climate change and environmental conservation is taking shape around the world and how we can all make a difference. knowledge gross through sharing. download it now for free. ah ah, this is dw news live from berlin. the pandemic overshadows yet another holiday season. the surgeon, the army kron variant of the corona virus. these disrupting christmas travel airlines are facing a shortage of staff. and that is leading to thousands of flight cancellation. also

on the program, a massive fire sweeps through a ferry in bangladesh, killing dozens, terrified passengers leap overboard and many are still unaccounted for. and at his christmas mass hope frances urges every one to look beyond the lights and decorations and remember the wills neediest. ah, i am jared rate, merry christmas, and welcome to the program. a surgeon cove, at 19 cases, driven by the army kron variant, has been disrupting holiday travel plans all around the world. more than 2000 flights have been canceled globally because of the impact of the corona virus on a line, employees, and on passengers. but despite these people are trying their best to maintain the christmas spirit. twas the night before christmas.

but instead of the usual last minute, christmas rush, the streets here in london have fallen silent. the u. k broke their record of coated cases for the 3rd day in a row, recording about 122000 infections. numbers have climbed so high that some estimates predict one in 10 londoners have the infection the surgeon cases has dampened the christmas cheer and left many industries struggling with staff shortages as sick workers, a forced to isolate. it's a problem that has hit airlines particularly hard. some to 1000 flights around the world had to be cancelled on christmas eve, adding another layer of stress to people's already precarious holiday plans. we were really concerned last night when i saw on the news that they had cancelled

a 100 white and i'm like, oh my god, we won't be able to get home. luckily, we kept checking the flight that a 2nd. the whites that has got here and everything was fine. so we were really grateful for that. in spain, you don't have to be traveling far to face disruptions to everyday life. just stepping outside your front door now means having to wear a mask. the prime minister announced the decision after 2 consecutive records in daily cases. it's come as an unwelcome surprise to many wears when the more when we got off the train and i saw everyone wearing their mask, i remembered that it was the 1st day of the mandates and i thought what a drag again with the mask. it's a bit suffocating, a bit claustrophobic. i'm not very happy where we go? no, nothing. we're gonna linda gala. though it may not be the coven free christmas that so many had hoped for people

a doing their best to make sure some of the festive spirit remains. and earlier we talked to dr. eric fargo ding in washington dc. he was one of the 1st us medical professionals to raise the alarm about the corona virus way back in january 2020. and we asked him whether he agrees with the epidemiologists who are saying that our micron is more transmissible, but less deadly than alpha betia. and the delta variance, thanks for having the i that is generally with understanding, but actually i think where people are not understand correctly is that much a little and missile. but it is actually about 5 times more transmissible. and i think that will actually translate to exponential more cases. the interim me institute estimates 3000000000 people will potentially be impacted in the next 3 month. basically, 2 years worth of infection so far,

the world compressed the 3 months. and it milder it's actually a misinformation because many with it's intrinsically about the same as delta. it's just that now there's more reinfection to those with vaccines and a previous infection. so it looks milder, but actually intrinsically not much. my elder in india and when you balloon the total number of cases in the several 1000000000. well, number of people, that's when you're going to overload the hospitals. doctor eric cycle doing in washington. there. well, many of europe's hospitals are once again being stretched to their limits and staff are more burned out than ever bought despite if they're still trying to bring some joy to patients spending christmas on their wards. he w christine wound was visited belgium's lawyers, central university hospital. tis the season, but much of the jolly has gone. there are more masks them center has another year. another variant,

a never covert christmas. at this hospital in the belgian city of the age. vaccines mean it's better this time around, but they're not sure how long that will last. this time last year this hospital was overwhelmed with cove in 1900 patients. it got so bad. some of the i see you patients had to be lifted to neighboring germany. the situation is under control for now, but the star here are bracing for on the kron. this is the coven ward, and staff here are hoping for the best, but they are preparing for the worst and keeping a nervous eye on, on the cron infection numbers. we're hoping that it won't be too full because we know a soda 3 don't have all the stuff we would need if it was very, very big. and we will do our best help. lucas have had a grueling couple of years. the hospital psychologist say's the uncertainty is

making it difficult to cope in the home africa bagley but the latest i don't see that people the nurses or doctors are afraid to do it because they're more anxious that this might gone forever. it could be that this or a petition just won't stop because in the end one very and chases the last and it comes in race it good all stuff, which is very exhausting. cancer is assess it to julie, please all tie it as they are. nursing staff will, as they always do, try to lift the spirits of those in hospital dis, christmas. but that's particularly tricky with covert patients. they're isolated and can't have visitors, but there will be a special surprise on christmas morning. we have some kids who are writing from cos every year since i'm here since years and years now writing the cost for

the phone. and the morning of christmas we put coffins. and let me let me in and get it and casting a hello. i thing about you stop have created an oasis of com and key here, but they know it probably won't last long. outside infections are spreading fast. and here are some of the other developments in the pandemic. the us is going to lift travel restrictions on 8 southern african countries that it imposed to try and stop the spread of the army. kron variant chile plans to offer a 4th dose of the current of ours fact seemed to its citizens. the booster drive was dot in february, and the spiritual leader of the world worlds orthodox christians baffled me. the 1st has tested positive for covert 19 with mild symptoms. in bangladesh, at least 39 people are dead and 70 injured after an overcrowded ferry caught fire.

many passengers including children, are still missing. the incident happened on a river near jello. carty, which is 250 kilometers south of the capitol, darker the ferry was close to its destination when the blaze broke out. sleeping travellers woke to a fiery nightmare. the fairy turned into a floating inferno. terrified passengers leaped overboard to escape some drowning in the frigid waters. most of the victims were trapped inside the burning boat flooded along the top. and because if she had negligence, the fairy with coveting curtains, all the heed from explosion was trapped inside. and he made everything burn i. i was travelling with my father, my sister, and my 6 month old nephew. when the fire broke out, i gave the baby to

a man he was trying to save it. but now we can't find them. please let us know if you learn, if their whereabouts i hundreds of the injured were taken to hospitals. many passengers are still on accounted for. authorities said the fairy may have been carrying more than twice as many people as allowed. it took fire crews several hours to extinguish the blaze. by daylight bodies were retrieved from the charred hole to investigations or running into the cause of the accident or would be there. the engine had been running for about an hour while on fire. later the fire probably spread from the engine to the oil tank and it stopped with a loud bang of his spot where we are standing right now, begun this river. river fairies are a common mode of transport in bangladesh and

a frequent source of tragedy. this is the 4th deadly fairy accident in less than a year, dawn to spain's canary islands. now, where authorities in la palmer are expecting that the islands 3 months, what kind of corruption will be over soon? now the seas, it's longest ever eruption forcing 1000 from their homes and destroying buildings and wide sways of farmland country via how phil silence last week. ah, it's tough to make to the world for over 3 months with its billowing smoke and spectacular lava flows. but despite his ban, deniable beauty is caused chaos for the residence of la palmer. hundreds how to be evacuated and won't be able to return home for months. and

almost 3000 buildings have been destroyed. with homes and livelihoods among the wreckage. many of the islands, banana plantations, vital to the local economy, have been devastated by osh, but as blankets. vast swathes of la palmer li, dramatic lava flows have expanded the island by faulty heck test. almost the size of $120.00 football fields. locals can now breathe a sigh of relief with hopes of a less turbulent new year with that. but for now, the clean up continues with, with the images of the last 3 months see it in their minds. so put francis has celebrated the annual christmas eve mass in

saint petersburg basilica despite a shop rise in cove. at 19 cases, the traditional midnight mass was actually held at the earlier time of 730 and focused on the plight of workers and the world's port. ah, the choir echoes over a reduced crowd to the 2nd deer in a room. an estimated 2000 people attended the pope's traditional christmas eve, compared to only 200 last year. the 85 year old pontiff focused his message on addressing global poverty, saying that people who are indifferent to the world's poor offend god include saying you that in the sign a child, a baby lying in the dia, poverty of a manger una rented just a poor child wrapped in swaddling clothes with shepherds standing by monday by 30 i

thought that his way god is in little nosey. ah, francis also used his 9th address to remind people that serving others is more important than spending a lifetime in pursuit of success. but the corona virus pandemic still cast a shadow over the service. ah, just minutes before the mass began in italy announced another reco daily tallied of you covered 19 infections because despite the shop rise in cases the faithful outside would just happy to be celebrating. again, this is the 1st time in the last 2 years that we've been able to gather both as a family and to attend mass because of that home m a. so we are very excited and grateful. unlike last year, the pope will once again deliver his traditional irby at all the message from the balcony of saint peter's basilica on christmas day. ah,

and you're up to date here on d. w. news the going to levy now with some images from christmas decorations and celebrations around the world. i'm jared raid merry christmas. ah, with a big changes. meet the people making a whole lot. you go africa joined them as they set out to save the environment.