in search of migrates on al jazeera, we understand the differences and similarities of cultures across the world. sentimental when you call home, we'll put you in the news and current affairs that matter to years. ah, this is al jazeera ah hello, i'm adrian finnegan. this is the news are alive from doha coming up in the next 60 minutes. a raft of new measures announced to help badly. omicron serves that sweeping across the us. doesn't still missing in malaysia, after severe flooding, while much needed supplies. finally, reach survivors of typhoon ryan, the philippines. the world food program warns that 8000000 people in yemen face

cuts in food rations due to a lack of funds. and iraq, he, st. artists draw on history and tradition to transform one of back dad's oldest neighborhoods. uninstalled m b. a stars are told it's time to learn to live with corona virus, me, commissioner adam, silver in sister, and no plans for a shot with just days before christmas. u. s. president joe biden is wanting millions of unvaccinated americans to get the coven 19 job. the omicron variance, now accounts for the majority of new infections across the country. and as he was, kimberly how could begins are coverage from washington. i'm a crohn has gripped the united states. 73 percent of new cases are now attributed to that highly contagious variant. testing sites across the u. s. are packed in

cleveland. this new dr. up testing site was act capacity just hours after opening well cove. it has been a tough adversary. we've shown that we're tougher to combat. the alma kron sergio as president joe biden on tuesday announced a half 1000000000 home rapid tests will be distributed to americans starting in january until now u. s. rapid tests have been expensive and hard to find. we're take even more steps to make it easier to get tested and get tested for free. we're violence also utilizing the defense production act to ramp up test manufacturing for clinical use . he's deploying 1000 troops to support overwhelmed doctors and nurses, and he's tapping into america's national stock pile of ventilators to ensure hospitals are well equipped. still biden says the best way to prevent severe

disease and death is vaccination. all these people who have not been vaccinated, you have an obligation to yourselves, to your family, and quite frankly, i know you criticized this to your country. shortly after taking office biden reversed his predecessors withdrawal from the world health organization to unify the global fight against cove it on tuesday, secretary of state blink, and announced an additional 580000000 will be sent to the w h. o to set up programs to get the unvaccinated their 1st shot, but it may already be too late. we are going to be far behind what is needed for the on the chron search. and that's because of how transmissible this variant is. and this may be one of the fastest spreading pathogens in medicine that we've ever seen. so all of these efforts that they announced today are excellent. but my

concern is that they're not going to be rolled. busy out fast enough, the surge of the alma chron variant is disrupting the struggling usaa economy. sports leagues are cancelling games, so are some broadway shows, but biden says, it doesn't have to be this way. he pleaded with those skeptical of vaccines and government to reconsider my administration has put them in place not to control your life, but to save your life was not a part of president biden's plan are locked down seen in other countries. the white house hopes expanded testing will prevent the need for such restrictions. in the united states. kimberly held it al jazeera, the white house. israel may become the 1st countries a roll out or 4th dose of the cove at 19 vaccine. a government panel is recommended the people over the age of 60 be given the job prime minister, not for the been it says that it will help fight the spread of omicron. israel

reported its 1st death with variant on tuesday upset. talk about this with the doctor about franconia, who's a senior clinical lecturer of the university of accident medical school school. he joins us now from boss in the u. k. good to have you with us again, doctor, will a 4th dos make any difference to our immunity? against the on the chrome variant. well, if we look at biological systems, every little controlled exposure to the viruses, proteins enables your body bodies immune system to be reminded and then reminded again that you need to make immunity against me. and more importantly, that remember me, in other words, immune memory. so of course, it makes a lot of biological sense that a 4th and maybe a 5th vaccine out would be beneficial in that it augment the immunity. having said all this, there is, of course, a concern that we need to also immunize the rest of the world to. what's more

important, though, getting people of 1st dose of the vaccine. given that there are so many people around the world who yet to see one or giving those have already been vaccinated yet another booster. you are absolutely right. and we need to immunize people who have not had any vaccines at all. because that is where the greatest public health gain comes from. again, this is an example of the richer nations can do whatever they like, because they've got the vaccines, they've got the supplies, and they can immunize their population once twice christ. and now the 4th time i'm, we need a global effort on this. does that mean that if rich nations, as you say, run a program to vaccinate people a 4th, or maybe even a 5th time than that? nations who are yet to administer even a 1st are going to miss out? not only are they missing out,

the tragedy is people die and we need to accept that if you do not immunized people die. and then furthermore, i have said this repeatedly is if you do not suppress infections in one or well countries where you have a lot of immune suppressed people, then you will get the am but drive for variance to emerge. an ami kron is one such example, and we can definitely get our, the variance, which will again be a setback if we don't surprise infections in all over the world. coming back to, to israel. and i, i think this this question kind of has to do with, with what you, what you're saying, israel's been a leader in max vacillate vaccination programs and yet here real it's suffering an nava wave of infections. why is that? exactly? because we've had add a couple of things happen. one, a variant has arisen which bypass is

a substantial amount of the antibodies produced by the current vaccines. and the 2nd bit is, this is ridiculous, almost is when immunizing, but the immunity drops after 6 months. and then there are wireless as circulating in other parts of the world which come and in fact you. so what we really should have had a global effort is suppress at wire, says, all over the world. and if you suppress infections all over the world, bring it down slowly, then we are all in a better place as a result of fuel wire, as is circulating globally. really good talk to you again, dr. many, thanks cindy for being with us. dr. but a thank any of that in boff in the u. k. now, if you are planning a trip to thailand in the next few weeks, beware of new travel restrictions. entry rules have been tightened once again due to the spread of the on the con variant. the government says the measures will be reviewed again in early january,

but as on the 0 study chang reports now from bangkok that may be too late for many struggling businesses to survive. the beaches, a picket may look busy, but this is as good as it is going to get less than 2 months after fully opening its borders. thailand is once again shutting down luxury bang. for now, we will issue no more commission, and this is the same for ties up one night from now. we're back to the old system of quarantine. when entering with us in an attempt to slow the spread of the oma chrome varian visitors to thailand will once again have to quarantine for a period of $7.00 to $10.00 days. depending on vaccination status. although relatively few cases of the new there into been detected only 63 percent of the population a fully vaccinated. but the health benefits may be outweighed by a tourist industry that struggling to survive. this measure is just like they're almost like a bits intent for the tourist industry. i think it had them so back we've just been

opening for a few months after we crossed our far on 2 years already on bank ox, famous cow, san road. a few tourist arrivals, those who are already have approval can still enter on the thailand test and go scheme. but with so much uncertainty surrounding international travel, many will choose to stay away. be runs a hair breeding business. she's just surviving that things are going from bad to worse. if they ever delay. few, our business get worse. of course it will, and it's never been the same since before the country shut down. these do have a few customers, but they are all tight. it's high season for the tie tourist industry. many had been banking on a busy holiday season and a fresh start in january. but the promises of the ty government to live with cove at 19, now seem as shaky as their hopes for the future. this is normally the busiest time

of year on the cow san road. these new regulations mean the tourist won't be back and for the ty tourist industry. 2022 is unlikely to be a happy new year. tony chang, al jazeera banker in scotland, edinburgh new year's eve street party has been cancelled for a 2nd year running the restrictions will come into effect the day after christmas limits will be placed on indoor and outdoor gatherings. scotlands also struggling with corona virus infections driven by the omicron variant. portugal meanwhile has imposed a number of new corona virus instructions. as omicron cases, why is there like clubs and bars have been ordered to close? and people must now work from home outdoor gatherings, a limited to 10 people in each group on new year's eve. a negative corona virus test is also required to enter public places. portugal has one of the world highest vaccination rates. food,

water and medical supplies are now being delivered to survivors on typhoon ravished, islands in the philippines. at least 375 people died when super typhoon ride, devastated southern and central regions out as the rest. joel alan, dog and reports now from dinner. got province in the southern philippines. sunni go city. what was once a thriving community in the southern philippines? now reduced to this? everywhere we go. there is destruction. this police station was no match for typhoon rise. theory. even the local hospital has not been spared. and then a v baby about him, their seal united or walked up for miles desperate for drinking water. i asked about her family. oh, she says her home was damaged and she had to leave her children behind. romeo

burnett, las to feels frustrated. oh, we are like children, abandoned by their parents. what papa? to the government, please don't forget us. please help us. many survivors see they are now forced to scab inch for food. are we also not human? they asked me and wonder why help has not arrived. a few hundreds of meters away, city go airport. despite the damage, the ears trip is still operational. and from here, military, reconnaissance flights and aid operations take off. from above, it is clear that type one right spirit, no one, but we need to be on the ground to see how bad it is. so we take a boat and duck onto nugget island. even for a con, she often battered by natural disasters. the magnitude of the destruction is

unprecedented. in san jose, there is hunger and heartbreak. unicef also says close to more than 800000 children, or we need of emergency assistance. st. vice treat despair. survivors say it feels like a struggle even to stay alive. while there are those who are still too shocked to share their ordeal, one woman approached me and asked if they had been forgotten. hello, no miami, police police helpless. it's christmas. she tells us. but what we're seeing is just the fraction of the devastation. at least 4 other provinces are suffering from the type when rise fury. this humanitarian crisis is only just unfolding shemelle alan dog and al jazeera dinner got province southern philippines plays, and so livings for one of the worst slumps that country has seen in recent times.

the death toll is now a 27 more than 60000 people have been forced to leave the homes on correspondence. florence louis reports now from malicious capital colombo, still under water after 4 days per hung, states in central peninsula malaysia is the worst affected buildings and vehicles submerged. the 2 main highways still not accessible in some parts. officials have warned that water levels in several major rivers remain dangerously high. across the country, search and rescue efforts continue. the military emergency personnel and volunteers pitch in to distribute aid and carry people to safety. some had been trapped for days. we have to kind of feeling one another we have we definitely will have anger because a lot, you know, u. s. b, you are not being warned by the government that the of the weather will be that serious. and then of what we will that series as well. and then we have,

we also felt that handling development as well because this of your control by doesn't it, it does lightning major disaster. many say these are the worst floods they've experienced. a local aid organization estimates families may need up to $2500.00 each for home repairs and to replace furniture and appliances. business owners to are suffering unsure of when they'll be able to reopen. i'm disappointed with a politician. we're a member of parliament members always go 5th garmin. they don't come during the time of disaster. they're the only gun. the dish on board is abdulla disasters. mother. the prime minister has acknowledged weaknesses in the government's response . but said, the responsibility should be shouldered by the state governments as well. that's unlikely to a late public anger. questions are now being asked about the government's lack of

flood preparedness, especially during the monsoon season. opposition politicians say there needs to be an inquiry to examine what went wrong and to improve the countries readiness to face future disasters. the monsoon season is expected to last through to february with the potential for yet more rain and floods. florence louis al jazeera kuala lumpur. here with a nissan from al jazeera still to come on, the program reports that saddam's prime minister intends to step down a month after he was reinstated under a deal with the country's military rulers, christmas and occupied east jerusalem church. leaders say that christine groups are being driven out of the old city by jewish settlers. and in sport africa's champions league winners aim to add another trophy to their collection. andy, here with that on the rest of the sports, little later ah,

the u. n. z world food program says that it will have to reduce rations for 8000000 people in yemen. due to a lack of funding. the cutbacks will begin in january. the u. s. agency is warning of serious consequences. as hunger rises, the country's been on the brink of famine since 2016 because of the civil war that the world food program says the 5000000 people. a close to starvation that speak to a be a turf up who is a senior spokesperson with the world food program. she joins us now live from cairo . good to have you with us. so 5000000 people just a step away from starvation. this actually though, potentially affects many more people, doesn't it? yes, absolutely. a funding conscious forcing the world full jump. this katy back food, the systems that means reducing food rations to 8000000 people in yemen. these cuts the coming of the worst possible time for the 13000000 people who are dependent on

the wealth for programs, assistance to survive. 5000000 people are on the brink of a fan of famine. and these are the ones that we're going to keep the food rations in tax, but that is a huge risk to more millions, more, who are basically surviving every day on very meager resources. so we're talking about what half the population of gamma the moment of the 16000000 people who face food shortages exactly half the population of young men is facing food insecurity for short. the just they are unable to put food on the table for the family. these 5000000 of these are in, in a very precarious situation. that's what we call the emergency food level. emergency levels are put in security. so meaning that if you know, if the situation gets worse, they'll be the 1st ones to be in a family like condition. it's

a very serious situation. it's the causes of this congress quite of a complex, but the impact of the people of yemen is very clear. the in that they quit for the consumption as well. i think food prices are increasing, access to food is becoming a major challenge and we still have acting active fighting in many parts of the country. how much is the short for and why is the a shortfall in funding? so the, the wilson program needs $800000000.00 to maintain the current level of food assistance for the next 6 month. at this in 2022 w. p needs at $2000000000.00. that's huge amount of money because we're assisting over 13000000 people and that's just with the badly enough food basket to keep people alive. now donors have given and provide the funding in, in this here,

and we funds the 1400000000, but the needs are growing at the pace that's, you know, that's higher than our ability to continue to generate resources. also, there are a lot of humanitarian crises that on the world, you know, type food hurricanes, put quite to some felts to them of gun expand, which is making get extremely difficult for, you know, situations and emergencies like yemen to stay on the funding. you know, on the, to get the genetic funding at this very level of competition for sure. it small resource. ok. i just want to get this clear. i know there are a lot of people, as you say, 30000000 people who faced food insecurity in. yeah, i know there is this funding shortfall. you're, you're not going to leave the most vulnerable without food aid. you're still going to manage to, to, to at least focus on them. what will happen is that we need for the next

2 month, we're focusing on the $5000000.00 who are on the brink, physician and the rest will receive almost half of food ration. but if the situation continues with this level of funding, we risk of much of having more people removed from assist. so not even receiving half of food ration, but basically losing completely their food basket. so it's a, it's a serious situation. which means that if we are unable to fundraise in the next 3 month, it means that more people and people will not be receiving for the system. all right, good to be many thanks for being with us. have a tough of that from the world food program in cairo. libby, if elections commission is proposing that election the election takes place on january 24th, the vote had been scheduled to take place on december 24th. the ballots been mobbed by disputes of rules and regulations. lisco live to tripoli. i'll just here as

medic trina can tell us more, so this election will go ahead, but not for another month. well, this is just a proposal. adrian saw a suggestion rather than a, than actually a set date for january 24th or just it just about 10 minutes ago. the high national elections commission has said that it proposes and suggests, after coordinating with the parliament that the, the year 1st round of presidential elections be postponed to january 24th. but, i mean, really, there is a huge problem here, right? so the, there's 2 legislative houses in libby at the moment. there's the parliament in eastern libya and there is the high council state here in tripoli. or there were supposed to come to an agreement on a constitutional framework or to hold these elections. so what kind of governing system does libya have a what, what kind of powers as a president have? so does the thought the, the issues that, that the have led to these are elections,

not happening still remains right? so up libyans want to see elections that there's pulls that say that over 80 percent of libyans want to vote, but they don't want to vote on the present in presidential election until they have a constitutional referendum or so yes, a suggestion by the high national elections commission, but really nothing. nothing of essence, nothing going into the problems are that we may see if this the moves ahead or at malik manufactured it out, says mary trip malik trina, there are in that tripoli. floods of hit the north west syrian province of ed lived . the area is controlled by rebels. this homes of thousands of internally displaced syrians who fled the civil war. many others are still stuck in camps. agency say that people burning plastics to keep warm through the winter is putting them at risk of respiratory diseases. but as our 0 asset beg reports, now, syrians have very little choice. their homes bombed,

displaced in their own countries, and now these syrians must endure floods. dahlias on the, at about a year. we've been called for 4 days. nope, the heat isn't working. and the tensor leaking water in our situation is miserable . we've been displaced for 3 years and have no idea whether we will return or not. people have lost hope to return home or not. it's not just the water they have to contend with. temperatures in winter can drop below 0. their struggle is to stay warm as well as dry. o leather, so roughly only a little common known every morning i wake up and find that my children aren't near me, shall they go out early to collect scraps of plastic from the streets such as bags and shoe soles, whatever they can find to feed the furnace here our own riots which we can use to keep warm and cook her meals. i lay. but what the children collect to burn is bad for their lungs. i don't like any mother. i can't afford a boiler, and fuel is expensive. we need fire to do everything. i can't feed them because i

don't have an oven. the winter is very hard welcomed home. at least there's something to keep them warm. one dish yearly, we don't get any aid or anything and that's our situation. it gets crowded with around 15 people crammed in one tent where they eat and drink and set them. but some are beginning to feel the effects on their health. nobody has the, the smell is strong and there is a lot of smoke. yesterday my chest started hurting and i wanted to go to see a doctor, but i couldn't afford it for long. as the adults tried to repair the damage done by floods, the children who have no nothing else except this camp. try to make the most of what they have as that bag. i'll 0 by jury, as government says that at least 45 people were killed. an ethnic violence over the weekend armed heard us from the philosophy ethnic group attacked t villages in nasa. our state, local leaders say the violence erupt it on friday and continues until sunday, raising lights and water access in the region. often spark tension between capital

heard us and farmers. there are reports that saddam's prime minister, abdullah hum dock is about to stand down. he was reinstated in november after making a deal with the military bought the move was criticized by protest as a betrayal. handle was kept on the house arrest for a month following the military takeover in october. that in mass protest since that power grabbed us mohammed vaal is in khartoum and says that ham dock is in a difficult situation. handbook is very frustrated and he has been expressing it privately and in public. sometimes about the, the amount of support that he's receiving from the people who pushed him to sign an agreement with the military and. and thus at the same time, when his popularity waned, among the revolutionaries who have been looking at him as the savior of sudan. he placed himself in a very difficult situation in the middle between 22 sides who art loggerheads. and

we have seen that of lucian, or is gaining momentum over the last few days with that push that lead them to the gates of the presidential palace. and they are planning more demonstrations on the 25th and the 3rd and the 30th of this month. so i mean, analysts talking about how do observing a situation that is, you know, going to lead to a total failure of his policies. those policies by which she tended to reconcile between the 2, between the 2 sites and his find the lat untenable. at least 20 commuters have been injured. off to 2 metro trains collided outside iran's capital. terran state. t. v footage shows one train derailed off to the crash emergency services, so that 11 people were taken to hospital. one of them with serious injuries and investigation is underway. israeli forces of shot dead, a young palestinian man after claims that he tried to run over soldiers in the

occupied west bank. the military says the man crashed his car into a jeep after being shot to his where the soldiers were reportedly wounded israel to ny, as the christians being driven out of the occupied east. jerusalem sir old city. a head of christmas, kristian groups of accused jewish settlers of harassment. and so that border closures as a result of coven 19 a targeting. only then i'll just hear as harry faucet reports out from the old city and occupied east jerusalem. well usually at this time of year, the square here in front of the church of the lease africa would be thrown with christian pilgrims in the run up to christmas. the omicron search and the very strong travel restrictions imposed by the israeli government have put paid to that in its stead though in the run at christmas, we have a row of red proportions between the church leaders here and the old city and the israeli government. last week, those leaders put out a statement in which they talked about what have been happening in recent years.

they say pressure on christian communities throughout the holy land in the form of a tax on churches, desecration, a church, property, intimidation of christian communities. the purchase of christian property here in the christian quarter by what they call radical groups. a reference to the sort of secular activity over the name it as such that we've seen in recent years. now they are careful in that statement to pay tribute to the israeli government commitment to christian life to freedom of worship. nonetheless, there has been a very strong rebuttal coming from the very foreign ministry saying that these claims are baseless and distortion of the reality on the ground. they talk about that commitment to freedom of worship, and they say it's infuriating that these church leaders don't talk about pressure on christian communities elsewhere in the middle east. the strength of this response follows what we've seen published in the u. k. media in recent days, an article by the head of the latin patriarch it here in jerusalem also by the archbishop of canterbury, the most senior figure in the anglican church.