trying to extrapolate that across the country and the spread of coronavirus it appears only to anyone. it really is a disgrace us president on ultram slams a $900000000000.00 coronavirus stimulus bill passed by congress and threatens not to science. and troubles or issues of 15 more pardons including 4 private military contractors convicted of shooting dead 14 civilians in baghdad in 2007. 0 there on the stasi a tape this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up. no sleep just good.

we can make it anger at the u.k. france border truck drivers stranded ahead of the holidays. in central african republic is just days away from a presidential election the security situation is deteriorating weather reports of a city for him to rebel. but we begin in the united states where hopes had risen of a massive relief bill for those struggling during this pandemic now the president on trump says he won't sign it unless it's amended by congress has called the $900000000000.00 stimulus package a disgrace it was passed by the house and the senate on monday off to months of negotiations how does your cost to reports now from washington d.c. . a day earlier the white house had said president trump would support the covert relief package passed by congress on monday but things change rapidly within this

residence and less than 24 hours later this wrench of the video was uploaded to trump's twitter feed effectively ending congress's victory lap mid stride the bill they are now pledging to send back to my desk is much different that it dissipated it really is a disgrace for example among the more than $5000.00 pages in this bill which nobody in congress has read because of its length and complexity it's called the covert relief bill but it has almost nothing to do with go of the fill it is indeed massive besides the $100000000000.00 allocated to covert relief it includes money for foreign aid the arts wildlife management and of course keeping the federal government open until september trump is demanding that congress amend the legislation to remove the unnecessary items but to add money to the cove in

$1000.00 relief portion the current bill gives $600.00 checks to most americans trump wants that increased to 2000 send me a suitable bill or else the next administration will have to deliver a covert relief package and maybe that it ministration will be me it won't despite trump's continued refusal to concede the election joe biden will be sworn in as u.s. president on january 20th one thing i promise you but my leadership during this crisis i'm going to tell it to you straight i'm going to tell you the truth speaking earlier in the day biden commended congress on passage of the covert relief bill while pledging his administration would indeed ask for more money. our darkest days in the battle against covert are ahead of us not behind us she need to

prepare or show to steal our seans it's frustrating to hear. patients were patients that what americans have been told just a day earlier by trump's own treasury secretary who had promised people would begin receiving those $600.00 checks approved by congress next week now the plan is in limbo congress had passed the bipartisan measure with veto proof super majorities but traumas demands may give republicans cover to switch their votes or it could give democrats ammo to insist on the bigger checks for americans that the party had wanted all along it had taken months of negotiations to achieve this so briefly celebrated progress in congress and now the only certainty is trump's insistence on leaving a mark during his last days in office. castro al-jazeera washington well just before donald trump made that declaration on the stimulus bill the white house

announced presidential pardons for 15 more people they include george pup adopted a son alex found as one who cheated guilty during the investigation into russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections also on that list 2 former republican congressman sentenced for corruption who were the earliest to endorse trump's candidacy back in 20164 others on that list were contractors who work for the controversial private security firm formerly known as black or said they were serving long prison sentences after being convicted of shooting dead 14 civilians including 2 children in iraq and 2007 that incident caused international outrage when our correspondent charles stratford is in baghdad for us and has spoken to a man who was injured in that 2007 attack. if it's reaction is anything to go by then there's going to be quite a lot of anger here at this presidential pardon by donald trump all those 4 contractors as you say 14 people were killed in the source square on that day the

man we spoke to a man called house and your bar he is a lawyer he was traveling through the square at the time with his son who was in his twenty's at the time they were both shot in the chest they suffered serious injuries his son's injuries were severe enough for him to have lost a long and in his words he described this decision by president trump to pardon these men as a complete betrayal of human rights a total disaster he said that he was utterly shocked he said that throughout all these years he'd had face in the american judicial system he said that this decision means that that faith is now completely disappeared. and as i say is very shocked at this decision now we haven't heard from any of the other victims or families of those victims but we can we can expect that similar reaction will be given. as we go ahead today but yeah shock and disbelief

certainly from the victim that we spoke to want to talk to them and stand is a professor at the u.s. government to the embassy of essex she says these pardons are ablation to be said power. surprised by these pardons this is really in line with trump's entire presidential administration and the way he has led in a very corrupt manner and a very authoritarian manner seeing the u.s. democracy backsliding in terms of the way it's been rained on. by democratic indices just because of this this is been a total abuse of the pardon power and only any president has done anywhere near this type of damage with this is quite cast and usually the justice department review process and it was really an abuse of this idea that the founders that you were going to have some sort of constitutional safeguard against injustices in the

criminal justice system instead he's using it just to serve his own personal interests and whims or to help those that are close to them close to him a harvard study found that even before these 15 pardons had been announced 88 percent of the pardons that he had done were to serve his own interests completely and so we see that he's army people who are corrupt in congress and also pardoning people in the military or private security companies who have killed innocent civilians scuffles a broken out between police and angry truck drivers stranded outside the indus port of dover some of them south and demands to be let into france the french government for its part has eased border restrictions with the u.k. of and mutated strain of the corona virus but thousands of dr as are still stuck at the border and many of them will also miss spending christmas with their families as paul brennan reports. along the main 82 road into dover the queue was continuous

the u.k. government estimated some 1500 lorries had been stranded on a drive around the approach roads to the porter revealed many many more than that parked up and waiting for news use eventually came with the blockade would be lifted but only for those with proof of a negative code test that is no use at all to the thousands of drivers whose hopes of reaching home for christmas and now gone and now it's. this initial trauma here to go home or have. almost a dozen minus if it's a row of the $45.00 followers to drive north of. no sleep just right. now we can make it. if covert testing is to be the precondition for reopening the border with france that presents an enormous logistical challenge for the u.k. or forces there are now thousands of truck and van drivers parked up in labor eyes

all across the county of kent and getting the testing to them or them to the testing is going to be an enormous task and all this just days before christmas this german businessman was just minutes away from boarding his ferry when the blockade came into force yes through a car for freedom so if i had been 10 minutes earlier i would be now on the other side and be safe and at home for christmas with my family he's resigned to the possibility that he'll spend christmas stuck in dover but he says the u.k. or forty's have been totally inadequate down there their public toilets which are not open for the drivers they should be open i think that's what you had the coffee or tea to the drivers immediately government short do something and they should do it immediately. the airfield at manston in kent has been made a temporary lorry park for the hundreds of vehicles here are again just a section of the true scale of the problem and a. scarcity of food in some of 3 facilities is also creating tensions the member of

parliament for denver blames france for this crisis i just think the way in which the french government reacted was just really on helpful i mean that you can the french government the whole it industry the ferry industry they've what's handing glove over the last few months since trans since the virus started to make sure that it's managed and i think that's what should have happened here. as night fell in dover the rayna right on the driver stage the blockade of their own. many of these truckers and van drivers now facing the 3rd night stranded here tempers are clearly starting to fray they were occupied the roundabout which is here at the entrance to the port behind me they've blocked the traffic there is a long snaking line of lorries and not direction the police are trying to restore order but for the moment they're not being successful staying in the parking place my children my song. my. daughter is crying

for me but god reinforcements restore order the situation remains tense. brennan is still in dover for us and just a short time ago he sent us this update. i've seen drivers stalkers coming here asking the police for information the police are very little information i've spoken to them myself all are doing is basically traffic control as far as advice as to where to get these tests these locks will flow test the drivers have been instructed to get before they can actually cross the english channel police have no information to offer on bags and so while the housing is a steady procession of increasingly desperate motorists wanting to get back to their families for christmas and frankly not being given the relevance of the nation that they need it's a pretty desperate situation down here and as you can see the rain that arrived last night is making it even more miserable very little i mean there's a government minister who has been doing the robot general he's the communities minister who's been doing the rounds of the t.v.

studios this morning and he's been saying that the testing will be run by the national health service is testing trace personnel supported by military personnel and the place where it has which has been mentioned i was just months that i feel also mentioned of other locations but no details as to whether it's all the locations on whether the drivers have to get to them whether those locations are actually after the ports of the tests are being essentially brought to the drivers rather than the drivers having to go to the tests you know that there's a real lack of joined up thinking it seems here on the ground as far as exactly how this situation is going to be resolved while still ahead head on out of there are leaders of an opposition coalition sweep to victory in indian administered kashmir as fast elections since have lost more time we will see a better models. kind of 19 reaches one of the most remote parts of the planet after the past cases are recorded and i talk to.

well you've had the relief it's cold again that is always reliably cold up in the fall on the walls of china this is the construction due to it on january the 5th of the annual ice festival it'll be a nice city and the temperatures are coming down again it's hard and a minus 12 is max anyway but we have seen a woman did not now on thursday that cold air crosses the sea of japan the e.c. if you like and produces yet more snow or anything up to a meter is possible in a central part of honshu the high ground half meters 3 more typical wept once more that's on unstable ground this is going to be a pretty big avalanche risk but if you're not in japan it's still quiet whether it's cold by night it's ok by day but up to 21 down in hong kong there's a bit of

a change slowly that admit slowly in the northern plains of india where it's completely foggy for most of the day and still a cold way the cold wave is going so not tempted to come in a little bit though we don't see much in the way of forecasts showers or even cloud that start in sri lanka in the forecast for new delhi there is also just that the possibility of a thunderstorm now it's 40 beautiful and it becomes 40 afterwards but you might get a day off on saturday. from fossil fuels to modern day renewable as societies develop the energy demands increase requiring innovative solutions to meet such demand as a global power developing to the basement companies power is uniquely positioned to deliver against the street we provide business growth promote social economic

benefits and provide innovative safe and the viral mentally sound energy solutions for future generation the british pioneering future. the. hello again. let's remind you of our top stories here this hour u.s. president donald trump is suggesting he will not sign a massive coronavirus relief bill unless it's amended by congress he says he wants congress to raise stimulus payments to individual americans from $600.00 to $2000.00 and times also announced presidential pardons for 15 people they include for military contractors convicted of shooting dead 14 civilians in iraq in 2007

and $2.00 men tied to russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections were also pardoned. and scuffles have broken out between police and angry truck drivers stranded at the english port of dover the french government has eased border restrictions with the u.k. over a mutated strain of the coronavirus but thousands of drivers are still stuck. now al jazeera journalist mark wood hussein has now spent 4 years in egyptian detention without charge or a trial hussein was arrested while visiting family in december 26th seen a number of human rights organizations have joined al jazeera and demanding his immediate release his detention is in violation of both gyptian and international law. now i would have told that rebels in central african republic have seized a major town they say the new alliance calling itself the patriots coalition for change took over after fighting with u.n. backed government troops but the u.n.

mission insists the town has not foreign to the rebels well this latest violence comes just days before the country's presidential election our correspondent catherine soy has more for us from the ground in the capital bangui. very thieving conflicting information this is the 2nd largest it's in central are about 400 kilometers from the copy where i am now we've been talking to eyewitnesses who are saying that this is now in the hands of this. change this is a movement that. is comprised of groups who joined forces over the weekend and have been threatening to march on to. these people that we're talking to me saying that this behavior fighting and this city is now being controlled by this rebel movement but we have also been told control of the u.n. peacekeeping mission. and they are saying that that is not true in fact there

has not fall into the hands of this group being they say that there's been a haven fighting in the last few hours in fact this morning those fighting as well but the city is not. being controlled by these rebels now bhambri is a very strategic big thing to be called into action into. that connects to mining areas than any other neighboring countries like sudan and south sudan it's also where the producing producing factory and the only area in ca are the produce is right controlled. controlled interception control that. paul area that's why. everyone is worried about the. election is that. they. think that this election needs to be postponed because of

the security issues but. you are saying. well denise brown is the deputy special representative of the secretary general at the u.n. peacekeeping mission then the nasca she told us that reports that rebels are in control of the accurate. we have hundreds of blue helmets all on the ground in bunbury as well as coolies from the u.n. peacekeeping mission as well as civilians and u.n. agencies or there are hundreds of international staff and un in the engineering community bambang and there weren't an attack on each and every in bunbury but there is no takeover of the town and that comes from the hundreds of staff that. there wasn't time to go on combat moves are still in the area but they absolutely do not control the town as. we have 12500 troops on the

ground and we have a mandate from the security council action and we have 5 months in the pants and so what we're seeing now in my line we have you on groups and we explain as we do we're trying to mobilize to group and election and it is challenging situation in the west in particular working on the troops that we have in place in the rest of the country and the situation in the backpack and. all that's up and the publication is coming to collect their cars they're going to cars the position of the united nations is very clear that we will not allow the rebels to use you to steal from the population there would be right too. israel will be holding its 4th election in 2 years after the collapse of the

government coalition led parliament was dissolved after failing to meet a deadline to pass the budget a snap election will now be held in lunch next year the upcoming corruption trial of prime minister benjamin netanyahu is at the center of the discord with many counts. i mean last as in western wrestling with the latest reaction. it really wasn't quite a surprise the coalition government that was formed between netanyahu and benny gantz was really quite weak from the beginning that power sharing agreement that was signed in may under that agreement that's in yahoo and guns were supposed to rotate as prime ministers with guns taking over in may in november scuse me up 2021 but that really all depended on this budget hassling the only way for an attorney to hold onto his seat as prime minister was really to delay that vote as much as possible and as many people expected that is exactly what happened what he

has done in the 10 yahoo though in the meantime was really destroyed the political image of setting himself up for a much much better position ahead of the upcoming election netanyahu is numbers over the past few months has been quite low he's been criticized for how he's handled the pandemic he's also facing some corruption charges as well as protests that have been ongoing but folks holes that were released just last night still show his party the likud party as 1st place he also made some remarks last night and boasted about some of his achievements including brain because with vaccines israel which rolled out just this week and signing normalization tie agreements with 4 arab countries over the past 4 months opening the opportunity for economic investment he is in a much better position than guns who's really plummeted in the polls and he's

basically being seen as the last man standing in his party. now the e.u. says it's willing to continue breaks at trade negotiations off to the end of the transition period on december 31st the blocks break that negotiator has briefed member states on the latest progress as the u.k. and e.u. continue efforts to hammer out a deal the main obstacle to an agreement is e.u. fishing courses and british water has. given it the final push. today you feel relieved if you're going to market. i would go to you 2 world cup transform c. remember states like north and really part of it thank you very much for. well a coalition of good and mr kashmir's best known latest has won the most seats in local elections that pacing prime minister narendra modi's party they lection is the fast since the indian government revokes the region's autonomy last year the winning coalition wants autonomy to be reinstated and reports. salmond saga

celebrates with his supporters the former marriage srinagar one to constituencies in kashmir as capital he stood as a candidate for the anti modi opposition coalition car alliance this is the 1st. we were not allowed to campaign we were not allowed to meet people we were not allowed to talk to people we were not doing proper security missions to hold rallies. these local elections with the 1st since new delhi strip the autonomy of indian administered kashmir last year effectively an exciting parts of the disputed territory india's decision to revoke self rule in the majority muslim populated region caused anger and many kashmiris say they use these elections to make their voices heard the good car alliance 110 of the 290 contested seats. but members of india's governing hindu nationalist

b j p say that also celebrating the party won 74 seats making it the single largest winner. of the. this is a victory for the b j p i believe it is because of the popularity of prime minister narendra modi in our towns and villages the people have faith in our prime minister and i believe in the future we will witness development the people who wanted to spread communism have failed. but the good car alliance says the election results show majority of people want the region special status to be restored the b j p says the results vindicate the 2019 constitutional changes some. 30 stuff made has said uniformity in rules and governance will bring development but many kashmiris insist the region must have its autonomy and right to determine its future victoria gate and al-jazeera. well the u.s. justice department is suing supermarket giant wal-mart for billions of dollars in

damages accusing it of helping to fuel the opioid crisis there the civil lawsuit accuses its pharmacists of selling addictive painkillers while ignoring invalid or suspicious prescriptions almost half a 1000000 people have died of overdoses from prescription drugs in the u.s. just in the last 2 decades as the country's largest retailer. or corona virus has now spread to every continent on the globe after $36.00 cases were discovered at a chilean research station on the antarctic peninsula health officials say the people infected have now been isolated and are being closely monitored to resemble reports. it's one of the most remote regions in the world antarctica and has been covert free until now. the 1st cases of covert 1000 were reported earlier this week at a chilean military research base. a place your tests show that 36 men tested

positive for 1926 were army personnel and 10 work civilians from a contract company who were doing scheduled maintenance work at the end talk to a base. number and that of the goal may be located in the chilean sector of antartica it is one of the 13 bases operates on the white continent which is you know. we know the exposure there is extreme it can have a physiological effect on people because of isolation in changes at a light several components that can act as a muse person because of the work they do there. the 36 men are reportedly healthy but i'm to quarantine in the southern chilean city of the now. but covert 19 continues to spread elsewhere in latin america increasing pressure on governments to find medicines and vaccines fast chile announced it will start vaccinations next week mexico and argentina in the next few. days. most countries in the region will

begin with a pfizer vaccine but argentina has other plans for now there's lots of anxiety among latin american government to start vaccinating the population as soon as possible because their spears of a 2nd wave already in 2021 argentina's government for example announced that russia sputnik vaccine is expected in the next few days and that a vaccination campaign is expected to begin as soon as local health entities. argentina signed a deal for 10000000 doses with russia but there's very little information yet about support next efficacy and possible side effects so many people are skeptical about taking it. just seems as if. there's not a lot of information on the russian vaccine you don't know if they had 11 polls. burgeon time authorities may have a report but we haven't seen it it's probably ok but the government has failed to

communicate that effectively. over 1000 has had devastating effects in latin america's economies and health care systems. it has now reached what many call the end of the world as the virus continues to spread a vaccine is the one chance governments have to make it stop. when a site is. hello there this is al jazeera and these are the headlines u.s. president all trying to suggesting he will not sign a massive coronavirus relief bill unless it's amended by congress he says he wants congress to raise stimulus payments to individual americans from $600.00 to $2000.00 and also announced presidential pardons for 15 people they include 4 military contractors convicted of shooting dead 14 civilians and.