ah ah, ah m, this is al jazeera ah, hello, and welcome on pizza w, watching the news, our life, my headquarters here in dough are coming up in the next 60 minutes, lebanon and saudi arabia take the 1st step towards resolving a diplomatic dispute after mediation by the french president, the u. s, as is prepared for a world where a revival of the iran nuclear deal is not possible. counting begins

in the can be as closely contested presidential election, where voters are rushing in a new chapter in the countries democratic transition. russia is accused of weaponized in its energy resources to put pressure on ukraine. al jazeera reports from near the front line. russia has recently stopped exporting coal to cry, saying that there's just too much domestic internal demand for the natural resource sa mileage. so describing this is nothing short of black players. i'm far as my with sports news live from our fee for arab studio event. plenty of goals in saturday's games wins earlier in the day for morocco and algeria, and now for egypt as well with possibly being go the tournament so far. their game i guess today, ah,

ah, this is a phone call that's been hailed as an important 1st step towards restoring times between lebanon and saudi arabia. in the last couple of hours, we've learned that the crime prince, mom had been selma lebanon's prime minister and the french president have spoken to each other. it's the 1st such communications since re add other gulf countries and lebanon have been locked into a diplomatic disputes. monsieur microns in saudi arabia, as part of a gulf tool on friday. lebanon's information minister resigned of the comments he made about the war in evans and how to join us live now on skype from beirut. susanna, what's the relationship right now as of today, between re add beirut? well, there is no doubt the new page has been opened, and the relationship between lebanon and saudi arabia, a phone conversation between the saudi crown. prince mohammedan fell, and the lebanese prime minister and as she mattie, of course, the french president the realm

a crawl mediated. and so it really helped to bring about this, this development. it is the 1st time a saudi official speaks to matthew, since he was appointed prime minister in september. it really is a change in strategy and policy on behalf of the yard. the policy has been for us, it is useless to engage with a government that is controlled by the irregular back has belong and may ask his government is dominated by has below, along with its allies. so now the crown prince, speaking to the prime minister of love, and the prime minister of lebanon, tweeting that this is a new beginning, it will help revive relations with a fraternal a brother of brother, brother, re relations. because we have to remember golf. our states where the traditional allies of lebanon, we talk about this latest crisis that led to saudi arabia and several gulf states severing diplomatic relations with, with lebanon. but the relationship has been strained for years from what saudi

arabia percy's is. the iranian control and domination over 11 east politics. so a 1st step has been taken saudi arabia now showing that it is willing to engage at least for the prime minister. but it's too early to say whether or not the relationship as it used to be will be restored. ok, dana, thank you very much and how to talking to us on skype, out of a root. let's bring in rahman curry. he's a senior public policy fellow at the american university of pe routes. he joins us on skype from cambridge, massachusetts ramey, great to happy here again on the news out. let's go back just a few days. what the information minister said, was there anything, factually inaccurate about what he said? i know what he's said about saudi's being involved in the am and wars. absolutely correct. just and the tradition of inter are politics with hypocrisy and, and protocol and all the things that people do to stay in touch with. you're not supposed to say things in public even if they're true. and, but this is

a bigger than that is because there is a, a complex relationship between the saudi government and the state of lebanon. and the various actors, particularly the suddenly of loving and traditionally recently led by the and so there's other factors, they just use that statement by the information most or as an excuse to try a new way to pressure lebanon. and to trying to reduce has bottle as role they've been trying to do this for, for over a decade. and it hasn't worked and it probably won't work. so what was the diplomatic rapids at the hands? the french president manual maxim produced at some point, we guess over the past 24 hours or his people were talking to m b s. his people that ended up with this triangulating conversation between m b s inside the palace in riyadh. but mr. macro and the government in beirut. i think what's going on is the saudis are trying the saudis feel a little bit isolated. they failed and virtually every initiative they've taken and

the middle east and yemen and cut out of lebanon and iran, and virtually every foreign policy initiatives they've taken under them sell, man has failed and or backfired. and they really are trying to figure out a new way to reengage, diplomatically with other countries in the region. and in the world of the american president won't talk to the soldier grant prince because of the assassination. and so the, the so, or the leadership feels a little bit isolated among some people in the world. macros sees this as an opportunity to step and sell arms to the rockies. so ours to other people, re establish some kind of friendship in the region. so everybody sees some kind of benefit in this as seen from the saw or the perspective of the fact is that the french has simply played a very normal diplomatic game, which is to try to find

a face saving way to allow people to step back from the confrontation and make believe everything is fine and go back to normal ties. and the french do that with a certain finance, which they've always had at the same time. they're supporting autocrats in egypt on the selling are. so the modalities, i'm doing things that a lot of people complain about, but that's how, that's how state to state relations are. this is not a game of righteous politics. this is a game of power politics and reality and macros showing that he's willing to play this game as well as anybody else. how will this go down into iran because we're kind of having to focus in now on a re, elimination, if you will, of the iranian fingerprints or footprints. maybe i should say, in lebanon, but that's nothing new. that's been there for a long, long time. yes. and it's more than a fingerprint or a footprint. it's an, it's a little bit less than a stranglehold, but it's an embrace. it's

a controlling embrace that the iranians haven't love and they are the strongest group militarily and politically. they're also among the most dynamic they're willing to do things that other people wouldn't do. and most of the other loving these groups, the sunday groups, many of the christian groups have pretty much lost a lot of credibility and don't have much influence or credibility anymore. and other people are trying to take, take their place. so the iranians have a very clear, long term and patient policy and love and they've got their links with his bottle, which are very tight, has been less trying to expand iranian interaction with loving. and for instance, they have brought in iranian, these are loyal to help deal with fuel shortages. they're looking iran is offering to set up some electricity plants which lebanon urgency in is. so they're trying to find other ways whereby iran and loving can have more active and normal relations.

but the majority of lebanese, i would say small, much already are worried about that. they don't want level to be dominated by iran . it was dominant that ms. mean. so then also the syrian influence on domination would return in the country. they don't particularly want that either nor neither do they want. so the domination, so what, what's gonna happen 11 and there's are going to find a formula whereby things probably go back to what they were a year or 2 ago, where the saudis have a little bit of influence. the romance have a little bit more. the syrians are required trying to solve their own problems 1st, and essentially no big changes will come out of this. and the strategic are long term sense. and this is a situation the french understand this and they are trying to explore, to, to, to, to improve their bilateral military sales and other in the region. i don't think we'll expect anything significant coming out of out of iran,

and particularly because the iranians and their modalities and the saudis are kind of playing footsie on the holding has under the table trying to resume a certain serious dialogue about normalizing relations and stop accusing each other of trying to attack and extinguish each other. so there's, there's a credible movement, reef reconfiguration of diplomatic and strategic relations and influences across most of the middle east that involves turkey, israeli, around the saudis. and, but i think this is part of a part of that process, but the central point here i think is a so are these are trying seriously almost desperately to find a role for themselves in the region. and they think maybe 11 and might be a way to do that, but they're not going to do it sooner than a traditional link with woodside. how do you that are probably going to try to do it, working through the cabinet ministers and the presidency 11. show our involved in this process and probably won't succeed on the better than the previous exams. rami

thank you so much as ever. i mean curry talking to us there from cambridge, massachusetts. well, let's go more on what's happening in and around at taylor on specifically another story and developing aspect of that story for you. the u. s. s. is preparing for world in which a return to the iran nuclear deal is not possible. a state department official says tear on his back tracking and compromises made during recent talks to revive the 2015 j. c. p. o, a agreement, she returns the choices live. now from washington, so she have, this is developing sort of our to our, at the moment this is coming with the state department, what the saying? well it was, it was a, it was a background briefing and so we're not allowed to name who, who is, who was talking to us, but it was a senior state department official. and i think what, what so important to stress is if you look at those headlines, some of the comments that you just made, which have been, we would, we have been hearing loss day or 2 from as a blinking on the recorder and ange,

jan saki at the white, as you might be thinking of these, these talks in vienna, they're on the rocks, the u. s. is going to walk out and storm out. it's like blinking suggested they already did on, on friday, which was kind of belied by what everyone else was saying. and who was at the talks, but in fact when you, when you talked and listen to this background briefing by an anonymous to you a state department official, we had a very different turn. it was a real commitment to the talks. yes, he said the iranians came to these talks, they reneged all the compromises that already been made. they made no new constructive proposals. i just asked for more from us. and so, but what kept on coming out from this, this official was the commitment to the talks. yes, there may be some dramatic exit. he's the do it and rule that out. but it was that we will carry on carry on talking. and while emphasizing that, even as the u. s. is talking, they do have the punishing sanctions on iran,

which has created such humanitarian problems for the countries. and i glad that is, that is to try and short circuit the, the sense from the near cons. and in fact, just of the mainstream of the democratic body that the bite may be being soft on iran. no, he said, you know, he's assuring them no, no, we're making them suffer. making the people who are on suffer. but we want to talk at the same time, even if they're being in transient. and actually one point he says something quite interesting, which was if it turns out next week, the what we heard last week was simply and you know, just just that, that, that maximum of his position. this is what he was suggesting at. but then it was an opening position, but then iran says next week, all right, now let's get down to business than that will be different. that's kind of what we had expected last week to be in some ways. was everyone to be sizing each, the rob would make them maximum this demands, and then the negotiations could go on. and he seems to be suggesting that that may be an expectation. again, though, we hear from the state department this, this, this idea that everyone's with us, russia and china and the gcc are all, are all with us. we don't, we're not alone in talk to each other. at one point,

it's fair to say that russia and china were taken back by the iranian position. having said that, again, that's but lied by what russia is actually saying. for example, i mean, he didn't rushing towards didn't seem to suggest as any crisis on friday. and it's like was created just saying, you know, a weston, a western colleagues, even taken aback by what he accepted was a completely revised opening gambit for, from iranians. but, but the russian about the didn't seem to be terribly concerned about that. and again, i mean, i think it's interesting on the, on the sort of questions that the state department official wouldn't be drawn on. he wouldn't be drawn on timeframe. so the talks how long they might might go on what sort of consequences may be a. but if it would fail, whether the u. s. for sanctions on chinese dealings with iran, whether the u. s. would be trying to tame israel from any military action, whether the u. s. is considering kinetic operations. whether they thought that whether the u. s. thinks that the, the iranians are playing some sort of negotiating tactical really do once a breakout capability. he wouldn't be joining any of those things. he did kept keep

on saying it's all around us. felt clearly as always what the state department in the u. s. never any awareness or acceptance and in fact, it was the us who pulled out of the j. c p. and that's why the iranians say it's up to the us to make amends. none of us. but, but at least i was this, this real commitment to keep the talks going, at least for the moment, no matter what it would seem. she have. thank you very much. a palestinian man was shot and killed by israeli forces after attempting to stab. and as really happened, just outside damascus gauge and occupies jerusalem on saturday. but he assures is where the police pointing guns at paramedics and preventing them from treating them . palestinian man is really medics, however, were able to treat the stabbing victim, who was later transferred to the hospital clashes between palestinians and his really police continued shortly afterwards. harry forces choices live now from occupied east jerusalem. harry, what happened here?

well please say that this was a stabbing attack or they released cctv video of a palestinian man walking across the crossing behind us here and then being followed by an altar orthodox israeli man. the policy man turned and started striking the ultra orthodox man. it was impossible to see from those images whether or exactly what he had in his hand, but please say that this was a stabbing the man. then confronted is ready, security forces. he was shot and fell to the ground as what took place after that. the witches promote such outrageous, especially among palestinian social media. they continued to fire at him from several meters away, as he lay almost motionless on the ground. now these are the prime minister. natalie bennett has praised the security forces saying that they acted with speed and did what was expected of them. however, one of his own ministers, this is a broad coalition government, a left wing minister, a palestinian israeli himself has expressed concern cauffron investigation,

said the police should only fire to save life, not to take life. and there are calls from the opposition saying that this was an extra judicial killing. it does remind some of what took place in 2016 and hebron in the occupied west bank when a soldier shot a palestinian knife attacker or several, a good period after that attack took place. and again, he was investigated, prosecuted, spent several months in prison or after being convicted. so there are similar cause for investigation next time. but for now, these are the prime minister, is supporting the actions of the security forces. what's your reading of the tone of the overall reaction there to what's happened, harry well, it is fairly similar to oh, what took place after that incident in 2016, a very controversial one involving years ready, soldier, elo azaria, who became something of a cause celebre for the right in israel, and indeed there is that right left, split the i, the

a minister i allege jacket who was part of the same party in this very broad coalition government as a prime minister. she has also praised the actions of the security forces. the board of police force chief has given them his backing, but from the palestinian, his ready side always ready context let. there are calls for investigation because of what so clearly as depicted in the video. the fact that you know the of often there is talk of possible suicide vests and the like. but this appeared to be a man in a fairly close fitting jumper, white pale color jumper just lying on the ground, practically motionless, already injured. and the security forces continue to fire at him. so i think there will be continued reaction to this over the coming hours. and of course it has been a violent a few weeks in jerusalem just a couple of weeks ago. it was another attacker, a palestinian man from east jerusalem, who shot and israeli in the old city and was that himself shot by security forces?

harry, thank you very much. harry force reporting live there from occupied east jerusalem lost more grounds still cover for you here on the use are including the vin number . can i get? they didn't want to do it because of what they heard about a microchip being put inside you that controls you. that was the main reason, the re government taking a new approach to tackling vaccine hesitancy as infections there surge, and in sports, one of the world's most recognizable music stars gets a closer look at castles, world comp preparations details. later on with ferrara, in about 30 minutes ah bowed counting well on the way in the can be as closely contested presidential elections, gambia and use marbles to cast their ballots, the incumbent atom. a borrower is facing a tough challenge for reelection in the 1st votes. cynthia jammy was ousted in 2016

made address join us live now from ban jewel, the gambia capital went what's the turn i've been like? well the china since morning feature has been very impressive at the polling station to be white, and that's what you're hearing across began be the china was really, really in process talk to ben porter. he will tell you that this election is very important. it's significant in many respects, this was the 1st time they voted in close to 3030 years with lots of freedom of choice, lots of freedom of expression. they were in fact peers of things going wrong during the campaigning period. nothing like that happened on election day. there was a few incidents not violent, incident and way, but we are waiting to see exactly what happens tomorrow when the election results i was expected to be announced. if you missed the counting of the pilots and seeing

the marbles in practice, what is happening right behind me. in fact, police officers election officials who after counting the balance now ceiling this boxes. initially, this here is where the marble is placed or put into the box and goes in there and rings a bell. and then at the end of the voting process, everything is counted here. now the process has been concluded. what's happening right now is that these are fishes sealing of the bottle drums. the ballot boxes i called the ballad drums, yes, talk to feeling them. they're taking them to correlation center. why they're going to meet up with other election of fishes who have, might have concluded their voting process. and then the results of all the sentence will be tied together. they have about 1500 centers and more than 7000 election officials have been used to run this particular election so far. what we hear is

that the elections have been peaceful, largely peaceful in most parts of the gambia and voting has ended officially and counting its continuing, especially in those areas have started late into man. thank you very much, asked me to address their talking to a lie from banjo. the army kron variance of corona virus is fueling a 4th wave in south africa. the government is urging every one to get vaccinated to prevent further spreading. i meet them in the reports now from china back. this is one of a few 100 vaccination centers in the housing province in south africa. and how ting has been hardest hit by the rise in coven 19 infections. between 70 and 80 percent of new infections across of africa in this province alone. and that is why authorities are saying that people need to get out and get vaccinated. there has been some level of vaccine hesitancy, about 42 percent of people who are eligible for a vaccine have actually taken that up. but that number dropped to about 36 percent

for people who have taken up 2 doses, who are fully vaccinated. the government has set up a number of drives, door to door awareness campaigns, trying to create awareness around why the vaccine is important, especially because so little is known around the army kron variance. and the greatest concern there is just how easily it spreads. and that is being reflected in the spike in numbers that south africa is experiencing. one area of concern, while hospitalizations of people has remained relatively low, a number of young children under the age of 5 are having to be admitted to hospital . now becoming ill after contracting cove at 19 this recruiting the number of students $12.00 to $17.00 since it was open to to that each group a month or so ago that have come in now for, for the vaccinations coming in with parents coming in as families. so there has been that we have seen an optical number off infected the kids at the surrounding

schools over years. so i think parents are exercising portia a week ago this vaccination center had about 50 or 60 people coming through every day. and now that number has doubled, so that is encouraging for people trying to make sure that sub africans are getting vaccinated. but we've also been to several vaccination centers in this province. some entirely empty, some with people trickling through and others more busy. so there's still an issue around vaccine hesitancy, but certainly a significant proportion of the sub african population has been spooked by this new ami kron variant. and more people are coming out to get a job. turning our attention now to europe, where despite concerns about ami kron and a large number of infections caused by the delta variants, some are resisting restrictions imposed by their governments. in the netherlands, hundreds marched to show their anger against new rules, limiting opening times of shops, restaurants, and sporting venues. the spiking cases during the winter months as the outgoing

german chancellor angler merkel making a final appeal before she leaves office for people to go and get the vaccine. more than 64000 cases were reported there on saturday. one percent of the german population currently has cobit 19, were a challenge, is following those developments from london. think you're looking at the protest that took place in the netherlands today. nothing like the kind of scenes that we saw or a couple of weeks ago when protests against plans to bring in a sense of the kind of vaccine passport system restricting the use of many businesses to those who are on vaccinated. that brought some very high temperature protestors out on the streets. we saw rising, essentially going on in parts of the country. by contrast, today of demonstration, a few 1000 people. edu tract,

much lower key and much more peaceful certain dates. but the anger is still there and essentially it's against what many people in the netherlands and across other parts of the european continent as well. feel our governments bringing in measures that are not democratic, not constitution, and essentially against their freedoms that they expect to have a citizens of the european union. that's what's going on in the netherlands at the moment. it's, i think happening in other parts of the continent to, within demonstrations, in austria as well, expecting some in spain. later in the day, i'd say that these are probably minority perspectives. and that say, most of these countries, many people feel that these are still necessary measures that needs to be taken to bring the pandemic on the control. now, staying in europe, the greek government is fighting misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. infections

there are rising fast. the government has made it mandatory for those over the age of 60 john surplus reports now from vessel and nikki, in northern greece, in the fight against covert 19. this is the government expeditionary force mobile vaccination squads of finding out to villages across the northern piece, wherein sections and misinformation run high at the village of man. the las maria cook t though is getting her 1st shot. she works at a local fruit canning factory with $250.00 people, some of whom refused to be vaccinated. i love the fact that they didn't want to do it because of what they heard about a micro chip been put inside you that controls you. that was the mean reason. others think the vaccine is a financial hoax. ot and of yeah, yeah, and i value, when a new vaccine comes out, they experiment for 10 years and then put it into production. that's how it usually happens. it. as soon as this pandemic happened, they produced

a vaccine. it said the multi nationals could sell it. am i lying most? don't believe such theories. in fact, it motherless. there aren't enough jobs to go round. they brought you for a young lady the 1st time they brought 40 shots. this time they brought 37, but we expect more give them a since early october, daily infections have tripled to about 6000 and daily deaths to about 90 government statistics show that 90 percent of these deaths are among the unvaccinated, to reduce deaths or forty's are trying to increase vaccinations, the meat that is telecom, cuz the regional health director is pairing up with mayor's priests and even football teams to ensure a good turn out for his vaccination vans and dispel myths surrounding the vaccine. julio, to become lafayette, isn't a lot of people came to the village square just to see what other people's vaccination would be like, because they had heard that you might get dizzy or fall over. but the government is

using the stick, as well as the carrot, starting in january unvaccinated people over 60 will pay a monthly fine of a $120.00. the 1st such penalty in europe. the government concerned for all their cove and suffers stems from the fact that they are the most vulnerable to the disease. people, 65 and over make up just 12 for current of coven cases and grease. but also half of all hospitalizations and 83 percent of deaths, the unvaccinated are being punished in other ways to their band, from indoor restaurants, buzz theaters, and jims, and have to present a 48 hour rapid test to enter banks, government buildings and non essential shops. the idea is to preserve an open economy for the 62 percent of the population that is fully vaccinated. there's been a fourfold surgeon vaccination bookings. the hope is that greece will quickly close the vaccination gap with the rest of europe. jobs are opal us alger 0 felony. keep

still to come here on the news are for you nearly 40 years after it was stolen from a temple in the pollen, ancient hindu idol has returned home and a serious contender for knockouts of the year, m, m a action a much more coming up. it's ah hello there, we'll have a look at africa in a moment, but 1st to the middle east, and we're seeing some very unsettled conditions across the mediterranean, thanks to a weather system. that's bringing some really wet and windy weather to pots of turkey pushing into cypress, and it'll move into lebanon. so we'll have showers in syria on sunday. is going to monday that's going to move across iraq, and is gonna turn rather wintry across northern areas of iran. as we go into.