>> this is dw news, live from berlin. the latest surge in covid-19 cases is worrying governments around the globe. many are imposing new restrictions and looking for ways to stop the rapid spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. joe biden and vladimir putin say that they will seek diplomatic solutions to discuss rising tensions over ukraine. >> we miss you, we love you, we

thank you. >> those in south africa honor desmond tutu. in one of the biggest chinese lantern festivals right here in europe. a town in southwestern france lights up in spectacular fashion with displays brought in from china. welcome to the program. surgeon covid-19 infections are worrying governments around the globe. many are hastily introducing limits in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. officials say the omicron variant is driving the latest surge. >> the u.k. has been reporting record-breaking case numbers just like denmark.

many countries in europe are seeing unprecedented peaks, the rapid spread of the covid-19 variant. germany case numbers are also rising. masks are especially effective against omicron. this is certainly different here in germany. >> the end of the year can be deceptive. fewer tests were administered. a spike may be seen quartz soon. this location in berlin carries out over a thousand tests per day.

by mid january there should be a more realistic picture of the situation but the number of confirmed omicron cases is coming at a faster pace. it is entirely possible tha the scandinavian nations as factor. i think everyone understands that a virus will not stop at borders. federal and state officials in germany are due to meet to map out a strategy to combat the spread of the virus. >> we have this dr. online. he is an epidemiologist and a senior fellow. he joins us from washington dc. welcome back to dw news. we are hearing every day about these record numbers of cases all across europe and yet there are plenty of resources like booster shot and increased testing. what is driving this latest surge? >> thank you. thank you for having me.

the booster rollout is incredibly inadequate. it is very slow and takes time to work. while omicron increases exponentially, you can only rollout boosters as you can but this is a virus. omicron is five or six times more contagious than delta which was already twice as contagious as the wuhan strain last year. we are talking about a strain that is potentially 10 times more contagious than before. nothing we do right now is enough to keep up unless you think of something on a societal scale. that is why with the mitigations that kept everone else in check, it won't be sufficient enough against omicron. and with high cases, you will balloon the number of people infected and ultimately overwhelm the hostiles -- hospitals. >> we have seen countries take

different approaches but cases are huge everywhere. is there in argument for fewer restrictions like we have seen in the u.k.? >> no. fewer restrictions is not the way. when i say like it mitigation, i don't necessarily mean lockdown. you can have vaccine passports, you can have much more aggressive things like mask mandates. germany and austria already have them. and of course, premium masks. no more surgical, loosefitting masks, all of these are blanket mitigations and these blanket mitigations are what is needed to curtail an x financial rise. if those are not enough, we have to go to the next layer. but there are other things like ventilation standards, disinfection. those are all blanket level societal guidelines that can be put in place.

we need blanket restrictions because boosters increase linearly. this virus increases five to six times more contagious leanne exponentially. that is why what we do with boosters now, it is too late by itself but you can curtail this. we have to think of more aggressive measures. because all right, we will have to leave it there. thank you for joining us. let's get a look at some of the other development in the pandemic. the u.s. centers for disease control is advising americans to avoid cruise sit -- cruise ship travel. france is banning the consumption of food and drink into and was, theaters and sports venues as well as on public transportation, all part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. new york city will ring in the new year in times square.

the event will be scaled-back with smaller crowds and visitors will be required to have proof of vaccination. vladimir putin and joe biden are set to discuss tensions over ukraine in a call scheduled to begin in the hour. it is the second time this month that the two leaders have spoken with both sides acknowledging that negotiations are at an all-time low. moscow accuses nato of eastward expansion into its own backyard. let's get more on what we can expect from this phone call. we are joined from moscow. he is the director general of the russian international affairs council. a larger state-funded think tank and then we are joined by michael commits. he is a history professor at the catholic university of america and a former state department

russian ukraine expert under president obama. welcome to dw news. this is the russian side that the white house says has called for these talks. what exactly is president putin likely to demand? >> first of all, i think it is clear that president putman would like to talk to president biden because he believes the u. president can deliver on what he promises. president biden committed to the new start agreement and he did it with no strings attached. he committed himself to this on cybersecurity with moscow and he actually entered this negotiation. europe might be in disarray. it is hard to count on either bein or paris. the united states remains an

indispensable partner. i think the idea of putin is to touch base wh president biden on action to the proposals that were presented to the western side ely and to see what might fly with washington and what might flyith brusss and where the headlines are. i think that is already an important outcome that we will find out about later today. >> the doctor does not say anything much about ukraine. is that what i can expect here from the u.s. side? what exactly is going to be the details here russian mark -- here? >> there is considerable consultation between president biden and president zelensky. there's going to be nothing done

without the knowledge and the permission of ukraine on the other hand. this is a bilateral phase of negotiation and it is at the highest levels of the russian-american governments and we will see what they can accomplish in the next two weeks. >> back over to you. the u.s. has allies. they say the solution to this current crisis is simple. russian is to pull back its troops from the ukrainian border. what other message is putin sending except to threaten ukraine th this troop presence >> i think the messa is very clear. they are n happy about the current of elements in europe with the security situation in the space and they wouldike to get some assurances from nato that it would practice prudence

and constraints in terms of future deployments or military cooperation with ukraine which is a country very close to russia. this rubber sense and existential challenge to russian security. >> the u.s. and nato forces have not taken any particular territory. they are within their borders. it has been russian troops that have gone into ukraine and taking crimea. what role does that play in terms of security affairs? >> right now, the movements of the russian troops- nato h extended its military cooperation with ukraine a we see turkish drones used. we can see some u.s.-made litary hardware utized in the east of ukraine.

this is something tt i think createconcerns. nato mig upgrade its military cooperation with ukraine. ukraine will use mility power to solve the pblem. >> can you respond to that? >> that is very fraught language. that is not the langue the s. goverent would use. the position of the u.s. government is that ukraine is sovereign and can make the security choices it wishes to make. give it wishes to have a closer relationship with the american military, so be it. on the other hand, is a the

biden administration is aware it is treading on very sensitive ground when it comes to its military relationsp wit ukraine and the biden administration has its own reservations about ukraine's entry into the nato alliance. we'll see what they can accomplish in the next two weeks. the united states would not accept that ukraine is in the russian sphere of influence. >> we will have to leave it there. a lot more to come as this call takes place. thank you, both of you for your time and your views. a jury in the united states has found ghislaine maxwell guilty of helping jeffrey epstein abuse underage girls over some years. after five days of deliberations, the jury found maxwell guilty on five counts including recruiting and

grooming the victims. she could spend the rest of her life in prison. >> recruiting and grooming teenage victims and trafficking a minor. these are the heavy charges ghislaine maxwell was found guilty of by the new york jury. the road to justice has been far too long. but today, just has been done. no one, no matter how powerful or well-connected is above the law. corks going maxwell is the daughter of robert maxwell. in court, accusers showed evidence of maxwell's close relationship to convicted sex offender jeffrey epstein. epstein was jailed in 2019 for sex trafficking minors. he committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial. glenn maxwell was found to have helped epstein systematically procure young girls.

some as young as 14. the charges against maxwell were brought forward by four victims. many more feel they have been served justice. >> this is a victory for all of the victims. i think this is a victory for all young children, boys, girls, women and men who were victims of abusers like this. it will give them the needed push to step forward and to speak their truth and to hopefully get justice like these young girls have with respect to mix -- respect to miss maxwell. >> the defense says the 60-year-old is being used as a scapegoat for other people's crimes. >> week firmly believe in her innocence. obviously we are very disappointed with the verdict. we have already started working on the appeal and we are confident she will be vindicated. everyone be healthy and have a happy new year.

>> maxwell now stands to spend the rest of her life in prison if she receives the maximum possible sentence of 55 years. -- 65 years. >> this is the largest nonprofit anti-sexual violence organization in the u.s.. thank you for being here to talk about this import topic. what does this mean for survivors? >> thank you for having me. we are so relieved to see the guil verdict for the survivors who have been so brave. finally seeing someone being held accountable for what they experienced. we know that for survivors of sexual violence, the odds are very low. even years later, even if they are powerful and well-connected. >> exactly. because that so often is another

case, do you think this verdict is a turning point in anyway? >> i thi this is part of a positive pattern we have been seeing. we have seen several high-profile powerful individuals from harvey weinstein to maxwell now being held accountable for their crimes. that sends a powerful message to people. we know the statistics are low for how many people actually get justice in these kinds of cases. particularly when they are stacked up against a perpetrator with financial means and powerful connections. a lot of survivors feel it just might not be worth it to subject -- worth it to subject themselves if they don't have a chance at justice. hopefully people are seeing that that tide is turning.

>> now let's get around his mother had learned. doctors incident say security forces has -- have shot dead protesters. they are calling for a peaceful transition to free elections. police in hong kong have formally charged to senior editors from the online news outlet with sedition. the announcement comes a day after authorities raided the offices of them. the anti-apartheid letter and nobel peace laureate desmond tutu denied -- died. people across south africa have been paying their respects. >> just a simple wooden coffin for a man who has been

remembered as a humble hero. scores gathered into handspring and cape town to remember desmond tutu. one of the rainbow nations most revered voices for human rights. his successor embrace one of his daughters. she is grieving the father as tutu was known to so many south africans. >> we need to pray for her. we need to assure her that we love her, even when the data is gone. >> tutu did not want to be remembered with pomp. inside the cathedral, small ceremony was held. leaders and ordinary south africans alike laid flowers and

those gathered performed songs and some of his favorite hymns. his grandson spoke and thanked mourners for helping his family through a time. >> we have been reassured by the outpouring of love and prayers and support that have poured i from around the world that he wi not be out of my just because he is out of sight. >> we miss you. we love you. we thank you. >> as his coffin was carried out, members of the public sang songs in celebration of his life and legacy. born under apartheid, he dreamed of a different south africa and through his ministry, he helped bring that nation into being. >> as 2021 trust to a close, dw

news is looking back at some of our more notable reports from the year and one of them is about the taliban declaring war on drug production in afghanistan. even the opium and heroin has long been a major part of its economy and a source of income for the taliban, it is estimated that around 1.4 billion u.s. dollars worth of opium leaves the otherwise impoverished country every year. it is thought to cover 80% of global opium and heroin supplies. in the legal industry worth tens of billions of dollars all based on initial afghan stash afghan exports. many farmers find opium is the only reasonable option in a totally destroyed economy. in one of our standout reports, nick connolly met some of those afghans.

they said nothing else can pay their bills. >> this bridge has long been home to kabul's last known drug users. it is being taken to forcible treatment centers. >> they come and beat us up. if they catch you, you're sure to get a beating. they tell us to stop using drugs and change our ways and they go after the dealers. >> after years of earning protection money while fighting their insurgency, the taliban now sathey want to put an end to the cultivation of the country's most valuable export. draft, coming consumer demand and port closures have seen incomes window. the one crop still working for these farmers is the opium poppy.

the only thing they changed was to drive opium prices up. >> i could not even sell onions for $.20 a sack. these are illegal drugs and we know that but what else can we do? >> afghanistan cost land borders largely shut. while smuggling routes have stayed open. this farmer lost his leg to a soviet landmine as a child. more recently, they targeted taliban insurgents. they brought their own improvised minds, leading some -- leaving some fields to difficult to cultivate.

he has planted cannabis instead. >> apart from the leaves, we get the seeds to feed our chickens. it does not go bad stores like onions. >> margins here are tight even at the best of times. right now, he is struggling to find this. money he has no chance of making with legal crops. > if the international committee was helping us, we would not be growing cannabis or opium poppies. we would rather grow legal crops but the big crops and up with foreign smugglers. >> for now, there is little prospect of international aid coming. without it, afghanistan's account may looks set to suffer for the for siebel future. opening the way for more poppies and cannabis across these fields.

>> the lantern festival near the city of toulouse is one of the biggest of its kind. take a look. >> glass filled with colored liquid. 2800 lanterns lit up by leds. this park is filled with eliminations. we saw the animals and the airplane. in the giant panda as well. nice. >> alec the pandas and the big tower is very beautiful. there are different themes, air travel, chinese art. you can learn a lot about

chinese traditions here and that is great. there are strong echoes of china here because everything comes from china. every single item originated there and was installed here by chinese craftsmen. a french businessman came up with a lantern. china's lantern festival is huge. 10 times the size of this one. it is impossible not to love the lanterns and sculptors there. everything was tailor-made for us. we have a lake wean use and we have up a go to for the emperor and about which travels down the

ver. -- boa that travels down the river. the lantern festival runs until the end of january. >> get it while you can, stay here. we have a focus on europe featuring a report. you will want to watch that. we will see you soon.

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>> paris prepares to mask up, facing a tidal wave of covid-19, the french capital is to introduce obligatory masks outdoors. meanwhile, france surpasses 200,000 new cases for a second successive day this thursday. at least four protesters have been shot dead in sudan. the demonstrators were