is do not control that own borders, so they have to rely on what restrictions israel has in place. in november, israel has allowed vaccinated tourists to come in and so people here were hopeful that tourism is going to be back. but soon after news of the new barrier has emerged, israel has shut down its borders again. people here are saying that while they're glad that there is some sense of normalcy coming back to town, especially during the christmas season. it's the tourism that's going to revive the economy. ah, it is good to have with us hello, adrian. sort of going to here in doha, the headlines and al jazeera, early results are expected on sunday, after grampians voted in an election seen as a test for its transition to democracy. turn out was high as people decided if president adama barrow deserves another term al jazeera, but address reports from the capital banjo. the time that was really,

really in progress talk to going been for so he was tell you that this election is very important and significant in many respects. this was the 1st time they brought it in close to 3030 years with lots of freedom of choice. lots of freedom of expression. they were in fact p. s of things going wrong during the campaigning period. nothing like that happened on the election day. there was a few incidents not violent incident and weight, but we are waiting to see exactly what happens when be election results. i was expected to be announced. prompts and saudi arabia have held a joint phone call with lebanon, in what's seen as a significant gesture and resolving a diplomatic crisis. the call was made as french president emanuel mac, chrome visited saudi arabia, gulf states withdrew ambassadors from bay root last month after a government minister criticized the saudi led war in yemen. saddam's military chief says that the army will leave politics after elections that are scheduled for 2023, general abdel for our hon. off of the assurance during interviews he gave on the

saturday for han let the military takeover in october before a deal was struck last month to reinstate the prime minister at yahoo, when a government is elected, the armed forces and all organized security groups, i believe will have no participation in political matters. this is what we agreed upon and this is the armies natural situation for the armed forces to carry out its duties. because there will be a government elected by the sudanese people that expresses their will and hope is really security forces of shot and killed a palestinian man who police say stamped and israeli before attempting to attack officers. it happened it occupied east jerusalem video appears to show his ready police pointing that guns of paramedics, preventing them from treating the palestinian headlines for news for you here. and i was just 0 right after the listing post coming up. next, from the al jazeera london, bro, cost center, people for compensation. art cannot be in the race, the by,

by the superpower, with no haste, no indication what mattered was to be radical. how can the thing that's radical be for sale, part one of the highway and a nice couple is not up on wanting to sell. know about the message studio, be unscripted on our era. there's always likely compose a very high risk. some readers will face to severe, consequently, deeper discipline, like this efficient process, several countries want insurance. lauren, richard gilbert and you're at the listening post where we don't cover the news. we cover the way the news is covered. here are the media stories we're examining this week. uncertainty makes a comeback. what audience is need to know about the new carpet in 1900 variant and

what they've been getting from their new sources. a russian state funded news network threatens to sue an independent media outlet in a branding dispute over a t shirt. it's called hell you the so korean soft power push that's producing one blockbuster after another, and from east jerusalem to the united nations. i do not care home disturbing knology offense, a journalist on why terminology matters in the coverage of the middle east conflict . it has been 10 days now since the latest variant of covert 19 was 1st reported by scientists in south africa. the world health organization instantly labeled the strain it caused alma crohn a variant of concern due to questions over its transmits ability and whether it could render vaccines ineffective. the initial reporting hadn't many scientists accusing journalists of jumping the gun, creating panic in audiences that required information. instead,

there have also been complaints over the terminology, the early use of the term south african very and implying that alma kron originated there. when there is simply no evidence of that yet the south african angle has provided one useful side effect. it is turned attention to the issue of global vaccine in equity. a story that scientists say needs considerably more attention than news outlets have been giving it. our starting point this week is the covered 1900 variant, now known as the new recruit variance root of iris is likely to pose a very high global risk news. consumers operate on a need to know basis. there's growing global alarm over from the do corona repair that 1st emerged in south africa. sometimes news outlets tell them what they need to fear instead who they need to fear. the new mutations were 1st discovered in

south africa from the us to announce rather, restrictions from that country and 7 other. what audiences need to know about the variance. we now call alma crime, starts with 3 questions, the basics. what we need to know about a variance is if it's more transmissible, we're not even sure yet that it's more transmissible or the pieces are rising exponentially in south africa joined by, by doctor and to be. second, is it more very south africa medical health officer doctor has been on the news now steadily for several days saying that she does not think that this is a more variable experience, but the majority of what to be presenting to primary health practitioners are extreme tomorrow. and then number 3 is easy. vaccines, there isn't evidence of that either. there won't be that much to say what days and weeks, because it just takes time to get really good answers. so i think news organizations

are in a really difficult situation. yes, they expectation that if it is, bo transmissible, it will spread globally, but it's too early to say at this point at lesson. so for instance, i was on the edge of end of the last 4 days every day to find out how concerned exactly we should be really after to wait. we're in every day i gave him the same answer. we gonna have to wait the next days and weeks to find out, you know, which of these spheres are actually going to be true. i've seen quite a lot of criticism, both from journalists and scientists, that dr. story has been, oh, the blue. oh john, his the scary, it really is. that is the date is on a scale of coverage is actually causing panic. is no hard to imagine how a medium boxes will react in a couple of weeks. ah, it was a scenario with this area is not nice as while though probably be brittany about the volume is the only coverage south african scientists 1st reported the detection of the new variant to the world health organization on wednesday,

november 24th. it took 2 days to 24 hour news cycles for the w h o to label the variance hallmark right. during that initial period news organizations have to decide what to call it. the variant 1st detected in south africa would have been precise, but try fitting that into a headline. so some called it the south african variant. then came the travel restrictions imposed on south africa and some of its sub saharan neighbors. by more than 50 countries. it was only after that that we learned that alma cron turned up in the netherlands in tests taken before the ones in south africa. samples that just took longer to process. so it could have been called the dutch very. it never was. so without frequent this kim, it's no surprise because we've been through this or that that with

a very and it's very concerning right now with the bit of volumes, gross or suddenly boots is something we can brian to any is now to talk more about the south african variant if the south african strain and will land at a time. how to dispel, got pushing back against that kind of label. and then conscious in the trouble last that a weak detect at this time variance away and not be subject to this bands. and the question was raised, why is it that they're not introduced and chuckled bands, the coverage were so high that was so panic was so all over the place and western scientists were hyping is that this is that most transmissible variant we've ever seen. this is exponential growth prior to been analytically looking at the situation. i'm an south african scientists and leaders right now. so essentially they did their job making careful surveillance work. and what they got in return was an immediate traveler. it's been a huge backlash against south africa. the scientists, they have taken to heart the,

the lessons of this pandemic, which is we need to act really early. i was talking to one of the researchers to pick this work. and he says that because the planes have been stopped, he's having trouble now to get the re, agents that he needs to do the lab work that the whole world is waiting for. now to understand how dangerous variant really is. so these traveled bands have a really, really dangerous effect that accounts for over 70 percent of the emergence of alma crohn has put the issue of vaccine inequity where it belongs on the news agenda. this 60 percent of people across the european union are vaccinated. compare that to a mere 3.4 percent across the african continent. scientists have long warned low vaccination rates, create conditions in which new variants can develop and throng. there was no evidence and there may never b. that's south africa's vaccination rate, just 24 percent. at the time, alma cron was 1st reported helped create the very it,

but fear of unvaccinated south africans traveling will have factored into the restrictions. sub saharan africa is part of a global south that has struggled to get enough doses outbid by richer countries that have also allowed pharmaceutical companies to keep their vaccines patent protected, preserving their profits, rather than waving those patents and allowing other companies to produce their vaccines during a world wide emergency hasn't been got a letter in march 2021 from major pharmaceutical companies saying don't do this is not helpful. our office. and then after that the trade commissioner in united states said that they're interested in working on weight and patents. and then nothing happened. i think the media has a huge role to play, to not just allow statements on the surface, but to keep on digging. and to ask world leaders,

why they haven't substantially moved with the w t o to change the situation or the virus will mutate as long as it's got the opportunity to spread from one person to the next, which is why it's critical that we get vaccines across the world because in those regions we are creating opportunities for the virus to continue to spray. the story is not complete when you just looking on the chrome without putting it in the context of vaccine inequity. the job of your organization just to put global vaccine and expertise on to the agenda. politicians tend to really respond to the story that rise to the top of the new cycle, really happening public interest. and they're kind of become unavoidable story and you, off petitions about and 3 character states of not doing something about that. that's the role that news organizations can play. alma kron has also reintroduced elements of uncertainty into the coverage of

a pandemic. that reporters appeared to be getting a handle on their news outlets did not make their reputations by telling audiences what they do not know. it still does not come naturally to and the variant has provided another opening for conspiracy theories many of the made in america. now making the rounds in south africa, they are theories that travel and they have proved to be much harder to ban than people. the thing that shocks me the most, is how mainstream media and has become an outlet for conspiracy. theories are really wild and an accurate statement in a way that i hadn't received before. they created a problem that can never actually be sold so they can justify whatever it is they want to do. i wonder whether i can stay being an infectious disease reporter without also becoming a misinformation report

a report on the information ecosystem in the information needs that used to be localized, not there of ocean, a lot of people that are driving in this information and using videos and the recordings of people from all sorts of places in the world. i will not be reduced to mere guinea pick by getting vaccinated with an experimental drug. people who drive this agend doesn't come things i actually live close in. and some people need to pay a price for it. as long as there's not going to be not going to stop or can continue to cause harm and lives will be lost because of looking at other media stories on our radar. this week with flor phillips returning to russia, where the news network funded by the kremlin russia today is threatening to sue another news organization over a t shirt. not just any t shirt,

richard the stories all about who made it and what they put on it. it's a collaboration between the russian language, online newspaper, medusa based in latvia, and moscow based clothing brand. you'll see that they've printed the phrase in agreement that foreign agent in russian. it's basically, and i want to reference to medusa official status in russia. foreign agent imposed on them by the government 6 months ago. there were lots of headlines in the run up to the september elections about president putin, his close allies and corruption allegations. medusa reporting on those stories resulted in it being slapped with the foreign agent label. they've left it much more open to prosecution by the state, limiting the way that it can publish and advertise. and of course, scaring off potential sources. it's really hurt that revenues, so they've been looking for other ways to keep afloat, transportation. but how do we get from there to our t threatening to sue? it's about branding richard on the flag. back in 2017 r t, the russian state news channel was forced by the trump administration to register

the foreign agent in the us. that's when they came up with their own line of much t shirt. hudy's caps, all saying foreign agent. but when medusa did the same thing, r t somehow failed to find it very funny. it hit medusa on the clothing company with cease and desist letters demanded that they be fined and threatened to sue over trademark infringement. so where does the story go from here into the hands of the lawyers. while medusa was already under a lot of pressure from the russian state, the 4 r t started piling on. that's why they're not feel safe for working conditions. so they stopped selling the t shirt. but the clothing company, they're not backing down, but still selling the shut, and they're promising a 30 percent cut to medusa. and it's proving popular russians christmas lists. the company says it's struggling to keep up with demand. ok, thanks. go back a few years, had you asked a typical, millennial, what they knew about south korea. the answer would have been not much that has

changed, not through news coverage or geo politics through entertainment. start with k drama series, but you can stream like squid game and hell bound benjamin format. slick production techniques, romantic story lines, whatever the secret formula is, south korea is now producing some of the world's most watched content. and k drama is just one sector within the k entertainment industry. it also takes the music and turns out cape hot baths and teen idols with huge followings overseas. about 20 years ago, coming out of life under military rule, the south korean government placed a bet on the entertainment industry pumping money into it as a means of improving the countries global image and boosting its economy. the plot twists that no one saw coming, that a soft power push would transform. so korea into a cultural superpower. the listening post joanna, who's now from sol on what they call the korean wave.

i left a spot in moscow, tokyo abu dhabi. but if you've never watch squid game, you may of all yourself, what are those tunes and those guards that keep popping up. and what with a mask, the giant character sprinkled around the world, reflect the global reach of netflix as big. it's more than $110.00 it's a story that follows contestants playing a game for money with deadly consequences. and it's the latest south korean creation to find a huge international audience. they call it k drama and it's part of an export industry success story that even korean didn't see how do want to. she didn't have one other one and there is a time sheet. is it a cool market?

and this is welcome. and trina, tendergrass' only korean, you was wondering how this will do it. okay. and killed one time. it was real. you don't know how you owns it because it is a search and will get him on approved. as opposed to the studio dragon is south korea's largest production house and the force behind many of k drama's biggest global hits target. cut on one of the reasons that k drama became so popular worldwide as its diversity of genres like thrillers, action and comedy. so i think the biggest factor is our attention to storytelling. there is an element of korean emotional embedded in stories, and this may appeal to audience is abroad. for example, in a trauma crashed landing on new south korean women accidentally. lans have power sheets and north korea and then falls in love that the story portrayed careers uniqueness and became a global success on how much it up and she was, and well,

me on how go. if you look at korean productions over the years, the content is always very distinctly korean. it reflects our society and history ah no matter what to do. for example, squid game combines game shows, honor that is familiar to a global audience with a mix of authentic korean elements. thought even more. fascinating is a drama, like hometown cha cha cha. this series has all the cliches of a korean drama and wasn't intended to be distributed globally. nevertheless, it's not only loved in asia, but all over the world. and i guess as hang progressing. whether it's the mode of clot lines, slick production style or formats tailor made for binge watching. k drama has audiences around the globe in the millions shows like stranger crushed lending on

you or descendants of the sun, a foot south korea on the entertainment map. and their success is rubbing off on other industry rooms like parasite, which one the 2020 academy award for best picture and the music sector. boy bench like b t s are all part of the so called hull you phenomenon. the spread of korean pop culture from asia to the rest of the world. the come how you emerge in the chinese press in mountain 97. to describe this search of korean pop music and key t v dramas in china. the tongue literally means the korean wave in chinese. and of course more recently the u has been increasingly adopted and used by rasp media to refer to the rise of tape pub in tel drama.

ah, it's no coincidence that the hell you 1st had china assures, in the 990. in that decade, following nearly 25 years of military rule and hit hard by the asian financial crisis. a democratizing south korea will set reinventing its global image and diversifying its economy. the government didn't recognize the potential of entertain. it's crept censorship laws that had been in place for decades and said it sites on developing a culture sector that would turn into an export industry. i'll go with a military dictatorship from 1961 to 1987, during which people were apprenticed. and there was a thirst for freedom of speech. for when the democratic government replaced the military regime and censorship laws were removed, audio flocked to the cinema to watch grooms from america like drastic park. the president at the time famously said that one spectacular film like dress hyde park,

can be more profitable than selling 1500000 his day cars. let us also cultivate this little had it was, i don't get a 100 and there are the ministrations since the 19 ninety's offered several measures to develop culture industries, subsidies, tax benefits, the regulation for private kept her to the best. so it is undeniable that government played an important role in the battle of the countries coaching those trees, you know where to really short period of time. however hired is far more than a top down process. in fact, the initial rise of how you use very much on predictive even korean government will bury surprise. surprised or not. since the 1990s, the south korean authorities have capitalized on the popularity of its booming

entertainment sector. over the past few decades tell you has grown into one of south korea's most notable exports and a very productive parts of the country's economy. with the entertainment sector is paying political dividends to the government here. and so has recognized the potential of how you as a diplomatic tool, part of a soft power push to increase south korea's influence in south east asia and beyond . hungary, ticket or south korea has never had any hard power with which to threaten the world . what we do have is a certain cultural charm for a long time, south korea's image was mostly just about war, poverty or confrontation between north and south korea. however, now the south korea as being acknowledged for its popular culture, it is quite natural for the korean government to utilize it as a soft power tool. and the other company would want to do the same point. but when

you get up early in, the laboratories can been invited to capital and diplomatic events. one of the latest examples, the members of k pop companies to korean president, to a session of the united nations general assembly in new york on other exam for fake be to to china in 2017. when k drama, the past, who had your company, the president, edder, korea, china events, the government, and superior to that? the appearance of home who is exceptional, popular in china, can contribute to reducing the political tension between the 2 countries. it has been carts of national branding and cultural diplomacy that brand korea would not be where it is today, without a helping hand from the entertainment industry. new players streaming services like

netflix and hulu, audiences around the world of turn you from a regional phenomenon to global and to turn into a local radio. in the beginning, we have studio dragon did not aim for our content to go global. in fact, for a long time, most production houses were based in house, merely creating content for local korean broadcast is, however, streaming platforms like netflix allows us to present a theory to the world and to become well known. and a quick game show is there is clearly quite the craves the korean content until he saw the lesson. and the korean entertainment industry is writing that wave of popularity would be eligible to be series award winning film. and block buster quick game is just a later soft power conquest for korea. k drama fans around the world are staying

tuned for what comes next. and finally, from making your name by reporting over instagram, to telling it like it is at the united nations mohammed, al quoted is a palestinian whose journalism we featured before on our program. his instagram was one of the must follow feats during israel's ethnic cleansing, about could its neighborhood in jerusalem, shut off earlier this year. having used social media to tell stories, many other reporters failed to tell, using terminology others shy away from l cord broke. some unwritten rules. he has since been made, the palestine correspondent for the nation, the american magazine that focuses on politics and culture. and he's done it all by h 23. this week, the un brought of coolant to new york to speak part of the ceremonies mark in the us international day of solidarity with the palestinian people from the podium. he touched on the issue of terminology and why it matters in the reporting of what is

happening in palestine. was the next time here at the listening post. hello, international community. thank you for the groundbreaking speed. says i'm sure the occupation authorities are really concerned right now. my name's from the card and i am here to deliver speeds. i am tired of reporting on the same brutality every day. of thinking of new ways to describe the obvious the situation in my neighborhood cells are, is not hard to understand. it is a perfect microcosm of settler colonialism. you know, when we reflect on histories, most horrible, most and humane atrocities today, we think of them with so much moral clarity so much moral clarity that we tend to forget that when these atrocities were happening, they were perfectly legal. not only perfectly legal, but at the time that they were happening, they were all once controversial contested to complex people talked

with neutral language like we do today. we all think that had been us there back then at that point of time, we would have been at the right side of history. and we have the opportunity today to be on the right side of history on counting the costs. all micron puts oil in stock markets into a spin and the global economy baffled through another code set back with a green hydrogen hats but clean energy of the future. and the billionaires broadcast isn't big bucks. india's i p o pretty counting the costs on al jazeera ah, the stage is said, and it's time for a different approach. one that is going to challenge the way you think we're ditching the sound bites and we're digging into the issues from international politics to the global pandemic. and everything in between. join me as i take on

the lars dismantled misconceptions and debate the contradictions upfront with me, michael might help on out 0 ah the results are expected soon in the gambiola presidential election, where voters use models to cost their balance. ah, hello, i'm down, jordan, this is al jazeera la you from dell are also coming up visiting saudi arabia. the french president says he'll work with gulf countries to resolve the diplomatic crisis. lebanon winter's coming, but russia is accused of putting a chokehold on ukraine's energy supplies. and christmas cheer.