Live from moscow this is our Team International i mean i know neal and 30 minutes of news and views start. We begin in moscow where irans foreign minister zarif is on a working visit he earlier met russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov who stated that the west must return to compliance with the Iranian Nuclear to. Signal the start of the us is forcing of the countries not to fulfill their obligations despite irans compliance with the reached agreements we demanded that the us and the e. U. Both return to full implementation with the obligations voluntarily and then iran would do the same but if our western partners do not want to confirm their respect for International Law then the j. C. Must be recognized as dead to be the United States is trying to. Other countries and make them violate International Norms and standards as for the european position on the. Politically. Muslim parties they do not do enough to counter the us sanctions we think the europeans should stick to their commitments apart from the school sing the prospects for the nuclear deal the top diplomats touched on bilateral relations with irans foreign minister saying they are a historical high point is very well later visit china his trip there will come china iran and russia conduct their 1st joint drills on terrorism and anti piracy training under being held in the northern part of the indian ocean as well as in the gulf of oman the region includes key shipping and Energy Supply routes and is a source of tension between tehran and washington. Mohammad marandi from the university of tehran believes the drills are a message to washington no longer dictate global terms unilaterally the United States. Still sees itself as the head of you know world and or wants to see itself as the head of the appalled world the europeans of course are. Will abide by the United States no matter whos in charge of the country whether its who they most your uterus just like or anyone else but the reality is that weve moved beyond that stage the United States is on the relative decline countries like iran russia and china are on the rise the United States is going to have to accept and recognize the new situation and i think that the fact that these 3 countries actually carried out these maneuvers together jointly all 3 together is a major significance and its a message to the United States that they can no longer dictate terms its been a turbulent year for iran and region as a whole mark by tough sanctions on the seizure of tankers looking blank. For terror on the year 2019 was thrilling to say the least it narrowly avoided an open military conflict with the United States got hammered by new stifling sanctions to port in a socalled oil tanker crisis and had to deal with the worst domestic processed in 40 years lets go through it one step at a time. Following its withdrawal from the Iranian Nuclear deal the us continued its sanctions against the Islamic Republic the countrys uncompromising stance swiftly led to an American Military buildup in the region the United States is deploying the u. S. S. Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike group and Bomber Task Force to the u. S. Central command region sent a clear and unmistakable message to the arabian regime that any attack on United States interests on those of our allies will be minutes with unrelenting force in may and june of 2019 some oil tankers were damaged and some caught fire in the gulf of oman washington immediately blamed terror on in may the rebels in yemen carried out multiple drone strikes on a Saudi Oil Pipeline the u. S. Again stated that it believes iran was behind the attack and continued deploying a different troops over the next 2 months the pentagon said the buildup was in response to heightened iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations these assets would join the u. S. S. Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike group and a u. S. Air force bomb a task force in the middle east region in response to indications of heightened iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against u. S. Forces and our interests President Trump even said that should there be a conflict it will be the official and of iran washington saber rattling seemingly ended when trump approved the sale of 8000000000. 00 worth of weapons to saudi arabia but tensions reached a new high when a u. S. Surveillance drone was shot down by the Iranian Military trump had ordered out is very military. Strike on iran but withdrew his decision minutes before the operation began so avoid the loss of life. Pressure on terror on continued in early july when British Royal marines seize its super tanker off the coast of gibraltar iran responded by capturing british flag tanker that stand in peril as it passed through the strait of hormuz following usual accusations of piracy threats by iran to close the strait of hormuz and the ensuing panic in the oil markets all ended well as both tankers were eventually released. Despite irans resilience to the u. S. Sanctions their effect is taking its toll the last months of 2019 or more by protests across the country when gasoline prices skyrocketed due to the governments decision to cut fuel subsidies though the plan was to direct the additional funds to supporting over 60000000. 00 people in need crowds are still took to the streets it was initially a peaceful rally but it quickly turned violent in some places and resulted in several deaths including Law Enforcement officers now that story its easy even put the country on its old School Internet shut down to prevent the protests from spreading now lets guess who was the 1st to capitalize on irans civil unrest the iranian people enjoy a Better Future when their government begins to respect basic human rights abandons its revolutionary. Posture and its destabilizing Foreign Policy in the region and behave simply like a normal nation hes arabian can a poor jobs or eve dismiss that kind of support saying that it was the u. S. Sanctions that caused so much suffering to his people. A regime that bans food and medicine for ordinary people including elderly and sick iranians by economic terrorism can never show its disgraceful support for the iranian people despise and the other year under serious pressure life here in tehran continues the internet is back online with all Major Social Networks available and i checked that myself but hardly anyone in iran has any doubts with an adversary Like Washington theyre in for still more thrilling moments in the coming year. R. T. Seron. A german m. E. P. Has given further hope to style to wanting to rejoin the European Union after briggs it by noting that brussels reentry procedure would be quicker done for outside canada countries. The Admission Procedure would probably be sure to them for a country that has to gradually move closer to the e. U. Illegal economic and political terms im already being contacted by scottish institutions with the i can be their Contact Person in brussels to briggs it while a conservative party gained a majority in other parts of the u. K. In this months general election the Pro Independence and pro e. U. Scottish National Party around the world on the border prompted 1st minister nicolas sturgeon to formally request the consent of westminster to hold another independence referendum the Prime Minister and his ruling about 55 percent of scots voted against independence in a referendum 5 years ago of the possible membership were joined by mitch wm mitch is a former European Parliamentary adviser and commentator mitch welcome what do you make of the german m. E. P. Staying on an independent scotland a session to the post greg said would be shorter than for outside. It sounds as if the german amy p. Is encouraging squash independents to be honest. Most on how it will on it would be bad i think you just cant isnt it was all squashed on bash the master of all that to be honest do you think the e. U. Is privately preparing for scottish reentry is a possible i am thing the European Union are a Successful Branch on some of the European Union me me favorite are more dysfunctional but i shall go so over the next 5 to 10 years youve spent. A fair share of times id wager in brussels in stroudsburg getting to know the general feeling around there do you think that most european politicians would block Scottish Independence thats a difficult one to say i think the majority a both amy peace. Will not favor the breakup of the year kid but then that as an element of the European Parliament who would wish has said as much about dysfunctional u. K. And the future as possible how would the u. K. React with a new conservative government with a big win as well to react to e. U. Talk of Scottish Independence not i. Think Boris Johnson should have been some foreign markets with mr mccollough star on the europe keep in Commission Warning them to stay out of that action to mastic affairs as brutal as the conduit but if. Its a Scottish Independence referendum referendum next year and all possible there are those pushing for it quite strenuously and therefore to do that they would have to overturn Boris Johnsons the station against that is what that be a possibility. Well in 2014 the once in a generation will squash independence if i percent nor 45 percent yes the recent general election written 45 percent for mass m. P. The 5 percent against this and he so the circumstances on the ground i. E. Poland has not actually changed there is one issue there though mitch isnt there of course that you know people when they voted they voted at the time maybe it was in the primary reason but they voted to stay part of it i thought it was an e. U. Member. Yeah well and the European Election european referendum scotland only 67 percent of people turned out and it was 62 percent in favor overmen so 67. 00. Percent of sexism percent isnt decisive in my view can sit on it or percent or no or less 2014 referendum went on without the 5 percent. Or no. Just finally mitch what kind of reaction do you think the e. U. Would would get if theyre seen to be openly supporting Scottish Independence at home. I think a lot of people possible have the same effect this when obama came over and favor of the e. U. I think it was going to people while also blatant on the ground and resent the European Union for meddling and squash avast. Interesting stuff mitch thanks for your time and good to have you on the program weve been speaking to Mitch Williams whos a former European Parliamentary advisor uncomment thanks very much. Still ahead we continue or a few of the past year a look at some of the key events including unrest in love in america doubts up to the short break. Is your media a reflection of reality. In a world transformed. What will make you feel safe from. The isolation community. Are you going the right way or are you being so. Direct. What is true what is faith. In the world corrupted you need to descend. To join us in the depths. For a mate in the shallows. It is a long held tradition on cross talk to take stock of the year that is about to pass we have a look at what moved us what changed and what gave us concern us 2019 the good the bad and the. Hello again with 2020 just around the corner lets continue our look back at some of the key events of the year that was. I. Lets take a look at what todays topics are streets of rage mysteriously titled mind games lets see what stories the 1st of these for us violent protests were prevalent the world over from the yellow vests in paros to the anti beijing riots in hong kong and of course in latin america so lets focus on the about the continent more than its fair share of turmoil in 29000 protests rage from venice well im bolivia to chile and ecuador arties double quarter breaks it all down for those. It started as a spark the next thing you know the inferno of revolution is all around you and cant be extinguished that is the south america of 2019. Whats crucial if thats your aim is to find just the right moment to stir up the scent. Venezuelas chaos was the epicenter right after the country reelected president Nicolas Maduro washington pounced challenging the governments legitimacy and trying to provoke a coup. By mike pence Nicolas Maduro is a dictator with no legitimate claim to power and it gracefully in doubt the legitimacy to run venezuela upon the leader of the opposition to me i swear to formally soon the duties of the National Executive as president of venezuela President Trump officially recognize the president of the Venezuelan National assembly one going to do as the interim president of venezuela the time is now to support the venezuelan people to recognize the new democratic government led by interim president gore though the safety and security of president and his family are of great importance to the American People why dont try too hard to win over the military but when it became clear it stood behind a majority washington rolled out some empty threats are you hearing very well that is what i consider getting a thing but all d options are on the table all of these are open to all options or. On the table all options are on the table you can lose. The world not to the resolve of the United States and steamrolled the country with sanctions adding to the suffering of ordinary people already living through economic collapse but is it really democracy that washington and its allies were interested in or perhaps this has something more to do with black gold or what is Donald Trumps cases against venezuela the cases bellow is the only live in his way the riches of venezuela its goat gas diamonds iron water a material riches resource grabbing hasnt only been confined to venezuela in the region. Bolivia seen its own share of unrest this year but there are right wing coup was successful the elected president abel morales forced to step down and flee the country theres either why am i resigning so that my opponents cannot continue to persecute my socialist brothers its my duty as an indigenous president and the president of all believe us to seek peace after morale has got the boot senator janine anya is proclaimed herself interim president not exactly a household name before that but whats more important is who had her back and he guesses we pledge our support to the believe in people and to the Transitional Government led by president janine and yes as they prepare for these elections. We support you need 9 years in bolivia as you would to ensure a peaceful democratic transition through free elections and just like in venezuela its ordinary people who are paying the price for a regime change. That. They would tend to. Seeing the parallels heres another one lithium is in high demand in the United States and that valuable resource also happens to be in abundance in bolivia. Chile has also been no stranger to disorder where clashes have been deadly a times thousands have rallied since mid october demanding the president resign and the constitution be revised there have already been widespread reports of torture and unlawful killings following the militarys deployment. But on these protests the u. S. Has been silent maybe its because the president is Sebastian Pinera a harvard graduate whos free market policies have shown hes happy to do business with the u. S. A case not so different from this next country. Had last we have ecuador a country that became engulfed in protests after the government carried out i. M. F. Backed severe austerity policies. Yet again silence from the us and the reason is pretty much the same as with chile the us supported the governments newfound allegiance with the i. M. F. Washington might pick and choose the battles that benefit its interests the most but at the end of the day fire is fire it doesnt care who it burns and when a whole continent is set ablaze it becomes extremely difficult to extinguish. 29000 lots and america wasnt the only company went through a period well bring you another recap of this years protests on tuesday. For now though lets move to a nother topic of mindgames. Were delving into the issue of controlling the way people think and the rule of social media in the particularly facebook r. T. T. Of the trunk it takes a look at how the tech behemoths has become the censor in chief when it comes to what we can and what we can say. Ill tell you what having this job for 6 years has made me report on censorship quite a few times look at this freshman giorno trying co asking about facebook censorship at a press briefing hey young man you have no idea what awaits you in 29. By the end of the decade look at it the evolution of Online Platforms has gone all the way towards 0 tolerance for offenders even though it all one started down there with pretty much 0 regulation but who decides what exactly makes someone an offender all right lets dig into the 2900 stage of the evolution look at these one by one and check out their censorship record. You true work hard on reading their platform of harassment see the latest update to their harassment policy came out in december go on read into it youll find words like veiled threats and ply threats right there warning that whatever thats supposed to mean will be punished and youll find 0 examples and no proper details. It was always in force these policies seemingly random or not at all so why should i trust them to do it now im skeptical why are the late night hosts allowed to roast people on you tube pick on peoples physical appearance but other you tube is current so usually pretty put out its new guidelines they dont set lines and they dont guide. The latest in a series of policy updates after the previous ones you tube didnt hesitate to take action the result record breaking numbers of accounts and videos taken down. In 29 facebook really took us all by surprise by showing what it takes to put on a new face not that it looked like they were keen to do it but someone just happened to notice that while trying to dodge a defamation lawsuit facebook prefer to itself as a publisher look at this mature c. E. O. Telling congress his network is a tech company not a media one well that happened before 2019 and the new f. B. I. Gave itself the green light to censor just about anything which theyve been up to quite strenuously although in march when the new zealand shooter live streamed a massacre 50 people everyone was like where the hell were the moderators or censors or anyone to stop this another thing i wont call anyone out for consistency but in a recent interview Mr Zuckerberg said no to censoring political ads even if they contain lies what i believe is that in a democracy its really important that people can see for themselves what politicians are saying its that they can make their own judgments and i dont think that a private company should be censoring politicians or news this tech giants however have been blamed for screwing up a bit of campaigning like when gabbert for instance challenged google for taking down her ads this alarming trend has been growing with tech giants continuing to silence voices and restrict access to information this concentration of power and influence is a direct threat to our democracy by the way did you know about this side to it 29000 sold a list. Facebook moderators claiming to have p. T. S. D. Growing with a former employee suing the social media giant even though the company said it was offering all the required support. Well no point in digging too deep if the storys repeating itself twitter has mastered the art of new era suspensions and bans to the vagueness of the rules probably isnt so much to worry about so you can get in trouble for it can be many things from supporting join a songe to pulling a prank on the fans of the cats movie but just keep in mind what kind of folks you may find among twitters Staff British Army psyops soldier war saudi arabias spies tasked with digging into the counts of the kingdoms critics well well keep using all of them anyway right lets wish the industry pioneers well in wherever the volution takes them in the new year. That is some of 20000000 danes big news stories well be recounting plenty more over the course of the week youre watching are 2 international. Join me every thursday on the alex im unsure when ill be speaking to get us to the world of politics sports business im show business ill see you that. One almost shows seem wrong why dont we all just dont call. Me youre all going to get to shape out just to become educated and in detroit equals betrayal. When so many find themselves worlds apart we choose to look for common ground. Theres a lot of here is an economy where china has caught up or surpassed you know the mobile payments markets 50 times the size of the us were over here still writing checks our Banking System is not innovated we kind of recently walking up the last couple years and go wow we dont even have a company that can make 5 quid its been a win win for china and its been a lose lose for the u. S. Im Afshin Rattansi welcome to going underground we will be back with a brand new season starting on january the 8th but until then we will be showing some of your favorite shows from the last season of the decade coming up in this show a legacy of the brutal british back to provide good strokin to shape we talked to one of the most popular politicians in south americas richest country for geo jackson about overthrowing governments in latin america allied to washington london and brussels and Award Winning journalist greg palast explains our new liberalism born of western Business Schools has led to revolution wherever the people of latin america have sought freedom and justice plus the director of oscar winning film still alice walsh west with a class faultlines at the core of his new film for netflix. All the small coming of it today is going on the ground 0 1st it was 49 years ago this month that Salvador Allende was inaugurated as president of chile the latin American Country today is not only in the midst of an uprising against the liberal president Sebastian Pinera but witnessing solidarity protests for palestine after more u. K. Armed violence in the middle east involving serial u. N. Resolution violates israel in the past 24 hours i india would die in office overthrown and replaced by angloamerican backed dictator Augusto Pinochet and according. Some leaders fighting global neoliberalism the legacy of pinochet lives on. Board they dont want to lecture and they want to cool the tar and wipe us away in a pinochet style. Sometimes we say these hard things and in europe and other places they see it an exaggeration or extremist and its not exaggerated they want to put a pinochet in place in venezuela i mean theyre not saying no should a democratically elected maduro may still be in baron venezuela because showed you know the worlds greatest known reserves of oil even after attempts by the European Union to overthrow him but in chile washingtons man is in trouble accused of reviving the days when u. K. Companies armed pinochet to torture his people after so many years of trying to recover from a long dictatorship of almost 20