OECD: Global GDP to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2021

The UK government on Tuesday reported a record of more than 200,000 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours as the highly transmissible Omicron strain surges through the country. It said it had logged 218,724 infections — the highest daily total since the pandemic began.

Children have had to cope with a lot of new rules over the past two years, from masks to hand-washing and social distancing. DW met with kids in the German capital, Berlin, to get their perspective on the pandemic.

The rate of price rises across the 38 members of the OECD hit 5.8 percent in November, the highest since 1996. In the United States, the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, has warned that high inflation poses a "severe threat" to the jobs market, ahead of the release of the latest figures there on Wednesday. FRANCE 24's Business Editor Stephen Carroll examine the factors driving the spike in inflation, and how long it might last.

Austria raises alarm over pandemic's impact on children

How the pandemic has dramatically reshaped the workforce as millions of mothers quit their jobs due to the closure of schools and childcare centres. Also Annette Young speaks to Professor Rosalind Gill, the co-author of a new book, 'Confidence Culture,' that says instead of calling on women to boost their confidence, it is up to companies themselves to change their corporate culture. Plus the South African para-surfer with cerebral palsy, who has turned her disability into a strength.

The French economy grew an estimated 7 percent in 2021, fuelled by strong domestic demand despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and rising inflation. Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire says the new figures also show the government's policies have worked, praising the "spectacular" bounceback that wiped out the impact the pandemic had on the economy in 2020. Plus, Apple reports all-time record quarterly sales, helped by strong iPhone 13 sales in both developed and emerging markets.

'Blanket booster programs are likely to prolong the pandemic' – WHO. Global: The global Covid death toll has passed 5.3 million, with a figure of 5,377,204 according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, infections passed 277 million world wide.

With one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, Spain is looking at an exit strategy from the pandemic. Its government says it's time to start treating COVID-19 like any other endemic seasonal respiratory disease. DW's Jan-Philipp Scholz reports.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is warning that Russia's war in Ukraine will disrupt commerce and clog up supply chains, slashing economic growth and pushing prices sharply higher around the globe.

COVID-19 Special Is now the endgame for the pandemic

Baky Meïté is a former captain of the Ivory Coast rugby team. Back in the spring of 2020, he put his rugby career on hold to work as a janitor in a geriatric hospital in Paris. He has now published a book, "Les Chiffons Bleus", as a tribute to his former colleagues who appear somewhat forgotten today. He joined us for Perspective.

India's job market is tightening, and skilled workers are finding it harder to enter the workforce. Government job drives and the informal economy have been unable to make up the difference.