♪ >> welcome to live from paris. analysis from "france 24" these are the headlines. at least 27 schoolboys had been kidnapped in nigeria. the president has ordered a rescue operation. libya marks 10 years since the fall of qaddafi. some have pinned their hopes on the new government. friends indee the e.u. has agreed to take 300 million additional doses of

moderna in addition to 200 million from pfizer. the e.u. we'll be able to help its citizens and its neighbors. live from paris. ♪ >> thank you very much for being with us. 42 people have been kidnapped, including 27 schoolboys. these figures confirmed by officials in nigeria. one child was killed. the group kidnapped includes children, teachers and relatives of the president as well as security forces to coordinate a rescue operation. after they raided the government college in niger state.

>> once again, a school in nigeria targeted by gunmen. two dozen students, several staff and a dozen of their family members were abducted in a northwestern town. one student shot dead in the raid. local residents turned out at government science colleges as authority scramble to react. >> to deploy all resources when we are looking at all --o ensure the safe return of victims. >> it is far from the first time nigeria has seen such acts. two months ago gunmen abducted 350 boys from a secondary school in a northwestern state. they were released after negotiations with kidnappers. in 2014, 270 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a town by a boko

haram. 100 of those abductees are still missing to this day. while groups like boko haram remain a threat in northeastern nigeria, the country's northwest and central states have become a hot bed for criminal gangs who resort to kidnapping the vulnerable for ransom money. chronic violence and crime across africa's most populous nation have sparked widespread criticism of the president's handling of national security. in january, he replaced his entire high command. over the past 10 years, armed groups have killed 8000 nigerians and displaced more than 200,000. >> libya, this wednesday marks 10 years since the overthrow of qaddafi. for many the past 10 years have been violent. in the grip of civil conflict. in that time armed groups have managed to exploit the vacuum. libya has become a main route

for traffickers. sending miners to europe and often to their deaths at sea. >> february 20. spreadto libya.evolion in te country's second-largest city, events quickly unravel wihth the detention of a man, a lawyer and human rights activist. february 15, demonstrators clash with security officers. rebel forces take up arms against the regime. the pro-democracy movement morphing into a full-blown civil war. four days later, rebels gain control of benghazi. by the end of the month the uprising reaches the heart of the capital tripoli and rebel forces former transition council.

in their new headquarters benghazi. >> we are discussing the future of our country. >> t qaddafi deploys the army ad on march 19, the u.n. security council votes to impose a no-fly zone over libya a, enforced by nato. fighter jets from france, the u.s., the united kingdom began bombing the country, countering qaddafi's forces. qaddafi clings to power as rebel fighters continue to advance towards the country's capital. august 23, they launch a massive offensive on qaddafi's compound in tripoli. the transition council declares victory, and so do western powers. the british prime minister david cameron, and the french president sarkozy land in libya to a hero's welcome. october 20, qaddafi flees along

with a handful of loyalists. his convoy comes under attack by nato. he's found alive by rebels and captured. he later died of his injuries. in circumstances that remain murky. since then, elections have failed to produce a stable government and the country has been ripped in half. to the east, the commander, under his leadership the libya national army has taken control of the country strategic oil reserves. backed by russia, egypt and the uae, he presents himself as a bulwark against jihadists. >> the city and benghazi has been liberated. this liberation is complete. >> to the west, the tripoli based government of national court recognized by the united nations. its forces are believed to have received military help from

turkey. in october, 2020, after years of conflict, both sides site --0 cite a permanent government. >> they are meeting this wednesday for their first talk since u.s. president joe biden took office. looking to reboot ties after four years of tension under donald trump. the two day virtual conference is the future of nato's 600 strong support mission in afghanistan. trump sidelined airlines and struck a deal with the taliban to pull out troops. they are reviewing whether to the may 1 deadline to withdraw or risk backlash from insurgents by staying. the e.u. has an agreement to buy an additional 300 million doses of the covid-19 vaccine made by moderna. it came hours after pfizer said

deliver an additional 200 million vaccine doses to the 27 state bloc. >> we also got news that the agreement to buy 200 million more doses from pfizer was officially signed. in early january. but that modernaews is new, and it is ite surprising because moderna was not supposed to be a big part of the e.u.'s vaccination strategy. its production strategy is fairly limited. so far really it has not been used very much. of course, originally before pfizer pulled ahead, it was supposed to be astrazeneca that was the main vaccine being used in the e.u. but we have seen a big conflict between the commission and astrazeneca about at astrazenec not deliveringu the doses promised. t an we've seen several member states decide not to give the astrazeneca vaccine to people

over 65 because they think they do not have enough data from the company for people in that age group. including france and germany. so it may be this moderna purchase is trying to make up for the hesitancy about astrazeneca in continental europe. just throwing money at the moderna vaccine is not going to be able to make a company magically deliver vaccines when it does not have the production capacity in europe. that was little cfusing, that announcement. we also got an announcement that the commission has come up with a plan to deal with the new variants emerging. they will do more sequencing. europe has majorly lagged in sequencing of covid compared to israel and the u.k. and, also, they will speed up approval for vaccines that have already been approved but make adjustments in order to deal with new variants. in other words if the pfizer vaccine altered itself in order

to deal with and variants, it would need an approval but that could be fast tracked onto the new procedures adopted today. yesterday we got news that johnson & johnson has applied for e.u. approval. the ema's will still be using the conditional market authorization process. they think they can make that happen faster than has happened for far-- so far and hoping for approval by mid-march for johnson & johnson vaccine. >> next, president rama posa is the first to be inoculated in south africa. using the johnson & johnson vaccine. south africa received one million doses of the astrazeneca formula but decided against using it over concerns weather will protect against the widespread varnt. a maternity nurse at a hospital in cape town was the first to be

immunized, after the first batch of 80,000 doses landed in the country from brussels. >> a second chance to roll out a vaccine in south africa, as a nurse in cape town is the first dose of the serum from johnson & johnson. she will be followed by president rama posa. he led by example. >> yes. it's going in. >> rama posen needed special dispensation since early doses were earmarked for frontline health workers. the first batc arrived overnighth and replaces the astrazeneca version of which south africa had initially procured one million doses. however, it was not found effective enough against a local widespread variant of the coronavirus, leading to a rush for a new solution. the johnson & johnson shot hasn't yet been authorized for general use worldwide. but south africa has taken part

in an observational study of its use. as for the astrazeneca vaccine, there is hope elsewhere. >> astrazeneca doses we purchased have been offered to the african union. and they willistribute it to the countries that showed an interest and do not have this particular variant. they will - there will be no wasteful and fruitless expenditure. >> south africa is the worst affected nation. accounting for 41% of cases. after the initial 80,000 doses, authorities are hoping to receive a further 500,000 over the next month. >> the new prime minister mario draghi is urging italy's politicians to unite. he is facing a confidence vote in the senate. says it is essential to help the country confront the pandemic and the economic devastation it has brought. draghi says this is a

once-in-a-lifetime chance to create a more sustainable and healthy nation for future generations of italians. >> the main duty to which we are called, all of us, myself first and foremost as prime minister, is to fight the pandemic with all means and to safeguard the lives of our fellow citizens. this is a trench where we all fight together. the virus is everyone's enemy. >> of course, looking for news on that vote of confidence coming from rome at any time now. we will bring it to you as soon as we get it. next here on "france 24", there have been mass demonstrations in myanmar to reject the militaries claim the people supported the coup d'état. as they supported the overthrow of aung san suu kyi and the president. they are both still under house

arrest. >> everyday myanmar's people are coming up with a new way of getting their message across. now it is commuters and taxi drivers who block traffic. by blocking major streets. >> in open defiance of the military junta, the city was the scene of a mass rally as protesters sought to disclaim claims -- t discredit claims by theo army that there was support for theoup. across myanmar, a steady buildup of troops has been taking place

in recent days. in an attempt to get protesters off the streets. many have responded to calls to halt demonstrations. the army has pulled the plug on the internet to stop activists organizing themselves. they are warning events could spiral out of control. >> i fear that wednesday has the potential for violence on a greater scale iin myanmar since the legal takeover of the government on february 1. >> with aung san suu kyi still detain, protest do not look like dying down anytime soon. she is accused of breaking a law that has been used to prosecute those who violated coronavirus restrictions. to hodl her indefinitely -- to hold her indefinitely without trial. >> the man who in many ways pioneered radio with the political agenda rush limbaugh has died at age 70 from lung cancer. his was the loudest and some would say most obnoxious media voice on the hard right in the 1980's.

conspiracy theories where his stock in trade. he was climate change denier and opposed immigration. all started on his radio broadcasts. he was awarded the presidential by donald trump. rush limbaugh's broadcast setting the tone for trump's right wing populism. so, loved by his fans. mocked by many who saw his work as propaganda. his death was announced by his wife on his radio show this wednesday. a huge winter storm sweeping across the southern united states killed 21 people and left millions without power. blackouts in texas where the energy grid was overwhelmed by a surge in demand. >> snow, a novelty in texas. average temperatures in february usually hover between 20 and 24 degrees celsius.

it is now as low as -22 degrees. >> it is pretty bad that a texans we cannot prepare for the colds. in another part of a country this would not have been a huge issue. >> four million people are facing power outages. after the energy grid was overwhelmed by demand. >> the next few days are going to be very tough. to those who have lost power, i know you are frustrated. i know you are miserab. i know you are uncomfortable. i know it is very measurable in this cold without heat. >> more than 150 million people across the country are currently under winter storm warnings. deaths attributed to the storm have been recorded in texas and louisiana, kentucky, missouri and north carolina. people have died from traffic accidents and carbon monoxide poisoning from running car generators indoors to stay warm. in north carina, a tornado

spawned by the same storm left three people dead and 10 injured. >> the national weather service, they were very surprised how rapidly it intensified. it is something we really don't see. we did not have much warning. for those people at home and in bed, it was a very dangerous situation. >> the cold snap has threatened to disrupt the nation's vaccination efforts. with a government warning delays and vaccine shipments were likely. more freezing temperatures are forecast with wind chill reaching for mexico into canada. >> the snow can be fun but it -- at those temperatures it can be dangerous. wrap up warm, check on your neighbors. in the southern states of the u.s. time for business. australia is pushing ahead with legislation to take the way that news content is shared online. tech giants are reacting in very

different ways. kate: two big announcements today that showcase how different the reactions from silicon valley have been. some of those giants have threatened to pull services if this legislation goes through australia's parliament. it's a bill that would require online platforms to pay publishers for news content. facebook has said that users and publishers in australia will no longer be allowed to view or share news articles on its platform. the social media giant argues it helps newsgroup share content and that theegislation misunderstands the relationship between tech companies and publishers. google has signed another deal to pay for some of its news content. news corporation, the media empire owned by rupert murdoch's family, announced a three year deal to pay an undisclosed sum to feature some content from the u.s., u.k. and australian brands, the wall street journal, the post, the times and the

estrella p earlier this week google signed similar deals with two australian media groups. . it is a combined 81% of online advertising in australia. as unworkable in the long term. the british government has said it would provide vcine certificates or passports for citizens if they are required for them to travel abroad. it won't be making proof of vaccination part of its domestic agenda. some companies are looking into making the shots mandatory for employees. a stance that could flout rules against discrimination in the workplace. anna lee explains. >> vaccine passports to travel abroad but not to go down to your local pub. this is how the u.k. government sees its layout of the covid-19 pandemic. >> we are not looking at domestic use of vaccine passports. that is not in our planning. as i said, the plan -- can be the national vaccination program combined with rapid testing that

i think is the way forward. >> he admitted that private businesses could very well demand proof of vaccination for an employee. while a nationwide care home operator in a london-based company have already publicly announced no jab, no job policies. employment lawyers are divided over the legality of such strategies. on the one hand, management can argue vaccines ensure safety. on the other, it could be seen as just committed tory. mo-- seen as discriminatory. meanwhile, major trade organizations say the focus should be on testing instead. >> workplace testing is gaining momentum but far more firms need to be encouraged. that is where the business focus is right now. rather than clamoring for the introduction of a domestic vaccine passports. >> so far, more than 15 million

people have received their first dose in the u.k. a relatively successful campaign that has boosted employers confidence. recruitment company -- saw a 16% jump in new job listings between the first and last weeks of january. kate: mario draghi says his new unity government will rebuild the country and the economy from the ground up. in addition to the 200 billion euros it will get from the rescue fund, are your druggie said he would confront the pandemic with all means possible -- mario draghi said he would confront the pandemic with all means possible. this time around, he said he would focusing on building an inclusive recovering that would help italy's young people and women in particular.

a check in on the day's trading action. the european indices closed lower. stocks in milan and frankford were down 1%. shares of the luxury group -- dropped 7% on disappointing quarterly results from its gucci brand. wall street shrugged off some stronger-than-expected economic data. the nasdaq down half percentage point. dow jones with a positive close, just hitting another record high at the closing bell. u.s. treasury yields trending higher, putting pressure on u.s. stocks. bitcoin topped $51,000 for the first time. u.s. shoppers increase their spending last month, boosted by $600 government stingless check. retail spending jumped over 5% in january, compared to small declines for the last three months of 2020.

americans invested in electronics, and home furnishings. much of the shopping was done online with internet spending at 11%. consumer spending is the main driver of the u.s. economy. the biden administration is pushing for another stimulus check to be included in a $1.9 trillion recovery package. the pandemic and the latest pending data expose widening inequality across the country. >> most of the spent in the u.s . is coming from the upper middle income demographic that has been that impaed durin the pandemic. the job losses have been most severe in the lower income bracket. in places like restaurants and other retail, lower income demographic has been impacted the most. so, when you look at the spending -- it is skewed. >> french consumers are

spending more and home appliances and cooking equipment. the overall spending on those items rising 11%. >> they have started to invade our kitchen counters. bread makers joining toasters and kettles and more. cooking at home is all the rage. and french consumers are willing to forgot more cash for cooking appliances. >> consumer spent 11.2% more on small electronic appliances in 2020 compared to the year before. they spent 82% more on bread makers, 20.7% on deep fryer and

16.2% on blinders. products available in places like this appliance store. the manager here says clients now seek higher quality products. being stuck indoors, the french are increasingly concerned about the state of their homes. home appliances again saw boom. robot vacuum sales doubled in 2020. >> devil in the market for one of those robot vacuum things -- definitely in the market for one of those robot vacuum things. >> [hums[ ] fantastic. kate and io on the same wavelength. thank you very much indeed. great to see you. more to come. life impairs.

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02/17/21 02/17/ [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is decracy now! pres. biden: i think we should be vaccinating teachers. we should move them up. amy: as president biden backs prioritizing covid-19 vaccines for teachers, we look at the debate over how to safely reopen schools during the pandemic. we will speak to randi weingarten, president of the american federation of teachers, and stacy davis gates of the chicago teachers union, which