on al-jazeera if you want to help save the world. sneeze and hero. devastating toll corona virus infections in the u.s. past 20000000 making up a was a quarter of the world's code 19 cases. though i maryam namazie and london you're watching al-jazeera also coming up on the program. the u.s. senate delivers a final snob to donald trump overriding his defense bill veto. traffic between britain and europe appears to be flowing smoothly as the u.k. completes its historic exit from the box. reforming its finances cuba and its

decades old deal currency system there are fears it could make things worse for its people. welcome to the program the 1st day of the new year has not brought a new story in the united states more than 20000000 people there of now tested positive for the coronavirus well that number has doubled since early november and in the state of california another unwanted record $585.00 deaths are announced on friday that's an increase of 2.3 percent from thursday which until now had been the highest daily death toll almost 26000 people have died in that one state alone nearly 2300000 people in california have tested positive united states also fell short of its goal to vaccinate 20000000 americans by the end of 2020 only 2800000

have been inoculated so far well let's go to annie gallegos in miami and that sort of deteriorating situation with both the number of infections and the death toll makes some sort of progress on that vaccination program all the more urgent. it really does i mean i think marian that 2021 for this beleaguered nation was supposed to bring new hope remember that 2 vaccines have already been approved after being developed at breakneck speed and yet operation speed the trumpet ministrations plan to get 20000000 people and those people are aged over 65 and they are frontline health care workers vaccinated by the end of 2020 has fallen far short of the 20000000 target as you said about 2800000 people have so far been vaccinated and if you look at what's happening in this state alone we're seeing scenes of chaos as those age 65 and over are basically camping out overnight for

1st come 1st serve vaccinations and president trump a couple of days ago tweeting out that the governors of all the states need to get a move on but there was never a national strategy for this country since the covert 19 virus began to spread across the country so there is a great deal of frustration a great deal of fear but simply these vaccinations are not getting into the arms of the people that need the most those 20000000 people that operation walks we were talking about are the most vulnerable and if you look at the fatalities in this state alone they are by the majority in long term care facilities so it is the elderly and the frontline health care workers who are frankly exhausted after 10 months of dealing with this that are really being failed by the trumpet ministration. and here in the u.k. and various other countries there's been a great deal of concern about this new much more contagious mutation of the virus given the state of affairs there in the u.s.

how much concern is there about about what it could do in that country. i mean look there's already a lot of confusion in florida websites have been crushing people can't make appointments phones aren't being answered now this new kind of mutated more transmissible variety of the covert 1000 is just adding to all that fear and uncertainty that people are facing a remember there's some populations in this country that don't even trust these vaccines that is a hurdle that no one has approached yet because if you look at communities of color where there is a great deal of suspicion about the government they are hit harder than most other demographic groups and yet they don't trust getting these vaccines taken now dr g. from the center for disease control and prevention says people shouldn't overly worry because when they do get the vaccine it will treat that variant that is now being reported in countries across the world there has been one case here in florida 2 in colorado and at least another one in california and there

a country's all over the world now finding this variant so it just adds that layer of uncertainty and fear to people that really need help and think about this we've had 20000000 cases in this country and heart of those cases have been since the beginning of november since about november the 8th that's following all those holiday periods thanksgiving christmas new year every time people travel we see that uptick in numbers shortly thereafter and we are no doubt heading towards another one after christmas a new year thank you from miami and gallagher well health experts in india and met the safety of the oxford astra zeneca vaccine reports suggest the vaccine is close to carrying its final hurdle the country is yet to greenlight any vaccine for rollout despite recording more than 10000000 curve 1000 cases which is the world's 2nd highest caseload and there are signs that that final approval could be imminent as elizabeth elizabeth prana reports in the capital new delhi. india's health

ministry is saying that the expert committee of india's drug's regulatory body continuing to meet to consider emergency use all 3 vaccines and that the final decision will be taken by the director of the body they have been meeting for the 2nd day this week considering emergency use approval for the oxford astra zeneca but also for 5 is a biotech and in indian company called bought a biotech but we have local media and voices use agency reporting that the expert committee has recommended emergency use approval for the oxford astra zeneca and once that happens that will go to the director for his approval but that is just thought to be a formality preparations have been and full swing for the vaccination drive here there's going to be a trial run with mock drills and vaccination centers around the country on saturday to test everything from the transport arrangements for the vaccines to the cold storage systems the deployment of work because the apps * that's used to register

and monitor everyone that's going to receive the vaccine the indian government is planning to inoculate 300000000 people just in the 1st half of this year and india already has the biggest vaccination program in the world where it and it's around $56000000.00 babies and pregnant women every year bought health experts say that the cold chain system in many places is in a bad state that vaccines are way stored or monitored properly power cuts could last for hours leaving vaccines on food for use and that is why the government has been doing trial runs to identify and fix problems for the code that vaccine drive begins here. united states senate has voted to override president donald trump's a veto of the annual defense bill a major defeat for the president just 20 days before he leaves office senate itchy

. of the 2 thirds majority required to stop the bill with many republicans voting against trump for the 1st time trumpet refused to sign a $740000000000.00 defense act into law because it retains legal protection for technology companies and because it removes the names of some confederate generals from army bases. white house correspondent can really help is in washington and kimberly president trump has vetoed a number of bills chairing the course of his presidency is this is this the 1st one that's been overturned. yes and that's what makes this so significant and the president not happy about this taking to twitter almost immediately afterward to call the move by the democrat controlled house as well as the republican controlled senate pathetic in fact he was really angry with the republicans in the senate expecting them to do more for him and in his view not delivering in fact saying

that that was not smart or fair not exactly sure what the president is insinuating there perhaps that there could be some blowback for 2 republican senators facing a runoff election in a few days' time but the what the president seems unhappy about in his tweet is that there were no sort of assurances that there would be restraints put on big tech companies something that he finger points for his election loss as well that there was no raising of the covert relief payments for americans from $600.00 to the $2000.00 the u.s. president was looking for now nancy pelosi the house speaker she has also reacted she says that this is essentially a resoundingly rebuke of donald trump in the waning days of his presidency and his assault as she says on american national security and the american military so she's accused the president of sowing chaos something that she says has now been

limited by the actions taken in the u.s. congress a very strong reactions coming not only from nancy pelosi but the u.s. president himself. we have seen from the majority if not all of the trump presidency the republican standing in solidarity with the president for the most part how important is it then the republican controlled senate to be joining forces with the democrats. you're absolutely right we've really seen the republicans in the senate in particular but also in the house of representatives where there are no minority really in lockstep with the president but it appears that since his election last november all of that has changed really now republicans looking and setting their sights on their own political fortunes knowing that the president's days are finite in the oval office so this is really notable but what is also notable about this is that we haven't really seen up till now any support for the

president as a result of his loss any support for the claims that the election was rigged or that in any way there was any sort of voter suppression these are all things the president has been looking for support for not getting and this is just adding on to that so what we've seen from the president now is now that he's lost this battle in capitol hill is really setting his sights towards what ultimately could be the final battle on january 6th the president on twitter touting a protest that will take place in washington d.c. on january 6th that's a significant day because that's the day the congress will be tallying the electoral college votes for the u.s. election that will ultimately certify it for not donald trump but joe biden his rival the u.s. president already talking about that protest we do know there will be some republicans then that will be backing the president al timidly delaying that certification but in the end what we do know quite resoundingly is that the next president of the united states will be joe biden thank you from washington.

well here you k.s. marking its 1st day no longer subject to european union rules the 1st post writes that fright shipments have been crossing u.k. border under the new trade deal finally equate last week the movement of trucks and ferries has continued without any major delays but that's mainly because of the coronavirus pandemic and then the long weekend holiday meaning that traffic was going to be lighter than usual anyway for one and has more from the port of dover the main sea trade link between the u.k. and the european continent. the countdown to the new post relationship was projected across the departure gates at the french side of the euro tunnel rail link moments later the 1st lorry was having its documents checked. the trade deal agreed on christmas eve means no tariffs and no quotas but there is significantly more paperwork and most of it needing to be done in advance the euro tunnel operator is get

a link the change is already about. for many teams ok now it's time there is a truck community here they have to show us that they have done for darkest and the courage shown on line before coming here it's a significant change for logistics and haulage firms on both sides of the new trading front here the u.k. is expecting $220000000.00 additional customs declarations every year at a cost to business of some $9500000000.00 the ferry crossing between the english port of dover and cali and france handle some $2500000.00 free to vehicles every year but less than a 1000 lorries were set you'll to make the crossing on new year's day it's a gentle start for the new regime many haulage companies said they were holding off until the new systems of bedded in my hope is that given the opening couple of weeks in january are generally pretty late for us and with the pre-breakfast start bill we saw going on that that should enable those people that are trading to the

time. to train themselves and get used to working in the. in fact at the gates of the 4th the biggest sticking point on this 1st day isn't rex it related at all. we had a plan all works out already to hold freights to manage the freight but now we've had to initiate the testing as well as a number of locations so that's the biggest problem that we've got because that was never expected never planned for the key to keeping the ports open and running smoothly will be the speed with which the logistics companies get to grips with the new electronic and paperwork requirements the early log jams are likely to be not here at the ports but back at the factory gates or workhouse with cargo delayed because the correct paperwork hasn't been filled in these 1st quiet days of january an opportunity for companies to familiarize themselves with the new practicalities the real test will come when trade volume ramps up again around the 10th or 11th of

the month paul brennan al-jazeera dover still ahead on the program january 1 marks and massive trade deal and it's nothing to do with back said one of the world's biggest single markets is open for business in africa. the grieving families demanding answers as they wait for news on libya's missing men. this is such a contrast to a year ago there's an awful lot of trad rain around though we're talking about summary weather supposedly in australia as a track record low possibly get worse than that in the gulf of carpentaria significant rain here why is fred showers and thunderstorms in new south wales bits

of queens and not as much as it was admittedly that victoria and moving into south australia and although it's warmer in perth the clouds increasing here as well with one or 2 showers this is a particularly one summary look to things in victoria in new south wales i have to say new zealand to see some of that rain as well proper winter was showing itself in the fall and also china and in the form of snow throughout most of japan at least northern hampshire and hawkeye the lesser in the korean places some stars fall short 1st on the ground there the high temperature in the minus 2 in so things are slowly warming up further south the rain showers returning to taiwan and hong kong reaches about 19 sunny degrees equal the cold has come out a little bit in punjab and temperatures i think will rise a little in new delhi in the hole by night because it was still nearer we got showers around which will improve their quality but will change the tenor of the weather to some degree.

what deserve even do it with the money that it's for we bring you the stories and developments that are rapidly changing the world we live in argentina's congress is debating a bill seeking to raise billions of dollars from the super rich poor families hit hard by condemning counting the cost for not just iraq we understand the differences and similarities of cultures across the world is another matter where you will be in the news and current affairs that matter to you. the all the. the a. welcome back a look at the headlines this hour now 20000000 people in the united states have tested

positive for the coronavirus that's almost a quarter of the world's cases concentrated in just one country. meanwhile the united states senate has voted to override president donald trump's a veto of the annual defense bill it's a significant defeat for the president just 20 days before he leaves office and britain has formally left the european union single mocking customs union with no major delays in the movement of trucks and ferries between the k. and the. other stories we're following one of the world's biggest single markets is open for business of the months of delays due to the pandemic africa's free trade agreement came into effect on january 1st the world bank says the deal will lift millions of people out of poverty but some economists say the continent's poor countries will remain at a disadvantage amid interest reports from now me in asia. workers at this garment factory rushed to deliver 1000 selfies masks the owner says more

than 2 and a half 1000000 were made here to control the spread of copied 90. but as the africa free trade agreement comes into effect he foresees trouble ahead for the continent's poor countries. small and poor economies will always be at a disadvantage hopefully as time goes on we can get special considerations otherwise it will be difficult to compete. businesses in poor countries may have their concerns but overall experts say the agreement will eventually benefit them they believe the cheap cost of labor in these countries will attract more industries. into african trade. development level and pace of industrialization countries very some will have an advantage over others but african countries need to. unfinished among themselves. currently imports most of its needs from bottled water to food and machinery from

big retail to local markets and here is flooded with imported products because. the country will continue to depend on him making it difficult for local industries to grow. experts say it's hard to see european and asian multinational companies giving up the trade advantage they've held in africa for century. products from europe asia and africa's largest economies lined the shelves at the emmys biggest retail monopoly. prefer these brands traders say they won't be many local goods on store shelves and less government steps in. we should be given support the government should facilitate easier of land and loans from banks. but it's hard to see how governments on the continent can do that without breaching the protectionism rules of africa trade agreement and the world trade organization or

maybe greece al-jazeera yami on the libyan wall of play for after us forces control the city of tire huna hundreds of civilians were forcibly detained killed and tortured many families don't know what happened to their loved ones. trainer has been speaking to those still searching for the truth many families in libya will be spending the next few days together celebrating the new year but the family and through no will not be. as all the men in her family who are either killed or kidnapped by members of the armed group can yet backed by the warlords leave her have to who made the town his command center before a filled military campaign on the capital tripoli i don't know what her sure enough for 21 men from my family are gone 14 were killed for no reason and 7 of them were kidnapped and until now we have no idea of their whereabouts they didn't bring us

their bodies and the government hasn't been able to identify the bodies through tests if there are amongst the dead we want to know. when the un recognized government of prime minister faisal so raj retook western libya in june work began to find out what atrocities had been committed when to whom was half their stronghold so far 125 bodies have been recovered from mass graves in the city. can yet militia is accused of carrying out the killings but the tripoli government has been slow to identify the bodies or begin to work on other reported sites the united states blacklisted the kenya and its leader in november over the human rights abuses in. ramadan says he notified authorities of where he believes his brother and 35 other men are buried but nothing's been done so far to establish the truth. according to some witnesses they killed them and took them to the waste dump

they buried them under the truck 36 men were there that's a lot of men i don't know why the government refuses to take them the lack of a proper investigation by the government has caused a great deal of anger here. our team is currently working in town who know they are combing a large area and the digging is all done by hand unfortunately we don't have the materials yet to identify the bodies or high tech equipment to speed up the excavation process for the family and many like the mentor who know it could take years to discover what really happened to their loved ones so the closure they desperately seek will have to wait malik traynor al-jazeera. now to hong kong any residents of a packing up to avoid tough new security laws person is offering refuge to those who no longer feel safe from the end of the month they can move to the u.k.

for up to 5 years and apply for residency adrian brown's been finding out why some people plan to take up the offer. many people in today's hong kong tend to choose their words carefully but fred z. is not afraid to speak his mind about the reasons for leaving a territory he says he no longer recognizes no place he would say you feel safe anymore everywhere when you see police actually get tense that's why especially as a parent with kids it worries me a lot fred hopes to soon join his family in the nearby democratic island of taiwan he owns a market research company another skilled worker who doesn't want to go but says he has to that decision motivated by concerns over the new national security law especially its impact on academic freedom when the children come to home you need to know. what lessons that they had in school

it make you very tired to always worry about your kids being brainwashed. was he took part in protests last year demanding political reform demonstrations that often turn violent amid the subsequent campaign against ascent other families are also opting to leave this one else not to be identified because the father's worried about the repercussions of speaking out they've taken up the british government's resettlement offer and will soon leave their home for the last time. there is nothing to make me stay and it is torture to stay and if you're on the opposition side what the government is doing is not for the benefit of the people they have sacrificed hong kong's future for their own interests. kim watchung is an outspoken political commentator also mulling a move to britain in the last film on

a lot of people just as weiss me they call us in the ball me they they they they say maybe you have to be less if you choose to stay because it is tilted a little what the government would do for you is kind of outspoken people it's not the 1st exodus from hong kong in the decade before the territory was returned from british to chinese rule in 1997 around half a 1000000 left but after securing a 2nd nationality many returned the mood among some of those leaving this time though is one of resignation a belief that they won't be coming back adrian brown al-jazeera hong kong. cuba is rolling out major changes that will see one of its 2 domestic currencies scrapped after decades of use keep the pace but it will be devalued while the so-called convertible peso which is back to the dollar will be eliminated it will

result in short term pain for cubans but the government hopes it will address the country's larger economic problems a latin america editor lucy knew many reports. he stole my piece on one of her banners most successful private restaurants a must even for the most high profile visitors until now his customers paid in cook's or c. you see is a state invented substitute for the u.s. dollar with $25.00 times more than the cuban bissau but now the who is being scrapped with an unsustainable dual currency an exchange rate system. without it just means the elimination of a currency that was circulating for a long time and reactivate in our national currency. if only it were that simple one of the most common phrases in cuba is nice classy or it's not easy. and that's the perfect way to describe the risk elimination of cuba's 2nd currency

while it's considered to be hard currency it's in fact worthless outside of cuba hindering exports and desperately needed investments one. then when the creek was put into circulation it was pigs of the dollar but in time it was value its elimination in general terms is positive but there will be collateral damage. first and foremost a devaluation of the pisot against the u.s. dollar and a steep increase in prices which means purchasing power will drop despite the much higher promised salaries. i don't see the point they raise your summary but they triple or quadruple the price of the dollar which we need to buy all the basics. and that's the other big problem if you want to buy anything from food to clothes or even hygiene products you need to go to one of the more than $120.00 stores and that's why all these people are lining up in front of the bank to exchange hard

currency for an electronic debit card in m l c the cuban name for the u.s. greenback cash transactions aren't allowed. to not go to iran his family or who can send money if you don't work with tourists you don't have access to hard currency this change has been very bad. it will be a difficult process for a country that is already suffering from a deep recession scarcity and harsh new u.s. economic sanctions but then as they say given cuba's finances in order won't be easy. to see in human al-jazeera. australia has updated its national anthem to reflect what the prime minister says is a spirit of unity. the day. that was the old line we are young and free those words have been changed too for

we are one and free it's an attempt to better recognize the country's ancient indigenous history last month national rugby playing them in an indigenous language for the 1st time. a look at the top stories before we go 20000000 people in the united states have now tested positive for the corona virus almost a quarter of the world's cases concentrated in that one country it has doubled its number of infections in less than 2 months the u.s. is also experience more than 340000 deaths and a galaxy has more 20000000 cases and according to reports i've been reading almost half of those of code since the beginning of november.