Not helping. North koreas leader is threatening a new weapon in 2020 u. S. Continues with what he calls gangster liked among. Some of the supporters of the iranian backed Popular Mobilisation forces who surrounded the u. S. Embassy in iraqs capital have been leaving earlier in the day they threw rocks and set fires outside the Building Security personnel inside have responded by firing tear gas President Donald Trump blames iran for the protests but 10 ron has denied any involvement as anger over the recent u. S. Airstrikes in iraq and syria targeting the hezbollah brigades in all the u. S. Has deployed marine reinforcements to secure its embassy in baghdad so manifolds in this in the iraqi capital she says some of the protesters are fusing to leave the Embassy Compound. The leadership of the Popular Mobilization force given orders for the crowd. We are in front of the u. S. Embassy to move across but some of the groups under the p. M. I. Which are known as lawmakers this month have refused to leave and we can still see some groups over here who have basically dug in their heels theyre still planting antiamerican slogans theyre still bearing flags and so far theyre refusing to the public have seen the other parts of the crowd departments in some of the funds being put down and just up look at this crowd were seeing one of the entrances towards the u. S. Embassy were still in front of the destruction thats a close as a result of yesterdays and todays attacks and the forces that you can see here deployed many of them are part of the us to try and counter the serbs and forces they are armed but they have not received any orders to remove the supporters and members of the pm by force so what appears to be happening now is that as the pm withdraws the us trains to us forces are slowly taking the grounds to secure the embassy and the compound you know President Trump said he does not want war with iran and does not foresee what. Well i think its been handled very well the breach came in we had so much great warriors come in and do a fantastic job and they were there in should take his leadership as we heard. I used the word immediately they came immediately and its in great shape as you know this will not be a bengazi right also want to thank the Iraqi Government really stepped up i spoke to the Prime Minister today i thanked him but they stepped up very nice i want to have peace i like peace. And iran should want peace more than anybody. Irans Supreme Leader has responded to trumps comments he condemns sundays u. S. And strikes that targeted the hezbollah brigades and killed at least 27 people. Book is ready if iran decides to confront a country we will do it without hesitation we are strongly committed to the interests dignity and progress of our nation and anyone who threatens that will be confronted we dont punish any country towards war but if others want to impose something on us then we will powerfully stand against them but also jabari has more now on the iranian reaction from tehran well according to our harmony these attacks that were carried out by the United States was in retaliation to the fact that they have the shabby forces who have defeated eisel the americans are taking revenge that is how the leadership here sees the events that unfolded and for the very 1st time the Supreme Leader directly responded to the are accusations made against this country by the u. S. President donald trump he said that that guy that has tweeted that iran is behind the events that took place in baghdad is completely not true he said 1st that theres nothing the americans can do about it in to that they have to look at their own foreign policies in countries like iraq and afghanistan to understand that the people in those countries are now hating the presence of u. S. Forces that are there at the moment well mike hanna joins us live now from washington d. C. Mike so we heard from President Trump speaking yesterday on this extra u. S. Security in baghdad how is this latest escalation in tensions with iran being seen there in washington. Well seen very much as a major issue for the trumpet ministration which continues to place the blame fairly squarely on the shoulders of iran now the secretary of defense has confirmed that some 100. 00 additional soldiers were sent to the u. S. Embassy this is within hours of the demonstrations taking place they were based in neighboring kuwait part of the Crisis Response group who are stationed there so thats an extra 100. 00 marines at the Embassy Compound the secretary of defense has also said that a nother 750 soldiers will be sent deployed from the United States part of the 82nd airborne Rapid Deployment force theyll be on their way to baghdad so all of these troop movements an indication that regardless of the fact that President Trump there was thanking the iraqi authorities the trumpet ministrations still not accepting necessarily the iraqi assurances that personnel and property of the u. S. Will be protected michael thank you well howard raised gollums art is a political analyst he says iran has the power to protect itself from any potential for now. Iranians are not that worried about any escalation and tensions in the region because they know that there is not going to be any war against iran iran is not after war it is not something that iran with a welcome to have a new fight a war of the United States or anyone else because this tablet is the main point for any country but the point is that iranians know that they have enough power to defend themselves and their dad in the war is about any war and they know that the americans are aware that if there is any tensions any conflicts in the region that would be something that would increase the power off you want as we have seen what has happened in iraq in syria and other places in the region and the tensions has led actually to more power for iran because iran is using its soft power in the region and technically we know that when you have shared the religion and many other things in common with the people in the region you can have power and its not something that you can buy by force or by money as the United States is trying to do. Police in hong kong have detained dozens of people after a new years day march turned violent organizers say the rally was forcibly suspended some protests to set fires and hold stones at riot Police Used Tear Gas and water cannon to disperse the 10s of thousands of people turned out for what started as a peaceful antigovernment rally that the bonds include great autonomous in china on the inquiry into allegations of Police Brutality difficult policy as the latest from. This is an annual prodemocracy rally but this year the january 1st protests hold so much more gravity as it caps off an unprecedented 7 months of protests many of the protesters here are marching holding up their 5 fingers symbolizing the 5 demands which include greater freedoms for hong kong safeguarding it took time to me calling for elections so that hong kong can choose its own leader and also calling for an investigation into what seen as Excessive Force used by police now these chants had been the mantra over the past few months or protests but the question now is will there be any resolution in 2020 or if it will go up i read we have to keep going up the yet a poem i can only keep marching forward and hope that heaven protects the Younger Generation and that they stay on the right path. People from all walks of life are taking part in this rally were seeing the young the older people and even families joined this march many people who dont necessarily take part in the spontaneous demonstrations and protests we have seen over the past few months they say they want their voices heard and they want the government to know that there is wider support for these protests but were also seeing and you are meant to these protests are trade unions they say that they want industries to protect the people who have been joining the protests whats been happening is that individuals have been punished by their companies and workplaces for expressing. Any support for these protest or dissent against the government and they say they want to prevent that from happening after work if we have over will i think its our freedom to express so in case that we have some white or we have some threatening formal employers saying you cannot do that were voice we are called that employer and help our members this is the end point of the march and police have tried to disperse the crowds to using tear gas and pepper spray along the route that called on the organizers to tell people to go home and thats what organizers are doing but were left with the many of the younger more radical hardcore protesters who are in their customary black masks and caps saying theyre here for the long haul setting up barricades ready for confrontations and all ministered to hong kong spending 20. Bushfires across 2 states a growing along with a devastating toll on lives and homes more than 200 bushfires are now burning and for the 1st time many people are witnessing the extent of the damage. Reports. Entire neighborhoods have burned to the ground destroying more than property. Jan gilbert is among the thousands of australians who have begun to go back home to nothing. Rubble and debris now cover whats left of her belongings all of my positions have been tightly in writing everything there busy is just simply nothing. Nothing except that. In other areas the bushfires are far from over. Thousands of firefighters are struggling in the states of the tory i New South Wales an area thats home to more than 13000000 people and the conditions are expected to get worse over the next few days the winds are expected to be very strong to 45 degrees temperatures. In the last guy that we times. And the town of all the doula people wait outside supermarkets to stock up on food and water power and mobile phone outages are also a concern you have a challenge with getting people liable to even access the basics like petrol and atrocity and thats causing enormous stress for communities we understand that the Australian Military is using planes and helicopters sit downs of flames while preparing for possible evacuations. Emergency crews are stretched thin and slight changes in temperatures and the wind could spark even more fires there wasnt much i could do it try and make work and i just couldnt do anything it was just hearing the wind just blew and wind just blew and if you look at everything on my end its just grass its just Everything Everywhere you. No one knows yet the precise cost of the damage but its clear the widespread devastation is immense. Hopeless of a yawn al jazeera. Time for a short break here on out is there out when we come back hes been accused of corruption many times over but 20 times you finally see south africas former president stand trial. And well tell you what the pope had to say after this quick its a. Morning that stay with us. How the weather slushy fun to drive across southern parts of china the maybe the central areas but a bit more cloud here to sliding over towards shanghai should stay a little she said a little bit watery sunshine for some 10 celsius there in shanghai getting up to 21 in hong kong the northeast the monsoon those winds just driving want to choose showers into central parts of vietnam for a time i think is to speak of slushy dry across a good part of in china a lot of droughts here across western parts of india but for northern and eastern pass thickening clouds rolling in here we could see some useful right across Northern Areas still the cold side manji 1617 cells is for new delhi over the next hour so its the system makes its way through that should help to clear the air to clear the fog the small well see things brightening up as we go on into the weekend and eastern areas of something they some powers will see want to see showers driven in that northeasterly wind there over towards additional under the dash a little further south which is well certainly a possibility for once them pass itll stay fine and dry with plenty of sunshine but yes im sad to across an age lesser he would have set fire temperatures will struggle to get to 23 celsius here in doha and thursday warming up to around 25 by friday and a bit of cloud for the north. Information indicates that you have or associate. At least has the potential to be biased in a number of different ways there are too many are for sure for the computer to get it wrong whos checking those offices who commit those data entry is wrong to be saying that your sunday tonight is wrong to. Kill becoming a suspect before the actual crime and indepth examination into preventative policing precrime on aljazeera. Welcome back could come out about top stories here this hour leaders of the iranian backed Popular Mobilization forces have told their members to withdraw from the u. S. Embassy compound in iraqs capital some have left but others are refusing to go earlier they threw rocks and set fires outside the Building Security personnel fired tear gas at the. Police in hong kong of the tame dozens of people after a new years day march turned violent organizers say the rani was forcibly suspended testa set fires and held stones at why Police Used Tear Gas and Water Cannons to disperse the crowds. And catastrophic bushfires are spreading across eastern australia 3 more deaths have been confirmed in the state of New South Wales and one in victoria meteorologists say more hot weather is on the way. To indian soldiers have been killed in a gunfight in indian administered kashmir it happened in the northern russia yuri district tensions have been rising in the disputed region of a Months Police have been sent to the area. Known as little were keeping an eye on the entire region but the army and Police Forces have launched a search operation and barricades have been put in front of and behind a toll the search operation is ongoing and vehicles are being checked. In india the family of a young man shot in the head during a protest says he was intentionally killed by police is one of at least 25 People Killed since demonstrations began against the governments new citizenship law police are blaming protesters who they say were carrying illegal firearms on trial for reports in the Northern State of pradesh. 24 year old was shot in the head he was a bread maker and the sole provider for his family. His 80 year old father is inconsolable his mother less his disabled brother with 3 kids who are raised has no clue how the family will survive the loss of river of. His body home for the last. What happened to the government whats happened to the police but you came to this fighting. On december 20th some people here in the city of merit in order for they should try to protest against a controversial new citizenship law that many say discriminates against muslims the police say the protesters spoke to the rocks which led them to use force. Limbs family says he was not even part of the protests and was merely walking back home from the restaurant he worked in when the police shot this was a video with someone they say was a witness and claiming he saw the Police Shooting him aljazeera cannot independently verify its authenticity. Activist who went on a Fact Finding Mission to the city soon after the killings say most gunshots were above the waist and appeared targeted this is absolutely quite deliberate shooting to kill it is not following the Standard Operating Procedure of announcing there were no announcements no warning announcements mean nothing of the kind and no attempt to use tear gas or Water Cannons or anything like that no attempt to shoot at the feet 1st it was street to be a shooting to get. Activists accuse the police of being biased against muslims. In a recent video the city superintendent of police a collation are saying it was her telling people in a muslim dominated neighborhood to go to pakistan. We asked the superintendent about the allegations and i was i wont comment on that and while he admitted that the. Did fire shots he said it was protesters with illegal firearms who killed the people however he added the police were investigating but. Theres a big difference between a clean and an untrained shooter the mob doesnt see whether its firing from behind a front he said that a dozen Police Officers were shot and injured and shared this video people here say they are demonstrating for their right to live in the land of that india and that they dont want to go to pakistan they also say they fear the families in a few step of asking people indiscriminately this is a night theyre taking turns their neighborhoods in case of the says our. Family is in mourning they demand an investigation but dont expect the administration to conduct it fairly. Aljazeera made out with their predation india the former guinea Prime Minister. Has won the president ial Runoff Election they got 54 percent of the vote ahead of his main rival and barlow takes over from president joins in mario vargas was eliminated in the 1st round the losing candidate domingo says the vote was rigged the contest of result a court. North Korean Leader kim jong il has said hell sue north what he called a new strategic weapons according to south korean media kim said the u. S. Would suffer helplessly if it continued to delay denuclearization talks from abroad as morning from seoul. It may be new year but on the Korean Peninsula there is a return to some of the old belligerence of the past. North Korean Leader kim jong un told a special meeting of the Ruling Workers Party he would continue developing his nuclear arsenal. As pyongyang welcomed in 2020 it marked the expiration of the deadline kim had set for the u. S. To come up with concessions installed you clear as ation tool. So far kim has stopped short of resuming tests with long range Ballistic Missiles or Nuclear Weapons knowing that would risk losing what little chance he has of getting concessions from the u. S. President because donald trump has been probably the most supporter. For negotiations between north korea and the United States to actually continue so moving his faith there would be great risk for mr king. This hardening of north koreas position leaves the vague commitments by the 2 leaders to denuclearize ation now in tatters it also marks the end for now of south koreas efforts to mediate between the 2 powers seoul welcomed in the new year back in the familiar position of facing an increasingly belligerent northern neighbor to come i think we can make a Good Relationship with north korea and i hope we can have a good discussion with trump to improve things attending a new Years Eve Party at his mara lago resort President Trump remained optimistic we have to do what we have to. But he did sign a contract he did sign and agreement talking about denuclearization that we signed number one said denuclearization kim jong un also spent much of his speech addressing the need to develop his countrys economy with an emphasis on selfreliance it seems to be accepted that crippling economic sanctions will stay in place a mavin be further tightened as a punishment for any renewed testing. But the past 2 years of summit diplomacy not only with the u. S. But also north koreas neighbors leaves the country far less isolated than it was before and its continuing Weapons Development means it goes into 2020 with more advanced missile technologies and an expanded Nuclear Program rob mcbride aljazeera sold. Now pope francis has apologized for slapping a woman on the wrist during a new years eve celebration the pontiff appeared visibly vexed when his hands are greeting people in the vatican city at the head of the Roman Catholic church and since expressed regret for lives. Thats less elvis no name magica god salvation is not magical but it is patient salvation that is it involves the patience of love love makes is patient many times we lose patients including me and i apologize for yesterdays bad example. Thailand is one of the worlds biggest producers of plastic pollution and oceans retailers of health or to say theyre trying to clean up the come for exact by banning some Single Use Plastics as jessica washington reports they also face another challenge and thats changing consumer. Around 45000000000. 00 plus of bags are used every year in thailand but the new year will bring a change in behavior for consumers of all around the country Major Department stores Convenience Stores and supermarkets will all implement a ban on plastic bags from this year signs like this are on display around the country explaining the changes telling consumers dont need to plan ahead for the next time they go shopping theres also a ban on using products with micro beats and plans for a ban on plastic cards within the next 2 years and the policy would be i think this is a good idea because it will clean up the environment these days so hot as the weather is changing its hard to do my job as a driver because of the heat we need to stop using so much plastic and reduce the garbage overall but getting thai consumers to break up with plastic could prove challenging the highest percentage of plastic usage doesnt come from Department Stores and Convenience Stores it comes from places like the biggest fresh brewed markets and food stalls and getting independent sellers to get on board with a plastic bag could prove challenging because. I think a plastic bag bat is a good idea but what do i use instead what would be a good substitute the supply was a wet so theyd be to be in a plastic bag but still i think reducing plastic is a good idea because of climate change. The empty plastic push has been in part spurred by the high number of wildlife to tell it is caused by plastic ingestion one case which caught the attention of the public was that of a baby deer gone which died after eating several kilograms of plastic that case and others like it served as a graphic reminder to the public of the dangers of excessive plastic usage. Protesters are camping outside mexicos embassy in the libyan city of la paz the crowds are in support of libyas interim government offered expelled the next going to. Protest as accuse the mexican imbecile of sheltering allies a former president of a moron is bolivia ordered mexicos ambassador and spanish to pronounce to leave on tuesday. Well for South African president jacob zuma is expected to stand trial this year of accusations of corruption zuma has denied the charges and the next part of aljazeera series looking at the big stories of 2020 we examine how his time in office has shaped south africa for me the minute reports now in johannesburg. Corruptions estimated by south africas government to cost the economy 700000000000. 00 for many former president jacob zuma is the symbol of that corruption he was forced to resign during his 2nd term in february 28th as a series of scandals surrounding him and the governing African NationalCongress Party intensified. Zuma repeatedly says hes done nothing wrong. Because i did it by certain people and by as again history. State owned companies were allegedly mismanaged and looted to benefit zuma and his associates from the Passenger Rail agency which is bankrupt to south African Airways which is close to collapse thousands of workers went on strike last month protesting job cuts they say are the direct result of corruption the state owned power utility eskom is also in trouble leading to rolling blackouts nationwide the manager of the spake re insulators says the power cuts have cost thousands of dollars in lost business and bakers jobs are threatened if they continue. To form a senior managers it is scum have been charged with corruption. The blackouts have been disruptive and of course the economy millions of dollars not only were businesses left in the dark but in so with those twitter hysteria restaurants and shops had to shut their doors when protests broke out while zuma hasnt been charged for alleged crimes during his time in office hes facing a fraud and corruption trial related to a weapons deal in the ninetys which were dropped before he became president and later reinstated its not yet clear if his trial will proceed in february as he fights to stay out of court by petitioning the Supreme Court of appeal zoom us testified at a government inquiry into corruption but says hes too ill to return to see him through jacob zuma has 2 terms as the president is you know the weakness within the governing party that in seeing you know the fact that the a. N. C. Has been up for skilled you know the Patronage Networks you know that operate in the state and in the in c. And that also shows you just how deeply entrenched you know the problem is many are skeptical theyll get the answers on corruption theyre looking for in the year ahead they expect further delays in the Justice System and face the certainty that a vital state owned companies will require more bailouts to stay afloat costing taxpayers more than they can possibly afford. To hannahs book. Dumbass President Adama Barrow has created a new Political Party which could allow him to run again after his term ends in january borrows 4000000 registered the National Peoples party naming himself as its leader his relationship with his Previous Party had been deteriorating as calls for him to step down get louder. And the 2020 is well and truly here so with me for now with some of the spectacular new Year Celebrations from around the world i see them for. The. Time for a quick check of the headlines here on aljazeera leaders of the iranian backed Popular Mobilization forces have told their members to withdraw from the u. S. Embassy compound in iraqs capital some of the left but others are refusing to go earlier they threw rocks and set fires outside the Building Security personnel fired tear gas back at them theres anger over the recent u. S. And strikes in iraq and syria targeting the has been up against michael has more now from washington d. C. Well seem very much as a major issue for the Trump Administration which continues to place the blame fairly and squarely on the shoulders of iran now the secretary of defense has confirmed that some 100. 00 additional soldiers were sent to the u. S. Embassy this is within hours of the demonstrations taking place they were based in neighboring kuwait part of the Crisis Response group who are stationed there so thats an extra 100. 00 marines at the Embassy Compound. Police in hong kong have detained dozens of people after new years day march turned violent. Organizers say a 1000000 people took part in the rally that was eventually forcibly suspended by the Police Protest is set fires and stones and stones at the Police Used Tear Gas and Water Cannons to disperse the crowds catastrophic bushfires are spreading across eastern australia 3 more deaths have been confirmed in the state of New South Wales and one in victoria lightning a starter more fires over 200 now burning meteorologists say more hot weather is on the way 2 indian soldiers have been killed in a gun fight in indian administered kashmir it happened in the Northern Iraq juri district tensions have been rising in the disputed region for months extra police have been sent to the area to try to contain any further unrest and former guineabissau Prime Minister or model says so claim bhalo has won the president ial Runoff Election he got 54 percent of the vote to head of his main rival and followed takes over from president Joseph Mario Vargas who was eliminated in the 1st round the losing candidate domingo simmers player says the vote was rigged and he will contest the result at the Supreme Court well those were the headline the news continues here on aljazeera after the bottom line states of that sort. Tool was there oh we were told to get to the ministry of ration has this been addressed by a token we listen what these the proposal. For a couple only we meet with newsmakers and talk about the stories that matter to 0. Hi im Steve Clements and i have lots of questions today can the same technology that we happily bring into our homes and we keep in our pockets thats making life and connections and knowledge easier to access can this all be turned around and weaponized against us lets get to the bottom line. Usually when someone talks about killer tech people imagine giant killer robots vaporizing people and destroying cities with huge laser beams hollywood style but thats not what were talking about today today were keeping it real we all love to use facial recognition to open our phones but at the same time we know that facial recognition could be used by security agencies to pick us out of a crowd so what is the future hold for us as we freely give away our privacy in exchange for convenience fortunately we have 3 people in the room who have all the answers