because he could not get the support of all his party members. that means that he will have a very hard time to get his ideas

through before the midterms, which will come november 8 year, which might offend him losing the majorities in both houses. that again would mean it will be even harder for him to fulfill his campaign promises, so he is in a very, very dire situation. omicron, obviously, does not help. phil: thank you. more stories from around the world now. we started in south africa where a court has allowed former president jacob zuma to appeal a ruling he must return to prison. he is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court afte refusg to testi in a corruption inquiry. the german chancellor and chinese president have discussed deepening bilateral ties in their first phone call. president xi reportedly urged

chancellor scholes to explore new areas of cooperation such as a digital energy and consumer technology. the philippines is still reeling from the aftermath of last week's powerful typhoon. as local officials plead for aid, germany and china announced they would send water and food. typhoon rain killed almost 400 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. malaysia is recovering from devastating floods that swept the country last weekend. at least 14 people died and tens of thousands were displaced after some of the heaviest rains in years. the country's prime minister admitted the official response had been too slow. >> carefully lifted from her flooded home. rescuers take this bedridden elderly lady to safety by boat

in the nation's richest state, one of the eight states hit by floods. soldiers are helping with the relief operations now. stress it -- stranded residents receive supplies however they can. but across the country, tens of thousands of their compatriots are living in evacuation centers . these are the worst floods in years. over the weekend, a month's worth of rain fell in just a few days, and while the floodwater slowly receipts, anger is surging. this petrol station's owner checks that fuel is still usable and is not happy with the relief efforts. >> members of state government, they do not come during the time

of disaster. >> we were not being warned by the government. we actually lost everything, our car, our house. >> maysia's prime minister admitted that the government's coordination of the disaster response was inadequate. he has promised improvements, but parts of the country are still underwater, and weather forecasters are warning of more rain and floods in the coming days. phil: santa's team of reindeer might be some of our favorite christmas characters, but life for their real-world counterparts is less magical. reindeer are threatened by climate change.

>> when she enters the corral, her reindeer are getting excited. that's because she brings food or twigs of iv. >> they don't like it as much as lichen, but they eat it. it helps them survive. >> the reindeer need the extra help. for years, winter has brought more rain. when rain falls on snow, it freezes, locking in lichen and other plants. the animals are unable to smell the food or dig for it, and warmer winters are not the only problem. >> summers are getting warmer, and reindeer are not good at handling heat, so they very easily overheat. >> at a climate summit in glascow this past november, world leaders vowed to fight

climate change to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees. but that does not help the situation right now. >> the growth in temperature is going faster. there are some projections we don't even talk about. >> it would mean incredibly tough conditions for reindeer, who are still an important part of the economy in finland. they are kept for their meat and milk, but their fur, hides, and even antlers are also used, but hurting the animals in warmer conditions is expensive. >> you have to put a lot of money in there compared to normal situation, but the reindeer lead the way in finding

their own food. >> for some herders, there's also optimism. >> i'm hopeful with reindeer herding because we have lasted so far, and i think we have a good future ahead of us, but the youth needs to be more active politically. >> the government of ethiopia said its forces are retaking territory after fighters from the tigrayan people's liberation front announced they are retreating. the central government claims the withdrawal as a result of their recent offensive. leaders are declaring a no-fly zone an arms embargo. >> it has been a year-long war with bloodshed on both sides, but could the tide now be turning in the war between

ethiopian government forces and tigre fighters? -- tigre -- and tigray fighters? government forces have made strategic gains in ethiopia, pushing the tigre people's liberation front onto the back foot where these satellite pictures show ethiopian forces must rain. this footage appears to show how at us above i might have gained the upper hand. drone strikes from weapons some reports say come from china, turkey, and japan. however it has been achieved, diplomats see thwithdrawal as a positive move. >> if we do see a movement of forces back into tigray, that is something we welcome. it opens the door to broader diplomacy. >> that move follows an international effort to get

international efforts in place. >> our office continues to receive credible reports of severe human rights violations and abuses by all parties. the humanitarian impact of the conflict is increasingly dramatic. >> perhaps those violations might now abate, and with the debris of wartrewn across the country and civilians emerging from the crossfire, hopes are beginning to develop, although the ppl f -- the tplf still have the capability to come back. >> where giorno from cambridge in the u.k. welcome to dw. -- we are joined now from cambridge in the u.k. what are you hearing?

>> details are contested, but i think the broad brush strokes are clear. the efforts by the tigre -- the tigray forces are not successful, and the challenges seem to be a combination of this new drone capacity that your report referred to and the tigrayan supply lines. there was also this major mobilization when they faced a lot of challenges on the ground. i think those are the key elements here. phil: right. is this an opening for peace? >> yes, it is. it is an opening for peace because of the withdrawal, which satisfied conditions for the requests of the federal government.

also, the fact that the government has called for a cessation of hostilities. they said the issue of western tigray -- they have said the return is not a precondition for talks but is something that can be returned as part of the process itself, so, yes, this is a significant opening. phil: you see the tigrayan government as genuine in their hopes for peace? >> of course, it has been an absolutely brutal civil. polarization has decreased. the buildup of the war was characterized by those things as well. there is a huge distance between thearties, a long way to go, but the point is we now have new conditions which create an

opportune moment for police, and what we need to see now is a posive gesture by the federal government to at least get something started in terms of cessation of hostilities for some of the more complicated issues. phil: one of those complicated issues is the ethnic tensions that have been inflamed by this conflict, so even if the fighting ends, how does the country deal with that problem now and in the future? >> ethiopia's ethnic tensions are to a large degree a consequence of the political power struggle we have. there's lots of reasons for this civil war. it is partly an elite power struggle, but also there's long-standing issues, disagreement over the structure of the intellectual state. is a multinational federation

increasing segregation, or is it a necessary expression of desire to settle relations? these are political problems, though, and if we can get a political process under way to address them, and eventually, those sorts of communal tensions you allude to will decrease. phil: thank you for joining us. more stories around the world now, starting in turkey where the lira has rebounded after president erdogan promised to compensate lira bank account holders for the value of the currency which has seen drastic losses over the weeks. japan has carried out the death penalty for the first time in two years. the three death row inmates were hanged on tuesday. they had all been convicted on multiple murders.

capital punishment has widespread support in japan, despite criticism from civil rights groups. after western troops withdrew from afghanistan, many governments halted humanitarian aid. the taliban are unable to feed their own people with more than 20 million afghans estimated to be at risk of malnutrition. aid organization unicef has stepped in to fill the gap of getting supplies to those in need and set it is a major challenge. >> the only road leading to this remote area along the border with pakistan has been partly destroyed by mines. we are driving to an area where the afghani army and the taliban fought for decades. the people who live in this village were caught between the two sides. now they suffer from extreme poverty. women and children have been especially hard-hit by the situation. midwives sent by unicef are trying to help the desperate mothers.

"i need medicine, but the streets are blocked, and there has been a drought for years. there has been no rain. our children are suffering. i hope they give us something. i need food for my two grandchildren. they are sick and do not have enough to eat." the taliban use to shoot at the aid workers, but now the women are allowed to enter the village. >> we have to bring more medicine here because every day, more patients come. we are having problems getting supplies. >> the fact that women speak openly with us angers the taliban. "our women must cover their faces. they push us back, and we have to stop filming. only after we are joined by the unicef communications team and

their accompanying taliban does the situation calm down. they drive with us to the next village. this woman is pregnant. the mobile unicef health team examines her. the next hospital is two hours away. her children are malnourished. a woman wants to show us how she lives and invites us into her house. her family has many children and little space, no heating, and nearly nothing to eat. "this is what i will cook today. i will give it to the little ones so they can have something warm to eat. it is a small bowl of corn meal that's all we have." more and more people crowd around the unicef aid workers. they don't have enough of anything, including food. >> the needs are so immen, and cause we are not only

providing basic humanitarian assistance, we are also having to support the system from collapse." -- from collapse. >> the taliban riding with the unicef workers are heavily armed. they repeatedly make it clear that the aid organization can only help people in need if they allow it. phil: the marshall art of brazilian jiu-jitsu is gaining popularity in russia, so what is the twist? what -- let's find out what happens when you replace the mat with a car. >> just when you think you have seen it all, along comes the worst first ever car-jitsu competition. >> i wanted a car like that. i tried it out, so to speak. i liked it a lot, but it would be a problem with another person inside. >> matches consist of two

rounds. drivers start in the driver or passenger seat and switch in between. you get points for forcing your opponent into submission. the seatbelts, the steering wheel, and the seats are all fair game. >> the person on top has advantage. there are gaps between the seats, under the steering wheel, and so on. person on top pushes and pushes, and there's not much oxygen in the car, so when you push someone with your knees and legs, the person on bottom has a difficult time escaping. >> but there is no escaping the attention. the sport's unusual playing ground has attracted plenty of curiosity. phil: this is "dw news" live from berlin. here is a reminder of our top story at this hour -- the german chancellor has announced new restrictions on social life to

prevent the spread of the omicron variant in the coronavirus. gatherings will be limited to 10 people, even for the fully vaccinated. the measures are scheduled to start after christmas and will affect new year's eve celebrations. don't forget, you can always get dw news on the go. just download the app from google play hour the app store. that will give you access to the latest news from around the world. you can use it to send us photos and videos of the action. more world news at the top of the hour. in just a moment, i will be back with "the day."

♪ >> americans have a patriotic duty to be vaccinated, the message from president biden has he outlined plans tackle the latest wave of covid-19 infections. we will be crossing to our washington correspondent for the latest. meanwhile, germany locks down and france gets more strict. governments are scrambling to contain the omicron variant with restrictions on new year's festivities and everyday life. more than a dozen killed and