Hello good morning just on 9 oclock here in moscow you with r. T. International. Has personally thank donald trump for a tipoff from u. S. Intelligence which helped foil a terrorist plot in simply to get more details now from detail hes following the story course here despite all the differences between the 2 countries it does seem there is at least Common Ground when it comes to fighting terrorism. Well just to give you some background to this Russias Federal Security Service that is the f. S. B. Announced on friday 2 russian citizens who were planning on committing terrorist attacks on home soil was arrested it is said that the incident was going to take place in some widely called the countrys 2nd capital often called the venice of the north because of its canals and it was going to take place in the new year which is of course now just one day away at this point in time we dont have any for details on the individuals apprehended but what i can say of course is that a new hair in russia is one of the biggest holidays on the night. Of december tens if not hundreds of thousands of people in every single city stream out onto the streets meaning that if this had not been stopped the consequences could have been truly tragic now it is absolutely vital as you quite rightly said that this attack was foiled in no small part thanks to a tip from the American Intelligence Services marking a very positive very encouraging moment of cooperation between the u. S. And russia the kremlin in fact has released a statement confirming that the russian president spoke to his american counterpart donald trump over the phone on sunday and thanked him for passing on crucial information that led to these arrests jury not cool death in fact since july when they discussed the devastating fires in siberia both theaters also reiterated that commitment to the fight against terrorism and this its fair to say that the 2 countries really have shown considerable cooperation for example strongly echoing these latest events back in december 27th teen american authorities warned moscow about an attack that was planned on Central Cathedral 5 tipoff led to the arrest of 5 suspects simply as far back as 2011. Moscow told the f. B. I. About an individual who 2 years later was found to be partly responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing now of course we know that terrorism has become one of the grave 1st Global Threats that we face today in fact just within the past 24 hours a 45 year old who was suspected of being a propagandist and a recruiter for an International Terrorist organization was arrested in russia far east and just over a week ago on the day that is dedicated to the Security Services right here in Russia Vladimir Putin announced that 3 terrorist attacks had been foiled in russia in 29000 a loan and quite right he said that this was testament to the dedication and to the professionalism of the Counter Terrorism units in the country but with specific regards to this latest story it seems that thankfully the fight against terrorism continues tonight countries across the world even ones which sometimes struggle to find Common Ground and this call between president s putin and trump really going to show that when people are in danger when laws are at stake differences can very successfully set aside. Ok thank you. With the. Well we spoke with Chris Phillips hes a former head of the u. K. Counterterrorism Security Office he says because theres highlight the need for cross Border Intelligence sharing. What it does point out as well is that we live in such an interconnected world now with intelligent sources that the us of obviously gone are also dealing with people and that are incidents in peterborough. And i think were going to see more of this because because of the use of its use telephones these interconnected groups able to strike anywhere across the world you can only hope countries Work Together not only against terrorism but the bigger thing actually possibly even bigger than terrorism is organized crime because organized criminals are wreaking havoc across the world at the moment weve seen people murdered in in london and other countries recently a lot to do with drugs and of course this is this is a big problem for all countries. The u. S. Military has carried out air strikes in iraq and syria killing 25 people and injuring dozens merican officials called it a defensive operation against iran backed militant group. What we did was take a decisive response that makes clear what the president really has said for months and months and months which is that we will not stand for this long. To take action the put american men and women in jeopardy i would add that in our discussion today with the president we discussed with the other options that are available and i would note also that we will take additional actions as necessary to ensure that we act in our own selfdefense and we deter further bad behavior from militia groups or from iran. Well according to the u. S. The bombing raids were retaliate for fridays rocket strike in kook base in iraq which killed one American Contractor a group that has claimed responsibility for the last attack but the pentagon has blamed the type of a law and arms group that emerged after the u. S. Invasion of iraq and has repasting targeted American Forces and is also one of the main shia forces fighting against islamic states in both iraq and also syria according to the Iraqi News Agency the countrys president condemned the u. S. Strikes calling them harmful to iraq and the countrys Prime Minister to describe the operation as a by lation of iraqi sovereignty and a dangerous escalation for the region former pentagon official Michael Maloof says an escalation in the region they could just be what donald trump needs right now. Us there isnt need much of a provocation to escalate this not only inside iraq but toward iran directly everything is on a razors edge already and i dont think that we need to have any more provocations on either side that could launch into a full blown attack and thats basically also all the trump would need basically to divert attention away from his. Impeachment preoccupation and unite the country. Where the air strikes come as china iran and russia held their 1st joint arose they include antiterrorism antipiracy training now being held in the northern part of the nation and in the gulf of oman the region includes king shipping and Energy Supply routes and has been a source of tensions between iran and the us this past year political analyst side mustapha believes that russia and chinas presence help the escalation in the region. The u. S. Has been escalating the tensions its been increasing its military buildup in this part of the world it has been trying to you know even provoked iran few months ago they sent and intruding drone they also sent their vessels to the Borders International borders of iran in the persian gulf all in order to provoke tehran and escalate the tensions the presence of the russians as well as the cheneys is doing very much the escalating role as they are playing a balancing act against the u. S. And its socalled coalition of the sentinel this would you know preempt the United States threat to the Islamic Republic of iran and to the free flow of you know shipping in the persian gulf what it has been a turbulent for iran and the region as a whole mark by tough sanctions and also the seizure of tankers looking back is roman culture at. 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 protest 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 every 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 it 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 is hes 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 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 on their 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 ads out with an adversary Like Washington they are in for still more thrilling moments in the coming year Ramon Koester of artsy terror on and still ahead we continue our if you will do you ever look at some of the key events including the unrest in the last numeric and us to come to stuff the price. You know world a big part of the new lot and conspiracy its time to wake up to dig deeper to hit the stories that Mainstream Media refuses to tell more than ever we need to be smarter we need to stop slamming the door on the bad and shouting past each other its time for Critical Thinking its time to fight for the middle for the truth the time is now were watching closely watching the hawks. Who were all destroyed and died shaped by our own personal there is. No dares thinks. We dare to ask. Hello again now with 2020 just around the corner lets continue our look back at some of the key events of the past year. Well todays topics are streets of rage and also the mysterious entitled mind games so lets see what the 1st of these has to offer well violent protests were prevalent all over the world from the yellow vests in paris to the anti beijing rights in hong kong and of course in latin america so well focus on that now because the continent has had more than its fair share of turmoil in 2019 protests of rage from venezuela and bolivia to chile and ecuador one quarter. 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 dissent. 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. Im 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 goh i do is 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 tried 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 thing but all d options are on the table all of these are all options are on the table all options are on the table it was. Not just 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 not that what is Donald Trumps cases against venezuela the cases bellow is the only live in his way now the riches of venezuela its gold 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 well he does either why am i resigning so that my opponents cannot continue to persecute myself. Brothers its my duty as an indigenous president and the president of all believe in this 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 she would to ensure a peaceful democratic transition through free elections and just like in venezuela its ordinary people who are paying the price for regime change. And 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 whose free market policies have shown hes happy to do business with the u. S. The case is not so different from this next country. At 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 on court ok lets move to the of the topic here at the bottom is mind games with seems to be about controlling the way people think and we can start with the role of social media and also facebook. Takes a look now at how its become the center in change when it comes to what we can and cant 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 patrolling co asking about facebook censorship at a press briefing hey man you have no idea what awaits you and 29. 00 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 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. Because it was in force these policies seemingly random oh no its a tool so one should not trust them to do it now im skeptical one of the late night hosts allowed to gross people and pick on peoples physical appearance but on the you tube is kind so you should new guidelines they dont set lines and they dont go right. 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. 00 taking 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 in the new era 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 life streamed a massacre of 50 people everyone was like where the hell were the moderators or censors were anyone to stop this another thing i wont call anyone out for inconsistency 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 judgements 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 saw the 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 arabia is 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. Any prank if they have a pretty activist and Technology Expert then me says that when social media start regulating comments and views online freedom of speech is in danger. Or difficulty here the moment the facebook accepts that it is a publisher and it has a responsibility to moderate or block of dont or any sort of inaccurate content it runs ok up against concerns about freedom of speech no where this is more obvious than in political comment faces a real no win situation it was twitter is done it bans political advertising then it gets attacked by both the left and the right for restricting freedom of speech if however as facebook itself has done it allows political advertising then he gets attacked by all ringback sides for failing to crack down on misinformation and attempts to manipulate election and theres also the challenge of where do you draw the line between what is political opinion and what is merely issues arent to debate if you can he was there from 2019 i will be back with more and the latest anthony. Join me every thursday on the alec simon show and ill be speaking to guest of the world of politics sports this list im showbusiness ill see of that. But politicians to do something anything. They put themselves on the line to get accepted or rejected. So when you want to be president or injury. Or somehow want to be rich. Thats a going to be press thats like them before 3 in the morning cant be good. Im interested always in the waters about how. This should. Still. We are at war. Im responsible for the deployment of thousands of Young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. You some will be killed. And so i come here with a cute sense of the costs of armed conflict. Filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace and our effort to replace one with the other. Weve got. Good leasing. This time mostly to have. You know i need to make all. The time ill sit through things toddy