water. al-jazeera examines the social financial and environmental impact of water privatized sation loads of water on al-jazeera. the u.s. congress approves a massive coronavirus relief package as the country's total number of infections passes $18000000.00. i know that i'm starting to tell you this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up increasingly isolated more countries shut their borders to the u.k. of affairs of a mutated strain of covert 19. and another new strain of corona virus surges in south africa leading many countries to also suspend flights from that and ending

extreme poverty we look at whether china is a multi-billion dollar plan is working. after months of political gridlock millions of americans could start receiving pandemic relief checks as early as next week both the house of representatives and the senate have approved a $900000000000.00 stimulus package and that helping businesses and families it's all taken months of negotiations now between democrats and republicans to finalize that agreement meanwhile california's governor has want to there are no more intensive care beds in 2 major regions including los angeles county home some more than 10000000 people the total number of infections in the united states has now passed 18000000 and nearly 320000 people have diet how does or castrate reports now from washington d.c. . majority leader after months of partisan stalemate congress finally passed

a code in $1000.00 really built totaling $900000000000.00 it includes direct payment of $600.00 to most americans unemployment benefits into march and food and rental assistance it's far from perfect met perfect legislation just coming to washington i wish we could have done even more but i'm pleased we've done as well as we could have done people like 79 year old harold valentine can expect to see government checks as early as next week he says you could use it for groceries but it's not enough for the christmas gifts he'd like to send his grandkids i'm not going to have that much pride to say i don't want or need it. this is the deficit that a deed here. it is worse it is get worse more than $20000000.00 americans are receiving unemployment benefits with an additional $885000.00 applying for aid during the 1st week of december then there are the 3 to 7000000 americans who lost

tribes but never got unemployment benefits because of problems processing their applications researchers say some 8000000 people when they do us have. fallen into poverty since may and half of all small business owners say if things continue as they are they'll be forced to close permanently within a year and general you know it's been very difficult to get a you know for us for our business as well as for our staff definitely starting to feel like there's no light at the end of the tunnel this food pantry in washington has been delivering up to a 1000 bags of groceries a day to struggling families every little bit helps the communities we serve and so you know $600.00 stimulus payment. for something that is i've heard people who go in this pandemic have actually lost relatives and they've had to use some of their own money with for some of the barrel expenses as the number of kobe 900 cases in

the u.s. surpasses 18000000 the government is racing to deliver 20000000 doses of vaccine by the 1st week of january to save lives and the economy about to receive its own injection of stimulus to save livelihoods. castro al-jazeera washington. now a growing number of countries a shutting their borders to flights and travelers from the united kingdom more than 40 countries have now imposed restrictions due to concerns over a more infectious strain of the virus that so much that the british government has reassured its citizens it's working to ensure freight including food supplies went be affected. it's vital 1st to stress that these delays which are only occurring at dover only affect human handled freight which means the vast majority of food medicines and other supplies are coming and going as normal is very very important. not just for

a people's overall but it's also totally realistic that we have every reason to be extremely hopeful about this country's ability to bounce back next year from cave it all restrictions particularly those imposed by fronts have brought some of the u.k.'s cargo movement to a halt trucks carrying essential goods and projects to and from france and are stranded at close to ferry ports and tunnels chalons sent us this report from dover . the cold waters of the english channel have rarely seems more of a barrier. is usually one of the busiest ports in the world but the u.k. is now cut off for much of its country scared by the u.k.'s infectious new coded strain have imposed travel bans france has also banned the transport of accompanied freight this is the result kilometer after kilometer of stranded lorries and drivers not knowing when they'll make it home i have 3 children wife. and 10 they

may need me to have for christmas christmas in poland is a very special holiday that's. fine for the religion and. for the chanel. it's. for polish people it's very hard to be away on christmas. so this situation. cost me. better on the day of a sea front a line of vans with rumanians not knowing when they'll make it home we've been waiting on and we don't have the no one need to spend money on things like that we want because we waiting we sleeping in the car you know we want everybody to be war right for the british this compounds the sense of unease already brought on by tough new coronavirus restrictions and the effect of cancellation of family

christmas celebrations for millions in recent memory the u.k. has never felt so isolated sided lonely so atomized with people cut off from each other and now with a new travel ban people cut off from much of the rest of the world and this is perhaps just a small force a star what might be coming if the united kingdom cannot reach a deal with its european partners by the end of the year the government says food and medicine supplies are sufficient for now but there are warnings from the food industry that some fresh products might run out in days if goodstein start moving again soon rory chalons al-jazeera dover. well another country facing isolation in south africa which is also seeing a resurgence of infections health officials say it's being driven by different coded 19 variant from that mutated strain that's emerged in the u.k. the virus is now spreading faster than it had when the pandemic even 1st began

several countries have also halted air travel to and from south africa we can now speak to her as she is in johannesburg in south africa for us really looks like the country is increasingly isolated as we head into what's usually a very busy travel season. well scientists say they still studying this new strain the data collected so far suggests that it's spreading fast and they also say it could be responsible for the 2nd wave of the countries currently experiencing some of the countries getting on average just under 10000 new infections a day is an identified in. the eastern cape province and the garden that's where you get the cape town area for example where lots of tourists usually flock to at this time of year this is another blow to the tourism industry you've got this new strain and then the flight bans and levac is tourism industry is advised pretty much as some of the year on people coming in from the u.k. europe middle east asia and other parts of the world so now these businesses are now feeling another pressure as well for example you go to our province you find in

a place called st lucia a very popular tourist resort this saying that they have had more than 50 percent of cancellations because of this you go to durban a lot of hospitals full of the hotels are closed the mirror the big hotel chains are also shut and lots of people are losing out of work as well and this is the time of the year when people are in a festive mood many people come to their vehicle for tourism and now this saying that people are who are hoping to make some kind of money this time around those hopes have not been dashed of course another we've also seen this new variant seemingly emerge from one of the country's really poorest provinces and it's now sweeping across south africa how is the health system there and everyone else coping. well the government a few days ago told people about this new strain they told me were to be careful and they put in place the usual measures no nighttime curfew is our core can be

sold at certain days and certain times for example people must practice social distancing and with their marks then these things are sort of trying to be implemented but if you look at some of the hospitals for example one hostel in the eastern cape has put in place precautionary measures this if for example that 9 urgent outpatient appointments will be postponed patients who are stable will be allowed to go home and one urgent elective surgeries will also be postponed the try to make room for patients that come in if they do get infected with 19 that how people are reacting to this i mean we've been to some of the beaches and some of the resort areas and it is a festive party mood in south africa you see people flocking to the beaches having their parties some are wearing masks some are not sort of practice of distancing some are not one comment was or you know what to be going to enjoy ourselves this time around that police can try and stop us but we were trying to celebrate christmas her in which us are there with all the latest for us from south africa in johannesburg thanks to her on her thailand is set to begin testing some 40000

people after its largest single outbreak yet has been linked to a market around a 1000 cases have been reported among migrant workers in the seafood industry and some would suck on province that's just over 30 kilometers southwest of the capital tony chang is in bangkok for us. but incorporating mass testing we've also seen in this market here health officials going through speaking to the market traders particularly the seafood traders checking whether they've been down to some of the so-called kind of contact they've had they're also doing more testing they're targeting migrant worker communities the places where they work the places where they live they're very keen to get ahold of this we've just heard from the health authorities how america the latest increase in daily transmissions up to 427 now that might sound relatively small but if you consider here in thailand

we've been going for months and months with 0 local transmission it's a very big jump and it means the cluster centered on the seafood market is more than a 1000 cases now most of the transmissions do seem to originate from that market but i think what's disturbing you dorothy is is that they are seeing more and more you know the places in the u.t. in bangkok even a couple of pinching my and that's a real concern so they want to get on top we heard the prime minister yesterday saying he's waiting to assess the situation over the next week but if things do continue to worsen he might even consider putting the country back into lockdown. and now taiwan has reported its 1st locally transmitted coronavirus case in 8 months ending what's though to have been the world's longest spell without a domestic infection taiwan's pandemic containment measures have been held to some of the most effective it's only confound $766.00 cases this year. still

ahead here on al-jazeera a bleak forecast from a top u.n. official on the prospects for a 2 state solution and palestine plus. one poll recent denmark where the culling of millions of mink due to a covert 19 outbreak has left an industry on its knees the government facing questions over its hundley of the crisis. it's about to get mild wet and windy again for northern europe yet another finger quarter wide finger is in cities so from the atlantic it's going to be this area here where temperatures rise quite rapidly from low single figures to the teens in some places pretty mild this time the year there is so cold air around evens glasgow new 6 degrees and you'll probably find the outside quite cold but to be honest this is a very mild sparrow and it carries on in that vein was rain significant i think for

parts of france the low countries and a swirl of cloud there or swirl of wind suggesting an area of low pressure so temporarily stormy but vienna represents that models for which disappears by friday christmas day could even be some snow in vienna and it's not very likely in london but temperatures do drop down to around the 5 mark with the sunlight during friday just 2 examples now we have had store we were there in the med recently it's just a bit sherry now in the central med certainly there's a warning out for parts of southern if they matter right now that might happen in libya come tuesday or is no mines today as a church for the science otherwise it's looking fine not particularly warm in cairo 20 or 21 degrees with on shore breeze but funnily enough that is average and for about an average 90.

held for over 3 years in an egyptian prison cell denied the right to a fair trial no charges have been brought against al jazeera correspondent must move into saying his crime journalism. to demand my news release and voice solidarity with all detained journalists sign the petition. free 100 percent. you know again. let's remind you of our top stories here the south of the u.s. congress has passed a $900000000000.00 stimulus package to help american businesses and families who

are struggling sure in the pandemic it comes as the number of recorded coronavirus cases there exceeds. more than 40 countries have closed their borders to flights and travelers from the u.k. you can say concerns over mutated strain of the virus the british government says it's working to ensure that freight including food supplies is not affected. and now health officials in south africa say a resurgence in cases there is being driven by a different $1000.00 variant from the strain that's emerged in the u.k. several countries are also full to the air travel to and from south africa. and moving on now and the president of central african republic has criticized those behind an escalation in violence or ahead of next week's election tension has been rising in the run up to the december 27th vote for wonder has sent additional troops to the country to try to help deal with the fighting the government has accused rebels backed by the former president. of attempting

a coup. so what we deplore what we can do is that the people instead of entering the process so that we can have peace a democratic framework now that we've regained constitutional order we must maintain that order for democracy in the country but unfortunately there are some who are engaged in paul's the violence that the people condemn and that we condemn . russia has also voiced concerns about the unfolding political unrest our correspondent catherine swayze on the ground in the capital bunky with more on the security situation there. if this stays to the general election here in the central african republic and we're seeing some pay that sees a page politicians trying to sell that agenda ahead of that and that's about what people wanted about here the topic was the security situation outside. people particularly wanting to find the place. in the west where we.

could use them calling themselves a feature change saying threatening to march to belong you saying that they didn't want a sensational government without president or. that both that both groups have been met with war by the central central african agni also from the russian government that has stated has exploited more troops to try and quell that situation in the west russia's influence is particularly growing with the country stayed to be parole president was there a would also say to be leaning more towards russia then we have the french who have also had a strong presence here all these countries with vast quantities of call and economic interests and coming back to the election we've been talking to opposition leaders was saying that they want these elections postponed until the security situation

around the country is resolved but of also spoken to some additional who are saying that is most an option. now canada has pledged to give $17000000.00 to the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees to help tackle its west ever financial crisis the agency has been struggling to run operations after the u.s. cut their contributions the money from kind of that will be distributed over 3 years and it will go to was running schools and providing health services to more than $5000000.00 palestinians. well that's what happening as the un's outgoing special coordinator for the middle east is warning the prospect of a 2 state solution for palestine is fading nicol i'm not done of made the comment during his last briefing on monday saying situation has gone from bad to wes christensen he reports from the un. but it was a 1st at the united nations a moroccan ambassador celebrating hanukkah with his israeli counterpart morocco is

one of 4 arab nations to reestablish diplomatic relations with israel the deal was brokered by the united states for decades the prevailing assumption was that the world would only see norm was normalized in international relations with israel following a resolution of the israeli palestinian dispute we have proven this is sumption wrong while the u.s. took credit in the security council outgoing middle east special coordinator nickel i'm alive non noted the situation has gone from bad to worse for most palestinians despite an 8 month pause in the building of illegal jewish settlements in the occupied territories israel's destruction of palestinian homes for lacking permits that are rarely granted escalated by 70 percent with plans to build in areas seen as crucial to a future palestinian state advancing i do believe in a 2 state solution although every day we see a chance of. realization frankly i do believe that it is the possible

and it is possible in the way that it recognizes the legitimate story of. rights both israelis and palestinians alike. in exchange for morocco normalizing ties with israel the united states recognized morocco's sovereignty over the western sahara region and separatists there with whom the united nations had also been engaging in peace negotiations many here in the international community see these unilateral moves by the united states as undermining longstanding norms in international agreements it was 4 years ago that the security council passed resolution 2334 calling settlement expansion a flagrant violation of international law what was significant about it was that it was the 1st one and it was take years to do so the 1st one since 1980 to talk about . the united states which. solutions abstained

and that's what was significant about there was not a controversial new in the actual resolution while president elect joe biden has promised to return to international agreements many living under occupation have to wonder what difference if any at all it will make for them kristen salumi al jazeera the united nations the u.a.e. is a de facto ruler and a private bank in luxembourg have been accused of trying to plot economic downfall bamberg news says it's seen correspondence between mohamed bin ziad and bank havilland that suggests a plan to sell to cut us financial markets and deplete its front exchange reserves the idea was reportedly hatched soon after the u.a.e. and others imposed a blockade of council back in 2017. denies the allegations china's leaders now says the country has eradicated extreme poverty now over the past 5 years the communist party has spent billions of dollars and dispatched thousands of

officials to help rule households but critics question the sustainability of the program and say millions of people are at risk of falling back into hardship katrina you reports from your county and problems. lawton county in china's south is known for its mountains its rivers and its poverty. it was among those one struggling to get by living in this dilapidated house she struggled to raise enough money to send her 2 children to school. but she says thanks to the chinese government her life has been transformed she's been given a new harmon town and left this old farmhouse behind this is how. to live in crumbling buildings built about 50 years ago without any water or electricity this area is also deep in the mountains and far away for many essential services including hospitals during the past 5 years millions of people in rural

china have been relocated to apartment buildings in upgraded townships here almost everything is new including the roads and schools. in 2018. my son told me that he doesn't want to go back to the old house again it was dark and dirty and had many rats they say our new home is clean and bright beijing has spent more than 20000000000 dollars this year to meet president xi jinping deadline of eradicating extreme poverty nationwide by the end of 2020 communist party officials say they've succeeded so. people used to have few options. it was hard to find jobs outside farming good health care and education. now they basically live in the same conditions as people in the quality of life has a right really improved. but not everyone has benefited some have been an able to

adjust to life in the towns others say they've been forced to relocate analysts have also questioned the sustainability of the program millions of risk falling back into prophecy poverty i nature for many people is true it's temporary it's short term spells and those kinds of people have very very different kinds of needs than others for whom are already it's a common experience a policy implement the policy response to those different states needs to be different. his life is better but not easier than any of my factory involves working 12 hours a day with only 2 days off. but the sacrifice she says is worth it she's making the most of the new opportunities in the heart her children might have better ones katrina new al-jazeera lawton county china the u.s. justice department has charged a new suspect 32 years after

a bomb attack took down an airliner over lockerbie in scotland former libyan intelligence officer. is accused of making the bomb that blew up the pan am plane back in 198-8270 people were killed most of them americans the u.s. is requesting that masood be extradited from libya where he is in custody the united states has filed criminal charges against the 3rd conspirator. masood keer. for his role in the bombing of pan am flight one o 3 let there be no mistake no amount of time or distance will stop the united states and our scottish partners from pursuing justice in this case. well 2 men have been found guilty in the u.k. of manslaughter over the deaths of $39.00 vietnamese migrants the group suffocated in a lorry trailer while they were being smuggled into britain the bodies were discovered

in october last year 1 of those convicted was the driver while the others been described as the ringleader of a smuggling gang. well mink breeding has been temporarily banned in denmark 17000000 of the animals have already been culled following fears that cover 1000 outbreaks on farms could spread to humans and as poorest from ports the impact on farms could last longer than any ban. by prices at what's likely to be one of the last shipments of mink pelts to leave the farm his father started nearly 40 years ago the rest of their herds are among the millions of minks that the danish government ordered to be slaughtered after a mutation of covert $98.00 was found in the animals it could mean the country's mink industry the largest in the world disappears altogether. so apartment. farming is a lifestyle they made in march you get kids in april and then you watch them grow

and get this beautiful fur here that's hard for me to live without but i'll have to learn to farm has begun the color of the country $17000000.00 strong mink population last month when a strain of corona virus called cluster 5 spread from the animals to humans they were told to continue even when it was found that the mutation had probably died out weeks earlier and that the government had lacked the legal authority to order the cole in the 1st place 2 months ago this farm had more than 25000 minks housed in these buildings now like in more than a 1000 other farms across denmark it's totally. on monday the government finally passed its order into law and banned mink farming until december 2021 but address and peta say it's already too late to save the industry which until now accounted for 40 percent of the world's milk production denmark's mink was also the most expensive bringing in an estimated $1000000000.00

a year i don't see any future forming farming in denmark because all the animals are dead now of course. saying that it's good for. us that we don't have this in. what we'll have a problem is that. this industry will move. china. russia where they don't have this organization as we have in europe that's already seems to be happening with chinese make pharma saying they are ramping up production to take advantage of a surge in milk prices caused by the danish crisis animal welfare groups don't believe that's a reason to protect the industry. if some in a true only what makes our posters a little completely alone in the large territory it's not ok for minks to live in poor conditions here just because they could be worse off somewhere else you don't think there should be minks and then when the crisis that the danes have labeled

the mink saga doesn't entail some of the animals buried in mass graves after the cold started to risen to the surface due to the effects of decomposition and or thirty's for groundwater and lakes could have been contaminated by the rotting bodies as a commission looks into the handling of the affair farmers are demanding up to $4000000000.00 in compensation saying that businesses were buried along with the banks pull reese al-jazeera jutland denmark. and these are the headlines the us congress has passed a 900000000000 dollars stimulus package to help american businesses and families struggling here in the pandemic and comes as the number of recorded coronavirus cases that exceeds 800000000 castro has more from washington d.c. . this is the 2nd biggest economic stimmung.