we are in it together. headlining this our parish prepares to usher in 2021 under the shadow of the pandemic with thousands of police deployed to enforce a strict nighttime curfew. looking back we'll hear from frontline medics become the unsung heroes are dominated by. the same people coming. we have. what we want in 5. years what we have been. campaigners urge the u.k. to tread carefully when seeking a post trade deal with the us highlighting the health risks of american products.

there is 10 pm here in moscow on new year's eve it's just turned midnight in pakistan the maldives and you catherine back here in russia you happy new year from all of us here at international. fireworks have already lit up the skies over several capitals in the past few hours australia and east asia in 2021 in style but minus the crowds of course going years certainly but want to remember with lives turned upside down not just by the pandemic but also by conflicts and revolutions so whether it's a fond farewell or a good riddance to 2020 it's only been different. on the 2020 recedes into the rearview mirror paris is uncharacteristically quiet

right now a nightly curfew is still in place following a deadly surge in covert infections so all public gatherings are off limits and it's a picture that's playing out across europe as shala do bensky now reports. european leaders are due to make their traditional new year's eve dresses speeches are expected to focus on the themes of hope and unity 2020 of course is be a different. process the world as a covert 900 pandemic has torn into countries forcing locked trashing of colonies and of course there are said to be close to chew 1000000 people dead as a result of the virus this new year will be like although with the usual celebrations either completely cancelled or shadow of their former selves well let's start in paris france where the usual firework display on the show just behind me has been scrapped this year there will be around 100000 police officers

deployed on the streets to ensure that parties in front row can. there will be a particular focus. in the suburbs because it's a bit of a ritual here front but on new year's eve cause in other vehicles. last year more than 1400 vehicles with the curfew will remain in place so that we know what so i don't date here with good reason and this is due to be enforced strictly. last year on new year's eve we had 100000 police officers and john d'armes on the street there's a similar number this year but the difference is that in addition to countering potential violence we also have to enforce the curfew so officers will have plenty of work on their hands there won't be crowds in central paris but i'm afraid clashes elsewhere are inevitable some unions have warned that the illegal parties will be taking place saying that a lot of equipment has been rented one union this is from the trade and hospitality sector said it would be much better had some parties been sanctioned professional

swung their views considered not to be forgotten and they want the government to take responsibility for this shutdown people real. we want to party they want to draw a line in what happened in 2020 now in germany which is currently under lock has been a ban on the sale of fireworks there will also be tight restrictions on the numbers that can actually gather to celebrate new year's eve this comes as more than 20000 new infections were registered in the german health minister said that this new year's eve is likely to be the quietest in living memory. there will be $1129.00 families in mourning over the new year these figures prove just how brutally the virus is still pummeling us. look down in the netherlands will also see muted celebrations their normal countdown to the end of this year will be held inside a football stadium and there will be no spectators royal will keep its traditional

firework display but the usual concerts in public clauses have been scrapped london's iconic fireworks over the thames have also been cancelled while scotland's famous hogmanay celebrations have been lined many may have been hoping to mark the end of 20 twentieth's say goodbye 1 to it but the celebrations will still be muted for the moment it does look as if 2021 will continue on the same trajectory with more cases of being registered and of course continued restrictions on citizens. supposed to be a time for optimism and change things for the better so a tardis group of volunteers. looking to a future without mcdonald's. this

restaurant is. all messages come to the. mcdonald's. you are the. first. super bowl after we can go back to how things work this place has been shared by all of us it's a restaurant but also a common space where we can build solidarity and help people in the neighborhood we're going through difficult times. from my medics have become the indisputable heroes of 2020 rising to the occasion

and saving lives while often risking their own in the process we've been hearing some of their stories that phone was going every 15 minutes every 10 minutes as a nurse puts one down it would ring again and it became so frightening because the patients or piling into the hospital by fitness may work in throughout that covert is same buy to a patient and knowing that come back to mind their bed is now been. you know made a fresh because they died and we're seeing people die in the 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 you know. so i feel as nurses i'm as health care professionals it's quite difficult it's difficult for us you know i remember having a patient. she would say that she looked classical music i remember she

like 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 declines and you kind of check she or you want to succeed here you feel like something's wrong they don't look right but this was sort of like she seemed off ok and then all of this started and you find out they're not ok but not only they're not ok but. i don't feel like i'm here i mean in many areas and i just feel like a human being who simply care for others and wants to help them and make a difference so we have to do away what we want in so. here's what we have to do so. i'm proud of all of us and i think we're going to get through this.

and now hopefully point this is all over me and we won't have just politicians making decision. maybe we can step up to play a little bit more and maybe we can be on top of it make such a fish and so that we can make very. good at impact all of us were running low on oxygen on supplies on you know all the rest which were drugs definitely bad definitely this is not over. this is far from over that scenes are not going to i mean yes they're going to how 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 respectfully strong communities controlled by opposition parties because they do almost 100 percent 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 financially 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 europe in march and april it became clear that the european union's a gigantic structure that's not working where equipment is stolen where it's really has to ask you were in russia for help after failing to get aid in europe in spain

when they are not in the 2nd wave but the 3rd remissions stage i got the 4 as a vaccine i would have liked to get the sputnik vaccine but it's unlikely to arrive here in spain with the current narrative where the virus has been made into a political and ideological issue we're going into tough days because people are objecting to vaccination and bring home with their lies and manipulation in the media it's our every day struggles. britain could see a shake up of its food supply post after the transition period ends in a few hours time the country will be free to import products that are banned in the e.u. that could include u.s. meat products treated with drugs including hormones and antibiotics but sustainable food campaigners are saying the government should say no. given the growing world problem of and to microbial resistance it would be completely irresponsible if the government were to allow the import of beef pork or poultry produced with antibiotics for growth promotion which have been banned here that report from the

sustainable food trust singled out a drug used on pigs which leaves carcinogenic residues even after cooking it also mention various types of antibiotics used to promote growth on u.s. factory farms which could cause antibiotic resistance and also undermine treatments of various diseases in humans the report refers to e.u. proposals to ban all preventative use of antibiotics in animals from 2022 and also to require exporters to do the same one example a feed additive called me which is routinely used by u.s. farmers but it's also banned in more than 160 countries including russia and china scientists have linked it to shorter life expectancy among consumers here's what one of the authors of the sustainable food trust report told us. we really shouldn't be using any antibiotics to promote growth and she barks so critically important so all of us to humans and to farm animals to treat disease when it occurs but we've been using them responsibly we've still got very high levels of

heart disease despite the fact that we've people have changed diets and things like that there are there is evidence out there that these drugs are being used. the residues of them could be contributing to that what we have been concerned about is that once they get into a trade negotiations with the us all with australia or with some other countries some of those countries are very keen to export meat to us and most of those countries are using antibiotics more excessively and more 'd irresponsibly than being used in the u.k. and so for us it would be a very regrettable step if after all the sacrifices and hard work of british farmers to find ways of keeping animals keeping them healthy without such excessive use of antibiotics that we actually then started to allow in meat that was produced for the very uncivil things that we've found in this country. through the turmoil of 2020 some people who have managed to get richer than ever multi-billionaire

bosses while publicly expressing solidarity with all those who are suffering have been raking in the profit and now reports. 2023 years that won't be missed coronavirus coded 19 occur in a virus to cover 19 entire health care system is on the very brink of collapse lock down shut down major health crisis hospitals and health care workers are bracing for an onslaught of coronavirus patients soaring unemployment numbers 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 choice just wiped out. we're hearing the same refrain all around the world families are 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

soared to unimaginable heights how well it turns out that a pandemic is just the thing to help 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 border home amazon had a blockbuster year but according to the richest man or not who made $75000000000.00 as the global economy just crashed in pa 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 not downshifts lack safety protocols and no moscow and firing people who spoke out. of the army the problem with the birds that they have agreed on you don't you just let you track the virus is like what you think it's that they want you to get sick you know here and you know what happened afterwards is not enough to even. believe on this about protection well he wasn't providing that workers will college of

business 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 be making 75000000000 a year but you can just ask you know 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. all across europe or i might. break the people's freedoms and want to bring. people. it's america country. right. so instead of forcibly imprisoning people in their homes musk courage people to get

back to walk all face starvation and get infected 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 this is all to all the way new year new directions people in china rethinking their global priorities according to a new poll with a focus shifting away from washington but more on that for your model stories after the break. every year with great pleasure to be answered questions from our viewers and this year. as usual your questions. my panel and.

well again the pandemic could be a sign of things to come to a thing by the latest warning from the world health organization with the prospect of more deadly outbreaks around the corner the w.h.o. emergencies chief is edging all nations to ramp up their health care but this dynamic has been very severe is it spread around the world extremely quickly and is the fact that every corner of this planet but this is not necessarily the big what we live in an increasingly complex school society the stress will continue if there's one thing we need to take from this trend and it could all of the tragedy and loss is that we need to get our act together we need to get ready for something that may even be more severe in future and it's been almost a year since the w.h.o. declared covert 19 a global health emergency and since then 80000000 people are known to have contracted the virus and an estimated 1800000 lives have been lost globally microbiologist simon cluck says this year's outbreak could have been much worse.

this this virus although it's very infectious it is not desperately lethal its mortality rate is not all that high but it causes so many deaths by dint of the fact that it infects lots of people 'd and we've just seen how it can be evolved in to making. making a new strain that is even more in taxes and we are more connected globalise you put it when we were 20 or 30 years ago and i don't see that changing anytime soon we will eventually get back to where we were say this time last year and we will continue to become more global i think that's human nature and of course the more easily people can travel around the world more easily viruses can as well but more fertility there is going. to infect new people the more tuna to go before to me

tell you so the possibilities is there that there will be outbreaks in the future that will cause problems and they may be bigger than this one. poll in china has highlighted the shifting perceptions of who the country's key partners are china's global times found that one 3rd of respondents see relations with russia as the top priority and half of them consider russia the most important among china's neighbors 47 percent believe the u.s. is the cave relationship globally and that's a sharp drop from the 82 percent who held that view last year politics lecturer packman wang thinks there's been a realignment away from washington going on thinking is. there has been growing perception among the chinese people. these these may be the time for china to decouple with the us. and of course we can attribute these to mr trump. true war and he's competing against china doing his presidency

but i will see if entries a continuation of. administration of the obama period when starting from 2013 i think. the obama's people to issue of course he is already trigger the kind of stronger we're actually in china and china start to be you artificial islands in the south china sea it is in time russia. actions in the ukraine by and the same in the crimea peninsula and all these us come to the point at the china realize that china need to have across a strategic and energy ties with the russians and it is a time the chinese has to seriously consider what is the future of the u.s. china will issues. how the last 12 months were soon be forgotten because throughout the pandemic people's resourcefulness and creativity shown through video agency

replays captured some of the most touching highlights of 2021 colum bright happy to hear from all of us here at our table to leave us our some of those sights and sounds of what's been a tough challenging and the times inventive here. it's a little a symbol of the signalman to put it in the us and yet even then that is. because you hold but i don't see him on the album aged just 6. 6. 66. be.

the. be and all that the good old the i mean these are the well thought out of this world a couple of the nearest of them as i. also might have thought of us all scholars on the way i mean saw a lot about it callable the thumbs up of number the competent guy threw that idea. 3 fifths.

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 the. water then escaping climate change policy is the same threat right now alaska does seem some of the fastest coastal erosion in the world we lost about 35 feet. 35 feet of ground in just about 3 months while we were measuring. he is fast and he says the river is $35.00 closer than how. long it was

here before i think we're a part of america or 1st from or for. the worse. pain has changed many american lives but pharmaceutical companies have a miraculous solution opioid based drugs the people who are chronic pain patients believe that they're ok prescription is working for them on the remedy be certain to. price that they pay closer dependence and addiction to opiates is the long term use that really isn't scientifically justified and i'll study actually suggested that the long term effects might not just be absence of benefit but actually that they might be causing long term. join me every 1st day on the alex simon show and i'll be speaking to guest of the

world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see you then. this is tell me. his silly might sound russian but tommy is a real finn who lives in finland. his name is. he. didn't even go through their oaths and. tonight told me he's heading for russia to take part in the european ice speedway championship. not many people know about this on the usual sports but motorcycle racing on ice is tommy's true passion.

officially the nordic countries are considered the birthplace of ice racing but it quickly caught on in russia. speedway is beautiful expensive and very dangerous on top of that racist take place in extremely low temperatures which doesn't exactly help with promoting the school. choice races are often compared to gletty ages and i often seem to be treading a fine line between life and death when they're on the racetrack. i have a horse. and their oldest son on the drive my truck i have a drop i sail. link with god. now

we're going to. be home. before the trip takes his youngest son to ice hockey practice. this really is a popular sport. to kiss off is one of the best ice speedway races in russia but only a few people actually mill about it this is not a sport that promises glory or riches. medics competing in the european championship too but he still has 2 days to practice he could go to a neighboring city and practice in a stadium but he's decided that it's easier to make his own track on a lake just a couple of kilometers from his garage. is ethics friend.