the european union strikes milestone deal with china removing barriers to investment and comes after years of talks and in spite of resistance from washington. also ahead the british government. under the current level of restrictions. spiral following the discovery of a highly contagious new strain. not a new variant of being detected in the us challenging year for the country worst hit by the.

broadcasting live from moscow this is r.t. international my names you know neal i'm 30 minutes of news and views start. the e.u. and china have struck a landmark deal after years of talks it opens up the chinese market to european investment while giving beijing an inroad to some strategic european projects r t charlotte dubin ski has more on the story. base stealers almost been several is in the making between the e.u. and china and they've really pushed the boat out to get it done before the end of 2020 essentially it means that there is the opportunity for the e.u. for investment in certain industries this is companies within the e.u. to be able to invest in areas of china before it had barriers around them such as the financial sector and the health sector for china it means that there is this possibility of investing in renewable energy so this is something on the table for

each side in this and this deal has been described by many as being the most ambitious deal that china has ever struck with a nation country tomorrow's post covered world needs a strong e.u. china relationship to build forward better but this requires cooperation reciprocity and trust especially in our trade and investment relationship but this deal comes with a huge amount of criticism many have said that the e.u. is far too soft on china on issues such as labor rights and human rights in fact some e.u. countries said they were unhappy with the fact that the e.u. hadn't done enough to secure those issues these countries were countries such as the netherlands and belgium and the was also criticism from some e.u. parliament ariens who said you know essentially this didn't tackle issues such as hong kong and that of the weaker muslims in china e.u. china investment agreements we gained access to the documents and it's extremely

light and human rights and slavery as i feared the french declinations on putting an end to forced labor as a condition for do we just empty words hate from the land the european commission president. of brazil you should raise recent human rights issues when you talk to see how they steal is also to likely to rub up the wrong way the new incoming for. hasn't the united states joe biden just a few weeks ago the e.u. said he wanted to coordinate its interaction its issues with china with the pardon a demonstration in yet just weeks before he takes office it's decided to push ahead with this deal some of those who have suggested that china was going soft on the e.u. in a way of perhaps ramping up those tensions the main deliverable from the genes point of view was to drive a wedge in trances line to coalitions and cross also piers to have complied it's just mind boggling that the you would even consider rushing to

a green investment pact with beijing weeks before biden takes after us after claiming for several years that they wanted transatlantic cooperation on china even you has rejected that criticism saying that washington has done its own deals over trade and investment with china and the trumpet ministration so that's boy the boy but regardless of the geopolitics surrounding this deal what is clear is that angle of merkel wanted to get it done before the e.u. presidency transfers to another country next year and it seems for her because she believes that this gives the e.u. a more level playing field the gates china that trumps everything else. well i spoke with gregory mahoney who is professor of politics a university in east china he thinks both europe and china are trying to put ideology behind them and secure their economic interests. it is something that

really appears to indicate a major shift concessions that got this you know what really came from the chinese side you know it's the postcode it reality where you know we all have to get things done deal with difficult times that are here and there and the need to step away from i think ideal ideology and ideological standards that are putting food on the table or products on people's shelves and i've seen a couple of negative comments some of the incoming by the ministration where they say looking forward to talking to europe about about china's unfair competition practices but i don't think that's the ministration pushing europe over this in fact i think it may encourage by to take a softer position towards the e.u. in particular i think brussels is probably calculating that as well so we might see the us actually competing with concessions of its own. millions of people across

england or a boat to be placed under the current toughest level of code restrictions known as tier 4 case numbers have soared since a new highly infectious strain of the virus was detected the country's health secretary perhaps projecting a national uproar has said there was no other choice. the new variant means that 3 quarters of the population are now going to be 4 and almost all of the country to 3 and you and i know that 23 and 4 measures place a significant burden on people and especially on business is affected but i'm afraid it's absolutely necessary because of the number of cases that we've see so as of one minute past midnight here in the united kingdom all regions will be entering to fall that includes the north east of england northwest they will be joining the south east of england and in fact that takes a total of 3 quarters of the population will be in the type to set of restrictions of course the rules in that area is to stay at home now experts are warning there

that to 4 is not even going far enough and many say that what's needed is a full scale national lockdown to try and take control of this virus nothing on that though from westminster nor was there any talk of a to 5 of course we've heard some rumors circulating over the past few days that potentially there could even be a tear 5 coming out in all of this nothing on that either but this latest set of tide to set of restrictions as much to do with today being the 3rd day the 3rd consecutive day that we've seen the daily cases absolutely at a peak has not really basically means that this 2nd wave of 19 is much harsher and much worse than the 1st wave and of course we've just been seeing in the last few weeks these 2 mutant strands of 191 seemingly even originating here in the u.k. one apparently have written a thing in south africa all of this so i was placing a huge amount of pressure on the n.h.s. many say that the n.h.s.

of ta it and frustrated but it's also coming being quite apparent in the hospitals within themselves we're seeing a shortage of styles but also a shortage of bed spaces as well gospel street. control you start from having to make incredibly difficult decision to decide to get an ambulance in the order quite often with huge numbers of people where you from going to susan i know you have nobody left to send while working behind the scenes is the medical and science professionals and some good news coming from them because the latest vaccination has just been approved in the united kingdom by the u.k.'s medicines regulator that's the oxford university astra zeneca vaccination being the 2nd one here in the united kingdom following of course the pfizer biotech vaccine just a few weeks ago so studies show so far * that the full 2 doses provides around 62 to 90 percent efficacy the biotech there was much further ahead and much further

advance when it comes to the effectivity of it because after a top up that's around 95 percent even so the united kingdom has ordered 100000000 doses the 1st batch could be rolled out as soon as next week a huge improvement though on the biotech vaccination is that this latest one only needs to be stored in a room fridge temperature and normal fridge temperature as opposed to minus 70 degrees so this one is much more easily transported as with the 1st vaccination this one also is going to be abiding by a priority list at the top of the list of courses the over 80 is the elderly but also staff on the frontline as well much like the where the united kingdom 1st approved the bio on tech vaccination the e.u. said actually the u.k. is really rushing things through and the e.u. will be taking their time with things we need additional data about the quality of the vaccine and after that the company has to formally apply but even with this

vaccination it is really difficult to be quite positive here in the united kingdom of course britain has been dubbed plaguy the end after the last few weeks it's easy to see why remember just a few months ago boris johnson promised the u.k. that it would be normality by christmas and really we've already done christmas and it couldn't be. we're all just shelby akhmed told us the latest surge in infections could not come at a tougher time for hospitals in the u.k. you know it's a very challenging situation in. the u.s. but. in brenda's tremendous stress at this moment it is much worse than what we were seeing in march you can dine in my new visa of the crunch window months and it has already been pressured in these critical months and look to the world gets going and all of those we've got to bend them and so putting the 2 together it's highly challenging it's very very. difficult to manage the situation we've looked

at the links in a vision to be we're going constraints or any. situation in which you have to make a decision between life and dead but. privately gayman fortunately and you have to be ignored because you have to still run a so this and of the population at large. well this new covert strain has now spread from the u.k. to the united states it's been detected in colorado it comes as the state of new york braces for a new surge in case we have been talking about potential for spread during christmas. america struggles to deal with the effects of the pandemic are u.s. correspondent kill of my pen has been looking back out on a specially grim year for the city dubbed the epicenter of the crisis new york. they call it the big apple and in 2020 that apple got

a giant one minute and that worm is known as ovid when a national emergency was 1st declared in the city back in march many panicked. stores soon had empty shelves. the hospital soon hit capacity and emergency tents were set up in central park. there was a shortage of protective equipment like masks and hand sanitizer health care workers took to the streets to protest they're told to you wouldn't ask only grow

old boy. so if you want to talk about the row. it's part of that i mean if you send over if you sent over if you sent us it's really it's been tough it's been one of the hardest moments in my life it's been really challenging and i'm burnt out we're we come in every day and are not getting support from our managers cars you know our government is telling us we can wear a simple bandana we don't have many noted that in circumstances like this we had local officials blaming everyone but themselves where was the whole international health community we was the whole national shows of experts the w h o d n a the c.d.c. the whole alphabet soup of agencies we was are very we were you were. the intelligence community with the brief. videos of trucks used as

a temporary morgue studio an overflow of dead bodies became a horrifying emblem of the era. new york city's hard island became a graveyard amid the overflow of dead bodies. one of the ugliest scandals involve nursing homes at the end of march andrew cuomo the new york state governor ordered covert patients to be sent to nursing homes for the elderly now this order was revised on the 11th of may but it was far too late the death toll in new york's nursing homes was approximately 4800 people remember that

the elderly are the most vulnerable such a poorly calculated move is pretty hard to forgive this thing is not going away sir 6300 people died in new york nursing homes that is the most in this country really needs to be able to challenge this wish to leave you would do it you're in a little bit of criticism of your very much like there was a glimmer of hope over the summer but then a 2nd wave came when it got cold the new lock downs have had a devastating effect on the economy restaurant owners and workers have taken to the streets. the state was crashing and burning with the rising body count andrew cuomo took the

opportunity to write a book about his personal achievements. in . 2021 doesn't look like it's bringing any relief either national health officials are warning us that january could be devastating without substantial mitigation the middle of january could be a really dark time for us some say that the lockdown was imposed too late others are saying that cuts in health care facilities and the closing of hospitals over the past decade have played a role regardless of why there's no question the 2020 will go down as one of the worst years in the history of new york city mop and r.t. new york still ahead in the program the chaos has ramped up in yemen with blasts and shootings killing at least 20 in the capital the details when we return.

it will be very difficult to think that the year is about to end indeed turning 2020 change was the norm and normality elusive many years reflecting on what has been. the focus should be on what may never return.

hello again at least 20 people have been killed scores more injured in a wave of explosions and gunfire in the yemeni port city of 8 in the red cross said one of its stuff is among the 3 others wounded. i. think. the 1st attack happened in the airport just after a plane carrying newly appointed yemeni government officials flew in from saudi

arabia a local t.v. channel called the explosion on camera people were disembarking here it was followed up by gunfire several smaller blasts to local reporters say the airport was hit by mortar and right athos injures were driven straight to the presidential palace where another explosion took place so far no group has claimed responsibility but officials are blaming who rebels former pentagon michael maloof believes there are other possible culprits. in terms of that attack it was intriguing because of the goofy's denied and people point even though people are pointing fingers there's a possibility that it was also. isis isis is growing back in yemen it was almost decimated a few years ago and their concentration seems now to be in the area and they would love to create disruption and create power vacuums in those areas and. create the

kind of turmoil that we continue to see in them. or the latest tragedy in yemen comes right after essentially washington give the green light to a $290000000.00 arms deal with saudi arabia. the state department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to the kingdom of saudi arabia of a g.b.u. $39.00 small diameter bomb one munitions and related equipment for an estimated cost of 290 $1000000.00 the trump administration approved agreement less than a month before the next president takes over the oval office now that follows billions of dollars worth of weapons exports from the u.s. to saudi arabia in recent years it's helping the spike repeated warnings over the spiraling civilian deaths in the bombing of yemen which has been ongoing since march 25th. the saudi led coalition and the. fighting

since march 25th seen are responsible for laws of war violations and human rights abuses the conflict has killed and injured thousands of civilians well there are several other arab nations sealing last minute deals with the outgoing u.s. administration kuwait is about to buy attack helicopters worth some $4000000000.00 egypt as well as set receive defense targeting gear worth around $170000000.00 michael maloof again thinks the flow of u.s. weapons to saudi ago be short lived. this is part of trump's effort to keep arabia. well armed and to try and to use its influence of iran the biden administration may actually put the kibosh on biden himself as issues with saudi arabia and in addition the congress does as well and the congress has 30 days in which to disapprove and this is the period in which that

would happen so and it would come and the 30 day period would be up during the new biden administration should he be sworn in and that will be and he could biden could put a hold on it at that point. in syria terrorists have attacked a passenger bus and dare resort province killing at least 25 people according to state media it happened near the iraqi border on a highway leading to palmira formerly an islamist a stronghold the jati group no longer occupies any significant territory in syria but they've reportedly been attempting to regroup in the desert. 2. riot police clashed with students university in beirut protesters tried to storm the main. group despite the. economic crisis to ation fees are being doubled.

tens of thousands are pro-choice didn't it cheers as argentina senate voted to legalize abortion a deeply divisive issue in that catholic majority country people celebrated. throwing green smoke bombs that is the color of the pro-choice movement argentina becomes the 1st major latin american state to make the. let's say in argentina where health workers have received the 1st doses of russia. gets under way it is the 3rd country after russia to approve the short time president. has dismissed western. crying what he called a politically driven smear campaign he also said international trade rolling back efforts to get the drugs to where they are most needed. there is a very vicious dispute going on very cruel dispute and

a shameful one by some discredit how this i think the 1st thing to bear in mind is that a trade war has been unleashed also says the whole world is eager for the vaccine there is a geopolitical dispute who will be the want to distribute the vaccine or sister channel r.t. spanish has been reporting from outside of vaccination center in the capital. we'll be remembered in argentina as the start of the biggest vaccination ever carried out in the country has received 300000 doses of the focus is on monitoring the vaccination of medical workers and hospital staff caring for people infected with coded 19 they were the 1st to receive the vaccine across medical centers they worked hard to tackle the virus but it's been difficult not least because some of even seeing colleagues lose their lives the delivery of the vaccines. this is a ray of hope for us it's like we've crossed the line of fire and are now moving

forward against this damned virus we had a very difficult year there was a lot of fear this is a great hope for us and i'm eternally grateful on behalf of all of the nurses. i am satisfied i am very happy these are the emotions that come to my mind now i remember our colleagues who died because they worked in the health sector and happy because this should and. in the province more than 300000 people signed up for voluntary vaccination with the provincial governor who was the 1st to be vaccinated in the region detail the significance of this new step in the fight against that pandemic. it seems to me today is the beginning of a new stage for us the largest vaccination campaign in the history of the province of when osiris begin this morning and this is a vaccine that not only prevents disease. but also represents a real triumph of aleutian in the fight against the virus the campaign will involve

around $7800.00 vaccinations centers as a whole of distributing doses brought from russia vaccinated will be supervised for possible side effects as well as to inform when a 2nd round of vaccines arrives more than 20000000 doses are expected to be delivered by february of a major positive effect against the virus. well we heard from latin america ellis francisco 'd domingo as he thinks some countries are waging information campaign against the russian black sea and he's a sort of effort to create a cold war other most deeply by the united states but also by some of the you do. and this is they take the russia and china as the reason needs that they have to come to the conclusion that they suffered a massive egos goofy with the fighting we got and then we because these countries china russia and a few others actually have the us if you have a say if you put people before profits if you actually cared about the population

rather than anything you get the results and you know you want to be good. with the compare foreman's all european countries the united kingdom but also the united states where he'll have something close to us to pretend that the reason why the three's company unfortunately she supported by it was the media and the asian wasn't in it or to the conservative forces around mathy and my reason we created a must but we're going to be the country controllers the live where the jobs. as we approach the end of 2020 now website slots of stories and refuse of the year to get stuck into it well worth some of your scrolling time today i mean a little different.

world is driven by shaped by. the day or thinks. we dare to ask. an entire village in alaska has had to move if another country trying to wipe out an american town. we do everything in our power to protect. water they escaping

climate change is the same threat right now alaska has seen some of the fuss just coastal erosion in the world we lost about 35 feet. 35 feet of ground in just about 3 months while we were measuring. it is fast and means the river is $35.00 closer than how it was 4 i think we're part of america 1st for.

hello and welcome across dr all things are considered it will be very difficult to figure out the year that is about it and indeed during 2020 change was the norm and normality elusive many have reflected on what has been lost maybe the focus should be on what may never return. to discuss this and more i'm joined by my guests that are coming to implement he is the energy and founder of 21st century wire and in we have john laughlin he is a university lecturer in history and political philosophy originally cross-talk roles in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i always appreciate it ok let's go to john 1st you know people will obviously think of 2020 as the year of coded. but i tend to.