they were punished for their absence but now there is no punishment for real life. in the headlines from moscow this new year's eve england extends covert restrictions on the number of areas affected as the rate of infection spirals following the discovery of the new highly contagious strain of the virus. and other use the e.u. struck a milestone trade deal with china removing key barriers to investment coming after years of talks and despite the incoming administration demanding it be consulted ahead of the deal. last time to look back we speak to some of the medical workers around the world who have become the unsung heroes in the year of the pandemic. and we've seen people die in the scene people coming in a car we have to be way down what we. did what we had to do.

live from russia around the world this is our international the 31st of december new year's eve with me kevin i would great to have you company hope you can stick around for the next half hour as we go through some of today's stories and take a look back as well at the last 12 months so 1st 3 quarters of england's been placed in the toughest stay at home tier for restrictions as covert cases saw for a new highly infectious strain of the virus was detected not hancock the health secretary said he had no choice but to bring in the new measures. the new variant means that 3 quarters of the population are now going to be 4 and almost all of the country into 3 and you and i know that 3 in 4 measures place a significant burden on people and especially our business is affected but i'm

afraid it's absolutely necessary because of the number of cases that we've see more regions entering turf or that includes the north east of england north west the south east 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 and 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 the 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 strands of 191 seemingly even originating here in the u.k. one apparently every connecting in south africa all of this 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 gosh you lost. control you start having to make it incredibly difficult decision to decide who gets an ambulance and. quite often with huge numbers of people waiting. 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 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 though 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 is really difficult to be quite positive here in the united kingdom of course britain has been dubbed plague ireland 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. the national hospital doctors unions warning the whole service is

overwhelmed to the point where clinics move sued for these horrendous choices over denying patients lifesaving treatment we got reaction from medical experts for that awful thought. it is one of those very unfortunate situations in which sure we have there was a look in here and a. look at the latest inhibition to be. constraints or any situation in which you have to make a decision between late and. grow to begin there unfortunately and you have to be promoting because you have to still run and so this and of the population at large unless we are strict in enforcing this tears it only becomes very symbolic there's a lot of i would call it the wood for the trees stuff here with the weary and strain because i would like to say you still need to get infected whether it is the old strain or the new strain it is dropping your guard from infection that causes

you to get infected rather than we now have a new strain and therefore it is the fault of the new strain making all these infections it may be more infectious but still if we exercise infection control you can protect yourself of course is the medical workers who've become the unsung heroes of 2020 rising to the occasion and saving lives often a considerable risk to their own health we speak next than to some of those people on the very front lines of the worldwide battle against the coronavirus pandemic. that phone was going every 15 minutes every 10 minutes as the nurse put. it would ring again and it became so frightening because the patients or pioneer me into the hospital. for me working throughout that covert is same by to a patient and knowing that i come back tomorrow and their babies have been. made to

fresh because they died and we're seeing people die in a scene people coming in they can't breathe well having to put people out because they can't breathe because of covert 19 and then you've got people protested why do why are you looking so i feel as nurses most health care professionals it's quite difficult it's difficult for us you know i remember having a patient who. she would say that she liked classical music i remembered that she liked classical music so why did these during my break i was able to go out and get my photo i put the music on my phone and then i put it into a plastic bag and then i was able to when i went back in i was able to just play music to her and just knowing that she could see the happiness usually you see somebody decline. and you kind of she or you want to see peavy or you feel like something's wrong they don't look right but this was sort of like seemed off ok and

then all this started you find out they're not ok not only they're not ok but. i don't feel like. i just feel like a human being who simply cares. wants to help them and make a difference we have to do. what we want to. do what we have to be told. i'm proud of all of us. we're going to. find this. when we won't give a shit making decision. maybe we can step up to play a little bit more and maybe we can be and how to make sure that we can make very. good at impact all of those who were running low on oxygen and supplies on you know other respiratory drugs definitely bad definitely staff this is not over this is

far from over that scene's are not going to i mean yes they're going to help but it's going to take a lot of time before we could vaccinate everyone. at the start there wasn't enough equipment we had to come up with impromptu protective gear repurpose it so that we could take patients it's obvious that the whole european continent was not prepared for such a pandemic not only spain turns out there was no centralized organized policy in any of the affected countries including spain even to this day spain has many different communities each with their own understanding of how to deal with the pandemic disagreements of the lock down recession the strong communities controlled by opposition parties because they do almost a 100 percent of the opposite of what the health ministry to do their mistakes throughout the whole year starting from not closing airports and not implementing controls on everyone entering spain from other countries bodies and demonstrations were allowed for too long many protesters took to the streets without masks obviously that was a huge mistake because we did not manage to stop the virus we should have been

ahead of it including no small steps that are still affecting the current situation potentially to devastated parts of the population is even worse it's always late and not enough from the 1st wave in spain the maybe even during in march and april it became clear that the european union's a gigantic structure that's not working where equipment is stolen really has to ask you burn russia for help after failing to get aid in europe in spain when they are not in the 2nd wave but the 1st remission stage i got the 4 as a vaccine i would have liked to get the sputnik the vaccine but it's unlikely to arrive here in spain with the current narrative with the virus has been made into a political and ideological issue we're going in a tough ways because people are objecting to vaccination and bring home with their lies and manipulation in the media it's our every day struggles. through the pressed into turmoil of 2020 there a summer of making a profit point multibillion bosses well publicly expressing solidarity with all

those who are suffering the same time been getting extraordinary things this year covering. 2020 the year that won't be missed coronavirus. current virus a covert 19 entire health care system is on the very brink of collapse lockdown major health crisis hospitals and health care workers are bracing for an onslaught of growth of virus in patients storing unemployment and so many workers are still hurting very badly as the economy starts to tank hunger. and mass unemployment collapsed businesses whole industries brought to their knees stability security and choice just wiped out we here in the same refrain all around the world family is a very worried as they are forced to make impossible decisions do they risk the disease as they go out to earn money to buy food will stay home and watch their children go hungry but as some plunged into dire financial straits others sought to

unimaginable heights how well it turns out that a pandemic is just the thing to how take the video conferencing up didn't even exist before 2020 no one knows will it exist after 2020 no one knows and given its c.e.o. pocketed 17000000000 dollars this year i doubt he's having sleepless nights also sleeping soundly jeff bezos with people boarded home armisen had a blockbuster year but according to the richest man or not who made $75000000000.00 as the global economy just crashed and bought and apparently it wasn't all fun and games. there is no instruction manual for how to feel at a time like this i know this causes stress for everyone my list of worries right now like yours i'm sure is long for my own children parents friends to the safety of you my colleagues to those who are already very sick and to the brutal home that

will be caused by the economic fallout across our communities well that might not be a manual but that is math and it shows that bezos could give $105000.00 bonus to every single amazon waka and still be as rich as he was at the start of the pandemic but he didn't what did happen was grueling lockdown shifts lack safety protocols and no moscow and firing people who spoke out. for me the problem with that you have a belief that you don't you just do but you're trying to violate it's like what you think it's they want you to get sick you know here you know what the word is not enough to do even. more and it's about protection as well he does what the body.

workers will call a job basis and other c.e.o.'s as pandemic profiteers who have made billions while putting workers and their families friends and neighbors at risk do you think you couldn't beat making 75000000000 a year but you can just ask your own musk he might have been broken 2008 but he'll raked in 123000000000 in 2020 and when the cash is flowing you know wanted to stop. all of it. forcibly imprisoning people in their homes. to foreign might. break the people's freedoms and where the. people. it's america has country. bridge bridge so instead of forcibly imprisoning people in their homes musk courage people to get back to walk all face starvation and get affected on no pay

what set lethal virus off to roll you know you're talking about saving humanity but these are humans that die in the process everybody dies 2020 the a one man could afford to just blow up his rocket while hundreds of millions are left picking up the pieces of that lives. there without report it's quarter past 11 moscow time high coming up the e.u. and china agree a milestone investment deal of the use of talks but washington is not happy says it wasn't consulted will tell you more of them about.

every year with great pleasure to be answered questions from our viewers and this year. as usual your questions. my panel and.

again from russia brussels and beijing of signed a massive landmark trade deal after years of talks it opens up the chinese market then to investment while giving beijing an inroad to strategic european projects in return but as r.t. charlotte to penske explains washington's not happy. they 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 corporation 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 human rights in fact some e.u. countries said they were unhappy with the fact that the e.u. hasn't done enough to secure those issues these countries will 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 came to 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 a deal which just empty words hate from the land the european commission president well just as a bro you should raise recent human rights issues when you talk to see what they steal is also too likely to rub up the wrong way the new incoming. resident of 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 poit in a demonstration and 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 brussels appears 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 while the e.u. has rejected that criticism saying that washington has done its own deals over trade and investment with china under 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. but earlier i spoke to press a budget in show the power school of business he told me the us still has got a cold war mindset than ignores the benefits of the deal. the u.a.e.

is china's now largest trading partner and the same is true by said so and even the tray is larger the trade between the u.s. and in the us the 1st 3 quarters so in that sense it's nothing i think it's a situation that china 'd used to have a. investment like many countries we have sections in education national security and finance but scenes china has now $23.00 trade since in 2014 we have attracted a lot of money in an hour of the free trade so you know from the pandemic we know that there really. is both in the united states in europe and in china in many areas of collaboration depend then make the crime a change over the elevation you know initiate and so on the u.s. is helping still having a cold war minds it so i think we need to have a bigger mindset more open to it to look for gains by its beauty.

some other news to preach at least 26 people have been killed in schools injured in a wave of explosions in attacks on the yemeni port city of aden on wednesday the red cross says it stuff are among the dead and wounded. in the 1st attack happened today in their ports just after a plane carrying newly appointed yemeni government officials flew in from saudi arabia a local t.v. channel indeed caught the explosion on camera as people were leaving we have craft it was followed by gunfire more blocks local reporters say the cross the airport rather was also hit by mortar drone strikes the passengers were rushed to the presidential palace where another explosion took place so far no groups claimed responsibility behind it but fishel subliming who see rebels now saudi arabia's leading. the u.s. backed bombing campaign of yemen against the rebels and the attacks come just

a day after washington approved another huge $290000000.00 deal to supply more bombs to riyadh the contract adds to 1000000000 dollar weapons exports from the u.s. to saudi arabia that's despite repeated warnings on the spiraling civilian death toll from riyadh 5 year long campaign now so the officials claim their attacks stop arabian influence on the region but rights groups warn the outcome is unacceptable . the saudi led coalition and the group fighting since march 25th seen are responsible for laws of war violations in human rights abuses the conflict has killed and injured thousands of civilians. the growing trumpet ministrations rushed through other vast arms deals to the region to for a start kuwait's about by $4000000000.00 worth of attack helicopters and egypt set to get defense and targeting gear worth around 170000000 security expert michael

maloof thinks there's a good reason why arms deals are being rushed through right now. this is a tale of tribes efforts to keep the arabia. well armed and to use its influence of iran the biden administration may actually put the combustion 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 and the 30 day period would be during the new biden administrator should he be sworn in and he could provide we could put a hold on a at that point. finally for now the last 12 months a maybe like no other through the pandemic people resourcefulness and creativity

shown through didn't all video agency ruptly has captured some of the most touching highlights of 2020 i'm kevin i would pick seasons greetings from me and the team behind me in the newsroom here thanks for watching for the last 12 months we hope you continue to i'm going to leave you this hour with some of those sights and sounds i just talked about the year just about to go. i. was at the same all the ticket only to put aida us in your name and then that is. because you're old but i guess it was the album aged east's. 6. 66.

she. could be an old up the good old lady i mean they lost all of. this with a couple of the rest of them as i. thought she might have thought of us all scholars on the way i mean saw a lot about it call it that was a good number the couple do know it was an idea.

through 6. lolo played. this sport which is nothing like believe. that it's not a money spinner but it is expensive. and it's dangerous . period. this is probably skewed

a little on the you know who breaks it's all. going to solve the problem solving that multiple. purposes. that the boom bust the one business show you can't afford to miss unfair monteux in washington coming out after years of negotiation the european union and china reach a last a weighted investment deal which would be an option to say to the incoming fire than ministration we have

a panel coming up on you at teacher nancy pelosi bland senate majority leader mitch mcconnell for blocking the $2000.00 stimulus check fled to kenya. they are in denial. of the hardship that the american people are very. u.k. prime minister boris johnson signed the e.u. u.k. brotherhood feel the e.u. probably. it's still expected to hold a vote next month we have a lot to get that start. to european union and china have concluded a business investment deal in a video conference chinese president xi jinping met with european commission president arsal vanderlyn german chancellor angela merkel and french president emmanuel necron to finalize the agreement the deal known as the comprehensive agreement on investment or c a i will grant substantial market access to e.u. investors now the deal creates a better balance in the e.u. china trade relations the official news agency reported president xi said the deal

will offer bigger markets and a better business environment for both china and the e.u. after 7 years of these difficult negotiations chancellor merkel pushed a fellow europeans to reach a deal before the year and deadline but the agreement could harm the new biden ministrations relationship with brussels join me in touch with co-host ben swan and host of economic of day author of the sickness is assistant professor richard wolfe professor wafa let's begin with you what does this investment deal mean for european companies and what does it mean for china well basically what. the relationship between the european union on the one is. making it easier for trade for travel lol or. for a console sure. it encourages you both directions obvious is a.