moments before the blast that knocked some of them to the ground what i remembered was downtown where the light shone bright as the blast damage more than 40 buildings in nashville's downtown which will take months possibly years to rebuild john hendren al-jazeera nashville. this is our desire the use of the top stories u.s. president donald trump has signed a coronavirus relief bill after initially refusing to approve it until congress amended sections and pandemic aid and spending it delay meant millions of americans temporarily lost unemployment benefits. iran has to begin human trials of a locally produced coronavirus vaccine has struggled to get its hands and other vaccines because of sanctions on its banking sector a chinese citizen journalist has been jailed for 4 years for her live stream

reporting of the early days of the coronavirus outbreak chang's than is among at least 8 whistleblowers who are facing punishment for their coverage of the outbreak 10 hong kong pro-democracy protesters are in court across the border in mainland china they are part of a group of 12 who were caught in august while trying to flee to taiwan the speedboat the accused to the youngest of whom is only 16 face charges of crossing the border illegally set a clock has more from hong kong. well the trial has just got underway in the last hour and a half or so the lawyer has revealed that he believes that they or the whole group of the 10 of them that are appearing out of the 12 in changing on monday that they will plead guilty now if that's the case he believes that we could actually get a verdict on monday on the 1st and only day of that trial now under mainland laws are the penalty for crossing the border illegally is one year in prison for anyone who's organizing the crossing illegally of the border onto the mainland or into the mainland at 70 is jail and if you're involved in

a syndicate you could face life in prison now we've seen some shots of the start of this particular trial in change in the looks like this tight security around that court days after identifying a fostering covert 19 mutation in south africa has confirmed it's one millions infection says the pandemic began it's the 1st country on the continent to surpass that number doctors are reporting a huge surge of hospital admissions president obama force is expected to announce tougher restrictions to curb the spread of the virus deliveries of a new batch of the pfizer vaccine have been delayed in spain health minister salvatore has said the distribution will begin on tuesday instead of monday due to what he described as a logistics issue. those are the headlines these continues here on after the bike. is the years of extreme challenges and uncertainty comes to an end. we look ahead to intentional major stories 2021 receiver is it special it's.

joining us as we assess the given in what is to come next. are the rich doing enough to combat climate change i'll ask award winning environmental activist neemo bassy but 1st we debate whether the surveillance and history is out of control and how it can be kept in check. authoritarian regimes and even democracies that want to spy on citizens and clamp down on activist movements can now tap into a murky largely unregulated global surveillance market even criminal organizations are suspected of having gotten their hands on cyber weapons the surveillance industry has grown basically unchecked the u.n.

has even called for a moratorium on the global sale and transfer of private surveillance technology until new regulations are put in place to protect civil liberties and as a good reason to worry the number of cameras shoes for surveillance globally it's expected to reach more than 1000000000 next year joining me to discuss this are ron deeper director of the citizen lab an academic group based in canada the documents state surveillance and the ways fernando garcia the director of red that work in defense of digital rights a human rights organization in mexico thank you both for joining me in the arena ron i want to start with you so in a report published this month your lab found that a surveillance firm affiliated with the israeli cyber arms manufacture and so group likely sold spying technology to at least 20 countries yes that include. authoritarian governments like the united arab emirates but also democratic ones like belgium so what does that say about the reach of massive surveillance well i

think we've been going through a really profound shift in how we communicate over the last couple of decades at the heart of which is the proliferation of sensors and the acumen accumulation of data in the ands of a number of private companies and so you have effectively our personal lives turned inside out and that leaves digital trails and breadcrumbs everywhere and of course governments are going to seek to exploit that to take advantage of it for whatever reason whether it's law enforcement investigations national security investigations or in the case of corrupt actors or autocratic actors to go after a political opposition and in the in the same period of time especially within the last 5 years we've seen a proliferation of this industry that services their needs so these are a wide range of companies most of which are based in the west but that's changing

as well the technologies are sold to governments without really anyone checking to make sure there is proper due diligence in place to prevent harms and not surprisingly we're seeing widespread abuses as a result so governments are repeatedly using these technologies to go after journalist to go after human rights defenders to go after lawyers sometimes even with lethal consequences as we saw in the case most prominently the murdered washington post columnist jamal khashoggi we found out citizen. showed you these inner circle of confidence had their phones hacked by saudi operatives using very sophisticated israeli surveillance technology i want to bring you into this now in 2017 you work with with citizen last. had to reveal something really startling about the mexican government ramos is talking about things that governments to raid your deal that the mexican government had and checked at the

phones of members of civil society with spyware supplied to them by the israeli tech company n.s.o. group which we mentioned and according to an investigation by a group of global journalists called the cartel project police forces in mexico have even sold similar tools to drug cartels they were supposed to be tracking down so i'm curious what concerns you the most obvious corruption and bad governance or the fact that companies like n.s.o. group are able to do business with countries that have a dismal track record on human rights exactly i think sometimes these the narrative from technology companies that sell these phone surveillance software is that is a really black and white world with good byes and good guys and guys but the reality in places like mexico is that for example the line between organized crime and the government itself it's blurry or not excuse that most of the time so do end

up with situations in which mouth over there is bought using as a as an excuse the security if you commission of a country is in i don't use books you can really use against society for example one of the cases you say about a human rights group that represents the families of more than 43 students disappeared in mexico in 2014 and their mouths were instead of being used to find those responsible for disappearance of these. young students west used to target the lawyers representing the family some of the students you see also that these tools that are marketed as being sold to combat crime are actually used by criminals either directly or through the corruption and the closure of that excuse between many. authorities. organized crime members so let me ask you about that given that the chants the potential for abuse that you just talked about

a surveillance capabilities why haven't these technologies come under tight international legal control the same way there are protocols and conventions restricting the use of conventional weapons well i guess because it's the same reason because the drug war is not ending is because it's a big business for a lot of people it's a big business for governments to give these contract these really huge contracts very with a lot of discretion they can choose who they purchase these 2 tools from because the companies also become barry very. well rich selling these people's tools and all these contracts are on there are a lot of secrecy there is not transparency of them and there's a little impunity also even though we have uncovered things that work that's it's not just me yes more than $25.00 cases in mexico there's total impunity no one's in jail you know what it's even it's been tried for surveilling journalists and

humorous defense so it's still let me bring iran into this ron how can we expect there to be any accountability on surveillance abuses when the european union has supplied drones and wiretapping of quitman to share for example that's a country his government has has cracked down on activists so there are worldwide organizations that seem to be complicit in this yeah louie's are absolutely right here the financial incentives are huge this is a big and growing marketplace it's an industry that makes a lot of people money i would just add to it that traditionally the type of activities we're talking about here happen to be the most secretive of governments so so most governments especially the well resourced ones within the. our security apparatus signals intelligence agencies some of whom go back decades most of whom operated entirely in the shadows without any accountability so it's very hard to

clean this up for both of those reasons you have state secrecy you have a very lucrative industry it's going to take a lot of work to turn this around and start mitigating would a really horrific hormones that are proliferating yes i do want to ask you about china some of the most egregious uses of surveillance technologies happen and china the party state employs facial recognition systems to subjugate millions of muslims and the region and china has also exported its monitoring systems to at least 18 countries including ecuador and germany so what does that mean for freedom and privacy standards globally. well we do really have to worry about china because you know it's quite daunting to think about the progression china has gone

through over the last 10 years especially where they've proven. you know how being information controls and and a largely one party state authoritarian system can coexist can actually be very profitable when it's come by and with this type of surveillance so it suits both the government and it suits the private sector and so a lot of chinese companies are innovating around facial recognition artificial intelligence empowered surveillance and you're right they're beginning to exploit this which is why there's an urgency to what we're talking about here if western countries let's let's just start with don't get their own houses in order don't bring about some degree of accountability over their security agencies and over the companies that are export ing these type of technologies we won't be able to address the looming threat of chinese technology which is already creeping into the marketplace as you mention ok so let's talk more about using safeguards on on these

tools that actually could be beneficial if you have the safeguards there were some countries that were really praise for the way they handled the cove in 1000 pandemic they curb the spread of the virus in part because of really invasive surveillance tactics specifically in taiwan the government tracked quarantine residence g.p.s. locations using their phone numbers and then we get a notification that somebody had left an area that they were supposed to stay and so isn't that proof some way luis that surveillance can benefit societies well i wouldn't go that far i think there is a lot of uncertainty and not reluctant grieco maybe this oh why certain countries not be more successful than others in combat in to go. and then week in week out the same way as you mentioned they want we have a lot of examples with very basic tools that have not been producing those paper resorts or i would temper the conclusions on whether massive surveillance it's

really important by the way that's a really. it's. supposed the emergency situation that it's not going to last forever so it's important to not draw the conclusion that total surveillance is good for society at definition you're saying i don't believe it's getting too much credit and situations like this you think there's any at least part of the marketing strategy of the companies that want to sell these type of tools and so group rebranded it but it's pegasus to all to try to sell it to governments to combat 19 it's really more of a marketing gimmick that actually something that actually based on on on on an editor's secrets are important but there are also things that we even we shouldn't be allowed in the democratic society or at least we should have these question of whether we want to allow them a private society to exist i believe for example where it's it's something that

it's very difficult to do to control even more now because for example it's of mexico we were able to document those cases because there britain effect it had to click on a link sent on an s.m.s. message but now we know that group and other vendors are have the capability of infecting phones without even leaving any trace without leaving any evidence of that surveillance happening so that makes it even more difficult to control so we really need to put 2 to have a really meaningful discussion on where to put red lines on which they argue that we shouldn't allow to be used and which ones we can allow where we really strong robust safeguards that really give meaningful or counter and allow society to accept control over the use of these technologies so ron do you think there are instances where or using surveillance technology is justified. absolutely i mean

you know we live in a very dangerous world we live in a risk society we need governments to protect us and to enforce the law if if for nothing else than to protect and preserve human rights and you want governments to be well equipped to have the technologies they need to be able to do their jobs the confusion arises when people think there is some kind of tradeoff between surveillance and privacy what we need are robust restraint mechanisms safeguards exactly what you're talking about there is no one compatibility here governments and private companies for that matter need to be subjected to independent oversight by appropriate agencies that are established with significant capabilities themselves and authorities to be able to examine cross-check independently to make sure that a technology that is extremely invasive as louise describes the latest versions of these type of spyware require no interaction on the part of

a target you can simply ring up a phone and take it over track that person turn on their camera this is like atomic level surveillance capabilities in the hands of governments that are going to abuse them obviously we need to buckle down on restraint mechanisms which currently do not exist that will be the final word randeep are the ways for nanak i see it thank you both for joining me in the area. thank you very much. bubba coronavirus crisis grabbed headlines worldwide this year scientists and activists have been ringing the alarm on another crisis threatening our way of life climate change earlier i spoke to a pioneer in linking human rights to the environment whether of the right livelihood award widely known as the alternative nobel prize they were bassy as found in multiple environmental groups in his native nigeria a decade ago he said the richest one percent of the world had decided it was ok to

sacrifice the 99 percent i started by asking him if anything has changed since then oh so it. should be was because at the time there was an element of seriousness about redeployment the mission. which she. alleges ready for missions to action but rather it was. all governments looking for ways to of action. but it was all about bullet injury agreements where nobody will be doing that by. going to the beautiful national contributions. what is suitable for them to do what is going to be good for them to do. nothing to respond to it she.

who get it through these communities and individuals are being exposed so to actually get worse let's talk about giving up responsibility leaders in the global south will say we are just trying to grow we are trying to keep our heads above water it's not expected it's not fair rather to expect them to cut back so much on grain else gas emissions when there are other or fully industrialized countries that should be taking the lead on this what do you think about that. they do. is right for all countries in africa in the pacific snow i lasted that never really could do with it and they seek me to cut it to global warming is not right to get money from them to quote me shows that didn't create it in the shorts yes it is right in the current dynamics you find that countries who are proposing to do shop more than they need to do a desk should not be shunned because that nima contributed to the climate problem

should many more be shown to do than the rich countries the industrialized countries. are not serious about short term measures but are rather pushing everything to be looked at rates that are kind of void do it and it immediately but will well it's needed melanie's needed action. is abandoning fossil fuels at a realistic target. it is realistic the problem is the kind of another it is a little bit of body as human beings our history our lives by economy so a politics that we're driven by stories that we tell ourselves about so many years people have always said we can do without forcing choices so it was said that forces will be made and i just saw us into the foreseeable future but no science is saying that we just have a few more years coupled to the atmosphere that we have to ship from me so if we

want humans and other living beings on the planet so by it we have no option but to ship the focus of the book was a way that we like it or not is something that just has to be done so for something that happened to me us it is what seen as a market based solution to bury and capitalistic terminal get to that in a minute but subsequent things like cap and trade. i don't think you're a fan of that why not why do you think that that is not the way to go. you know nature doesn't work by addict metrics micha doesn't look on human economy mischa's nature nature at least not the dog capitalism. cut and trade carbon offsetting an all source market mechanism so marketed our mentalities of. begun to take place and just been a strong need to nettie said the cure to when the cure to prescribe was initiated i

believe anybody remember correctly most countries wouldn't it but my duty. clearly using market forces or market mechanisms to talk about when we got the time but there was a lot of pressure off was that that was the way to go and to do we had to get it the sled net 0 or the couple of isolation the can and there's a sense of a beautiful doesn't it but and 0 simply means it's another way of to trade some stuff for what it means you've got to keep on polluting in europe and then you probably sip if you trace enough to. back and keep on polluting the atmosphere because the trees are weighed africa countering what i'm doing in europe that is. björk this is climate tradition it doesn't address the real issue which is to stop the pollution plan that would make it more national crisis making money from other

people's misery so you can you can so you dismiss you have to look up. and said that there really needs to happen is the pollution needs to stop and as a result of this horrible pandemic we've been living in and a lot of ways some pollution has stopped when when cities stopped and the streams stopped at the core of this and that people say it's a return to nature there with some blue water blue skies in places that we have not seen before how does it make you feel that it took something like a deadly pandemic for us to see what can actually happen. what will really will depend big us dollar job much in that sense because it showed that humans can change we not it's not impossible for us to change. so the prime minister or star system is 2nd place the rest you get a movement is restricted. conduction activities and pollution. seeding they could

create a little bit. was just for a moment. we didn't have enough time to lead the lesson that ought to be lent. the climate would not could not solve the problems of global warming couldn't give us clean water for the little time i'm speaking to you from the nih did they. do with oil spills on google during the lockdown because the oil corporations were pretty they were considered to be 7 cisco you might think that so they kept on drilling. even where there were locked up in their homes so we give no we missed opportunity or let it go and buy me. that think rather than wait for the pandemic or you now know you should judge the sub the problems we have this problem we have to change the situation by ourselves we have to mobilize we have to work easily

diety we have to join forces to make sure that we see the change that is needed and so let's pivot to boko haram for a moment and i know that some people may not understand how that puts this conversation but it does because whenever you talk about boko haram we often talk about it and a religious or security context but there is very much an environmental and also to look at when you talk about boko haram and what is happening and night area. why don't we see more of the connection between the 2 well you know generally the environment is no dust does not to get doug rich in news in politico compositions. is much more is talk about religion as they drive about 0 dollars and of course there is a question of balance also arced religion as a reason for the balance but is a bit sooner also that a lot of responsibly established it did not is that part of nigeria is caused by

the government of the tips. which is the biggest freshwater electrician or the leaking west africa shed by nigeria. and the. mother 90 percent the size it was in the nets in sixty's this us made this mess middle she shows the space in a plaster on his displacement of well off thomas of course when they're moved they moved it after it's what they moved to this people were displaced of choice either easily we did lose the misapply because they can easily be recruited into this kind of militia groups or decree just magnussen we're a great model so we have a sinister motive ometer tradition my dear a with a trip. as well as. created by global warming i want to end on a personal note what you do is dangerous all right eventually that when you started

your activism the country was under military rule would you have been incarcerated detained harassed some activists of and paid with their lives and specifically one study found that killings of environmental defenders had doubled over the last 15 years to reach levels usually associated with war zones do you ever personally fear for your safety for your life. when you take on the kind of work that we do it is driven by commitment and passion. when. you goody goody lunch for example down on the shores of the polluted rivers i just heard much said that europe is not. we when we. do it's kind of situations we just don't know actually what do people critical just that'll be the final word mr newman passing thank you very much for joining us

here but you probably agree. that as our show up front i'll be back next year. the latest news as it breaks the measures introduced during this 3rd wave of resulted in the 20 percent drop in the amount the people are traveling with detailed coverage of life both one hot property all of believe in one us out of us poverty rate increased in the soft clear from around the world the u.n. has identified $56.00 countries most need assistance what's worrying them is that many of those have a deteriorating situation. an invitation to bear witness to all that life office. the highs the lows the trials and tribulations the

unseen and everything miracles the injustices the defiance the tests of character and the person they tunis with nice documentaries with a delicate touch on al-jazeera water scarcity has become a major global issue the demand is going straight up and the supply is going straight down turning an essential natural resource into a commodity traded for profit just because life doesn't mean it cannot be priced what about the guy that can afford it guys tell these water. al-jazeera examines the social financial and environmental impact of water privatized loads of water on al-jazeera.

al-jazeera. will ever meet. after holding out for a week u.s. president donald trump signs a $2.00 trillion dollar coronavirus aid and spending bill. about the city this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up iran is to begin human trials of a locally produced coronavirus vaccine as u.s. sanctions impede efforts to buy dozes from the west. on kong pro-democracy activists go on trial in china for trying to escape the territory vice speed boat. and the tally of this year.