between a rock and a hard place after weeks of. protests more than one and a half million people signed a petition. on climate change. with indifference to the naming and shaming of media workers by a british newspaper in connection with allegations of spreading information. and a russian town becomes the subject of a national scandal after the children of local officials go on a trip to turkey. and

christmas from moscow an. international and seven o'clock news round up this hour with. welcome to the program. more than one million people have already signed an online petition demanding to see over climate action it piles fresh problems on the french president who has tried to placate furious yellow vests protesters rallying against fuel tax rises. takes up the story. seems this was not the president the corn was hoping to find under his christmas tree on christmas day this petition is backed by four charities including two charities here in france and it's not just go on and move the one point six million signatures it's also being backed by french celebrities but we are simply going to sue the french state for its inactions regarding climate change we're trying to

force the state to drastically reduce emissions another headache perhaps of president gore who has already been having a difficult few weeks as the yellow vests protests continue they've been going on now for more than six weeks some of the weekends here in paris have seen would have been described as the worst roit seen more than half a century. now they all started six weeks ago on nov seventeenth over plans to increase a tax on fuel here in france now that led to a president trump of the u.s. to mock president might call over that the paris agreement isn't working out so

well for paris protests and riots all over france people do not want to be large sums of money much to third world countries there are questionably run in order to maybe protect the environment chanting we want trump law france for weeks off to protest started president might could turn round and said you know what ok i've heard your cries we're actually going to scrap that field tax increase on the mission now the yellow vest protest is haven't been totally a piece by that and it seems the president might call. as i'm good environmentalist's by making that decision many people saying you cold sit on the fence when it comes to climate change how can you scrap a fuel tax which is meant to be used for money to improve the environment and say at the same time that you're fighting to protect the environment. the international community remains committed to the fight against climate change fronts and your must show the way the fight goes on and this comes amidst bad pollings for

president michel as well a current polling suggests that he's at twenty seven percent follow them when he came into office when that was around sixty percent so it seems the festive period not so fresh stiff the president might call in and it seems the french president is on many people's naughty list this year the mass protests have echoed around the world most recently in germany where an m.p. from the left party is urging people to rally like the french what is offered dodge there should be more resistance in germany we need more people to come to the streets that's how we'll achieve our aims let's pressure the government the politicians to bring about social justice the quality issues in judea even worse than in france because of the new liberal policies that a monarchy is for work in france already been passed and. so we are seeing the facts first german establishment is scared because they know that their position is

untenable they know what they have done to this country and they know that the people are angry one of the problems in france is that movement is not accorded nice to know but they are just starting out in forming leaderships in germany we already have been understood leader of the movement which is dark next she has credible political experience and she can provide that leadership to guide us to a change in our country. but his newspaper the times has named and shamed russian media outlets offices in the u.k. after an m.p. accused the organization of spreading disinformation the hounding of the outlets journalists has been met with indifference by media protection creeps. and initially it was it was a bit of a shock on the other hand kind of hardly surprising given the instructions sentiment there is you know travel in all your key newspapers just say but it's

yes not nice to see your picture up there with your name except under the headline of being part of a crime when stooge but as i say you know it's very much part of what's going on just saying you carry the sunday times has been so thorough in its reporting of the threat of so-called russian descent from ation that its latest story about the russian funded radio stations putin it which has a bureau in edinburgh carries the photographs of the journalists that work there labels them kremlin stooges and quotes a politician who suggests that their assets should be frozen i would good for school harassment i think putting the pictures the hotel graphs of people who work on a newspaper like that i think is tantamount to almost it might put those people's lives in danger i'm a member of the national news journalists and are we write into my unit in the new year to ask what do you need is planning to do about these journalists working for russian media organizations here in the u.k.

have had to develop a thick skin over the past few years as tensions between london and moscow have heightened articles calling for outlets like r.t. and sputnik to be banned have become a regular occurrence but recently the big papers have gone a step further and they started singling out the journalists working for russian media outlets this is the london bureau chief for russia's channel one more series of last month he did some filming outside the gates of a british military base first story about the british army's cyber warfare unit aimed at fighting so-called russian propaganda he didn't break any laws gave his press credentials to all the security guards he met and left several weeks later the u.k.'s daily mail newspaper printed. his personal details and accused him of being a spy the story was reprinted by a plethora of papers it ratcheted up so much that the u.k.'s defense secretary

issued a statement for citizens to stay vigilant. we sent an inquiry to the defense ministry there's a form on their website but we didn't get any response filming near the base is not illegal it's a public area of public land you don't need permission to film there you need permission to get inside talk to the stuff we didn't record our interaction with the security personnel we didn't try to penetrate the b.b.c. correspondent did the exact same thing as us it was broadcast and i want things of punishing him there's nothing illegal and you don't even have to work for the russian media to find yourself in hot water just expressing views that the mainstream is enough to be labeled a kremlin stooge putin's poor or useful idiot in the information war nowadays you have extreme language and if you find someone with an opinion which you object to and you don't agree with you then abused him or her by causing by causing

them a stooge or to use the famous explosion about lennon there were useful idiots the sputnik story isn't the first time the sunday times has used the naming and shaming tactic back in october the paper took aim at the tongue in cheek i see why in my you tube channel which is funded like r.t. by russian taxpayers and fronted by yours truly the paper didn't shy away from printing my photograph and labeled the project the blue peter of russian propaganda the times didn't request a comment from r.t. or myself it seems that naming and shaming doesn't carry a right of reply. r.t.l. several media organizations to comment on what's happened among them the international federation of journalists the international press institute and the s.c. will let you know when we get a response. german magazine der spiegel says it's

reporting one of its former top journalists to the police over allegations he stole donations made to people who featured in his articles class he is already mired in scandal after he admitted last week to fabricating over a dozen stories that has since sacked the award winning writer it suspects he may have faked more stories than he's owned up to. now one man who's popularized the term fake news is donald trump has a look back at some of the is biggest fakes. you are fake the level of dishonesty is that if it. was for me i realized. how fake the press can be very fake that one from famous catchphrase fake news has dominated the headlines ever since he first uttered it why does it drive his detractors so crazy well some would argue that it's true false information and

deceptive reporting seems to be everywhere let's review some of the fake news of twenty eighteen. well one of the most outrageous examples was the cover of time magazine it depicted a sobbing toddler representing donald trump's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents however it turns out that the girl in the photograph was not separated from her mother. who was not separated from her mother but yeah she's the face of this immigration problem of me that she has helped to create awareness. but let's go through some other examples now folks had a good laugh when it was revealed that the washington post that actually cited the satirical publication known as click call when reporting on the fact that british people were trying to make the song american idiot by green day go through the charts when donald trump was visiting the country and in other instances we've seen

journalists just straight up making things up. for example a reporter for the web scene known as mike claimed that maria who to know who's just pled guilty to charges of being an unregistered lobbyist for russia was in a meeting at the oval office i thought this was a photo show but it's not this is my review. of the in the russian spy in the oval office with turned. now that she was wrong the person in the photograph was actually a national security council staffer but in the journalist defense they both do have red hair and we all know that all of us gingers look the same. how about a paper on canine rape culture in dog parks or a feminist rewrite of hitler's my struggle it turns out that this year fake news was used to make a political point people were submitting fake research in order to expose what they believed was a bias in aca damia some of the fake research got through. and

one trend we saw throughout the year was fact checkers retracting their fact checks what could be more embarrassing those who claim they are stopping the spreading misinformation actually spreading misinformation themselves and admitting to it based on what we've seen throughout the year it seems pretty clear that fake news will be while alive in twenty nineteen. r.t. new york. may be hoping for at least some rest spine from what he sees as the fake . the president has already tweeted make christmas and his presence just about now .

holloa. teacher it's. great that they.

have christmas. international and presence to quickly machine will a very merry christmas i'll be back in iran ninety seconds with more news after this break. max geysers financial survival guide. causing bob all. oh you mean there's a downside to artificial mortgage group don't get carried away that's cause report . join me every thursday on the alex simon shore and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see you then.

manufacture consent to step into the public well. when the running plus the summer project themselves. with the final merry go round listen to one person. making the middle of the room sick. leave the room. the bright side of christmas festive songs are in the air as some have a slightly different ring to them with lyrics that carry a less traditional message like this parody remake of carol of the bells which is attractive thousands of views online.

see you very very very. very very. good so good so does the nobody minds of my but i know what it's look to me for i've never heard joe before. christmas classics have had a hard time lately for example the song baby it's cold outside was bound by some radio stations a sexist the popular jingle bells has been slammed as racist while rudolph the red nosed reindeer is apparently a bully t.v. host and political commentator steve malzberg things the remake of carol of the bells we just heard makes a valid point. i thought it was brilliantly done it addressed a problem. that we really have to address in this country here in the united states

and it did it in a satirical fashion ironically enough maybe some people will be offended that they took that christmas song and chose it for the era of their music and to do their parody none the less it addressed every one of the problems going on on our universities or college campuses today it addressed the safe spaces that the college students are given because they can't take it they addressed capitalism being taught is evil gender you can't assume somebody is gender freedom of speech freedom of thought it's all encompassed in this parody and i think it was brilliantly done. scandal has hit a russian town after the children of city officials travel to turkey is in money donated to a children's charity but in a question of picks up the story. a group of children from the russian town of clinton say five hundred kilometers from moscow went on

a trip to turkey the journey was organized by a charity foundation which helps children with severe illnesses and those caught up in difficult situations these go to the clean. and i would have with them good. to be it's good. cooler to look at their form dream a new car out of a well turns out some of those children work kids city officials local media discovered a video where the town's top officials try to explain why this happened went viral but you cannot look you cannot mean you thought that they needed to go to the clinic we need to do. it with you. before you could. do it but you might assume to new point you could be dishing it gets even better or rather wars the mayor's daughter was also among the lucky ones to go to the russians were outraged and many of them went on social media to vent their fury

these super arrogant officials are fully confident in their impunity they must be fired a government official is a duty not a privilege. our officials are the neediest people in our country the worst. but it's not just ordinary citizens who are up in arms officials have also come out strongly against of the incidents calling it immoral and noxious after this scandal erupted so they had of the city administration explained that the children of local officials work as volunteers and some of them are gifted members of society. talented children they are volunteers this world and it was the year of volunteers there was a special meeting where the candidates were chosen just as the formed to do they had of the charity foundation says there were no violations you ring the selection process she now plans an official complaint against the local media but the flames

of a scandal have already been lit the governor of the regions as he will investigate what happened and as for the local official who loved one being asked about the consequences the woman who put you. first. well we've learnt that you no longer works there the matter of the town under fire has now reimbursed the costs of selling the children of officials on the trip. china has highlighted what it calls hypocrisy over u.s. claims of spying by beijing accusing washington of using its embassies around the world for covert surveillance. but the u.s. accuses china for tagging in cyber security but the latest we do extra release shows the u.s. is guilty of throwing stones glass houses the statement came after wiki leaks published a list of u.s. embassy purchases the report highlighted spying here reportedly made for cia and

national security agency global operations u.s. embassies are being used to spy on foreign nations around the world including washington's own allies diplomatic compounds are said to have bought various spy equipment that includes cameras disguised as ties shirt buttons and caps embassy also purchased microphones night vision gear and secret g.p.s. locators the u.s. has yet to respond to the claims that one security expert benjamin chowed told us this would not be just a violation of international law but also of agreements with beijing the now infamous u.s. eavesdropping of its values is already common knowledge with the world president's office. openly criticized the u.s. on the use of similar equipment before a sudden spike in behavior are right oh right by allusions to international laws and agreements not to mention ones interest for example the u.s.

and china have signed agreements a few years ago or when stopping spying activities for commercial purposes the more than china is a peaceful country and we believe in limited situations through trade but at the same time china is becoming very well equipped in mordor warfare exposure in bending the country in electronic or. tennis legend martina navratilova is in the spotlight after getting embroiled in a twitter spat over transgender people participating in the supporters of women. clearly that can't be right you can't just be claim herself a female and be able to compete against women there must be some standards and having competing as a woman would not feed that standard. the tweet provoked a mixed reaction online including from cyclist rachel mckinnon who last year became the first transgender athlete to win a world title. that's transforming genitals do not play

sports what part of it's related to tennis i hope you see your way to regret and how you've handled this never to have us through it is just another variation on someone saying that if you have a piece you're not a woman let's get real and stop pretending she isn't trans phobic just because she's ridge and famous and effect woke like pretensions you're the real hero here i'm a teacher the truth is painful to some but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be spoken it's incredibly disappointing that you've been intimidated into backing down from telling the truth. now battle over is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time she's also a widely known as. active as however following the spate of criticism she apologized and deleted her tweet the issue of transgender athletes and sport is generating huge debate check out more views on the issue at our website that's dot com and that's all this hour neil harvey will take over with more headlines in around thirty minutes time but first up it's the kaiser report.

so what we've got to do is identify the threats that we have it's crazy confrontation let it be an arms race. spearing dramatic development the only really i'm going to lose is i don't see how that strategy will be successful very critical

time to sit down and talk. i had a great education a good job and a family that loved me. i never had to warn you about how i would be somewhere i would sleep. but i'm facing christmas alone on the streets of london. while you look. for you like you only. really. no the slaughter still give out food for the homeless to. sleep. because you don't really feel like the big you know. and then. the guy just came over its missile me and gave me all just misspoke.

where does that come to russia no one's ever no one has ever heard of that country never even heard about most school. kids. q.

what politicians do something to. put themselves on the line to get accepted or rejected. so when you want to be president i'm sure. will somehow want to be rich. but you'd like to be prosperous like them before freedom or can't be good. i'm interested always in the waters of our. first city hall. max kaiser this is the kaiser report santa didn't bring me nothing santa is on my black list now santa's air travel says yes it's christmas day

a great part of the world celebrates this as some sort of holiday i were my reindeer shirt that's not a reindeer that's bambi there's a random deer in the forest on rudolph or reindeers or christmas or even if that's alive that's fake moves fake news from the forest that's a close as i can get and this is my closest i can get to tinsel it looks like my tinsel jacket and that is what i'm wearing for you know we had began twenty eighteen with the stock market in the first six months of the year and nine months of the year we really were on a tear they went up and up and up and up and many millennial zx were showing their robin-hood at screens showing how much money they were making also the beginning of last year you had a lot of queen bros and when lamb bows and to the moon sorenson the big clean space who are like you know we're driving our lembo is and we're.