tv Al Jazeera English Newshour LINKTV August 13, 2021 5:00pm-6:01pm PDT
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♪ >> hello, welcome to the newshour live from london. coming up in the next 60 minutes, afghanistan's government is on the brink of catastrophe. city after city falls to the taliban with the fighters now just 1 hours drive from kabul. a humanitarian crisis is already unfolding as thousands flee the march of the taliban. from the mediterranean to siberia, the wildfires
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incinerating forests, farmland, and homes. nowhere left to go. migrants expelled by the u.s. and left stranded in southern mexico. >> i am leah harding in delhi with sports. this coach confirms lee n.l. messy is not ready -- lionel messi is not ready for his debut. and a massive upset after the defeat of arsenal 2-0. >> hello, welcome to the newshour. the taliban's rapid advance in afghanistan seems almost unstoppable as city after city falls and the scale of losses looks catastrophic for the government. intelligence reports suggest kabul could fall within the
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month and a humanitarian crisis seems inevitable. in less than two weeks, the taliban have seized half of afghanistan's provincial capitals, including some of the biggest and most influential cities, places like kandahar and herat. the group controls two thirds of all afghan territory weeks before u.s. troops complete their withdrawal. it has sparked a humanitarian disaster. thousands of civilians have been displaced, more than half since the month of may, and many find themselves in kabul, forced to live in the city's parks which are packed and overcrowded. people fear a return to the brutal rule the taliban was known for. first, this report. >> another two provincial capitals. this provincial capital is just to the south of kabul, 65
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kilometers and now they are knocking right on the door of kabul. the taliban say that the government has actually joined them. how we understand it, they sent hundreds of fighters into the city and a compound was stormed and they were forced to surrender. it is significant because it is the leader's home province and because it is so close to the capital. it is not the only place that felt today. qalat, the capital of zabul, we saw the governor being escorted out of town. shortly after, the taliban took over and proclaimed their 18th provincial capital. to put it into context, there are only 34 provinces so they have control of over half. they have not had control of one in over five years and have managed to do this in over one week. they had picked up seven
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provincial capitals and that includes the second and third biggest cities in afghanistan. kandahar in the south, herat in the west. they are on a roll at the moment. i spoke to a taliban contact this morning said even they are shocked. >> to kabul where the situation is feeling more and more unstable. thousands have fled to kabul seeking refuge from violence in the provinces. aid agents there say they fear a humanitarian disaster. >> on the northern edge of kabul a fight for bread among people newly arrived at a food distribution that quickly turns into a free-for-all. this open piece of land has become a makeshift camp for people with nowhere else to go and very little for shelter.
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[speaking non-english] >> i have two children with us out in the open sun all day. >> new arrivals are encouraged to take buses to temporary camps for displaced people that already exist from previous phases of this decade-long conflict. >> the makeup of the population in kabul reflect the changing states that state of the conflict. until relatively recently, most displaced people would be from the south reflecting the ongoing fighting. but now they are being joined by newcomers from the west and north as this conflict has spread across the country. >> this man and his family of 10 have been here for three days after fleeing the fighting in the northern province. >> there is no system here and no shelter.
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>> more fortunate arrivals can find refuge and mosques. in the grounds of this one, there are 37 families. other find room with relatives. >> there were bombs falling all around my house to the left and to the right. i did not know what was going on. >> having worked for both the government and overseas aid organizations, she is afraid she is now a target for the afghanistan. >> i had a good life there. i was thankful to god. i don't know if i can ever go back. >> it is a dilemma facing many from all parts of afghanistan with the one goal of getting to kabul but not knowing what happens after that. >> earlier, i spoke with the executive director of learn
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afghanistan, a nonprofit group focusing on female empowerment through education. i started by asking her how women are feeling in kandahar and what taliban rule for many afghans. >> people are scared about their own lives and the fact that we work for afghanistan for 20 years for the islamic republic of afghanistan and for the flight and now today, none of that is there. that is not even allowed in your own home. >> who do people blame for this? >> >> i blame my own government first of all because we were the ones who were to corrupt to act, who were too lazy to form a leadership.
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for once, afghanistan needed a strong leader. they should have given update money and worked for the people of afghanistan. the taliban are fighting you regional actors are behind them. that is true what about the humanitarian crisis? -- but what about the humanitarian crisis? what are you doing about that? so i am furious at my own government first. and then the west has every means to pressure the taliban to stop abusing humans but they stood back. they let the afghans suffer. >> we hear about the treatment of women in areas that are under taliban control, restrictions that have been imposed on their movement. tell me about the forced marriages of young women to taliban fighters.
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>> i remember connecting with this lady yesterday. she was told by the taliban that she had to marry a doctor. she fled in the night and was in an iedp camp. to this day we don't know what will happen to her dollars. there is a lot of uncertainty that people don't want to accept or highlight but women are the first victims of this war. no matter how hard we try, somebody has to make sure that they fail us. there are no certain answers for them especially for women. their fate is unknown. >> women in afghanistan are very passionate about their education. many i've heard from want to be doctors, they want to serve their community in any way that they can.
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what happens to their hopes and aspirations now? >> i don't want to sound anymore hopeless in my interviews but i also don't want to hide the fact that it is reality for our. we sacrificed so much, not that all of these schools were secure . i went to a university that was attacked. for me thinking about the fact that there were all of these sacrifices for the fact that i wanted to be somebody post graduation. now it seems it is unlikely to be happening and that is the same for every other goal -- girl. i don't see a light at the end of the time. >> i know you have been asked about your fears for the future of your country.
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just tell me how you are feeling at this time if the taliban manage to consolidate their control of the territory that they have managed to gain and establish some sort of administration. would it be similar to the 90's, or do you fear something worse? >> i am going to be honest, i do not fear them. i am not afraid of them. i am sad. i'm fears at my own government, that they stood by while our civilians were abused. and i'm hopeless about the fact that if they come into power, all of these girls and women i worked with, our future and lives are at stake. so for me to accept that they have changed, will it be like the 90's government?
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i don't believe that. i will be the first one to run an underground school, i don't have any other option. i'm going to do it at any cost that i can, nothing will stop me. but at the same time, for them it is a shame that we came into the 21st century and they still cannot accept women as equal human beings. that makes me sad and worried about their upbringing, about wet -- about them. but women will bounce back, that is for sure. >> there is an afghan diaspora around the world. we heard from afghans in india watching the conflict, many who say they are too frightened to return. >> i would never go back home. never. i believe that if 100 years were to pass, peace will not come to afghanistan. afghanistan will never be fixed.
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it has been 45 years of war in afghanistan and i am 33 years old. i have never known peace. >> it has been 3-4 months and i still have no idea where my father, mother, brother even our. i tried asking my uncle but he said there mobile phone is not working but the situation in their village is very bad. >> still ahead, reporting from bangladesh as deforestation rates almost double the global average. we also look at how lebanon's economic rices has plunged those who once made a healthy living into poverty. and in sports, reality bites for barcelona as they prepare for the new season without their legendary goalscorer. >> the u.n. is calling for
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changes in how countries deal with wildfires. countries are struruggling to contain blazes in several regions. but the u.n. office for disaster fire says the focus has switched to prevention that has two switch to prevention -- has to switch to prevention, calling for harsher laws. blazes here have been blazing for several days. at least 71 people have died. they say most fires are man-made but a heatwave linked the climate change has helped it spread even faster. and a heatwave has broken out on greece's second largest island were a wildfire recently burned down forests and homes. our correspondent went to meet some of the residents there. >> the quiet of a lifeless
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forest. sharp contrast to the wild -- violent wildfires that wiped out. this man walks the wood looking for injured animals. the forests stood for many years filled with animals. whatever anyone could imagine to find in a forest. >> we started trying to save animals right from the start. and as a matter of fact, a lot of animals we knew because we were feeding them. >> and unfortunately, we found many of them dead. >> all living creatures have souls, he says, so they all matter. looking at the landscape now, he does not know how anything can continue to live here. >> greece's has promised to replant every tree and rehabilitate every forest that has been affected by these
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wildfires but we are talking about vast tracts of land spread across the entire country. these are forests that took generations to grow. >> whoever lives in this area are people that are alive. they live in nature and of the poorest. -- and of the forest. >> after a 42 year career covering the war in vietnam as well as conflicts in europe and the middle east. this man retired to a house in the woods. a lifetime of photographs, tools all gone. he might have to return to work but says he does not even know where to begin. he is angry, says he could have saved his house himself but as a safety measure, was forcibly removed people from the civil protection agency. >> even though we could have put it out, they cut off our water
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and forced us out. these are people who do not know our area who have nothing to do with firefighting. it was a mess and this is the situation. >> he will not leave. even burned to the ground, he says this is his home. he will prepare a cot, use a brick as a pillow, and sleep under open sky. his grid is all he has left -- grit is all he has left. >> meanwhile, authorities have expanded a state of emergency in russia's coldest and largest region. the move should help government pour more firefighting resources into the region. nearly 20 forest fires are burning across 20,000 square kilometers. several villages in the siberian region have been evacuated. smoke has enveloped the capital, often referred to as the coldest city on earth. rescuers in northern turkey are
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searching for survivors after flooding and mudslides killed at least 31 people. as many as 300 are still reportedly missing. 4 coastal provinces on the black sea were hit by torrential rain on friday. at least 21 people are confirmed to have died in central china as a result of flooding in hubei province. rescuers are searching for four people who are still missing. and there have been thousands displaced in india with rain causing rivers to burst their banks. thousands of rivers have been flooded with residents moved to relief shelters. now in approximately the time it will take me to finish this sentence, a patch of rain forest the size of a football pitch has been destroyed and in bangladesh, deforestation rates almost double the global average.
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it is impacting local wildlife and farmers. >> this was once bangladesh's largest forest range, home to indigenous people and a habitat for diverse wildlife. but for years, the forest has been facing destruction. this man, who represent one indigenous group, says so much has been lost. >> we are no longer able to find our traditional medicinal plants, food trees, and many other vegetations we used to look for. even wild animals have lost their food sources. we don't want deforestation but prefer preservation of the natural forest. >> according to the food and culture organization, the deforestation rate is almost double the global average. >> a large number of the indigenous people live in
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clustered villages inside the forests but their traditional way of life has been threatened in recent years by the depletion of the forest through logging, land grabbing, and commercial projects. >> and there are concerns deforestation is only adding to climate change problems. >> plane land is very important for bond leadership people. still -- bangladeshi people. still, we try our best. >> is one of the world's largest forest, a unesco heritage site, and is under threat. so too are the evergreen forests in the hills. despite protests by environmental groups, the
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government is allowing the building of a coal-fired power plant in other industries to set up next to the mangrove forest. >> this -- the state of the forest and bank -- is precarious. we have a total of 17% of our land as forest land but the forest covers only 9%. most of the natural forest are subjected to encroachment. overall, the situation is actually very sad. >> environmental experts warn that overpopulation, rapid industrialization, and agricultural expansion will continue to degrade forest resources adversely affecting the natural ecosystem and the climate. >> a quarter of a million serbians are having to ration drinking water because of a severe shortage. a dry spell means river levels have plummeted and an emergency
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has been declared. soldiers are disturbing water to the affected areas -- distributing water to the affecting -- affected areas. the u.n. is calling to an end to violence in this city. u.n. special envoys say local residents are suffering from shortages of food, fuel, water, and medicines. the city was put under blockade by the government after residents refused to surrender their weapons or allow soldiers to search their houses. now lebanon's worsening crisis has thrown half of the population into poverty. the currency value was crushed and basic items have become expensive. al jazeera spoke to a mother of three children about the struggles she and her family are facing. >> i am a mother of three.
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i am a schoolteacher. >> i used to feel that my job had meaning. today i feel very unworthy as a lebanese citizen. my salary is very low. today, it only covers a few basics at the supermarket. since 2019, life had dramatically changed. our salaries only cover water expenses, gas, and fuel. we don't have water, for example. life has changed dramatically. we cannot even secure the basics for our kids. this is the laundry, it has been in the machine since yesterday. i cannot wash because the one
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hour of electricity we get is not cover the washing cycle. this is the fridge, where we are putting the food that does not go back. of course i blame the governments and the leaders. all of them ins all of them -- means all of them. >> we are all tired. this is how we live. we have nothing to offer them. we are used to the situation but my daughter breaks my heart. i cannot provide for her like before. >> >> rights groups are criticizing a u.s. policy of flying u.s. migrants south of the border. john homan is there and joins us now. what is going on with these flights taking migrants into mexico?
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why is the u.s. doing this? >> this started before these flights with something called title 42 which is a decades-old health provision which basically means anyone showing up and crossing the u.s. border and asking for asylum does not necessarily need to be seen. they can be turned back because of the health emergency and president trump started to apply that to covid. president biden has continued that. he is sending people across the border but the administration is worried they keep coming back. so to stop that from happening, they are now flying them here to this city in the south of mexico next to the border of guatemala. they're also flying them to another city near the border of guatemala. so that is the new strategy to try to stop people repeatedly
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trying to cross into the united states. the u.s. is concerned at the moment about overcrowding at their border facilities, despite in preventions, and about the new strain of covid. rights groups have criticized it, saying you have got to give people access to asylum and you can't fly them straight down to the south of the country where they are not safe. >> what are the people telling you about their experiences in trying to get to the united states and then being sent back like this? >> our team actually managed to speak to a couple of people last night. they are being sent back on one of those flights. it is not just that they are being sent back to the city. then mexican authorities are busing them into guatemala. it is a double deportation. they seemed a bit shellshocked.
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one said i'm not sure what i'm going to do now. he was a farmer and paid more than $10,000 to a people smuggler to get him on that route to the united states. he said now i'm in a lot of debt and am not sure how i'm going to pay that off. that is a common story. a lot of them have passed a lot of difficulties to get to the border. even those from guatemala still had to pass through gang and cartel held territories where anything can happen. if they come from even further down south they have to get through a place where my colleague has reported on, and incredibly lawless area of land in which rape and robbery are commonplace. these people have suffered a lot to get to the united states and they are being abruptly turned around and placed back here so i think there's going to be a lot of people arriving that maybe don't know what has hit them. >> thank you very much.
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still with al jazeera live from london much more to tell you about on the news hour. tear gas and rubber bullets on the streets of bangkok where a coronavirus crisis has sparked calls for the prime minister to step down. forced cut opening hours. we look at why restaurants and industries in the netherlands are so shortstaffed. and in sports, a field of dreams that became a reality. details coming up later from a historic night in major league baseball. ♪
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>> we are expecting temperatures to climb across the balkan states. to the north of this, it is a wet and windy picture in particular for the british isles. for southern england, sunshine does come through and temperatures are where we expect them to be that things are going to turn wetter as we go into sunday. for scandinavia, it remains cool and wet with some of the heaviest storms affecting those balkan states. but for the really wet weather, we have got to move to the southeast. a storm system is chucking lots of rain to northern parts of turkey. we have seen flash flooding here but it is also georgia that has seen some of that whether. it does ease on sunday. the heat can be found sitting in the high 30's but for the iberian peninsula, this is where
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we see temperatures climb up and we could see a new record come sunday. ♪ >> on five to fund. offense -- efforts to counter terrorism. counting the costs, on al jazeera. >> madagascar. a breathtaking tropical paradise, where it's warmer protectors are now it's -- former protectors are now it's plunderers. we follow their journey as they put their lives on the line to earn a living. risking it all: meda asked her
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-- madagascar, on al jazeera. >> a diverse range of stories from across the globe. on al jazeera. ♪ >> welcome back. our main story. the taliban is gradually encircling kabul, seizing a city just 50 kilometers from the capital. earlier, to major cities fell to the group, herat and kandahar, a major trade port. warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe if -- in afghanistan
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as thousands flee violence in the provinces. more than 250,000 people had in -- have been displaced since may. hundreds of people have been allowed through a key border crossing between pakistan and afghanistan. it was reopened on friday following a fight between border guards and people waiting to cross. more from islamabad. >> the taliban and pakistanis have been saying they did not close that border, however there was a huge backlog and people on the pakistani side of the border where what they have to do is cross on foot several hundred meters to get to the afghan side, it is under the control of the afghan taliban. now that one particular pedestrian died of a heart attack and that led to
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tremendous anger from the pakistanis on the others of the border who started pelting stones at the border agents, who resorted to tear grass -- gas. the border is now open until 4 p.m. every day to ease the congestion. because for week -- for one week s hundreds were stranded. the community went to the government and said they need supplies and depend on trade for their livelihood. kandahar is a city with over 400,000 people and this is the main logistical lifeline into afghanistan, although now it is in taliban hands. it is a major lifeline for afghanistan, particularly as far as the south is concerned. pakistan had voiced its apprehensions, that if the security situation deteriorates
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in afghanistan, we could see an influx of refugees. pakistan is already home to 3 million afghan remedies and there are concerns some taliban elements may try to cross the border. but it is business as usual, the border is now open. >> many afghans blame pakistan for the taliban's success. the pakistani government insists it wants a peaceful resolution and does not support a taliban takeover but officials are accused of allowing taliban leadership into pakistan and letting fighters receive treatment in hospitals. our guess is a senior fellow and a former investor to france who joins us from washington. the assault on the country required coordination and planning. how have they managed to strategize in this way and carry out this seizure of key cities and provincial capitals? >> the taliban are 26 years old.
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they did not emerge just yesterday. they have been fighting for all this period with the exception of one or two years after 9/11, so they are seasoned fighters. they know the country, they know the territory. they have networks that cross provinces but as you mentioned, also relied on networks and support networks especially in pakistan. and also they have been tolerated by the iranians, the russians have tolerated them the chinese are meeting them. they have become more than just the militant group they used to be in the 1990's. >> they have indigenous, ethnics , and tribal links within the
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country have continued to cultivate and also developed their own foreign policy where they are in touch with countries that border afghanistan, not least recent negotiations with the u.s. itself. how much focus is there now on pakistan's role? even though they are a seasoned fighting force, many are saying the scale and speed of this offensive is unprecedented even for the taliban and could not have done without that external help. >> this would be an accusation that is also 26 years old. i remember in the 90's, a movement that accused of such ties. they still have ties to pakistan's religious infrastructure. they received the just account,
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nobody denies it. it is not even an open secret anymore but i think the taliban also has evolved into more of an afghan phenomena with some support systems. they're not only an ethnic phenomena as they used to be in the 1990's. if you study them hard enough, they are also relying on other ethnicities. the fact that they have been able to take northern, western, northeastern afghanistan, areas that are predominantly this at the city, it was also done with locals who are dissatisfied with the government, with the government. by the heavy handedness of the u.s. nato presence. of injustice and also corruption that over 20 years has turned a lot of people away from the government and at times into the arms of the taliban.
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>> does that mean that the momentum that is on their side cannot be reversed or changed in any way? in other words, everyone has lost leverage? >> i don't think so. the taliban has to be careful. they have to learn from the past , they have to be more flexible and more accepting. they have to be more modern in some ways. we don't know exactly how they have changed. people see it very black and white, i think it is great and in some ways the taliban and leadership have changed and in some ways they haven't. >> you say they have to be more flexible in modern, the criticism is that is just taliban propaganda, that essentially they have not changed. already we are hearing some pretty horrific reports about the restrictions being placed on
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women, that this is a group that has not changed at all. >> when i say they have to be, i don't know about teliana -- taliban propaganda, but i say if they want to be excepted by afghans and the international community, they have to prove from now on now that they are controlling cities and territory, they have to prove that they are ok with schools and universities and women going to work and a lot of the freedoms we have gained over the years, and the constitutional rights. they have to show certain commitment to all of those so the burden is on them at this point and it will be more and more on them otherwise they will lose support. >> thank you for joining us there from washington.
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we go to sri lanka now. the most senior catholic minister has accused the government of botching an investigation into the deadly easter summer bombings in 2019. we have more from colombo. >> the catholic church is scaling in this government's treatment of the easter bombings and the inquiry that followed. we heard from the archbishop who basically said the president has blood on his hands, that they ascended the power on the blood of the innocent victims of those attacks. they say the failure of this government to prosecute those possible, those who were involved in positions of authority that either ignore the warnings for did nothing to stop what they say could have been prevented from what the reports
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indicate has been an absolute tragedy. they have been launching campaigns from time to time and have said that if these do not work, they are ready to go international. >> we have told the u.n. and the international human rights commission because it is a right of our people for justice, that the truth should be known and those who are responsible should be identified. we are not insisting on a pound of flesh that want the truth to come out because such matters will not arise again. >> again, the catholic church question the incomplete investigation. they say there are lots of areas of questions that have not been pursued. the involvement of military intelligence with the so-called perpetrators or some of those
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involved, why those lines of inquiry were not pursued. why one of the bombers who turned away from a five star hotel was contacted by a military operative and there are many questions that the church says need authors. >> in bangkok, police have fired rubber bullets to stop protesters. they want the prime minister to step down accusing him of failing to control the coronavirus outbreak. we have more from the capital, bangkok. >> this is thailand's worst week in its covid-19 battle. there were two record days of new infections and one with a high of deaths. until the start of the current third wave, thailand had only 30,000 covid-19 cases in all. since then, it has added more than 830,000. a delayed vaccine rollout has been the focus of much criticism
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directed at the government and the mixed messaging of prevention measures. the rapid spike in cases has led to a heavy strain on the health-care system, considered one of the best in the region. volunteers have jumped in to fill the gaps. >> for me, the existence of volunteer groups shows how the government has failed. people have to help each other. >> they have impose an immunity decree, they say designed to help them do their jobs. but it would also rip -- protect those responsible for vaccine current, an area that has come under critical scrutiny from protesters. >> this could set a precedent if the government wants to be protected from their own actions. we have seen more people suing the government targeting policy. i think people will go after medical staff.
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-- i don't think people will go after medical staff. >> experts say better supply and variety of vaccines are critical for the overall battle of covid-19. more at home testing should be the top priority. >> while the wave started in bangkok, it has now spread to thailand and that is a complication because there is limited access to health care in vaccines but experts say more testing would help. >> i think this is the key to health control. ideally, it should be free for all people because if you have this test in your hands at home, you can monitor yourself. . if you get effective infected have at home isolation. >> it would also free up staff for those who need advanced care and protect more vulnerable groups as the rate of covid-19 spreading in households
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increases. >> some european economies are bouncing back as covid-19 restrictions are eased but for the netherlands, there is any problem on the horizon, a shortage of workers. >> people are on the move again for train companies in the netherlands are struggling to keep their services going. several trains have had the canceled because of a shortage of traffic controllers this train company had to ask former employees to return from retirement and those still working not to retire yet. >> you will often work late shifts at night or on weekends. but for young people looking for jobs, it's like going to a candy store. if you want to go out on a friday night, then it is impossible to work for us. >> the company urgently needs
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traffic controllers who are expected to work irregular hours to guarantee a safe train ride but they also need people in other departments including risk management and finance your >> there are plenty of jobs available but not only train companies are struggling. the job economy has quickly come back to life but is now threatening to slow down again due to a lack of workers. >> after opening up again in may, restaurants and cafes found that many staff had left. some establishments are now first to close again because there are not enough people to do the work. finding staff was also a problem before the pandemic. >> but three years ago, this mansard company called chefs from spain and now cannot keep up with demand. >> there are not enough and i think we have to solve this, to
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think more european and look for stuff, in this case in southern europe because on employment there is about 20% your >> victor hernandez arrived weeks ago from spain and is one of dozens of chefs recruited so far. >> in spain, there are not a lot of jobs and the ones that there are do not have the good health conditions you have here. it is that a minor -- better money, better hours, a better social system. >> the netherlands has an unemployment rate of only 3.3% in the economy is protected to grow next year to maintain this growth, this banker says companies need to be more creative. >> there is a new demands by millennials and newer generations, they want a better balance of work and life and
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maybe this is a spoiled thing but is a western world type of phenomenon. >> he is concerned that if cannot attract more workers from the netherlands or from abroad, the company will suffer. al jazeera. >> production of the new lord of the rings tv series is moving from new zealand to the united kingdom and the pandemic is partly to blame. because of code restrictions, british actors who make up half of the cast would have to spend two years in new zealand without seeing there for. amazon says the shift as part of a plan to expand action in the u.k.. new zealand's government says it is disappointed. residence in tokyo did a double
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take when a giant head was spotted in the sky. it is actually part of an art project commission for the tokyo olympic games. it took three years to create a massive inflatable head. it will next look down on the paralympics which began in 11 days time. still ahead, after a 74 year wait, a night or a member for the premier league newcomers. -- a night t remember for the premier league newcors. ♪
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leah. >> the premier league is back in the opening night was a perfect one for promoted site brentford. after years away from the top tier of british football, they marked their return with a 2-0 win over arsenal. the goal sent the packed crowd into a frenzy. they are the 50th team to play in the premier league. this coach has confirmed it is too early for messi to make his debut. the argentine has not played since the cobra america final -- copa america final over one month ago. the other hot topic in the news conference was the future of killian mbape. when asked about the french superstar, his answer was brief, saying killian is our player. >> we are so excited to have an
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amazing player on an amazing squat. now is the challenge to win in the way that we want. that is going to be massive but we have the energy and quality. in all of the people around the team for that to have. >> the manchester city editor was also in no mood to talk about the possible transfer of the tottenham stryker. -- striker. he previously said he would like to sign the english captain. >> i was asked this question in previous conferences about the player from tottenham hotspur. usually i don't talk about transfers because it is not my business and that is all. >> one player who will not be leaving his club anytime soon is
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the liverpool star. the influential dutch defender signed a contract extension which runs through 2025. he has been out since september with a serious knee injury and only recently returned to action in preseason friendly's. meanwhile, liverpool's manager has defended the lack of transfer activity in the off-season compared to some other merely gravels. -- premier league revels. -- rivals. >> i am never surprised by the power of manchester city or others. i'm here long enough to know they find a way to do these things. for us, this is our way. we keep the team together. we cannot spend money we do not have. we cannot, maybe others can we can't. >> in tennis. tsitsipas has moved into the finals after a convincing win over kasper ruud,
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the most wins by any player on the atp this year. he will play american reilly opelka in the finals. the women's events are being played in montreal the top seed marched into the semi's after a straight sets win over the filibuster wrong -- fellow belarusian azarenka. back to football. in chelsea, they expect the new recruit to have a huge impact for the club. the belgian striker will not feature in the blues opening match after joining for a reported transfer fee of $135 million. >> he has the power, the physique to help us. he has the experience, the personality to have huge impact in our squad. he is, at the same time, a
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humble guy and a team player. and he cares about chelsea. we had the feeling that it is worth it to try and to fight hard and we are happy that he is our player now. >> the spanish league also started on friday and it is a new era in la liga without wio -- lionel messi. his move has left a hole in barcelona squad as they get ready without their record goalscorer. the kamala giants could not afford to keep the argentine due to barcelona's huge debts and the spanish league's strict financial control rules. later on, we spoke to a sports writer. he says he believes la liga's status is under threat because the top teams will struggle to compete more lucrative clubs all
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over europe. >> it is true that messi has been incredible for these teams. he has scored a lot of goals against them, but the truth is now the spanish league has a lot of problems. we can see the spanish league hiring players for more than 100 million euros. have a lot of problems, not only rustler and real madrid. -- barcelona and real madrid. without messi, they have other options, but let's be real, real messi is not the same squad it was years ago. athletico is happy because they are doing things better but what i wanted to say is barcelona has lots of problems, also the other clubs. that's why i think they are not
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going to take a profit or benefit with messi absent. they are more or less like barcelona, with the big economic problems. you see sylvia -- sevilla having to sell. all of the clubs are in big problems. so what happened does not change anything. barcelona is still a favorite and i think they will be able to win it. but it is different when it comes to competing in champions league. nowadays, barcelona, atletico, real madrid, they are not able to fight with bayern munich, others. they will not be able to do that. >> that does it for me. >> that wraps up the newshour. i will be back with a full bulletin list in a couple of minutes. i will see you then.
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