[000:00:00;00] a mm mm this is al jazeera ah, hello, i'm emily anglin. this is the news al alive from doha, coming up in the next 60 minutes. the us and europe report record clothing 19 infections, but more evidence suggest the only con variant is malta and other strains. south korean government pardons, former president pock gwen hay who's been serving

a 22 year sentence for corruption. police in india have begun an investigation into video, showing him do religious latest calling, genocide against muslims. and as christian celebrate christmas eve, where live in bethlehem in the occupied west bank to see how the pandemic is affecting these his preparations. ad. i'm devin ash, with sport is covet, cancellations, course fixture pile up in the english premier league. manchester cities off suggests that i is to go on strike to demand a lie. so what played ah, we begin this news hour in the u. k. where on christmas eve prime minister boris johnson is urging the public to get a boost to shot appointments for cove and 19 vaccines are being made available for christmas and boxing day johnsons,

largely resisted calls for ty to restrictions for the holidays. despite the fuss spread of the army corn variant, though the time for buying presents is theoretically running out. there is still a wonderful thing. you can give your family, the whole country. that is to get that job. whether it's your 1st to real 2nd or your booster. so that next year's festivities are even better than this years. and in the meantime, i thank you. i wish you all a very merry christmas or a challenge he is following this story for us live from louis, just outside of london. hello there, rory johnson, as we just heard, used his christmas message to urge people to get a booster. what else did he say? well, i think the, the main message is for johnsons, christmas address, where as he say, get through state banks to everyone that's been toiling in the national health

service. and that he hopes that this christmas will be better than the last. in many ways, this was a classic johnson speech full of johnson is inside may, may they be kind of, we're familiar cultural references or ambitious rhetorical segue. he was talking about the families who might need a bigger turkey this year. have more sprouts to appeal, need more washing up to do. he said, that's all to the good because that means that more people are able to get together with their families. and with our loved ones, he's talking about. if you have more scrum pulled up, wrapping paper again. that's good because it's shows that people have been giving each other the invaluable presence of vaccines which has enabled them to get together more than they were last year. he interesting rhetorical segue as well. perhaps in saying that that jesus would have wanted us to get vaccine or something along those lines. that loving your neighbor is something that jesus would have

would have recommended, did recommend, and vaccines our way to love one's neighbor. we also had a christmas address from pakistan, who's the leader of the labor party, the opposition a bit more, somebody from him, he was talking about that too much suffering too much loss being experienced. that too many families have one fewer chairs at the christmas table. lissy again, he thanked the n h s. this christmas definitely is better than the last one. last one was cancelled or the last minute, but with on the chrome searching, there is still a big shadow hanging over the sensitivities. they sent leaves rory, how is that vaccine roll out going, given that johnson is urging everyone to get a booster well, it st. surging ahead. trying to keep pace with the alma chrome variance itself trying to piece it's the, there are vaccine. places that are available today,

tomorrow and christmas day and on boxing day. now normally those, those are the holidays for most people, but the you can still go and get your vaccine in the u. k. if you, if you need to there, the number of cases is still breaking reco. it's pretty much every day. the thursday figures were nearly a 120000 new infections. now that is the highest number of the pandemic. so far, this week records have been falling most days. so the good news, as we have been hearing, is that homer crone does seem to be less severe than the other variance. the evidence that is coming from global studies at the moment suggests that it's perhaps between 30 and 70 percent less likely to put you in a hospital than say, the delta area was bus. of course, the big question is, as it is so infectious,

infecting more people, been del, today's dates, there is still a chance that the burden on the chess or how services around the world could still be unacceptable. that's right. thank you very much. worry for that update. we're a challenge live for us in louis friday, maximum sin, south africa or announced the very 1st cases, ami chrome, which continues to drive record searches of private 19 across the world. as we heard from maureen, the very and has thrown holiday gatherings and travel plans into this rang new york's man has scaled back the cds, famed new you fav celebrations. is gabriel alexander reports from new york on 42nd street in midtown manhattan. the lines in covey testing sites are long all day from morning until night demand for tess, far outstripping supply. new york city is the u. s. epicenter for the army. kron

variant case is exploding to nearly 20000 positive cases a day. more than 90 percent. being attributed to ami kron, it's driving everyone to get tested. when i was in line, we had people going abroad. we had people who had to be tested every week and a half. we had people like me who were exposed. we had people who didn't feel wealth officials so far had declined to impose anymore locked downs, but are scrambling to ramp up new test sites. officials here urging new yorkers not to panic, saying this isn't march 2020. when the city was put on lock down and morgues were filled with coven victims, the mayor on thursday said he would scale back the new year's eve celebration in time square from 60000 spectators 215000. but he's yet to cancel it altogether. i won't be really clear. will everyone give me a tough few weeks, but it will only be a few weeks?

i'm a cron is come on real fast, but it will be over soon. ah, i am adamant and have had this conversation with mayor like, adams, i know he feels the same way. we are not shutting down. we are not falling back. we're going to fight our way through this. but it's not just here in new york. less than a month after 1st arriving in the u. s. army kron has now been identified in all 50 states in neighboring new jersey. more than 15000 new covey cases were reported. on thursday, nearly double the states pandemic record. the mayors of new jerseys to largest cities, newark and jersey city both tested positive in washington dc, a surgeon new corona virus cases colliding with a rush and holiday travel. at the cities, main trained terminal. travelers are nervous. a lot of people at my work have just tested positive, i have still testing negative, so definitely the past few days,

in particular with the record highest and a lot more hesitant about travel america is right in the middle of another coven search. this one called ami kron, which seemingly everyone rushing to find out if they have it. gabriel, is aldo, i'll gita new york. in europe, italy has banned public celebrations. phonies ave, after a record number of infections there, the government says, masks must now be worn out. tools under the new rules, people who haven't been vaccinated will be banned from entering museums, exhibitions, and amusement parks. while infections in spain, so to a new record on thursday, with almost 73000 cases reported people living in catalonia region will be banned from leaving their home between one and 6 in the morning. that includes the city of barcelona. april has made vaccinations against coven 19

a mandatory. only those with medical conditions that could be complicated by the jap will be exempt. how's officials concerned by the increase and circulation of new variance is estimated. 77 percent of the population have already been inoculated. while cuba has managed to achieve one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, despite a battle against an economic crisis, the government has developed its arm vaccine and has administered at least one dose to most to the population. ed augustine has more from the capital havana. cuba says, as no vaccinated over 90 percent of its population with at least one dose of anti vaccine. that's true. it means that of all countries in the world with a population of over 1000000, only the united arab emirates now has about the records. now there's no way of independently verifying the se, spigots, however, they do have the ring of truth. back in august of the peak of the demick that they said about 910000 people a day were coming down because of it right now. the infection rates according to the site, is less than $100.00

a day. so that's the one percent of this summer's peak and living and reporting here in cuba over the summer and plenty of people that came down to it on people that died from david. right now, reality has been transformed. i don't know anyone with kind of it, and when i asked friends neighbors, i didn't know anyone. the answer, the almost invariably comes back is no human spring became the smallest country in the world to develop its own code. vaccines and distribution for them has been relatively easy. it's a lot, but i think sometime and also the other important medicine is free at the points of use. and the country has the highest doctor to patient ratio of any country in the world. the roll out happened to the very, very quick click with international tourist. finally, returning the communist party, i'm going to hope that internationalism on the revenue associated with it, will be able to drag to cuba, drag this country out of what is a very, very deep economic crisis. okay, so let's have

a look at the data which suggest omicron is milder than previous variance. you case health security agencies. as people with the variance are estimated to be up to 70 percent less likely to be admitted to hospital. imperial color found people infected with ami, calling a 40 percent less likely to be in hospital for night or more compared to the delta variance and very early data from the university of edinburgh suggest a 2 thirds reduction in the risk of ending up in the hospital on tuesday, a study from south africa showed people infected 17 to 80 percent less likely to have to be admitted. ok, let's bring in that. profess cheryl cohen, who is a senior author of that south african study at the national institute for communicable diseases. she joins us live from johannesburg. thanks for being on the news. our professor. so there's been a fair bit of doom and gloom ahead of this festive season, but this study that you've been involved in has provided

a little bit of good news. tell us more so absolutely. i think certainty when you merged and cases are going up so rapidly and then there was evidence of the mean escape. also in south africa, we felt really gloomy about it. and then part of the, i'm in the, if it, they make, they were early signs that, that this variance really seem to be less severe. the cases were going to rapidly, and the hospitalizations weren't going up that fast. but we really had to be cautious because we know in the cases that could take time for the via to these 2 to occur. but what we did in our study really is that we took the cases from the very early phases of the epidemic. so really the 1st, the 1st couple of weeks when ami connie merged and we made use of the special characteristics, some of your uses may have heard of that. the army kron virus. when you test on one of the common p, c r t s, it has something called s gene target failure,

which basically means that the p c are on one of the target negative because of the so many changes really in the, in the conversion. and using this as a signal that a lot of to tell them and all the people tasted who had to make one of you didn't. we could quite rapidly establish what we call a cohort group of people who have make on and those you don't have a problem. and then really look at them and compare the outcome. what sustains, get admitted to hospital, and among those and hospital, what casino have severe outcomes. and as you mentioned, what we found these really that in the same period in that early period, the people who had army kron were 80 percent less likely to be admitted to hospital . and when we compared those army current patients in the early wave to people in the delta wave. so the previous wave, we also found a man talks about people, they were 70 percent less likely to develop severe disease. and importantly, we really way to from the time of diagnosis, we gave it

a whole 3 weeks for those people to actually have got severe disease or got admitted to hospital. so. so, you know, the vast majority of those people would have had a severe disease if they were going to get it so, so we feel that these are not sorry to interrupt. the professor only comes only been around for about a month. is that really enough time to get a sense of its impact? do you think so? so, so we reported on the crime, but in fact, when we look so, so called what's sequence and reported right? but it was associated with the signal. so in fact, when we look back in south africa, american had been circulating for a few weeks before the actual dates that the virus was discovered. does that make sense? so we went back so. so because the south africa was really the 1st to pick the 10 for, you know, that's what really allowed us to be able to, to look at this. because obviously the, you know, the cases what any, but then the sequel. so really wants the cases where we infect increasing. sure, said professor, what else we able to glean from this study in terms of long term impacts of the vars?

will this mean that other strains because i'm sure there will be other strains. will they follow a similar path and that severity then continue to reduce? yeah, so that's the key question and i think, you know, when we look at the finding that we have offered you severity, they really ought to possible explanation. then i think it's likely both of them contribute to the one is that potentially the virus is actually intrinsically less than there are some early data to suggest was ample, the, to the parts of the body that a target in the line might be different then contribute to it actually being intrinsically less likely to cause severe disease. but the other important contribution is the role of pre existing immunity. so the info, the africa, more than 70 percent of people have had soft covey to before. and many people have also had vaccination. and so even though the people included in our study and then we know on the problem is more likely to cause a breakthrough in fiction. so many of the american patients will actually have had

previous conviction over explanation. so. so part of this reduce severity might actually just be that in many, many people they've already had it before. they have some level of immunity for that is good news. i'm already sure up professor, but we are just running short of time and i feel like we've got a sense of the study from you and your passion is infectious. so thank you very much for being on this news. our plenty more ahead to honestly valid, including repair and rebuild its saying that 5 months since germany was here to be flooding. but some people have not been able to return home. how female journalist seem to ask and his son is struggling to keep their jobs under taliban rule. and all b n b i action coming up in school to carry delivery, another shooting master class to lead the warriors to victory

ah, to the world news now and at least 59 people have been killed after fight. ferry caught fire in bangladesh. dozens of people suffered injuries rescue team has managed to save passengers. some passengers, but local sources say the death toll is likely to rise very was over crowded with 500 people. police in the northern indian state of georgia, correct can to has, have launch to have speech investigation following a meeting of hindu religious leaders. videos from last week's event showed them calling for genocide and use of weapons against muslims. it sparked outrage on social media after the footage went viral for more on the story lights bringing penny mitchell, who's law for us in new delhi. hello, there had me. what's the latest on this investigation?

so the latest is that a week off to this event, are the police has registered a case against one bus. and now the event in question was a conclave of sword organized by religious hindu leaders in a template town. in northern india, the town is considered to be wholly by many hindus. now, at this event, many inflammatory speeches were made, they called for genocide, similar to what we saw in man mar against their will, hunger and all of this is on chip. the speeches went viral, so the police has evidence of reader, graphic evidence, but nothing else has actually been done. in fact, the, the organizer of the event is a repeat offender. this is not the 1st sign that he has made anti minority or rather anti muslim statements statements. in fact, he recently gave an interview saying that he stands by what he says and is not afraid of getting arrested. and the reason is that many of these leaders who are

there and meet these speeches enjoy our. 8 support and friendship of members belonging to prime minister and the reigns are mo, these political party. that is the part of the gentle party or the b j. b. of interesting need. the one person who against whom the case has been registered, is someone who recently converted he was muslim and now goes by a him to name. but none of the other leaders and you have evidence on tape. have had any case who just said against them or i had me, we do have to move on, but we appreciate that update. have me michel live for us in the new jelly. thank you for listening. authorities say the know them village of bircher in the occupied west bank has been attacked by israeli settlers. demonstrations there earlier in the day turned violent, and israeli soldiers used t gas against palestinians harry force. it has been covering the story from west jerusalem. this is an extremely serious incident in the northern part of the occupied west bank in and around the village of burka,

which has been exceptionally tense. in recent days, the municipal government of the biggest close town nablus has said that hundreds of israeli settlers attacked the village under cover of night, the dozens were trying to get into individual homes. as part of that, a cemetery was also attacked. stones were thrown, dozens of palestinians injured, a significant number of those also injured by rubber coated steel. bullets were told, there were clashes between is ready, soldiers, and villages. during the course of the day, all of this happening in the hours after a major rally by settlers near the illegal outpost of homage which was very close to burka or we could go there. there was a shooting attack attributed to palestinian islamic jihad in which a part, a jewish settler was killed. his family leading this rally at which some 15000

people it's estimated were in attendance. most of them going home, as the rally came to an end, but a significant hard core staying on, and it is from that number. we understand that there was a significant attack on this village. south korea has pardoned former president park gwinn, hey, who's been serving a 22 year sentence for corruption. park became the country's 1st democratically elected later to be thrown out of office in 2017. as alexia bryant reports park on hays removal from office and erased in 2017, was a dramatic fall from grace that saw her go from south korea's president to prisoner . she's been serving a 22 year sentence for corruption, but the government's pardon will see her released on december 31st along with around 3000 others. how are you putting on your credit score? we have included former president park and he and former prime minister,

hung young shook to list to overcome unfortunate past history and cries of covert 19 about realized peoples unity and provide a chance to take a new step forward to the future. little park is currently in hospital and analysts believe that played a part in her imminent release. i think it's really her dancing age and her health issues. she's had physical and mental health issues since impeachment i am, she's pretty clearly not going to have any kind of meaningful political role in korean life she's allowed, got home is appears going to happen. hawk was one seen as political royalty, the daughter, a former president part young he, she served his acting 1st lady after her mother was killed and 974, joe young. so yes, i got one young in 2013 parkin. hay became the country's 1st female leader scoring a decisive victory for her conservative policy. but she suffered

a sharp drop in public support after more than 300 people, mostly children drowned when a fairy capsized in 2014 just 2 years later. and now the police call scandal engulfed her administration after an old friend choice, and so was alleged to have used her influence over the president to meddle in state affairs. hundreds of thousands of people gathered every weekend to demand parks resignation. there was celebrations when she was impeached, thrown out of office, and later jailed for collusion with joy to receive billions of dollars from major companies. the scandal also landed heads of 2 conglomerates and prison. what occurred in the blue house during her reign was unacceptable. our boy and their corruption indeed, but on overall i, i personally didn't feel that she was deeply involved into these, into the entire scheme and so on. she has been jailed. she's in poor health. i feel

like the time is right to let her go and give her the pardon. at the moment of the pa, mom, i feel upset as a citizen. i feel that it's regrettable that such a decision was made all of a sudden when it would undo what was achieved through the candlelight vigils. almost all of south koreans, former presidents have been implicated and corruption scandals lenient back. the only living ex president aside from park is also in prison. he didn't receive a pardon alex there, brian al jazeera i said to you cry now where it's top court has semen president, let me zelinski in a law suit lodged by his predecessor, petro. par shankar, be nelson, comes a day after parsha and go himself fell to a people full prosecutors in mesquite, investigating him for treason. you crime excuses, parsha co of financing pro russian separatists in dumbass by helping them sell

$54000000.00 worth of call to kiev per shanker. denies the char jen has demanded. the court forces the landscape to provide proof in 2019 zelinski scored a landslide victory in the countries presidential election against par shanker. he since pledged to route at corruption and investigate the previous administration for more on the story lead. bringing lexi harass who is a professor of comparative politics at the kiev mar healer academy. he joins us from the ukrainian capital. thanks for being on this news. our alexi. is there any basis on the for this charge against the former president? i reason is that the ratings of ryan, so in order to get the initiative, he resigned or 2 weeks and that was a whole whole story. so basically,

it's more than that in the great studio. so with the landscape now being summoned by your ukraine's top court, what did they say about par shane? cuz claps with zelinski now being summoned to the top court. what does this say about par shane coast, position and strength domestically? this has been more so they should have and so when we go to crash, the pollution energy system is so important . so we can, but i do,

even though we go away the fortune saying this is not because we have that from rash or what's your forces all the border actually we've never shown you pre position in the store. we say by that. so this should be, should have no difference. so that was for my horses and women. and that's why i was in 2000 elections and one last slide. so we

decided he said, when he was now, why don't we say this will be in a position, but i will be why the last forces needed to be actually one of the patterns you are from june 2016 when i read it. so just read it, but why need to national change again to use these were actually what thank you very much profession. we do have to move on, lexi harass, professor of comparative politics. thanks right here. down for us on this news,

our still ahead on al jazeera guilty of manslaughter. a us court convicts a white police officer who's shot at a black man and a traffic stop in minnesota. winning was land. our competition is empowering the youth and my boy. and we hear from england, cricket captain joe rouge on what hugh side must do to wrestle control back from the ivy in the ashes. ah hey there, here's your weather in a minute 15. hello everyone. good to see you quite the temperature, divide west versus east london double digits at 10 degrees, moscow minus 9, and then caught in the middle here we've got warming cold air fighting it out, and eventually that cold air will win out. so for example, probably goes from 10 degrees on friday down to just 3 on saturday and for that