Cleared away by the Russian Military operation in the peacekeeping mission, in the area gathers pace full of people, people with a future. The last thing they need is more explosions. Good morning to you. Thanks for joining us here on r. T. International. And we will start this hour stateside, or a white house shakeup is under way. The General Services administration which oversees access to federal agencies has triggered a formal transition process to a joe biden presidency. This comes weeks after biden was declared the winner of the 2020 president ial election. Meanwhile, donald trump has yet to concede that race. I want to thank emily murphy, a g. S. A. For her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our country. Shes been harassed, threatened, and abused, and i do not want to see this happen to her or her family or employees of g. S. A. Our case strongly continues, we will keep up the good fight, and i believe we will prevail, nevertheless, in the best interests of our country. Im recommending that emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols and have told my team to do the same. The white house says that it will cooperate with the incoming biden ministration ending weeks of impasse that condemnation. From members of both parties, top House Democrats have demanded a briefing by the General Services administration chief over her decision to hold up the transition over to murphy cited uncertainty in the results. She also said that she received quote, threats to greenlight the transition, but was not pressured by the government in her decision. I was never directly or indirectly pressured by an executive branch official, including those who work at the white house or General Services administration. With regard to the substance or timing of my decision to be clear, i did not receive any direction to delay my determination. I did, however, received threats, online by phone and by mail directed at my safety, my family, my staff, and even my pets. In an effort to carus means of making this determination prematurely, even in the face of thousands of threats, i always remain committed to upholding the law. Political commentator lauren chen says the Political Polarization has spilled over from the white house into other branches of government, making the transition a difficult one. It goes to show how toxic the american political discourse has, become. Where now even american officials like the g. S. A. , which is by no means a glamorous position, are receiving things like death threats. And i think its important to note with this that this is in no way a concession on behalf of the trumpet ministration. Now the trumpet, ministration has been dealt some blows in terms of their litigation in michigan and pennsylvania, but they plan on appealing from what i understand. And a lot of people myself included, believe that ultimately this will end up at the supreme court. Now this is by no means over. However, by agreeing to follow this protocol, i think the trabant ministration is doing their best to, i guess, appease media and the Democratic Party who are insisting on accusing him of staging some sort of sudoku, which is absolutely not the case. Even before the start of the official transition, the president elect was already fast. That working key cabinet picks for joe bidens decision to line up. The oval office with war hawks is already raising questions about his Foreign Policy intentions. When hes killable been picks up, a story. 6 cabinet appointees have already been named. Among them is anthony blanket for his secretary of state. Now anthony blanket has certainly got an impressive resume. He is definitely not a washington outsider. He was obamas deputy adviser. He was National Security adviser to joe biden, when he was Vice President , and he was deputy secretary of state. And you can be expecting that he will be establishing a stark departure from the era of donald trump. Whether we like it or not, the world simply doesnt organize itself. And until the trumpet, ministration of the United States have played a lead role in doing a lot of good organizing and helping to write the rules. And joe biden starts with the proposition that we need to reassert american engagement in american leadership. So where do his Foreign Policy instincts lie . Well, based on his resume, he seems to be an advocate of military intervention. As a blanket was a supporter of the u. S. Invasion of iraq in 2002, he was an advisor to joe biden at the time when joe biden was very outspoken in supporting that war and repeating the later debunked claims about weapons of mass destruction. Blinken also things that the problem in syria or the United States has been arming terrorists and extremists in the hope of toppling the baathist government has been a lack of u. S. Intervention. We failed to prevent a horrific loss of life. We failed to prevent massive displacement of people internally in syria, and of course, externally is refugees. And its something that i will take with me for the rest of my days. Lincolns love for war has expressed itself in some rather odd ways. For example, back in 2011, he called out joe biden, his boss at the time for not being enthusiastic enough about nato, his intervention in libya. Well take a look at the north african country almost a decade later and see how well that intervention turned out. Now blinken also repeats the allegation that russia was paying bounties to afghan terrorists if they killed u. S. Soldiers. When President Trump stands with Vladimir Putin on, on the world stage, and takes his word about rushs attacks in our elections over thats for intelligence agencies that exacerbates the problem when we have a president who is told that russia may be putting bounties on the heads of our troops in afghanistan and does nothing, in fact, worse than nothing by his own knowledge meant speaking to president putin at least 6 times off. He got that report and not raising it, not confirming him and even inviting president putin to washington and russia back into the g. 7. We have a real fundamental problem. Sure, thats pretty bad except that it probably didnt happen. U. S. Intelligence has admitted on multiple occasions that it has absolutely no concrete evidence to back up these claims, but it sure made a good talking point for the joe biden president ial campaign, and it was a way to keep the russia gate hysterics a lot. So who cares if its not true . So while trump is still contesting the election results, biden is getting prepared to get to work in the oval office and based on his secretary of state pick, it looks like peace will definitely not be a priority. Weve seen somebody who has doubled down, defended and read, defended a position that has no defense. He has continued to argue for the type of hope for a policy that has been shown to be false, images that should be ineffective. Its an entirely unscientific approach to try something, see it not work, and then declare success. And were going to see more and more money through good money thrown after bad as this involvement continues. I dont think anything there is particularly surprising. I mean, we see a continuation of the previous of the Obama Administration and the clinton administration. I dont see anything there that unusual. I see basically business as usual military overreach, rather than cutting military spending. Were not going to see the shutting down Foreign Military bases and bring the troops home. Were not going to see a deal escalation of the conflicts in iran, and as our in iraq in afghanistan and syria. Were going to see just an escalation in a continuous asian of bees with the military Industrial Complex running. The Us Government pharma giant astra zeneca has revealed that the covert vaccine its working on is on average, less effective the rival jobs, at least according to preliminary data. Aunties, dont you, hawkins looks at how the various vaccines being developed are shaping up code 19 vaccines are racing towards the finishing line with dozens in the vellum and across the world. Several front runners are now in the final stages of clinical trials. Astra zeneca being the latest contender squally. We have cash usage, astra zeneca. That scene has been in clinical trials. The suns out. This vaccine by british taxpayers want to ship with a Great British company, is that he could be both easy to use. Haiti, fantastic may be slightly optimistic, while research is say, the results could improve 70 percent average efficacy is well below that of other results. And the fall in astra zeneca share price reflects investors disappointment in the numbers. This is a highly competitive market, and the stakes are high. Every efficacy percentage point counts. So its not surprising. Theres cutthroat competition and one upmanship. Pfizer and biotech were the 1st to announce a vaccine with 90 percent efficacy in early november. The russians were quick to follow reporting a slightly better result of 92 percent just a day later. But then up the ante claiming results of 95 percent difficult. And days later, pfizer decided to correct their initial results, the clearing they were actually on par with their main competitor. Also at 95 percent. And remember, efficacy is just one part of the picture. Any vaccine will need to be manufactured, stored and distributed in huge quantities. So again, why not point out the strengths of your products and do all you can to expose the weaknesses of your opponents . This homegrown vaccine is, is, and is easier to administer as well than the Pfizer Vaccine because it doesnt need to be stored or minus 70 hour vaccine is easier to store, easier to transport quicker to put, to use and will have more doses, say astra zeneca. Its being touted as another nail in the coffin of coronavirus. Dont forget, cost is a key factor, especially when it comes to supplying the developing world. Everybody fracture a whats the maximize their market share and at least try to look at the coal while still making an easy payday. After all, if anything does go wrong and have nothing to worry about with indemnity agreements in place. Translating pharma lingo, the announced price of fires are of 19. 50 dollars and madeira nov. 25 to 37 dollars per dose actually means their price of 39. 50 to 74. 00 per person. 2 doses are required per person for the pfizer splitting fee in modern vaccines. The price of sputnik v. Will be much lower. Some are going all out and totally undercutting the call morticians prices. Its hard to argue with the price of just a few dollars. And of course, theres the marketing campaign. Its nothing personal, even if it seems that way. As long as your competitor is undermined or accused of being the one doing the undermining and launching smear attacks. Perhaps the experts at the Atlantic Council are referring to something along these lines. But moscow has been accused of cutting corners using spice to steal western research, which it denies. Russia rushed to register it as a world 1st raising eyebrows in the Scientific Community blame it. Putin announced to the approval of this 2nd to new corona, virus vaccine, even though all neither of the russian vaccines have passed to the 3rd phase of rigorous safety trials. The speed of its developments is being questions at the end of the day. One has to be pragmatic. Saving the world from a pandemic is all well and good, but business is business and everybody wants a slice of the pie. And when the pie is worth an estimated 10000000000 dollars globally, why not start the cards in your favor . We spoke to dave navarro, the world health organization, special envoy on covert 19. 00, and 2. 00, Public Health experts about how they see the state of play when it comes to the rival vaccines. Its going to be many, many months before there will be adequate vaccine available throughout the world for the whole World Population to be immunized authorised version for use in multiple countries. That when w h os involvement is sought and that will take some time. You cant authorize a vaccine for use in multiple countries on an emergency use also rides agent without very, very careful for parents to work. We have a lot of 7000000000 people, divac. So need then rising, should not really be the critical factor. I think this is the dying when our stakeholder needs to come together and really look at the possible ways to finance and ensure that everybody has an access do it or not having access to will be a much more higher cost to the nations and to the publics at large, while drug makers compete for a vaccine athletes around the world, doing their best to keep competing to, despite the sport, to be one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Chance to speak with check hockey legend teatime stanley cup when your im a younger about sport during the covert era. I went to time stanley cup winner 2 World Championships. You were on a limb. Pick champion. You also now that i think most relevant to what were going through at the moment, you own your own hockey club to see clad know in the czech republic. How difficult is it owning the club in times of coronavirus possible . You know, when they ask us or before the season, if we want to play without offense, i was the guy who said, no, it doesnt make and its right now when they ask me, you know, i said, yeah, lets play a least play without. d offense, there is no money coming in the club, but at least you know, we can be on the t. V. , at least you can play, we can keep playing, we can be proud to sink, and people who love the sport, you know, believe they can do their job me persona always play for the fans. I always wanted to satisfy the fans always feel like if you know who will come to the game, give them the best you can every, every game, ball of a sudden theres nobody else. Its like a practice. The 1st thing is in nobody really know whats going to happen to the tell you this thing and next day they have to change it because they dont know where the wire is going to go to no later. You know, with the situation, you know, there is a lot of a lot of teams might go bankrupt, not many going to survive. Like you said, youve won so much. Im sure youve had lows as well in professional sport. Is this the strangest time youve been through . You just have to keep going. You know, we are here once and in the new life, so lets little take advantage and take it as a challenge. You know, its, you know, everybody can live happily everything go easy, you know, you, you know, they have their hard times, sometimes helping more and then the easy stuff police in central paris have used tear gas to break up a large probe migrant protest in the french capital which erupted after a temporary camp was cleared by health or it for him. For it. Thank you. I appeal this film and this camp was set up by various organizations in response to the evacuation of the migrant camp site. Danny last tuesday. The goal of the organizers of the tent camp of the past in the republic is to make their voices heard to draw the attention of the authorities to the plight of migrants. Let me remind you again that last tuesday the camp in centennial was evacuated. It was home to 1500 migrants, 800 of them are still there, but the rest are trying to find a way out of the situation. And of course some are refugee in paris. Various pro migrant organizations are trying to help them. The government has not yet proposed any solution, which is why the prime migrant eutopia organization launched this process that is trying to reach out to government authorities. Its been reported. There were several attacks on journalists during the protests. One of the assaults was filmed by an r. T. Crew journalist was not to the ground by an officer. Incident comes amid growing mistrust between police and the media. The government itself has introduced a new law that could ban the filming of officers for, quote, malicious reasons. With the Russian Peacekeeping mission, in the not going to care about grades and in full swing moscow sense, special day mining units to clear the area of bombs which pose a threat to those returning to their homes or to correspond abroad as they have visited the site of one such operation, the sheer intensity of this war, the sheer quantity of me sells ammunition bombs used are astounding. The sad truth is that it will take years to find that make safe every unexploded munition footage visited by john, raining cluster bombs on cities and towns and never got in a car. Buck sparked outrage, but adds, rage dissipates, and evaporates, cluster bombs, dont. We are ready for anything, especially air drop bombs and cluster munitions, rounds and drops too low. Thats all we dont have enough rotation speed. And they were going to unexploded in peoples gardens or kids playgrounds, or they could be a previous military outposts. The soldiers may have left, but the munitions remained. Russian engineers and sappers part of the peacekeeping contingent have been tasked with the Mining Operations other than daily patrols and roads in the outposts. They also assist local sappers. Theres plenty of work for both. What complicates matters even further is that we are 1000, the middle of nowhere. You cant very well blew every unexploded shell up. We have right next to the city of state by the get full of returning refugees. People who have been scarred by the war. People still in shock and fearful for the future. The last thing they need is more explosions. Any model munition found categorized. Category 3 is the least dangerous. These shells or rockets are generally and fired and can be transported for disposal. Category one of the worst booby traps cluster, bomblets, all volatile munitions that must be destroyed on the spot. In this area, we identified 2 r. P. G. Rockets into 125 millimeter tank rounds. Its slow and dangerous work, but helping out a mans and sappers best friend. The mining dogs, some of them, her name is jacqueline. Shes a belgian shepherd. She took part in the fifa World Championship in 2018. She has been through a lot of training and weve been together for 3 years. You use whatever you can. The war may be over, but every other day we hear of another incident. Another casualty, a mine going off or an old grenade, exploding the peacekeepers. Mission is to establish peace and bring back calm, which you cant do. If people are terrified of the very ground they walk on, or i guess the of, from the garden to the turkish president says that his country wont bow down to overtly you attacks on his country. But in the same breath type one and it turkey sees itself as part of europe. The mixed message comes ahead of an e. U. Summit. Next month. And amid tensions with one bloc member in particular, explains, it may have been a live branch, but the turkish president s overtures to the e. U. And by extension to france over the last few days, have met with little enthusiasm. The French Foreign minister is saying what paris really wants is to see actions for 2 or 3 days. We have heard something statements from president or the god. This is not enough. We need action simmering. Tensions between france and turkey are in danger of boiling over into uncooled into question my mental health. While marc cohn suggested turkey was stirring up resentment against france in the media. And its not the 1st time that the 2 countries have ratcheted up. The temperature. Turkey has been recognized as a candidate for full e. U. Membership since 9095, but a quarter of a century later, the talks have stalled. Concerns were raised following the 2016 coup in turkey and the crackdown that followed with human rights issues among the chief sticking points back then frances president might call on didnt mince his words. He said it was time to end the poker. See, pretending that there was any prospect of advancement in membership talks that are so far as the relationship with the European Union is concerned. It is clear that recent developments in choices do not allow any progression of the process and which we are engaged. Since then, relations have deteriorated, france and turkey have been at loggerheads over syria, libya, and as a nato allies. More recently there have been new just speeches including over turkey, drilling in the eastern, mediterranean, in search of natural gas. The waters are claimed by 2 members of the greece and cyprus, thats in tangled in a quarrel with this warning shot from the top diplomat, it is important that turkey understands that its behavior is why did it separation from the then there has been the fallout over the controversial mohammed, cartoons for hours other than on the show is what happened in france. The lawlessness towards muslims has become almost commonplace in many western states, which are always praising the cells when it comes to the matter of democracy. Towards islam and muslims has become a state backed policy in some european countries. And one which is possibly back to the some incidents by frances head of state. All of this seems to be hardening the against turkey with france leading the charge. France is united, and europe is united at the next european council. Europe will have to take decisions that will allow it to strengthen the power balance with turkey to better defend its interests and european values. Even cautious germany has warned turkey that it needs to think carefully about its next move. All of this could come to a head as leaders meet next month when the real possibility of sanctions against being given the green light, a move that could truly signal the end of the road for turkey, joining the bloc. So what do you want . Ski auti . Paris, a Holocaust Museum in florida has sparked outrage with a new exhibition in honor of someone who had nothing to do with that chapter of history alongside exhibits of nazi war crimes. The Boreal Center presented images and quotes captured in the aftermath of George Floyds death. The killing of the black man in minneapolis back in may spark months of protests against Police Racism and brutality. In the u. S. And beyond, the museum said, floyd exhibition is supposed to counter any identity based hate. The members of the Jewish Community found it hugely disrespectful. When someone faces an act of anti semitism, racism, or any form of identity based hate, whether to result in death or not. And there is an uprising of many emotions, we felt it was important to bring the Human Experience of the aftermath to our museum. We strongly question placing the george floyd exhibit in the Holocaust Museum, one wouldnt expect to see holocaust exhibit at a museum about the africanamerican experience. It is deeply offensive to appropriate our persecution to score cheap political points masquerading as intersectionality whole cost. A story in a friends or a face of the new exhibition reflects a dangerous trend of equating other events to the atrocities of the holocaust. The death of george floyd compared to the holocaust. I mean, thats absurd, totally absurd and totally inappropriate today. Especially in the western world. The major problem that we face, one of the major problems is of course, how, of course, distortion, how it was distortion is not to deny that a tragedy of the scope of the holocaust took place. But to change the narrative of the holocaust, in many cases, to hide the involvement of people other than the german and austrian nazis. This attempt to universalize the holocaust is a very dangerous phenomenon as well. And this is a classic example. Not every tragedy is the holocaust that every tragedy look at the holocaust or should the holocaust be compared to 2. Far less the tragedies. So here too, you see this is a battle over the accuracy of the narrative. And the perception of that or elaborate about it today. Thanks for joining me here this morning on r. T. International updates. Why the pandemic . No, certainly no borders, just blood into nationalities as americans, we dont have a turkey. We dont look like seeing the whole world needs to be judge and commentary crisis like this system to modern times. We can do better, we should be everyone is contributing, its your own way. But we also know that this crisis will not go on forever. The challenges create, the response has been masked. So many good people are helping us. It makes us feel very proud that were in it together. To join me every thursday on the alex salmond show. And ill be speaking to guest of the world of politics, small business, im show business. Ill see you then maybe all build a little bit more blood local you got to live by your oh, but what i would want to do all of you i would go into my life. I live you can if youre a woman. Oh, we got to look for when i got the guy i got from the fact we have to return. I got now there is a guy with no name