a before 911 and an aftermath. 11 pieces after $911.00. the clubs came off, were organized crime rules. were conglomerates make their own laws? what's true, they, it doesn't matter. the only criteria is worked. we'll hook people. we shed light on the opaque world. who's behind the benefits. and why are they a threat to us all o peak worlds this week on d, w. a? ah, the u. s. economy roars back to life. america locked its strongest annual economic growth since 1984. but will song inflation cut the rebound short? a new tre dispute is brewing this time between china and one of the european union, smallest members. lithuania, also on the show, no more late calls from your boss, or buying your own laptop in this remote working hot spot. portugal introduces sleeping laws to protect people working from home. i'm chelsea delaney. welcome to the show. the u. s. has recorded it's fastest economic growth and nearly 4 decades . last year, gross domestic product grew 5.7 percent. as the u. s. rebounded from the depth of the pandemic consumer spending and business inventories help buoy growth during the 4th quarter of last year. but that trend may not last much longer. the rapid spread of the over con variant could hurt economic activity while searching inflation. it's households this week the i m f slashed, it's 2022 u. s. economic growth forecast to 4 percent from 5.2 percent. jens corta our correspondent in new york joins as now. so yen 5.7 percent is really a rock star figure here. why has the u. s. economy bounce back to life so much faster than the economist had been expecting? chelsea is this a rock star number and actually if you just look at the 4th quarter, we saw the us economy growing by an even more stunning, 6.9 percent. also better than expected. i mean, clearly we have to put that into a certain perspective because we're comparing the 21 to the year 2020. that's when the pandemic actually cost the u. s. economy a to shrink by a 2 percent. and now we are seeing the biggest growth in 1984 is what happened at $984.00 ronald reagan was president, but it was not just because of ronald reagan that the economy was growing so much back then. but as well, it's also because we came out of the huge recession prior, but still no question that this growth rate is pretty impressive. we definitely see company. it's after all those supply chain issues and some of them still lasting, restocking quite a bit. so that was one of the key reasons why we saw this extreme economic growth, especially in the last quarter of 2021 williams. can we expect this to last given that omicron inflation? a continued supply chain issues, all are still out there. well to stay positive, i would say that economists at least expect the economy to continue growing, but definitely not was the same a growth rate. now for the 1st quarter, for instance, economists are expecting a growth rate of about to 2 percent for the entire year, maybe growth of about 4 percent. who knows what's going to happen in the next couple of months, what we're already seeing and actually hearing from companies that yes, we still dealing with a lot of issue with talking about those supply chain and issue with the just here on a thursday, for example, we heard from the companies like intel, though, the chip manufacturer from northrop grumman, a company from the defense area that they do see a problem. for example, with the supply chain, we see that there was a shortage of goods. there was a shortage of labor, so that actually could cause the us economy to grow slower. and then finally, what we also shouldn't forget what was one of the key drivers for the growth in 2021. well, it was all the stimulus money from washington. and we might not see that in this year, and we also had all the money. so you could borrow the almost for nothing was 0 interest rate. so that's also probably going to change with the federal reserve. so that actually could bring us some am headwind for the month to come into court at new york. thanks so much. now over to el salvador, where is decision to become the 1st country to accept bitcoin as legal, tender is drawing the ire of the international monetary find an jeopardizing its acts as to aid. but many l. salvadorans have grown fond of the ball. volatile, corrupt show, currency, take a look. the international monetary funds call on el salvador to draw bitcoin as legal tender was the front page story in just about every local newspaper in the capital san salvador. it seems, every one has an opinion about it. this shocked owners don't like the outside interference of accepted bitcoin as a means of payment and for them is no turning back. when on the fact that he, us removing bitcoin would affect us because people already know that we accept bitcoin. what they already know, that they can carry their money safely on their phone, but it would be a step backwards. what again many here agree, and it's no wonder then now most all the dorians with bitcoin, while it's done traditional bank accounts, their coach, he will, while it's here, this hate him, machine can convert between bit coins and he was dollars because both currencies are legal, tender, in el salvador, many get remittances from relatives abroad by achiever, which charges lower fees than regular banks. and that's a seem nice idea of where in my case, i would not agree with the elimination of bitcoin because i haven't benefited. i do use it. oh, salvador became the 1st country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender in june last year . but now economist fear it could become the 1st country to go broke. because of the crypto currency. the salvadoran government has spent $200000000.00 to buy bitcoin according to estimates that is increasingly looking like a bad investment. bitcoin has lost around 50 percent of its value since it hit a record last november. and that comes at a time when el sabra don't needs 1400000000 dollars for debt payments between the country and the i m f for a new loan help stoled because of the land is concerned about the crypto currency. it says no new loans were el salvador, if it keeps bitcoin as legal tendo. now to some of the other global business stories, making news deutscher bank earned a record 1900000000 euros last year and mostly driven by its investment arm. germany's biggest lender says it's reaping the rewards of a strategic overhaul since 2019 deutsche bank has withdrawn from some of its risk your businesses and shed 18000 jobs worldwide. samsung electronics profit jumped by more than 50 percent to $11600000000.00 last quarter due to high demand for its computer chips. the south korean tech giant said ship supply will remain tight this year due to the expansion of 5 g mobile networks and broader demand for tech products. now a trade conflict is building between china and the european union member state lithuania. at the heart of the dispute is the baltic nations relationship with taiwan. the you has asked the world trade organization to take action. last year, lithuania, allow taiwan to open wooded calls, a representative office in the capital vilnius. but by using the name taiwan, it broke with diplomatic custom and immediately enraged china. beijing saw the outpost as a de facto taiwanese embassy, something it can't accept. china, use taiwan as part of its territory and it rejects any moves to grant the island diplomatic recognition. and it requires countries, it recognizes including lithuania to back, this one china policy. now one of europe, smallest member states, is experiencing the repercussions of its decision in the form of sanctions and blocked import. the european union says that's economic bullying. measures are a threat to the integrity of that you single market say affects that interest you trying to supply change and say hello negative effect on you industry. this is why we are slipping forward to the front of you. you should rights to date, we are bringing the case with w tool. china's imports from lithuania have dropped by around 90 percent products like pharmaceuticals, lasers, electronics, and food are being blocked at the docks. brussels is also looking into claims that china has pressured other european companies to remove lithuanian commodities from their own supply chains. and they've started drafting new regulations. ones that would allow them to retaliate against foreign governments attempting to undermine europe's economy. now purchased the portugal has been a major destination for remote workers throughout the pandemic. but it has all been working from a beach or it has been cafe. many complain that they're being overworked and forced to bear the cost of work equipment. now the government wants to strengthen rights for of no workers with one of the most ambitious laws in europe. so the silly par olivera works for lisbon city council. but for health reasons, she works from home. when the pandemic began, she had to buy her own work equipment, but that wasn't all. and a constant went to leon kennedy. our boss always called when he had a new thought he got at 9 o'clock or 10 o'clock at night. he always had new demands . no, even though our work ends at 5 o'clock to protect portugal, employees from just that the government has now passed a new law. employers must pay for costs such as a laptop and the electricity to power. and they have to respect regular working hours to v. my study knows the programs that we all want labor relations that promote a balance between personal, family and professional life, leave you develop swell for me the. i appreciate this clearly seems to be a global trans. i met them at the, in the us in a movie event, and this is the balance we wanted to find. it was the last levy from any employer who contacts employees in the evening will be penalize in the future. but portugal software industry works in offices and with tease around the world, that means work around the clock. they're unfazed by the new law. it's going to get everyone to take a re, take a look at the policies that they already have in place. i think that the policies that bits i have are already robust ah, there is the potential once 3rd, the law is finalized that there may be some tweaks that we need to make the software industry as already had to ensure that it's professionals of decent working conditions if only for competitive reasons, but unions also expect the law to improve other aspects. them the one there must be working hours in the red periods to achieve the necessary balance in between work, the personal and family life either be rather v, this is the ideal relationship, thought go well, yes, but it gives quizzes. go home by the pandemic as raise the question of worker protection everywhere. portugal is answering it with one of the most far reaching laws in europe. and before we go, a reminder of the top business story we're falling for you. us recorded as fast as economic growth in nearly 4 decades last year. it grew 5.7 percent overall with an especially strong 6.9 percent in the 4th quarter. and it's all for me and the business team here in berlin for more from us, check out our website, t w dot com slash business. take care and see you next time. it's important not to discourage honestly because i am in my company. i am doing anything wrong, and i'm just trying to present my con, my to korean. she wants to defend her country against the likely russian invasion. that's why she's training along with other volunteers. can the ukrainian army count on them during a conflict to focus next on g w a . the battle against cove it the only clue variant is putting health care systems around the world to the test. vaccination campaigns are accelerating. well, restrictions are intensifying once again. but are these measures enough to stop the spread of omicron, fax data and reports cove at 19 special in 60 minutes on d w. o. in william how to think on it. gonzalez with ion. hey, if i had known that the boat would be that small, i never would have gone on the trail. i would not have put myself and my parents in that danger. you caught it. the theme of the little thought it was late, who love on central. if i did want to live with him, i had his serious problems on a personal level. and i was unable to live there, but it went to go to the you want to know their story. info, migrants verified and reliable information for migrants. news.