midday moscow time in the headlines is 8 for march profiting from the pandemic 2 seeing a german m.p.'s are quitting in a major scandal for allegedly earning hundreds of thousands of euro from face mask deals. talking about this to claims of financial mismanagement during the pandemic by the u.k. government which is spending millions of pounds on a brand new media briefing room at the same time as offering frontline health workers just one percent of the pay rides. on this president biden's long awaited covert relief bill passes the senate people may end up getting even less than they did the donald trump again report ahead.

so get out of russia this is out international with me kevin owen here for the next half hour to take you through those headlines in more detail this monday starting with this german and pays a standing down of a claims they made hundreds of thousands of euro for brokering facemask deals here's our europe correspondent. make no bones about it this is a big scandal here in germany pandemic profiteering isn't a look any party wants to be tarnished with and this is part of the ruling coalition here including angela merkel's christian democratic union party the representative of that party nicolas lobel has said he's going to step down at the next election this is after his company allegedly made around a quarter of a 1000000 euro from being the middleman in deals when it came to pee pee and masks during this pandemic may not be good enough for some some of said he needs to go

right now and not wait until the election in the autumn however he said he is sorry for what he's done so far but he isn't the only one that's been involved in this scandal we've also heard that. from the very insistent party the c s u is facing a corruption probe after he's understood to have taken away a 6 figure sum for being the middle man again in deals involving masks he's already said he's not going to run in september he has stood down from his position as the deputy leader of the union parliamentary group but he's denied any wrongdoing what they say is prompted is well senior figures including members of angler merkel's cabinet coming out and saying there's no way this can be tolerated in condemning those 2 politicians to collect a commission that it's a game to earn money stream 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 it's understandable why the center right block is circling the wagons there's obviously a bundestag election coming up in september but before that just next sunday there's 2. regional elections as well and they want the candidates involved not to be as distant from this particular scandal as possible there's also want to not be more fuel to a fire a frustration of the same people demonstrate against the way the government has handled the pandemic here in germany and it's not just a german issue we've also seen those protests taking place across europe thank you. thank. you not ignore.

such. a level of hopes that they will truly only be added to when it starts coming out that m.p.'s that politicians were enriching themselves personally during this pandemic and reactions coming in journalist and author thomas fast by the toes public theory and his view over the issue is going to damage the ruling party i think that definitely the christian democrats as a party at the forthcoming coming 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 correctional 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 it is . criticism elsewhere in the streets serving all over the coals for spending millions of pounds on a white house style media briefing room it comes as the country's former standards are called promise to boris johnson's alleged use of a charity for a 6 figure renovation of his official property and abuse of his position and some are pointed out to all that happening in stark contrast to the major pay rise being offered to health workers right now on the very front line of the covert fight 1000000 spend 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. stuff our n.h.s. heroes deserve

a fair pay rise after all they have done for us the conservatives are wasting 2600000 pounds on a vanity media sense of boris johnson while denying n.h.s. workers a fair pay rise the conservatives priorities are not the british people's priorities the u.k. government insists difficult economic circumstances mean right now it can only afford a one percent pay hike for n.h.s. staff but with inflation predicted to reach $1.00 and a half percent this year that would likely result in a real to pay cut and this is union told us they deserve more and they're preparing to strike over it political commentator anthony webber told us the government's priorities are all wrong. but the media companies and she need these. facilities one those are sure to generate a fine or. witnesses shortage of finance money should go in a suit to. the american more such schools are options logical direct she was like.

giving an 8 start but it does. rather a pool message that the government's prepared to spend money on promoting its own interests but not prepared to spend money on people who've been looking after people who are paid in hospital i'm uncertain of people who like the n.h.s. staff and respect even nurses and so on the government there's also extended to september now its so-called pirlo scheme to pay 80 percent of people's wages for hours the can't work in the pandemic it predicts their cash injection will get the economy back on track but in the latest episode of artie's going underground show with her tansey british economic historian robert stead else he 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 the extra 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 all there as you know some people will have extra savings but what about all those whose incomes have fall 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.

in other news to tell you about today italy central region of land still wants to manufacture now the russian sputnik vivax 8 and has asked the government to consider its proposal there are also plans there too to purchase a 1000000 doses of the job and the country's health minister says he probably supports russia shop. 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 sport degrees already been approved in 2 e.u. countries hungary and slovakia it comes as the bloc more generally is being criticised for the slow pace of coronavirus inoculation in other member states health chief of italy central of series and telling us too about the approval process.

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 the explanations of its validity in the medical journal the lancet and by the last there are small and the only national institute for infectious diseases in row we've always said that the efficacy and safety of vaccines are the main thing whereas the 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 if you haven't watched it this morning it's 11 past the hour joe biden's covert relief bill is finally passed the senate after amendment vote on last minute negotiations $1.00 trillion dollars of aid may seem like a lot but it's taylor reports next people may end up end of the day getting even less than under donald trump. ungar in america especially for children has soared to historic levels unexpected medical bills have created a surge of families desperate for in america the richest country in all the world we have incredible hunger what how is this possible as the u.s. continues its brutal battle with one invisible enemy an old one has of ram just 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 to 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 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 administration this is not the promise that we need.

conservative democrats have thoughtful divide in the admin sense fewer and less generous relief checks than the trans admin did so not a done deal biden promised one thing with has $1.00 trillion dollar aid package the house then took a stab at it and the senate's now taken a not the stab at it in its wounded form almost $12000000.00 fewer adults will get the relief bite and pledged unemployment benefits are finishing a month earlier than planned and as for raising minimum wage to $15.00 well courtesy of some democrat senators who vetoed debt that won't be happening and if you're wondering what an elected official offering in the face of the people they sell looks like well hey you go. to cinema cinema. no 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 all 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 american struggling to stay afloat amid the biggest recession in the u.s. in decades on getting the money who is what national democrats particularly nancy pelosi and chuck schumer have chosen to do is crimes 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. should mainstream media would like to buy the bill with the washington post surely brother get it defining move by biden but then it was forced to change his headline of an online backlash. shall waste money on americans could washington post exaggerate by density humans in the market desk way probably not shameful who make a train with a check 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 in the in the bucket the payments are proof that their faith and they bite administration is 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 that while there are clear signs that the global appetite for the us treasury which is us debt seems to be waning this is a heck of a time to be incurring a lot more debt. is never a good time as this is a internationalist kevin and a good afternoon i hope you can stick around among the stories coming up ali this covert thing goes on and on and on as brazil reports disturbing new covert records it's often been in the headlines now president poll scenario tells the country to stop whining about the disease after the break.

join me every thursday on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guests of the world of politics or business i'm show business i'll see you then thanks. same before the break their president both scenarios called on people to stop whining about brazil's covert catastrophe despite the country registering its highest daily cova death rate last week well it has the 2nd highest death toll in the world with more than 260000 victims now. sugared you for this quarter do me one of the pretentiousness enough with the whining how long are people going to carry on crying for you 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 officials say just over 7000000 the so far received at least one vaccine but as brazilian hospitals a struggling to find room for the sick and most health systems overloading there you see pictures like this it's sad to say look about a container placed outside the clinic of the north of the country a sad sorry sight to hold the victims of the disease this is what people thought about. 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 more inclined to protect yourself it's only when you actually see it that it has any impact when you realise that our people in their lost loved ones where all to brain dead people but also the government because they should set the example. if it is pointed every which way

the editor of a brazilian news site told us the president must take the blame for the worsening situation. i think it's political strategy. all the time trying to prove to the brazilian book relation he has this situation control oldfield the situation is completely out of control i don't feel that resume is going to have that the situation before may or june because we are very. do lay in all the nation we don't have anymore. to protect people. to stay at home and the next story and see all 6 days i going to be even worse than the situation levy who at this moment.

on top of cove up against and elsewhere there's desperation and anger in lebanon as the country's economic downturn pushes more people to the brink there just last week the lebanese currency hit a new low fueling nationwide protests reporting from the capital local journalist linda to me. and downtown the return to spears have blocked the roads blocked them with their entire is trash trash bins they set trash bins unfired basically everybody is angry at the further collapse of the lebanese to the dollar and the lebanese pound reached $10800.00 lebanese the rest to a dollar which is very much unprecedented the protesters are very angry at the government for being so inefficient for not being able to form a cabinet that would unlock the billions. 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 situations that is very very. very

law. we closed 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. 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. tough times there is no what we're talking about just briefly making the best of it in the face of adversity let me

tell you about a new documentary put together a particular person a russian paralympic athlete and national sailing team member who had lost his leg and there was serving in the army despite the dimitri ignatov is his name he stays active in the gym there he is goes to the poli films and video blog. back in 2019 yves became the 1st russian paralympian to cross the bosphorus strait those shoppy waters between europe and asia and he's won the national sailing cup for differently abled athletes you can meet him and watch his story unfold for 30 minutes of various times throughout the day on this channel. where he of the been ritually woman good idea but i. wonder if your idea. of when i was at the hospital i asked my dad to bring weights on this building expanded it's one i was training i've watched the olympic games and i was like i want to be like them. and i'd like to see the perception of people with

disabilities change well i want all this to see our personality not just our disability pain or suffering but if we ask anyone here to name 5 famous people but no one will remember a disabled person with woody if we now read 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 i mean upper arm. chair for us but if you notice the way we see in the ground. that are sure a lot of pictures will be able to another creatures or go up to them and they're huge but in this neighborhood everyone knows in summer when i go outside with my perspective 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 seen here on this page it says military service exemption surgical floor number so in another 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 the shots and i was out when i was. my leg was gone. public i mean you know if people with disabilities want to be viewed differently they need to stop feeling sorry for themselves. and the thing is i am an athlete and i don't like just to lift weights it's gym it doesn't excite me it's boring. in the crown so i do. a lot with the idea why do i do that dance i'm going to have been able to but it cannot go on. by the hope of fall and i get that i want to list it as a parameter but i wind up in one go through with it i want to go around the world on the boats. and i want. i want to live on

a boat. along i think you're going to. be anyone who could you walk. in there 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. where you get all the energy from chris stuff but we're talking about so far if you want to keep her abreast of all the other news we're talking about all of us social for now though kevin 0 in on the team starting off whatever you do and have a great monday.

this is crude oil. so they need to actually physically pump it out of the ground you would have well well well well well. there's a lot of money with the oil and with that comes. a lot of

a lot of people from all over the country. if you don't make a $100000.00 a year. as a minimum there's an issue. here in the. they were told $60.00 a day hard work will work that's not easy work and so they want to relieve their stress of how do they relieve their stress these men that outweigh that comfort many. people have been murdered up here people can raise their massive drug issues up here give a boom you have everything else that comes along with money. like

why does someone do that right that's what everybody wants to know and they laugh or haven't you they're well into those play where. there was play where because i think most people would like to think i would like to think to myself i would never do that but did you ever say to yourself down why did i tell these life not why i tell these lies a poem i started a new rooted in religion that exists in my really did not exist as i would just are i just throw going to there probably exist among the worlds is just filler heard there are i says of the i the new form with the model of the wood with the model of the mire there was a it was a river oh boy just to go home or yes my way normal. i was word it was going to be true or it was world which were oh. so is this shop or were .

responding to her right. now here she is.