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 was killed in that helicopter crash in south india was on board with his wife and a number of defence officials.
in other news, india s top military commander is killed in a helicopter crash in the south of the country. and, listen to this. it s the sound of an indonesian coral reef coming back to life. it s nine in the morning in singapore, and 1:00am in the uk where there are increasing doubts about the new coronavirus restrictions announced by britain s prime minister, borisjohnson, amid public anger over allegations his staff partied in breach of lockdown rules last year. the new restrictions
the general was the chief of the defence staff here in india, a very powerful role in the country, overseeing the army, the navy and air force. it was a new role created in 2019. and the general was very close to india s prime minister who has paid tribute to him today in a series of tweets, the prime minister described the general as a true patriot and an outstanding soldier and said he was deeply saddened by the news. he said that he modernised india s armed forces and security apparatus and described him as exceptional. the general oversaw a number of key military operations in india including an indian administered kashmir and at the border with china so there is this is a big day in india and it is big news are many so, this is a big day in india and it is big news are many people are mourning his loss.
the navy and air force. it was a new role created in 2019. and the general was very close to india s prime minister who has paid tribute to him today in a series of tweets, the prime minister described the general as a true patriot and an outstanding soldier and said he was deeply saddened by the news. he said that he modernised india s armed forces and security apparatus and described him as exceptional. the general oversaw a number of key military operations in india including an indian administered kashmir and at the border with china so there is this is a big day in india and it is big news are many so, this is a big day are many people are mourning his loss. germany s new chancellor olaf scholz leader of the social democrats has been sworn in,
our headlines. with the omicron variant spreading rapidly borisjohnson introduces new covid restrictions for england. pharmaceutical giant pfizer says a three jab course of their covid vaccine is effective against the omicron variant. india s top military commander has died in a helicopter crash, in the southern state of tamil nadu. in the southern chief of defence staff general bipin rawat his wife and 11 others were killed when their helicopter came down, in hills near coonoor city. one survivor is being treated for his injuries in hospital. our south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan reports. the general was killed in that helicopter crash in south india was on board with his wife and a number of defence officials. the general was the chief of the defence staff here in india, a very powerful role in the country, overseeing the army,