america is a region of wonder, i'm joy tragedy, and yes of violet. but it doesn't matter where you are. you have to be able to relate to the human condition with no code which is a life. and it's my job to shed light on how and why lou, this is al jazeera. ah, you're watching. the news are alive from a headquarters in ohio, very novel gays are coming up in the next 60 minutes. the u. k. government says the army con variance have covered 19 is less likely to result in hospice hood missions, but concerns remain as infections right across europe. russia, as president says he wants to avoid conflict with ukraine on the west than his annual end of year news conference. a hong kong university removes the pillar of

shame, a thing of statue martin, the gentleman square massacre will hear from its sculptor and un relieve it. works agency says it's on the verge of collapse and can't meet the needs of palestinian refugees in lebanon. i'm devin, ashwin, sports type in 19 it continues to disrupt the english. premier league is 2 more matches of hold off and worries over player welfare, manchester city balls. pet gabriella, says butler's, and mainly to threaten to strike if they want the concerns taken seriously. ah, hello, welcome to the news our a fossil official daughter out of the u. k. has revealed, the army kron variance have covered 19 is up to 70 percent. less likely to result at a hospital admissions been dealt or was but be highly infectious strain as pushing daily crew and a virus tally is to record highs with a 120000 new cases in the u. k. on thursday,

its health agency has revealed in figures released on thursday, that protection from vaccine boosters starts to wade after 10 weeks. now france has also reported its highest ever daily number of new infections with 8000 cases in the last 24 hours. the country's health minister says that will likely lead to new restrictions. new york is once again the f. a sensor in the us cases there have jumped by 60 percent compared to last week. let's find out more about new york and bringing gabriel. he's on though he's joining us from the city. gabriel. tell us more about the rise in numbers and what officials are saying the numbers have gone up exponentially here in new york city. and it was almost like, as one official described, it, a wave they saw coming on to the, to the beach if you will. and then it's just crashing down. and that's essentially, is this official explain it to me exactly. what's happening right now with the i'm

a crime variant here in new york city city. now the national center of the pandemic here in the united states. and the issue is testing. there is simply not enough testing sites for the thousands and thousands of people that want to get tested here. and this is just started in the last few days. really. we're here on 42nd street in midtown manhattan, and this is just one of the more than 110 city run testing sites here in new york city. in some areas, the lines have stretched around the block with hundreds of people arriving. sometimes even an hour before some of these testing sites open. this is right outside grand central terminal, the biggest, one of the biggest transit hubs in midtown manhattan. and if you go down the block in either direction, there's a different tent that's set up for testing on every single block. now the senator

of new york, one of the senators chuck humour, he's calling on the white house to send more testing site here. federal testing sites by fema, they're starting to send 6, they say. but in the words of the senator chuck schumer, he says that is not enough for the magnitude of this crisis that new york is facing right now. it's not only here, all 50 states have have reported cases of record, but it's really condensed. here in the northeast of the united states, particularly washington, d. c. maryland. new jersey, neighboring new jersey, massachusetts as well. this is clearly becoming in the words, the sen, a crisis, primarily because the number of people in new york city about 9 to 10000000 people here. including an increasing number of tourists from around the world who are

flocking back to new york. now to take part in holiday. busy winter new year's festivities on that note. the famous times square, new new year's eve ball drop is still expected to happen. all the visitors are required to be vaccinated. however, the mayor of new york city said that he is starting to reconsider those plans. and he said he will make a decision in the next 24 to 48 hours. if they decide to cancel new year's eve celebrations here in new york at the bottom line is, as you can see from the line behind me, there is more demand for testing than there is supply here in new york. but especially throughout the united states right now. all right, gabriel, thank you so much. i know you'll keep across the story for us for the time being. thank you. let's get more now on the findings from the u. k. health agency with dr . mohammed minear. he's a, her ologist, a lancaster university,

and that's where he's joining us from via skype, thanks for speaking to us. so, and their latest reports released earlier today. the u. k. health sector security agency is reporting this ami kron is more contagious, but less severe. that seems to be the take away message. can we be cautiously optimistic? what, what's your response to the findings? yeah, i think the report that we have to do from the u. k. security l t. c. i think this is really encouraging. it has 2 important point. one is that really testifying the observation that we were having that all makes want appear to be less severe. and that data is the same as we have observed in south africa. we are, we have a lot of information out there at the same as been in denmark and in nor dates, so that, that is really good news. but a little bit of worrying point is that the report also indicates that the, the vaccine, particularly the booster has a very short lived antibody responses against a symptomatic infection. and that appeared to be only 2 and a half month. and that is, of course about the sim,

symptomatic infection. it probably would have more protection against the closing. and that, that is something that we will be looking into bit more closely. specifically, on the point of the data suggests that protection against, on the ground starts the wayne 10 weeks after the booster vaccination. so does that suggest to you then the 4th job is going to be forthcoming or imminent will at the moment be 15 to 25 percent reduce to efficacy off the boost up against the symptomatic infection, which mean that it was the vaccine? preventables? what will certainly provide protection against hospice, lies ation. and that's so that is again, just to emphasize that the boosters are really the strongest tool that we have at the moment to, to curtail this infection. but moving forward, one of the major problem that we have seen in recent time, particularly in the countries where the high level of vaccines it has been, is the longevity of the amine responses,

the level of antibodies go up very quickly, but then they vain. and as they vain that mean people are likely to be re infecting that required boosting. and as, as, as you alluded, i think that is very likely that we will be moving into the 4th of those. as opposed to again, i mean, many countries including israel, they are already concerned about what to know about how the data was collated for this study. i think that is really important and tactful that you brought this one up the study that has been conducted here in england and in scotland. that is primarily in the younger population, people less than 40 years old, which mean that the cobra 1900 a has been pretty mild in that age anyways. so i think still need to be watched. busy what will happen if all mcclellan break into the either the vulnerable groups or elderly people, 60 years above or in children. there, we don't really know what that the, that the apology and the disease sweetie. infection would be. but in all sense,

i mean we have had some infections in. a in, in south africa, northern denmark there actually people also have a minor infraction, but that is, that doesn't indicate that it is a nerd by to still have a potential to cause severity of the disease, but the percentage is very low. okay. when they get there. thank you so much, dr. mohammed. money for speaking to us from lancaster. thanks for having me. now, south africa has approved booster shots of johnson and johnson's corona, virus vaccine. it's one of the most widely used across africa because it's a single those shot and doesn't need to be kept in ultra cold storage. recent data suggest the kronos break in south africa, may have peak about a month after it was detected their family down there 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 are the death rate at this stage, they say that it potentially on the corner is less causes 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 coven 19 continues to rise. in fact, the numbers are fluctuated in south africa. but according to the africa, cdc, the increase or the average increase in new infections in southern africa, alone over about a 4 week period has been 203 percent. so yes, they continues to be that concern around just how contagious this variant is. but because the south african leafs, verse and sciences and authorities here are, seems fewer people in the hospital and when they are in hospital, they stay for a very short time. and they're also seeing very few debts, the highest number at those point of the 4th wave in south africa has been 99 deaths in one day, and that is far less than what was experienced previously. so they are cautiously

optimistic, but also they are 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 were previously infected and may have the antibodies to fight off the new variant, even though there was concern about an escape around immunity. zimbabwe ends living and working in south africa had been forced to counsel plans to head home for christmas. many can't afford to pay for mandatory hotel quarantine. as a result, south african bus companies are struggling for business. chilion wolf reports from cater. usually at the son of year, these bus seats will be packed with them. barbarians heading home to spend christmas with their families. but not this year. after new quarantine restrictions were introduced in zimbabwe to curve the spread of the omicron variant of coven 19 . it's also bad news for bus companies. augustine's business would normally send

for buses a day each carrying around 60 passengers. now it's just one. sometimes with us he was 5 on board with study under this. he gives his he is way to carry on the book. i'm not sure you saw on the day this is covered giving all good people or does care good is remote they're getting put under so on his law is upon the mother of him of this year it was hoped the festive season would help businesses recover financially. after the pandemic shuts south africa's borders from much of last year. micro me said is affected business a lot because quite a, quite, quite the number of people on the lake able to travel. and i also am on site. we can not be able to make our plans for the holiday on the during that we have to especially the issues of credit in

a if you get into current. and now it's gonna take about 14 days and then the whole it is all already over. the reason ruling requires incoming travelers to quarantine and government approved facilities at their own expense. it's a cost many zimbabwe and migrant workers in south africa cannot afford. here in south africa, the minimum wage around $21.00 ran an hour and us dollars the currency uses and but wait, that's a $1.46. imagine just how much people would have to stay in order to both travel and quarantine. it's the exchange rate that makes it impossible for most workers to go home. it also means and bob way struggling economy will not get it's desperately needed annual influx of foreign currency. those in bob wins who do make the 24 hour long trip home are using up their savings and borrowing from others. some say they really have no choice. you can live off. you can stay married 3 years or years 5 years without senior played in difficulties. and also what children, what the,

you see now we see must see them in be the must you go that 5. we are now for those fortunate to be going home. thompson, with family, despite had quarantines. first far outweighs the financial burdens waiting for them when they return. usually wolf, al jazeera cape town. russia's president putin says it's impossible to have good relations with the current ukrainian government. he made the comment during his annual end of your news conference, who went on to accuse ukraine's leader president, vo mirror zalinski of being under the influence of what he called radical forces. comes at a time of rising tension between moscow, nato and its allies over ukraine. 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 conferences, 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's 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, a 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 count town. andrew kristen off as a 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 couldn't make, saw on the emphasis on the resilience of the ocean economy. i hear underscored does that to the russian economy ah declined, ah, but nato as, as deep as many other economists and all the recovery turned out to lou foster that in many of the countries. so he sold it to us somewhat optimistic or 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 are they already used to it and it's a kind of standard feature are all for all 4 of the curved and b r r, i think there are definitely the right people who are still look white or are engaged in the ser, press conferences. but the majority of russian saw is more focused on the day to day fighter for survival. if not prosperity here with the news alan al jazeera, there's been some are had, including the china locked down a city of 13000000 after rise in corona virus cases, dozens killed in melissa after some of the worst flooding of recent times. we

follow the clean up operation and coming up in support. there's major concern among premier league manager is over issues relating to kind of 19 and player welfare. ah, but 1st the us president joe biden has signed a bill into law that bans imports from china as jin jang region. unless companies can prove forced labor was not you. the u. s. the case try enough committing genocide in its treatment of most a weaker. they're basing has denounced the ban and says, washington is making up excuses to control chinese imports. companies like my apple and coca cola the do business in the region have also criticize the law. hong kong university has removed a statue commemorating the victims of the 1989 gentlemen square massacre, which is censored in china. the so called pillar of shame was made by danish

sculptor to symbolize the lives lost during the military crack down. i said big reports taken down under the cover of darkness, boards were erected around the 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 last year in the military crack down on pro democracy protest. this invasion 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. when we got down the hall and we moved

to, hong kong airlines 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 moment. in previous years, students gathered on june 4th to remember the event. the chinaman square authorities have now banned lighting concerns about the cove. in 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 city. the fed. it's bob culture and criticism of beijing containing freedoms that were promised to hong kong when it was handed back to china by britain in 97. for now there is an empty

space with the 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 vague, jiro, jans golf shot as the sculptor of the pillar of shame. he says he has been trying to arrange the safe return of the art work for months without success. this is the redistricting case and i think is the kind of a good fantasy because i offer them for 2 months, 3 months, i offer them to move and i and all that and a lot of letters and in the press and he said 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 i think this is not really not fans to do this kind of thing. this is kind of source,

this is bruce a way to do that. then take a look only when you have seen and i can see a big part of discovery 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. so across the is another discount. so, and this is a problem because my problem is private property and i lay some rude about that. so i see you make a crime. would take it down the private policy also for an artist. so i think they have a big problem with doing that. parts of the philippines continue to suffer from the aftermath of typhoon right. at least 375 people have been killed, and millions are homeless without food and clean drinking water. but as barnaby lo reports, the government has declared a state of calamity. a move expected to get aid to victims. soon. one

week since typhoon rides smashed into the central in southern philippines. some the worse devastation is still being uncovered. far flung towns almost completely flattened. local said a storm was reminiscent of typhoon haines. in 2013. what are the most powerful in recorded history? but last weeks covered a wider area. hundreds of thousands of families across several provinces are now in evacuation centers, while some adapted to rebuild their homes out of scrap materials, president of riga to tirty has declared what he calls a state of calamity in order to release of $200000000.00 in government funds the declaration on the state of calamity relation to the school and believed under habilitation edwards, of the government and private sector. this will also be unaffected mechanics him to gone through the process of woods, uncommonly dis,

air and areas. foreign governments have also pledged support with canada, the european union in south korea, each donating between $2.00 and $3000000.00 they noted states is providing $200000.00 in immediate assistance. more help is on the way to victims of typhoon right? but all indications are that recovery will take time. power and communication lines are slowly being restored, but there is an urgent need for food and lean drinking water. find a below al jazeera manila, the deaths hole for major flooding and malaysia has risen to at least $37.00. the floods triggered by days of heavy rain have also displaced nearly 70000 people. in per hiring state, several towns remained cut off. florence louis reports from carrack militia central peninsula. the water levels in this river in pa, hung state malaysia may have gone down. but the destruction caused by the floods is

evident. water overflow down to highways, making some roads impossible for days. per hung is the worst hit state. with around 40000 people displaced. some towns are still cut off, accessible only by boat. but in some areas, flood waters have begun to receive. and people are starting to return to their homes, to count the cost of the damage to rebuild their lives. in america, of course i am disappointed with the government hasn't help if i'm relying on friends. what else can i do? water rose quickly and unexpectedly leaving many with barely enough time to save themselves, much less salvage their belongings. the damage is extensive. vehicles have to be written off. furniture appliances thrown away. people here estimate ill take 2 weeks to clean their homes, and that task has been made more difficult because water and electricity supply

haven't been restored. non governmental organizations, charities, and volunteers have been turning up to distribute aid. a plantation near by has sent its workers and tractors to help with the cleanup. you know what i felt ago because in for, from this yourself, we know the people here. they're like our brothers and sisters. that's why we had to help out if we don't who will? the relief centers are full. some say they're worried about the risk of contracting? coven 19. but there's nowhere else to go. i natural jana 4 months pregnant with her 2nd child says she's grateful. they got out alive a for the aid nathan, about us. they do what rose to chest level. i was really scared because that never happened before. i messaged my family to ask them to get help to me, but they said emergency rescue had been deployed to places. there were even more badly affected officials of warned that could be more flooding of the coming weeks

. with the monsoon season set to run through to february, florence li al jazeera kara, perhaps state malaysia still had on the other zeros our. these olives are changing lives. i'm with my mom and joey, the northern focus on and i'll tell you about the efforts to cultivate more of them and coming up in sports, we'll hear from the australia credit coaches aside for parents, for the 3rd as his test against england in melbourne. ah, hello, they welcome selected, international forecasts could catch them. raymond cutter this weekend, the up, that's the 1st time for around 7 or 8 months, so it will be notable. but hang your hat on that, there's this line of cloud here that is thinking further southward, some wet weather, possibly on that as it moves further south was,

was the temperature syn rear dropping from around 25 celsius to around 17 degrees. we hang on to that, so 25 here in doha. you can just make out the still larry of rain just started to push in on too much, but a chance to some wet weather coming in as we go on through the next couple of days though. the north sprinkling of showers for some, but nothing too much to speak of. plenty a shower. meanwhile, across the tropical belt of africa could even see some showers still air into southern parts of kenya, southern areas of uganda, much of the democratic republic of congo. course those showers northern angola still very wet, wet weather. they're coming backed out across much of zambia, zimbabwe, and the shower starting to pare park now for central and southern parts of mozambique . still a few showers there into the east side of south africa, but the wet weather will tend to push a little further northward as we go one through sas day rain, really setting in us into central parts of mozambique and also added jessica.

ah, or i've always been fascinated by space, but the story, the space race isn't just about the men who wish their lives to travel and see i know. but the ones who held those lives in their hands. grandfather and his colleagues worked on the space suits they designing space. shoot. hello aladdin was his try on more all around and the policy design space suits were his legacy. putting man on the moon on al jazeera, when the news break side is tornado destroyed. everything it touched in mayfield when people need to be heard and the story town, he has done his job to tell us what's going on with exclusive interviews and in depth reports i get on my right the wind. just b, l g 0 has teens on the ground to bring you more award winning documentaries and

lives on air and online move ah ah, hello again. the top stories on the al jazeera news, our, the, you can health agency says people are up to 70 percent less likely to be admitted to a hospital with ami kron, than if they already have delta variant. but it's warren, that protection from the virus starts to drop off 10 weeks after a booster shots brush, as president says, it's impossible to have good relations with the current ukrainian government, whatever. who's an excuse ukraine's leader of being under the influence of radical forces.