ah, this our top headlines here one r t and the world health organization says and then you all mark wrong strain of cove. it has now been found and $38.00 countries with a virus spreading twice as fast as the belt of arian. just a moment will be joined live here in the studio by the president of the international red cross and red crescent federation in just a few minutes. twitter faces a barrage of accusations that is doing the u. s. government's bidding. it's off to the social media giant who worked with a washington think tank in suspending. more than 3000 accounts from 6 countries for alleged stake back to propaganda. and the u. k. is the royal college of midwives apologize. it's for new inclusive guidelines describing mothers as quote, post natal people. the former n h s. nose tells us of vocal minority has hijacked the conversation. it's easy yet

to know. for example, of stem old. going in with diversity offices and telling people how to set a thing with that and then base aah . or i just talked to 5 pm on saturday here in moscow. this is auntie international. a very will welcome to you a special program and a special guest stand by to join us in just a moment. so the new omicron strain of cope it is now been found in $38.00 countries that's according to the world health organization. now, no deaths have been reported due to this particular mutation. however, the latest are data suggests the virus is spreading twice as fast as the previous delta variant. meanwhile, south africa, which was among the 1st to report the new strain is seeing rec, old daily infections. that the low vaccination rate in the country has started

picking up in recent days. a jobs are widely available, but less than half of the the entire adult population so far has been inoculated. la correspondent policy, i spoke to vaccine experts in the south african capital. people don't know what this on the crown is, especially because sciences haven't confirmed conclusively what the side effects are. so we are getting a lot of people coming through out of fear, especially in our older population. you know, people who are regent, 7 seas and 8 sees we see been quite anxious to get the booster. and so the, as i would say, traffic, jude, sophia, of the unknown, the, is a concern that the vaccines aren't working, but i always say to them, remember, last year, how many patients we had in hospital in icu use, how hospitals almost, that's a convert every ward and so many i see you include in the e r's compared to now people are still getting contracted with cove it but it's manageable. so we are seeing numbers going up. but in terms of how severe the

reaction is to the virus it's unlocked, listened. this is a private explanation, santa, which means it is well we thought and full of information. a far cry from many of the destination fainted in the poorer locations here in south africa. where there's a lack of resources and people don't have the kind of information that they have here, hadn't been here 6 months ago. it would have been a very different story. but in the last 6 months, you've had in july and race across the country. and in november, you had municipal elections. following those 2 mess events, you now have a situation in south africa, where almost everybody knows somebody who has contracted coven. we need to realize that everything that we do will be a precautionary measure, so that we can control and help save a good, a good number of them. i tried to, i said we need to also take an actual parts that we won't find showing solutions immediately. i just kind of in here what's going on in the world, you realize that if you don't put on the effort,

someone else might have to die for you. so i just decided i'm going to protect people and you come and get my vaccination, then we need to get that immunity going. and, and yeah, the boost is, and the vaccines worth science as shown less and less in south africa, specifically, we've known that vaccination people are not in hospitals on them to later it's mostly unvaccinated of the feeling that they'll be more view everybody's, you know, still gonna i'm still going to be the last one becoming so, so if i'm vaccinated, i'm also, you know, positive preaching physically. i'm jimmy, you know, so i'll be strong in my body. this is south africa, 2nd christmas and a locked down december. there's also the main holiday season. which is why many here are concerned that with the ongoing international travel band, just what the impact on the economy will be. and whether or not they'll ever get to spend a christmas with a loved ones. policy, a r t, johannesburg, south africa. okay, let's get some more perspective on this now, and i speak with

a president of the international federation of red cross and the red crescent societies, francesco rocca joining us live here in moscow at archie international. a great pleasure to have you with us today. thank you. for coming all the way to us here in the russian capital. thank you. i thank you very much. i wanted to ask you 1st and foremost, how is the world doing in its fight against cove it? i think did that said days are important a decision according to where you leave? so did the issue is that we, i think we are doing quite golda indeed most advanced and wednesday. so side is up, but unfortunately they, they, the war kaiser is very, very found to be accomplished day developing counting did most difficult countries that are leading that it, it biggest strategies in terms of the number of crises that they are affected by. and i, this is what are, what strikes me really a lot is eugena quantity that we are leaving in. and there were some counting in

european union, for example, we had many saying that there dosa, while in africa we are still always raised at tisa temper sandy blondie, coastal 0 percent of the something that says model you said the boys, every, every country, some degree is going to work according to its own speed as its own efficacy, i guess when it comes to getting the right demographics, exposed to the right vaccines for example. but you and i were talking, i just missed before you joined me in the studio and, and, and i. and i hope that is good news in the world of the moment regarding this concerted global initiative to battle, coven, i printed some documents for you that the johns hopkins university of medicine in baltimore, very well established medical institute. they printed up a list of all the countries around the world. of course, this has a lot to do with a mass vaccination rates. and essentially it shows the number of confirmed infections and it shows the number of fatalities, for example. and i guess this should be good news in israel, for example, 1300000 confirmed infections. a death rate of 0.6 percent switzerland,

1000000, infected death rate, 1 point one percent. the u. k. $10000000.00 infected death rate, 1.4 percent spain, 1.7 percent. france, 1.5. that should mean the vaccines are working. yeah, he said good news. it is good news when basic, but for who. so this is right once again. now of course that means that the about sin is working right. maxine is affect diva baths. maxine at my idea of axis must be x accessible by him of a for every one. for every human being. this is not happening. this is why we are so concerned about i did, did, did the current trans silva, the distribution of the vaccine cell around toward talking about it for doses. so add it boosted over some one. he's talking about 2022. even the 5th dose is, and this is, this is, i mean, this is a point of concern, you know, from the a number of people out there actually because i'm british and in the u. k. at the moment the prime minister is saying, if he find one vaccine or 2 vaccinations is not important, now you need a booster every 6 months. is that so it is that the future?

do you think of how we can address? i'm not a, i'm not a scientist. i'm not a medical doctor, so i don't want to do and that is something that is not up to me. but i did. did did the consent. it's about the accessing places where they didn't it do not have access, sir there to the 1st dose isa. and these iniquities are something that we're calling to be fixed. so the hours, but for sure, i think that we have to leave. we deserve with a disease that for a very long time, yes, is not the not going to be over a specially if we leave content to need. we need in the, in the, in the same way as we are doing now. you mentioned a few moments ago about about how difficult it is to get mass vaccinations to the developing world. for example, you've seen a huge amount of nationwide inoculation rates in parts of europe, parts of america as well. but in places like africa, for example, they're not getting the number of jobs that they need. is there something that you can do? your organ organizations can do to help to,

to speed up the process of getting more vaccinations to africa. of course, we are ready to support, we are ready to scale up our activities in africa by deity d shoes about our day to day, the vaccines to have access to the vaccine. so. so because i at the moment old vaccine, sir, i've only one destination to western counties, and this is why we are asking us to change the ways working now. and so we'll do dorm to walker, and maybe we might be copa on the a w t o on a finding a maybe a new agreement like the creeps that was, was i found that i had to, to have the same solution that was adopted for h i v, for example, that helped a lot to do, and it was a little down day decays of the casey. so my trade in africa. i remember seeing a story quite recently that europe, at one point in the past month or 2, had an excess of vaccines. they had too many jobs. and they were suggested perhaps you should send this to developing countries. did they send those jobs?

do you know, to developing countries? yes, by the bureaucracy is very high. go, for example, are we, we have asked sam johnson and john shauna, buck sienna, to deal with italian government is still, we are waiting for right. ah, the green light, i about liability tool to sandy's, a, 100000 vaccines. he made his way because out, so these and i, there is another country, this in desperate need of alva vaccines. and i saw the, the issue of bureaucracy de surely shown would affect myself legal companies. that is an important one then that they want the vaccines that were not delivered in, in the european union, the steel where in the warehouse over the phone must have your company that once i've been not deliver due to the developing county school. but it wants that they're not used the i because maybe they're close to expire. maybe because they knew you will be an union. our we are call me is that johnson a johnson now or i said seneca ah not go daddy, added wanda. ah,

do you know that these fake news that are spreading around ah, ah, convinced a lot of people did the of the hotel. you have to usa, they did it once. we de emmet, nay. that's a debt. once i get that stock gain that warehouse in the county's lake edaly, france, this is very slow, the process is very slow. i want to a, bring up the issue of this latest strain that of all micron that i know you very much aware of and, and, and all the news channels around the world are talking about it. i just wanted to, to preface this by saying the world health organizations chief scientist, assume we are swimming. nathan ost people on friday, not to panic. obama crohn australia's chief medical officer, paul kelly has said, there's no indication that armor crohn is more deadly than other strains. quote of the over 300 cases that have now been diagnosed in many countries. they have all been very mild or in fact had no symptoms at all. and then the south african medical association says there's no reason for panicking. we don't see severely ill people suffering from omicron,

and yet the media and the governments are continuing to ring the alarm bells over this very end. but we're having the w h o. the chief australian medical officer and the south african medical association saying don't panic. what do you say? as we should follow the, the advise is coming from the elaborate shore and this and d, v community saw dwarf than the political leaders and the government's out substituting or their descent, given community in dealing with their call in 19. and this is the, the deal to may davie then, so once for the des, emotional reaction that the you are talking about. but also in terms of our over a did, did the reason why we have these new varian, sir. so we have called it will be made evidence that without a global vaccination, without giving access to any human beings up to the vaccines, the risk of no variance, sir. essays are very high go and we can not blame. also, this is another aspect, the data for ads is that he's on of concern. we cannot,

we cannot blame the south africa scientist at all to hook for heavy anger, opened a door to the scientific community about these new discovery. it's i something i saw the egos and put at risk the future me goes maybe in the future, either county would not discover. we'd not open the door to the discovery side or do this i give you community, sir, for, for the fear, for door door to find ha, a did. did it did there. are there a closure, old other sanctions, like they will do cell duffy, iowa was affected dia immediately after. they only got one. so a cocker co, vance, w h o. back program in developed and developing countries. they, they differ during the pandemic a while. they different priorities. do you think comics callbacks? i think was a was a good idea. unfortunately, e is not working as expected. so the number of distribution, all of the vaccines for our own, like all that sir, is i, ism, is not so high aga,

and we, we expected much more ride them, some general sheet from the international community. and there and there the idea that was a good idea. he was there to, to give the priority and things obesity may callback sir to the medical doctors to the nurses that are working on the front line. but unfortunately this is were kinda less the 50 percent so far. so the numbers are very, very, very law and this is her eyes and i did an aspect of it that national community should take as he is legal to the nation. so we have to do more in terms of distribution and giving access so that this is, is this basically your, your, your biggest concern is that there has to be more done to, to further spread vaccines around the world, particularly to the developing countries. we're talking long about this. how do we do that though? and this is about the will of the international community, the wheeler of decide that by day, the government and the political leader, sir, that these is the top priority. if we want to recover the 2nd pandemic also,

which shows that they did, they do 40, and they, and they, and their, their day. the gay social consequences are over all over the pandemic. we have to give access to the ever seen. there is no other way. this is why am i repeating always these because these is what should be we, we should be focused on and, and we, we have to put pressure on the pharmaceutical companies or their european union, the united states, a u. k. we invested the billions of dollars in the researcher due to the door to make this vaccine accessible. so why the poorest counting the developing counties the that they have not de, right that to have access. so i think this should be a common road, not something that said belong to the, to the farmer, central your company, and rory, let me finish. and this is an important point. i'm not knife. this is a very complex issue, but i'm not doubling your lead of their political leaders. so they wanted to be political either just will deal with the complexity and they have to find the they, they, the dissolution now to give access to every one. so,

so he cannot do that when it isn't, because it seems to me you're saying that has been politicized. and has it been politicized since the beginning there, bellamy did it on them. you guys be politicized. to look at they, they did, they did the level of the fake news, the day, even political lisa had to spread around the water. so this is something that unfortunate has been pretty decisive. bukasa you test to do with the fear of the people i tend to when you make that america anyway, when it, when it comes about fear of the community, when he comes up there, did it many believe you had read this or are ready to jump in this is part of the diesel jasa, as i thought to all of us is, is there a lot of propagation of fear behind or little perhaps the fear is warren via theories. normally because arnold where every everything that the that is new and could be potentially dental. this is something, this is something that everyone i should meet should be concerned or anger and but so then it's up to the political leader to follow the they advise is coming

from their scientific community to least and not to them, to walk with them. to avoid or to, to, to boot at the, on the same level and is also the media is very important. responsibility, the scientific community and people there to read something on the, on, on google i in the, on the, on the, on the very strange website that bordner. ready thousands born around a, the a da da da gov in 19. this is, this is a cd show i saw is a lesson learned. and i'm saying these because we learned these less sumner radi during the, during the crisis leading a one a crisis. we are to red cross requests and we learned how is important to deal with the community and historically that this is saga. we are, we, we always had to deal with that. we defeat era and doors. it were spreading. the fagin, yours about our doors were spreading our disease around there. remember, in melana, in the, in the 16th century that when we had the diesel, definitely disease that they did their deadly pandemic. and manzona, importantly,

value right there, brought down inside book about it. mister. okay, let me jump in here quickly because i don't have you for very long. there are certainly some issues i'd also like to discuss with you. let's turn our focus now to that of afghanistan. as we understood mr. rocker the laser port, half of the entire country of afghanistan is facing starvation. how did we get to this point? this is a very serious question up cancer from my from of course, very long time. and these is started there before almost before the crisis, so that we all watched on tv and there. and i watched read concern before or wooster we saw in the last 2 years. sir degraw from 43 percent up to 55 birth center. the level of poverty in the middle by an address in afghanistan. and i did the afghanistan is affected by now and historical drought in many

provinces. and i now get bullied, he got dr. itself coarser and has aggravated this situation. although only organizations getting involved with helping afghanistan at this point, as you said, is not just in the rural communities as also in the urban centers where people are starving nowadays. they're gay. the afghan with go, cynthia linger great work scenes before. we are working in 2021 prophets isa, distributing, ford, assisting community, and assisting about vaccination programs. not about call read about other diseases . and i saw we were, we were present and if it, the national federation does present in the country. she is more than 20 years now, supporting her the people of out of afghanistan. but it's all chapter met now that one of the shunts that we are here at we are, are now with the winter coming or the cold season coming or are all the condition for the perfect you any day, a storm, so wouldn't graduate. so what are your priorities then in afghanistan, what comes top of the list for you to do there? to have to have the am of course to have access and is, is we are,

we are talking with the taliban government on a daily basis on our own ita and so far is isa is workinger. and there, of course sir, ah, this is a delegate pointer already. it's a, it is about the sanctions. and this is because he could be read that separately. you got to state them at which is doctrine. but so, but that you have to deal with the political consequences or we did, we did, did, did the constant when he did the political decision, are having got on the life of the people or soul. we do need, we, we do need, ah, to war to have access to the cash toy of i to over the possibility dual to work in a different form and dow now sanctions are affecting the wanted. we are working with not only us, i do you all, do you money to an organization, of course, but this is not the 1st time that i will even see that we have, we have exposing it. are you getting help from the international community? when it comes to your projects, for example, afghanistan,

is it just you guys there? are you getting the help you need? no, no, no, we are getting her. and we away. we are receiving go. we are receiving a supporter. many government, sarah sustaining our, our, our project and it, and define said no to, they're providing fund sorts of why their organization to the, to the, you and agencies. but then once again, that is, that is a difficult that the process is, varies little about, i'm importing gold saw and, and all of these ice and something that easily affected that when you've got a big job for you and your organizations in afghanistan, you've been there more than 20 years during which you can, let's now turn if we can to that of the recent migrant crisis in europe. mr. rocker, a recent migrant crisis. as i know, you know, you're very well aware of the story at flared up on the polen, beller bella ross border. how has the red cross been helping those people? they're not providing. i am providing food assisting them in day in the shelter. so we do restore fame, you lisa and there did bella,

rosewood cross with this part of the international federation? i think that the moment they're doing a, a good job. of course this is not, not tommy term or long term solution that the ira hosted in a shelter dera, but so far the i war, my environmental and then we are engaging now discussion we, they made a man the government of mendoza to find either solution. now for them, are you finding both huffman so in min, sky and in warsaw? are they both being helpful or is there a bit of a combativeness going on? because i don't think we have been thought on that report under and put on the unfortunately we don't have access said to the border, you don't have access notice post side of the border or not you asked or access to it. of course we have acts dying. we, we don't saw lisa. this is the eyes, the difference. and once again, this is not the believe you are 2nd these of actor. so we, we, we, we don't have access, sir, and i'm going to got access to one side of the board of the bell russian side of the border. i didn't, we didn't make a rush inside the and that's what you've been handing out the, the aid, the tense, the food, the joy flows. actually this is wanda way that it is what we are. this is what we

are doing. her and her staff for staff regoza you see the year were once again, the emotional reaction are coming at you are p and level about isa. cries is, which really is not the greatest to be. we are talking about few hundreds of people or some one else or a call did a day him the un security council for few hundreds of desperate people are sitting at the border saw once again. now this is has been accused of some wine has been accused of using the magazine so as opposed to got dollar as a matter of fact, it is true, but is true. not in bella. luce and paula now is throw it up in a last year. i get bored getaway turkey and greece or he saw dead now in u. k. i did it bait is very big straw that he thought he, they did, he's a lot of the younger and the in the mag us i use as upper he got to will italy's been saying a huge front of it, but she that money and another aspect i mentioned that turkey and greece so now is

better. those fall under last year it was a turkey and greece demetre wrapped in the mid around your router is open. we have that back. can router a doors were stacker with the bows. now snake, right? you can not set up the desperation, they will always find that a route you can't stop. we, if we are, i'll fix a gracie. so that within it fiction, the crisis missile rock had, is the red cross helping with moving any of these migrants to, to the final destinations like germany or the u. k. original families, so forth. we mediately engage with the governments because we know that many of the magnets that that stock, they have connection and families. a member of their families are just leaving the country with this you nationwide to want to arrive. so we, we try to fulfill the data and some location, eyes of computer norm we, we, we do, we, we, we, we, we achieve the sort of salad that just we ever red line that it, sir. we actually did it because of route, for example, you k, we have the british red cross, we the french, what grove you, that yellow course i. so we, we stay connected to data store, family links and,

and we, we, we facilitate, dia did enough time to stay unions, because some, some of these migrants who are coming across the bell, russian polish border. quite a lot of them are from northern iraq as a courtesy on northern region of iraq. these are people coming from a war zone. these are people coming from years of war. they get to the european border, they get sprayed with some sort of a tear gas pepper spray soaking clothes, sub 0 temperatures. a lot of these people said enough, we're going to go back. we're going back to a former was i'm because it's better that than it is here. does that surprise you at all? no, i'm not surprised because this is not the 1st time that we are experiencing this to be, to be honest. and unfortunately, i'm not even manghese. i said he's on a full consent for my says that i'm not surprised about a european union now. and they were just county ira reacting. guy in dealing with

the human beings is his eyes. and i'm wondering if we are losing global humanity because he's not about every county has the right to set up policies for migrations . we have not question. it's about i a, the, the, you man on which we have to do what to treat to every human beings. this is the only point that we are leasing that will say, well, said mister rocker. well said my last, my last couple of questions for you before i let you go. i know you're very busy, man. why are you here in moscow? what are you doing in russia? first studies, ah, and import and gatherings. oh, gathering of volunteers. a theory now in moscow. oh, boy won't. you're coming from different organization that dealt the we, did we, the pandemic we, they call the 19 a colder we act together. but of course, also to meet we de, russian with cross lead a sheep. it is a new core, so of the russian with cross and so to support them, to least in our bow dedora expectation denzil, so puerto,

from the international federation of adult, quoting tim silvo, future cooperation and collaboration. also, these are mission, i live with the russian read what wrote about russian vaccines. are you guys considering bringing on russian vaccines to the red cross? so i met, i met yesterday the day the many. so, vale and i, and of course it is an important expectations because dance of counties recognize the dispute, the vaccines. so i'll, we ask the erie v in the government or the russian federation due to support, did anybody and to facilitate the access? today we spoke mika, and i'm quite optimistic them any. so as promised me that, that is going to facilitate the bureaucracy and, and a and dad may help said to will do, even on sarah, what it is when i say it isn't really that you're, you're european, a headache, medical regulated health regulator, i should say, beg your pardon? i still waiting, still waiting to approve, wouldn't it v, after all these months. and you mentioned to me recently that this, how this pandemic has been politicized when it comes to russian vaccines being approved by the european regulators. that seems like a case, a blatant case of it being bullet politicized. maybe i'm wrong,

or i don't want to jump in that. what that, what the idea because it's a very, very, very sensitive and anybody you got questions, but that's, as i said, fan, so by that counties in you, roper, we have, i think there, there we have enough luck. since we are talking about country, they do not have access to live exceeds and man counties have recognized it. they spoke because he now saw let's what we discount these are. these is a political dialogue. i do think that they something strange because it is not working. why they and saying that this is not working, but enough is over offer on my from him. i know dad prolonging got a discussion and this is something that, of course pulled some question about the lease on why, but it's not up to me. i'm not, as i said, i'm not the medical doctor. i would you agree that i'm at the end of the day? it's not politics. it should be people's health. exactly, exactly, exactly. i francesca rocker the president of the international federation of the

red cross and red crescent society. it's been an absolute pleasure having you been with us at our tea international live in moscow. thank you for your time. thank you . righty. thank you very much. thank you very much and thank you for joining us here in our international. we are back with more in just a moment. ah, [000:00:00;00]

with ah, it's update on you being are you oh no, no, no, but they didn't. didn't valuable. mm hm. that's been happening my middle now. i own my head up my lap and i didn't thought, luckily knuckle, but my love bob again thought, now along with it a bit a well, i mean a relation suburban i thought yeah, it's not in the that and