tech and taxis — as kidnappings in cabs continue to rise in the democratic republic of congo — we investigate a new customised safety app. just hit the qr code scanner, bring it up to the qr code and inafew bring it up to the qr code and in a few seconds, up comes the picture of the driver and the car and you picture of the driver and the carand you are picture of the driver and the car and you are ready to ride. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. germany has announced major restrictions on anyone who's not vaccinated against covid 19, banning them from all but essential shops to try to fend off a fourth wave of the virus. and the chancellor angela merkel says vaccines may become compulsory from february. cases of omicron have now been confirmed in 2a countries. here's our medical editor fergus walsh. red alert in germany. intensive care staff at this bavarian hospital lit the wards red to warn germans of the threat from covid at its worst wave of infections so far. the government has announced a ban on the unvaccinated entering bars, restaurants and non—essential shops. translation: this is - the situation we are confronted with and it's also cleared what we need to achieve first. those who have not been vaccinated yet need to do so. and they could go further, with plans for vaccination to be made mandatory as early as february next year. germany's wave is being driven by the delta variant but omicron is continuing to spread globally with cases confirmed in more countries, including india and france. here, omicron and any future variants will be combated with yet more boosters, year after year if needed. all these jabs will be so—called mrna vaccines from pfizer and moderna, but the focus right now is getting this round of boosters in arms. the prime minister had his at the hospital that saved his life last year. i'm lucky, here we go. saint thomases, in london, where he was admitted to intensive care with covid. what ever omicron may or may not be able to do, it certainly will not negate the overall value of the boosters, so everybody should get your booster as soon as you are called forward. pfizer, like the other vaccine makers, is already working on an omicron specific covid vaccine which could be ready in three months. welcome. in a rare interview the boss of pfizer told me he thought regular boosters would be needed. if we have to make a guess based on everything i have seen so far, i would say likely it will be needed annual vaccinations to maintain very robust and very high level of protection. yes! in the united states 5—11 —year—olds are now being immunised against covid. therapy dogs providing a useful distraction. a decision on this age group in the uk may come before christmas. they would receive a third of a standard dose. it all means bigger and bigger profits for pfizer. revenues from its vaccine will exceed £26 billion this year. what would you say to those who regard it as immoral to cash in during a pandemic? i believe we have saved the global economy trillions of dollars. i think it's a strong incentive for innovation for the next pandemic, that people will see if they step up to the game to bring something that saves lives and saves money, there is also financial reward meanwhile the uk has approved a new antibody drug which dramatically cuts the risk of severe illness. initial tests suggest it will work against omicron. it's notjust vaccines but treatments which will end this pandemic. fergus walsh, bbc news. we can now speak to dr craig spencer who's director of global health in emergency medicine at columbia university medical center in new york. very medical center in new york. good to have you with this very good to have you with us. this idea of limiting the movement of people were not vaccinated where the glum — where they can glum public spaces, this is quite a leap in terms of public policy, isn't it? �* ., , , ., it? but we have seen is that, the vaccines _ it? but we have seen is that, the vaccines to _ it? but we have seen is that, the vaccines to health - it? but we have seen is that, | the vaccines to health experts have been saying, they reduce your likelihood of getting sick and dramatically reduce your likelihood of ending up in the hospital or dying from covid—i9. people know we're in the middle of a pandemic we have this new and worrisome variant that can make things worse for months or years more and we know that one of the best ways out of this is going to be getting everyone vaccinated, boosted, notjust in the uk but around the world. i cannot speak of the specifics of austria or germany where i do not practice, but here in the us, we have seen that mandates and improve the coverage for federal workers as well as state workers here in new york where i am at, increasing substantially the number of people who have decided to get vaccinated and the public health perspective, thatis the public health perspective, that is incredibly helpful for people in my position to see people in my position to see people were primarily unvaccinated in the emergency department * plate and we look at the different approaches to dealing with a new variant or a surge cases, where does the balance lie between pushing people for vaccines, pushing people for vaccines, pushing people towards getting vaccines and testing interesting in that side of it. how important are the two relative to each other? i think they need to be complementary and the approach is that we need to be working with them to get out of these non—pharmaceutical interventions like masking and testing. we don't need to supplant or replace vaccinations and vice versa. this is been a bit of my concern between web and sink in the us we've been focusing on vaccines and boosters, and getting tests into the hands and homes of americans. many viewers might not know and it is quite difficult still to get a test, to get a test that you do at home, you need to pay for the need to be up to 80 or ten us dollars each. so if you're trying to use a couple times a week. that can be very prohibitive to a lot of families. and with the announcement by the biden administration to prepare for over having now, i was heartened but disappointed that we did not do more to get high quality tests for all americans here and those we need in addition to getting those vaccines out to keep us safe. i did not realise the detest at home for free. did not realise the detest at home forfree. — could not. get tests at home for free. do you think that there's a case to be made for the drug companies making sums of profits for this period to perhaps put some of theirfunding period to perhaps put some of their funding towards, period to perhaps put some of theirfunding towards, i their funding towards, i appreciate theirfunding towards, i appreciate that it is a political question, do you think that would help? mil think that would help? all ublic think that would help? fill public health is political and we are of the pandemic. i do not have a huge problem with pharmaceutical companies making money for the risk that they took. and i hope we find greater work by finding pfizer and madrona to get more vaccinations and get these products out there. notjust vaccines but notjust for what we were, available in the uk, europe, western countries and also in developing and lower middle income countries that until now have not had equal access and because of that, loosing problems like omicron and increasing cases in many places that have not had access to the same things that we have. . ~ ,, to the same things that we have. . ~' ,, , to the same things that we have. . ~ ,, , . ., have. thank you very much for “oininu have. thank you very much for joining us- _ to the uk now — where the ruling conservative party has been facing a test of its popularity after allegations of sleaze. and in the last few minutes, the party has won the parliamentary seat of old bexley and sidcup in the south—east of london and retains its hold on the borough, but with a much reduced majority. the by—election had been held after the death of the former cabinet ministerjames broken—shire. here's the winning candidate, louie french, paying tribute to his former colleague: first of all, i would like to pay tribute to my good friend who represented the sea for more than ten years. and for for the people every single day. he made an enormous impact on everyone who lives here and is a member of parliament that i will work tirelessly to build on everything he achieved. i cannot put into words how much how his wife's bravery has been inspiring to me. thank you in tribute to my good friend. let's go live to bexleyheath and to our political correspondent matt cole. with a reduced majority by retaining the seat, will this be triumph or relief for the governing conservative party? i think a bit of both to say the least. certainly, chatting to representatives of the conservative party earlier in the evening, the report in saying that a wind was a win. and they said if we win this, therefore we take this as a victory. they take it as being a cold dark decemberfor those being significantly down and they were. 11,189 votes to the winning candidate, contrast that with the former mp who passed away from cancer two months ago. when he won the seed back in 2019, he had just shy of 30,000 votes and almost three times the number. labour is down to 6711, compare that with over ten that have thousand last time around. both saw around down. the turn out just 34% compared with just shy of 70% last time. so, fewer than half the number of voters this time and succumb the conservatives pointed to being the weather, the time of year, people feeling it is the cc did not need to come out with the general election and the opposition party sing labour in the reform party which had been the reform party which had been the brexit party previously changes its name and rebranded. but them and labour citizens a rejection of borisjohnson. rejection of boris johnson. that rejection of borisjohnson. that is why the numbers have gone down and they say the claims of corruption run the government, of sleeves, that christmas parties were taking place at downing street whilst covid—19 restrictions were in place last christmas, this is all of those factors at play rejection of borisjohnson in their turn to talk up their loss as a positive just as the conservatives are claiming it is a victory. conservatives are claiming it is a victory-— conservatives are claiming it is a victory. you mention the low turnout _ is a victory. you mention the low turnout and _ is a victory. you mention the low turnout and whether - is a victory. you mention the low turnout and whether a i low turnout and whether a particular issues that emerged on the doorstep that the candidates as was raised by voters during the campaign? quite if you say boris johnson's abilities as prime minister did come up in the conservative campaign was run and not about the prime minister and his record so much as it was focusing on local issues such as general practitioner gps and surgeries and health care access in general. carrying on the legacy of working for the queen mary hospital nearby and they did a lot of campaigning around. so, they focused on the issues and other issues like a strike by people who collect bins and refuse, it depends on who you want to take is giving you the gospel on this one. i think borisjohnson is and clearly plenty of people from different parties said his name came up and people walking to the constituency and even conservative voters would say yes, there still conservative but they have questions about boris johnson's but they have questions about borisjohnson�*s leadership. there will be questions about boris johnson's there will be questions about borisjohnson�*s leadership of boris johnson's leadership of the borisjohnson�*s leadership of the party in is well ahead of the party in is well ahead of the government at the moment, but i think there will be quite as intensified if this result got even closer and so, they have held the seat but there is another electoral challenge just two weeks away and there's another by election in north structure, see those vacated by an np who was accused of breaking parliamentary rules, he quit and know that seed is “p he quit and know that seed is up for grabs he quit and know that seed is upfor grabs and he quit and know that seed is up for grabs and that is a tough fight and i think conservatives will take some solace in holding this but the electoral fight goes on in just two weeks' time and is another seat that they have to defend. will continue to watch with interest. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we meet the designers of a new safety app — helping to combat the rise in taxi kidnappings — in the democratic republic of congo. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. we feel so helpless. the children are dying in front of me and i can't do anything. charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate and at least six other people in los angeles. at 11 o'clock this morning, just half a metre of- rock separated britain i from continental europe. it took the drills just i a few moments to cut through the final obstacle, - then philippe cossette, a miner from calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags _ with his opposite . number from dover. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. german leaders say covid jabs could become mandatory from february and have announced tough restrictions on the unvaccinated. south africa, which recorded some of the earliest instances of the omicron variant, is seeing a major increase in cases. over the last week the daily number of new covid infections has increased fourfold, from less than 3,000 to more than 11,500 — three quarters of which are omicron. so far hospital admissions remain low and symptoms of the new variant are reported to be mild. our africa correspondent andrew harding has more. it's summer time here in south africa, but a shadow looms over the beaches and holiday season. a fourth wave of covid infections is spreading fast, driven by the new variant. are you worried about this new variant, omicron? the new one, i am worried. i'm worried. we don't know what the new variant's like. what the symptoms are, how bad the symptoms are. how it could affect us now and it makes you really scared. at their laboratory here in durban the scientists who first identified the omicron variant are racing to unlock its secrets, and now the first hints are emerging of what the mutations on the virus mean. i think the epidemiological evidence is that we think you're more likely to get reinfected if you've had covid before, so that is because of the mutations on the spike protein. we don't know much about transmissibility but i think looking at the mutational formation we think it may be more transmissible than even delta. in terms of clinical problems, we have no evidence that this is a more severe virus than let's say delta, alpha, or even beta. that bears repeating. although hospital admissions are rising sharply here, it won't be at all clear at least for another week or two whether the omicron variant is more severe, more dangerous. in the meantime, above all in rural south africa, another problem lurks — vaccine hesitancy. this builder tells a visiting health worker that he won't get a jab even with the new wave of infections. do you find it frustrating, people saying no? it is frustrating because we believe that if all of us have already had vaccinated, we will be safe. as this virus spreads fast now across south africa the real problem here is not a lack of vaccines, it's the fact that younger people seem very reluctant to get a jab, which is where these activists come in. trying to persuade the public in a country where so far only a third of adults are fully vaccinated. the guys said they would like to get their vaccination after we had a talk. success. that's a success and we thank them by clapping hands. one small victory, but south africa has a fight on its hands. andrew harding, bbc news, durban. angela merkel has attended a ceremony in berlin — a rite of passage for german leaders since the late 90s — to mark the end of a chancellor's tenure. mark lobel reports. it isa it is a ceremony dating back to the 16th century. here, the military tattoo capping off 16 years of angela merkel�*s leadership. the firm and pragmatic leader who often held her cards close to her chest, reflected on her time as chancellor. it reflected on her time as chancellor.— chancellor. it has been demanding _ chancellor. it has been demanding a _ chancellor. it has been demanding a political. chancellor. it has been i demanding a political and chancellor. it has been - demanding a political and human terms. but the same time, they have often been fulfilling. the last two years of the pandemic in particular have shown like a magnifying glass the importance of trust in politics and science as well as in social discourse. but also the fragility of the trust. she also stressed _ fragility of the trust. she also stressed the - fragility of the trust. she also stressed the importance of protecting democracy as she spokein protecting democracy as she spoke in the courtyard of berlin's defense ministry. it lives on the balance of interests and mutual respect. it lives on solidarity and trust and trust in the facts and whatever scientific knowledge is denied in conspiracy theories and incitement and hatred are widespread, we must express contradiction. but widespread, we must express contradiction.— contradiction. but there was something _ contradiction. but there was something of _ contradiction. but there was something of an _ contradiction. but there wasj something of an unexpected personal moment too, reflecting her good sense of humour which came with one of the song choices from the pastors daughter for the event. not the 18th century christian him. or the actress talking about teenage ambition but... this one. punk legend nina's 1974 hit and which are girlfriend schools her boyfriend for using black—and—white instead of colour film on holiday. black—and—white instead of colourfilm on holiday. in the former communist east germany where angela merkel grew up. the door officially closes on her time next week when power transfers to the head of a rival party, the social democrats. where new chapter in german and european politics begins and a growing covid—19 crisis in the country. in kinshasa, the capital of the democratic republic of congo, taxis are a popular but dangerous way to get around — with as many as five kidnappings a week, and women particularly vulnerable. victoria rubadiri reports kinshasa, one of africa's mega—cities, is built on the banks of the congo river. it has an estimated population of 15 million people. everybody is on the move but the transport system cannot cope. unless you have your own set of wheels, the only way to get around is in one of these taxis. but after sunset you run the risk of getting kidnapped — and that's been happening here up to five times a week. translation: this route| is where they usually carry out their operations. sara was taken while on her way home from work. translation: someone came from the back of the car. - he grabbed me and said, don't move or you will die. not every kidnapping ends in a ransom demand. translation: they took the bag like this. - in some cases passengers are stripped of their valuables and dumped in a dangerous part of the city. after deciding not to kill her, the kidnappers left sara here. it's the first time she's been back at night. translation: i really don't like this place. l it reminds me of what happened here on that day. that image is still so fresh in my mind. whenever i'm in a taxi or a bus and i see the driver turn in this direction, i get flashbacks to that night. sara's kidnapping happened a year ago. at the same time two entrepreneurs launched an app called hoja. it's a growing database of drivers and their vehicles. when i heard that people are getting kidnapped, even one of my cousins gets kidnapped in a taxi, i was, like, "ok, i have a mission. how can we find a solution and bring safe, sustainable, affordable mobility to the population?" the app also had to be veryl user—friendly so that people could actually use the icons . even when they couldn't read. right, so this is how it works — pretty simple. open up the app on my phone, just hit the qr code scanner, bring it up to the qr code, and in a few seconds up comes a picture of the driver and the car, and you're ready to ride — that's it. transport officials told us that in kinshasa kidnappings are now down from five a week to just five in the last ten months, and nearly a third of the city's 60,000 taxi drivers have signed up. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ ben m boulos. good morning. this week, it's been quite a fickle weather story to tell, undulating from cold and crisp back to milder and sometimes wet. and that's the story we've got first thing this friday morning. milderfor all of us, but by the time head towards the weekend, once again, we turn back into that cold bright story with some showers turning increasingly wintry on the hills. but for the here and now, we have got these weather fronts pushing in from the atlantic. they bump into colder air, so for a time, we will see a wintry mix. however, behind it, you can see this pizza—shaped triangle of yellow colour — that's the milder air tucking in behind those weather fronts. so, an early wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow to clear from the southeast corner, but then a legacy of cloud behind much of england, wales and northern ireland for the perhaps northeast england and much of scotland are bright with some sunshine before scattered showers arrive during the afternoon. generally, a milder story. widely, we'll see temperatures into double figures, but by the end of the afternoon, for something a little heavier into south wales running along the channel coast will continue to drift its way eastwards during the early parts of friday evening. then into saturday, the wind direction changes to a northwesterly, driving in a rash of showers behind which have the risk of turning increasingly wintry once again into the far north of scotland. so, it's going to be a chilly start to saturday. and we see this area of low pressure dominating with the wind direction swinging around to a northwesterly once again. the wind direction will make a difference with the feel of the weather. we're going to lose that milder air and the blue colours are set to return as we head into the weekend. once again, noticeably colder for all. so, we start off on saturday with some early showery rain once again easing from the southeast, and then a case of sunny spells and scattered showers. some showers will be of sleet and snow, perhaps even for some at lower levels as temperatures sit around 4—5 degrees. further south of that with a little more sunshine, perhaps not quite as cold — 7—9 c the high. quiet today on sunday better chance of seeing more on the way of sunshine with a few scattered sharp showers perhaps just drifting in and out the north sea coast, noticeably cooler once again for all of us. that's it, take care. this is bbc news. the headlines... german leaders say covid jabs could become mandatory from february and have announced tough restrictions on the unvaccinated — people who have not been innoculated against coronavirus. they are set to be banned from many public facilities and non—essential shops. south africa says the omicron variant is driving a sharp increase in covid infections. over the last week, the daily number of new covid infections has increased fourfold, from less than 3,000 to more than 11,500 — three quarters of which are omicron. officials say vaccinations are now more vital than ever. the governing conservative party has retained the parliamentary seat of old bexley and sidcup, but the uk by—election victory for louie french has been secured with a greatly reduced majority. the poll was caused by the death from cancer of the former cabinet minister, james brokenshire. thousands of people are facing a seventh

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