oh no, just 0. 0, a hopefully from the hour, more than 2000 flights of counsel globally on christmas eve, the latest blow served by the army cron variance of the current of virus. towns are united, delta airlines say the virus is taken its full on their south. at least 39 people have died after a ferry caught fire and bangladesh rescue teams managed to save some passengers. but local sources say the devil is likely to rise. the ferry was overcrowded, then it was carrying up to 800 people. christmas celebrations have begun in bethlehem. the biblical birthplace of jesus christ for the outbreak of the only con

variance has many fewer events this year. well, let's return to our top story and that's on the raising infections from covered 1900 new variant. and so far, the data suggest that on the crime is milder than previous variance that you case health security agencies. as people with the very end are estimated to be up to 70 percent less likely to be admitted to hospital imperial college from people infected with ami kron are 40 percent less likely to be in hospital for a night or more. that's compared to the delta variance and very early data from the university of edinburgh indicates a 2 thirds reduction and the risk of ending up in hospital. then on tuesday, there was a study from south africa, which showed that people infected or 70 to 80 percent less likely to have to be admitted. professor cheryl cohen is a senior author of that south african study at the national institutes for communicable diseases and has more on her teams findings. when we look at this

finding that we have overdue severity, they really are 2 possible explanations and 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 that the parts of the body that a target in the life might be different and 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 in south africa, more than 70 percent of people have had soft coffee to before. and many people have also had vaccination. and so in the, the people included in our study and then we know army crime is more likely to cause a breakthrough infection. so many of the american patients will actually have had previous conviction of 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. and when we

compare those on the current patients in the early wave to people in the delta wave . so the previous wave, we also found a mass hospice about people. they were 70 percent less likely to develop severe disease. and, and importantly, we really waited 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 data are not quite about false roja, sort of the wait time for booster shots and a bit to increase protection against the army kron people. larry can now get their 3rd dose for months after the 2nd shot. australia has seen record infection numbers, although hospitalizations remain low. prime minister scott morrison has ruled out returning to a lockdown. ecuador has made vaccinations against coven 1900 mandatory. only those of medical conditions that could be complicated by the job will be exempt. health

officials are concerned by the increase on circulation of new variance. it's estimated 77 percent of the population have already been inoculated. we're going to take it to the life picture right now where parents is holding christmas mass at the main altar of saint peters basilica. there it is. a greater number of pilgrims are permitted to attend this year, and thus compared to last year on christmas day, hope frances will give a traditional blessing and will address conflict as well as humanitarian crises around the world in well, churchgoers, across the philippines have been eager to worship since the government, east corona virus restrictions ahead of christmas until recently, services that either been online or with very limited attendance allowed for him to be low reports from annella inside and outside

a crowd of worshippers. as far as the eyes can see, for most filipinos christmas is a sacred holiday that is incomplete without attending church, often daily in the week leading up to christmas edition on a nightly christmas mathis, or an important filipino or the shot. there were even some less here, despite the pandemic, although very limited. a for in person in the philippines is really different. i don't know just very, very happy with the philippines cove 19 situation has improved considerably. daily infections have only been in a hundreds for weeks now and would most curbs lifted. the one place filipinos have not been hesitant to congregate, is here. filipinos are some of the most devout catholics in the world. each year during the christmas season, churches are filled with the faithful,

pre dawn for 9 days of masses. last year, however, over 19 restrictions forced this tradition move mostly online. the services are still streamed, but churchgoers believe praying as a community could be more powerful, especially during this challenging time. the country is not just reeling from the pandemic, but it is suffering from the aftermath of typhoon rye. this is really about us continuously. ah, continuing the spirit of christmas, which is the cross over the decided especially of those who are suffering and those who had been, ah, devastated by the highest particularly supporting victims of typhoon roy has become an urgent concern. church leaders hope this christmas, their lock can extend a helping hand warner below al jazeera manila. nigerians are feeling the impact of raising prices. they try to enjoy the festive season. food prices and travel

costs are soaring, which is preventing many people from going home for the holidays. fidelis and bob reports from boucher manager. jonathan is out shopping for the family ahead of the festive season. he's trying to buy gifts for his children and stock up for the holidays, for his family plans have been disrupted by the rising cost of food items. i bought my my ex braces all got what i want to buy to the level of them went out. we had to be able to sell signals within this bureaus. nobody wants to daniela's order shopping anymore because that is us is i know that for many people fitting their family has become a daily struggle. as the cost of some items have doubled enterprises. i spoke that as the height of 31st it says in those traveling for the holidays because of

tickets. he's rising to oh, messy charles dokie has 3 children to look after. she can afford to take them to anywhere these holidays in terms of our traveling. i was planning to travel, maybe to lagos, all some other album, places that's or gore and have a vacation with the family, you know, spending and going fall got into a patio guy news and all that. it's all this was we'll have to cut them off. the hashi comic reality. he's also squeezing sellers or the market like abdul shackle before. if christmas remained like you one week, we asked that dead soon killed market guns started to move barry way. but this time around out to we are the costumer damn no, call me like that. the number of people living in poverty in africa's most populous

nation. he's among the highest in the world. the war bank estimates my juris inflation and foot prizes pushed 7000000 more into poverty into into 21. now below and this business analyst says very little has been dawned to improve the situation. now it is sold and almost starched or calm, where we act. knowledge to deborah dotson are not where should be we are not where we should be. tisa bad tis ah bad, bad as in. but then when we act no lead that solution will come for booze, suffering. they'll hope that politicians can keep their promise. that the situation will improve mixed here. fidelis member al jazeera, a butcher, police in the northern indian state of what was her account of launched a hate speech investigation following a meeting of hindu religious leaders. videos from last week's van showed them

calling for genocide and use of weapons against muslims. it sparked outrage on social media after the footage went viral. have natal reports from new delhi a week after this event? the police has reduced to case against one bus and now the event in question was a concave of thought organized by villages him the leaders in a template town in order in the other towns consider to be wholly by many access event. many inflammatory features were made the call to the genocide, similar to what we saw on man mar against they will have all of this is on cheap features went viral. so the police has evidence of video, 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 time that he has made and 2 minority, or rather, anti muslim statements statements. in fact,

he recently gave an interview saying that we stand by watson says and is not afraid of getting arrested. and the reason is that many of the leaders who were there and meet the teachers, enjoy our support and friendship of members belonging to prime minister and the ranger movie political party. that is a party gentle party or the b j b. interestingly, the one person who, against whom the case has been registered. if someone who recently converted he was muslim and now goes by him to name the international community is maintaining pressure on the taliban government. and i've done a son to honor a promise to respect the rights of women and girls. women and media say it's getting harder to keep their jobs. robin bride report from the capital couple many weeks after the taliban takeover zara not be has been dismantling the tv station. she found it carefully packing away studio equipment in the hope of one day

restarting in the in the future. we'll have some opportunity to re open it up for you or try to re open it started 4 years ago with a staff, a 50 by new t. v was run by women making programs for women. it was seen as evidence of the more progressive policies of the previous government. i was really happy, especially the day that i said, now our games come through and now we have some, some station that is running by foreman by them. unfortunately, it's the end i can see them on the tower afar. amanda was one of the stations, journalists splitting her time between reporting and studying at college. now she does neither. that's all i could come with them dustin, i feel we achieved something under the last government. but with the taliban rules, i think the percentage of female journalist is going down day by day on another

recent directive means women will no longer be able to play leading roles in television dramas like this one that still popular and streaming online. it appears that taliban is against women featuring to prominently in the media, but the government says across the board, many women have returned to their jobs and it stresses that its rules are still far less strict than those imposed by the 1st taliban administration. 25 years ago, this old women radio station, for example, is thriving, producing current affairs and educational programming. but it's growth in audience could possibly be the result of the decline and on screen competition. and because many girls now have to study from ho back at this ism of this government's remain time will cut out to get to know why they cannot get back to where they are trying

to create an environment where women feel suffocated. i don't believe that taliban would stand by any of their promises. keeping up the pressure, the international community says it will judge the taliban government on its actions. many women here it seems of already reached their own verdict. robert bride al jazeera couple. in pakistan, tens of thousands of people have had to move inland sea water encroaches on the land and underground water. it's largely due to raising sea levels and there warnings the country could have 2000000 climate migrants by 2050. some are been job aid reports from southern processed on a 600000. hector forest is focused on natural defense against salt water intrusion and rides and sea levels. this is that he generation nature, region nation, conservation to say the number of trees and forest cover in the industry were delta has increased in the last decade. the diversity and focus on mangrove is dying.

most of the 17 major creeks from the river no longer provide fresh water. that means no filled or new soil, and necessity for the carbon capturing roots of the mangrove plant. the climate vulnerable since province was successfully rehabilitated hundreds of hectic mangroves. but it's not enough. a lot about your mcgrooves get belly. i bare previously we had 8 species of mangroves, but now we are left with just 4 species due to fresh waters, not being available to of this surviving species. only made it because they adapted to sailing water. they gave the fresh water creeks which provided a fertile delta, are now sea water, creeks, dams, and excessive water use upstream leaves little water for the south. despite laws, entreaties the river, agriculture is destroyed by sea water. parkinson's rank among the whirl stopped in countries and a threat from climate change. the climate action network believes by his son could have around 2000000 climate migrants by 2050 in coastal communities. a 1000000

people are believed to be at risk from the decrease in fresh water. people here have been telling us the thousands have left it and says 2 homes. due to a lack of water. and villages like this are slowly dying. f. c, water encroaches drown water tables for hundreds of kilometers. people angry at the government's lack of solution say they can only pray for rain. while i jo, plenty of ally and water is a huge problem and our children have to walk 10 kilometers to get it because of this out of a 1000 homes, only 4 or 500 are left and families are scattered all over the migration to its cities added pressure to bring water and lack of opportunities are causing social problems as well. women who work in the fields have children and run households are under tremendous pressure. young girls have to pitch in to help their mothers. we couldn't speak to their mothers as in this remote part of pakistan. we were not allowed to film to women. everything which can hold water is utilized here,

but even that's not enough. i one of our honda malayna, there is no moisture in the whole village and we can't find drinking water anyway. i have to come and re fill multiple times a day. if i take one container from to swell, maybe we have enough water to cook. but there isn't enough water to drink. these much skippers are in phoebe as fish, who in their attempt to live on land, provide nature's filtration for the mangrove forest. they've adapted for generations to the changes around them. but unlike them, humans in towns like gayety, but there have had to move multiple times because of encouraging sea water. and unless drastic measures that taken to replenish the river, delta, the floods and droughts will continue to cross the pockets on the economy and estimated will. $1000000000.00 a year. sama java del to 0, tucked up suddenly pakistan. part 2 of our special series on pakistan's water challenges osama bin java takes us to the himalayan mountains where mountain

glaciers pose a risk for communities you can watch. start starting at o 200 hours gmc on saturday. coming up on the news hour here from tulsa names coach, who wasn't impressed of what the premier league had to say about the coven 19 situation affecting the season. ah ah

ah ah ah, ah, ah! the sportsman's with jammah. thank you. a 3rd, a premier batch has been postponed from sundays of full round of fixtures. evanson won't be traveling to barely because they don't have enough players available.

would you to cove it 19 cases and injuries? with many teams hit by a rise in current of ours cases, the league held a virtual meeting with managers on thursday to discuss the congested fixture list, player welfare and other key issues. but talking about santeria conte believes it was a waste of time. some coaches are all trying to try to, to speak and to ask her about to solution on, but i think there took everything to was decided and no, i think her yesterday, and it was a wall. you cannot speak, or you can ask her what you want, but every thinker was or every decision water pickin area. i spoke to sports correspondent rob harris from the associated press and asked him about the possibility of the premier league. pause the season. well, the permanent god desperate to try get many fixtures played as possible because

once the season starts to be pause or a lengthy break, that it comes back into the discussion about rebates, the broadcast, as we had during the 100 day shut down. and it really is a problematic situation with the right of ours in the u. k. at the moment, 1700000 cases, they estimate over the last week in the country, the premises record 90. and the premier league will be say the, the players do have an obligation to, to get vaccinated. only 77 percent are fully vaccinated in the primarily 16 percent yet to receive a single dies compared to the area where it's about 98 percent molig. 94 percent of plays fully vaccinated. so as it stands now, let the government put sport on hold, the premier league is determined to play on that as many fixes as possible. despite this disruption in the m. b, a washington, god, spencer, and where he says there's no way the league was going to cancel the iconic christmas day schedule because of the 19 that was in there among 75 percent of teams affected by the health and safety protocols. and on

a washington played without the best office, including top school, read broadly bill against the new york knicks washington. i didn't confirm if either plan tested positive, but the wizards i came to set back to win by 7. no way. who, who, hey, they beg, has an christmas day game trip and we've got to shorten cobra protocols may show we plan in christmas games for amazon la responding rain. doing that again. when people get back to read again, name be a in all of us as players, we're going to check back right now. you know, it's kinda tough because sometimes you just never know if you're going to play or not. you know, you never know if, if you have it or if it's all positive or you might have contracts trace and just giving it given all a realtor. 11. is it, is it a no game? is this a game? no guy. i know again his days it doesn't align baby mean

a bay and that money back for the family is like is missing 6 players on that coach because of the 19 protocols and injuries. but they did have the bron james when they hosted at san antonio. he top school with 36, but it wasn't enough. as the lakers fell by 28 points. that 4th consecutive law literally that's all we comes to sell in the homes. and i like to have been out and about right now. you know, and you're getting these positive tests, you know, knock on wood help out a lot. i'll run into it again. but it's really known. you don't know where it's coming from. you don't know where it's at and just try to stay as healthy as possible. steph curry delivered another shooting master class for the golden state warriors. he managed 46 points against his grizzlies, including 83 pointed warriors just behind phoenix, the top spots in the western conference or by the way the warriors in one career

gave england the cricket captain. j rate says his site must eliminate basic mistakes to have any chance of wrestling control back from australia in the ashes. the taurus a tino down after a couple of crashing defeats and go into the boxing de test match in melbourne needing to win to keep the series alive. i think he's asking all of our buys, whoever, whoever is it does play to do basic things very well. get yourself into a new name. give yourself an opportunity to go make big runs and, you know, build those big partnerships. i mean, i bang on about that all the time, but it says it's a fundamental of batting, being willing to concentrate for long periods of time. australia is captain pat cummins returns after missing the 2nd test because he was a close contact that took over 19 case a draw for the all these will be enough to retain the ashes. and that all important test gets underway on sunday. that is your support from me for now. thank you will slam poetry and senegal is getting nationwide attention. the spoken word

competitions are a blend of hip hop music and politics and it's popular across french speaking africa. nicholas' hoc reports in the capital, the car a moment of hesitation. perhaps stage fright before delivering a message from i remember 16 year old number 2 says when she was like the earth to me. like a father to me, like the ocean to me. she loved ones, protected me before suddenly disappearing and owed from his son to a mother that left the earth too soon. in this national school slam poetry contest, teenage students speaking, the french of arabic were mix of all of them. there is no barrier of language, no theme or rules to follow, no mistakes to be made. number, this is slam poetry movement to your freedom of expression. all of her chummy g

ring gave a declaration to announce her love for god, for women, for the city and her ancestral libra culture only by a common thread. faith. trust her words speak to her riveted crowd of hundreds of teenagers who for a brief moment are not distracted by their phones. but captured by poetry. the you to judge or famous lamp, which you already know my love, just as the crowd grows into the night. silence spread is broken by the echoing voice of poets beneath the car's monument of their own. nissan. slam poetry is about the delivery, the diction and the depth of the woods. i'm really amazed the level of these students is pretty impressive. senegal 1st head of state lou bolted us, and gar, known as the poet president, a prolific writer sanger devoted a 3rd of the national budget to arts and culture. despite most people living in

poverty and being illiterate. sanker was following the countries long tradition of using poetry, music and art to transmit knowledge and faith. though res just necessary to promote the some portrait straw that completed. mm hm. that can help them develop beer, mitigation that edition in their talent education, develop a writing skills and best we can still over a 1000 students took part in the event with only a dozen left and competition. the judges have to decide a winner and runner up. oh mama do is announced runner up, leaving the trophy to 18 year old shami. jing garrett, good. slim is democratic poetry. she says it allows our soul to travel a gift of simple words for the masses to just be present and feel the moment.

nicholas hawk al jazeera de cork. thanks for watching and his are on al jazeera, my animosities with you just a moment to mourn us. ah, ah. john, i just, you know, 20 years ago the euro was brought into circulation. we investigate how the you exam benefit from having an official currency be part of the street and join our social media community. as sierra leone recovery from civil war continues. we moved to decades since the end of one of africa's most brutal complex,

the bottom line. steve clemens dives headlong into the us issues that shape the rest of the world. as we enter the 3rd year with 19, we go back to home where it all began and investigate how far we've come. since the pandemic stuff, january on a, just about the political debate show that's challenging the way you think. have agencies fail, hating the situation, is was the one before the digital sound bites and digging into the issue is a military advancement going to stop the family to guy is under a company to do right now people are burying. how will climate migration differ for those who have in those who don't have lot of countries see, we will pay poor countries to keep refugees there. a part with me, markham, on hill on al jazeera, the listening post cuts through the noise like full peanut competing. now, by seeing monday, tools being used to perpetuate those competing narrative separating spin from fact

all 3 versions of the story and some element of the truth. but the whole story remains and coaching, unpacking the stories you're being told, it's not a science story at all. it's a story about politics. the listening post your guide to the media. on a j 0, lou passengers stranded on christmas plans thrown into chaos. thousands of flights. cancel because of a corona virus pandemic. ah, hello, i'm sorry, i'm noisy in london, you watching al jazeera also coming up on the program. a presidential pardon for a corrupt korean.