moscow time in the headlines as 8th of march profiting from the pandemic to seeing your german m.p.'s quitting in a major scandal for allegedly earning hundreds of thousands of euros from facemask deals. and elsewhere claims to have financial mismanagement during the pandemic by the u.k. government spending millions of pounds in a brand new media briefing room well the same time frontline health workers get just a one percent pay rise. plus as president biden's long awaited coded relief bill passes the senate people may end up getting even less than under donald trump we got a report. good

morning from russia this is r t international with me kevin owen thanks for checking in or to take you through those monday morning headlines in some more detail and 1st a lawmaker at germany's ruling party is stepping down that over revelations his company and a quarter of a 1000000 euro for brokering a face mask deal and another is being investigated for allegedly profiting from an even bigger contract to provide protective equipment in a pandemic to get across it all with our correspondent in europe in berlin the funeral of a morning paper what more do we know about the scandal struck scandals developing this morning then. yes huge problems in the ruling coalition here in germany the scandal coming out over the weekend that one member of angler merkel c.d.u. party would be standing down after he was the middleman in a number of deals for masks in p.p.

in which case company earned around a quarter of a 1000000 euro it comes just a few days after another politician in not a center right block from the bavarian sister party was accused of doing the same thing this he's facing a well a corruption probe in the varian party for allegedly being involved in these deals what it's seen though is senior figures in the center right bloc lining up around the block in order to condé him these 2 politicians it included members of cabinet saying that this has no place in german politics to collect a commission that is to want money 3 mediation in emergency situations is not possible that destroys trust in our democracy those who fill their own pockets with essential goods such as masks do not represent the people but the lowest interests . well the reasons that you've got politicians lining up to

calm them they say is because well if you look further far ahead there's a big election coming up in september but if you look a little closer just next week 2 major local elections regional elections in boston voting book and the rhineland poll latinate the c.d.u. party wanting to make sure that there is distant from this scandal as they possibly can be they're also wanting to make sure that this doesn't add to the discount tent that we've seen from people coming out onto the streets to demonstrate against the way the pandemic has been handled by the german government these protests not just here in germany either it's something we've seen across europe. because. of an e. you. know. with.

the in. german politicians wanting to make sure that this particular pandemic profiteering scandal doesn't fuel to a fire a frustration that well being behind those demonstrations we just saw you know paid things the update there will more reaction to it to come when journalists north atomosphere spend telling us public fieri of the issues going to damage the ruling party in his view. i think that definitely the christian democrats as a party at the forthcoming forthcoming elections will take a hit there's no question there is anger about this the interesting thing here is that mr little bit just last year was the subject of a completely unrelated corruption or misbehavior commercial misbehavior case within his own party that man has been known for a sort of potentially shady behavior is there where allegations and nevertheless

the party sort of shut their eyes that is of course the dangerous thing it's not just a matter of the law such of the letter of the law but also. 'd about the way to supply. downing street being criticized for spending millions of pounds on a white house style media briefing room it comes as the country's former standards are called prime minister boris johnson's alleged use of a charity for a 6 figure renovation for his official property an abuse of his position and some of pointed out stands in stark contrast to the back of this the media pay rise often to health workers on the front line of the covert fight 1000000 spent on a media briefing room 3 and a half pounds a week for nurses make no mistake this is a political choice by the tories it sums up boris johnson's warped priorities that

he can find millions for vanity projects while picking the pockets of n.h.s. staff our n.h.s. heroes deserve a fair pay rise after all they have done for us the conservatives are wasting $2600000.00 pounds on a vanity media center for boris johnson while denying n.h.s. workers a fair pay rise the conservatives priorities are not the british people's priorities . well the u.k. government insists difficult economic circumstances mean it can only afford a one percent pay hike for n.h.s. staff at the moment but with inflation predicted to reach $1.00 and a half percent this year there's likely going to result than in a real term pay cut and the day nurses union told us they deserve more in the preparing for strikes political commentator anthony webber told us the government's priorities are all wrong but the media companies don't actually need these. facilities were those assurances. a finer

our will is a shortage of finance money should go in the sewer. you know more schools are options logical direction like. giving nature start but it does. rather a pool message that the government's proposed to spend money on promoting it certainly not prepared to spend money on people who have been looking after people who are building a hospital in uncertain or people who like the n.h.s. star would respect the nurses and so on you know the developments there the government's also extended to september now its so-called thurlow scheme to pay 80 percent of people's wages for hours they can't work during the pandemic it predicts the cash injection will get the economy back on track but in the latest episode of artie's going underground show with afshin rattansi british economic historian robert skidelsky questions the numbers. they think there's

a lot of pent up demand that there are a lot of savings that people haven't been able to spend and that as the shops and entertainment places reopened people will flock to these places with a straw spending power and that'll make the whole thing revived but if you look at it realistically i'm very skeptical about this because national income has fall or it's fallen by 10 percent cent in 2020 that means savings of more there as you know some people will have extra savings but what about all those whose incomes have full they're not going to have extra spending power we're talking about people who are being made on employed because small businesses are closing going bankrupt and or cutting down on their staff and rather than keeping that population on 1st. i would try and provide work for them and especially young people.

italy's central region of last year once to manufacture the sputnik v. russian job vaccine known as ask the government to consider its proposal now it is also planning to purchase a 1000000 doses of a job in the country's health minister says he supports russia shot. in my opinion if the vaccine works and is safe i do not really care about the nationality of the scientists who developed it therefore i am open to sputnik v. as well as to other vaccines should the european medicines agency in the italian medicines agency give their approval we are ready to cooperate with russia even very soon support movies already been approved in 2 e.u. countries hungary and slovakia it comes as the blocs criticized though for the generally slow pace of coronavirus inoculation in much member states their their health chief of italy's central region telling us about the approval process now

for sputnik the. it's necessary to produce vaccines in house in order to be self-reliant and avoid the problems we've recently faced including the difficulties with job supplies and on time deliveries autonomy will benefit everyone in this case we always treated the sputnik vaccine with great respect paying particular attention to the scientific evidence behind it therefore we had no reservations about it after we saw the in that explanations of its validity in the medical journal the lancet and by the last there are a small and zani national institute for infectious diseases in row we've always said that the efficacy and safety of vaccines are the main thing whereas their origin doesn't matter to us. unfortunately we can't say decisions absolutely independently and always have to wait for the approval by regulators will so hope for a fast track process so that it doesn't get bogged down in excessive red tape

because we're in emergency and in great need of doses in italy we don't expect to see any disputes around the sputnik vaccine because we believe it will contribute to the common good and protect the health of our citizens. joe biden's cold relief bill finally passed the senate after amendment votes in last minute negotiations $1.00 trillion dollars of aid may seem like a lot but it's ask a tailor reports next people may end up getting even less than under donald trump. ungar in america especially for children has soared to historic levels unexpected medical bills have created a serve just families desperate for in america the richest country in all the world we have incredible hunger what how this is possible as the u.s. continues its brutal battle with one invisible enemy an old one house of ram poverty but for those one in 10 americans who lost that job and same never

recovered all those 3 in 10 low income families who worry while the next meal is coming from good news joe biden promised you a helping hand no one should work 40 hours a week you live in poverty and it wasn't just higher wages no biden was also going to rip open the government's wallet and hand out those support checks the american rescue plan is going to keep the commitment of $2000.60 already gone out $1400.00 checks to people who need it. this is money directly in people's pockets and with control of the house of representatives the senate and the white house the only trinity nothing could stop the democrats puffing that kind of bill no out of touch hot little greedy republicans not even trump no it was a done deal right we obviously are now alternately sending.

money to less people in the trump administration this is not the promise that we need. conservative democrats have faults of the biden admin sense fewer and less generous relief checks than the trump admin did so not a done deal biden promised one thing with his $1.00 trillion dollars aid package the house and took a stab at it and the senate's now taken a not the stab at it and it's wounded for almost $12000000.00 few i'm told will get the relief bite and pledged unemployment benefits up finishing a month earlier than planned and as for raising minimum wage to $15.00 while cut to see have some democrat senators who vetoed it that won't be happening and if you're wondering what an elected official last thing in the face of the people they saw it looks like wow hey you go. to cinemas cinema.

you know i'm sure though it's a big thumbs up from have for $174000.00 annual salary but if you thought biden himself brainchild this bill was as devastated by this well think again he is comfortable with where the negotiations stand he is controversial and knows there will be tweaks at the margin so if these tweaks mean that americans struggling to stay afloat amid the biggest recession in the u.s. in decades aren't getting the money who is what national democrats particularly nancy pelosi and chuck schumer have chosen to do is crimp through a 1.9 trillion package that includes things like funding on the national endowment for the arts and national endowment of humanities and the subway in silicon valley to help nancy pelosi constituents and while the washington elite did eventually realize that splashing $100000000.00 on a subway in the richest town in america wouldn't sit well with those people

standing in line to food banks when will it realize that it works for we the people and not me myself and i. so ask a tale of their will mainstream media were delighted by the bill with the washington post initially branding it a defining move by biden but then it was forced to change as headliner for the back . shall waste money on americans could washington post exaggerate by density in the us in the market desk way probably not shameful creepy had a line worthy of north korea jeff bezos washington post letting us know always well keep taking a so watching netflix and ordering from amazon because biden is shelling us with money who make a train with a chunk of the still doesn't come home my friend soak up all of the money showers my fellow poor's the amounts are being paid are just a drop of the bucket the payments are proof that their faith and the bite administration was well founded and the reality is of course that much more of the

covert relief bill is going to other causes no other interest groups in the us you know we have a constitution and the government has grown by leaps and bounds beyond what the original intentions were at this point the number in the duties of the american federal government have. the number of tourists arguments over laughable you know the last coded stimulus package had billions and billions being sent to foreign countries this one has everything from money for amtrak which is a perennial loser of public money. 3000000000 in aid to aircraft manufacturers almost 300000000 for the national government for the arts and all while people are suffering and i would add while there are clear signs that the global appetite for u.s. treasuries which is u.s. debt seems to be waning this is a heck of a time to be incurring a lot more debt. but will it come out of the 2nd round coming up as voters ill reports disturbing new covert records president poll scenario nonetheless turn the

country to stop whining about the disease see reaction to that and what the picture really is when the back. the binding ministration is still young but its foreign policy particularly in the middle east is an echo of past failures just ministration simply just not a learning curve also does washington really support democracy in the world ukraine's president and independent media should give us pause the world is driven by a dream shaped by our own personal. dares

thinks. we dare to ask. join me every 1st day on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see that. and present people still whining about brazil's covert catastrophe despite the country registry is highest daily cova death rate last week scott the 2nd highest death toll in the world with more than 260000 victims so far sure to for this

quarter do you mean enough with the pretentiousness enough with the whining how long are people going to carry on crying for if we have to confront the problems obviously we need to respect the elderly those with conditions but where is brazil heading to if we live in fear. meantime health authorities so just over $7000000.00 of received at least one vaccine doses brazilian hospitals are struggling to find room for the sick and the whole system is overloaded and look to see this container placed outside a clinic in the north of the country to hold victims of the disease residents' reaction to it. but i think people are panicking and this container shouldn't be out in the open this doesn't help. that it has a huge impact i think it makes you more careful and more inclined to protect yourself it's only when you actually see it that it has any impact when you realize that our people in their lost loved ones where all to blame the people but also the government because they should set the example. the editor of

a brazilian news side told us the president must take the blame for the worsening situation. i think it's political strategy both all the time trying to prove to brazilian book relations that he has this situation under control over the situation is completely out of control i don't feel that brazil is going to have the situation before may or june because we are very. do lay a. nation we don't have any more income to protect people. to stay at home 'd i think the next 30. days i going to be even wars than the situation we have a levy through the at this moment. desperation and anger in

lebanon at the moment as the country's economic downturn pushes more people to the brink then just last week the lebanese currency hit a new low fueling nationwide protests reporting from the capital his local journalist linda tell me i'm. and downtown the return testers have blocked the roads they blocked them with varying tires trash and trash bins they set trash bins unfired basically everybody is angry at the further collapse of the lebanese lira to the dollar the lebanese pound reached $10800.00 lebanese the rest to a dollar which is very much under president that the protesters are very angry at the government for being so inefficient for not being able to form a cabinet that would unlock the $1000000000.00 promised by the i.m.f. should the reforms be finally implemented it's been close to 7 months now that lebanon has been without a proper functioning government the economy has situations that is very very. very

law. we close this road because this is our land our country and we have become poor we have endured so much that's why we are closing the roads again and won't let anyone pass. on we are starving we are here at martyr square setting tires on fire because the price of a loaf of bread has risen to $3000.00 lebanese pounds and that of a kilogram of rice to $7000.00 all while the dollar keeps rising there seems to be no end in sight a lot of people a lot of lebanese people are thrown deeper into poverty and a lot of people are desperate they're fleeing the country they're now jobless they're left with absolutely no hope and this is why they're expressing their anger and frustration out on the streets of beirut. you are to talk to entry put together speaks to russian paralympic athlete a national sailing team member who lost his leg the wall serving in the army she's

gone through the works really despite the accident to me truly ignorant of stays active in the gym the pole and filming his video blog back in 29 taney became the 1st russian paralympian to cross the bosphorus strait choppy waters. between europe and asia he also won the national sailing cup for a different abled athletes and if you want to watch him more of his story for want to meet him the whole program half an hour of its own at various times today on this channel. of we've been ritually a good idea but i. know you have your ideas than. those of when i was at the hospital i asked my dad to bring me weights on this builder's expanders and one i was training i've watched the olympic games and i was like i want to be like them. i'd like to see the perception of people with disabilities change i want others to see our personality not just our disability

pain or suffering if we ask anyone here to name 5 famous people but no one will remember a disabled person. if we narrow it down in essence a name paralympic athletes for example no one will remember any specific names even though we're supposed to be proud of them the championship is in 2 days and we're getting ready to go on the upper arm. chair for us but if you notice the way we see in the ground. and are sure a lot of pictures i'll be able to another pair of shoes or go up a hill and there are huge in this neighborhood everyone knows in summer when i go outside with my prosthetic leg to walk the dog all the children go nuts when they see me sometimes i feel a bit awkward when i walk by myself without my dog lawson and some kid runs along with his mom or dad the kid says hello calling me by name they know me as that's a guy without a leg he walks around with a funny looking pooch see here on this page it says military service exemption

surgical floor number so and so and that's it they brought me to some military hospital took me upstairs on a stretcher this typical surgeon guy came in he laughed about something gave me a shots and i was out when i woke up my leg was gone. but i mean if people with disabilities want to be viewed differently they need to stop feeling sorry for themselves. yes but the thing is i am an athlete and i don't like just to lift weights at the gym it doesn't excite me it's boring you stare you in the console. a lot with the idea why do i do that dance i'm going to play at least it's been able to boykin now gone. and i get that i want to. go with i want to go around the world on the boats. and i want. to i want to live on a boat. along i think i'm going to. be

on a whim. and i sometimes feel like i'm living in a reality show and that's all this is not happening to me really it's i'm just having a dream when i wake up i'll just get up and go to work on 2 legs to some factory. to get the energy from good guy that's the way things look at check out our main site out see to accomplish so much more for us 247 but for now kevin i was on duty team in the newsroom by me thanks so much and have a great day. some control for a middle class the homeless of a night muslim are very hardworking people who want to get ahead that either have some some health issues or have some of how district about luck a full time job won't always pay for a place to live and missing just

a month's rent can get she was a victim to gunpoint if anything bad happens to any thing that just throws your budget off slightly. you better catch up real quick or you're going to have a judgment of possession against you and get addicted by anyone that's homeless is treated like garbage people look at you like a monster or someone bad or you chose to be there most of the time it's not the case see how it is to be pole in the world's richest country. imaginary tangent you're watching another lockdown edition i'm going underground on

the other bursary of the release of david bowie's album the next day in part 2 will be talking to his photographer mick rock refers to a country portrayed in the bowie starring film merry christmas mr laurence meehan maher has seen scores killed up of the arrests of hanks and sujit the daughter of its communist independence leader aung san who fought british colonialism in the region joining me now from washington d.c. is the un special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in myanmar tormenters . welcome to going underground what do you understand is the situation in myanmar right now. it's bad it's getting worse. the generals are systematically very methodically targeting peaceful protestors they're being shot and killed and injured and alarming rates on the streets of meanwhile are. there people are terrified but they are relentless despite the fear they continue to

protest they continue to engage in their civil disobedience movement it is absolutely. our aspiring to this to to watch and to see. what's happening in the and more right now you see. the very best and the very worst of our humanity unfolding as we speak now you know the generals will be quick to say here that suits he was arrested popped off these protests. she was guilty of already said he accused of violating the borders directions on walkie talkies and that also of course the charge against former president when meant you don't believe these charges are true as the shore up of terror of the united nations there are completely absurd and i think it is the evidence that the generals are completely out of touch is the fact that they would actually think that we would believe that there is any credibility to these charges or to that or to the justice

system it is an injustice system there's no question at all in my mind about what's going on in myanmar and the protests were not sparked in my view by the arrest of long san suu kyi and the president were start by the fact that this democracy has been overturned that a country on its way making its way to respect for democracy respect for human rights. on the road which completely interrupt how is it possibly on the road when the u.n. is saying in testimony at these doing in december of the worst programs of the century. i mean i mean the i.c.j. said it wasn't genocide against the ring your butt and the i.c.j. have given for months but how was it on the road before these present protests.