Are struggling to get supplies into communities cut off by the fires. And the u. S. And 750. 00 new troops to iraq that after prorating protesters stormed the perimeter of the u. S. Embassy compound in baghdad the violence coming after american airstrikes targeting a rainin backed militia in iraq. Im brian thomas great to have you with us to start the new year people around the world have been ringing in the start of this new year and a new decade just about an hour ago the crowds in new york saying hello to 2020. Countdown in times square one of the globes most watched new years spectacles. I or here in berlin thousands gathering at the Brandenburg Gate to welcome in the new decade heres a look now at how the world saw out the old year and welcome then a new one. I. The final countdown of the decade and the 1st few seconds of the 2020. Thousands of berliners welcome the new year at the iconic Brandenburg Gate which fireworks accompanied by bass have been some 9 symphony have. 12 hours earlier the new zealand was the 1st major city to see in the new year with pyrotechnics erupting from the citys sky tower and over the water. In australia the fireworks from sydneys harbor bridge went ahead despite calls for the show to be cancelled because of the devastating bushfires the country is experiencing i in hong kong the traditional fireworks display was replaced with a toned down light show this year with authorities citing security concerns following months of prodemocracy protests. In the North Koreans were treated to a televised spectacle from the capital pyongyang thousands of people had gathered in Kim Il Sung Square to usher in the new year i ended by the worlds tallest building the best khalifa was the center of a display featuring fountains projections and fireworks from the 800 meter tower. Londons big bend rung in the new year in the british capital the familiar chimes were accompanied by an elaborate pyrotechnic display. From the london eye lighting up the river thames and the thousands of revelers celebrating the arrival of 2020. Well the new year coming on a somber note in australia where a further 3 people have been confirmed dead at least 200 homes have been raised by fires over the last few days in the states of New South Wales and victoria authorities are now delivering food and water to thousands of people taking refuge on beaches and the danger is far from over well go live to sydney after this report. Fields by searing temperatures and fast moving wins more than 200 fires continue to consume australias southeastern states of New South Wales and victoria a fire forced these rescue volunteers to take shelter in their truck as flames surrounded them the crew made it out safely. We also have a very real challenge at the moment with a couple of also lied to communities where weve got reports of injuries and burn injuries to members of the public we have been out to get access via roads or aircraft its been socked you know to digress and we simply cant access nor can the people in these areas. And some places the blazes are so intense that the smoke turned day into night the fires are causing dry lightning storms that themselves are starting fires. Its pretty scary that wall of fire that we saw. I dont know whether we be. The house and youre always worried that its more important save your family than the actual property itself. Some people who have returned home have found theres not much left. Bert dorn this is the other unit that as im on the roof now trying to stop it. A stray you had been battling huge push fires for some for a month mostly on the east coast but every state has battled blazes that have raised more than 40000 square kilometers of land stranding people and displacing wildlife. So is help getting through to stranded people right now under these conditions lets go straight to journalist Roger Maynard in sydney good day to you roger or whats the latest on on the thousands of people trapped outside malika on the beaches on this very difficult new years day for australia well most of the law still the only. Roads it closed because theres nowhere to go late the same situation in the marshes of the south coast of New South Wales to thousands of people remain in small ball of the resorts in tiny communities and all the beach and didnt serve to try and try to find some temporary accommodation until theyre rescued that might be some days away because the roads are likely to remain close to some time and in the meantime the. Air force and the levy trying to get to these people are either to evacuate them by sea or to bring them out by helicopter but that is taking some time to organize and it may well be that these people who stay there until saturday if they cant get out of all are ok you mentioned the australian norm terry roger are they going to be playing a major role now what are they going to be doing to help alleviate the situation in the country. Well too this was hope departed in the past few hours one from sydney and one from jervis clay which is south of sydney theyre heading down towards the north you self worth the tour of the border so that they can closely evacuate these people at miller cooter there was a taking supplies as well and supplies it very very important at the moment because of these people running short of food and water and the only way to get laws lot of Food Supplies in is own up by by you know by sea so the of the the the league are playing an Important Role and also the the efforts of playing an Important Role to with 2 or 3 helicopters being sent from New South Wales and queensland to you know to bring in these extra supplies and if necessary to take people out particularly those people who have been injured or who are suffering from burns ok briefly if you could roger is this unprecedented has the north terry ever been used in australia on a scale to evacuate people well the the yes the military is always standing by in the case of a crisis like this in floods and fires and no manner and cycle and all manner of situations in the military is standing by ready to help so its not unprecedented but. Its very good theyre also playing a bit over Important Role particularly in this case in this particular crisis its just bush leon president it and you know its becoming almost a humanitarian disaster Roger Maynard for us in sydney roger thanks very much. As a preview now on some heroes stories making news at this hour north Korean Leader kim jong un says the world will soon see what he calls a new strategic weapon he said his country was no longer bound by a moratorium on nuclear and missile testing but he left the door open to further talks with the u. S. Angola has seized the assets of isabel the santoso the billionaire daughter of the countrys former president the move is part of an Anti Corruption drive to santos whos thought to be africas wealthiest woman amassed a fortune during her fathers nearly 4 decades and power she denies any wrongdoing. British Police Charge a man with criminal damage were allegedly slashing a painting by the spanish master pablo but also the incident happened at the tate modern over the weekend the damage work is worth more than 23000000 euros. Balls to iraq now where crowds of protesters have attacked the u. S. Embassy in the iraqi capital baghdad that in response to recent u. S. Airstrikes targeting an iran backed Iraqi Militia u. S. President gul trump has accused around of orchestrating the protests washington says all u. S. Personnel at the embassy are now safe and that it will deploy more than 750. 00 additional troops in response. Has been brigade supporters crossed the river tigris in the morning and marched toward the u. S. Embassy to demonstrate. Their protests began after a Funeral Service for fighters killed in u. S. Airstrikes on sunday. The militia officers had previously killed a u. S. Citizen. The demonstrators broke through the embassies external security barriers and made it as far as the last security wall of the Embassy Building in baghdad among the demonstrators shiite clergy and a radical militia leader. The other look on the live even though this is the command center for the destructive operations it was from here that iraqs sovereignty was violated. I the demonstrators managed to force their way into the compound in the afternoon they remained there until security personnel deployed tear gas to disperse them. Washington says its confident it knows whos backing the Shiite Militia as President Donald Trump tweeted earlier. Iran is orchestrating an attack on the u. S. Embassy in iraq they will be held fully responsible. It was only after several hours that Iraqi Security forces arrived to protect the embassy grounds. Yron germany all america was calling on germans to be confident in meeting the challenges of a new decade the german chancellor also using her annual years address to stress the need to tackle climate change. Its the end of the year and the end of the decade the world is getting even more complicated but german chancellor Angela Merkel doesnt paint a bleak picture even if she clearly points to a pressing issue the keyword cloyd it. Is a Global Warming is real it threatens us it is caused by human activity as are the crises that arise out of Global Warming so we must do all that is humanly possible to combat this challenge to humanity there is still time no its just nuclear. Medical says the recently agreed climate Protection Laws a step in the right direction even if young environmental activists say the law doesnt go far enough but merkel says the government must consider all citizens. By cargo and stevie are guided by the values of freedom solidarity and respect for the dignity of every Single Person as well as the principles of the social market economy these values will also remain our compass in the next decade and. Medical says its the states duty to defend these values against antisemitism hate and violence and this also applies to refugees and migration merkel stresses that solutions are needed within a european framework where in their minds off the only within the community of the European Union can we assert our values and interests and secure peace freedom and prosperity europe must strengthen its voice in the world therefore will also stand up for this in the coming year during the german e. U. Council presidency for example by holding a summit of all Member States with china and the meeting with the african states. And so chancellor merkel concludes the year practice magically with concrete plans for the future employed there is still much work left for her to do. And now to a rare scene at st Peters Square where a woman who made it through pope francis is entourage cause a scene that led to a papal slap and a rebuke pope francis had been shaking hands with people in the crowd and was turning to leave when a woman suddenly yanked him from behind the abrupt physicality appeared to cause the 84 year old pope some pain he slapped her hand away gave her a good scolding before moving away visibly annoyed. Now within moments francis was back to wishing people a happy new year and kissing children. This is deja vu news live from berlin up next markets will have something to celebrate in the new year a new trade deal between the United States and china has all the details coming up in business after the break and dont forget you can always get more on these and other stories or website news dot com im brian thomas with the entire news team. Called me printers. Defeat in the. Dark for the