this is a really use line for berlin insults flight between washington and moscow over them or put you think you're the killer and you are duped so what price must he pay oppression going to pay well you'll see surely a lot of reporting says joe biden labeling him a killer is a case of the pot calling the kettle black also coming out with

a pandemic 1st struck him we found itself alone among european nations confronted with an unknown threat news travels to one of europe's 1st brutal virus epicenters we'll hear how gurgle in italy has coped with its cold at 900. plus tanzania's president dies after weeks out of the public eye aides insist he died of a heart failure but the opposition says it was a covert $98.00 and a verbal abuse physical assaults new york's asian community tells the daily news how the pandemic is fuelling the true. thank you very much for your company everyone. we begin with a war of words joe biden is facing the 1st major diplomatic crisis of his

presidency moscow has recalled its ambassador to the u.s. after mr biden confirmed on television that he thinks the russian leader is a killer while the president also promised to hold of lattimer putin accountable for allegedly meddling in last year's u.s. election. director of national to this was the interview that galvanized 2 huge nations the u.s. and russia when in an exclusive interview with a.b.c. news george stephanopoulos asked president joe biden election so you know vladimir putin you think he's a killer. to do so what price must he pay the price he's going to pay will you have seen shortly the interview comes as the united states is thought to be preparing new sanctions against russia for its meddling in the election at an earlier meeting biden made a point of a mark to putin he said no he doesn't have a soul i did say that to him yes and to and his response was we understand one another i wouldn't be in a wiseguy i was alone with him in his office that's how it came about it was when

president bush had said i've looked at his eyes and saw a soul i said look through eyes and i don't think you have a soul look back and he said we understand each other it's unclear what kind of a response moscow will have but no doubt u.s. russia relations have seldom been this low. once more let's bring in our correspondent emily share when she joins us now from moscow am mr putin has reacted to president biden what did he have to say. well let me and putin essentially laughed off biden's comments or at least initially he said this was a case of biden essentially calling being the pot calling the kettle black and he said that usually we see in others the qualities that we have in ourselves before proceeding to. take an almost profit soria look into u.s. history he said that the u.s. is founded on essentially the genocide of native americans and on slavery so kind

of pointing the finger of blame squarely back at the u.s. and essentially a biden. and he also though said that russia was prepared or will be prepared to work with the u.s. and with the biden and this administration as long as it suits russia's interests and that russia will though in the in the future as well be willing to defend those interests fiercely. no evilly the kremlin rejects. election interference which is at the heart of this spats how they addressed any of the specific allegations that. are found in the u.s. intelligence report. the kremlin hasn't addressed any of the specifics in that report the kremlin spokesperson to me to get school for yesterday called the report wrong unfounded and the evidence in it unsubstantiated this is kind of

the usual response that we hear to the repeated accusations leveled at russia over election meddling but the real news i think here in russia is really this statement from biden about putin being a quote killer and we've heard a lot of different reactions from russian politicians who've been calling biden on presidential have been calling those remarks hysterical one parliamentarian said that this is very much a red line for russia and that the next step after russia recalling the u.s. ambassador or the ambassador to the usa would be to sever diplomatic ties completely you have to understand that this kind of a personal insult is really kind of i think shocking in for russians in a country where putin usually remains almost untouchable even on the political landscape kremlin critics usually criticize the government but leave letting their

putin out of it so what does this mean for u.s. russia ties with biden. well i think the putin putin government here and russia and the russian government overall didn't have very high expectations of the biden and ministration from the get go but i do think they had hoped for kind of biden being a more reliable u.s. president in some ways when it comes to talks when it comes to shared goals and issues like for exist for example arms control and i think that they hope going forward as well that they will be able to keep some kind of a bare bones relationship going but i think for a leader like flooding there putin who definitely values personal ties and personal relations with leaders when it comes to diplomatic relations between countries i

think this is certainly a bad start for that putin biden relationship going forward and reporting from moscow thank you. the other stories making news around the world. several allies of jailed russian opposition leader figure rather alex and of all the have gone on trial in moscow along with 2 members of the band pussy riot a number of on his supporters were detained in january over and to crime the protests local media reports say some house arrest have been extended by 3 months. germany has recorded its highest number of new coronavirus cases in 2 months over 17000 infections have been confirmed in the last day and more than half the new cases involve the so-called british variant of the virus. and hadley is observing a national day of mourning

a year has passed since the covert $1000.00 death toll in bergen will was so high that an army convoy had to transport coffins out of the city prime minister mario that he has remembered the more than 100000 italians who died since burglaries once again under full lockdown as cases there are on the rise. don't muddy or cut him enough he shares countless memories with many of the people laid to rest here. if he was a member of the parish i was leading him out of a movie hole almost everyone buried in this section of the cemetery died from cove it this is the 1st time don mahdi who has visited since the pen demick struck the region. you know my thought on that even though. it's like going back months and then like reliving the moments of the people who are no longer here to. help you.

these harrowing images were seen around the world military trucks loaded with caskets starting in march the bodies of the seas were transported to other cities across italy discriminatory and were overwhelmed by the numbers as part of the mo became the epicenter of the pen demick in europe more than 3000 people died here in baghdad. when the pandemic 1st struck italy found itself alone among the european nations confronted with an unknown threat the authorities were slow to react and when the government finally did mandate lockdowns 1st in the region and then in the entire country it was too late for back. this was the frontline in the battle against cove it. seems from march last year when doctors and nurses were caught off guard everybody we spoke to here had just one comparison in mind war. remember one night 8 o'clock maybe i was looking for body

bags because i finish all but what the banks were to put to the. body of people who are dying moments like that are now a thing of the past says dr said joe and. the pen demick is far from over but for him and his team there is hope with vaccinations on the rise and important lessons learned but we will have different waves sometimes because we have all that me as of the virus that vantage now is that so we know very more i know you when all we are the enemy. these pictures of the trucks leaving town loaded with bodies soon became iconic images of the tragedy that shook italy and the whole of europe to its core before their departure don't come to me not to used to give his final blessing to the deceased here at his church which was serving as a makeshift morgue at the time the community suffered this coming out the stood by its side ringing the church bells to notify loved ones under lockdown at home

whenever trucks left the compound loaded with the dead though they took the need that upon they may have a move the with the water that i told my priests that at the end of the pandemic we should be able to look ourselves in the mirror look he should be shepherds and not run away when our flock is in trouble and suffering is a muslim up we going to be called in and want to grieve from the from the course the. one year later he feels fear has given way to a sense of solidarity but overcoming the collective trauma will take time not just here at the church but in the region as a whole. let's take a look now at some of the other developments in the pandemic europe's medical regulator is set to give its verdict on the safety of the astra zeneca vaccine while several nations have suspended its use over blood clot concerns and a study in the lancet medical journal shows most people who recover from covert 1000 are protected for at least 6 months in france as reported its biggest one day

jump in cases since its 2nd log down in november tighter restrictions are expected and japan will not extend a state of emergency in tokyo beyond sunday but officials are warning against complacency. tanzania's president john michael foale who has died at the age of 618 say he died of a heart failure but the opposition leader says it was from corona virus mr michael fully has not been seen in public for several weeks he repeatedly play down the virus and warned against vaccines. many have been speculating that tanzania's president john mega fully was in bad health because he'd been absent from public life a nearly 3 weeks. it was vice president so me a salute to the woman who will replace him who confirmed to make a fully would not return. to moti who you. are. funeral

arrangements are being made. and you will be notified and. our country shall be you know mourning period of 14 days. when the flags fly at half mast and. mega fully suffered heart complications for over 10 years the popular leader was elected in 2015 and made a name for himself as a corruption busting man of the people he support as expressed dismay at the state . i feel very sad and i am suffering because we had our leader our president we loved him and he loved us. it hit us hard the whole of tanzania as a nation has been hit hard but for me personally i am deeply affected. it was only last year that magath really was reelected after the polls opposition figures

accused him of cracking down on dissenting voices most recent criticism was focused on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic he drastically downplayed the effects of the virus calling on people to use prayer instead of masks. in government no one wears a mask including me. proves there is no coronavirus and god loves this nation nothing is impossible for god. one more political wishes will be granted that so me a salute tanzania's 1st female vice president will become the nation's 1st female president. a gunman accused of killing 8 people in the u.s. state of georgia has been charged with murder the 21 year old was arrested after a shooting spree at a mess at

a meat massage parlor in the atlanta area well most of the victims were women of asian descent the killings have prompted outrage and rights groups say the violence is part of a surge in anti asian hate crimes have used us so hard to shore ports from new york . every day esther also gives sun makes her way from her workplace to the post office to the west village indoor manhattan usually considered a safe area in new york city but one day about a year ago she experienced something that she hasn't been able to for get. right about here as i was on the phone someone was so close from behind me. came from here and then just started spinning at will at the time cases of code 19 were surging in new york city then president donald trump was pushing and the asian rhetoric calling it the china virus making people of asian descent people like esther at.