what does this mean? we bring you the stories and developments that are rapidly changing the world we live in. less than one percent of poor vaccines have gone to poor countries. why is counting the cost on al jazeera ah ami cronies, spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant. a warning from the w h o that urges all countries to step up measures against the new code 1900 varian. ah, you're watching all to 0 life from headquarters in del time, daddy. you navigate the also coming up less people at the facility, then what it was. if people would let them go, workers say they were prevented from leaving a factory before

a deadly tornadoes struck in kentucky. the us house find donald trump's former chief of staff, mark meadows in contempt of congress for refusing to cooperate with the capitol hill, riots investigation. and a hunger crisis is unfolding in i've done this, done. we report from the southern province of kandahar, one of the areas worst effected by food scarcity. ah! hello, the world health organization says the coven, 19 ami kron. variance is spreading faster than any other strain before it. it's war and there'll be no end to the pandemic. if wealthy nations continue offering boosters at the expense of poor countries, while i'm kron has now been detected and at least 77 countries. the latest outbreak of the variance has been reported ever wanda. we're travelers now need to core and

teen. meanwhile, the u. s. has reported more than 800000 deaths from corona virus. members of congress held a vigil on the steps of the capital to honor those in america who have died so far . during the pandemic, over in the u. k. health officials say infections are doubling every 2 days. it's removed 11 african countries from its red list of wednesday, people must show proof. they are double job to answer certain venues. paul brennan reports from london in europe. the jobs are going into people's arms as fast as they can be unpacked. more than half a 1000000 booster shots were administered in the u. k. in just one day, fall short of the 1000000 a day, the government's aiming for. but the race to reinforce immunity is gathering pace. it's the extraordinary infectiousness of the on the con variant though, which is really worrying global scientists and health experts we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our pedal. even if or micron

does cause less cbs, this is the sheer number of cases could, once again overwhelm unprepared. health systems. in the u. k. m, a kron cases are now doubling every 2 days. and with more than 200000 possibly infected every day. the number could pass a 1000000 within a week long queues again at vaccinations, centers up and down the u. k. as the government's bruce, the jap program continues apace with the dilemma facing the politicians on that side of the river is whether the jobs alone will be enough to slow the progress of the on a chron variance. scientists have never seen. never seen a coven 19, very was capable of spreading so rapidly. so we have to look at what we can do to slow only cons. advance down. that level of alarm was reinforced in testimony to u. k. parliamentary committee. we are concerned with a large volume of individuals who are being infected every day in the population.

that we're going to have very difficult for weeks ahead with castes in the community, which will, of course, cause individuals to need to work in school. and then for those cases to transfer into admissions tonsils, the world health organization has, again raised the issue of vaccine hoarding and warned the world's wealthy nations that giving boosters to low risk groups while others are yet to have even one dose of vaccine is dangerous. w joe is not against boosters. we are against inequity. if we end in equity, we end the pandemic when it comes to deciding which options to reduce the infection rate. the advice from the w. h. ho, do it all, pull, brennan, i'll just sarah london. we have some breaking news from hong kong, at least 350 people are trapped right now in the cities world trade center because of a fire,

and that is the live picture just outside the world trade center. bertha wang is a journalist. she's joining us from hong kong and she's on the phone. bertha, you're right at the scene. tell us what you are seeing and what's going on. yes, so there is a fire in costly bay, which is a bustling commercial and shopping around your home. so the fire at around 1 o'clock, we should be open to lunch time. so there are many people having for lunch. so many people shop that as well. the place on a scale of one to 5. so about $100.00 people just from the rest of the chapter when the 5 breaks out, so, and now they're over like waiting to the rockville at the risk. come tell us what we're learning about how the fire actually broke out and what caused it. so that is a construction nearby. so it is belief that the desired stock.

okay. and presumably this is a particularly busy area over lunch time. yeah. tell us about about the area and, and how many people would have been around got around like $100.00 people at the restaurant. so they were, they have been rescued already. now, so far as $350.00 to the rooftop and went into. and i'm right now the co way bay area and the loss of 5 trips. ready? getting ready. i'm also the 5 people be not be laughing and assigned to the hospital already. okay, bertha, thank you so much for that update from hong kong. so that is a life picture from the world trade center where we've been hearing more than 300 people, including elderly, remain trapped on

a roof deck of that world trade center. building in causeway. they will monitor the situation and bring you more updates when we get them or moving on and staff at a candle factoring the u. s. state of kentucky. se bosses threatened to fire them if they left work as a tornado or approach a charge denied by the management. at least 8 people were killed when the factory was hit by the storm. the state governor says he'll investigate the allegations. i'll just here is heidi to cast our reports from mayfield's with christmas approaching workers of the mayfield. consumer products candle factory were rushing to fill holiday orders, despite fridays, ominous skies. 20 year old elijah johnson says he felt nervous when he clocked in for his shift. and worse, after a tornado alarm sounded an early warning. the 1st alarm came all around saving

going on, eighty's. and we could have been gone. we could have been gone. everybody can. i guarantee you could have been less people that died at the facility than what it was. if people would let them go, he says he and 14 other workers asked a manager if they could leave. we went to and we was like, we need to leave man, we got kids and stuff at the house. we got, we got to take her, our family. and he was like, well, you can leave what you're going to be terminated at was like what? even with the weather like this, and he'll say yes, we've been with the weather like this is going to be terminated. when the 2nd tornado alarm sounded about an hour later, the $110.00 workers present were directed into a hallway and told to brace. then with a roar, everything came crashing down the walls. the ceiling, johnson found himself trapped in debris, then came the screen. it was a security officer. it was on my leg and his grandma leg

a cable said help me help him. and i couldn't help by the time because i was stuck myself. it was touching my leg i 1st and they just stuck. a female supervisor was pinned with her feet against a collapsed wall. johnson says she pushed the wall back, allowing him to escape through a narrow opening. so when i made it out, when i made it out, she was still down there, holding up the wall. kentucky governor has pledged to investigate whether the company was negligent in the way that it handled the storms, but he emphasized the state has not verified the workers allegations. representative for the candles factory says workers were not pressured to stay with . we believe that we could do anything differently. you know, in hindsight, of course, i think all of us would do something differently. this is such a gamble to say leave, you know, to the last thing you do says don't get in your car, you know, that's what experts say more than a 100 people remain missing in kentucky and in surrounding states. and it's feared the death toll will rise. johnson says after emerging from the collapse factory,

he could think of only one thing. i thought a crime because i thought my friends at all my phrases that he still not sure of the woman he credits with saving his life. survived heidi, jo, castro, al jazeera mayfield, kentucky. the us house of representatives a voted to hold. donald trump's former chief of staff in contempt of congress, mark meadows failed to appear before the committee investigating the capitol hill riot of january, the 6. it's now up to the attorney general to decide whether to formerly charge meadows. she had chancey reports from washington, d. c. the full version, the house of representatives, finding mach meadows and contempt congress was a foregone conclusion, and the democratic control chambers to read. it has become clear that the committee is offering to main questions. did the president try to impede congress in such a vacation of the election results? and why was the old trumps? are slow to criticize the protests. as of the seriousness of their assault on

congress became clear. it took several hours for trump to release this message. this was a fraudulent election, but we can't play into the hands of these people. we have to have peace. so go home. mother's house given the committee, thousands of documents. they showed that if trump himself was taking the right seriously, at least in his circle, were po, this has to come out firmly and tell the protesters to dissipate. someone is going to get killed. indeed, a number of members of the press. a number of members of this body member, a member of the president's own family, all urged the president take action because they understood that the president of the united states had a responsibility to call off the mob. despite having over so much information meadows refuses to give an in person deposition to the committee. he claims executive privilege arguing as the president's chief of staff he should be allowed

to withholds of information. otherwise, how could any presidential adviser give honest advice that the president republican was back, that arguments had accused democrats of engaging in a witch hunt? i hope the american people are paying close attention. i hope they see what happens when democrats get total power. they abuse it, they intimidate, they threaten, and they harass it will not be up to the department of justice, decide whether to file charges. it did so against environment open. he was found in contempt by congress, but violent was a private citizen during january. the 6th, not an official white house adviser, and he's given no corporations to select committee. the penalty for being found guilty of contempt of congress as within a month of the year in prison. but even that wouldn't force meadows to hand over any further information. donald trump, meanwhile, is fighting the committee subpoenas in the courts, and there's an assumption that the committee will be disbanded if the republicans retake the house of representatives in next november the mid term elections. she every time see al jazeera washington,

us politicians her voted to raise the federal debt limits within hours of the treasury deadline. the vote avoided a major credit default and raises the boring camp by 2 and a half trillion dollars. republicans offered just one vote in the house and no vote in the senate. still ahead on algae 0. china remain focused the u. s. sector states tour through se asia. people fleeing violence in northern common rooms speak of torture. as a conflict over a lack of water escalate. ah a warm surge of air. hello everyone, that's for the united kingdom in to the low countries central portions of europe as well. we've got a bit more thicker cloud cover there. so that's put in a bit of

a cap on those temperatures, but enjoy it while you can. here's the 3 day forecast for london. this temperature is fall to below average. by the time we had toward the end of the week, want to take you are most of the action is right now. round the g and the eastern met a lot of activity here. really soggy weather pattern. his walls. so he stumbles, going to be locked into this rainy pattern for the next few days. windy on wednesday. could see those gus, but 40 to 50 kilometers per hour. west found we go. things are fairly common across the balkans. italy temperature is a bit lower here belgrade, just a high of 2 degrees, and we have that activity around those eastern shores of the black sea. next stop iberian things are drying out nicely here across northern areas of spain, the southwest to france, where we have seen as some pretty extreme flooding, a high of 15 degrees in lisbon. on wednesday, we're going to in this weather report in north africa. right now we're, you know, stretching all the way from algiers, right through to cairo. temperatures are below average and we got that winds coming

off the mediterranean. so that's limiting your temperature. that sure weather update see a later ah, in the country with an abundance of result. and want to leave here, his terms, boom, we move to grow and fraud with balance, but really economy blue economy and the digital economy with the new job creation law, indonesia is progressively ensuring the policy reform to create quality jobs, invest, let people in his growth and progress in with now. oh,

a hello. we got some stories on this. our breaking news from hong kong. that's the life picture where at least 350 people are trapped right now. the city is world trade center because of a fire. 5 people have been sent to hospital, the fire broke out on the 1st floor of the building in an area that was under renovation. the world health organization says to cover the 1900 on the con, very into spreading faster than any other stream before it. it's worn, there'll be no end to the pound demick. if wealthy nations continue offering boosters of the expense of poor countries, workers at a u. s. candle factory where 8 people were killed in nato, say they were told they'd be fired if they left management denies that. employees say more people would have survived if they were allowed to leave the un calling on the united states under on to move faster to restore the 2015 nuclear deal. and

bachelors at the security council have described the situation as grave. kristen salumi reports from the united nations. a stern warning from the european signatories of the iran nuclear deal to ra needs to act fast. if it wants to salvage the agreement. even the us to choose between the cut ups of the g. she buey and the fear and comprehensive deal for the benefit of the iranian people in nation e rounds, continued luke, the escalation means that we are rapidly reaching the end of the road. talks of resumed in vienna after a 5 month hiatus. but western nations say iran is backtracking on earlier agreements and adding new demands. the u. n. has express concern about the countries refusal to allow inspectors to make unannounced visits to, to nuclear facilities. the u. s. left the deal in 2018 under then president trump,

under president biden, washington wants back in, but only if tehran upholds its commitments mixed were convinced that if iran pro approaches talks in vienna, with urgency and good faith, we can quickly reach and implement an understanding on mutual return, we cannot, however, allow iran to accelerate its nuclear program and slow walk. it's nucular diplomacy, ron's ambassador blame the us. vienna talks can succeed, auntie, threw genuine political, real and good faith negotiations. engaging in blame game or flying artificial impatience is not constructive. the rhetoric in the council chamber was strong. both iran and the united states say they want to return to the deal. and the un says that's encouraging. but clearly, members of the international community are concerned that iran is closer than ever to a nuclear weapon. and time may be running out. kristin salumi al jazeera,

the united nations, the u. s. sector state antony blinkin says his country remains committed to a multi 1000000000 call or fighter jet deal with the u. a. e. despite reports about w. once out, the wall street journal reported the united arab emirates wants to cancel the purchase of f. 35 vendor owns because the security requirements, they include stringent measures against chinese espionage. well, the u. s. of your state is malaysia right now on the 2nd leg of his tour of southeast asia. and 20 blinking is trying to firm a pies in the region to count for china's influence. on tuesday he was an engineer as capital jakarta, where he criticized beijing for what he called its aggressive policies in the region. he criticized china again during a news conference with malaysia as foreign minister. when we're thinking about, be free and open into pacifically, we talk, we throw those words around,

but they actually have real meaning and ashley bell for us to give the meeting for countries. the opportunity to choose their own partners and to choose their own path and for the region as a whole, it's moving forward in a spirit of visual respect based on collaboration, cooperation not unfortunately. let's go live disorder. so she's joining us to call on per so how significant is, excuse me, blinking visits. lincoln's visit is significant. this, his trip really is about the u. s. saying to southeast asia that the u. s. is back, this is a region that was largely neglected by the previous minister, stray sion led by former president donald trump. but the biden administration sees this region as being important to its efforts to help push back against arising, china and lincoln in his speech. in his news conference with the malaysian foreign

minister really stressed the points that he had made. and when he spoke in jakarta on tuesday where he outlined the u. s. as vision for indo pacific, he said that the region must maintain peace and prosperity and that the u. s. is going to help it do that. and he also stressed about the importance of keeping the region free from corrosion and free from intimidation. and he talked about how the u. s. wants to deepen its ties in the region using economic and military partnerships. now in his discussion with the malaysian foreign minister, he also talked about myanmar. they also talked about myanmar. the u. s. was already imposed sanctions on the military, on military linked businesses and the association of southeast asian nations, of which me, on my end, malaysia, are members. i'm has been leading diplomatic efforts to try and resolve the current, the crisis. now the lincoln is now saying that the u. s. is looking at what more it can do to put pressure on the agenda to try and put me on my back on the path to

democracy and, and what is the malaysia i'm hoping to get out of this result. florence. what malaysia really is. you know, malaysia, just like a lot of the other southeast asian countries. now they see china as a very important trade partner. but many of these countries of also traditionally looked to the u. s. 2, been tame peace and security in the region. they don't really want to upset the balance in many of these countries have also said they don't want to have to choose between the 2 countries. but of course they're not going to give up on having closer ties with the u. s. now analysts say that one way the u. s. can deepen it's engagement in the region is through economic partnerships having an effective economic strategy. i think many of these countries are looking for that as well. and blink and didn't say that the u. s. is looking for more opportunity to for, for u. s. companies to invest year and for more foreign direct investment to flow here

. now. and then the, the 2 countries also talked about cooperating and fighting the pandemic. and also in strengthening cybersecurity and the u. s. it said there's going to make a financial commitment, a one of financial commitment to helps countries in southeast asia, strength and cybersecurity. okay, thank you. of florida. we are reporting from kuala lumpur. agencies are launching a joint appeal, saying that more than 8000000 people in afghanistan are now on the brink of famine . more than a 1000000 children under 5 could die. it's estimated that 75 percent of all government spending was funded by international jewelry donations before the taliban take over. robin bry travel to kandahar in the south of the country, which is suffering food shortages. rob, early morning at this food distribution center, they start lining up some of the thousands of afghans from this one district who now rely on their weekly rations from the world food program to get by

mohammed sharif. he's taking supplies back to his wife and 6 children to let us know what it is. it's very important to us. if we didn't get to say, we'd go hungry. so we're grateful. with warnings that half afghanistan population of nearly $40000000.00 and now going hungry. hospitals in kandahar city are seeing the result the listless dance, the one with sometimes 2 babies per bed nursed, lie loma, and her staff are treating twice as many cases as normal that that motor, most of these mothers are producing milk and they don't have the money for powdered milk, so most of these babies are around one year old, but they weigh less than 4 kilograms. that's about half the weight they should be. so what we're seeing is a feeding tube going into the stomach in the bed opposite the even tiny,

a features of baby. sure reefer just 6 weeks old. and with a feeding tube, trying to increase her weight from an emaciated sweet kilos can to her province is one of the worst effected by foods scarcity. but here as much of the country, it's also been hit not only by conflict, but the 2nd poll harvest in 4 years. it went almost unnoticed amid the turmoil of the taliban take over. but this past year, afghanistan has suffered a severe drought affecting crops and livestock. it means this winter was always going to be tough in terms of food supply, but it's been made far worse amid the current upheaval. back at the food distribution center, the people of quite a bad village and i was drive away, collect says supplies. this will be enough for their 15, extended families until the following week or the year that we've

had to drought. and if no work, what can we do to the situation? we go really bad, and now it's where they like the neighboring villages facing the long winter ahead . public bride al jazeera kandaher, afghanistan frances reducing its military presence in northern molly as the government accuses it of abandonment me french flag was lowered at a ceremony and turned back to the loss of 3 french bases. in this region, the troops were deployed in 2013 to help stop attacks by fighters linked to al qaeda. and i thought molly's prime minister says the threat is still there. fighting between fishermen and herders in northern cameroon has killed at least 22 people, enforced 30000 people to flee. some have shared stories of machete attacks and torture. the government says the situation is now calm. but as nicholas hack

reports, there is concern, a shortage of water could lead to more violence. this is what's left of one's thriving market in the far northern region of cameroon, it was burned down in fighting about access to water in the region. the mobile phone footage shows armed herders into scary looking for water points to feed their cattle, fighting with fishermen and farmers unwilling to share their wells. 4 months after the end of a rainy season that brought little rainfall, people are willing to kill. for a drop of water, this vendor says this is a war fueled by lack of water building across the region. the government standing by doing little to stop the fighting at the local hospital, injured rival, herders and farmers get treatment side by side after days of violence. the situation is tense. the governor offers envelopes of cash, but for many, this is not enough. now some less. overall,

the situation has become com again. shops have been gradually reopening since yesterday. and so far we have not recorded any hot bed of tension. we will continue to receive communities, associations and all those who want to make a contribution to the restoration of peace or to me. odyssey won't come ruins. president sent his ministers to the region to mediate more than 30000. people have fled to neighboring chairs where president mohammed address debbie is calling for urgent humanitarian assistance to displaced left behind their homes and belonging, but brought with them tales of horror. i was tortured by 7 people from the europe community. i was seriously wounded on my back by machetes of our land, almost died in the bush. fortunately, my relatives found me and helped me to cross the river, so i could be treated here, very conflict. there are become very violent. i don't want to go back, not enough water and thirsty for revenge. this is

a conflict made worse by changing climate. with months to go before next year's rainy season. the people of cameron's far north fear the fight for water has only just begun. nicholas hawk algae 0. malta has become the 1st european country to allow limited possession of cannabis for personal use. a law allows adults to possess 7 grams and grow a maximum of 4 plants. but smoking cannabis and public will remain illegal. owen, money cheese, the member of multiple parliamentary, promoted that bill. he says the law provides a safer way for people to obtain cannabis. what we did was a measure of harm reduction in the response to the realities we have around us. you know, when we meet people all the time and the critical criminalized because they make it

personal use of it. and we decided that we have to stop. this criminalization of people who are not criminals, but a choice design decide to make use of candidates. of course, as a government, we incentivize and we tell people to make healthier choices. but if an adult decides to make use of canup is for his own personal use, then we should be provided with a safe and the regular race route from where he can or she can obtain the cannot. ah, hello again, the headlines and i just 0 breaking news from hong kong where at least 350 people are trapped in the cities world trade center because of a fire. 5 people have been sent to hospital. it broke out on the 1st floor of the building in an area that was under renovation. bertha wang is a journal.