from march will now take place in may. she also said authorities are making plans for monday. 3 city wide testing for code with hospitals in hong kong have reached nearly 90 percent capacity and patients have being treated in makeshift open air spaces. the church we reported more than 3500 new cases on friday. ah. so this is out there. these are the top stories and russian state media is reporting the president vladimir putin will oversee new drills on saturday, involving strategic forces and then launch a ballistic and cruise missiles comes at a time of soaring tensions between russia and the west. russian back separatist denise and ukraine have accused government forces of launching new attacks on friday. at least 500 explosions have been recorded along the front lines in less than 24 hours. as president joe biden is expected to hold talks with nato allies in the coming hours at a un security council meeting on thursday,

secretary of state entity, blink, and accused moscow of looking to manufacture an excuse for war. the 6 african nations to establish their own m r n. a vaccine production have been revealed at the new an african union summit in brussels, egypt, canyon nigeria, senate goal, south africa. and she, monsieur, will be the 1st on the continent to receive the technology. we expect the benefits of this initiative will extend far beyond quality named tim by creating a platform for vaccines against as a business, including malaria, tuberculosis, and even cancer. so this is a strategic investment not just for copied, but for all the major health problems that we face. and we have will be, not just for south africa, it's for africa and for the whole world, because this box will be distributed all over the world. hong kong is postponing,

picking a new leader is the city battles to control the surgeon code 19 infections. chief executive, caroline confirmed the election schedule for march will now take place in may. she also said authorities and making plans for monday, 3 city wide testing full cobit hospitals in hong kong reach. 90 percent capacity. patients have been treated and make shift open spaces. the tertiary report of more than 3500 new cases that was on friday. she, people are trapped on a ferry which caught fire in grease rescue effort is underway to free them. hundreds of other people were brought to safety by the coast guard. $288.00 people in total were on board the vessel which was on its way to italy. the cause of the fall on the ferry is not. at this stage known headlines, we have more news coming up here and i'll just 0 right off to the inside story. ah,

rochell aggression is europe's new normal. that's according to me til which is considering sending more troops to central and eastern europe. but will the plan protect the continent or worse intentions with moscow? this is inside story. ah hello and welcome to the program. i'm how much of job we face a crisis in european security. that's the warning from nato secretary general. insult and berg says,

the threat of russia invading ukraine shows moscow is prepared to use force to undermine the core principles of the western military alliance. for its part, russia says its troops are now pulling back. it released videos of convoys leaving crimea, which russia annexed from ukraine in 2014, but instead of pulling out the u. s argues and other 7000 russian soldiers have arrived at the border with ukraine. stilton burg says europe needs stronger defenses. he's proposed sending more soldiers to central and eastern europe as part of new nato battle groups. i think what we are seeing now is a kind of new norm, old for european security. the calls have seen these trend over many years where russia contest from a mental principles for european security on where there are a and where and where they're willing to, to, to use force us have done against ukraine, georgia,

but also to threaten us with the use of force to intimidate countries in, in europe. a battle group is the main forward block of an armies fighting force. it's usually made up of about $1500.00 soldiers. nato deployed combat ready battle groups to estonia, lot fia lithuania and poland. in 2014, after russia annexed ukraine's crimea region. in total, there are more than $4600.00 multinational troops in the baltic states and poland. an attack on any of them would be considered an attack on nato. those army units hold regular exercises, including the annual winter camp, which is one of nato's largest military drills with around $1400.00 soldiers taking part. now right, let's bring in our guests in brussels. theresa fallon, the founder and director of the center for russia. europe, asia studies in belfast. alexander tit off a lecturer at queen's university. belfast who specializes in russian foreign policy

and in the estonian capital talon cadre leak a senior policy fellow at the european council on foreign relations whose research focuses on russia, eastern europe, and the baltic region. a warm welcome to you all, and thanks for joining the program today. teresa, let me start with you. so nato secretary general, yet sultan burg says the russian aggression is the new normal for europe. what exactly does this mean? i think in today's press conference after the ministerial meeting here at nato headquarters in brussels, that they are expecting a long, drawn out high pressure tactics from russia. so this is not something that these exercises are going to wind up as the russians are pretending. but he expects it to be a very long drawn out experience. so this means that our seeing kind of a challenge to the helsinki agreements are back in 1975 that soviet union assigned as well as western countries. and this is kind of challenging, you know,

don't change borders through power moves and who tis really pushing hard to do said that we might be returning back to y'all to just kind of the spheres of influence. and i think one of the most telling signs is that troops all the way from russia as far east, i moved towards ukraine border, which means that there's a taste degree pasent agreement between moscow and beijing. and to cooperate on this. and i think that sends a very we're insight into the rest of the world, this kind of russia, china cooperation. alexander, let's look at this from the perspective of the russians when russian president vladimir putin here is the n stilton burg. use the phrase, new normal that this is the new normal for europe. what's his viewpoint? what is potent? think of that? well, i think what it would say that what we've been warning you for many, many years of that there are problems we want to kind of do with them. you can just

brush our concerns aside. and now you haven't, listen to us now. you can after with this new normal and so 1st williams concern, i've been investing a lot of money into the army, the navy and so forth. and also been willing to use them and have you haven't used them already. i. he is more happy with this new norm than, than the europeans. i think you can pressurized them into an engaging with russia on things which are important to russia and we should have been gone. so i think it's not so so far so good. it is concern not, not saying is it's, it's a good thing, but i think from what point of view it must go, they happy with the country. so we know now that nato is considering these new battle groups in south eastern europe in response to russian military build up. of course, there are battle groups that exist in baltic countries. they've been there since 2014, as a response to russia's annexation of crimea. have these battle groups that were

placed there by nato in baltic countries worked in practice. well, that is hard to answer because we don't know what would have happened without them . but what i can say is, of course, they have made the country's feel more secure, very different opinions as to how and why the baltic states are even endangered by what russia is, is doing some people in the baltic states. think when russia occupies ukraine, it will move to the baltic states next. i don't belong in, but come, i don't think about russia railey has ambitions to gain control of the baltic states or to restore the so yet union or anything like that. but i think that if tensions reach a boiling point in any of a theater beat, the crane or syrian o wherever, at tension between west and,

and russia reached new heights than actually an accidental clash in the baltic region cannot be excluded or russia making use of the baltic territory as a place where to signal its displeasure with nato stance and swear, and i think to insure against such incidents, the troops here have been very useful indeed. theresa, i saw you nodding along to some ward condra was saying, did you want to jump in? well, i think that put in will not attack any needle member because that would trigger article 5. so i think of country noted though, when you have so many troops, there is a high incidence of possible accidents. so even today we saw the dunbar you, there was a shilling of a school. so i think that the true movements are signaling reassurance, but also hopefully deterrence. and there are concerns of spillage. and if god

forbid, there is some sort of conflict and you can because they have to be prepared for the worst that these troops are center to kind of strengthen, border and repair for personal millions of refugees moving from from ukraine. so i think that tensions are extremely high, and the fact that they even met with georgia as the georgia minister, as well as ukrainian ministry today, signals that they're not backing down nato is not backing down on their open door policy, which i think must irritate moscow 3, so let me also follow up with you about the issue of these battle groups when it comes to the potential creation and deployment of more nato battle groups. what kind of time frame do you think we're looking at? i think it will take a little while, but i think they're moving. they already have this kind of rotational approach. so they have one 3rd of the time with nato, when there is a time with you. and then one 3rd of the time with their own national group. so i

think it's a multinational function and it wouldn't take too long. i don't imagine that it will take very long to really get it up and running. lloyd austin also spoke about that today at the press conference. and i think that they're talking about a couple of weeks. so it remains to be seen. but i don't think that it will take that long. really. there is a urgency here. alexander wouldn't the creation of these new battle groups really just further antagonize russia? i mean, what can we expect as a response from russian president? well, i think there are, there are a whole series of issues which russians are unhappy about of the troops. a battle groups which are really, as you know, was sent in more kind of nominal confidence, boosting and you know, in the, in the baltic states themselves, in poland are all, then you know, any threats to roger or even that any real barrier to russian

invasion. if it ever came to that is not the main issue, i think kind of issues or made to further enlargements in your grand georgia, but also need to corporation and needed to be support for your grade. is something much more worrying for roger. they won't make it much wider than your grade, but ukraine is still the core concern of them. i mean, before, so before we can deal with things which i already inside nato, which roger has no interest and the acceptance that one of the countries to join, they don't have joined the issue for them. really big one is a, is it security over corporation with, with ukraine and, and it was confusion was saying your grant has a disputed directory with rushing train. the other is ongoing conflict in these don barza and so forth. and generally there is very kind of on t host al, to roster governments and public opinion ukraine,

which they also have the balance. so they want to make sure that, that thing, that's country ukraine, in terms of its like ability does not fuel kind of powerful enough to try to solve of those issues, any issues with russia. and i think that's much more important than any, any kind of protector battle groups, which nathan might put itself in romania will. although gary and so forth. a cadre, i know you touched on this somewhat in your previous answer, but i want to just try to dig in a little bit deeper and ask you, what are some other lessons that can be learned when it comes to nato battle groups in baltic states. and some other lessons or no i, i must agree with. but alexander says, i, i think russia understand what that is about. i haven't heard anyone a serious in moscow ever claimed,

but res troops represent the threat to moscow. they know, but resa here as a result of russia's own actions, they came or maybe boosted after annexation of crimea, and they are still nominally under a patient basis, which means that nato actually with hairs to the letter of the nato, russia founding act from 97 but requires not debased permanent troops here. so to be honest, i, i think that works fairly well. the only thing that i have recommended to the board dick leader is, is that we aren't anita umbrella. we are protect it. we are fine, but it might be good to have some bilateral communication channels or so we have been moscow. if something happens and things have happened. there was a case when russian fighter checked her crash there. well if yay. now there was

a case when spanish plain last and miss silo estonia. now, incidents like greece, but have no evil intent behind them, but that can create confusion and especially when pensions elsewhere are high, people might get suspicious. so it would actually be quite good if you have some phone number in moscow bit among the political or military leadership. ready but took and dial if, if something like math happens because communication channels my on eto headquarters, they work to occur. can i, sim, of link between military chiefs up by they might be handy to have some bilateral communication channel as well. i'll exam durham based on what country was saying there that, that she think said some type of bilateral communication channel with moscow would be appropriate. do you think that something that would work or it might work,

and i certainly will. i won't do any harm. i the was one of us will be very helpful . i'm issue with the baltic states or so far as roger's grandson is not so much a military throw from them or from allies based being raised there. but it's more. busy kind of what are often see as a very strong and you are often rhetoric and actions coming out of the baltic states on which, you know, been a consistent theme in a rush on fallen bullish discourse. there. this kind of activists on to ross and activist, which pushing european union and nato into minor, more stringent on to russian a direction, you know, sending a weapons to you. great, nothing is doing your sense of weapons with when you miss any weapons and so forth . i and all those things base if you can of rattle russians and am i get of doesn't, doesn't help with the kind of overall i trust between them. but yeah, establishing a directly in case there's a, there's

a incident happening and making sure the doesn't develop into anything more substantial is would be a good thing. but up, there is a lot of annoyance and mistress, the launch each side between the board success in the regime, which, you know, doesn't help overall security. as those at teresa looked to me like you were reacting to some of what to alexander and also what cadre was saying, did you want to jump in as well? sure. that when you came defense minister, and while it was on his recent visit to moscow, he also talked about creating a communication channel because there's so much this information going on now. and that's the key thing for military men to have clear communications. i think that his russian counterparts were rather open to that. and i would also add that even though there's heightened tensions in the region must go, does it have to invade to destroy the ukrainian economy? we see flights or not landing are there in ukrainian air space of this crew tells a lot of trade and economic issues. plus they can cause problems in the black sea.

we've seen them try to block a black sea. so there are a lot of issues that ukraine is, can suffer under without any sort of direct attack. it's already hurting the economy. and as many people pointed out, there is russian intelligence all through ukraine, all through ukraine. so this can cause mischief. so there's really heightened tensions. ukraine could be suffering this for months, neither at war and neither peace country from your vantage point. is there a growing sentiment right now that the moves that nato is making? could perhaps make europe more dangerous? no, i don't think so. i at least as concerns the immediate stuff military for reinforcement. i

think with that everything is is fine and, and logical. i think moscow knows what it is and that, but it's not an issue. i think what could become an, a sill is if really were west totally refuses to engage with moscow on any off a closes with moscow has raised the future ukraine, which is not, of course, the west to decide. but it's linked to why the questions about the european security order and no western position right now is but we have parish charter that is the founding, talk him out for your care and security order, but gives each country right to choose their own alliance phase. and all is fine

with, but just, but russia doesn't follow it. i wonder if, if that position is raylien sustainable, just like that. because that order, you know, it was a great, in the early ninety's, 9090 when actually russia subscribe to western values, norms, worldview rushes share that. and, and that's why parish charter actually includes some contradictory posies, right, of countries to choose her own alliances. and it forbids countries to enhance or security at the expense of our countries and race to can actually martinez to be true. only for continent that large is sort of a thief. and we are not that any longer in russia has made it quite clear. but the 1000 share the worldview of awful west. so what i worry a little bit is with unwillingness i see in many western countries to,

to accept that as a, as a reality. we think we can moralize it into going away. i don't think that is the case. so in order to defend the order we liked, we should have much better leverage in place. some actually leverage rob a bunch of small mac driven notions. however good they are. and and i don't think we have mentally yet. so and where i can see a sort of they ensure, but if we insist on reality, if at moscow doesn't treat this reality, then it could be dangerous. in the long run, alexander secretary general sultan burger has said that the russian videos of troop pull out that they don't show meaningful de escalation. and he added the troop

numbers go up and down. but there's a trend of russia sending more troops over the long run. from your perspective, do you think we're going to see that you think we're going to see more troops added in the long run, or do you think there will be a de escalation or perhaps a meaningful de escalation in the, in the next few days. or i'm not sure about the next few days, so far as kind of messages, mostly concerns. they have been since mom, they've been sounding like they want the wanted to pursue a more can diplomatic track with meeting with lever off of which in kind of agreed to that diplomacy might still work. and after that that was full olds. announcements of troops with roles, and i think the various issue or ukraine is not going to go away. and russia feeling that it has a military predominance in the region, which probably was one of its main cause to play. and will, a will,

will be a willing to do used again and not in terms of, i'll drive invasion, but in terms of intimidation and both incredible threat towards ukraine. and that will continue to go on until there are kind of real movements on issue or few grains. my membership of natal, or other non membership of native suppose most was concerned. that means colts and also a broader leemis discussion limits on military copier as supporting corporation between nature and ukraine. that more school wants to make sure that the natal. busy through the back door, even without membership builds up the district capacity for grant. so if you can challenge rochester dominance in the region at teresa secretary general sultan burger has also said that for you in addition to saying that he's seen no meaningful sign of russian de escalation on the ground. and he had added that he did, does see signs of optimism. i mean, what do you make of that? or are there actually reasons to be optimistic right now?

well i think that was the whole idea that they had pursued dialogue and to get dialogue, they should have been d escalating. so they were there were kind of signaling we saw this with president across visit to moscow. he was signaling that the russians were deescalate and he got this agreement from them and all we saw was increased escalation. so there's been a study trip or have been to moscow or with world leaders. european leaders speaking to president putin or their counterparts law. and it's almost like they're playing with them that there has been no de escalation. and i think that that really kind of shows that the comments on serious about dialogue. and that was kind of, you know, dialogue needs exchange of views. and i think that the comment is just kind of saying this is what we want and you better give it to us. so the house suggested nato has suggested to continue dialogue. they've talked about confidence building

measures. also discussions on missile defense issues and true placement. there's also the authority issue of is kind of missiles which can be used as nuclear missiles in clinic grad, which is right in the heart of europe. so i think that there are a lot of areas to discuss. i think that to put in this training, it's almost a chinese concept to win without fighting. so he's trying to, to feel his way around this and see what he can get by having all these troop movements. the ukranian government has called it blackmail. and, you know, we, we've seen a lot of dialogue with other members in the kremlin. so from that point of view, he has succeeded. but he doesn't seem to be willing at all to, to have dialogue either his way. and the other thing is, this is boomer any on the kremlin because instead of having less me know, we're seeing more nato, even sweden and finland, which are neutral countries,

are considering joining nato because this is becoming a very difficult neighborhood. all right, well we have run out of time, so we're gonna have to leave the conversation there. thanks so much. all our guests theresa fallon, alex t 12 and cadre week and thank you for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website al jazeera dot com, and for further discussion, go to our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. you can also join the conversation on twitter. our handle is at a j inside story from emergent room and a whole team here. bye for now. ah ah.

a gillian, the debate they a ratio of like people from the american and global story was very powerful on an online, at your voice. the comment section is right, join our conversation, we had all protected when everyone is protected. it is not to play, being nationalistic about us. you just look at it in a very different way. say that perspective men and men meeting each other and they don't have any solution. let me get put it clear for you this dream on al jazeera, the latest news, as it breaks after the killing of 2 i. so later is why the united states over the last 3 years, many across the board, their fear to grow. we'll see that as a challenge with detailed coverage opposition to the mine run strong science against it. like this one are found across the community from around the world. very hard to get a sense of public opinion inside me. i'm up with the military arresting people for

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than individuals pay $5000.00 to name elephant. the aim this year is to raise $1000000.00, much of it for conservation initiatives. ah, hello, i'm emily anglin, in doha, these, the top stories on al jazeera, russia has announced president vladimir putin will oversee new drills on saturday. bell involve strategic nuclear forces and the launch of ballistic and cruise missiles. the kremlin denies the move will further inflame tensions with the west. mo, shelling and eastern new crane has read nighted fees of an imminent invasion by moscow . rushing back to separatists and government forces in the dumbass region have accused each other of launching new attacks. the kremlin says it's alarmed by.