Coronavirus: Daily record 952 deaths as Germany enters lockdown

On the cusp of taking the reins from Angela Merkel, incoming chancellor Olaf Scholz has sent a strong signal about where his government's foreign policy priorities lie. DW has rounded-up the most important points.

This week has seen a new chancellor take the helm in Germany: Olaf Scholz is leading a never-tried-before coalition of his own Social Democrats, as well as the Greens and pro-business Liberals. They come to office promising to get a hold on Covid-19, keep the economy stable – and bring some liberal changes to the EU's biggest economy, including the legalisation of recreational cannabis.

Germany recently tightened sanitary measures on unvaccinated people. An image of an anti-vaxxer kiss-in protest in Germany is circulating widely on social media, as per Deutsche Welle? Also, many on social media are comparing the current sanitary measures to Nazi Germany’s 1933 ‘ahnenpass’ and ‘Gesundheitspass.’We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

On December 19, 2016, Islamist attacker Anis Amri drove a stolen truck through a crowd in central Berlin, killing and injuring dozens. Five years later, the background to the attack remains unclear.

The shutdown was initiated over fears of the rapid spread of the omicron variant. Meanwhile, Germany's health minister has ruled out a lockdown before Christmas. Follow DW for the latest.

‘Tis the season… for emotional manipulation. These images show children seemingly barred from a Christmas market and Father Christmas being dragged away by police. But they are being wielded to pull on people’s heartstrings as the holidays approach, with the fake news mill continuing to twist the facts.

Russia has ordered two German diplomats to leave in response to the expulsion of two Russian envoys after a German court’s ruling that blamed Moscow for the killing of a Georgian citizen in Berlin two years ago.

At least one officer was injured and 11 demonstrators were arrested in an unofficial rally in Munich as police described the behavior of protesters as "aggressive."

The German foreign minister said more needs to be done to help Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover. Some 15,000 people which Germany vowed to take in are still stranded there.

The person who died was between the ages of 60 and 79, according to the Robert Koch Institute health body. Germany has also registered a spike in omicron infections in recent days.

As omicron tightens its grip on Europe, Germany has decided to wait until after Christmas to impose new restrictions. Experts warn that the delay could have catastrophic consequences for Germany's health care system and critical infrastructure.

Germany is Europe's economic powerhouse, with fantastic medical facilities and highly qualified professionals. But the fourth wave of the pandemic is threatening to bring the health care sector to its knees.