the u.s. department of health admitting to pressuring brazil against using the sputnik v. vaccine over fears of russian influence in the region. major states suspend the use of the u.k.'s astra zeneca shock over a blood clot fears creating yet another headache for the blocks vaccination program . britain labels russia its number one threat and vows to deter and defend against the suppose a dangers emanating from moscow. and europe grapples with a 3rd coronavirus wave with many countries plunging back into lock downs to tackle surging infection rates.

bring you all the most important news from around the world this is r t international donald quarter with you in the studio welcome. we start this hour with some breaking news coming out of the u.s. city of atlanta as you can see behind me at least 7 people have been killed and 2 injured after shootings took place at 2 spas and a must saw a parlor a suspect has reportedly been taken into custody and we will bring you more details on the story as soon as we get them. the u.s. department of health has admitted it used diplomatic ties to pressure brazil into not approving russia sputnik the vaccine washington says it's over fears that increasing russian influence could threaten national security my colleagues and your farmer and more i've talked us through the develop this is the united states department of health health and human services that is boosting that it is managed

to deny potentially hundreds of millions of brazilians a vaccine. the office of global affairs used diplomatic relations in the americas region to mitigate efforts by states including cuba venezuela and russia who are working to increase their influence in the region to the detriment of u.s. safety and security examples include using the office of global affairs health atari office to persuade brazil to reject the russian copied 19 vaccine see brazilians vaccinating themselves with a russian vaccine apparently keeps u.s. officials awake at night this is they argue with threats to their safety and security are unclear how there's no reasoning no logic to it that is explained by that but let me put this in perspective for you brazil is a country that has been ravaged by covert so we all know the death certificate we

hear every day from all over the world one in 5 deaths taking place right now all over the world is in brazil from covert suso the situation is catastrophic it is desperate and there are these people who profess to care about people's health and well being arguing that denying brazilians or russian vaccine is beneficial is beneficial for both brazil and for the united states of america the degree of double standards here is also a start issue because the united states is wrong chad beat itself. as a crusader for vaccines and for vaccine back to nation efforts all around the world and they had previously accused russia of undermining global vaccination it is very clear that russia is up to its all tricks. and in doing so is potentially putting people at risk by spreading disinformation

about vaccines the different is of course the. back then they couldn't show you what it is that russian disinform anyone with in this case he you go we have clear evidence their own admission that they had denied people the chance to get vaccinated with the vailable already in production vaccine especially in these times of global shortages this is story is particularly relating to the united states but even before this we saw a lot of western countries quite happy to dismiss the sputnik vaccine particularly in the early days we will remember the unprecedented smear campaign that they launched again against bootlick last year it was too quick russia couldn't possibly develop a vaccine before anyone else it was unsafe ever since then we've seen this effort to undermine sputnik to undermine any russian assistance to to anyone which is

especially astounding given that when it was the united states when it was american lives that needed to be saved back when the pandemic 1st began when they accepted the help from russia aid from russia jets carrying ventilators to new york that was fun that wasn't seen as a threat to national security but when it's brazilians choosing to get a job of sputnik that apparently keeps u.s. officials awake at night that's dangerous for america and you know lavrov predicted this last year he predicted that there would be that scene was taking place in 2021 some western states are trying not only to politicize the humanitarian aspect of the fight against corona virus but also to take advantage of the pandemic to punish governments they don't like we've all heard about backdoor deals to secure vaccines in europe and the americas this is the 1st time i think that we've heard about backdoor deals to deny people millions of people

a vaccine. concerns over the safety of the astra zeneca cova vaccine have prompted major players to temporarily stop using the n.t. covert shot it comes after reports of blood clots and even death among those who received the inoculation in denmark the european medicines agency says an investigation is still ongoing with the initial findings expected on thursday as peter all over reports health officials and senior politicians from across europe said that the astra zeneca vaccine is going to be suspended in the country this is while an investigation is carried out to determine whether there's any link between those who have the vaccine and the development of blood clots inside and the decision is a purely precautionary measure astra zeneca is used as a vaccine by millions of people in many countries around the world we're very aware of the significance of this decision and have not taken lightly. the

decision which was also taken in accordance with our european policy is to suspend vaccinations with astra zeneca as a precaution hoping to resume it quickly if the opinion of the e.u. allows it the question on. the cases that have been flagged that are outside the normal are very infrequent but if importance this is why spain has joined other countries that have decided to make this temporary and precautionary suspension for the next 2 weeks we will wait for the european medicines agency these suspensions haven't just been happening in europe we've also seen them in central america in asia and in africa as well will be hoping to find out more information on where this investigation into any potential link is going on thursday there's going to be a meeting then between the world health organization and the european medicines agency it was the a.m.a. that 1st gave astra zeneca its vaccine the green light for use in europe and

they've been carrying out an investigation since last week when suggestions of a potential link between the the vaccine and blood clots 1st emerged astra zeneca themselves say that there's no evidence of an increased risk while the world health organization says that vaccination outweighs any potential risk that could be there but public perception of the vaccine is crucial to convincing people to well to take the vaccine in the 1st place we took the temperature of people here in germany and how they feel about the recent issues. and toys and he seems to be the right decision to pause it spurts maybe it's the 1st step to getting rid of astra zeneca completely it is disappointing i don't know what the reasons are if they are justified or unjustified but they make this whole vaccination campaign so bureaucratic. now without it is not that easy but when there is so much criticism

then it should be considered too when it's about new vaccines you. always have to be very careful and that's why surely when it comes to vaccines you should be very cautious and if there is a slightest suspicion then it has to be stopped the e.u.'s vaccination program has moved to the glade seal pace and being beset by problems the e.u. commission vice president even admitted that there had been failures when it came to europe's vaccine rollout which has seen it lag behind many other countries including the united kingdom and the united states you know we're starting to see now patients have these tremendous reactions i mean sometimes people just get a little bit sick flu like symptoms now we're starting to see an aflac reaction like allergic reactions we see platelet problems and now we see even debts so maybe we need to take a step back and realize is this the right medication or back station for these 'd patients and we also need to ask the questions as physicians does every person need to be vaccinated and vaccines just create herd immunity there are

a lot of people who maybe are already had the virus like i'm pat and i have antibodies so why would i need a vaccine less if you want to do is put this under the rug so everything is fine because clearly it's not fine and we need to look at the numbers and each one anyone gets a vaccination there's always risk to that always a we need to look at are these numbers acceptable risk or at least number of exceptionally high risk that we should look at this vaccine in medicine we always see with what the new factors are and then we get let's take a step back is are we on the right track and then we negotiate. u.k. has branded russia its number one threat london has vowed to deter and defend against a wide array of apparent dangers emerging from the country but russia's ambassador to the u.k. hit back claiming london is simply trying to justify plans to shower a little money on the british military just moved out of new york to groom appears if you look at the you case 2015 strategy you can find the same aggressive rhetoric

. towards russia alongside calls for a copper ration on global issues but this year the version reads only about russia's threat status and doesn't say a word about dialogue between the 2 countries if you ask why well in my view the u.k. government is going to spend immense sums of money to modernize its military despite also trying to overcome the financial hardships triggered by the cold the crisis and to justify these british authorities are seeking for a solid excuse so the menace of russia you speak as an excuse for why you'd think that britain would have its hands full of dealing with covert 19 the country's still in lockdown the economy has taken a huge hit as doctors are furious off to a tiny one percent pay rise and its astra zeneca job is in the midst of a p.r. storm on top of all of that the e.u. has just taken legal action against the u.k. over alleged breck's that breach says in short the u.k. has got

a lot on its plate but it's made room apparently for one more thing and what appears to be a post breck's it show of strength london has come out with a foreign policy report that sets out what role it will pay over the next decade which countries it wants to be friendly with which $1.00 it needs to be where we all of and it's a throwback to the cold war because russia has resumed its pace as public enemy number one russia is the most acute threats in the region and we will work with nato allies to ensure a united western response combining military intelligence and diplomatic efforts we will continue to support closer practical cooperation between nato and the e.u. in pursuit of this goal in the around $110.00 page report russia is painted as a hostile confrontational state on many an occasion london has alleged that russia frequently in ca's into ukase as space on want says that it's responsible for chemical weapons attacks on u.k. soil and that the kremlin generally pursues a very. it's

a foreign policy something that moscow denies in short in london's eyes russia needs to be managed and contained now while the report claims to be something brand new the biggest overhaul of u.k. policy in decades the 1st one since it left the european bloc this russia has a bad narrative fails to deliver any novelty because after all we've seen how presenting russia as the bad guy has been rampant in the u.k. of the past few years this range from russia is one that respects no borders it is seeking to sow discord in the west and undermine our institutions there is scarcely a country that has not been affected in recent years by some kind of billowing or destructive russian behavior irresponsible activity dissin from ation russia must desist terrorist attacks on the u.k. russia poses but immediate an urgent threat to curate it for its part moscow said

that was willing to engage in dialogue when hard evidence was provided but for as long as phrases such as highly likely almost certainly were used these were nothing but unfounded accusations well apart from the perhaps expected russian element to this report there were a few out that know the sections of the u.k. clearly showing an ambition to promote its idea of democracy abroad this will take the form of sanctions international activism and other tools to shape quote a more open international order how that will be received by those sovereign countries that london is presumably going to promote democracy and i think we can probably all guess secondly perhaps more disconcertingly the limit of stockpiled nucular out warheads will be increased by more than 40 percent from 180 to 260 so quite demonstrative show force here new threats new weapons this comes just at the

back of the. biggest defense increase in defense spending since the cold war 16 and a half 1000000000 pounds over the next 4 years so london really coming out all guns blazing here and there are certain forces within the u.k. who are all saying is this really the time to send this kind of message it speaks volumes of the tory government spending priorities that is intent on increasing its collection of weapons of mass destruction which will sit and gather dust unless the u.k. has plans to indiscriminately wipe out entire populations rather than address the serious challenges and inequalities in our society that have been further exposed by the pun demick so those are just a few of the key takeaways from this fresh report which might leave some austine the question with it being the u.k. talking about being more active brought about a great to global presence and increased capability is it really russia that one needs to keep an eye on more than just declaring russia the u.k.'s main threat

london has also laid out plans to increase its nuclear weapons arsenal we discussed the issue with political analyst chris bambery and kate hudson from the campaign for nuclear disarmament both are concerned what impact the move could have on efforts to deescalate the global warmers riis. it's interesting that he's chosen syria make this increase in a nuclear arsenal at the same time as president biden and putin have recently signed up again favorite new the new start treaty which is a by the actual nuclear weapons reduction treaty so it's not johnson is going against the flow we've had 30 years of gradual to solve month that's biggest down across the world russia or the us still continuing with that constructive development and boris johnson certainly say right let's have a 40 percent increase in britain's nuclear weapons i mean people have a right to say why he can or thought of what the leader of the opposition says but he's asking the right question what is the point of this to announce that you're

going to spend billions so you chris you know nuclear weapons nuclear warheads at a time when we're having our talk of a stereotype measures here and your pal nazis who are dealing with the cooler though and derek i'm not the one percent pay rise this is just madness major question should be asked about domestically about what this is happening here given that we're always told there's no money because of the academic impact of the pandemic and secondly why do you want to go back into that alliance the united states was led as it's our rock which where there isn't afghanistan and thirdly wired up and we position ourselves as if we're sending to launch a you you quote war. still to come it's return of the lockdown sweeping restrictions are back in play across parts of europe as countries ramp up their defenses against a 3rd wave of the coronavirus all the details after this short break.

join me every thursday on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guest of the world the politics school business i'm showbusiness i'll see you then. is your media a reflection of reality. in a world transformed. what will make you feel safe. isolation or community. are you going the right way or are you being so. direct. what is true what is faith. in the world corrupted you need to descend. to join us

in the depths. or remain in the shallows. welcome back to the program a canadian activist has been attacked in montreal while demonstrating against giving puberty blockers to children with gender identity issues chris alst in films the assault on his phone it shows several people approaching him demanding he leave the area will calling him a trans folk he was left with a broken arm after one of the attackers repeatedly hit him with a traffic cone here's how the activist described the incident. what i do i just go out on the street i have conversations with people about the future to blocking

drug because the media refuse to report on what's going on out of nowhere from the road and i think from my left on the sidewalk about i don't know how many people 567 people one woman the rest for men were just on me i only had about one second notice the signs off me as i wear the sign one sign says children cannot consent to puberty blockers it seems to me like a 100 percent it's a premeditated attack they knew i was there and they came to get me. the issue surrounds the administration of drugs that stop the onset of puberty by blocking certain hormones the physical effects eventually wear off when the child stops taking them however there are still concerns about the lasting impact puberty blockers are having on the young if a child goes on puberty blocking drugs from the age of $12.00 to $17.00 and then they come off them there's no magic time machine to get those 5 years that those years of development are gone and studies all show that the end of criticism

doesn't even kick right into gear as soon as you come up and it takes time for the body to adjust and get going again so what's happening is we have all sorts of young adults now in their twenty's who are d. transitioning and canada is going a 100 miles an hour in the wrong direction because we have political people using this as a wedge issue to achieve their political and so they try to say that if we don't want to give puberty blocking drugs that somehow we're against the l.g.b. unity but this has nothing to do with that there's no thinking involved in it they just oh you want to be the other gender ok here you go we're going to stop puberty and you know. the 3rd wave of the corona virus sweeping across europe governments have again been ramping up restrictions charlotte dubinsky has been looking at how the continent is shaping up in the latest battle against coping. european countries were hoping that by this spring it would be the beginning of the year and for the coronavirus crisis there was a promise that

a year of lock downs and curfews would be sufficient in that we would be starting to return to normal instead of 3rd wave is rising as variants of the virus are once more forcing difficult decisions italy is taking a step back with most of the country returning to look down. on the basis of scientific evidence the government has today adopted restrictive measures that we have judged to be appropriate and proportionate in germany that's a question that's also on people's lips too from the data we currently have and with the spread of the british mutation we would argue strongly for returning immediately to a lock down to avoid a strong 3rd wave here in front the english variant has become mainstream accounting for more than 60 percent of all cases as infection rates the prime minister has described the situation as being on

a razor edge in paris intensive care unit so overwhelmed with patients having to be transferred elsewhere in the country in the france is clearly on borrowed time as you know the english variant is now in the majority this variant is not only more contagious it is also more deadly our resuscitation capacities are such rated the head of the french national health agency who had repeatedly said that the curfew was working is now backtracking admitting it hasn't been enough to let interest complexity the situation is complex stance and is worsening in the paris region vaccines are seen as being the only hope but instead the rollout program has been more issues. but he was still so really liking behind the u.k. for example so much so that the germans have even admitted that they are envious

the e.u. sperm doing over the vaccine program is also only in the far cause a growing from block state for the body which approved vaccines that may just be things up christer we would all be very happy if you would change your working i was in the european medical agency and the coming months to 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and not approve new vaccines in 3 months but in 3 weeks. and there is no surprise europeans feel lost and eager to vent their anger despite all of the restrictions.

the 3rd wave of the couvade crisis and more lockdown isn't what everyone was expecting after year that's already seen so many restrictions on last season so much grief the idea that european countries could continuously now find themselves in a knot 1 of lockdowns for some time to come is something that will certainly hit a nerve and test everyone's patience so let's even ski paris. water could be blocked in russia within the month the nation's communications watchdog has announced the social network will no longer be available to users if it continues refusing to delete thousands of posts with illegal content can tell us more. this doesn't come completely out of the blue because russia's communication

regulators sent over 28000 requests for the removal of harmful content to twitter since 2017 and unfortunately many of these requests have gone a note now we're talking about the sort of content that relates to suicide to south harm including hundreds of posts relating to child pornography and hundreds more relating to drugs so it's the sort of content which would raise alarm bells within many countries and in some cases already has in the u.k. for example the recent investigation by the internet watch foundation found that twitter was it was responsible for a startling amount of child pornography content we're talking about one $1400.00 instance out of $2800.00 also in the us in the state of california a federal lawsuit was filed against twitter in january this year that was also relating to the spread of child pornography upon the twitter platform now those fought twitter has failed to comment the s but a spin given a month by the russian regulator to comply and remove all of this content in the

past a regulator has also warned that twitter could face a hefty fine if it doesn't comply with talking about one 5th of its annual revenue so as it stands the ball is very much in twitter's court. the u.s. has kept its place as the world's top weapons exporter its market share alone is worth around the same as the next 4 nations combined according to a report by the stockholm international peace research institute for the past 5 years the us has accounted for more than a 3rd of the world's arm exports arms exports all almost twice that of russia which comes in 2nd ron half of all arms export it went to the middle east with saudi arabia accounting for about a quarter or the volume of exports hasn't increased overall the us is chair of the market has grown we discuss the findings with a senior researcher at the institute that the published published the report. so what the u.s. . and many other countries also use whip and export splice as

a tool of foreign policy reach in scandal actually grow as imported the middle east has grown the. standing for a quarter of all total of all global. imports of. a volatile region there are lots of tensions to actually call going on and poor equipment into it to make it safer if you don't have to mechanisms to otherwise deal with potential. did negotiate solutions and if you are to major supply you can also publish the watch. now time for a recap of our breaking news coming out of the u.s. city of atlanta 8 people have been killed and several injured after shootings took place at 2 spas and a massage parlor some of the victims are believed to be women of asian descent in the police have not determined a motive in any of the killings nor whether they were related

a suspect has been taken into custody and of course we'll bring you any further updates on the story as we get them. you can also follow the updates on our web site r.t. dot com i'll be back with more news in just about half an hour so stay tuned. one of the worst mass shootings in america was. 2017 the tragedy. real. control. revealed.

and now it's part of the. american public barely remembers that it happens. power of. the powerful showed. the most contagious contagion we've seen in decades and then you have a mayor who doesn't care. to control group. of people by. taking action. machines doing. huge cash ran by people who don't care people's lives.