The freeman foundation. By judy and Peter Blum Kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs. And by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. K you. America. Balancing speed and safety. Nine Major Pharmaceutical Companies promising they wont rush through a coronavirus vaccine. South korea was the poster child fohow to get it right. Now it has some of the tightest restrictions in the world. And the mysterious disappearance, a passport torn up, and drama at the border. What really did happen to this Opposition Leader from belarus . Keeping it in the family. The three siblings in the u. K. Who have all been selected for their national committee. Welcome to bbc world news america on pbs and arod obe. The chief executives of the worlds biggest Drug Companies have signed a joint pledge promising to uphold the integrity of the scientific process for developing the coronavirus vaccine. That is President Trump signaled that if vaccine could be ready in time for novembers american election. The pledge says they will only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a phase three clinical trial. Among the signatories are astrazeneca, pfizer, who had trials. We can expect some results of these large Clinical Trials may be by the end of the year but you still need to look at the data and validate the data. I think it is fairly unlikely we will have a vaccine distributed at large scale before the end of this year. Katty joining me now is an Infectious Disease physician and researcher. Thank you very much for joining me, dr. Davis. Is it possible we could have a vaccine that is ready unsafe by the beginning of november before the u. S. Elections . Dr. Davis anything is possible. Whats likely, and most people dont think its very likely. What i will say is this. This is something we have experience in doing and we have done successfully before. We have the fda, we have the cdc who have done this many times before so they will follow guidance. Nothing will be released that is not safe and that has not been proved to be effective. For me, whether in october, november, or january, as long as it follows the science, that is what we can depend on. Katty katty the previous record for developing a vaccine is four years. Even getting one within one year would be almost a miracle, wouldnt it . Dr. Davis you would think so, but if you look at what happened in this pandemic, we have made gigantic steps identifying the virus to test in record time we have not seen. It is conceivable we much will be much faster because we processes and protocols in place from mulple experiences in the past. But again, who i look to are the people that have led the charge in science, rigorous scientific exploration, including the likes of dr. Fauci, and he used the word unlikely and that is where i sit withhis. Katty what would be the downside in bringing out a vaccine before it had been rigorously tested . Dr. Davis the downside is that we wouldnt know it is effective. We dont want to put anything out there that is not going to do what it was tasked to do. The second really bad part of this is we dont know if it is safe and theres no way those of us who have dedicated our lives to this kind of work are going to back sothing that we dont know is safe. I am a before i am a physician or researcher or a Public Health expert. Im a wife and someones daughter. I will only back and continue to be confident in something that i know hasone through the rigous Scientific Research that we have depended on for decades now. Katty is there a risk that it has already been politicized and that in and of itself, whenever the vaccine comes out, could prejudice some peoples views of it and its safety . Dr. Davis that question needs to be addressed in two ways. I think there has been an element of it politicized. We have seen it in the press. Everyone is concerned about the timing of the upcoming election. But again, the consistent messaging i have gotten from the people who work in these areas is the scienceesit has t first. Our lives depend on the science coming first. On top of that, what people need to know is there are Advisory Boards in place to eate the checks and balances that avoid that level of politicization, and those include the Advisory Committee for immunization practices the cdc has set up. It is comprised of vaccine measures, infectious seases physicians, and epidemiologists who are here to make sure we are doing the right thing here. Katty dr. Davis, thank you very much for your time. The advice is, follow the science. Thank you for joining me. A safe and effective vaccine would be welcome worldwide of course, including in france, where officials have registered another 65 hundred new cases in the past 24 hours alone. So far, there have been relatively serious cases of the disease in the country, but as Lucy Williamson reports, there are signs in the south of france that hospital beds are starting to fill up again. Reporter testing here has become a weapon against the spread of anxiety, as rapid and silent as the virus itself. One paris mayor is offering free coronavirus tests for anyone who was one without appointment, symptoms, or any contact with a confirmed case. The deputy mayor says they are nning at full capacity. If we would have to test only people with symptoms, it would be simpler for sure. Reporter but may be mo dangerous . May be more dangerous because we identify positive cases that dont have any symptoms and we just dont know how it happened. Reporter today, the Prime Minister announced he would need to test and isolate after being filmed bumping fists with local officials in southwestern france. I was at the Tour De France on saturday and i learned the director of the event has tested positive. I will therefore immediately take a test myself and observe the rules. Reporter new infections have risen steadily in the past few wes. The number of red zones where the virus is actively circulating has grown from two to 28. The government says the situation is worrying. Young people were seen as driving the rise in infections over the summer. Because they are more resistant to the virus, there was no corresponding spike in admissions but as infections have spread, there are signs that may start to change. Hers dutch hospitals in marseille have begun raising the alarm. One doctor said there was an explosion of severe cases of coronavirus at his hospital with 70 patients admitted since mid august. 15 of them in intensive care ng every day. I is exponential at this time. Theres no doubt that a number of patients in the hospital and icu will increase in the next 15 days to three weeks and this will be a difficult period. Reporter france is now carrying out one million tests a week to carry out the lockdown. Mask wearing is already compulsory throughout several cities including marseille but with people in offices and schools, this is a highrisk moment and the next few weeks will be key. Lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. Katty thats thekatty situation in france. Lets go to south korea which has just extended a lockdown they are the toughest measures the city has seen since the start of the pandemic. Health officials have set a curfew for businesses, schools are closed, and nearly 25 million are being urged to stayathome. For many months, south korea was seen ashe poster child for how to handle the crisis. They had an early impressive Testing Program that cap the virus for the most part under control. Cases first surged in february and after an initial peak, the country brought case down for most of the spring and summer, but recently infections have shot up again. Joining me from soul is the bbcs laura bicker. You managed to escape most of the lockdown, but now you are in it. Reporter yes, the 9 00 p. M. Curfew. All restaurants, bakeries, anywhere young people would hang out have been told to close strictly at 9 00. The streets here are usually vibrant at night. Lots of loud noises and conversations. Now you are wondering around and it is eerily silent. It is all around greater seoul, all the area around the capital, around 25 million people. Other things like schools have been forced to go back online and that is something the south korean government did not want to do. One of the reasons why they said they wanted people to stayathome right at the beginning of this was to keep schools open and of course, thousands of them are closed. All of this is linked to an outbreak within a right wing church. Then they held a massive rally in the center of the city and hundreds were infected, but i have to put this into context. When we say there has been an outbreak, we are getting about 300 cases a day. In paris, theyve had 6000 cases in the last 24 hours and they might be discussing it in the ture here, 300 cases a day is a lot. It seems to be decreasing but we will review the near lockdown this weekend. Katty so to put this in perspective, south korea has had 340 one deaths and america has had 180,000. Most americans would look at south korea and say, what are they worried about . The death toll is so low. Why are they risking the economic damages when they have such a low death toll . Reporter because they dont want it to increase. One of the things they escaped is the virus did not make it into this heavily populated capital. The city is in between mountains, meaning theres little living space. If the virus took hold here, officials believe it would take hold very quickly and easily. They are trying to stop it before it spreads. Thats one of the reasons why there is such concern this time around. Because they were so successful, they want to keep it that way. Katty briefly, you were in quarantine yourself. How strict was it . Reporter very strict. The airport has about seven different stations. You get your temperature taken and you have to download this application. You cannot move from your quarantine premise. Otherwise you get find or thrown out the country. They call you to check you want today. You check your temperature twice a day. They sent packages of food, which is quite nice, but do not move from your hom otherwise there will be repercussions. Katty very different from here in the u. S. Laura bicker from seoul, thank you. The story of figure, yesterday seen bundled into a van by masked man. Today belarus Officials Say she was detained at the border with ukraine while trying to leave the countr ukrainian officials have a different story and they say belarus was trying to expel her and then there are reports she ripped up her own passport. The bbcs shona fisher has the report. Reporter this began monday morning when the Opposition Leader was picked up on the streets of minsk by masked man in an unmarked van. To other opposition figes were also picked up that day. What we know now is they were taken to the border where belarus borders ukraine and the authorities are trying to make them cross the border, effectively force them into exile in ukraine. They were all brought together, these three people, in no mans land. It was there that Maria Kolesnikova made clear she did not want to cross into the ukraine. One of the men who did cross into the ukraine, he was in no mans land at the time, and i spoke to him here in kyiv about what happened. At that moment, maria was forcefully put in the car, she literally tore her passport into small pieces. Reporter so as they were giving her a backup passport to travel . Exactly. It was in the car and she took it immediately and tore it up and then she climbed out through the rear window. She walked proudly to the russian territory. Reporter this was in no mans land . Yes. I think it is heroic. It is really fantastic what she did. Reporter she was really clear as she did not want to be forced into the ukraine. Absolutely. She tore the passport up, so she wanted to seemed absolutely clear. Reporter we understand Maria Kolesnikova was taken back into custody by belarus authorities and is being held inside belarus at a camp not far from the ukrainian border. Will this have any impact on the very large demonstrations we have seen in the election . A half weeks since i very much doubt it. The reasons these are very decentralized protests that are coordinated through social messaging apps, through the telegram channel. If anything, i think it is likely this sort of thing further evidence of the brutality and the violence of president lukashenkos government will only serve to motivate more people onto the streets and more people to call for him to go. Katty we will try and keep tabs on what is happening to Maria Kolesnikova, now back in custody in belarus. A quick look at other news. In new york, the chief of Rochester Police dartment and other senior staff have announced their retirement following criticism of the citys handling of the death of daniel prude, the black man restrained by officers using a spit hood in march. His family released the footage last week and there have been days of protest ever since. You are watching bbc world news america. Still to come, does the italian fashion industry have a race problem . We will meet the designer trying to bring diversity to the catwalk. The last two journalists working for australian media and china have flown home following a fiveday diplomatic standoff after police demanded to interview them. Tensions between australia and china rose after the australian Prime Minister made remarks about the origin of covid19. Reporter by anybodys standard, what happened with those journalists is a worrying development. China is not only australias key partner and biggest customer for its natural resources, but as the abcs news director said, one of their most important stories. China, understanding china, the relationship between our countries is probably the biggest story of our time and having our people on the ground working with the local team is critical to the abc. Reporter he says the last correspondence working for australian media in china, their evacuation means for the First Time Since the 1970s, australian media organizations do not have accredited journalists inside the country. Katty italian fashion is famous all over the world, but there are some questioning whether parts of the industry have a problem with race, even though migration has made it more diverse than its ever been, there is only one black italian designer who enjoys any notable recognition. She has launched a campaign asking, do black lives matter infection . Reporter the changing face of italian fashion. This is the woman behind it. Stella jean makes mixes italian, african and caribbean. Styles her designs have been warned by celebrities like beyonce and rihanna. She launched a campaign that exposes the stereotypes and racist comments black Italian Women face every day. [speaking italian] growing up black in italy was extremely trying. I have been called many insulting things. Reporter italian fashion has faced criticism for racist imagery. These from gucci or these accessories from product prada. Suffice to say i am the only member of the Italian Fashion Council out of 113, who is black. My uniqueness is absurd. Reporter the Fashion Council in italy along with those in the u. K. , america, and france dictates what happens in france around the world. Out of protest, stella asked if she could promote her Antiracism Campaign there instead. I asked for support. From that moment on, the Fashion Council stopped all communications with me and didnt even send me an invite to fashion week. Reporter but she says those same fashion brands later rushed to show support for black lives matter on social media. Italys Fashion Council says a lot of brands are trying hard to be more inclusive, but that the government has to drive positive change. Racism in italy is blatant. The problem is that after fascism, italy didnt reckon with the colonial past and did not wreck improperly with the heritage fascism left to this country. Reporter stea is now lending a voice to the black lives matter campaign. She is urging fashion houses to hire more black people. And as the movement grows, she feels they will now finally have to listen. Bbc news, rome. Katty sam fashion houses who are happy to support black lives matter in theory were not happy to actually support a black italian designer. Raising one child who represents their country at a sport is a great achievement, but having three takes things to a new level. Siblings. Have all been selected for the Great Britain waterski squad. Tom williams went to meet them. Reporter meet this family. Ben, tillie, and seb. Waterskiing is their life. At 20, ben is the eldest. He began as a toddler. All threvery much at home on the water. That really is showing off. I do try. Reporter how much time and effort has gone into making something so difficult look easy . A lot of time on the water is pretty much key. I spend most of my days out here on the lake. 15 minute sessions each, three times. Doesnt sound like a lot but the body is tired afterwards. Reporter all three siblings have been selected for the british waterski squad in their age categories. It has never happened in britain before. It maintains a Strong Family tradition, following in the footsteps, or water skis, of their granddad and father who also represented their country. Reporter can you tell they will be good for a very early age . It is up to them. You can only offer them the opportunity. Reporter do you worry about the dangers . The jump does worry about me. Obviously they are children. But they train properly, they work hard, they are fit, they are song. You minimalize the chance of injury that way. Reporter in waterskiing, there are three main disciplines. Slalom, frakes, and jumping. This involves skiers taking off at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour. Its not about style, its all about distance. How many 12yearolds do you know that can do that . Seb has only been jumping for a year. Its a lot of fun to just fly anfeel the air underneath you. Its very hard. You have to have