the week's top stories right here on our international western countries softened their stance on russia's vaccine after a study in a top medical journal highlights its effectiveness we hear from the c.e.o. of the fund overseeing of the global rollout of me. to come see. you really believe this is. the world. that will. french restaurant owners open their doors in defiance of the lockdown restrictions saying it's the only way to avoid financial ruin also ahead. camera footage from new york shows officers handcuffing and pepper spraying

a 9 year old girl putting the issue of police brutality back in the spotlight. international and sean thomas glad to have you with us as we recap in the week's top stories with our weekly program now we start our weekly round up with russia sputnik vaccine a study in the lancet medical journal has shown in the job to be more than 90 percent effective against cove it so far $21.00 countries have approved the drug the latest being myanmar in europe hungary the 1st e.u. country to approve has received its inaugural batch as part of a $2000000.00 dose deal the czech republic is also considering breaking ranks with the block and using the vaccine while the 2 largest states france and germany are waiting for the e.u. regulators approval 1st europe's top diplomat says that he hopes that that will

happen soon. and now i am hoping that it will be and the medical agency will be able to certify the efficiency of the vaccine could be yours also into the pm union state it will be a good nail because as you know we are facing a shortage in vaccine anyone who applies to the european medical agency for approval is welcome i talked with the russian president exactly about this when they wanted the good data today about the russian vaccine any vaccine is welcome in the european union but only ones that give the necessary data to the european medicines agency will be approved. russian scientists have long claims printed v. was both safe and effective but that wasn't enough to convince skeptics in the west however there are now appears to be a change of heart as artie's but i've got to have comments barely a few months ago the cure was sold to us is worse than the disease they mocked

sputnik we they don't ride did it they tried to turn it into a joke but with out of these 3 mass trial completed it sounds like the process hasn't run its course here america's top researchers say russia cutting corners to develop its corona virus vaccine they're still trying to figure out safety and there they've approved it the irony is of course that these same people the same people who accused russia of spreading vaccine conspiracies and discouraging people to get the job the irony is often lost on these sorts this is c.n.n. in a tube so you know that they're trying to trash talk it when they start by calling it putin's vaccine which was apparently dangerous and unreliable reading between the lines this is c.n.n. now and somehow sputnik has become safe and potent one of only 3 vaccines with an efficacy of over 90 percent that's cheaper it's easier to produce

and to transport and side effects don't include catatonic allergic sieges once the trials showed this 91.6 percent episodes of existing mines you want 48 percent efficacy for actually people older than 60 years old and also in the eye of the important part of the vaccine it's affordable and it's easy to distribute around the world because humankind big c. because it can distort it plus 2 plus 8 versus minus 70 degrees celsius required by the u.s. big scenes and of course half of one 3rd of the u.s. we've seen so when you combine safety ethic is the price and logistics you really. what i believe is the best of a cure for the world and meanie scientists in the world agree the lancet medical journal has published preliminary results for phase 3 trials of spruit it and their good side effects if any doesn't require a deep freeze so more widely available to poorer nations when russian scientists

said all of this it was met with our roles and mockery but when other scientists say the same thing they all nods sagely in agreement this is clearly good news as these jewel formulation vaccine is comparatively easy to manufacture and to deploy i mean they anticipated global shortage of vaccines and logistical problems in vaccination rollout it's interesting timing to now that maternal pfizer vaccines are experiencing shortages and disruptions sputnik isn't so bad after all it never was but politics is politics and a vaccine isn't immune to political trash talk as sad as that is around 50 nations have already preordered sputnik jabs and europe hungry was the 1st european nation to greenlight it and now the czech republic is looking to follow and its footsteps

i know that sputnik is already i suspect being used in hungary and i have no objection to this vaccine being used in our country if the experts so decide he's too better than people dying here just because of a lack of vaccines so after months of denial and derision the pundits too are coming around it was easy to mock russian scientists it's harder to mock international studies hard science and that was enough of a jolt to convince even pundits to give scrutiny we shot. sputnik v. was waiting for me at my neighborhood clinic the job was quick and almost painless 3 weeks later i had my 2nd injection in late january i took a test for covering 1990 bodies the results according to interpretive scale provided by the clinic indicated that my auntie levels were probably sufficient to prevent illness don't strike me as high that's my own personal pun demick was nearing its end if you are the average person before this pandemic how they thought

the world would react to this this huge global health crisis they would probably have said by united we now know that that would have been the wrong answer for anything the past year was a chaotic free for all rat race where everyone is for themselves it's nice to see that at last good sense and reason are starting to prevail over propaganda and politics the director of the investment fund behind v. also stressed of the need for fair access to vaccines. we have lots of countries and let's and america in middle east and africa who will be using sport and you can be a backseat it's very important of only reach countries get told those over it seems this is really not equitable as a world i think politicians overreach countries will try to do so but there should be mechanisms storyless have much more even and much more equal distribution or

function the rounds the world and sputnik the is committed those of us we have already delivered what seemed bolger real ready delivered but seemed too good in the air so we had delivered what seemed to lights in america at the places of the really now on there are served by the big scene of producers already these registers in 16 countries by the end of next week i think it will be reduced to than 25 countries we do have some production constraints so this year we can probably supply only around 700000000 people doses so that means 101400000000 of those us observing seeing and countries approaching right now we can oliseh plight as we've seen in may june so basically we will not be the only folks in the world of course with up until one of the best but countries need to have a portfolio of different but seems and reward was as of excellence as well for example work disasters and that to increase advocacy of their big scene and we believe the spirit of partnership and looks in cooperation with some porton. a

number of french restaurants opened their doors on monday in defiance of the structure lockdown measures that have been in place for around 4 months now although some restrictions have been lifted since october is roll out cafes and restaurants are still not able to welcome customers inside. those who push. play on the laundry now see. since october this is been the extent of service available at restaurants and cafes in france take away only because the men served dragged on with no reopening dating sites some owners have decided to welcome customers inside in defiance of the couvade 19 regulations. i'm doing this for liberty equality and fraternity the french motto that is no longer respected today i'm not able to work so i have no freedom and open he did so. when it came to the crunch he settled on

a compromise. so we will serve food to people it says restaurant today i won't be able to reopen fully if i did i would lose my compensation follow says over and see my restaurant closed or go to prison his cool has spread across the country and other restaurants have followed suit since now at the end of january 1 christoph wilson i'm bringing his establishment is nice to around 50 customers yet. christophe wilson's protest was sure lived on the doors to poppies were once closed again but his lawyer is now taking his petition directly to president michael. i wrote an open email to say stop to self isolation rooms are cessation received over 100000 messages in 48 hours french people can no longer do this mr president here in paris 2 there have also been raids on so-called destroying restaurants now there were

reports this one behind me lenox over the weekend was uncovered with many others now amongst the clientele were allegedly french magistrates with no being fined 135 euro. but as you can see it's still open now the owner wouldn't give an interview with told me off camera during his hand. on the cover as it was raining and he also disputed that some were not just straight but support for. businesses has been growing on social media and many other restaurants and said that they would be opening service for customers at the start of february however with very little support from unions and a warning from the government if you did and where does joe public fall in all of this do they want their favorite eateries to reopen or do they think it's better to keep the shutters down. i don't find it normal that stories are open and

restaurants are not so many if we maintain social distancing and respect the rules the risk for restaurants will do the same as for a store suddenly we don't have a choice i would like very much for them to open but i think for the safety of everyone we need to make some sacrifices to stop the virus and live normally. president biden has said that he is not ready to lift sanctions on iran until the country returns to its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal however iran's supreme leader says it is the u.s. that needs to act 1st. if they want iran to return to its commitments under the joint comprehensive plan of action america must completely lift the sanctions not just with words or they just can say we have lifted the saying no they must actually lift the sanctions and we have to verify this will the u.s. lift sanctions 1st in order to get iran back to the negotiating table. the

nuclear deal was struck 5 years ago by iran along with the 5 permanent members of the un security council and germany it followed years of complex talks and western allegations that iran was secretly developing nuclear weapons a claim it has always denied now the result was the lifting of most sanctions based on iran's commitment to limit iranian enrichment and allow inspections but in 2018 the trumpet ministration quit that deal and last a month iran confirmed it has resumed enriching uranium to beyond the level set in the nuclear pact professor saeed mohammad marandi from the university of tehran believes it is washington that needs to make the 1st move. it wasn't iran that left the negotiating table it was the united states that left it wasn't you ron that stopped implementing the deal it was the united states that stopped it the iranians already gave much more than enough the nuclear deal of the j c p o a was a deal where both sides gave something in iran gave quite

a lot in fact many in iran believe it was a bad deal of work on this of whether it was a bad deal or a good deal obama his administration which included by then they signed on to the deal so unless the united states i'm itself to what it has promised to do unless it carries out its obligations then there is no deal. stinks when around the globe to look at some other stories making headlines this hour up to 150 people are missing and feared dead after a dam burst flooding several villages in northern india on sunday morning a vast chunk of a glacier broke off sending an avalanche of rocks ice and water crashing into the dam locals fear people working at a nearby hydro power project have been swept away the military is assisting in the search and rescue operation. hundreds of people turned out in the danish capital on

saturday night denouncing the government's plan to introduce vaccine passports crowds also demanded an end to covert restrictions demonstrators marched through copenhagen carrying torches and chanting freedom for denmark. and to the pyrenees mountains where it has been less snowstorms and more sandstorms swathes of the region have been blanketed in orange and brown the sandwich blew in from the sahara desert of all places skiers have been enjoying the unusual sight the dust clouds are the largest in years and have covered parts of spain france and switzerland. footage emerged this week. police in new york state pepper spraying a 9 year old girl while she was and cuffed a bit of warning you might find the following images disturbing.

the incident took place on january 29th when police were responding to reports of a family disturbance the girl was reportedly threatening to harm herself and can be seen resisting the police as they tried to put her into a patrol car she could also be heard screaming for her father several times before being pepper sprayed by an officer incident sparked widespread outrage in the local community. on monday dozens of people marched in rochester and chanted outside the city police station one officer has been suspended and 2 more input on administrative leave pending an investigation the girl's mother began legal action on tuesday to sue the city and police department. and the mayor of rochester has also called on law enforcement to undergo deescalation training and announced some draft reforms as well including banning the use of handcuffs on children under the age of 12 however

social activist dave baking doesn't hold out much hope for change. it seems as though these are not just the stakes but this is a culture that the way of the police to act within the police departments. they're still getting what we call the warrior training the idea that you need to basically attack should as ns and the citizens need to comply with the police in every way noncompliance should not by itself be a huge for excessive force like this but they are apparently used to being implied and get enraged i mean these these police officers were just angry at this 9 year old for not doing exactly what she was told and then it goes very terms of the function of the police to maintain order and parole rather than shooting people speaks for there's

a very deep culture involved with that but on the art of the government there is very little effort to to go against that culture to make changes to the status quo in this country is working very very well for a lot of people that's particularly working well for the business as a marriage and as long as that status quo is working so well it seems to be hesitant in rochester new york or where i live there seems to be a hesitance to do anything to change. the world's richest man and founder of amazon jeff bezos this week announced plans to step down as c.e.o. to dedicate more time to among other things charity work but his departure comes amid accusations he ignored the plight of his own workers during a pandemic with his very own take his artie's dmitri. everyone likes convenience but in this weird time where the pandemic the stores are all closed and nothing is

as convenient as amazon we all use it but let's face it it's becoming harder and harder to ignore the teensy fact that there really a giant soulless monopoly and who better to represent that monopoly and everything that is wrong with having too much money and power then amazon c.e.o. jeff bezos well apparently he has seen the error of his ways and decided to change basis is officially stepping down as amazon c.e.o. so focuses attention on nobler causes like philanthropy spaceflight journalism and given his track record these ventures are bound to be a huge success i mean the guy is full of life and optimism a firm a work meaningful and fun i get to work with the smartest most talented most ingenious teammates when times have been good you've been humble when times have been tough you've been strong and supportive and we've made each of the left. it is

a joy to work on this team and look how happy amazon workers are. will you be. amazon me the principles promises with the words that they haven't released or did you know you that's is too much you trust the bible is not enough to give you. a relief or it is about protection does well pete wasn't providing thank you for yeah ok maybe not all amazon workers but c'mon it's understandable why a basis is stepping down i mean just imagine how tired he must be from all these workers strikes protests congressional grillings and throughout the years there's been a lot of very ungrateful amazon workers give us p p e stop treating us like robots give us bathroom breaks shut up and work

right either way basis should be stepping away from all this negativity it's bad for business and morale and i'm sure his dedication to full length should be another. virtuous ventures will produce a much better monopoly next time. the u.k. government has been accused of neglecting vulnerable groups by not giving them enough financial help during the pandemic benefits for disabled people have not increased in line with other types of social welfare payments david allen who suffers from multiple sclerosis says that he felt abandoned when he was left bedridden by the crowd a virus sometimes we hear really bad news stories where somebody who lives alone has been found dead in the home for several days potentially that could have happened to me and nobody would have checked up on even if i did have a carer he would cut we could come in and how they would be allowed to unless it

was formally recognize a social as a result of the pandemic of the lockdown that really we've had to rely on of giving our food shopping delivered to us my shopping bill normally comes to between $25.35 pounds per week but if you're short we mordor is less than 40 pounds you get whacked with a 7 pound delivery that's not going to certain pounds i've not budgeted and bearing in mind i had no increase in my income i have to find it from someone so i have to give something else up in order to get my food to live and the reality is for decades people living with long term conditions the only link reeses and benefits social to have not kept pace with the rise in the cost of living. and that was even before the pandemic his friends and has been compounded even more now we have

a 2 tier system so 100 people who get the universal credit being given the additional support but those of us on legacy benefits. have been given nothing. the majority of it disabled people in the u.k. say that they have spent more than usual on shopping and utility bills during the pandemic nearly 70 percent have gone without essential zend almost half are falling behind on their financial commitments david told us that he has even sat in the dark to save electricity and believes it's the most vulnerable groups who have been hit hardest by the lockdown i've left feeling abandoned forgotten and down and it seems quite convenient for the government to forget people like us and want to find really hard to understand is the mixed messages we get from government that have been statements about it's cheap it's on the calf there are people with long term conditions in their own home rather than putting them into care but we don't

get support to the small we actually need to remain around homes there are those people that really struggle he has been documented people have taken their own lives as a result of this too many people have been left behind there's too many people really really struggling to make him a hard decision nor do you have the how are the lights on do i have a me who do i have the heating on for a country believe we're somewhere around the 5th 6 richest country in the world it's outrageous i'm sorry i think our government should be ashamed of themselves it does a female back in 35 a half minutes with your final look at the week which they're with us this is arch international.

a dark industry comes to life in los angeles every night. dozens of women sells the bodies on the streets many of them under-age. los angeles police reveal a taste of their daily challenge no if you're going to exploit for a trial here in los angeles they were going to come as you would see officers going undercover as 6 workers and customers to fight 6 trade.

on welcome to worlds apart in late night at 45 george horrible prophesies that atomic bombs instead of blowing the world to pieces are more likely to put in than too large scale war at the cost of prolonging it peace there is no peace in this you know strategic stability has survived the cold war and just got a new lease on life as russia and the united states renewed the strategic arms reduction treaty barely week before its expiration but the debate on the whether the nukes are been made rap or the main provider of peace is still less timely as ever to discuss some of that and now i'm joined by whiles pumper a senior fellow at the institute of international studies at monterrey mr harper it's great to talk to you thank you very much for your time. my pleasure now let's

start with the no doubt believe me. that starts treaty while being considered one of the last remaining bad jokes of arms control was extended essentially over the phone in a conversation between presidents putin and biden is that a sign of how crucial that treaty is or how on the country in consequential it is no i think it's a sign of how out how important and essential it is it really is the bedrock of strategic stability these are the most dangerous weapons in the world you're in a continental ballistic missiles or summary launch ballistic missiles these are you know weapons i could destroy all cities and even more so it's essential that we have some limits and some insight into each other's arsenals with these weapons now this you can be sure signed a decade ago by. different presidents i'll be a close allies of the currently base if locked the russian and american nuclear

arsenals at some of the lowest levels in decades and back then every member it was an major achievement is it still in the chair meant to recommit now or could we as well as a russian and american but rather as representatives of humanity who have reasonably extracted more. to the end of the administration and in a serious way we're happy to be able to extend this but clearly i think both sides have made clear they would like to go further that there's been enough developments in the last decade enough changes and in weapons systems and doctrine in the situation globally that we need to work on a new treaty going forward but this is a good way to maintain stability while we do that now georgia text ability in arms control as such air complicate it abstract topics that it's heights you relate to ordinary people why they should care about it imagine you are let's say on the

plane or at a local bar and somebody asks you to talk about it in simple terms what would he say why is this a topic worth paying attention to well basically you know what surprises this is not based both countries have an insight into each other's arsenals and limits so that we don't get into a war by accident and especially a nuclear war so we have enough control that you know it would have to be an intentional act by both countries rather than some sort of mis ignores or misperception and so this is the idea is to kind of put the brakes on things kind of a buffer so that we don't you know get into a situation and neither of us wants just by misperception or. poor understanding of the other side you mentioned that nobody likes surprises and i think that's actually the most stable area of cooperation between our countries specially given they have a current. state of relationship why do you think that is. because it's so important

i mean i think both countries recognize its importance to the security of their people and this is you know this goes back through the cold war i mean never since we had the 1st strategic arms treaties almost 50 years ago now they've kind of been insulated from the ups and downs in the relationship even at the worst times and in the relationship we've managed to keep talking about this and that's that's a good thing that's important for. the cold war and that i want it that gives me an over transit to go back to george orwell's famous athlete he wrote it just before the cold war began in late magic 45 and in that as a goal that you and the atom bomb he makes that a very persuasive argument that it is the pretty hip if nature of the atomic bomb that.