as ballots are contents in the presidential election. plus, i'm gabriel's on to a new york where british socialite elaine maxwell will face a jury for the 1st time in a trial that sure to be filled with drama. ah, japan says it's banning foreigners from answering the country in an attempt to control the sprites. often you omicron variance prime minister for mucous, she does says the band will take effect on tuesday, and other measures are also being considered will go in schema. so we are responding to the army con variant with a strong sense of urgency in my country. we've suspended the entry of foreigners from south africa and 9 other countries from yesterday at midnight. as the new variance spreads further around the world, we're considering additional measures to strengthen our border control measures. i'll announce when necessary petition. while the south african president has demanded an immediate ends to the travel bands, yet he is described as unjustified and discriminatory against his country and its neighbors. in its latest remarks, the world health organization again urged countries not to impose southern travel bands, the w. wait, joe says it will take weeks to know if the omicron variance is more transmissible or causes were symptoms more than 10 countries of mo confirmed cases. all the variance, tony chang is in bangkok and has more on the measures taken by some asian nations. well, borders and are close to foreign business people and foreign students, many of whom were celebrating after being allowed back into the country several weeks ago. far, some japanese nationals will be able to return burg quarantine protocols are going to be introduced once again. so japan really stepping back very quickly there that did cause a diff in the markets across asia this morning, although they appear now to have started. we've seen this other reactions in the region. the philippines, imposing a ban on a rivals from 14 countries, including 7 european nations, particularly those were the only kron variant has already been detected thailand and an indonesia have burned 8 arrivals from 8 or southern african nations. or they appear to be watching very closely what's going to, to be going on, no detection yet cases in any countries other than hong kong of the come varian. but i think people here will be very wary. they have just started to open up, particularly here in thailand where the, the tourist industry has been absolutely devastated by the last 18 months and the shut down they announced in blank over to over the weekend. they were going to be lifting the entry requirements slightly. this of course is going to set everyone on go god again. but i think if the thai government can do anything to keep those gateways open, they'll be trying to do so. so the terrorists can eventually return a south african doctor who raised the alarm about the new variance as her patients have shown mainly mild symptoms so far from the miller reports from johannesburg, angelica sia is the south african doctor who 1st to take the new symptoms in patients who had contracted cove at 19 while she says the symptoms are peculiar cases so far have been mild. so what is interesting is that, that the clinical symptoms or not the same, then with delta, extreme tightness, and fatigue, and the young people. that was how we 1st detected with a bit of her body i, campaign, and headache. very, very similar to what you will normally see with any viral infection. so the africa has to take to just over 50 cases of the new variant and enabling, but swan or 900 people have been infected. they've also been cases in belgium, israel and other countries. scientists say it may take up to 2 weeks to better understand the variance to determine how easily it spreads and how well vaccines work to protect people. because these more than 30 mutations, that might, it might escape the immune system, or it might escape the vaccines. what we have seen so far is people that has been vaccinated specially we're far as it around we had the last short in august this year did contact the virus and it's miles very, very much symptoms. they are no known admissions to hospitals, of people, the contract, the new variant. what is your view then on the global reaction to this variant being detected in south africa? extremely premature. and you know, it is as if they went into a frenzy and each and every one out there on biking, a great a high about this. and the question is, you know what, why we have, we have won't that we are going to see a 44 or a wife. we have to sit, they will come at variance. we did say that the variance will mostly come from unvaccinated. i v p. people who's not controlled on the medication or never been to taking any medication. that's not, that's something that's new. well, scientists say the variant is behind a sharp rise of cases in the halting province. how the spread of the disease is managed should be carefully considered. an increasing number of experts say the law downs and travel bands don't work and that instead damaging economies and causing unnecessary panic, then says the focus should be on ensuring everyone in the world has access to vaccines. south africa, india and other countries have been for months calling for patent waivers to allow for vaccines to be manufactured around the world. so far, just 70 percent of africans have received a job with very low vaccine access, with the inability to be able to fully make our own vaccines and to be able to get out of the spin daily class enough in a timely manner with the vaccine about it witnessing and the stigmatization of certain countries in africa related to the variant. this is not a good look for the global not what we need is cooperation. what we need is global solidarity. and what we're getting in return is actually of a punitive approach to how we can actually will manage the spending 2 weeks from now. when we might see a different picture, we might see a total different clinical picture from, from us what we experienced currently. but, but for now, we can't even cite, escaped the vaccine efficacy. we can say that while travel bands often used by time to better understand new variance and the spread of the coven, 1900 virus. some scientists in south africa, a calling it's a futile exercise. for me to mila al jazeera johannesburg. em fx. a nation drive is underway in the philippines. only 40 percent of the population has been fully an achilles. and so far, the government has recently tightens its border controls. in an effort to limit the spreads open you variance. in honduras, celeste, which candidates your mark castro has claimed victory in sunday's presidential election. castro told supporters that voters have reversed authoritarianism, governing national policy also announced that its candidate had one and your interview, choosing the successive to go and leader one or london hernandez, one order for the has more from the capital. it's been a jovial environment. people very much happy celebrating and were val we've already heard from us. you might have counseling herself who came in and spoke to her supporters stopping short of declaring victory would say that to day the people of honduras have one and promised a government reconciliation saying that it's early as tomorrow she wants to meet with the under other candidate to form a government of reconciliation, a government that truly serves all the people of honduras. this election really does have the potential to be a pivotal one. not only because the of the potential for the scenario where we could see a 1st woman president of honduras, but because of the backdrop under which these general elections are taking place. one of the most, one of the worst migrant crisis in the history of the country, a poverty rate that's reaching historic levels, it currently sits at somewhere around 75 percent. and regardless of your political background here in honduras, many people are simply happy to see the exit of the controversial president wonderland. yolanda is a president whose administration has been marred by allegations of corruption misuse of public funds and ties to narco trafficking, to, to drug trafficking, to the united states, his own brother, a former member of congress, now serving a life sentence in the united states for drug trafficking, so many people in this country are hungry for change. the trial of former george and president because seca surely is set to resume in the capital tbilisi. secretary was jailed when he returned to georgia from exile last month. he faces 6 years in prison for corruption during his time in office will open for us to walker jones. can i lie form to please? so robin, just talk us through what the charge is involved here are either yes sir. well, he's accused of abuses of power while office they have incredibly several charges against him. but today's. busy relates to the events of the 7th of november, 2007, in which he's alleged to have abused authority and use excessive force against opposition. protests, dozens of whom were beaten and injured when they came out to protest and also for launching a raid on then opposition television channels. right now, if you can see you standing on the, on a bridge on the motorway and behind me you could probably see the large crowds that have gathered outside the courtroom minutes as i'm talking more people that coming over the bridge. now to join that protest because these people have been waiting support is of the president, and that is to be waiting for a long time to see him actually make an appearance. in previous occasion, he simply was not brought from the penitentiary where he's being held because the government was citing security reasons or talking about how he's health within such a post state that he couldn't attend. but of course, that's be meant by skepticism from those. they want to see because that because video need make an appearance in court today, and we are hearing now that finally this might just happened a bit with very large crowds outside the deal is we'll try to do what they can to, to control the situation. so with the very difficult to do when you have such a keen interest in the 2nd condition and how he's going to be treated inside court and robin, this is clearly a case that has generated a lot of interest as he can see from the cards over your shoulder, they're just reminds our international audience. we go to this point when it's really quite an extraordinary sale in that we call 2nd, really within exile for 8 years. having left the country, having hands over the range, allowed to the current administration. they then went off to him and charged him or with all of these charges while he was in exile. but he suddenly turned off in georgia, smuggled himself into the country. on the eve of local elections on the 1st of october, was promptly arrested. and then for the past 4 to 6 weeks went on hunger strike. was a huge a controversy over how to handle. because zach has really an independent panel of talk to said he had to be moved. he was getting sicker and sick because of his hunger strike. he had to be moved to a hospital. finally, the government relented off to the european court of human rights intervened. he's now being treated in a military hospital. he ended his hunger strike. and here we are to day finally with him to you to make an appearance. he is a larger than life character, very popular with some very unpopular with others, extremely divisive in this country at the moment. very much divided polarized. i mean, how sack has really trial and what and the outcome of that child will play a big outcome into how this country can move forward. ok, robin forrester walker, their reports in lie for me to please safe. and i robin. thank you. still a hands on al jazeera schools in uganda said to me, you can see that there are fears. some students may notes, go back to class and explain why france, it's carnival time in senegal. entities on the streets of chicago despite antennae restrictions ah, getting going on your weather forecasts for monday, europe and africa. we're going to start in this part of europe right now. we do have some snow that peer and you straight through the l. a lot of activity for sicily, central and southern parts of italy over the other side of the adria addict sea and some snow over higher elevation, but also lower to the ground as well. very able is 6 degrees. we could see some mixing there, whether also through greece, though, i do think athens will stay dry, 20 degrees and what whether from the black sea right through the mediterranean, for turkey, but powerful winds blasting through the boss for a system. bull could see wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per our other side of the mediterranean. again, just sat snow for the parent ease, but central and southern parts looking pretty good, northwestern europe. right now we do have some snow across the baltic states and that rain snow line pretty much on that border with lithuania and bella. ruth mince because a high of 4 degrees, also 4 and london by hang tight, i will bump up your temperature in the days to come into double digit territory 11 degrees and wednesday, the 1st day of december, a high of 10. so all of that was whether a brown, that central mediterranean is also going to give us some showers for algeria and tunisia, tunis, hiv 12. that's while below average, that's a few soon. the frank assessments this crisis, please continue to recon luca shank, even though she believes in the beginning that it was informed opinions like think on additions will now be under incredible pressure from the young people. that is one of the most things can come out of this critical debate. do you think a should be facilitated? not sure. okay, i think, right? it's a really simple question. let give me a child. once inside story on al jazeera lou . ah, this is al jazeera could reminder of the top stories this are. japan has announced its banning foreigners from entering the country after the discovery of the new omicron variance by minister full meal because she does says all her measures are also being considered on doris's life. when candidates, jamara castro escalate victory in sundays at presidential election. she told supporters, horses have reverse authoritarianism. the governing national party has also a 9 states candidates had won. the trial of george's former president's macau secretary is set to resume in the capital tbilisi. he says, corruption charges against him are politically motivated. secretary was jailed when he returned for max. all in october. schools in uganda are to reopen in january nearly 2 years after they course because of the pandemic. but for you and his warding many students and teachers may not want to return to class. katherine sawyer explains why timothy cyril go is a high school student, but he has not been in class for much of the last year and a half. uganda closed it's learning institutions in march 2020 because of covet 19 . some classes were reopened earlier this year, but only for 3 mans. federal go is now landing to fix computers, so he can start a business. he says he'll go to school in january, but many of his friends may not. and some friends of mine really deal. it's good, some work to do some ones that endured in some, live a me mechanic in very cause and some of my friends totally the in do things. and we are, we, are we rob bill over there each year? government officials, talis, they're working with teachers and other partners to make sure that at least the basic facilities are in place before january, but a little time left and not enough money to prepare, inserting safety. and they were being ordered to tires and, and as we need them to be alive, we are talking about the opening but to we have no t taken it into other factors from, for the since we are looking at now. what is, what is it that has been prepared at school level? the infrastructure level. in some neighborhoods, volunteers try to keep children busy. uganda has had one of the longest school closures in the world, and it's the only nation in africa. less students are still at home, but this is a classroom of a privately own school in the city. other schools have been converted to business and leaving spaces for rent. many schools are in a bad state, and some teachers tell us that they may not be able to provide a safe environment for students to come back. some aid work a see you can, that is facing a learning crisis that could take many years to fix. many children have been out of school for 2 years. they are lost interest. they are engaged in some other negative . it is like tied label. some of them have suffers her. plato psychosocial up effects. some of them have been abused, getting all that corrected to come to school, getting the schools ready to accept the children and help them learn, getting the teachers back and getting the system ready for all of it is a big challenge. some students have been starting online or with private tutors, but many like say rugle can't afford that. and once school starts, it may take a long time for them to catch up. catching saw al jazeera, compiler francais, it will be held hostage by the u. k. domestic politics on migration. european leaders attended an emergency some ass on the issue in the northern french city of kelly. but the british were not invited. the meeting was cold after 27 people died trying to cross the english channel where we challenged reports from cali. they wait because that's all their lives have become here. the queueing for charity clothing. anything to fight the early winter chill. but ultimately they're waiting for an opportunity. if, when that comes, it might kill them keys and from see don heard about the 27 people who died in the channel this week. it hasn't put him off when you're dead and do something that's good for do what you died unused, leading bardello. so diana dre seeing that as good as but it's doctrine says we're today dr. you run behind your dream. they're trapped. no european country wants them and they know it until we are dying. oh yeah. oh this thing does, the only option just do is shoot. tell them to say french police have stepped up beach patrols recently. storms have made this a treacherous time to attempt to crossing. assuming you can afford the $3300.00 smugglers, a charging and the inflatable dinging. they use a small and vulnerable refugee charities, according to governments to make legal options for migrants and asylum seekers easier. and what we need is a better solid system. it's not that the purpose in a moment, and we call for something that doesn't force people to rest their lives about china . on sunday ministers from france, germany, belgium, and the netherlands and he repeat, commission diplomats met to discuss the crisis. they pledged more unified policing and the use of resources like an e. u. border agency planed to patrol frances coastline. but the u. k was absent disinvited by france after boris johnson angered a manual micron by tweeting a letter he'd written to the french president containing previously rejected policy suggestions. said to have to have a, this joint work meeting can only be done in a serious way. and with that being hosted to domestic politics, president macros said several times this week that the relationship with britain must be relationship of equals. we are not auxiliaries of britain. this issue has always been one that requires co operation between france and the united kingdom. and right now that is fighting. yes, british politicians like to blame france to distract from domestic problems, but with french presidential elections approaching the case, isn't the only government playing to the home crowd by throwing insults across the channel. meanwhile, desperate people shivering in the cold and drowning and the sea will reach helen's out. his era, kelly the conflict tennessee appears to grow region is expanding to other areas including neighboring, ne, in a far where most of ports come through. i'll just serious mohammed tell her how cool is the 1st journalist from an international media network to gain access to the region. since the fighting began? now the medina high, then medina, is set up to let you know we are now with the city of c for strategic city that separates regions of a fall and i'm hora. it's also not far from the t grey region. it was the main stronghold of the t great frontrunner, which controlled this strategic area. the manifestations of the fighting a very clear around us. this was a major fighting front. there's been a large number of killings and a large displacement movement. the situation is still chaotic and difficult. everyone around us has been turned into an armed person. it could be militia members, a federal soldiers. i'm still, most of the residents are civilians. this is the strategic shift for a city which was the center of the fighting between the fighter of the t great front and forces from afar supported by the federal government. mom about our call . jeff for the other british socialites. glenn maxwell is set to go on trial in new york in the coming hours. she's accused of enabling the crimes of late sex offender jeffrey epstein, who took his own life full of wasting trial. maxwell insists she's innocence and claims. she too was a vixen gabriel. alan thornton has been following the story from new york create a how much did gillis maxwell know about geoffrey epstein to alleged sexual abuse of under age girls? that will be the central question. in the trial of the 59 year old british socialite, facing charges of sex trafficking and other crimes. and he is going to be the invisible presence hanging over this. and that is why i think that she is going to have to explain something that everybody really wants to know . what was his hold over her? what was that relationship? a big unknown on the trial is how far the judge will allow the prosecutors to probe and epstein and maxwell's high profile social circles that included many household names from politics, industry, and entertainment. one being britain's prince andrew and his accuser, virginia roberts, who says she was trafficked by maxwell to the prince per sex. when she was a teenager is likely not going to be called as a witness. he denies any wrongdoing, but prosecutors are expected to call at least 4 other women. all epstein accusers who are going to tell the jury, maxwell groomed them for sex with epstein, one when she was as young as 14 years old. it's a trial with all the trappings of a salacious, drama, sex power, money, and fame. but victims rights advocates hope that the jury does not get distracted by that and instead keeps their focus on the women who say they were abused by epstein. and that it could have only happened with the help of maxwell. this is an example of one of the most horrific and long enduring patterns of sex trafficking and child exploitation. there are so many victims and what's particularly disturbing about the case is how open they operated. and how many people knew, and how many people they involved in this exploitation scheme, maxwell has pleaded not guilty and denies all the charges. her legal team will try to cast doubt on the allegations and the testimony based on evidence that happened more than 20 years ago. the trial is expected the last 6 weeks, if convicted maxwell faces up to 80 years in prison. gabriel's hondo al jazeera, new york, the caribbean islands nation of barbados is becoming a republic. by cutting, tying to the british monarchy, prince charles has arrived for a transition ceremony, which will see queen elizabeth removed the head of state barbados, gainful independence from u. k. in 1900. 61 until now had remains a commonwealth country. thousands of people have been celebrating incentive goals. capital for the great de carr carnival, elaborate face paintings, firefighters and musicians are helping to showcase the country's dying varsity, but the event has been scaled back to to the pandemic. as nicholas huck reports to the beat of the drums and under the protection of the cook wall, a maid, dinky spirit from southern senegal, there is no stopping to curse carnival, the roaring simba a hunter that spend too much time in the forest turning into a lion is here to clear the busy streets to make way for this parade? rosella, the look of a came all the way from cousin mancha to take part in the carnival. this is what we do before the harvest of rice. earlier in the day, children took part in what is the 2nd edition of a 3 day carnival with a theme of legends entails of senegal, kind of in hot he go with us. it's an event that promotes the cultural diversity of synagogue. it's out of love of culture that we came up with the concept to promote and add value to our historical diversity. the carnival was cancelled last year because of the pandemic with the countries borders now, reopening to tourists. before the discovery of the new variance, participants waited in the night, expecting thousands of visitors to come and watch them performed the final parade. organizers had hoped that this event would attract large numbers, but it has been damaged by the you know, many of the strain of the current progress there will. there are no known cases. urine, cynical fear of the viruses reading browser and so more ready to pandemic, help bobby affected setting all the quality which relies heavily on them and events like them. while there is no tradition of carnival in senegal, there is tradition of using music costumes and dance to tell a aired history and get people moving to the beat of their culture. no matter where they're from. nicholas hawk al jazeera de carr. ah, this is al jazeera and these are the headlines. japan has announced it spanning foreigners from entering the country after the discovery of the new army, chrome variance, prime minister for mucus. she does says other measures are also being considered. tony chang is following developments from bangkok, borders and are close to foreign business people and foreign student.