wilby -- how olaf scholz will behave toward russia and china.hey have announced they will not send double meta delegations to the olympics in beijing and olaf scholz has left open whether he will join this diplomatic boycott over china's human rights record. we will be -- it will be interesting to watch him to take the steps as chancellor. brent: we know the most pressing issue is the pandemic and its impact. what does he inherit from angela merkel? leonie: he inherits a pretty bad situation. germany has been hit by the fourth wave of the pandemic hard with a couple of hundred people dying every day and hospitals in some parts of the country being overwhelmed by the amount of patients that are coming in. they have to send -- because icus average capacity. so they have to hit the ground running first on the top of the agenda, convince more people in germany to get vaccinated. germany has quite a low rate with 69.2% of adults having gotten two jabs. he needs to hit the ground running and prove you can tackle the pandemic. brent: very true, leonie,

olaf scholz comes in with a major foreign policy issue.got to juggle the relationship with the united states and determine what sort of policy he, the u.s. and the eu will have with russia, and i don't think he can afford to be the odd leader out when it comes to dealing with russia. manus: what kind of relationship do you think he wants with the u.s.? judy: olaf scholz has to move his parties credentials -- prove his party's credentials are rocksolid. inside the social democrats there is a hard left wing faction skeptical about nato and skeptical about america, and socials have to bring them on board. i think he will do because of the coalition he is building. the greens, the realistic wing especially, are very much prone nato and pro-america and skeptical of russia. essentially olaf scholz can always lean on his coalition partners if he is troubled with the social democrats. dani: judy, thank you for joining us. that is judy dempsey, carnegie europe senior fellow. let's get over to the first word news, laura wright is back. laura: south

olaf scholz urged all germans to stand together in the fight against covid-19 and to get vaccinated. 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 l

olaf scholz is clear. to make work that not only pays for your rent but also gives you dignity. for greens it will be about the green charger should. for the other it will be about keeping taxes low. i spoke to an advisor who told me they are disappointing with the image being projected in the international media, where he is being presented as this hawk of hawks, very hawkish on everything to do with the fiscal stance. this advisor told me we are still early days, but he does not -- he has never said he does not want to spend. the money has to be well spent in the private sector has to play a role. guy: he has stepped into some areas olaf scholz did not, particular when it comes to the ecb. thank you very much, indeed. maria tadeo joining us from berlin. let's talk about what policy will look like under the olaf scholz administration now that we have seen olaf scholz taken the helm. we welcome to the show karen pittel. thank you protecting the time to join us. i want to start with the big picture for you

he said olaf scholz made watching water boil seem exciting.ertainment, they turn on the telly. they don't want entertaining politicians, such as maybe boris johnson or donald trump. so olaf scholz, his wife, also a career politician, they have no kids, no pets, no hobbies really. it's all about politics in that family. as finance minister of hamburg. he had a legacy of being a very honest, hard-working politician. a couple financial scandals but nothing close to what you see in other countries. he's all in. people sort of rely on him and he so far hasn't made the impression he's going to change the masses in his new position. >> one big change that does seem like it will be on paper was the foreign minister. merkel was essentially her own foreign minister. whoever was the formerly designated as such. scholz probably initially does not have that kind of power and the coalition government means the foreign ministry has been given to annalena baerbock, the green party leader. what does that mean for german foreign policy and for europe? >> well,

olaf scholz's first day in office here began with some fresh snow.e has to attend to all of the new government formalities and handovers that are still taking place. first up, a trip to his old office, the powerful finance ministry. scholz has handed it over to the business friendly free democrats. olaf scholz says that germany needs to build up its reserves for the next crisis. he could and probably will make things rather tricky at times for the chancellor's agenda. that is the mission for the time being, to make sure that we managed to create the reserves to organize these stability areas that we need so we can act whenever we need to and at the same time, managed to shore up the future. that means managing climate change and modernizing the entry. it is straight back here to his new office at the chance three. when it comes to relations with allies, olaf scholz's foreign minister, annalena baerbock has already been laying some of the groundwork. book for the new government, all of that really takes second place to the biggest problem right now. t

olaf scholz wants to focus on the pandemic.d to bring in a three-way coalition, unprecedented for german politics. he has been successful at doing this so far, he put together a government in three months that on paper should not work. the social democrats, liberals and greens are different on the spectrum but he found ways to bridge them together, and he hopes that formula will work for the next four years. we hear time after time we will be dealing with the pandemic in this country. francine: the government coalition deal talks about progress. in what ways will it be a departure from the merkel era? maria: there are two things that are potential points of departure. one has to do with foreign policy. the criticism of angela merkel is that they did not have a foreign policy. germany was pursuing a trade policy and was after business deals for companies and industries. for a while it was successful, but it has put the country in a tricky spot you look at china and its relationship with russia . the other has to do with public s

olaf scholz is in brussels for his wrist eu summit. leaders from the eu are considering sanctions over its military buildup and the ukrainian border. after a short break, i will be back to take you through the day. tonight, the pandemic and pressure, these two use crises. i will ask, right after the break. ■í÷í÷í÷í÷■p >> welcome back to the newsroom in paris. the french government announces new measures for travel between france and the u.k. with concerns over the rapidly spreading variant of covid. i'm its it could be dominant in europe within weeks, leaders are discussing how best to tackle the containment threat. in brussels, leaders are warning of consequences in the event russia invades ukraine. 100,000 russian troops are amassed on the border.

he might be able to attack we ak olaf scholz with rhetoric.e arrived at the right time, wh he was going for chancell -- he was not the right man. now if it his his time, i am not sure. now, i think he will become a very strong opposition leader. phil: that is clear. thank you much. to the coronavirus pandemic and britain is reporting more than 93,000 new infections, that's the country's third record total in a row. sharp increases being attributed to the fast spreading omicron variant. germany, meanwhile, is bracing for an omicron surge. the health minister has warned that the latest coronavirus variant will pose a major challenge to hospitals, intensive care units, and society as a whole. >> i am assuming there will be a massive fifth wave. in close communication with the colleagues in england, both in politics and in science. we have coordinated with each other, and these colleagues say that what they are seeing there is worse than anything they have seen before during the pandemic. this means that we must prepare ourselves for a challenge u

olaf scholz championed the eu, likes a multilateral approach. more on defence and will stick to nato commitments. you might see some shift on russia and china, in tone at least, if not in substance. this man was once angela merkel�*s foreign policy adviser. the outside world will be surprised that there will be much more continuity and change. there are many people who like to have this type of stability in germany. after 16 years, the merkel era is over. earlier, she wished mr scholz luck. he will need it. germany is experiencing its worst covid wave to date. the chancellor's first task — to develop, like his predecessor, a reputation for managing a crisis. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: life as an icon, as part of our 100 women series, we talk to the nigerian writer chimamanda ngozi adichie about feminism and grief. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building, in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil and the flowers have been piling up. th

olaf scholz has been sworn in as the new chancellor.aces angela merkel who stepped down after 16 years in office. he is only the fourth chancellor of germany in nearly 40 years. as our correspondent now reports from berlin. reporter: in the powerful heart of europe, a new political era has begun. no pomp, little ceremony. olaf scholz is not known for his charisma or stirring speeches, but the social democrat and former finance minister's style, his manner, his politics, remind many germans of angela merkel. and they like him for it. he had promised the country a new government for christmas. his other pledge is to create a fairer, more liberal society and a climate-friendly country, they may be harder to keep. >> angela merkel has done a great job but i think now it is time for something new, something more green. >> n we have something different. but they have to prove themselv reporter: that he managed to form a government at all is seen some is nothing short of a miracle. he will have to hold together an unusual coalition. the social

olaf scholz will take over as chancellor tomorrow, as angela merkel bows out after 16 years in offices cabinet includes many new faces and half of them are women. correspondent: finally, time to sign. 10 weeks after september's election, the three parties who want to renew germany have put pen to paper. the somewhat unlikely grouping has had to put aside significant differences to come up with this agreement. it is a sort of marriage contract, setting out ways to make germany greener, fairer, and more modern. >> if the good cooperation of these parties had during the formation of the government continues, it will be of very, very good time to achieve the tasks that lie ahead at the beginning of the 20 20's. one of the incoming government's key issues, the pandemic. with a crisis team newly established, the government wants to break the fourth wave and ramp up the countries vaccine rollout. next up, climate change. by 2030, the parties want to phase out coal, if possible, and ensure 80% of electricity comes from renewables. the government also wants to make becoming a german citizen ea

olaf scholz isn't known for his charisma or stirring speeches, but the social democrat and former financey germans of angela merkel, and they like him for it. mr scholz had promised the country a new government for christmas. his other pledges, to create a fairer, more liberal society, and a climate friendly country, may be harder to keep. angela merkel has done a greatjob but i think now it was a time for something new, something more green. translation: now we have something different - but they have to prove themselves. that mr scholz managed to form a government at all is seen by some as nothing short of a miracle. he will have to hold to get an unusual coalition. the social democrats, the greens, and the business friendly free democrats are not natural bedfellows. this is an historic day for germany and there is a real sense of excitement at the political changes unfolding here. what the rest of the world wants to know is what does this mark a significant shift in germany's wider positions and policies? for now, it seems the answer is no. olaf scholz championed the eu, likes a multil

olaf scholz championed the eu, likes a multilateral approach.mitments. you might see some shift on russia and china, in tone at least, if not in substance. this man was once angela merkel�*s foreign policy adviser. the outside world will be surprised that there will be much more continuity and change. there are many people who like to have this type of stability in germany. after 16 years, the merkel era is over. earlier, she wished mr scholz luck. he will need it. germany is experiencing its worst covid wave to date. the chancellor's first task — to develop, like his predecessor, a reputation for managing a crisis. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. in testimony to the us congress, the head of the social network instagram has been answering allegations the app is harmful to children. adam mosseri urged the creation of an industry body to determine best practices to keep young people safe online. a saudi man arrested at paris airport on tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the killing of the

olaf scholz championed the eu, likes a multilateral approach.more on defence and will stick to nato commitments. you might see some shift on russia and china, in tone at least, if not in substance. this man was once angela merkel�*s foreign policy adviser. the outside world will be surprised that there will be much more continuity and change. there are many people who like to have this type of stability in germany. after 16 years, the merkel era is over. earlier, she wished mr scholz luck. he will need it. germany is experiencing its worst covid wave to date. the chancellor's first task — to develop, like his predecessor, a reputation for managing a crisis. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. india's top military commander has died in a helicopter crash, in the southern state of tamil nadu. chief of defence staff general bipin rawat, his wife and 11 others were killed when their helicopter came down in hills near coonoor. one survivor is being treated for his injuries in hospital. our south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan reports. the general w

olaf scholz championed the eu, likes a multilateral approach.st, if not in substance. this man was once angela merkel�*s foreign policy adviser. the outside world will be surprised that there will be much more continuity and change. there are many people who like to have this type of stability in germany. after 16 years, the merkel era is over. earlier, she wished mr scholz luck. he will need it. germany is experiencing its worst covid wave to date. the chancellor's first task — to develop, like his predecessor, a reputation for managing a crisis. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. president biden will host what he's calling a 'summit for democracy on friday�* as part of an effort to confront what he sees as authoritarian forces led by china and russia. those countries of course, are not on the guest list. but taiwan — which beijing considers its own territory will be taking part. i'm joined now by shelley rigger, professor of political science at davidson college, north carolina it's great to have you on the programme. in the first instance, the fac

all of shells -- olaf scholz takes over.e says his government will focus on working with democracies including the u.s. and he has promised to strengthen the european union but the incoming leader faces a number of challenges, rising covid infections, climate tensions and that's climate change and china. first, dominic kane angela merkel's legacy. 44 -- >> four times she won the election and using a leadership style based in the center. when the berlin wall fell, a different chancellor brought her into government where she thrived in when a scandal engulfed him she engineered his departure with the ruthlessness which saw her first come party leader and chancellor in 2005. >> she was underestimated by her rivals. they talked about the way and the means they would come to power, but angela merkel followed the logic of party politics. >> the crisis propelled into the international stage where her star rose as she helped broker bailouts for europe's ailing economies and cemented her position as a german leader the world's presid

it comes as olaf scholz is on a whirlwind tour of europe. ing for unity to tackle the pandemic and tensions with russia. mr scholz said he was concerned about a russian build up of troops on the ukraine border. translation: we are course deel translation: we are course deeply concerned _ translation: we are course deeply concerned about - translation: we are course deeply concerned about the i deeply concerned about the events unfolding along the ukrainian russian border, and it has to be our responsibility to ensure everyone feel safe within their borders and that the borders within europe are available. meanwhile, the british foreign secretary liz truss has warned russia it will face severe economic consequences if it were to invade ukraine. she was speaking at the start of a meeting of g7 foreign ministers in liverpool where she said there'd be a show of unity in making clear to moscow that any military action would be a strategic mistake. with me is our new reporter mark lobel. what were the key message liz truss�*s is trying to to get ac

he also has been speaking this morning, thanking olaf scholz and team to continue to bedo the job. as you can see, he's speaking and we'll monitor and bring you additional headlines around the further appointments for the cabinets when they come through. >>> coming up on the show. chinese authorities rush to reassure markets as evergrande warns there's no guarantee it can repay its debt the conversation around china continues after the break. continues after i've been telling everyone... the secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. crest advanced gum restore. detoxifies below the gumline... and restores by helping heal gums in as little as 7 days. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. my hygienist cleans with a round head. so does my oral-b my hygienist personalizes my cleaning. so does my oral-b oral-b delivers the wow of a professional clean feel every day. i've been telling everyone... the secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. crest advanced gum restore. detoxifies below the gumline... and restores by helping heal gums in as little as 7 days. crest. the #1 toot

a lot schultz championed -- olaf scholz championed nato. some shift on russia and china, in tone if not substance. he was once foreign policy advisor. >> the world will be surprised that there will be much more continuity than change. many people would like to have this stability in germany. >> after 16 years, the merkel era is over. she wished hemlock. he -- him luck. he will need it. the chancellor will develop a reputation for managing a crisis. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. ♪ ros: now, i'm pretty sure this is something we've never brought you before on "outside source." guess what this sound is. [unknown sound playing] i'm sure you got that. it's a fish growling, whooping, and -- this was used for microphones. it means the coral is coming back to life. the diver in the picture is the lead researcher who has been speaking to bbc. >> the fish continue to surprise and amaze us the longer we listen. we joke the more we put our heads underwater and listen, the weirder it gets. almost every time we go out, fish can make more and weirder and m

there is no discussion, simply an up or down vote on whether olaf scholz is voted in as chancellor. then sworn in in front of the bundestag officially. then she is a free woman. brent: where will this freewoman be next year? melinda: i believe her when she says that she will not be playing a political role. she is a person of modesty. she is immune to the blandishments of power and also material matters, so i think we will not see her go through that revolving doll that schroeder -- revolving door that schroeder enjoyed walking through. she is deeply respected in other countries and her belief pulpit to weigh in on important matters. brent: she knows that everyone at some point can be replaced. melinda, thank you. with less than a week to go before departing office, chancellor merkel is still hard at work trying to contain a surge of covid cases in the country, trying to get control of the situation after convening federal and regional leaders. they include a vaccine mandate do to be discussed by the german parliament. they also want to step up their vaccination program and has made

olaf scholz tightens restrictions as the country gets ready for omicron.he 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 impos

olaf scholz isn't known for his charisma or stirring speeches, but the social democrat and former financeike him for it. mr scholz had promised the country a new government for christmas. his other pledges, to create a fairer, more liberal society, and a climate friendly country, may be harder to keep. angela merkel has done a greatjob but i think now it was a time for something new, something more green. translation: now we have something different but they have _ to prove themselves. that mr scholz managed to form a government at all is seen by some as nothing short of a miracle. he will have to hold to get an unusual coalition. the social democrats, the greens, and the business friendly free democrats are not natural bedfellows. this is an historic day for germany and there is a real sense of excitement at the political changes unfolding here. what the rest of the world wants to know is what does this mark what the rest of the world wants to know is does this mark a significant shift in germany's wider positions and policies? for now, it seems the answer is no. olaf scholz championed t

the highest price russia ever had to pay, german chancellor olaf scholz said. we don't know what is in the box, because they will not tell us. there has to be a moment of surprise. it is christmas, obviously. so what are the sanctions? what could they possibly be? it is relatively clear. economically they can try to cut off trade with russia as much as possible. they could throw russia out of the international financial system. that is very painful, because then they are cut off from international banking. and the final question is, could they cut off gas imports from russia? that is the $10 million question, because the gas reserves on the european side may last may be till april, and then everything is empty. so everyone would be hoping for mileage in that case and that they go far. brent: barbara as always, thank you. in the united states, u.s. president joe biden touched down in kentucky as consoler in chief. he is seeing firsthand the devastation caused by a swarm of tornadoes that plowed through the state and the tiny community of mayfield friday night. h

reporter: on tuesday, german chancellor olaf scholz said the limits on the number of people who can meetill come to force on december 28. large public events will also be banned, including prohibiting fans at footll matches. the new german health minister has needed, and nothing should be rolled out in the fight against covid. >> i believe that with the measures we agreed on, we can master the pandemic in the coming weeks. that we don't want to categorically exclude anything. we will consider everything is necessary. currently, that is not the case. reporter: well protests against mandatory vaccines and covid measures continue, many germans support the new restrictions. >> i will be honest the numbers are actually going down again, little bit. but i have to say, in order to finally end the whole thing, it is good that we have another lockdown so that everything comes to an end, so that maybe we could celebrate again afterwards. reporter: vaccinations will continue during the festive season, as people hope this is the second and last covid christmas. : let's get more from simon. yesterday

it comes as olaf scholz is on a whirlwind tour of europe. andemic and tensions with russia. mr scholz said he was concerned about a russian build up of troops on the ukraine border. translation: we are of course deeply concerned by the events | unfolding along the ukrainian russian border, and it has to be our responsibility to ensure everyone feel safe within their borders and that the borders within europe are available. meanwhile, the british foreign secretary, liz truss, has warned russia it will face "severe economic consequences" if it were to invade ukraine. she was speaking to the bbc on the eve of a meeting of g7 foreign ministers in liverpool. she stresed there would be a show of unity in making clear to moscow that any military action would be a strategic mistake. i share the view that it would be extremely serious if russia were to take that action. it would be a strategic mistake, and there would be severe consequences for russia. what we're doing this weekend is working with like—minded allies to spell that out. michael nesmith,

on friday germany's chancellor, olaf scholz, travelled to paris and brussels, in part to discuss theff with moscow over ukraine. presidentjoe biden spoke to the leaders in germany, france, italy and the uk this week before his two—hour—long conference call with vladimir putin. the russian president insisted the thousands of troops he's stationed close to the border are no threat to anyone. the united states and its allies see things differently. a casualty could be nordstream 2, the now completed gas pipeline between germany and russia. ian, does olaf scholz have an opportunity, do you think, to reset relations with russia at this point? well, he's certainly in an interesting position. the coalition agreement that he's signed talks in stronger terms against russia. it stands up very firmly for the belarus opposition in calling for fresh elections, saying there shouldn't be russian intervention of belarus. it stands up very firmly in favour of the territorial integrity of the ukraine. so that is interesting, and the greens, as we know, take a slightly harder line than a lot of german

a new dawn for germany — olaf scholz takes over as the new chancellor, promising to modernise europe'siggest economy. down again — for the third time this year thousands are affected as amazon's online services are hit by a massive outage causing headaches for a number of streaming giants. and a plant—based recipe for success? we speak to the boss of frozen vegan food specialist strong roots as it announces a deal with mccain foods. more now on germany, where its new chancellor — olaf scholz — will be sworn in as leader of europe's largest economy later today. he will be the first social democrat in the job for 16 years and has promised to modernise the country. among the raft of measures to get the german people on side is a promise to raise the minimum wage to 12 euros, which is almost a two—and—half euro increase. this would give some 10 million germans an instant pay rise. he's also announced plans to build 400 thousand new homes a year, which is 100 thousand more than previously planned, and guarantee stable pension levels. so will 0laf scholz deliver and what challenges does he f

ian, does olaf scholz have an opportunity to reset relations with russia at this point?tion. the coalition agreement that he's signed talks in stronger terms against russia. it stands up very strongly for the belarus opposition, saying there shouldn't be russian intervention of belarus. it stands up very firmly in favour of the territorial integrity of the ukraine. so, that is interesting, and the greens take a harder line than a lot of german parties or politicians on foreign affairs and things like china and russia. time will tell. merkel was really interesting in the way she reproached russia. she took overjust after the iraq debacle, when germany had sided with france and russia opposing the iraq war. she spoke russian. she came from soviet allied background, and was sceptical about the country and i think she's moved back into the atlantic alliance at the same time she opposed the extension of nato to the ukraine. she flew to... if you remember, to try and settle these situations in donbass in 2015. she took a lead on that. equally, she was presented with nordstream

in a few hours, olaf scholz of germany's centre—left social democrats will become the country's ninthcellor. in a secret ballot, members of the lower house of the german parliament, the bundestag, are to approve him and his ministers taking the oath of office. he will lead a coalition with the liberal free democrats and the greens. and we will have more on that story in our business coverage. russia has rejected suggestions it plans to invade ukraine as hysteria — and has accused nato of stoking tensions in the region. the kremlin issued a statement after talks yesterday between president biden and vladimir putin. mr biden has warned of tough economic sanctions if an invasion takes place. our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. a secure video connection for a high—stakes meeting. joe biden face—to—face with the russian president for the first time sincejune when they met in person. mr biden seated in the situation room at the white house with his senior advisers, the two leaders shared pleasantries before getting down to business. it's good to see you again. behind closed

>> well, i'm not sure i fully agree with you that olaf scholz will sort of hand back all foreign policygn ministry. angela merkel as rightly said, he pulled it over to the chance lary. i think he will try to keep it that way, apart from foreign global climate issues but certainly, he studied over in london and will try to make most of her spoke. she's very outspoken and vociferous against human rights in china and russia. it remains to be seen whether she will keep up that outspoken rhetoric now that she's got that post. >> tell us about that particularly. toords russia and china, germany had a sort of more moderate or pragmatic policy. it's not part of the diplomatic boycott of the beijing winter olympics. do you think that that kind of pragmatism or moderation will continue? >> well, olaf scholz has been part of angela merkel's last government as finance minister and he's largely supported her stance in most of that, as you just says a more moderate, business friendly, at least rhetoric sort of apart from a couple of sanctions, you wouldn't see germany as the most controversial, the c

on the other hand, olaf scholz has said there will always be a lot of continuity from the politics we'vein the merkel era. olaf schultz was the finance minister under merkel. angela merkel was only second to helmer cole. she leaves behind a gigantic political legacy. let's have a look. >>> a farewell with the highest military honors, after more than 16 years in office, angela merkel received the so-called grand tattoo ceremony of germany's armed forces. a changing of the guard in german politics. >> translator: it is now up to the next government to find answers to the challenges that lie ahead of us and to shape our future. for that dear olaf scholz, if we don't succumb to envy and pessimism, the likes elsewhere a few years ago, would drain our heart. >> reporter: it is the end of a political year that was never easy for angela merkel. often belittled in the world of german conservative politics. my girl, is what legendary german chancellor hem wood cull called her as she moved through the ranks. many rivals mistakenly fail to take her seriously enough. >> when they realize a woman from

olaf scholz stepping into some large footsteps there.ny has to overcome. first and foremost, tkeeping th economy on track. and also fighting the pandemic. germany right now in a difficult situation. a lot of new coronavirus infections. quite frankly a lot of deaths as well. we have the highest death toll since february coming out today. but then, of course, you have foreign policy challenges like, for instance, the current situation there with russia and ukraine. i think one of the interesting things that we need to point out is that olaf scholz is definitely a chancellor who is very much in favor of strong transatlantic relations. he is a fan of president biden. he yesterday at a press conference once again praised biden and his new multilateralism that the u.s. president has brought to the office. obviously president biden speaking to many of the u.s.'s allies as far as ukraine is concerned. you will see strong transatlantic relations under this new government. and finally, germany now no longer has a female chancellor, but will soon h

germany's lower house of parliament, the bundestag, has confirmed the social democrat, olaf scholz, asdence of the german president and will return to the parliament shortly, to be sworn in. mr scholz is replacing angela merkel after 16 years in power. kate brady is a berlin—based journalist, shejoins me now. what will happen at the swearing in? this is just a very short ceremony. one of the big changes this year is that olaf scholz will not necessarily have to say the words so help me god. he is the first german chancellor to not officially belong to the church, so that as a possible change. we will not know until he says it or not whether that is going to be the case. compare to some of the ceremonies that we see in other countries when leaders are elected, there are certainly not the pomp that we might see when we compare it to america, for example. he is not the head of state, he is the head of government, so in that sense it is a much smaller scale ceremony. it is very bureaucratic anyway. it was the moment that he received a piece of paper from the moment that he received a piece

angela merkel today after the 16 years in power handing over power to olaf scholz saying she'd standis he started trying to tackle the most important thing he's going to have to deal with which is the coronavirus pandemic here in germany. right now the numbers in germany not good at all. today they had the highest death toll since february. and olaf scholz hard started working on stricter covid measures together with angela merkel before he even took power and so he's definitely triying o get a strong start. the other thing is the economy but then also foreign policy. a big issue for this government. and right now, especially that threat in eastern ukraine with russia, amassing those forces there, and one of the things olaf scholz has pointed out is that he wants a strong trans-atlantic relationship. he's a big fan of u.s. president joe biden and really values the new multilateralism as he put it yesterday and today that president biden has brought into u.s. relations with its allies in europe. >> merkel exits just shy of the record for the longest chancellorship. i believe that was

it comes as olaf scholz is on a whirlwind tour of europe.pandemic and tensions with russia. he said he was concerned about a russian buildup of troops on the ukraine border. we buildup of troops on the ukraine border.- buildup of troops on the ukraine border. we are of course deeply _ ukraine border. we are of course deeply concerned l ukraine border. we are of. course deeply concerned by ukraine border. we are of- course deeply concerned by the events on folding along the ukrainian border, and it has to be our responsibility ensures that everybody can feel safe, and that the borders are inviolable. the british foreign secretary, liz truss, has warned russia it will face "severe economic consequences" if it were to invade ukraine. she was speaking at the start of a meeting of g7 foreign ministers in liverpool. she stressed there'd be a show of unity in making clear to moscow that any military action would be a "strategic mistake." i share the view that it would be extremely serious if russia were to take that action. it would be a strategic

this is an update from olaf scholz addressing the bundestag for the first time. lz saying germany will overcome the covid-19 pandemic. we will bring you more lines when we get them from the new german chancellor as he addresses the bundestag. let's switch focus from the european concerns about the spread of omicron to the federal reserve, which is of course what expected, as we discussed with eddie van der walt, to announce doubling of the pace of its taper later today. . that is the view from bloomberg economics. we will be watching for any signs of what this could mean for the timing and the pace of rate hikes. to help us figure out what all this means for investors, i am very pleased to say we are joined by emmanuel cau, head of european equity strategy at barclays, joining us on set in london. great to have you with us. we are talking about the taper and how it leads us up to rate hikes. how important is the time for? what is your assessment of the gap, the lag between the end of taper and the start of rate hikes? emmanuel: good morning. this is a day of recko

it comes as olaf scholz is on a whirlwind tour of europe. said he was concerned about a russian build up of troops on the ukraine border. translation: we are, of course, deeply concerned by the events i unfolding along the ukrainian, russian border, and it has to be our responsibility to ensure that everyone can feel safe within their borders and that the border is europe are invaluable. our correspondent damian mcguinness described why scholz�*s itinerary matters. it's always that tradition for the german chancellor to go first to france, for historical reasons, to show that france and germany, after years of bloodshed, they century or over the centuries have now, you know, brought europe together, also, pragmatic reasons, without french and german cooperation committee can't do anything in europe. but as you say, this is a sign of continuity, because going to brussels there is a signal to the german government is as pro— european, if not more, than the previous government under angela merkel, so you are quite right. the new chancellor is r

we're voting -- waiting for olaf scholz to be sworn in.ld see this mandate already operational from the start of 2022. this is a u-turn from the german government, which originally said, and i'm sure you remember this very well, this is a personal choice. the government was never going to force anyone to do this. but it reflects this is a way of novak's unvested people, who don't -- unvaccinated people, who don't believe in the vaccine. to answer your question, will it work? you look at questions like austria, but also the french would introduce its health pass. it really does. positive incentives are no longer working. this is the perennial question. what type of social pushback over going to see, particularly to a government that is just born? olaf scholz has not worn in on this just yet. dani: maria, thanks so much, bloomberg's maria tadeo. let's continue the story on your. we're joined by head of european economic research at barclays. maria was laying out for us some of the restrictions, some mobility restrictions going to places in e

this is tricky to oversee, and it seems like olaf scholz has gone for someone already known to the germanpersonal views are in line with his own political agenda. manus: maria, briefly, there was a great deal of response from africa and south africa in regards to closures. will there be discussion about some relief? maria: there is already and there is almost an understanding that a lot of those restrictions, particularly to south africa, may have been unfair. we know the virus was probably already in europe way before south africa reported that case. europeans are aware that given the vaccination lag, but also the country has been -- the virus and it might be unfair and they could ease restrictions. manus: maria, thank you. maria tadeo in brussels as the ministers gather. good to see you as always. let's finish off with a quick beat on risk. let's look the map, on belief, a commodity rally, iron of 9%. five-week high. dani: exactly. some hopes of china property easing curves allowing the market a reprieve. the yen dipping. dollar-yen not doing so well. that is it for us, bloomberg market

angela merkel and olaf scholz speaking. these headlines are separate.he idea they are imposing curbs on nonvaccinated individuals and limiting gatherings. they are aiming for 30 million vaccination sought -- shots through year end. the hospitalization rates pushing through limits through parts of germany. you noted the key digital conference held in germany in munich has been canceled for this year. tom: is 189 miles from munich to davos and this is a real important idea. yesterday dod in munich was canceled for january 2022, no doubt getting out in front of olaf scholz and chancellor merkel. this is the first symbol of the long factor we see. in austria, terrible. switzerland like the u.k.. germany in between and migrating in the wrong direction. lisa: is so frustrating, because the vaccination rate in europe is better than united states. you wonder what we have to come when we head into the winter and you wonder when we can leave the pandemic era and enter something more endemic. tom: the headline, buddhist dog to have meant -- the headline, mandatory

germany's olaf scholz, the leader of the social democrat party, has been sworn in as the successor tochancellery and was presented with flowers by mr scholz as she formally handed over power. our correspondent damien mcguinness has been following events in berlin. frau dr angela merkel... after 16 years in office, angela merkel is no longer germany's leader. she's the first chancellor in modern germany to voluntarily give up power. it's the end of one era and the beginning of another. calm, fact—driven, seemingly unflappable. .. ..germany�*s new chancellor, olaf scholz, is similar in style to angela merkel, but unlike mrs merkel, he's not a conservative. for the first time in more than a decade and a half, germany is getting a left—wing chancellor. he says he will bring in a fairer society, a higher minimum wage, a lower voting age and more rights for minorities. angela merkel has cleared out her desk in the chancellor's office, all ready for the new chancellor, olaf scholz, to move in. but there's little time for him to celebrate. germany is facing huge challenges. most importantly a

olaf scholz, the new chancellor of germany has refrained to do so we listened in on what he had to say about the situation and where he stands when it comes to the escalation at the border between ukraine and russia >> translator: we're watching the troop movements along the ukraine border with great concern. we're making it clear the borders cannot be violated and we consider the integrity of borders to be inviable and no one can think they can be violated without serious consequences >> as i was saying, olaf scholz is still restraining from using nordstream 2 as a political leverage in the discussions with russia he most likely will follow an old policy approach by the spd towards russia and eastern europe, which is based, a, on dialogue and if dialogue doesn't work we could go down the road of sanctions but first of all i think he wants to start a dialogue and have a proper relationship building exercise with vladimir putin. if that's going to work, remains to be seen but he's incsisting n an international response, not a germany go it alone sort of thing. i think the coming weeks w

the new government headed by olaf scholz is set to be sworn in on wednesday. the u.s.anning to declare a diplomatic boycott of the beijing winter olympics. according to cnn, the decision not to send in the games this february will be announced later this week. the move would be largely symbolic, as few u.s. officials were likely to visit china anyway due to strict quarantine roles. global news 24 hours a day, on air and at bloomberg quicktake, powered by more than 2700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. this is bloomberg. francine? francine: thank you so much. coming up, french republicans pick their first female presidential candidate to run against emmanuel macron in year's election. we expect to the manager of her campaign next. this is bloomberg. ♪ francine: welcome back to the open. we are 46 minutes into the european trading day. we are holding onto gains. the dot, cac's, and ftse 100 between 0.7% and 0.5% overall. the focus is not on chinese technology companies but what is happening with monetary policy and the fed. france has nominated their

this is a policy i think that has carried over from the merkel government , but of course olaf scholz was part of that government. hopefully the greens, who seem to be more hard-line when the supporting ukraine militarily, will bring about a change in policy. >> ambassador, you have said the single most important thing to watch regarding how the situation plays out is how putin views biden. as putin respect biden? >> i don't know whether or not he respects him. putin feels through his cyber provocation, that biden could be challenged and his buttons could be pushed and will not necessarily respond. that is a very dangerous conclusion. the handling of the crisis on ukraine's water over the past four or five weeks unfortunately contributes to that opinion . sandy mentioned the handling of nord stream 2. you had jake sullivan saying perhaps if russia goes into ukraine, nord stream 2 will be used. we need to send clear signals that we will strongly use all of our our, minus necessarily american, troops, to make russia pay a hard price. that could be changed overnight, when the white house

olaf scholz from the social democrat is the new chancellor, replacing angela merkel, facing several challengesourth wave of coronavirus and security threats europe is facing out its borders. reporting from berlin. correspondent: this is goodbye to the woman many and germany have caught a mother. and welcome to the man who has the tough task of filling her shoes. >> all of schultz were to fulfill his task at chancellor. the so-called traffic light coalition of social democrats, liberals, and greens can get to work. >> i'm looking forward to the new job. i'm looking forward to everyone working here and today marks a good start for the country. correspondent: in his hometown of hamburg, celebrating the special day with a discount for an all of schultz haircut, a joke from the barber who happens to be an old friend. they met each other working with the spd, the social democratic party. chan. scholz: it is a special date because my good comrade, my sensible comrade, is in a powerful position as chancellor and i will cross my fingers. i cannot explain how special this day is for me. correspondent: h

a new chancellor, and a new era for germany, as olaf scholz takes over from angela merkel.space tourist.