the me ah ah, this is al jazeera. ah, it is $1500.00, gmc hello, i'm kim all santa maria. welcome to the news. allan from al jazeera. i pick opening spectacle bus with almost no one in the house tennis don socker lights. the colds into officially opened tokyo, 2020, a year later,

and in unprecedented circumstances. also in the news hospitals in lebanon, on the brink of running out of fuel within hours that will put the lives of patients at risk. we look into a study that there's a longer gap between coven 19 bank fin doses may provide a better immune response and haitian taken by a president job. no more easy. the fascination is bull renewed violence and political uncertainty. the country. ah, well, let's just go midnight. in tokyo, host, city of limpid games, the length of which we have never seen. the opening ceremony is just wrapped up, watched by potentially billions of people around the world. but because of the current of ours pandemic, there was hardly any one in attendance. this is a live shot of the japan national stadium design for 68000 people, but on this night, largely empty after the decision not to allow spectators at any events. the city of tokyo, remember, also under a state of emergency in place until the 22nd of august. well

post find last year because of the pandemic. it is hoped this 2020 summer olympic games will be a symbol of global unity and national pride. more than 11000 athletes from 200 nations competing in empty stadiums. and under unprecedented restrictions, a small number of foreign guests and dignitaries attended the opening among them. us 1st lady joe biden, also the french president, manju micron was there, but these are the most expensive summer games in history. and probably the most controversial, nearly 80 percent of japanese say they are against holding against during the health crisis at all. lots to talk about in with andy richardson, our sports correspondent, lives in tokyo. let's talk about that opening ceremony and he, naomi soccer and, and spied choice we now know why her 1st tennis, much of the slim takes, was pushed back from saturday. sunday, all she has to do now is follow up that performance at the opening ceremony with

the 1st 11 pick title, but she's already set to be one of the faces of the olympics. i think that she does the well in the tenant, told them, and she is set to be the face of these olympics. we also heard from, from thomas back, the international olympic committee president. during that opening ceremony, he's admitted to having daily doubts and sleepless nights heading into these games . he said, this feeling of togetherness we have now. this is the light at the end of the dark tunnel of this pandemic has to be said for a lot of people around so care and japan. they probably don't quite share his sentiments. still, a lot of reticence about whether or not having these games is a good idea in the midst of a pandemic. as for the athletes parade, it was relatively scale down, less athletes involved than we'd normally expect socially distanced. just a bounce, relatively well organized. a pope from several athletes from pakistan could stand into g kingston who entered the stadium not wearing facial masks. now,

we've all been given something called an olympic playbook full of rules and regulations, and i'm pretty sure i've read it correctly. that's one of the big rules is you can't be out in public, not wearing a facial mass, particularly if you're at the national stadium during the opening event in front of the r c president. the japanese emperor and billions of people watching world wide athletes were told if they ignored the rules in the playbook, that could be kicked out of the game. so be interesting to see what sort of sanctions, if any, of those athlete space. i mean opening ceremonies, per se, they're a bit of, you know, some people like them. some people think they're a terrible waste of money, but they always always have been a part of the more than a limb, picks a chance to showcase the national identity of the country. but i think rarely as a host city had such a balancing act to pull off and trying turn public opinion around, back towards these, these olympics. and you mentioned the number of people in this area, the and the number of athletes i should say in the stadium. remind us of how these

games works as far as athletes coming and going into the village out of the village under the playbook at the say. yeah, well in theory they're only allowed to go into the athlete village 5 days before their event that kept in national bubbles within the accommodation. so in theory though, not mixing with athletes from other countries too much in 2 days after the competition is over, they are g to leave the village. they are tested every day for coven 9. see some reports in national media here that there was a shortage of covey tests out. the athletes village and the local organizing committee have said they've had a few problems, but they will catch up with that schedule. but again, running summer country to the seas constant refrain that they are running a safe and secure games. we did have 3 more positive test amongst athletes today. the other thing that's f, a d, me, ologist of tolls is, is that the daily test?

so these rapid c gen rapid results has not gold standard p c r test. so they're concerned some tests will slip through. so everyone will see hoping that come saturday when the metal start getting handed out, some of the focus can shift towards sports and away from covered 19. but it's a tough ass. good stuff, handy. richardson lie for us in tokyo after that opening ceremony of the limpid games. let's get an athlete specter now with a son scott from london, the tottenham hubbard who has a tight window will champion a silver medalists for great britain. at the 2016 rio olympics. a broad metal bronze medalist at london 2012. great to have you with us what's well i guess you know 1st hand the importance of having a crowd there having especially a home crowd as it was for you in london. what do you think this is going to be light for athletes in empty stadiums is going to be different. come off and i think the very best athletes at the olympics. they're very focused individuals

and they'll still be able to get the best out of themselves. but it's impossible to overlook the impact, but having a war in crowd it lives. you and i think the historic great performances that were used to us in the lympics, the crowd has a major role to play, especially for sports like mine, tape quando, which on traditional big sports all in tennis. so you have to understand that this is really the only time once every 4 years that most of these gets competes in a packed house arena with a crowd cheering for them. so it's going to be strange. it's going to be different . but like everybody, i'm still glad that the olympics is happening, right. so that's what i wanted to ask you. let's keep covered politics out of it, but you're glad it is actually going ahead, at least for the athletes, even with the risks involved. yes, because these athletes have been training now. well, really is

a lifetime of training, so to for a whole generation of athletes to miss the opportunity to accomplish their life goal of getting the goal metal, getting the metal will just become an limpy and i think it's good, but it's happening. however, i think it's pretty safe to say, but this will be a very different olympics because of the code that we're seeing. is it one of those olympics, which in hindsight could be one of those events where there's an asterisk next to it and where people will always remember, or maybe, you know, not everyone came, not all the top athletes came. it is forever. i don't want to say tainted, but it will be forever view differently. the results, i mean, i think due to the climate, the international climate with, or in an unfortunate reality. yes, it will be probably like the moscow 980 or my 984 games that were boy caught in the like you just mention that will be the mention oh such and such actually wasn't

there. it's unfortunate. but like i said in the office, the question, i still think it is happening so that the athletes do get an opportunity to go and compete for the nation and compete for themselves or target gold medal thing is we've been focusing obviously on the opening ceremony today. tell me your memories of what london would have been special for you, but rio as well. absolutely. i mean, london was this absolutely epic james bond flying in and the queen and it was just so memorable, a very, very british occasion. and if i'm being honest, i watched the open sammy just now, like we all did, i was hoping to see. pick a 2 in the summer i and karate casa, i really thought they were going to lean in 2 elements of japanese culture that spread across the world. but they went for a more artistic approach,

some of the think of public the real. but i got a. busy good job and i'm certainly looking for the rest of the game picture that would have been co, wouldn't it natal? i think it's from london. okay, thanks for your time. we appreciate it. oh, the check them out. thank you very much. mm. more from the lympics, lighter, of course. but let's look at other news now. lebanon, where hospitals are running out of fuel. the economic crisis is that the power cups can last up to 20 hours a day. that is putting live that risk as the pandemic carries on. santa hood reports now from bed roots. these generators are a lifeline for hospitals in a country where state electricity cuts last most of the day. but they're running low on diesel fuel. lebanon is an economic and political turmoil,

and the state is nearly bankrupt. doctors warned the health sector is close to collapse with all the what's going on with the shortages, whether in human resources, whether in medications, whether in supplies, and on top of that now fuel electricity and more of a case is coming in. i'm believable that the hospitals are still able to it's not just hospitals bakeries to say if they don't receive diesel fuel in a few days, they will have to close the state electricity company has all but stopped providing power. already the sector was crumbling from years of neglect, but in recent weeks rationing has been severe. we rely on tandal. there is no electricity and i can't afford to pay private generator. many no longer can afford basic food since the local currency crashed. prices have increased by 50 percent this month alone. the price is very controlled by many factors, including the exchange rates for the dollar. depending on the black market prices

for fuel and for diesel. you know, we have market, we have to have electricity, 247. the black market has taken advantage of states subsidies on basic goods including medicine, many of which has been missing for months. many blame this for the crisis board 11 . something. when you stop that, i think they would be out of market because one of the number one and even if they were the subsidies, but they would sort of broad market. merchants have been blamed for hoarding supported goods or smuggling them to neighboring syria or other countries. mama lacy is element, we can't find any med since there is no electricity. food is so expensive. every aspect of life has been affected by the unprecedented economic and financial meltdown. water supply is likely to be affected by the collapse of the power grids

. the united nations says water pumping could gradually seize within 4 to 6 weeks. the country is falling apart, its blamed on decades of corruption and mismanagement by a political class still in power. the solution many say requires a government ready to fight just that, that who their elders either beirut, let's take you through the asia pacific indonesia, 1st of all, reporting more than one and a half 1000 corona virus, deaths in 24 hours. that is a new record again. also just another under another 50000 infections. the countries become the epi center of the surgeon cases in se, asia fuel fi. the contagious filter variance rapidly rise in cases of lead to a declaration of emergency. in the struggling state of new south wales, half the country's population has now been put into lockdown. avail breaks bill into other states. state home orders in sydney are likely to be extended beyond the

current and date of july 30. and as a result, neighboring zealand has suspended quarantine free travel with all of us ready for 2 months. the so called travel bubble was already paused for new software victoria and south australia. now the whole country center arden prime minister news, even warning of the increased risk to travelers, interview about health issues. there is greater risk now from the delta variant and the was when we opened the quarantine free travel arrangement for the frame. yes. it is the government's duty to keep on the site from code 19. and we continue to believe that the strongest health response is also the strongest economic response . this approach does well to date. so too is our willingness to adapt. cognitive changed, and so we must talk about vaccines. a longer gap between doses of the 5 vaccine boost effectiveness against karone of ours. this is, according to a study led by the university of oxford. while it revealed a strong immune response anywhere from 3 to 10 weeks between shots,

it identified an 8 week gap between doses as the sweet spot tradeoff. and that longer interval as a drop in antibody levels between the doses. and importantly, the study noted there was a decline in antibodies needed to fight off the delta variance. but regardless of the dosing schedule, research is said to find the shots generate robust immune responses. some thoughts now from susanna deny she has a professor of infectious diseases at the university of oxford, the joint chief investigator in that study, which is known as pitch. she says that people who have received their 25 doses at shorter intervals, should still be confident that they are protected. first of all, i'd like to say that today's is a bit vaccine and very good to inducing mean responses. and if you're happy about, you know, a short dosing interval, don't worry it's, it's a great back thing. we just found that you, kate strategy, which was to give along the strategy which was based on and knowledge of back

scenes for other diseases. and how long a gap often is better? what we've done this when we let it neutralizing 2 bodies. and they are induced by the vaccine. and but the against the delta barrier, they're, they're a bit lower. and 2 jobs is definitely better than one against the delta variance. so really it's a balancing point. you just, you had originally been 12 weeks interval and been brought to 8 weeks just to try and balance and trying to get the best results of the population. i wouldn't want people to get too hung up on an he's going down because that's what antibodies. they say you bought the car, have high levels antibodies for every bug. it's ever been back to me again. what happens is he didn't have memory and you'll be so memory. so if you can to the virus, you'll be able to quickly may antibodies. so if you healthy and he's had 2 shots

that might well be enough even if you're unable to levels the seem to be lower. ok . i think it's a different matter the same portal people who because of health reasons might not respond well to the job. and this clinical studies going on in the you get a moment to look at giving a 3rd shot. those 2 people coming up 17 minutes past this news. our fear is what a head fighting words from the taliban beyond group wounds. there will be no peace in afghanistan on this. certain conditions are meant iraq foreign minutes to travel to washington for toll, for the us move to end combat mission in the country and with the games. finally, beginning temperatures are too hot to handle for one competitor, and so that's coming up later with joe ah, the funeral of haiti's assassinated president, jove, noise is taking place in the countries. second city of compassion are being laid to

rest in the grounds of his family. home shot dead on the 7th of july. of course, the police say his killers included 18, former columbia and soldiers and several haitian americans posing us drugs enforcement agents have been experiencing math approaches than a political crisis for more than 2 years. and gallagher reporting from miami to day to take us through them credibly somber occasion, obviously for any head of state, but under the circumstances of an assassination. yeah, i think many people in haiti thought this might be a moment of unity amendment. the nation might come together in some way over the services for its late president. that really isn't the case. even before the services began in k patient protested took to the street. there is deep suspicion of people from puerto prince people who and k patient they see the ruling class because people then know for instance, that non of my lease is personal security guards were injured in

a fascination on july the 7th. so instead of bringing the nation together, it seems to be causing even more division. of course, there are dignitaries from across the americas, attending the funeral services, including a large contingent from the united states. you can only imagine they are talking what is left of the ruling party about getting those free and fair elections up and running, but many haitian. think the voting right now won't solve the crisis in this country . many of the institutions are failing. the senate is badly functioning, parliament was dissolved so even though this is a moment to reflect on the line for 53 year old job now it seems to be causing more fractures than it feeling. thank you for that. anti gallagher, reporting from miami will carry on the conversation now in charlottesville, charlottesville, virginia, in the us with lauren was the co director of the democracy initiative and the author of haiti, the aftershocks of history. what and i use that word, lauren op to shops. what do you think they will be now?

now that job number is laid to rest and they can only look to the future. how does that future look to you? well, thank you for having me today. obviously, very somber occasion a moment to take stock of the deep violence that's been going on politically and 80 for the last several months. louise, not the only victim of that. there have been other killings as well. i think that what we need to think about now is exactly that. what happens next? there's been a kind of quick transition that's kept essentially numbers of the same party, people who are close to movies and power being for many opposition figures anadia skepticism about whether they will indeed pursue kind of free and fair election process. but also elections are just one part of the democracy, obviously. and if there aren't the other kinds of structures and, and pieces in place to support and sustain a successful election. and it's obviously very difficult to carry one out as,

as we've seen the past and 80 as well. so there's a big debate about whether moving to elections of the right, for what other prophecies might be put into place. to kind of resolve the, the many crises that the country is facing currently. what kind of person i mean, there is an interim government and interest, interim prime minister in place with one another. what do they actually need to do? that's obviously been the big question. one of the things that has royal, that always royal noises presidency with that there are these longer questions about corruption and the corruption of the political leads going back several years, which has been one of the demands of the opposition has been to address those questions of corruption, and i think you know, until that's resolved in some head on way. and that's gonna continue to be an issue . but also the problem is that since louise had kind of let the terms of senate expire. so the usually very, you know, larger parliamentary system and presence of parliamentary and has,

has been essentially devolved. so you do have this much smaller group of political leaders than you would normally. and that's a major problem. and then finally, of course, there's been, as everyone knows, the rise of a increasingly violent situation with armed groups controlling parts of the capital . something that we really don't normally see in haiti, it's been really bad over the last period under movies is presidency. and that seems a very urgent thing to address being and it's basically paralyzing much of like in the country. is there any risk in your opinion of an intervention? there was 1994, the u. s. called an operation up hold democracy as i understand i know those with different circumstances. after the overthrowing of president aristide. but you know, it's the same sort of thing where there is a bit of a vacuum. it's true. i think the, the biggest piece of context though is that after that 94 us occupation several years later starting in 2006, you had the beginning of the over decade long,

really 1314 years un security forces that have only recently left the country so the appetite and i think in general the kind of look when people look at that, that process, there's a lot of skepticism about the ultimate impact that had. and in fact some negative obs, the color of we break in other negatives. so the appetite for kind of boots on the ground for a little inter literal intervention i think, is quite low, both in the u. s. and on the part of the un, that does not mean that they're not other forms of intervention. and even the formation of this new government was clearly kind of guided and pushed along by the various diplomatic forces and the state department who above all have unfortunately, well, i don't know if it's unfortunate or number. they have always sort of prioritize political stability. and that's been the kind of priority over some, maybe larger democratic process. sometimes at least that's what i think a lot of opposition. members feel that keeping people in place on has, has been

a priority over kind of addressing that the structural problems of, of democracy in some deeper way beyond the electoral question. lauren, what's been great to get your, your thoughts, your expertise on this topic. thank you for joining us. thank you for having me today. i appreciate it. a member of the town of anne's negotiating team, so they won't be a lasting peace. and i've got to start until a new government is installed and cobbled at all sides. agree on taliban fighters have been seeing many areas. the last of the us naval forces leave afghanistan, so expert, and so shall. hin says the taliban does not want to monopolize power, but the current government can't expect things to continue as they are. i get the magic editor james space as more from campbell. certainly what everyone wants, i think on the international community is some way to have a negotiated settlement between the african government and the taliban. some way of sharing power. and what they'd like is to restart those talks that have been

taking place in doha currently adjourned, great deal of effort to try and get that back on track and get that going. there has been a meeting recently with the deputy heads of the taliban political office in doha of the salon monopoly and representatives of diplomats from the e u. u. s. u n. and katha. and many of those diplomats, in addition to getting the talk started, think that the best atmosphere for the talks is to have a cease far the taliban, reluctant to have a c spot. at this stage, they say the proposals that the african government have put on the table so far are unacceptable. they won't not want reconciliation, but they won't start entering. they won't come come n harbor c spied and we will continue our waterman as it is. so that's the

also not realistic approach not to pragmatic approach. it is necessity that all avalon should have are, should eagerly upon i knew god meant and that was meant what to replace the new this couple administration. and that's what it meant will be acceptable for us and to other up months. another taliban spokesman later clarified those comments, making it clear that the taliban is not demanding. the president, national ref gone, is removed or stands down before a ceasefire. that's not one of the conditions that demanding before a ceasefire out there understands what taliban want in order to have a cease far for them to a greek to a c swap would be for all the prisoners being held by the african government to be released and that will be difficult. moved by president gun, he got a lot of christmas last time. he released prisoners and also for all of those

taliban members that are listed by the un under the sanctions committee to be de listed plenty more ahead for you on this news are including the latest on the scramble to save people stranded by monsoon floods in west in india, the death toll is growing there as well. he writes, but not forgotten. the mapping project exposing the bed when the villages israel is trying to hide. the typhoon formed off the coast of japan. some competitors are actually welcoming the unsettled weather. at the tokyo olympics, joe will have the sport of like ah ah, hello no sir. see you, there's no change across the weather in the middle east, we're still dealing with some high. he particularly around the gulf kuwait's $49.00

degrees. we've got a slight shamal wind here, so we're seeing a northwest wind gusts about 4050 kilometers per hour. we do have some rain moving across much of yemen and ourselves. west monsoon has given us some rain as we would expect to see in sola, for example, on saturday. next, i want to take you to turkey, where the black sea region has just been hammered with some heavy rain. we've also seen as a result of this land slides is home going down right there. and unfortunately it's looking like much of this heavy rain will continue on saturday toward that southeast corner of the black sea. next we're going to go to africa and check on the tropic street here, and we've got storms coming in going. but what's a bit unusual is the storms are lifting further to the north and falling across the sou hail region. so we do have some rain in the forecast for juba on saturday with a high of 32 degrees further to the south. we had some soaking rains for the eastern cape port. elizabeth picked up 50 millimeters of rain over the past 24

hours. but look at this on saturdays, things start to dry out and we've got some sunshine with the temperature of 21 degrees. the frank assessments and argument for suggesting that the martin, the ministrations are playing a long game. it's very much of a form embrace the iran nuclear deal, the cause of us domestic politics, informed opinions, schools and shelters have been reduced to rubble. how do you think this shapes a generation and the politics then that a life has been shape? why vitamin the in depth analysis of the dates global headlines inside story on our jazeera, with energy and change to every part of our universe. for small to continue the change all

around the shape by technology and human ingenuity. we can make it work for you and your ah, oh, a news down here at all, just the read these off the top stories tokyo's olympic gains are officially on the way the ceremony being held in a virtually empty stadium. the event is overshadowed by the panoramic more than a 100 people attending the game, who have tested positive for carbon 19 in the run up to the event lebanon's hospital, a running out of fuel economic.