neglect and babies to death, beeble and power investigates, exposes, and questions for the use and abuse of power around the globe. on al jazeera. ah, a new study shows the on the crown covered 19 variance is my older than the delta strain, but concerns remain over raising infections? ah, you're watching all 0 life from headquarters and self. i'm danny novel gays are also coming up russia's residence as he wants to avoid conflict with ukraine and the west than his annual end of year news conference. un relief and works agency says it's on the verge of collapse and count to meet the needs of palestinian refugees in lebanon. a hong kong university removes the pillar of shame,

a famous statue marking that gentleman square massacre will hear from its sculpture . hello, thanks for joining us. the only calling variance is proving to be less severe than previous strains of current of virus, but people are still ending up in hospital with its germany has registered its 1st death as cases increase rapidly. us health regulators have authorize an anti viral pill made by drug make her work to treat those who have mild to moderate cases. the use of a similar pill by pfizer was also approved on wednesday. over in the u. k. health experts are cautiously optimistic about ami crohn's, reduced risk, but still have concern over how fast it's spreading. and a study by africa center for disease control suggest that the variance is up to 80 percent less likely to cause hospitalization than delta south africa was approved.

the single shot johnson and johnson vaccine to be used for booster jobs. farmington miller has more from johannesburg. so far, experts are saying that based on their observations, in terms of the number of people in hospitals and the number of people who will the death rate at this stage, they say that it's potentially on the car is less, less severe illness. now what they're doing is comparing the numbers and the data they have available now to the 2nd and 3rd waves experience in south africa. they continue to say that yes, it's very infectious. and that the, the, the number of people contracting the cobra 19 continues to rise. in fact, the numbers are fluctuated in south africa, but according to the africa, c, d. c, the increase the average increase in new infections in southern africa, alone over about a full week period has been 203 percent. so yes, they continue to be that concern around just how contagious is variant is but

because the south african, the 1st and sciences majority via i think, few people in the hospital and when they are off. but they'll, they stay for a very short time. and they're also seeing very few did the highest number at those point of the 4th wave in south africa has the 99 in one day and that is far less involved with experience previously. so they all cautiously optimistic, but also they're saying in south africa there's a particular context. it may be around the vaccination rate, which is at 44 percent, not terribly high, but you've also got people who were previously infected and may have the antibodies to fight off the new variant, even though they was concerned about an escape around immunity to china. now we're more than 13000000 people have an order to stay home in the eastern city of g on. that's after more than $200.00 covered, 1900 infections were recorded since the beginning of the month. countries on high

alert as a gears up to host the winter olympics in february, our correspondent, katrina hugh reports from china capital fishing. chinese authorities have imposed them most severe, locked down in almost a year. 13000000 people living in the northern city of she. anne have been ordered to stay home from midnight on thursday. only one member of each household is allowed out to get food every 2 days. and only certified essential workers can head out for work. here some of the measures prompted crowd to rush to grocery stores and markets. earlier this week. more than $200.00 cases had been reported in the city since the beginning of the month. the outbreak of the delta variant began with just 9 people and quickly spread, hulu. deep yoga trajectories of deny cases were a complex evolving transportation services and public places, including hospitals, commercial complexes, restaurants as goes. hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked as she an, a former capital and historic hub to see the terror caught

a warriors every year. now, almost all transport in and out of the area has been cancelled. residence must apply for special permission to leave. the city authorities are currently conducting that 3rd round of mass testing. so far, no cases of the on the con, variance have been locally transmitted in china. but officials here are on my alert the beijing winter olympics opens in february. and chinese leaders have promised a safe and secure games where spectators will be able to attend or receive spectators. however warrant be attending. china has maintained it. 0 tolerance approach to the virus. and borders has been closed since march last year. the outside during the winter olympics, there will be a large number of olympic affiliated in the reduce from different countries and a regions come to trainer. there is a high possibility that a certain number of covey 90 in positive cases will arise. more than 80 percent of

the country's population have received 2 doses of current of ours vaccines. officials are now encouraging people to get a 3rd shot. but some studies are found that chinese vaccines have lower efficacy and protection rates against the on the chrome strain. bating has not approved the use of some other vaccines such as pfizer or astrazeneca, katrina, you out 0, they doing well. current of ours cases in new york have risen 60 percent in the last week alone. 12000 new infections are reported on wednesday. health officials say more testing sites have been opened. hospitals and jails have implemented restrictions for people visiting. mayor bill diblasio has yet to decide if people will be banned from the annual new year's eve celebration in time square. covering the story for us, and gabriel is on though he's joining us from new york with, with war on this and the, and the what seems to be record breaking numbers. gabriel, they really are. new york city specifically has become the national epicenter of

the mac. kron strain here in the united states. the numbers are exploding exponentially. here. the newest numbers we have is just in new york state. 28000 new infections in the last 24 hours of those 17000 coming. just here in new york city. we're on 42nd street, and i want to give you a sense of how much of an urgency there is for people to get tested. this is just one of the testing sites here on 42nd street in midtown manhattan. you can see a couple of dozen people there waiting about a dozen or so. but if you turn around this way, i want to show you something else as we come up the 42nd street here, you'll see as we get closer, there is another testing site as well. just a block away with even more people waiting to get tested. there is a shortage of tests here in new york city and new york state there is around the

nation, quite frankly. but particularly here in new york city, we've seen long lines like this of people wanting to get tested. especially now, given that busy holiday travel season and given how this really is the epicenter here in new york city. the problem is there not enough test sites, because many of them work blows down this year. when people thought that this pandemic was over here in new york city, that clearly now is not. and then if you pivot around this way, you'll see up another block ahead of me. there is even another testing site. again, it just kind of gives you an idea of how many people want to get tested, but simply cannot find enough tests. now, the governor of the state of new york, as well as the mayor have said,

carry on with your lives. they're saying if you are fully vaccinated and about 81 percent of all new yorkers, 18 and over are fully vaccinated. they're saying carry on with your life, but get tested. but there are a lot of things that are closing again in new york city. lot of broadway shows are closing, the incoming mayor has canceled his inauguration plans for early january, but most notably, however, new york city's famous new your new year's eve celebration at times square is continuing. as of now, they expect more than a 1000000 people. they're asking everyone that has to be vaccinated to attend. however, there's a lot of pressure on the mayor and city officials to cancel the ball. drop the new year's eve celebration in time square. he should be making a decision on that in the next day or so. bottom line is new york city is kind of an eerie place right now. quite frankly, there's a lot of tourists here that have flocked back to the city

a lot of locals. but there's definitely a sense here. here we go again. we went through this before and it appears that now new york city is going to be going through it again. neighboring new jersey by the way, is also being hit very hard. that's a state just on the other side of the hudson river. both of the mayors of the 2 largest cities in neighboring new jersey. the mayors of jersey city and newark, both within the last 24 hours announce that they have tested positive. ok. thank you so much give or at least until for that reporting from the streets of new york city. thank you. well, president vladimir putin says he hopes that russia will achieve collective coban 1900 herd immunity next year, and he's urge citizens to get innoculated during his annual. and if you're a news conference, who then went on to reaffirm that the nato expansion into eastern europe was unacceptable in his eyes. paul brennan has more from london. very often in the west. we are bon bonded with the media from our own region. and we don't always get

to hear the perspective from the other side and over we have heard from president putin, in snippets. and in use conference is not on the level that we've had in this news conference today way for as he has much more time to expand on on what his sentiment is. and of all the issues that he spoke about, the ukraine and the possible expansion of nato. those are the 2 issues which really made him bristle if i can describe it in those terms. you know, he talk about history. he said, look, you know, we were promised by nato back in the 1900 ninety's that they would be not inch further. they would go, they're all going to be talks between us and russian. diplomats in a week time after christmas about the situation in ukraine and on the border. there is a large military build up of russian forces that estimated between 70 and 90000. and with the us military analyst saying it could be easily ramped up to way of our

$150000.00. pretty short notice. so the potential for a mishap leading to a larger conflagration, is clearly that. but president putin, very keen to say that, look it up to the west and to nato, to set out vestal, rather than for russia to camp under a cartoon of the director general of the russian international affairs council, he says, president putin has framed russia. sluggish economy in a positive life. i think that i put in, make, saw on the emphasis on the resilience of the ocean economy. i hear underscore the rational economy a declined uh, but not as as deep as many other economists and all the recovery turned out to the foster that in many of the countries. so he sounded somewhat optimistic, a law of course, he should be concerned about the relatively low or girls of the russian

economy. and about the structural problems lead the economist to control us. i think that russians are used to listen to latino, which in every year of well, maybe the interest is not as high as it was a couple of years ago because of course they already used to it. and it's a kind of standard feature. all 4 or 4 of the carbon b r i, i think the definitely the right people who are still look like are, are engaged in these press conferences. but the majority of russian saw is more focused on the day to day fight for survival if not prosperity. the head of the un relief and works agency for palestinian refugees has told al jazeera his organizations on the verge of financial collapse. philip plaza re needs warning owner while can no longer meet the growing needs of refugees in lebanon,

zen hood that has more from barrett's in exile for decades. these palestinian refugees have long lived on the margins of society. they are among the most vulnerable and poorest communities in lebanon. the situation has been made worse because the economy is close to collapse. and now there lifeline faces a shortage of funds. the financial crisis offer on one us being of an existential nature. and it's often existence in nature because we cannot properly deliver our services any more at the time to needs into come have significantly increase always providing access to education to all to buddies and reproduce. the girls and boys are in the camp and in the country we are providing assistance to more than 200000 people. we are providing primary health care lebanon's. currency crash has hurt the palestinians as well. inflation lead to food prices increasing by 10 fold. oh,

well, well, i mean people are just buying the basics. they no longer buying kilos, but in grounds for many help from the un is vital, especially since the lebanese state denies palestinians basic services. i didn't own rob provide education and medicine by this should give us more help because many people can afford to buy bread. a recent decision by the lebanese authorities to expand palestinian rights in the labor market is welcomed here as a way to deal with rising unemployment. but many tell us it's limited and what is needed is to grant them basic rights. i. i can't resist on my truck under my name. i can't even get a license to drive it. there are minimum rights which palestinians dont have. we sang the minister for the new decree, but i doubt it will resolve an environment shovel. palestinians have faced what rights groups call discriminatory policies since they 1st arrived in lebanon in

1948 successive governments, believe easing restrictions and providing them citizenship will encourage them to settle here permanently. that's why the majority rely on the informal labor market, but opportunities are drying up america. if we don't work, we can eat. and there is a much work nowadays because of the economic crisis. even before the economic collapse, lebanon's palestinians were struggling. it has since pushed more into poverty. the united nation says it now has to find money so that the crisis won't have what it calls a devastating humanitarian impact center. there al jazeera, beirut, o palestinians has taken to the streets of jericho and the occupied westbank to voice their anger at the palestinian authority. the protest took place after the funeral of a high the lid daily. he died a few days ago after palestinian security forces crashed into his car. he was

reportedly carrying a ham mass flag while he was celebrating a prisoner release. the palestinian authority is investigating his death. still ahead on how to 0. these all is are changing lives. i'm with home of the job in northern buxton, and i'll tell you about the efforts to cultivate world. ah, ah, look forward to brighter skies. the with sponsored point cuts on it weighs hello. we got a proper siberian blast coming in the cross c korean peninsula into japan at the moment some very cold air, widespread snow as well. winds coming in from a general northerly wesley direction and that will feed the snow across the korean peninsula. easing over towards northern parts of japan, they want to shout into southern areas of japan to get one in to where sas. this is

what i mean by widespread. you can see how that snow stretches right across the sea of japan. see if it snow can get the many western areas quite disruptive this. no, it will be heavy at times and it could cause some problems north of that west of that generally dry but cold, some sparkling sunshine coming through all the way of sunshine. i'm pleased to say for a good part of the philippines and 4 of them lay peninsula where we have seen our recent fighting quite a rash of showers, though into southern parts of indo china. plenty of showers across malaysia, pushing down towards indonesia and the possibility of tropical cycling, developing for christmas day, just around the t more c. not too much reading the forecast for india and for laker at present it's generally try with plenty of sunshine, a little more cloud up towards northern past as we go through friday. and on a saturday, it's winter weather coming through here as a wesley disturbance feeds in from pakistan. oh, the weather sponsored by casara always stepped beyond the comfort zone. were

assumptions or challenge travel to the ends of the earth and further experience the unimaginable of the people who live it is probably the most extreme situation i've been involved in how quickly things contract award winning documentary is that also a perception witness on al jazeera, with the me on the, on the 0 this, our officer center for disease controls as the army con,

variance is up to 80 percent less likely to put people in the hospital than the self a strain. but it says the findings are based on the region and might not apply to other countries. more than 13000000 people have in order to stay home in the eastern chinese city of g, on to 100 cohen, 1900 infections have been recorded since the beginning of the month. china is on high alerts is yours up to host the winter olympics in february. russia, as president says, it's impossible to have good relations with the current ukrainian government. a lot of pigeon accuse ukraine's leader of being under the influence of radical forces. there is rising tension between moscow, nato over ukraine or the former ukraine and president that tripler sankoh has failed to appear before. officials investigating him for treason ukrainian, prosecutors are accusing per shanker, financing pro russian separatists and dumbass by having help them sell $54000000.00 worth of coal to kiev. for

a shank denies treason. hong kong university has removed a statue commemorating the victims of the $989.00 china and square massacre, which is censored in china. the so called pillar of shame was made by a danish sculpture to symbolize the lives laws during the military crackdown. as a big reports taken down under the cover of darkness, boards were erected a random monument, which was then covered up 8 meters tall. the pillar of shame depict 50 torn and twisted bodies piled on top of each other. it symbolized lives lost during the military crackdown on pro democracy protest this beijing gentlemen square on june 4th 1989. but since october it had become an issue of dispute. the university demanding it be taken down in a state trans. they said the decision on the age statue was based on external legal advice and risk assessment for the best interest of the university they added. the

university is also very concerned about the potential safety issues resulting from the fragile statue and just like that, it was taken away and put in storage unit went down the hall and we moved to hong kong alliance has gone to hong kong university students. union is also gone, and today, given the pillar of shame has gone, maybe they just want to raise our memories of the 198910. i'm incorrect down. so we must preserve men inside against forgetting nikolai. in previous years, students gathered on june 4th to remember the event. the chinaman square authorities have now banned light and concerns about the coven. 1900 pandemic city would become his party. wants to impose here is a kind of name. yeah. what happened in china? more than 30 years ago, the move follows a controversial national security low in hong kong. last year, the last session, the version terrorism and foreign confusion to intervene in the cities of it spark

proto and criticism of beijing for containing freedoms that were promised to hong kong when it was handed back to china by britain in 1997. for now, there is an empty space with a monument once stood, but for many, even though the pillar of shame has been removed, the memory of what took place cannot be raised. i said, bake jazeera gen gulf shot is the sculptor of the pillar of shame. he says he has been trying to arrange the safe return of the artwork for months without success. this is the redistricting case and i think is the kind of attractive good fan is because i offer them for 2 months, 3 months. i have offer them to move and i and all that a lot of letters and will and then press and say we will go down town and keep it that way and put it back to europe without problem. and then here in the middle

of nowhere to date for christmas in the darkness they make a lot of gas around it. and they're not workers. and i think this is not really enough fans to do this kind of thing. this is kind of source, this is bruce a way to do that and take a look only when you have seen. and i can see a big part of the discussion is still intact in some way. i can see the this, the think part of this kind of stuff that i'm sure this is not able to do to take it down this way that do that without damage that. so cross, there is another discount. so and this is robin because it's my problem to private property and i lay some rule about that. so i see you make a crime. would take it down the private property also for an artist. so i think they have a big problem with doing that. thousands of doctors in india have gone on strike.

they're demanding. the government resumes. hiring postgraduate medics. there is a bit of recruitment freeze due to the pandemic. doctor said the delay has left government on hospitals understaffed and overwhelmed with coven. 19 patients have limited reports from india's capital, new delhi, i said, the, his ministry, a new daily where hundreds of doctors have been protesting for several weeks. these doctor, a residents belonging to several government on hospitals in india, every year, more than $40000.00 residents appear for an entrance exam piece of these results there, lot of changing supports in hospitals, but this batch of residence that process has been delayed by several months. you thought it was supposed boned on diploma 19 cases started rising in a death and then it was towed up a separate petitions will fight in the supreme court, challenging the government's decision to resolve some of these training spots, but still wanting to know what's going on exemption manpower to sharpen,

hosp producer on the stove, because more than $45.00 polls and doctors who have cleared the exam, or sitting or torn despite expectations of rhetorical review, it's to doctors or forced to sit at home. during the peak of secondary, many medical students were asked to work in hospitals, so qualified doctors are sitting at home, while unqualified ones or walking in the hospital. why residency? they have continued to show up for work for emergencies, and coven 19 related duties. 7 hospitals, which are already understaffed, had been all the way with patients waiting several hours for treatment. doctors here see they would continue to protest till their demands are met. belgium will shut down all of that nuclear power plants by 2025 gas fired plans are being considered as an option to make up the energy shortfall. the government says it still intends to keep new generation nuclear technology on the table. even though phasing out nuclear power has been part of belgium lot since 2003 the number of

people who died when a boat sunk off, madagascar has not risen to 855 of them children that happens off the north eastern coast on monday. the coast guard says 138 people were on board, the wouldn't cargo vessel which was not fit to carry passengers. only 50 people have been rescued so far. a flourishing wild all of industry in northern pakistan is providing much needed jobs. the government's hopes it'll shift people away from joining armed groups. and it could also see families paid less for food. or some of the jo vader portion bizarre high in the hindu kush mountains near the african border. these trees slowly changing lives in budge or district alone. there are millions of wild olive trees. but some old science and new interests are being grafted or joined with modern varieties. these mostly european type of volumes

produce more quantity and better quality olive oil. in 3 to 5 years, the new variant of wild trees becomes a source of revenue for local tribesmen. had very few prospects in these remote areas of pocket. son. by george is one of the poorest districts, and many people migrate to larger cities to look for jobs. the rugged terrain is unforgiving for most crops, but it's right has been able to successfully draw 10000 while trees in just what 10 years. his written books to educate farmers and also established a small nursery to help others around him improve their livelihoods. logo, hey mob. now, many of the people who went towards militants, so did so because we had no jobs, no proximity here. nobody knew, we obliterate god given resources. and if the government takes serious tips, we can have enough work here that people from other countries would come to us. economists believe locally produced oil can bring financial relief to the country. a spike assignees consume an estimated 24 kilograms of oil every year. olives are

not just providing opportunities, but are also meant to bring down the import bill of a cash strapped economy and enable plantation in areas where there's very little water. government miseries give out saplings and seeds to promote polio farming. but critics say these initiatives, lack awareness, have insufficient facilities, and mostly rely on imported seeds. the white olive tree project offers more liberal for boss on am i doing? our main focus for the olive plantations is the marginalized lands, especially the tribal areas, but shower north and south was here stone. these were militancy hit areas where people were jobless and faced extreme poverty. but now this all of initiative will bring prosperity to their lives. the minister says home rule olive, cultivation and production will save $3000000000.00 a year on imports. ah, it could also had pre pay some of the $100000000.00 debt between fuck his son in italy. in recent is 9000000 fees have been planted by cust on his 8000000 acres

available for all of trees. that's larger than spain, the largest producer of olive oil, government officials, environmentalists and farmers agree, and the positive impact growing olives can have on the economy. deforestation and jobs. yet, pakistan still spends billions of dollars a year to import commodities, which can potentially be produced at home from a job without the 0 by george northwest by his son. ah. hello again. the headlines on al jazeera africa center for disease control says the army kron variant is up to 80 percent less likely to put people in hospice, all than the delta strain of co 19. but it says it's findings are based on the region and might not apply to other countries. us health regulators of authorized.