national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ >> this is "dw news." keep bringing in the new year. hong kong puts on a display at victoria harbour. many scaled-back amid rising covid cases. also, germany's chancellor urges the public to stand together and get vaccinated. fast-moving wildfires in

colorado destroy homes, tens of thousands forced to evacuate. we will have the latest details. we look back at the top cultural stories of 2021, from abba making their first album in four decades, to the latest mission of james bond, the last stent by daniel craig of agent dublin seven. -- agent double 07. ♪ use our viewers -- to our viewers, welcome. people around the world are marking the start of the new year with celebrations to ring in 2022. bangkok lit up the skies with fireworks made from sticky rice. hong kong welcome the new year with a display at victoria harbour, accompanied by music

from the philharmonic. earlier auckland in new zealand projected a show on landmarks, while in australia, spectacular fireworks lit up the sky of e city harbour bridge. celebrations went ahead despite soaring coronavirus numbers. germany is gearing up for celebrations. our correspondent is at brandenburg gate. i can see what it is like, but this year it will not be the usual celebrations. correspondent: exactly. the second year in a row. it is so festive. there is music, concert, broadcast in germany, but you can see that it is empty. people are not here. people have been asked to stay

home. this app has been cordoned off, so this is really a reminder about the state in which the country it the moment because of the pandemic there is a party, yes, we are going to have these here at brandenburg gates but with no public, no public audience, but people watching from the television. anchor: we are saying goodbye and perhaps good riddance to 2021. what is in store in germany for 2022? correspondent: it has been a very eventful 2021, first, a huge political turnover, chancellor angela merkel, who after 16 years in power passed on this power to olaf scholz, the new government, the new chancellor, olaf scholz, the measures he had promised during his campaign, germany, we also,

become, we also lead the g7 group that seven big economies in the world, g7, this will be a huge thing for germany next year, and of course, the biggest challenge for the country will first and foremost be to go to, will be to go to the new wave of infections, covid-19 infections, due to the omicron variant, here in germany, officials are bracing themselves for soaring numbers come january, first, it has been reached by the government of olaf scholz, when he promised the end of november that the 30 million jobs will be administered by the end of this year and he is succeeding and he has succeeded and but officials will feel the soaring number of infections, while there is something that could be affected, meaning that less people could be available to work in hospitals or in public

services, so really germany is bracing themselves, bracing itself to faces new wave of infections, but this, hopefully this won't last the entire year, but a tough winter ahead. anchor: yeah. stay warm. stay dry. enjoy the festivities. >> thank you. anchor: the new german chancellor has given his first address to the nation. olaf scholz urged all germans to stand together in the fight against covid-19 and to get vaccinated. the german leaders said the biggest challenge for the upcoming year was to lay the foundations for germany's future development. >> the day, i am the one speaking to you as your federal chancellor. >> things are different this year, after 16 years of new year's addresses by angela merkel, germany's new head of government rose to the task for the first time.

he stated the challenges faced by the countries in 2021, acknowledging the hardships, such as summer floods, and praising the resilience people have shown, especially during the pandemic. >> [speaking in foreign language] some people claim our society is divided. i would like to take this opportunity to make it clear in fact the opposite is true. our country is standing together. what i see everywhere is tremendous solidarity and incredible spirit of helping others and people coming together in mutual support. correspondent: in order to curb covid-19 infections, he appealed once again to people to get vaccinated. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: you know that those who are not yet vaccinated are at particular risk of being infected and suffering from long and severe illness. for this reason, i would like to urge you once more to get vaccinated. correspondent: the new

government vaccination efforts have already seen their first milestone, with 30 million vaccines administered since the end of november, and a further 30 million doses planned by the end of january. olaf scholz took the opportunity to emphasize the coalition's goals on climate. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: within 25 years, we want germany to become climate neutral, and to achieve this, we will move forward with the greatest transformation our economy has seen in more than it century and we will achieve independence from coal, oil, and gas. correspondent: he reminded listeners that was hit social democratic party ski election promises. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: decent pay is a matter of respect. that's why in 2022, we would take a major step in increasing the legal minimum wage to 12 euros per hour. correspondent: it was a declaration of good faith, but it also called on people to play their part in forming the future. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: we are at the beginning of a new decade, a new

era is dawning, a new era that will be successful if we actively shape it because we can make a difference if we remain determined and take our fate into our own hands. anchor: you can watch the full address from the german chancellor honor youtube channel and on her website, dw.com. let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories making news around the world today. the chinese president xi jinping has delivered his traditional new year's address. he said reunification with taiwan was a goal for people both on the island and the mainland. tensions between beijing and taipei have been growing with china stepping up military activity near the taiwan strait. four people are missing in northern belgium after powerful gas explosion in a town destroyed part of a residential building. one person is recovering from their injuries and hospital. france has recorded over 230,000

new coronavirus cases on new year's eve, the fourth consecutive day the country has broken the european record for infections. in his new year's address of the french president emmanuel macron warned that difficult weeks lie ahead and urged people to comply with government measures to curb the spread of covid-19. employers have been ordered to let staff work from home and wearing a mask outdoors in paris is compulsory. both experts in the u.s. are warning of what they call an omicron blizzard. they have told americans to prepare for severe disruptions in the coming weeks. the rising wave of covid-19 led by the omicron variant is threatening to overwhelm hospitals, schools, and other key infrastructure. record numbers of children have been hospitalized, and authorities are preparing to authorize booster shots for 12 to 15-year-olds next week.

for more on this, i am joined by the director of the jail institute for global help in new haven. effexor, thank you for talking to us. an american epidemiologist is warning of a viral blizzard in the u.s. in the coming weeks. do you see it that way? >> yes, it is more like a flash flood that we are expecting. it is likely to be a further increase in the number of cases, but hopefully, based on other countries with this they lose -- this will be short-lived, and the since it will not last for months and months. the question is whether it will end where it will overwhelm the health system, but my estimate is it will be reasonably diverse in terms of where and how it overwhelms the health system. anchor: we talk endlessly and understandably about the problems associated with the

pandemic, the spread of the virus, the dangers, but what about a solution, what can be done to stop covid from ruining another year? >> that is a good question. this is not decemr 2020. we have tools at our disposal around the wld. we have highly effective vaccines, especially against severe disse. we have a pretty substantial supply of high-quality masks. we have understood more about the mode of transmission of the virus, and we know that good ventilation and good filtration helps, so it is the deployment of those tools that will ensure a sustainable control of this virus in the coming months and years. anchor: you talk about the tools, i guess we want to talk more about how we are using those tools now. you have been an advocate for global vaccine equity. it seems that wealthy countries

are pushing their populations to get a third shot, while many people in poor countries are still waiting for the first. where do you stand on this now? >> as you alluded to, i have been talking about vaccine equity bore the vaccine was available because some of us have worked in global health f a while, but here is the thing my perspective is that itoes not have to be a zero-sum game. my perspective is that of course if you have a populaon that is vulnerable, dohatever you need to do to protect the pulation, however,he problem is not that vulnerable people in ctain countries are getting a third dose based on the data, the problem is that we have not increase the size of the pie. we have not increase the actual deliveries against the announcements that have been made for donations. for example, team europe, which is e.u. plus a couple of countries announced half a billion doses in various stages.

only a quarter of them approximately have been delivered, so press releases don't save lives. vaccine save lives. so it's not to say that you don't follow evidence at home. the idea is to increase the size of the pie through actual delivered vaccines through technology transfer, and so on and so forth. anchor: deliveries to match the promises. it has been two years sce china reported the first cluster of cases in wuhan. what do you see in the year ahead? >> i see that we are not helpless bystanders, but to say that we he a lot of power to change the course of the pandemic, but that would require leadership, but it will also require the recognition from the populaon, from the populatis, because we are a heterogeneous wor, that we can either muddle through this r years to come, or we can bite

the bullet and control this pandemic aggressively through the tools that are available, and then get on with our lives. so, i think deployment of tools does not only benefit us in terms of public health, but it also benefits us in terms of getting back to normal increasingly. anchor: wonderful to get your insights, professor. thanks so much. >> my pleasure. anchor: staying in the u.s., a fast-moving wildfire has torn through rural areas near denver, colorado, destroying at least 500 homes. tens of thousands have been forced to flee their properties. authorities say he said the worst fires the state has ever seen. there are no known deaths, which local officials have described as miraculous. they say the white house has now declared the fires a major disaster. let's bring in a meteorologist with the national weather

service in boulder, colorado. welcome. tell us more about the situation, if you will, in colorado right now. >> thanks for having me on. the fire has settled down overnigh in this morning. the strong winds that drove the fire yesterday rapidly subsided yesterday evening. we are getting snow on the fire today, so that is really helping the firefighting efforts. anchor: highly unusual to say the least, what are the factors that have led to the situion? >>, facrs, i guess. the first is the verytrong nds -- three factorsi guess. first, the strong winds yesterday. those are not uncommon on t edge of the cky mountains and hills and we do get these mountain-enhanced window dense whereind -- wind events, where can reach 80 miles per hour to 100 miles per hour, but that was combined with very dry conditions. we have the rerd dries

conditions from july 1 through now on rerd in denver, so very dry conditions. we have been in a severe drought category for t past month, very dryonditions. the fuels were dry. thent sounds like the power line is what sparked the fire, so the strong winds blew the power lines, that started the fire, it raced across the grasslands and open space west of the city, then into the suburbs of denver. anchor: buyers one day, snow the next, can you in your time remember anything like this? >> it is a little more uncommon now, for sure, but colorado does have a very variable climate. we can be very warm one day and very cold the next, but overall, we are seeing fires when they are not usually happen, when they have it happen historically . it used to be our fire season was the summer time, the warm

season, fires were more limited to the mounds with some grass fires, but now we are seeing the fire season get extended longer longer. anchor: it is the hot button topic we have to ask. do the people of colorado see these fires, associate the result of these fires and climate change? >> we are seeing a lot of peope acknowledging that. the fire itself iit is hard to call that a climate change event, but the background of the long drought, the more frequent droughts in the high country definitely are part of that. anchor: ok. the meteorologist with the national weather service in boulder, colorado, thanks so mu for your time. >> thanks for having me on. anchor: the u.s. led coalition has ended its mission against the so-called islamic state in iraq. the government in baghdad says there are no foreign combat

troops on its soil. u.s. forces went back into iraq seven years ago to halt the rise of terror groups. an international operation pushed back the extremists. not many of the remaining 2500 personnel have stayed on in iraq as instructors and advisors. [applause] correspondent: mission accomplished, claimed george w. bush in may 2003, but it wasn't. far from pulling out of iraq after the overthrow of saddam hussein, the u.s. army stayed on for years. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: it was anct of illegal aggression which stabilized iraq and csed terrible suffering f the cilian population. i would describe the iact of the last two decades as catastroic. correspondent: eat u.s. never managed to put a democratic

framework in place, as terrorism and violent crime convulsed iraq. u.s. troops pulled out into 1011 , only to return three years later as the so-called islamic state threaten to take over. washington bed an international coalition and declared i.s. defeated in 2017. now, american combat troops are leaving again, and most iraqis are glad to see him go. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: of course i want the americans out. we need to be independent. we can't have foreigners occupying our great country. correspondent: the occupiers must leave iraq, they have harmed us all. the u.s. withdrawal could provide iran with an opening and embolden i.s., so washington is replacing combat troops with military advisors. many believe the american presence in iraq will barely change. anchor: as we approach the end

of the year, let us look back at one of our more remarkable stories of 2020 one from france, where authorities publish the devastating report on sexual abuse in the catholic church. that report revealed that 216,000 children have been sexually abused by members of the clergy in france since the 1950's. dw spoke with one victim who says he does not have faith in the church to make the necessary changes. correspondent: as a small boy, he used to be full of joy. until the age of 10, when he was sexually molested by a local priest. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: after this, i completely failed at school. i fell out with my parents. at the age of 14, i tried to commit suicide. i was expelled from the schools that i went to.

life became hard. when something like this happens to you at the age of 10, it destroys you. all her life, you will go from trauma to trauma, any relationship will be difficult, with your friends, family, or partner. correspondent: his parents immediately took him out of the local church, but not until 2015 did he decide to take the priest to court. he filed a suit with several others that the priest's victims paired they also pressed charges against his superior, cardinal. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: sexual predators exist everywhere, but the difference is the church knew about the preferences and had him oversee children for decades. they were covering things up. they tried to prevent the truth from coming to light at all costs. correspondent: the judges found

the priest guilty, but decided the cardinal was not responsible for denouncing him. the case nevertheless triggered such a backlash that an independent panel was asked to investigate child abuse at france's catholic church. church authorities have now promised to make amends and light of the devastating report released earlier in october. >> [speaking foreign language] translator: youere not expecting such a dreadful result . the 216,000 children abused by clerics, but that is a reality and we have to face it and take action on what is being asked of us. correspondent: adjusted reforms include watering down the celibacy vows and waving confession privileges, but he does not trust the charge to implement the necessary changes by itself. >> [speaking foreign language]

translator: we will launch a civil class action against french bishops to increase the pressure and hold them accountable for not preventing these things from happening. such proceedings certainly encourage other victims abroad to follow suit. eventually, we can all join forces and find a way to hold the vatican accountable. correspondent: he knows that this fight is likely to take decades, but he fears the catholic church has remained unchallenged for too long, and he is determined to make this global institution finally accept responsibility for its clergy's actions. anchor: show business now, betty white has died at 99. her television career spans 60 years. she was best known for her any award-winning roles in the tv sitcom the golden girls.

in the -- and the hostess on the mary tyler moore show. she remained in the public eye to her death. she passed away three weeks before her 100 birthday. despite this being the second year of coronavirus restrictions , it was nevertheless a busy year for the arts. let's have a look back at some of the cultural highlights of 2021. ♪ correspondent: abba sounds like they never went away. the most spectacular comeback of the year, maybe the comeback of the decade. ♪ james bond took longer than ever before between missions. the pandemic perspective release date or the thriller no time to diet multiple times. >> you are late.

correspondent: nonetheless, it was one of the year's biggest grossing films, marking daniel craig's last outing is double of seven -- 007. the year also saw spectacular museum openings. ♪ ♪ in rotterdam, the world's first public exhibition warehouse. ♪ ♪ also -- oslo's new museum is the biggest dedicated to a single artist. a version of the scream is on display, the artists doesn't work. ♪ this artwork does not need to museum, christie's auction to

digital piece, the collage of 5000 individual images was created by an american artist and computer scientists. it fetched a record sum of 60 million yeuros. >> what? it's just crazy. ♪ >> squid game made waves around the world. ♪ south korean films and series had more and more success internationally, as the boy band bts with their music. ♪ perhaps the best gift of the year was the gift of freedom for popstar britney spears. after her fans kept up the pressure with the hashtag, britney and her conservatorship

was ended in court. anchor: dw news. the top stories, people have begun ringing in the new year. uncle put on fireworks -- hong kong put on a fireworks display, but many activities are being scaled back amid a sharp rise in covid-19 cases. that is all the news for now. you can stay up-to-date on our website, social media. thanks for your company. have a happy new year. ♪

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♪ >> france reports its highest ever recorded total of daily new covid cases as it repairs for subdued new year's celebrations. south africa lifts several coronavirus restrictions after announcing it has passed its peak of omicron infections. france and germany call for a more sovereign europe as the french get ready to take over the presidency of the european council. and countries around the world in