this is al jazeera. everyone came out santa maria and this is the news from al-jazeera the united states is deploying more troops to baghdad after protesters marched on the american embassy angry about u.s. and strikes. hong kong rings in the new year with celebrations that have been scaled down and pro-democracy protesters are making their presence felt. and trapped in australia

thousands in the southeast surrounded by bushfires forcing many to take refuge on the beaches. jonah hall in london with the top stories from europe including 20 years after putin came to power we look back on 2 decades of russia's strongman leader. pole race with the sport including disappearance of a football this fall that colombia's world cup made failed it demands from the new head of the country's. united states is deploying additional troops to secure its embassy in baghdad after members and supporters of an iranian backed group marched into the green zone and surrounded the heavily fortified compound some managed to break into part of the facility a security post at the entrance to the building was set on fire as well they were

responding to us and strikes in iraq and syria on sunday when camps belonging to the iranian backed group has been abrogated. were targeted the violence all erupted on the same day funerals were being held for the fighters who've been killed in the u.s. air strikes the u.s. president has put the blame squarely on iran donald trump has warned iraq as well that it must use its forces to defend the u.s. embassy so let's have a look now it's a little bit past 9 pm in baghdad and there are still plenty of people protesting there the fire still burning as well it has come down slightly from the peak of earlier in the day but still plenty of activity outside that embassy which sits within the heavily fortified green zone in baghdad that houses iraqi government buildings and foreign embassies it's in the center of the city that embassy is actually the united states is the largest diplomatic post anywhere in the world and also the most expensive 2 bills so our correspondents covering this one our mike

hanna in washington d.c. who we will be with shortly but with starting with simona fulton in baghdad who was out amongst the protests today simona. well the latest we are hearing from near the u.s. embassy is that the u.s. trained counterterrorism forces have now deployed next to the u.s. embassy and they have secured one of the gates but around one to 2000 members and supporters of the popular mobilization forces remain located there and really they're refusing to withdraw now what one security officer told me who is currently at the scene he basically said that there are very confused orders that they're getting from their leadership they're not being given clear orders on whether or not to use force to remove these p.m.s. fighters who are there at one point they got an order to move further ahead close to push back this group but then they were told to withdraw again because it was

not clear whether they were allowed to use force now of course the counterterrorism forces are u.s. trained force they are seen as being close to the united states and on the other hand we have the popular mobilization forces which are close to iran so it appears that this band of could further escalate to that if indeed it comes to a confrontation here between the c.t.'s and the p.m.s. one important thing that we can't emphasize enough here is that these crowds that have marched on the u.s. embassy they have nothing to do with the protesters who have been in but that story of course for 3 months demonstrating against the government against iran's interference in iraq they actually put up loud speakers today in to hear square to broadcast a message that they have nothing to do with this crowd that marched on the u.s. embassy that that is in fact a crowd that consists mostly of p.m.s. fighters and i was actually there throughout the entire day accompanying this crowd which began as

a funeral procession accompanying them across the hanging bridge across the tigris river into the fortified green zone and this is our summary of the day. supposed to be a funeral procession commemorating the 27 fighters killed in the latest u.s. air strike but instead it turned into an unequivocal message to the u.s. as well over the. oh hundreds perhaps thousands of people are taking part in this procession currently they're marching across the hanging bridge towards the fortified green zone behind me and this is of course where the u.s. embassy is located and that is where they are headed of course this is not just a funeral procession this is a public show of defiance aimed at passing a message towards america the bear presence here in iraq is no longer welcome. most of those here are members or supporters of the popular mobilization forces they pay their respects as the bodies pass by and they vow to avenge their deaths and the

other on the lives of on others although this cowardly act was carried out by the u.s. and israel they will pay a high price we will take a strong stand and we will not forget the blood of the martyrs as long as there is breath of sight of us we will tell them that we are here on the street and we are here to stay and there will be an aggressive response to their bases are not seeing the top leaders support this march including. the leader of the biggest bloc in parliament and there is. an insurgency after the u.s. led invasion they vowed to use both military and political means to expel the u.s. troops that are part of the dog this embassy has proved its conspires against iraq this is the embassy where they spy on iraq and where they lead to destruction of iraq this is where the saboteurs are supported for months iraqi security forces have guarded the green zone against anti-government protests but this time they appear to have orders to stand down allowing the crowds to cast

a checkpoint leading to the u.s. embassy the protesters threw stones and set fire to the outer gates of the embassy the situation appears to be escalating now with hundreds perhaps thousands of members of the popular. mobilization forces having to reach to the gates of the u.s. embassy there are rolling stones there for the trying to climb the wall to reach the u.s. embassy compound and they're chanting anti-american slogans they're demanding the wave troll of american troops from iraq prime minister atal of the mahdi has called on protesters to retreat condemning any attack on embassies but the fact that these crowds have been allowed to reach the embassy gates appears to signal the government's implicit endorsement of the message they're trying to send someone a faulty an al jazeera but that and from baghdad we go to washington d.c. and mike hanna might take us through the official reaction so far from the u.s. administration. well the secretary of defense has just confirmed that further troops are going to be sent to backtrace the defenses of that embassy in baghdad

they will not be being deployed from the u.s. they are in fact part of the u.s. contingent already within iraq earlier in the day the secretary of state spoke to both the prime minister of iraq and the president of iraq seeking assurances that iraq would continue to protect the property and personnel of the united states earlier to president trump tweeted out to end. the violence of iran who he claimed had orchestrated the ongoing demonstrations outside the embassy but questions to being asked in the u.s. about how the demonstrators gained access through that heavily fortified green zone through the outside perimeters through the internal checkpoints to actually get to the point where they could be at the very door of the u.s. embassy questions being asked about that the fact that the u.s. is now sending additional troops to reinforce the embassy

a clear indication that assurances from the iraqi government that property will be defended may not be enough the the images in themselves are quite something of a mike even now 9 in the evening there the fire still going the hundreds of people who are still there just thinking about you know people in america are actually watching this and thinking hey we're coming under attack around the world. well the thought went through the minds of many. by u.s. senator lindsey graham when he made reference to benghazi saying that president trump would not allow another benghazi on his watch now this is in reference to the storming of the u.s. embassy in benghazi in libya back in 2012 in which a u.s. diplomat was killed a number of u.s. contractors were killed so certainly there are memories within the u.s. of embassies being attacked so the images that are being seen there of great concern obviously but to make very clear president trump and his secretary of state

are placing the soul in the context of the u.s. versus iran conflict making very clear their belief that iran is behind these ongoing demonstrations iran was the reason for the u.s. strikes which led to these demonstrations so setting the context very clearly that this is part of a wider ongoing conflict between iran and the united states in the view of the trumpet ministration. thank you mike hanna in washington d.c. . announcer. on the run in capital explaining why iranian backed political figures were present at these protests. he is a very well known figure within the establishment in iran he fought on the iranian side during the iran iraq war between 198-1980 has pledged his allegiances not only to the islamic republic and the ideologies of this country but also to the supreme

leader as well as the head of the revolutionary guard sports force awesome soleimani he doesn't make it a hidden fact that that's where his allegiances lie he is now head of the better organization which is part of the largest ruling coalition within the iraqi parliament alba non group as is the man we just heard from he is the head of puzzling network these are groups that came to be following the fall of saddam hussein and their various groups that were fighting amongst each other and also fighting against the u.s. forces that were occupying iraq about time they now are part of the government this is where the dichotomy lies within iraq their relationship with iran is something that has been ongoing for years and now that they're officially part of the government that is something the united states cannot tolerate they've said that this is part of iran's quote to malign behavior it's something really that dates back a long time it is not a recent development the relationship between these sides so for this event today

it's very important to note that these leaders were there as a sign as a gesture it wasn't an accident that they were present at this event outside the u.s. embassy it's a message to the americans that not only do we not want you here but that we have the full support and cooperation of the iranians behind us let's just go back to appease and actually live pictures these were just in the last 2 or 3 minutes have a look and see projectiles i think being well. goodness me the facts of the fire still ongoing out on the sort of walls around the compound and then some explosives there as well the interesting thing is that the sheer number of people who have stayed it's now nearly a quarter past 9 in the evening there and similar correspondent who you heard earlier she told us that she and her team actually pulled back from the area in the late afternoon because it was getting to be particularly dangerous there i'd say possibly not so dangerous now but certainly still a lot of people there and the fire is still burning as well earlier in the day

maybe we can have a look at some of those pictures as well from earlier in the day. which show you the height of the the protests and the fires that have been set at the gate of the green zone and remember mike hanna made this point this is this is the green zone the heavily heavily fortified part of baghdad government buildings and there are other embassies there how this many protest is pending to get through is one of the big questions and needs to be answered here allowed to get so close to what is the biggest american embassy in the world diplomatic outpost in the world however you want to term it the most expensive to build and people have managed to get this close to burn the gates there and the entrances it's all quite extraordinary actually and we're going to talk about it in further with joel reuben who's a former u.s. deputy assistant secretary of state he's in washington d.c. hi joe thanks for your time today as you've seen those pictures today what is going

through your mind i made the point with our correspondent before these are the kind of images which i wonder if americans are watching and thinking hang on we're getting attacked here. yeah and i appreciate you having me on today to talk about this and certainly it brings back memories for those of us who served in government as well as for americans watching the news right now and it's important to remember that americans it's the day before new year's eve and they're sitting at home and they're wash and he and they're witnessing this attacks against the embassy in tehran 40 years ago been discussed in recent days as well regarding the relationship so it's a it's a pretty trying time right now for the american people to watch this and as you noted the largest american embassy in the world is in baghdad and certainly it's a surprise for americans who are uncertain about why this is happening but not a surprise that it happened i might suggest to you even though obviously it's quite something that they managed to get through into the green zone like this the fact

that there has been retaliate for. the strikes which happened not entered just in iraq but in syria something was going to happen. yeah and i think that's the part where americans are waking up to the reality that we're in the midst of a very difficult situation inside of iraq our presence there has been supported by the iraqi government yet the people of iraq have been protesting that government now for months and at the same time there are running back militias roaming the country that have taken shots in recent days and american forces and even killed one of our contractors leading to this moment if escalation so there's a real competition right now underway inside of iraq it's a dangerous one and for the u.s. government the trumpet ministration has to explain to the american people why it's important for united states to be in iraq to vance's our interests and how it's not

going to get sucked into an actual threat but more war frankly with the iranians and that's that that's the point i was going to make about iran the explanation so far from certain from president donald trump is that this is all iran's fault and that's what secretary pompei of it said right as well is that simple of saying that that is it or you know do iraqi people have their own grievances there to having u.s. troops there for so long and now having a u.s. air strikes there. yeah. one can say that it's just the iranians fault right now the united states is there and because we're there we are finding ourselves to be an attractive target but what's happening right now in the streets in baghdad in the protests against the iraqi government it's not the same group of people that stormed the embassy and it's very important to not describe protesters in both instances as if they're the same they're not these are pro rania militias that stormed the u.s. embassy directly as a result of the attack against their bases and their their military

component so we're right now engaged in stepping into a military confrontation with the iranian backed militias and the iraqi government who has promised over the years to disband those militias and promise that iraqi people has sort of been wavering in terms of where it wants to go in its activities towards those militias and that's the tension point right now but joe where they i mean you make the very good point to distinguish between the protests that we've seen over the past few months and what's happened today but where they do converge is the fact that those months of protests have weakened this iraqi government to the point where things like this to happen and it is it's become an ineffectual government. right and you know i think the protesters would also make the argument that it was an ineffectual government which is why they're protesting and so they do have a weak government they have a prime minister who has stepped down but is still acting as interim prime minister

that is not a source of stability for the country so the iraqi government its leadership it's going to have to start making some very hard decisions about how it wants to chart its way forward and we in the united states we also have to make sure that we're not actually adding gas to to the flames and creating a more direct conflict and in many ways this this spat right now this fight between the united states in the iranian backed militias only serves to strengthen the programming elements that are not interested in seeing a reformist government take shape in baghdad so we have to have more of a strategy and i fear that right now what we've been doing is reacting rather than demonstrating a real strategic approach to calming the situation down and moving the iraqi government in a productive path forward joel rubin always a pleasure talking to you thank you for your time appreciate it thank you. let's have a look at what's coming up for you on this news hour central african republic is on the ground in bankia as the deadline to hand over weapons. also bangladesh's

opposition threatens to bring down the government unless its demands are met. coming up and brotherly love for the book says the most valuable player in the n.b.a. shocked his own family his brilliance paul we'll have that story a little later. about 2 20 am in hong kong right now and new year's celebrations have been scaled back the government reduced its usual big traditional fireworks display due to security concerns the city's been bracing for more protests which were times to disrupt the new year's festivities and demonstrators demonstrations of course now into the 6th month let's check in in hong kong what's been happening. well kemal it's 2020 in hong kong as you said but it still feels like $29000.00

that just fired tear gas behind me there are groups of protesters around this area this is hmong cog this in 21000 over the past few months as the protests intensified this was the scene of near daily protests in some of the biggest confrontations between protesters and police and once again today this is the focal point as we come into a whole new decade protesters had called for action across the city trying to disrupt new year's celebrations calling for protests to show up in the shopping mall to try and disrupt any kind of festivity and as he said that they canceled the fireworks and anticipations of the protests today but we haven't seen the size and numbers as we've seen in recent months whoa instead we've seen in our skirmishes across the city police and protesters facing off tear gas being fired in this area tear gas was has been fired repeatedly rubber bullets to try to disperse the

protesters but we're not seeing the large numbers that we had seen and seen in recent weeks is just a few 100 police will disperse then they'll come back to what they've been doing all these months setting up barricades trying to block roads and in general try to disrupt the city so that's been the scene here come all us we go into a whole new decade and but nothing to suggest i guess that the protest movement as a whole is losing losing any momentum if i think i heard one of the the catch cries was don't forget 2019. that's right don't forget 2019 and keep it going in 2020 is pretty much what people have been saying and that's the protesters some protesters have been leaving us the night. as we've gotten later into the night and they're been pretty much telling everyone all the other protesters will see you again tomorrow pretty much indicating that this is going to continue now carrie lam the chief executive had ok

lost the link with the pan and there unfortunately clearly very busy on the streets of hong kong even though as she was saying those news festivities have been scaled down a bit meanwhile china's president has said that he quite sincerely hopes for the best for hong kong and its people this was in his new year's televised speech she jumping that went on to say that a prosperous stable hong kong is the aspiration not only of hong kong's people but also the expectation of people in mainland china pro-democracy protests in the semi autonomous territory began in june people were upset then about that bill the idea of extraditing criminals from hong kong to mainland china legislation which has since been withdrawn but as we know the demonstrators have gone on to demand wider political reforms. the situation in hong kong has been everybody's concern over the past few months without a harmonious and stable environment how can there be

a home where people can live and work capitally we sincerely hope for the best for hong kong and its compatriots a prosperous and stable hong kong is the aspiration for hong kong's compatriots as well as the expectation of the people of the motherland reporting from beijing now his katrina. during his new year's eve speech she jinping seemed to emphasize 2 messages patriotism and unity this was really a speech that was about whipping up the national fervor of the chinese people but reminding them of some of the main successes of the communist party this past year in 5 g. technology the building of beijing's new airport and most importantly the celebration of the 70th anniversary since the founding of the people's republic of china it was quite a bit devoted to the splendor of the glory of that parade but there was one damn spot in xi jinping speech he mentioned the success of macau the 20th anniversary of

macau which took place in december but also he mentioned that the chinese people were quite concerned about what was happening in hong kong he said that not without mentioning directly the protesters that it was difficult for the people of hong kong to enjoy their lives without stability and you wish the hong kong people well now this speech very much is is also about. rallying the people he actually mentioned that china is not afraid of any dangers of any obstacles of any barriers and i think that's a huge was his subtle pointing to some of the challenges ahead and the reality is china is starting 2020 on the back foot this is a country which is experiencing a lot of difficulties at the moment he listed a lot of achievement of the some of the things he didn't mention was at the moment china is embroiled in this prayed with the u.s. which has not seen a substantial resolution it's seen these ongoing protests in hong kong it seemed taiwan pulled away even further and it's also seen a growing spotlight on reports of human rights abuses against the weekend was

a population in shin john so for xi jinping this speech was all about really calling on the chinese people to stick together really firing up that nationalism and also reminding him reminding them that is that there is a lot of hard work ahead and we see that going forward it's not only going to be about positive. messaging for the chinese people what we also expect is a way to clamp down on any dissent that china is really going to intensify things like patriotic education and also rate prop probably going to see some ramping up of things like surveillance and censorship on behalf of the communist party. sydney has welcomed in the new year with thousands of thousands of fireworks over its famous. yellow glows in the sky in this controversy really when you consider the huge show whether the future should have gone ahead as firefighters are battling the massive bushfires around the city flags on sydney harbor bridge been flying at half mast

but the 12 people have been killed a 1000000 people die did gather on the harbor for those pirates it's. actually burning in every australian state with unprecedented intensity the state of victoria is currently among the hardest hit there you're looking at more than $260.00 new fires in just 36 hours including near that tourist town on the border. manley has this report. as a massive water pyros towards the town of. $4000.00 people flats towards the beach those with boats went one step further and now the 5 fronts come through. every one side the sand got the gas to the dogs up the crowd that supplies the never see them or get. the fire burning across 730 square kilometers i think day began and could resume it turned day to night this video was recorded at 9 am we're just

getting sent in this fall and i have a new site i reckon that they say. that it's the wards of the east at the moment and it started in the town of no it didn't have the ability to there is currently under attack at the moment there's a number of houses we believe was lost in and around that community we've got 3 structure i'm sitting in with a community literally standing sort of i saw it with our community at the beachfront victoria's premier looked what seal straightly a defense force for help while fire bosses tried to calm residents not just among. but across the states number of communities. and again this was a scenario that we forecast a number of guys a guy so our focus today is very much about how we can gain how we can support. communities in the neighboring states of new south wales scenes repeated the

community have come to the local surf club with the ocean as their exit and this was a bait during the new year's holiday coastal towns a popular vacation spots authorities of tens of thousands of holidaymakers to go home or cancel their plans because the pavement for evacuation center in florida is really bad it's hard to. apocalyptic this isn't already a. major cities of not escape the choking smoke and flames a monday 100000 people were urged to evacuate from 5 melbourne suburbs this was filmed in western sydney just so far with. australia's wildfire season is breaking records. the 1st major fires started in early september before the arrival of spring the product of soaring temperatures dry ground and strong winds they've now destroyed more than 40000 square kilometers of land at any given time dozens if not

hundreds of fires are burning and the full heat of summer has yet to arrive. al-jazeera. so i have you on this news hour to lebanon former chairman flees japan where he's facing charges of financial misconduct and knighted for services as more information goes coach. portugal's highest on. however the weather still looks a little unsettled across some northern areas of the middle east at the moment more rain more snow or cloud piling in you can see the thick of cloud that is coming out of turkey know the parts of syria seeing quite a wintry mix then as we go through where the state's also some showers remedies to

sort of the mediterranean pushing towards syria maybe towards lebanon as well and a fair amount of fright and snow. across afghanistan if anything that becomes more widespread as we go on through thursday affair but a wintry weather coming through here couple top temperature around 3 degrees celsius the disturbed weather well more widespread around the levant isis well that rain just sliding its way down towards israel maybe even into lebanon as we go through the next couple of days wet weather coming across parts of northern syria into northern areas of iraq ahead of that we've got some cloud which will feed its way across northern areas of saudi arabia and we will see a few spots of rain on that watching a little further south which as we go on through thursday i think will stay fine and dry here in doha temperatures at around $23.00 degrees meaning meanwhile it's fun to drive across much of south africa we have got want to choose showers just around the mountain say but the wet to weather the northern medic aska.

when is the last time you out of the stalls and asked whether on line you feel the weight of the system when you walk through each and every level or layer further and further into the jail or if you join us on set we entry has to start from day one whether again you and attention or your own parser this is a dialogue everyone has a voice so far there are studies that support our coverage will be varying accounts but i want to give people the reason for joining the global conversation on al-jazeera. the brazilian economy is booming but deep divisions still exist between the haves and the have nots in a country where smartphones have become a part of everyday life technology help bridge the gap. this series that challenges developers to design apps for a better world travels to rio dish on native and needs the young people tasked with making a different life than

a veil of farm on al-jazeera. on the news here al jazeera and these are the top stories the u.s. is deploying additional troops to secure its embassy in iraq's capital after members and supporters of an iranian backed group surrounded and attacked the heavily fortified compound. new celebrations in hong kong have been scaled back the city is bracing for more protests with the times to disrupt news festivities the government demonstrations now in today's 6 months and fire crews in australia continue to battle the bushfires that have ravaged vast areas of country thousands

of people in the south east of track 12 people have been killed. the deadline for government in central african republic to hand over their weapons is passed and there's no sign that done so at least 40 people have been killed in days of fighting between market traders and groups in the capital bangui the trade has issued a 48 maidan to the gunman to surrender their weapons. with the un is sending its troops previous attempts to destroy the militias in this neighborhood. this is the market killing last week in which 41 people have been killed somebody has been in georgia the united nations is saying that it's finally deploying more troops to the area to disarm the people and also ensure that peace is maintained in this area apart from that. they're also saying that i should a side order has now been issued on anyone carrying a weapon in this neighborhood it looks like to be sides with the warring sides

actually tired of what's been happening all these years but be. the tipping point was when militias who have been protecting traders at this market from opposition militias from coming here and fighting them. other ones who eventually intimidating and of course exporting money from the traders here and those when the trade as we acted as has enough is enough it took up arms against them and then the united nations now and the security forces the central african up with coming in to maintain the peace now the united nations and local security courses deploying to this market by the way a short while ago we saw patrols of united nations mission in central africa going round the market to ensure that the new declination is maintained and supported at all cost. the main opposition party in bangladesh is demanding

a rerun of last year's election that held a rally in dhaka on monday at least a dozen people were injured during protests when police stopped demonstrators from marching towards the prime minister's office of a child who was at today's rally to find out why opposition supporters are refusing to give up their demands for a new election. this is the product protest by the united opposition alliance and the leftist pot is in bangladesh across the country their main protest is about 11 parliamentary elections that took place on december 2018 months. every day people are facing face cards of problems and the government is unable to soviets this government is an elected and in the just cements they should let go of the power and hold an election a democratic process on the same by the leftist party united tried to brought out a procession heading towards the prime minister's office was confronted by the

police and there was a major clash at least dozens of people were injured and freeway been. under he not in bangladesh there is no democracy now the present government is unelected and illegitimate we all rejected the last election and demand a new election under a neutral caretaker government yesterday police attacked us in a peaceful protest rally many were injured which is why we are here to protest. for our part the government is saying they came here with the public mandate the election was free and fair oh boy it's making them nervous that i want to hear my dad moved on by the opposition party against the government right now considering a lot to face red without knowing a crisis and what's going on across the border i mean they are the last thing they want to see a political movement in bangladesh. seconds a prisoner exchange could happen between russia and ukraine your member earlier in the week it was one of those john hall is in

a european broadcast center with more on that. kemal thank you russian president vladimir putin and his ukrainian counterpart volodymyr zelinsky have agreed to begin work on a new prisoner swap deal the leaders will immediately draw up a list of ukrainians held in russia including those in the annexed region of crimea and russians detained in ukraine a date for the exchange has not yet been publicly set on sunday about 200 prisoners were swapped in the latest sign of warming relations between the 2 countries are staying in russia 2 decades ago putin was handed the acting presidency in a surprise new year's eve speech by then president boris yeltsin 20 years later putin has brought russia increased influence in the world but it appears to have come at a price reports from some petersburg unpredictable not making compromises

and using swift decisive moves that's how glad to be a put in slate coach described as young pupils judo skills at an exhibition at his former sports school in st petersburg but anecdotally it accolades words could easily describe the president's leadership style and even today in his late sixty's put in likes to be seen throwing judo champions on the mat maintaining his image as a strong fit my chile leader. the phrase. she waited him after his inauguration was remember it's like sports when you always remember about the fence when you defend yourself remember about and. it's a lesson put in seems to have taken seriously during his 2 decades in power and dominated by his goal to make russia great again he's improved the lives of millions of russians suffering from the collapse of the soviet union and provided some stability but also he went to war in georgia in 2008 crimea in

2014 and backed separatists in the east of ukraine that same year. has played a decisive role in the war in syria and has become increasingly involved in other conflicts around the world. put in 0 and maybe even as example is peter the great who in the 17th century managed to expand the russian empire. and invasions now 3 centuries later put in like a modern day tsar so when the world has risen from the ruins of a collapsed soviet union like peter the great what then is holding a tight grip on society and some say this victory has come at a great cost. decision to hand over the presidency to put in was a serious miscalculation says filmmaker. who followed put in closely during his 1st

year in office and make this film put in swiftness of. those people who came up with this excess supply want to put in as we know them of course they were looking for a quiet. deal with daily affairs. things would be done by important people this was the scenario what happened to that scenario we have been watching in the past 20. 2 years. ago you would be able to put in your name i could not guess that russian russian voters would be so spineless and soft to surrender without a fight not only power but their own freedoms like that forever you don't mind skis film was never shown in russia. a growing opposition began split in school has been met with growing repression but while tens of thousands took part in street protests a few months ago put in still has

a large army of fans growing up and put into russia these young judo play you see the president as a role model and while he has only 4 years to go until the end of his last official term put in its end game is as unpredictable as his judo moves step faster al-jazeera st petersburg or. german chancellor angela merkel has used her new year's message to tell her country that everything must be done to tackle climate change merkel backed a package of measures aimed at addressing climate change including a carbon dioxide pricing system for the transport and heating sectors and lowering tax on long distance rail tickets. the warming of our earth is real it threatening these are the crises that arise from global warming are caused by humans so we must do everything humanly possible to deal with this challenge for humanity it's still possible at the age of $65.00 i'm at an age which i personally

will no longer experience all the consequences of climate change that would occur if politicians do not act it's our children and grandchildren who will have to live with the consequences of what we do or do not do today that's why i'm doing all i can to ensure that germany makes its contribution ecologically economically and socially to getting a grip on climate change. musicians from the paris opera of protested against the french government's plan to overhaul the retirement system. and that the orchestra took its protest to the steps of the opera bus deal on tuesday calling on president emmanuel mccrone to give ground on the pension plans anger over the pension reforms led to a transport strike that is now into its 26th day micron is due to make his new year's eve speech to the nation in the next hour well there's more from us here in

london at 900 g.m.t. that's in about 15 minutes or so but for now it's back to come all in doha thanks john up and happy new year to you and everyone in our london news into now the former chairman of nissan has fled to lebanon from japan where he faces a trial over allegations of financial misconduct colors go on has 3 passwords including a lebanese one he was arrested in tokyo in 2018 but released under strict bail conditions he said he didn't flee justice but quote escaped injustice and political persecution as the lawyers said go and legal team had all his passports and called his behavior inexcusable well guns one of the world's most high profile company bosses now facing a litany of charges in japan born in brazil raised in beirut he was appointed chief operating officer at nissan then as chairman he forged the alliance with renault and it's a big which created the world's 2nd largest car manufacturer is now being investigated

in japan for understating his own income from the sun and hiding 4 years' worth of compensation payments going was arrested in tokyo last year accused of funneling $5000000.00 of nissan's money for his own benefit you may fled to lebanon but as faces trial back in japan over financial misconduct. still ahead for you on al-jazeera sports news 3000 kilometers apart tennis rivals are preparing for a tournament with a difference. wow . wow. wow. wow wow. wow wow.

wow. wow wow. wow wow. wow. wow. wow. wow wow. wow teenagers in colombia are risking their lives riding modified push bikes down

the highways the country's more extreme version of gravity biking a sport invented in the u.s. to say it helps them forget the troubles in their neighborhoods and the reports. as night falls and maybe even a group of teenagers ride their modified bikes down these vertiginous roads they crouch to increase speed passing trucks in cars at up to 100 kilometers an hour. called gravity bikes they're columbia's more extreme version of an already dangerous sport invented in the united states and for many youngsters from poor crime ridden neighborhoods on the hills around the city it has become a deadly pastime 17 year old model is one of them all up and i don't know you're always thinking about the risks people crashing getting killed and the serious accidents we all suffer i know i need to think and understand i can kill myself but we keep doing it because it's our passion. to go faster the bikes are

rebuilt often from scratch riders personalize them and attach weights to the frame to make them heavier pedals and chains are removed to reduce friction. to get to the top of the hills riders latch onto passing trucks at times using homemade hooks on a line. marlon has survived 3 close brushes with death and proudly shows his scars his friend tattooed on his belly the name of a cousin who died in a gravity bike accident in. the town. on the outskirts of maybe as band the practice out right. free of marland's writhing companions this year and serious accidents have been. so much so that this call where most of them said he had started safety campaigns and also donated helmets that nobody really seems

to be using. this school psychologist says most of the kids come from broken homes and some fall into drug abuse their bikes becoming a way of demonstrating their value in courage you know i know but i guess you get me if you ask them. they'll say they do it for the adrenaline the desire to experiment but the truth is they are often dealing with depression parental absence so becomes a self destructive way of excusing from their reality. no night nobody here likes to crash the fall nor ruin the bike that was built with so much sacrifice and time but it's our lifestyle and we don't have any other safer place to do it. understands he needs to take more precautions but says he won't be dissuaded by listening. and a little more regular sport now with paul thanks colombia's world cup football and one from nando can tatto has demanded answers from the new head of the country's army it concerns the disappearance of his father more than 20 years ago can tell it

was 2 years old when his father hi mate went missing in 1995 his family allege that jaime disappeared after falling out with the commander of the base where he was doing his military service that command that was eduardo zapatero that man who was sworn into the top military post on monday can terror has now asked to meet zapatero the case is one of many taken up by columbia's national center for historical memory which claims more than 80000 people were forcibly disappeared between 158-2015. i join in the feeling and pain of the content of family i want to tell one foot in undocking total that i also respect him that you are our football idol and that the doors of my army commander are always open for you and your family. scottish club glasgow rangers have demanded action after claiming their colombian star alfredo morello's was racially abused by celtic fans and was sent off after diving to try and win

a penalty at the end of rangers $21.00 when he then made justice to the crowd as he walked off scottish police say they haven't received any complaints as yet. argentinian joins pocket juniors have announced one of their formal legends as the new coach. has returned to the buenos aires club charged with reclaiming the limited doors trophy they haven't been champions of south america since 2007 when ross i was last in charge barca lost the final to the great rivals river plate in 28. well winningly brings adulation in south america and for flamengo coach george soros it has now seen him receive a knighthood the president of portugal presented us with the honor at the bell in paris in lisbon the 65 year old portuguese only took over as head coach of the brazilian team in june but has become a hero with the flamenco fans delivering long awaited national and continental titles. english premier league players won't get much chance to celebrate the turn

of the decade there's 9 more games on new year's day pep guardiola as manchester city host everton who as of last week have carlo once allotting in charge is the italians the lowest profile club in some 20 years after spells with the likes of ac milan roma dreaded by munich but pep thinks color will make everton great again she conduct one of the greeters and more experience to use in europe the least he's huge in when that happens because you are in an incredible manager so incredible news for english football his bike and he can make incredible job there in everett to the n.b.a. where there was some brotherly love for the milwaukee bucks as they ended the year on a high at the top of the eastern conference with a win over the chicago bulls milwaukee star player and ted to compost was back in action after a back injury the reigning m.v.p. scored 23 points but it wasn't the stats that wowed the crowd. this dunk absolutely

astonishing his teammate and older brother and asses and such a convo the man known as the greek freak still managing to surprise his own family bucks winning 123200 so. the miami heat suffered one of their most stunning losses of the season 20201918 loath the washington wizards jordan mcrae scored 29 garrison matthews added 28 to help washington cool off the heat's playoff ambitions with 123-2105 victory. plans to slash the amount of time it takes to play a cricket match have been cautiously backed by the sport's founding country england the world governing body the i.c.c. is looking at proposals to cut test matches from 5 days to a mia 4 after 2023 the english cricket board is tentatively agreeing to the change test matches have been played over 5 days for the past 140 years but only

a 3rd of matches in the modern game now require a 5th day. the world's top tennis players are preparing for the 1st tournament of 2020 the new a.t.p. cup team event but in very unusual circumstances well them one rafael nadal lair is in perth in western australia where he'll lead spain in their group 3 and a half 1000 kilometers away in brisbane big rival novak djokovic is with serbia after the group stage the team's all had to sydney for the knockout match is one of the begins on friday and has a $15000000.00 prize fund. the american team took time out from training on tuesday to meet fire fighters in perth john is now on taylor fritz thanks members of the service in western australia who have been tackling the fires devastating many parts of the country. and i will have more lights a coal thank you for that and happy new year my friends coming up for 2 hours till . the new year here in doha and we're going to leave you now in this news hour with a look back at some of the big stories of 2019 have been. demonstrated you know to

them opposition to a proposed extradition. now it's the summer of it's called. for to say it's become about much more than the post-war. to about the future of this city halls closed on a record breaking day on the election pro-democracy party secured a record number of seats. the way the political and social unrest is sweeping south america. in super they talk about it. one way you do is the man that challenges his legitimacy on some day if you're still the president of bolivia why did they choose the exact hour and the next so. this is how the end of 30 years of looked when president already this year was deposed. after 18 months of. and 4

months of negotiations sudan's routing made its way home town and the opposition coalition and so find a power sharing deal. protests time to celebrations of the news and both of his resignation. it's not about where your allegiance is lie in this deeply divided sectarian country. all walks of life are united against the political leadership. panic among the crowds of protesters as gunfire and coast around central baghdad protesters say they want to live in an independent iraq that the public united states and iraq. people are dying entire school systems collapsing we are in the beginning

of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and family tales of economic growth how did you. what words to the prime minister can adequately express the pain and suffering of new zealand stock as they walked words can be anguish of muslim communities targeted by hatred and violence. carnage in churches and one of the most important days of the christian calendar. this is what the end of isis self declared caliphate looks like. a movie a car al baghdadi is dead. the time is now run out. to catch the opportunity to serve the country.

boris johnson returned to downing street try. and once the conservatives have redrawn britain's political map. the result was never in doubt article one is adopted and woodrow is the 3rd u.s. president in history to be impeached it's a disgrace indeed administered kashmir has been cut off from the outside world the indian government has revoked the region's autonomy. a nobel peace prize winner the claim for years by the military now defending them and herself against charges of genocide. i accept this award on the awful video bins into its eons especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of peace the spirit is so easily just so. this is so low.

january on al-jazeera president donald trump is that that president in history to be impeached what does this mean for the future of the u.s. leader on the brink of an election before much chilian presidential candidate explores the defeat of left wing political parties across latin america and look at how this year's world economic forum to focus on ways to tackle the impact of climate change an expropriation of family links to the city's regime examines it

it's early may now be embracing fascist ideologies most believed gone forever with the general election out of the way bricks it is now set and how moving you can proceed with a transitional period in the coming months january on al-jazeera. discover the world of al-jazeera. the best films from across our network of channels under 506 boards and to go to one of them of citizenship fresh perspectives and new insights to challenge and change the way we look at the world. cup. al-jazeera world. on al-jazeera. what kind of care does that provide and is anyone willing to pick up the cost we bring you the stories and developments that are rapidly changing the world we live in so is it possible to trump is actually

a little right the economy counting the cost on al-jazeera. furious protesters break into the u.s. embassy compound in iraq after american warplanes strike a powerful shia group. on jonah all this is al jazeera live from london also coming up red skies and charger in australia as thousands of people are trapped by a bushfire crisis barling out of control. seeking justice muslim women who were detained in china.