did you find somebody with as to teach the continent and today, living with the one live? it's excellent elliot, slim bumble riding with las, my zimbabwe on al jazeera. ah, the winter olympics gets underway in by jing bout with a diplomatic boycotts and pandemic restrictions. ah, hello, i'm emily. ang, when this is al jazeera live from doha, also coming up, presenting a united front, russia and china say they opposed further expansion of nato. as president vladimir putin visits by g. tackling vaccine inequality a south african pharmaceutical company uses madonna dot. it to develop its own

coven, 19 job. and i'm adarine in northern portugal home to europe's largest lithium deposits. locals here whose families, date back generation, say a proposed with your mind threatens her way of life. ah! hello, we begin in china where president she, jean ping has opened the winter olympics in beijing. nearly 3000 athletes are in a strict babel though because of carver 19. no foreigners are able to watch them compete. and there's a diplomatic boycott in protest against china's human rights records. david stokes for poor thong. g olympian korean long way for more. oh, after a trouble build up the 24th winter olympics have officially begun in beijing. the

venue for friday's opening ceremony was the birds nest stadium originally built for the summer olympics, back in 2008. it's the 1st city ever so spoke the winter and summer games. dear fellow olympians, your olympic stage is set you are for i fear. after overcoming so many challenges, but vow your moment this come the moment you have been longing for like the tokyo olympics last year, toby 19 has given these games a different complexion that taking place inside a closed loop system, keeping competitors and staff away from the general public athletes must get tested for carbon 19 daily, and there were no foreign fans with only a small handpick domestic audience allowed to attend. some of the world's best winter athletes are unable to compete after testing positive. this is not tougher than injury because you aren't putting yourself out. let's take the risk. it's just

the risk is everywhere around us. and i really feel for those athletes. i can't, i can't even imagine how it must be to day 4 years of work and then at the last minute. so had that taken away by something that's out of your control. several world leaders have traveled to beijing for the games, but other nations, including the u. s. britain and canada have declared a diplomatic boycott over china's human rights record. specifically, its treatment of muslim wages, china to noise human rights abuses. the people's republic of china is perpetrating a campaign of gross human rights violations, including janet sought over the next 2 weeks, is an urgent moral duty to shine a bright light on the many human rights violations being perpetrated by the host nation. beijing 2022 organized as say the games will be carbon neutral. oh, venues will be powered by renewable energy. and 5 of them have been repurposed from 2008. but with very little slow, full will. the 200000000 liters of water have been used to generate fake powder for

the alpine locations. let's not be name in the artificial snow is used in a consistent way for decades. you in winter or a competitive sport. what is really important, like for any other activities that we practice is to try to do it in the most efficient way with the lead up to the olympics dominated by politics uncovered. 19, most of the athletes will hope to focus now shift to the action. why as nearly 3000 competitors from 91 nations fight to take home a gold medal, david stokes al jazeera and a piece. both correspondence stephen wyatt has more on the atmosphere in by jean. i was in the 2008 ordering ceremony here. 13 and a half years ago. it was 30 to 33 degrees, sweltering hot pac stadium, 91000 people right now back. and we have maybe 20 or 30000 fans. we're not sure.

maybe 40 percent full and it's below 0 is one or 2 degrees below 0 here. so it's a very different different atmosphere. and what are games of course are much smaller than the summer game. so they're really not not comparable. but paging is the most unlikely. can have one or lympics, but in 2015, 6 european countries who should have had or could have been far dropped out too expensive or political problems. yeah. to see what had was left with. not because extend and beijing, they chose beijing, beijing. i think with the more surprising anybody, so the games are here, the run up to the games have been filled with contention. the weaker the genocides is going on in northwestern. john, the region here has occupied the press, the chinese have tried to avoid it. they see has tried to avoid the sponsor. they've tried to pretend like they don't see it. i think everybody will be glad like usual when the game to get started. the focus goes on, the athletes and the politics probably will be put aside. however, it's very possible from athletes or may speak out, or we have

a lot of contention for these 2 and a half weeks while we're engaging. among those at the opening ceremony was russia's president. let me put in moscow deterioration relations with the west took center stage is proven. held talks with his counterpart, she didn't ping in by jing in a joint statement. they said they opposed the expansion of nato, and called on the lines to ditch what they called cold war approaches. took us in the federal machine. you're doing you through our bilateral relations with their developing, with the spirit of friendship and strategic partnership, and have reached an unprecedented level there. an example of upstanding relations which have both sides develop and support each other at the same time. it comes with tensions between kia and moscow showing no signs of thawing. russia has mast more than 100000 troops, new ukraine's border. and both countries have been holding military drills. russia has also offered to beef up its gas supplies to china. meanwhile,

the us and europe have threatened moscow with unprecedented sanctions if ukraine is attacked. so actually, she would just say she are all producers prepared to very good solution hydrocarbon supplies to china for today's meeting. and we made another step forward in the gas sector or, i mean the new deal to supply china with 10000000000 cubic meters of natural gas. from the far katrina you reports from badging vladimir putin and she didn't pig standing shoulder to shoulder, showing what they described as an unshakable bond. the leaders of russia and china met ahead of the opening of the winter olympics in beijing. it's the 1st time president she has met a foreign counterpart in person since the beginning of the pandemic, and the spirit of friendship and the strategic partnership her reach an unprecedented level show on there. so she went olympics 80 years ago. we promised to meet again. we have kept that promise. the leaders signed a joint statement,

presenting a united front on a range of foreign policy issues. they called for nato to end it expansion, and for the military alliance to abandon its so called cold war approach. they also denounced the orca security alliance between the united states, britain and australia, and the formation of further blocks in the asia pacific. the statement comes as both russia and china experience souring ties for the u. s. and it's western and european allies. but doors allies are also at odds. they see that the west is not speaking with one voice, and i am hudson ah division. so this benefit spoke russia and china. the visit comes as tensions escalate over the presence of more than $100000.00 russian soldiers on its border with ukraine. washington is threatening to impose tough sanctions on moscow. should its forces invade? they ging says russia security concerns are legitimate. the intention, me?

yeah, here is to send a very clear message to the west. that's russia has options that russia china relationship is a possible alternative for, for, for moscow. and it is not going to be backed into a corner. and leaders are expected to find 15 agreements on issues ranging from trade to technology during putin's visit. russia will increase gas applies to china, and has announced a 30 year contract for a new pipeline between the 2 nations. china already received gas through what's name to the power of siberia pipeline that began pumping supplies in 2019 economic support from china could undermine any western method to punish any possible russian incursion into crane. but unless say, an even bigger concern, is it possible deepening a military corporation between moscow and they do? she didn't being has often spoken of his deep friendship with vladimir putin who

was the 1st major leader to confirm his attendance at the beijing winter olympics. the u. s u k. canada and australia have not sent officials to the vet in protest against china's human rights record. katrina, you al jazeera, they jing try the news now and the european union has blacklisted molly's transitional prime minister and members of the interim president, assuming voices in a circle. the block hit 5 individuals in total with travel bands and asset phrases . they include molly's top military ladies behind a crew in may. multiple sanctions were imposed last month by west africa's regional organization. acre was after the military june to delayed elections, to 2025 france ease to help the united arab emirates reinforce its air defense system following recent drawing. a missile

attacks by heavy rebels in yemen. the french armed forces ministry says it's boosting you a's capability to protect it's a space against any intrusion. the u. e says it intercepted 3 hersey. drones inside is, is based on wednesday. the u. a joined the sally lead coalition in yemen. war in 2015 rescue team say they're close to saving a 5 year old boy who fell into a 32 major dave well in morocco. 3 days ago, these a live pitches of the rescue operation. teams have been working frantically to reach the boy under ground with fears of a collapse of the ground because of weak soil. a large crowd has gathered to watch the rescue efforts. you're watching al jazeera still to come highlighting the inner qualities in cancer treatment will have more on this. he's theme for world cancer day. and india struggles with coven

19 as deaths reach. a warring number ah all the time these winter storms keep going across from eastern med to iran and there's one going through now we tend to get a shemelle blowing for 24 hours saturdays, no exception. it's got a dusty one. you'll see the orange plume here, which means it will be picked up in eastern saudi bahrain, properly cut, allen spread out in the empty quarter. saudi arabia optically cold, one the temperature still ran about 20, maybe 25. you're lucky. in doha, he shall still to be blown into the levant, and still plenty shouting, lord, mirand snow might fall into run, but probably not. that certainly will be near by more significantly inordinate

gaston just far north of pakistan during sunday by which time the shemelle still blowing as drop attempt to little bit more in doha, but no being no more dust with it. more significant winds are these. with that, sir, i equivalent category for hurricane this is 155 kilometers per hour winds at landfall on saturday afternoon. this is a damaging storm. bringing with it storm surge flooding rains and already 15 meter ways. he goes across madagascar and reappears in the water during sunday, west of all that the still plenty a big shower, not the same degree. there are fewer than they were though in southern africa. ah. stories of life. and inspiration lou, a series of short documentaries, from around the world that celebrate the human spirit against the odds

with al jazeera, select change makers. oh ah. hello, are you watching al jazeera, i am emily, anguish reminder of ant up stories. the salam, the 24th winter olympics has officially begun begging is the 1st city to host both this summer and winter olympics. but the build up has been dominated by covent 19 restrictions and diplomatic voice. hans. and the games are happening as tensions

over ukraine. a high between russia and the west, russian president vladimir putin easy in china. muslim badging say they oppose. the nato expansion, accusative of cold war approaches. and the european union has a blacklisted molly's transitional prime minister and members of interim president, a seni, coitus in a circle. it's in response to the military joint, his decision to delay elections until 2025. india is the 3rd country to report half a 1000000 deaths related to car the 19 after the u. s. and brazil. as penny middle reports from the jelly, government leaders are rejecting claims by some health, the experts that the actual debt toll is much higher. japan, this is shante, can barely speak about what he's experienced. the social worker has been organizing

ambulances, but cove 19 patients and helping families cremate loved ones who they have lost. he was recently awarded in just port highest civilian off the wooded b, b social media. but because i lived the tragedy people witnessed on tv and social media, it was horrendous. one b. i could be reached at $156.00 bodies extra rediscovered unclean bodies. every day. people with bad destitute. i saw children bringing the bodies of their parents . india has recorded the death of more than 500000 people from covey 19. but some health experts say the actual toil is in the millions. at least half of these occurred last summer. during a surge of infections fueled by the debt, our variant overwhelmed hospitals ran out of oxygen, and many people died as they were waiting to be admitted. funeral pyres burned across the nation for days, and some families lined up for hours to cremate their dead. in the northern states or with their predation, be hard,

hundreds of bodies were found floating in the river ganges and buried by its banks . the government denies claimed the debt all is being under reported india and has used an excessively stringent definition of whitehall and empties. and this leaves not room for things like a person who died the now deposited is spent with good because some guns to become good. as uncle lynette several states have recently revised their tallies. caroline, sudden india has increased, its debt, told the most by 20000 over 3 months. and part of the collection isn't, are being in recognizing that up to a month after the debt deb, after month of took over the admission, if the debt is linkedin and his ways, this would be eligible to be counted as a covered deck. so all of this has actually resulted in a whole range of reconciliation of debts and therefore we see the numbers are going up in the recent times which seems

a little artificial while the numbers of people infected by the omicron very, to have broken records in many states, hospital admissions and deaths have remained relatively low. experts credit that to my to symptoms and patients with the variant more than 75 percent of the entire dog population being fully vaccinated. and most children above 15 being partially nor committed experts in asking the government to expand vaccinations and boosters to protect people against future variance park newman's, the largest 0 new jelly. a south african, a pharmaceutical company has designed, developed and produced the 1st m r, n. a. coven, 19 vaccine on the african continent. the moved by african is part of a world health organization project to support poor countries, to develop their own vaccines after major pharmaceuticals refuse to share technology average in used to publicly available information to copy the sequence

of them a journey m r in a job. and develop its own vaccine without madonna's approval. wealthy nations have brought up most of the world's vaccine supply. while the vaccination right, in low income countries is just 5 percent. petro to blanche is the managing director of african. she says the breakthrough will have an impact beyond the pandemic because at 19 is the catalyst be bullying and demonstrating capacity capability as we've just done with this 1st vaccine production. although at glasgow, we will then build capacity and build process is to also look at the t b less a few other diseases of relevance in low low and middle income countries. building this capacity and capability will empower lead to link up countries to produce them back scenes. we would not receiving take technology transfer and we had to develop this on our own, which is good for the team. the fact that we had the opportunity to forward

innovate working from the sequence, which is great because that is a learning exercise that bulls substance. the other point is that we were moving much faster than would we would have moved. it was if it, if there was a technology transfer. so anyway, we grateful that we had to move and, and, and empower south. we are looking for support on the sky up and we are getting fantastic technical support across the globe from organizations who have already done some skyler. and we believe that in the next 6 months, we will scale up and we will produce a gmp is good manufacturing practice vaccine training for clinical trials. and that is the savings that eve at featured. and we have to demonstrate as an hour back seen meets the quality and safety and efficacy standards of the based vaccines of the world. madana by on take that to the general public wolf support receiving a vaccine which is localized in africa for africa. russia has again

registered a record breaking number of corona virus infections. as the only chron variance spreads on friday, more than 168000 new cases were recorded in the preceding 24 hours. 682 deaths were reported. the country is not considering lockdown despite the search weld cancer day this year, aims to close the k gap and reduce the inequality in cancer care around the globe. last year, around 20000000 people were diagnosed 10000000 died and the world health organization is warning. these numbers will continue to rise in the decades ahead breast cancer survival 5 years after diagnosis now exceeds 80 percent in most high income countries, as compared with 66 percent in india and just 40 percent in south africa, w h o says a cancer diagnosis has the potential to push families into poverty, particularly in low income countries and spain. it made worse during the pandemic

hands. clue there is the w. h chose regional director for europe. he joins us from copenhagen thanksgiving on the program hands. we certainly have been in the midst of the pandemic, which is disrupted all facets of life. what impact is that had on cancer? diagnosis and treatment? where is she definitely a deadly interplay between what would be and the person you are speaking over you to be region one. 03 good. trish bishop, the essential services for cancer screening. they call this treatment richness to increase but fell asleep at vol horse. either even before, because i didn't believe one o 4 be 0, was going to receive a don't know, guess or, or 43 percent or 40 with both of you know, the good news is globally up to 40 percent versus a bit of

a good hands which of the cancers which ne particular focus well, of course, every show 3, every human being which missouri is one too much, but we have a launch no d updated screening guidelines. and then we put attention to the breast cancer, the cervical cancer, and the oracle gases got we know that base of evidence greeny, they're really drastically that uses the mortality at morbidity and we also know what needs to be done to prevent tomarco. this is the big killer. number 20 the whole, we now know there is no safe amount of drinking and assert very important. but c h, b, b to prevent cervical gas. he talk about screening is being a priority. what else to countries need to do to battle cancer?

we're particularly know, is that the health services need bigger, really essential health services. now he can no longer be an excuse to neglect the other diseases like beacons and i will need to be better if i increase rapidly. drastically go with the vaccine. go at the boosters and have a global equity in gordon. i think vaccination, but effect of over easy access to all the vital political with i v so that we can have a great fit and the her course august august and all the clinical news. okay, said the to a very are intrinsically linked. you mentioned money a previous and since up to 40 percent of kansas in europe are preventable. how hopeful i e that that percentage can be increased. well i,

you get to the book domestic in this says that if it were every individual society, every provision has see that maybe health is not everything, but we go, that is not there. so been a need to be investment in. whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, and services, and who to mclee. b, they get of a healthy lifestyle starting with the youth. so i'm quite up with. well, that's a good night to and on. thank you very much for your time hands, kroger the w. h chose regional director for your appreciate your time no than islands. high court says checks on food from great britain should remain in place for now. that suspends an order from a minister to hold constance checks. the european union says that order breached the northern island protocol and agreement between westminster and brussels, signed in 2020, to implement bricks, it, it's aimed at. avoiding boilers. checks between northern ireland and the republic.

a violent dame by ease in london and explains why the northern island protocol as parliament in disarray. the latest term, the court in northern island, has put a holds suspended checks on food and farm products, coming from the mainland and great britain into northern island. until there is a full judicial review which is expected next month, but on the ground. those checks haven't stopped in practice because officials are waiting for legal clarity. now the agriculture minutes, different than ireland. and when boots, who's from the democratic unionist party, ordered a whole to the checks on wednesday after months of his party, protesting about the northern ireland protocol. and then on thursday, we saw the 1st minister of northern island pull given actually resign. and he said, but the protocol had undermined a key part of the good friday agreement,

which created the conditions for both peace and for power sharing. in northern ireland, the part that he was worried about is that they have to govern with the consent of both the nationalists and the unionists. the resignation of pul, give it also means, but the deputy 1st minister michelle of niel from the main nationalist party. she fain, she's also gone as well. so it leaves northern ireland with no executive. and if there's no executive ministers can, carrying, can carry on doing their jobs. but key decisions can get made. there is paralysis. what you goal is said to decide whether to give the go ahead for europe's largest lithium mine. it's seen as a vitamin all in the fight against climate change. because it's used to make batteries for electric vehicles. the local people from the mine could cause lasting environmental damage. adam writing reports from ne portugal

ida fernandez and her family have been stewards of this corner of northern portugal for 5 generations. a cattle farmer, she's convinced a proposed lithium mine, if approved would destroy her livelihood. wicker married springs, most of the fields we rely on our end to perimeter of the proposed mind. it is not green and is not sustainable. it is not going to benefit us. and it is going to destroy one more region, rich and water, and pure air and nature in bio diversity. the us food and agricultural organization has declared this area, but also a globally important agricultural heritage site for the blend of grazing and sustainable farming. the wider area is also home to europe largest lithium reserves, a metal key for producing electric car batteries. electric cars are crucial to phasing out fossil fuels and can help europe reach its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. it's estimated the mind footprint would be $270.00 hector's,

the size about $375.00 football fields. every year the mine would produce enough lithium for up to $600000.00 cars. and over 12 years that would result in a reduction of a 100000000 tons of c o 2 from the atmosphere. climate change is a huge challenge and to the carbon as economy, we need to get him for our electric vehicles, but that has a cost and we want to minimize it by excluding the areas where social and environmental impact is considerable. he made a little bit, pete is, doesn't feel on the cusp of the environmental revolution. she points to where the mind's perimeter would be and you've been the worry about the destruction. it could cause any ruining our lives where he and a little corner of the world that they're going to damage opposition to the mine, run strong signs against it, like this one are found across the community. that's despite the promise of jobs and

a region people continue to leave behind in search of opportunities. we spoke to the company waiting for approval from the environmental agency. our plans will have 0 impact on the last styles or practices of farmers in the region. i think, you know, millions of european town and city dwellers are really trying to appreciate the, the transformation but electric mobility will make to the quality of launched in the cities of europe. government officials point out environmental and strategic benefit of mining lithium in europe. and if our objective is to be f, the final, as we can then i would wait to start using those materials, which are not source properly outside of europe, and europe has the opportunity to do it in a sustainable way. my dea laredo isn't convinced she fernandez show us where mining samples were excavated. laredo says shall lose some of her land to the mine and that what remained.