barbara: 350,000 people now facing famine in ethiopia's tigray region. a u.n. report reveals the scale of the tragedy. ♪ hello, i'm barbara serra. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, massive used to the vaccine effort, the u.s. buys 500 million doses of the

pfizer vaccine to donate to low-income countries. peru's unfinished election -- claims of voter fraud and fresh efforts launched to send the conservative candidate, keiko fujimori, to prison. ♪ and after covid-19 forced a 12-month suspension, the curtain rises on the tribeca film festival. ♪ welcome to the program. we begin in ethiopia, where a report by the united nations and other aid agencies as shown -- as sean -- has shone on the situation in tigray. fighting broke out when government forces entered the region to confront local leaders. more than 2 million people have been displaced and the

government is accused of blocking passage of life-saving aid. we have this report from addis ababa. reporter: it is a good day -- they have just received their share of relief food from the united nations food program, the first aid seen in months. they were among millions of ethiopians displaced by the conflict in tigray. the families are sheltering at a construction site a few kilometers from their village. family pick up the pieces. >> there were about 20 armed men. they gathered around my house and thrashed my crops. i have nightmares about how brutal they were, burning everything in their way. they kept getting closer, burning all the harvested crops and straw. they burned my home and everything i had. reporter: for the past sixth months, the united nations and

aid agencies have called for food and humanitarian access to the tigray region, in fears of a protracted conflict impacting civilians. >> this region even prior to the conflict has been affected by chocks, the desert locust, storms, pockets of the region chronically affected by drought. this area is already on the edge. reporter: in a new report, a high-level you and committee estimated 300,000 people in the tigray region face famine conditions. the war is in its seventh month and has hampered access to services, food, water, putting the lives of millions at risk. u.n. staff in tigray continue to report block movements of aid as well as interrogation, assaulted detention of humanitarian

workers at military checkpoints. the ethiopian government denies responsibility. >> there is so much misinformation and disinformation going on, not because of concern about the tigrayans, but because of the vested interests of others who like to present the situation as helpless, to discredit the government. they want the government to do nothing. reporter: the war in the tigray region of ethiopia has displaced more than 2 million people in discord the economy as well as crops. thousands have been killed or wounded. aid agencies say now is the time to stop thousands of others from starving to death. al jazeera. barbara: the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. has criticized the

security council for not taking the situation in tigray more seriously. >> it is time for the security council to have a public meeting on the issue. it is time for the council to take meaningful action to address the crisis. and it is time for the ethiopian government to respond responsibly to requests for humanitarian access, to end the fighting and hold those accountable for the violations that have occurred. it is time for the broader international communities to step up and prevent another famine. barbara: earlier, i spoke to ethiopia's ambassador to who ejects the analysis by the u.n., and says the government isn't blocking aid to the region, but that it is delayed by security checks. >> we heard it clear and loud this morning, what ambassador linda has said.

in general, we heard some trying to play the role of [indiscernible] it is serious. we need support, dignity and respect. ♪ barbara: the u.s. is purchasing 500 million covid vaccine doses for lower-income countries, vowing the united states will be the arsenal of vaccines in the fight against the coronavirus. president joe biden made the announcement on a visit to the u.k., where he will attend the g7 summit starting friday. our diplomatic reporter reports from southwest england. james: the leaders of two countries that often talk of their special relationship, president joe biden and prime minister boris johnson examined

a copy of a document signed by the u.s. and u.k. in the dark days of world war ii. the atlantic charter paved the way for the treaty that created nato and the later charter that now governed the u.n.. the two leaders believe there is a parallel with present times, the world needing renewed direction after the pandemic. and they offered fresh support for some countries who have been struggling to get doses of vaccine. >> the united states is providing these 500 million doses with no strings attached. let me say it again -- with no strings attached. our vaccine donations don't include pressure for favors or potential concessions. we are doing this to save lives. >> it is a great pleasure, mr. president, to welcome you to cornwall. james: despite the smiles, there

was tension on northern ireland, biden administration officials expressing deep concern about eu-u.k. trade arrangements put in place after brexit. they feel it may derail the good friday agreement. covid-19 changed the world since the last g7 meeting in france almost two years ago. for this first in-person, hi-level meeting since the pandemic started, leaders also no longer have to deal with the trump factor -- the confrontational manner and unpredictability of the former president on nerve -- unnerved the united states' closest allies. >> it is hard to understate how important that is. it is a deep sigh of relief. it is a very different american president. it is, in one sense, a return to america that wants to lead, that thinks diplomacy mattress, that invests in it. james: the direction of

president biden's foreign policy is clear. it is to bind close allies and partners at with the united position, deal with problems in those countries that don't share u.s. values. that is what he is doing with this trip -- meeting g7, nato, the you and then sitting down face to face with russian president vladimir putin. al jazeera. barbara: an israeli court has postponed a hearing in the case of four palestinian families facing expulsion from their homes in one neighborhood and occupied jerusalem. earlier, israeli forces attacked palestinian protesters who were demonstrating outside the court. the case deals with homes in a building claimed by a jewish trust from the pre-1948 era. meanwhile, thousands of mourners filled streets in the occupied west bank city of janin for the

funerals of two palestinian intelligence officers, killed along with another palestinian during a raid by israeli forces thursday. palestinian leaders condemned the deaths. stephanie decker is near jenin in the occupied west bank. stephanie: the body of the 33-year-old has arrived in his village just outside jenin. he is one of two members of palestinian intelligence killed in a shootout with israeli special forces overnight. the villagers have come out to mourn the body. there are flags. there has been shooting in the air. the body is going to be taken further up here before it gets buried. >> we receive the news with sadness. we were desperate. a young man like him with his wife, pregnant in her ninth month, imagine the situation.

we spent our lives with him and now we lost him. this is something we suffer as palestinians, getting arrested, getting killed come all these things pre-thank god we have patients. we know any of us can face a similar fate. stephanie: prayers at the moscow no and instead they have taken the body to the cemetery here at the village to be buried. these kinds of rates are not unusual. they happen on a daily basis. what is unusual is to have israeli and palestinian forces exchange fire with each other. there is tight security cooperation when it comes to israel and the palestinian authority. usually when you see these rates, palestinian forces will not get involved. that has been condonation -- condemnation from the palestinian government, calling on the international community to do more to arrest individuals who are shooting at its soldiers at a junction in the occupied west bank a couple of months ago. there is an investigation

ongoing, but a lot of anger here and people saying they don't believe there will be justice for this. barbara: israeli guards have been shown assaulting palestinian prisoners out of jail. security video released by a newspaper shows 55 prisoners allegedly linked to hamas, shackled, dragged to the floor and beaten. according to the newspaper, only four of the 10 guards are being investigated over the incident. the video is from march 2019. that month, palestinian prisoners held protests against the installation of jamming devices to prevent them from using smuggled bones -- phones. hundreds of people in bahrain are protesting the death of a political prisoner who contracted covid-19 despite being vaccinated months earlier. protesters marched through streets wednesday after hussein barrakat.

died -- after hussein barrakat died. many held the king responsible, saying there was a lack of care. he was said to have been 48 and was on a respirator and died in hospital. still to come here on al jazeera, coronavirus returns to china, drastic lockdown rules reinstated as infections spike. ♪ plus, no clothes, no food, no homes, volcano victims still waiting for relief a month after lava destroyed everything. ♪ ♪ >> hello. we have seen wild weather affecting southeastern australia. this was the scene in new south wales, unusually heavy snowfall

thanks to a code snap. in victoria, torrential rains, really strong winds that brought on flooding. we could see more of that. for the next few days, we have got that weather system working its way more to the coast. there will be some sunshine behind that but for now, the wind is kicking in. tasmania is likely to see really wet and windy conditions. elsewhere, things are looking rather fine and dry for central and northern areas. to the west, a disturbance is easing but we are still seeing storms and showers affecting perth. but things will dry out and sunshine will come through. as we go to saturday, you can see the weather system pushing off. that will shimmy across the tasmanian sea and affect new zealand but for now, north island looking fine, quite a bit of cloud cover. as we going to saturday, wet weather working south. as we move to southeast asia, a very wet picture. and more wet weather to come,

those relentless showers affecting the philippines with 30 degrees in manila. ♪ >> in the afghan capital kabul, armed men opened fire on a maternity clinic, killing pregnant women, midwives and babies. we traveled to afghanistan, where even newborns are targets of war, on al jazeera. >> be the hero the world needs right now. wash your hands. ♪ ♪ ♪

barbara: a reminder now of the top stories on al jazeera -- the u.n. is warning 350,000 people are either living in or facing famine in ethiopia's war-torn tigray region. aid groups say 2 million people have been displaced by fighting and crops and livestock have been looted, destroyed or slaughtered. we spoke to ethiopia's ambassador to the united nations, who rejects the u.n. analysis and says the government isn't blocking aid, that it is being delayed by security checks. i had of the g7 summit, u.s. president joe biden announced the u.s. is purchasing 500 million doses of the pfizer covid-19 vaccine to donate to the countries most in need. he says this will supercharge the global fight against the

pandemic. ♪ a peruvian prosecutor is asking that presidential hopeful keiko fujimori be placed in custody. she is charged with corruption, but she would win. castillo holds a narrow lead over the conservative candidate. fujimori claims voter fraud, alleging 500,000 ballots were suspicious without providing evidence to support her claims. there are fears a recount could take weeks. mariana sanchez as more from lima. mariana: the prosecutor today asked a judge to imprison keiko fujimori again, it is a common measure here in peru, preventive imprisonment, usually used for suspects so they don't flee justice.

she has been in jail three times. this would be the fourth time. in the prosecutor has said she has violated terms of her parole by meeting members of her party who are also implicated in the corruption case where she is facing 30 years in prison. we don't know if the judge will decide to send the arrest order, but of course it would be politically unwise to do it in a moment when the country is so polarized and so divided, and the election is about to be defined. barbara: chinese health officials are on high alert amid an outbreak of new covid-19 cases in a southern province. strict travel restrictions have been imposed as mass testing is ramped up. but many patients have already received at least one dose of the chinese vaccine, raising

questions about efficacy. katrina yoo reports. katrina: lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing of cities -- pandemic authorities -- chinese authorities returned to pandemic restrictions of last year in one don -- guandong, as the country battles its worst outbreak in months. >> it is essential to take restrictive measures to control traveling high-risk areas to block the spread of the pandemic. katrina: dozens tested positive with the delta variant, a highly contagious form of the virus first detected in india. police have detained six people for breaking virus prevention rules. officials say the outbreak is traced back to a woman living in the provincial capital. entertainment venues there have been order to close. those wanting to leave the city

must produce negative virus tests taken within 48 hours. neighboring cities are also on high alert. experts say it is the first local test of chinese vaccine efficacy. concerns were raised after port workers who were already vaccinated caught the virus. >> the virus keeps evolving, so old versions of the vaccine or maybe not very effective for this new strain. but we are not saying the vaccine is useless. none of the affected people became seriously ale. the protection isn't perfect, but you can't say they are not working. katrina: a new wave of infections prompted authorities to offer booster shots of the pfizer vaccine to some who already received two doses of china's jab. vaccines by sinopharm and sinovac have been approved. chinese regulators have given the green light to five vaccines in children as young as three can receive jabs in emergency

circumstances. 800 million doses have been administered nationwide so far. elsewhere in china, business as usual except for international travel. china borders remain mostly closed foreigners. beijing is under pressure to vaccinate host of the population and ease restrictions before the beginning of the winter olympics next february. al jazeera, beijing. barbara: myanmar's deposed civilian leader has been charged with corruption in a case that could see her spend 15 years in prison. she has been accused of misusing land for a charitable foundation as well as accepting money and gold. it is the latest in a series of criminal charges the myanmar military has brought against her since taking power. she entered government were overthrown in a coup in february. we have more. reporter: as they have these last several months when new charges are brought against her, as you mentioned, this is

another corruption charge added to the charge, the accusation, that she accepted $600,000 in cash and gold, this is about misuse of land for a foundation, within the foundation she oversees that she cofounded. that is the additional corruption charge. if she is convicted, she could serve 15 years for those charges. it is the most serious charge of this litany of charges levied against her by the junta. the reaction from her attorney is very similar, on brand to what we have seen the several -- seen the last several months when new charges were leveled against her. he calls them baseless, trumped up charges against her mainly to keep her in prison. and they have done that since february 1, adding the charges on her. again, the corruption charges most serious, ranging from the illegal possession of walkie-talkies, it was a securities act that they also

levied against her a couple weeks ago that could carry a 14-year sentence. more charges piled on her. the trial in earnest will probably start next weekend conclude at the end of july. barbara: child labor has risen for the first time in 20 years, and there are warnings the coronavirus pandemic could push aliens more toward the same fate. a joint report from the u.n. children's agency in the international labor organization says an estimated 160 million children have been working globally, even before the covid-19 outbreak. that is an increase of 8.4 million in four years, and almost half of them are employed in dangerous conditions. thousands of people in the democratic republic of congo are still displaced after a volcanic eruption destroyed their homes. they are living in makeshift

camps, where aid agencies say the risk of illyria and cholera is rising -- risk of malaria and cholera is rising. reporter: this woman ran when her two children after the abrupt and last month and carried two pots of food to feed them, but food is hard to come by and they have no home to return to. lava destroyed all they have. this tent here barely protects them from rain. >> we live in misery. i don't detent have a stomach ache that hurts a lot every day -- i don't eat and top a stomach ache that hurts a lot every day. today i didn't eat anything. reporter: there are thousands like them, scrapping for food with no toilets or drinking water. >> we see a lot of disease linked to the water. it is not of good quality. diarrhea diseases and malaria.

many respiratory infections. living conditions are a big part of the situation. reporter: around 3500 people lost their homes when the mountain erupted last month. the government says they must remain in shelters outside of the city of goma, while others whose homes still stand are slowly returning. >> those whose houses were burned and destroyed have to stay and wait for government contingency plans, because we can't allow them to return to their natural environment that was burned and destroyed by the lava. and as a responsible government, we can't ask them to rebuild houses. reporter: but even in goma, the volcanic eruption melted main water pipes and damaged a made reservoir. aid agencies and the government are working to provide emergency water supplies. but for now, life mains precarious for families here as they try to survive hunger and disease in the shadow of one of africa's most dangerous

volcanoes. al jazeera. barbara: people in sudan have blocked streets with burning tires to protest against the government's ending subsidies for gasoline and diesel, increasing fuel prices across the country. hundreds of young people gathered in khartoum with the goal to disrupt traffic. on nile street, one of the most prominent, protesters chanted against the policy. on tuesday, sudan's finance street dropped subsidies, doubling the price of fuel, saying it was in line with import costs. the death of a lack man shot a u.s. police officers in 8 -- death of a black man shot by u.s. officers in april was caused by gunshot wound to the back of the head. this confirms an autopsy confirmed by antonio brown's

family. sheriffs deputies say they were attempting to serve 42-year-old arrest ward when he was shot. he died one day after minneapolis police officer derek chauvin was found guilty of murdering george floyd. since april, people in north carolina have marched in protest over browne's death and are calling for police reforms. new york's tribeca film festival is back on in the u.s. organizers say they want to bring the same message of hope as the first festival two decades ago. from new york, gabriella elizondo reports -- gabriel elizondo reports. >> is the hottest ticket in town because it will be the first, tribeca will be the first film festival and all of north america since the pandemic began. it is a kia mall stone -- key milestone, the 20th anniversary of the festival founded shortly after the 9/11 attacks on the trade center, to revitalize the

devastated, nearby tribeca neighborhood as well as the rest of new york city. film critic allison wilmore says after covid-19 hit your card last year, tribeca's original message of hope rings truer than ever. >> the festival is on its 20th anniversary and it is in the wake of trauma again, and in this case you feel it in the festival is trying to coax people outside, back to the movies, outdoor screenings and this general activity in a city that is slowly reopening. ♪ reporter: the festival kicks off, fittingly perhaps, with in the heights, a new york story adapted from lin-manuel miranda 's award-winning broadway musical. other highlights include the world premiere of steven soderbergh's oh sudden move, and

roadrunner, a behind-the-scenes film about late your chef, author and tv host anthony bourdain. but new film makers are also hoping to make their mark, like