nations breaks it, britain wants to beat the hue and become the 1st european country to launch a space rocket from its own soil on the continent. although the coming commercial space era will be much less geopolitical than the 1st space race, last century, international rivalries do still feature. reach helen's out his era campbell. and yet he has all the stories we're covering on our website algebra dot com plenty of comment and analysis there, especially on the current situation in afghanistan or in that in a few seconds. ah, now us force of launched a drone strike in compo targeting suicide bombings. they say plan to attack the cities airport. the u. s. had been warning that more attacks could be imminent, as it forces and to the final stages of that withdrawal from afghanistan. their reports that children are among 6 civilians killed on thursday,

a suicide bombing at the airport killed at least 175 people that included women and children in those casualties. us evaluations are continuing, including military staff and africa, nationals speaking to the media on sunday, the secretary of state and the blinking maintains the u. s. will continue to have the ability to attack targets enough kinda song even without having soldiers on the ground. we have the capacity around the world, including an f can't stand to take to find and to take strikes against terrorists who, who want to do us harm. and as you know, in country after country including places like like yemen, like somalia, large parts of syria. lydia places where we don't have boots on the ground on any kind of ongoing basis or we have the capacity to go after people who are trying to do us harm will retain that capacity and f canister. when u. s. president joe biden has taken part in

a ceremony to bring home the bodies of service personnel, killing combo. they were among the 175 people killed by suicide bomb is a city's airport on thursday. in are that lines are, can either is made landfall along the gulf coast is a powerful category for storm is hundreds of thousands of people in the u. s. take shelter for. she's a warning of extremely dangerous storm surge and catastrophic wind. storm is threatening new orleans some 16 years to the day since it was devastated by hark. katrina, which killed more than 1800 people and yemen. susie rebels of attacked the country's largest ad base in the south with drones and missiles, at least 30 soldiers were killed at i'm not military base in large province. soviet era bases used by saudi u. e bank t. m, and government forces. thousands of people were injured and some are being taken to hospitals and aiden as the headlines thought roger's era coming up. next.

news, news, news. news i the the code 1900 pandemic has had a devastating impact around the world from putting enormous pressure on health care systems, in many cases, to breaking point, to putting the world economy on track to a possible recession. but the pandemic has also made clear another problem of our time global inequality. as wealthy countries stockpile cove at 1900 vaccine, 50 percent of adults in europe, us and the u. k. have now been fully vaccinated. vaccination rates remain extremely

low in countries across africa, but few of the 2 percent of the continent people have been fully vaccinated. the african union of the world health organization that played a central role in the vaccination at but across the continent. but $47.00 of africa's $54.00 countries are expected to miss september's target of vaccinating 10 percent of the citizens. so how can we bridge the vaccine gap, threatening the african continent? what plans are in place to increase the number of vaccines heading to the region? the director of the africa centers for disease control and prevention. doctor john, king of song, talks to al jazeera ah, the john and candace own director of africa center for disease control and prevention. thank you for talking to us on al jazeera, who just begin with your overall assessment of the code 19 vaccine rollout across

the continent. what are your initial impressions? they roll out. busy of the cupboard 900 back soon on the continent has been churches appointment as we speak today. less than 2 percent of the eligible population in africa has been a fully vast net, which is very unfortunate. if you recognize that we have to ease immunize up to about 70 percent of our population. and we have less than 2 percent. that tells you that we have an incredibly long do. i need to go to get to where we have to be . so it has been total. ready disappointment, haven't set that up, because as you know, the african box in a position past team has now signed a contract of about 400000000 dollars of johnson and johnson vaccines were delivering it about 2 weeks ago. so where we remain optimistic that the challenges

in numbers we are making some progress in broad brush strikes. why has it been so bad for africa once we've seen europe do incredibly well, it has been challenging to africa because we did not produce actions. we were hoping and relying on the cove us facility, which is the mechanism that was set up by gobby. we're had organization, coalition for epidemic preparedness, innovation to have about sins, distribute them in a timely fashion under countries and how many countries that actually contribute money into their covert facility and by and most vaccines. so it became a very challenging situation for the continent. was the kofax scheme and sort of the un auspices, a disappointment or a failure because it hasn't really helped africa and the way it should house. i

would say that the principal behind callbacks that is to acquire vaccines, their basket and then made it available to result. ready limited such in a timely fashion, the principal, under values, the values of corporation, their values of solidity were phone bet. it wasn't the implementation, didn't really follow through it because of what i just explained earlier. that their countries that met pledges committed to supporting cobra, ended up buying most of the vaccine. so it became very challenging for us to get back to the situation in india. and that was caused by the baby and that emerged. it made it so that the government of india impose a bond on the export of vaccine, especially after the nick of actions from india. so that made a situation very complex. it does raise the question, doesn't as a sort of vaccine equity, because that's been

a huge talking point. this last for 18 months of the pandemic for global leaders, you know, in the western developed world, one might say they failed africa because one has to get african leaders to push. you might say, the developed world and politicians to listen to africa to help africa. and to make sure that the voice is heard in terms of getting the vaccine and africa has been failed really by those promises that haven't been fulfilled by developed countries . absolutely. i think it's as simple or should that picture has been poorly served as to what a core international cooperation, unfinished, necessary when this been a big southern reset or the writings, the writings we had that we need, we need it time. the app says, a particular distribution of actions, but when the about since we have available, which in my view in my or more than 3 tickets in probably heard beverages

fans was incredibly plus in producing vaccines. but haven't set that up or just you left behind behind significantly. so i think that the spirit of international cooperation, unsuited r t. i feared africa significantly. well, let's just focus it now on the continent and recent w h i statistic suggest there is a north south divide in terms of infection rate. 64 percent increase in the south. 24 percent increase in the north. both areas account for 88 percent of the continents death toll algeria, botswana, d. c. s with teeny, the su to malawi, retainer based on big rwanda, senegal, south africa, zimbabwe, libya, tennessee, and morocco. seeing a huge delta very, and increases how concerned to you about the delta variant across the continent. i'm concerned about their top area and spread across the country in but not

surprise. this is a virus that has an increase sounds from usability rate of more than 40 to 50 percent compared to the wire type. batteries that we initially were dealing with. it has not ratio, which is the rate over production of more than it, which means that he's pressing the effect that has the chance of impacting it. more people are accepting that is very concerned. and so i'm very concerned from 2 perspective. one is that because of the rapid spread of the database and we have seen her facilities across the continent that are fully overwhelmed. and this is a scenario that mirrors what we saw. ready in india, in april, may a timeline because of this situation as well as the baby in the database. we are seeing that the best missions process would be for the challenge is very

concerned in what is even more concern and is that we don't know what we don't know . we don't know that the variance, we emerge that we're actually be even more aggressive and more trans mr. more challenging to dive, i've seen that we are using that i'm the desktop area. and so i think the best way to avoid that in my view, would be to increase our ability to, for vast mission update on the continent. because we now know that their desktop area is challenging people that are already been investigated. and we've seen up search in this new number new cases across the world, not just in, in africa, in terms of dealing with the pandemic in dealing with whether it's delta variance or any of the other variance. in your opinion, are there any countries across africa that are, you might be dealing with the situation in terms of the infrastructure in terms of hospitalization or the medical facilities that are available?

or is it just to unfair to say, you know, africa, the last calls? no country is actually dealing with this properly because they just don't have the facilities and they're just to pull. no, absolutely. best distribution mean africa of our or has been dealing with multiple waves of all of these span. they make much of 2 phases. as you recall, as we speak about 32 countries in africa, i've been to ted with about 4 or 5 again through foot. and that what is remarkable is that in most countries up there would affect me if they brought it down. then of course, the ease the lock down situations, the virus picks up and they have to deal with a 2nd week. and then they tell me what that suggest to everybody is that after get in many countries in africa actually know how to implement probably have major

because we don't have the tools that we have in this position. now, i probably had majors because they're locked down and what is it and is that you probably had made us alone were not enable us to avoid subsequent. we would need massive phoenicians to enable us to prevent these ad radium of lock downs. and then you have another wave and then you locked down something that is not going to have me and have have systems if we continue to do that, we just need to again focus on getting back to so about all many countries in africa extremely, we're in trying to maintain the spread of their barrows at levels that they can at least play with downs and then probably had majors and why waiting for. but since dr. but confounding the problem for those of us on the outside looking at what's going on across africa is what we hear news that countries like the democratic

republic of congo below your south sudan have destroyed vaccines because the expiry date was very close to the potential for the using them. so whose fault is it? is the distribution issue? is it a lack of coordination in perspective, national countries that they have to get the vaccine out and into the arms of those that need it? no say you say that the vaccine is available, but in the same breath, we are now seeing physical evidence that vaccines having to be destroyed. and that's incredibly disheartening for global population, who, somewhere in the world would say, you know what, i'd have taken that vaccine even it was near as expiry date it any. but since that is destroyed on the continent is a terribly unfortunate we had after just see to see an african union. a very clear about that. and we are doing something with that. we have, we have teams in the, in several countries that are supporting countries to make sure that those are vaccines that are variable actually used,

especially as it is. but we have to put all these extra dance in context. i think this is the 1st time that it come, then the continent of africa will be rough, snitching doors upscale. and we also have to put out in the context that there was a lot of disruption investigation programs, way initiative. since we deliver the top people we're eager to take about scenes than it is nowhere to take the 2nd dose of the about seen. and there was a lot of misinformation and miscommunication down generated by social media across the world. not just enough are gonna create a lot of, i bet on misunderstanding, mishaps, approaches to what people should go good about students or not. but if you look at this edition now you, that's significantly able. i mean, i'm just about 4 morocco last week where you saw lines lines, people in support stadium waiting to receive the about since you also seen similar

scenarios in rwanda, in kenya, where the along lines of people out there waiting to be to be best. and if it included india or c, okay, i made, you know, you have use of about 99 percent of vaccines which in for about 2 days and in their best mission. and now we see especially with a few of the 3rd wave where people actually saw last and but people die. and i think dissertation is changing a lot. now what we need is access to about since i don't think that i'm so much concerned with bucks in his fancy at this point or 2 things actually because both the you and the w h o r were encouraging and hoping that the 30 percent vaccination level of the population of the continent would be reached by the end of the year. and then you also have the added problem if i can also suggest which is that you've touched upon, is the way the vaccines are produced and they're being produced obviously in south africa. but it took several rather poser to actually step in and say, no. the vaccines that are produced in south africa should be for the continent and

not exported beyond the content that you have these 2 scenarios at the moment. will you get 30 percent of the population vaccinated, and will you keep vaccines produced on the continent in the continent? in touch on a very important point, the political leadership of the continent in fighting discipline may have been extraordinary, and really exception. and in the he fighting infection that is on the continent, the leader in me, expressed by press then i'm opposed that as in east capacity previously as the job the african union. and now there could be jumped on has been remarkable. and the stance to use interpretation, personal commitment and intervention that some of those vaccines that were produced in south africa as ship outside of the country. and we're actually taught it, and a whole arrangement was made. so that africa, i should have its own vaccines produced in south africa, and that's how the african vaccine that position tustin that is coordinated by dr.

my. see, we're actually begin to get about since i think that is a credit has to go to depress. then i put the african union commission to jefferson with stuff like a demonstrative, extraordinary commitment to support in africa. c, d. c, to engaging with different but now stood up. the continental should have at about since that is a scenario that we are learning from it and building on it as well. so we really hope that going forward as a south africa send, they go morocco, egypt begins to produce vaccine. vaccines will be used on the continent, not export that outside of the continent, the world health organization. and i'm quoting, the facts that we can get from these organizations predicts that 47 of the 54 countries that they've looked at in africa will miss house on the very modest sort

of september target a vaccinating at least 10 percent of their populations is. am i correct in thinking burundi? it's still one country that hasn't administered a single vaccine and the poses the next question about the vaccine hesitancy in some african countries. i mean a tribal and religious issue sometimes get in the way of sheer fact in science. i remain hopeful that the about sin access situation will improve in the next coming months without actually enable us to get to the target that we hope we hope to achieve that is that target up immunize in 25 to 30 percent of our population by the end of the year remains a question, but i think we effort from the african vaccine position past him with donations that we are seeing increasingly made better by putting us that the united states

from some out of we really hope that those efforts to enable us to at least to get to the appropriate tag. if you need to jump in that doctor, i would appreciate yes that you're saying that you'd want to reach those targets with your relevant agency. what i'm talking about is the cultural differences across africa and the tribal beliefs of traditional medicine against somebody who's a complete stranger, who comes into your village or town. as, as i'm a scientist, what i put in your arm is much better than what you've been dealing with on a tribal social level for decades. for any campaign to be successful against infectious diseases you have to factor in. but until you can answer your competence that to fight, did you have to do with your under trust coverage that you'd be with the community? we saw this in the outbreak in west africa. we saw this in

d r. c. with sue's gains below. we have valuable us extremely difficult to, i mean the stuff is about since on to unless we use the local community in doing that . so this is not new. i mean that use the concept of making sure that community, they look at community place a center or in expanding the administration of any rock scenes or even treatment program is very note, i think probably heard is, is go by, but implementation is look, i think that is true for what i did is also true for this is not unique for it. we saw it is didn't pull your campaigns and we see it is also in other muslim mission campaigns when at the different communities. i've actually resist that vaccine that are valuable indeed, when we come to sort of vaccine availability and your hopes that you can get the continent vaccinated. the former british prime minister gordon brown has been very

vocal in support of africa and criticized western powers. a big farmer over the attitude and promised to supply africa in a national british newspaper. back in mid august. he said that we did not just western governments, but big fathers have failed africa. where do you expect to get your supplies when you have a country like germany, reluctant to allow local pharmaceutical companies in africa to produce coven 19 vaccine? i think, as i said earlier, that can is improving the african bus in a position past him are secured for millions of bucks scenes. and that is the reality. and the distribution has started. you know, now i know that 5 sign agreements with the about from us that you got companies in south africa. and i think that is very encouraging. you know that,

that partnership developing with sending the past day institute incentive got to give it up backs and so we have a very encouraged bet that may not be timely enough to address the challenge and the urgency that we have on hand. so you're absolutely right that we may be challenged to be challenged for a couple of months before we really see the appropriate inflow of vaccines on the continent to think you'll be challenged even more europe heads towards winter and be those some countries talking about booster shots when many people across africa haven't even had one shot that is fortunate sufficient and fully agree with they were had organization with dr. general has asked for a suspension in administering both on to do most of the work. ready is that i think that is asking us in the sands. yes. that i use for this

boston or need for both. i think we had not seen that if anyone sees that i'm not, i'll be happy to to read that. i think it will be unfortunate that the vast majority of the world continues to lack behind in vaccines and then people are talking about doing a post. that is it will be a tread for everybody. because by doing what we, that kind of behavior will only provoke encourage the emergence of new variance that who knows mich a challenge even exist in vaccines, that variable in our to keep, to fight cobra into work. africa has many eminent scientists. it has many entrepreneurs, among wonders why africa hasn't found its own vaccine when countries like iran, cuba managed to develop their own and are managing to inoculate the publics as much

as they possibly can. i mean that, that is a very important question. i think it is fair to say that africa has neglected the competence of our system completely at the we import as we speak to date and port or. ready important 99 percent of our backs in the only manufacture one percent of our vaccines. and at the same time, the country and consumes about 25 percent of vaccines suppliers haven't set that up. there's always time to begin. many countries in africa have now mobilized. they've taken the journey of producing vaccines like nigeria, synagogue, rwanda, south africa, egypt, broker. so i remain optimistic better. you're absolutely right that, that they have been neglected. shouldn't have been neglected. they are 3. it's has security commodities that if people must have, in order to get empty and safe,

got security, they include the ability to produce diagnostics and the ability to produce, to protect and the ability to produce adoption. so africa has to engage in all 3 pop ways to guarantee to have security response ation reinforce. that's what we are calling in new probably had order for the continent. and you probably had already said that we need to take all of our future and produce about 60 percent of our students that we need. but in the next 20 years, china has gone down that route thailand and many other countries. there's absolutely no reason why africa she didn't go down that that route and the africa see to see on the african union has developed the way and that vision for the continental embrace and work that journey. and just finally, i think dr. you certainly have a great deal of hope for the continent and for its potential. the g 7 are meeting later in september to discuss where cov, it stands right now globally,

where the pandemic is. and what they can do to try and curtail it. what sort of this will africa have at that g 7 meeting? these, the countries that you mentioned, the united states, france gemini, at, or countries that africa has, has enjoyed good relationships with. and this should serve as a voice to echoed africa. what do we need to in the next 5 years, we will need about $30000000000.00 to fully vaccinate the continent. we are not going to get rid of this covered $9000.00 in the next, next year. we're not going to get rid of cobit at a piece. we have been in 2023, so we need to actually sit down and develop it 5 years. probe a 4 to 5 years program, that in my view the cars, alistair, to be under, that's what that g 7 you'd be looking at. how do we structure funding that would release about $30000000000.00 over the next 5 years so that africa can get rid of

this could be from the country to let's see if they do that. dr. john and kanga song director for the africa center for disease control and prevention. thank you for talking to alger there. thank you with the plato. ah oh, yes, life you want to use. the ball is one of you inside. right? i do not know and it is the joint that is followed in that you like football. my nigeria is my nadia is development. my major is big is my not use my my on i'll do there. ah. the latest news, as it breaks the storms, spare the worse for a long island, which fear to direct it,

but it's still whipped up high wind and high waves with detail coverage. the government, them to bill to read. people send all the children back. not only put them from around the world, hundreds of children have been born to women abused by fighters. in addition to social pressure, you can only carry their religion if both parents are v. when freedom of the press is, i'm the threat. you know, you just because i thought john, when me about your thought toward the making government step outside the mainstream, there has been a implement here just some of access points that shift the focus the pandemic that's turned out to be a handy little pretext. the prime minister to clamp down on the press covering the waves. the news is covered. so listening post on i just, i joined dodge 0 as part of the launch team in 3006 pro just as a full for 1000000 mom march. in the time i've covered wars revolutions, elections,

i'm military, who is the crowds here in south square, remain very large, very vocal of houses. here we cover the stories that matter, the human story from the preventative correct. as to the bustle fields around wilson, i would job is to get to the truth and empower people through knowledge. ah, hello marianne, my, the london, i'll main story this hour us forces have launched a drone strike in the african capital combo targeting suicide bombers. they say we're planning to attack the cities airport. the u. s. it early a warned further attacks withdrawal of its forces from afghanistan and to the final stages. well, there are reports of at least 6 civilians being killed in the strike. and afghan official says there are also children among with dead.