u.s. state of alabama launches an investigation into meddling in a senate election campaign in twenty seventeen pro-democratic group is reportedly behind. social media accounts that were faked to discredit a republican rival. their vehicles are reportedly seen entering a city in northern syria new. territory with a high level delegation from turkey travel to russia for talks on syria and the united states with. the scandal surrounding a disgraced advisor to the french president reports claim there's been using a diplomatic passport long after he was dismissed for beating up a protest. in

moscow welcome to our viewers update from international first for you this hour the u.s. state of alabama has launched a probe into an alleged meddling campaign during a twenty seventeen local senate election which have been blamed on russia it turns out that a pro-democratic billionaire funded a us group created more than a thousand fake russian bots on social media allegedly to discredit a republican rival as the story the attorney general for the u.s. state of alabama is looking into democratic party. during the twenty seven special election it appears that roy moore the republican candidate may have lost due to some shady activities that did not come from russia the information is concerning the impact it had only election is something that's significant for us to explore and we'll go from there it's been revealed that during the special election democratic party operatives worked on facebook and twitter to undermine. nine roy

morris campaign now doug jones the democrat who won is backing a federal investigation i'd like to see the federal election commission and the justice department look at these to see if there were any laws being violated and if they would prosecute those responsible this came to undermine it was pretty simple create fake facebook pages and russian accounts on twitter to confuse republican voters this gave the false impression that roy morris campaign was backed by the kremlin and put it into the mix of anti russian hysteria and the operation was carried out by the pro democratic party cyber security firm known as new knowledge jonathan morgan the c.e.o. of new knowledge is actually considered to be an expert on these kinds of issues he apparently is the mastermind behind hamilton sixty eight a website that frequently reports on social media activities which it blames on russia saying that they're intending to sow discord at the same time new knowledge helped release a senate report that was considered to be a bombshell about alleged russian meddling in the u.s.

presidential elections the irony is that jonathan morgan who says he's against dissin from ation is now banned from facebook for just that we take a strong stand against people who say sions to create networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are will they do it seems that these companies have all become meddling experts for the mainstream media that frequently covers reports about alleged russian descent from a ship to get out apparently has not chosen to run with this story the revelations were revealed on december nineteenth but it was only on december twenty seventh that c.n.n. chose to report on this this information they only did so after there had been some outcry and their reporting on it was very short now we've reached out to c.n.n. to see why they haven't jumped on this story and we are waiting for a response i wonder how much coverage this new piece of information will get as we uncover some of the mystery behind the alleged russian bought and find out they didn't come from or. all. our see new york media analyst daniel told

us that the mainstream media is using supposed russian meddling as a political tool. the media are so heavily invested in this russia gate story which is turning out to be a non-story or actually a very misleading story but they're not willing to admit it they sort of can't process this new information because it goes counter to their narrative so they're trying to ignore it we have the spooks booking themselves i mean everyone is pointing to russia they're putting out dubious information about russian influence and then they're trying to use. the specter of russian influence in order to influence american elections so it's like you know it's like it's media disinformation squared mueller has been looking into this story this question since may of two thousand and seven team he has not come up with one bit of evidence of

collusion between the trump campaign and the kremlin all along it was quite evident that the the story was very different the story was how the russia gate story was be concocted in order to work for other purposes. right now top diplomats and high ranking military officials from turkey are in moscow for talks on syria tensions escalated since don't trump surprise decision to pull u.s. troops out of the country meanwhile turkish armored vehicles have reportedly been seen entering the northern city of durable this turkey's been boosting its military presence on both sides of its border with syria since trump announced the troop withdrawal. around forty kilometers from the city of miami beach where the syrian army says it's now in control they were deployed there after an appeal from civilians and kurdish fighters who fear a turkish offensive he explains the crucial role to play in all of this. they call

themselves freedom fighters turkey calls them terrorists the us use them as their proxy army well after this used to there will be a strong deliberate and orderly withdrawal of u.s. forces from syria very deliberate very orderly turkey has already begun massing its forces on the front line and the kurds know all too world the consequences of that they've been there with afrin back in january the turks launched operation all of branch against the minorities northern most territories there were reports the syrian army could have intervened but in the end the kurds put on a brave face and decided to go it alone and their friend fell and quickly for the turkish army the operation was hardly more challenging than a drill. the

turks almost move deeper to another major kurdish stronghold of man bitch their u.s. generals literally had to put their bodies between the two to prevent bloodshed now the u.s. is abandoning syria and the kurds while erdogan has been making it clear that a kurdish held man bitch just won't stand with him. these terrorists have to go to the east of the euphrates if they do not leave we will send them that was postponed eventually but not indefinitely unless the kurds leave man bridge when we already again serious division entire aim is to make terrorist organizations leave the area if the terrorists leave then there is no work left for us anyway the american withdrawal has left the kurds with a limited number of options really so they've turned to damascus asking to shield them we invited the syrian government which we belong to to send its armed forces

to take over these positions and protect month beach in the face of turkish threats . and in response to the requests of the population of manby age the syrian government and its armed forces announce it is sending in troops to man bitch and so there they are the government forces have entered the kurdish kingdom for the first time in years with russia being a major influence on damascus turkey's once again turning to moscow so the cards have been dealt and now it's down to turkey if they will go all in. he goes down of there well investigative journalist max blumenthal talked to us about why a kurdish assad collaboration worries turkey so much. we've heard conflicting reports of actually the syrian government entering the city of man vs which was recaptured from isis in two thousand and sixteen by the kurdish and this would indicate that there is on the ground collaboration between the kurdish s.d.f.

and the syrian government a lot of people are troubled by this in turkey the u.s. didn't consider this a possibility but the fact is that these kurds are syrians they're syrian citizens and actually this is a natural partnership against a common enemy in isis and so both the syrian government and the s.d.f. are determined not to see isis return and i think it's actually a positive development as far as stabilisation goes. gyptian authorities say that forty suspected terrorists have been killed in police raids in cairo in the surrounding area the operation comes after friday's deadly attack on a tourist bus near the giza pyramids four people were killed and dozens injured by a roadside bomb two tourists from vietnam died along with two egyptians who thought to say they received a tip off the more terror attacks were being prepared against tourist sites and churches the attack on friday is the first since a man killed three foreign tourists and injured three of those in the resort city of god in july last year. it's been a bumpy ride for the u.s.

stocks in recent months with markets hitting historic lows in october blue chip companies like facebook amazon and google all ended down investors were apparently reacting to the ongoing trade war between the united states and china christmas eve so another plunge and the democrats were quick to blame trump policies. today's events have made one thing clear president trump is plunging the country into chaos the stock markets down another five hundred points general mattis is stepping down donald trump bowed sees the u.s. central banking system. federal reserve is the main source of the problems in a tweet even compared it to a powerful golfer who can't part there are some though that are blaming market instability another source computer technology around eighty five percent of all trade is controlled by programs designed to buy and sell according to market data but the algorithms work much faster than humans and can check huge volumes of numbers in seconds financial commentator charlie ball predicts more people head for

wall street. the next year is going to bring a crash much worse than two thousand and eight we had a lot of systems are good make based trading and a lot of financial products that were basically made up and systems were enhancing that but then you have the human nature side of markets which which corrects and as it as it should these these bubbles are going to correct again and this is why we're experiencing a dip in the stock market at the moment we've got these artificially inflated stocks all around the world and interest rates have been crazily low the only people who have been benefiting from that is the is the rich institutions. but it's going to come to a head with the biggest the biggest one issue over the next half hour half the year i'd say is the is the debt we've got more debt than we've ever had multiple times and the problems are much bigger than we had in two thousand and eight so they can't print any more money they can't reduce interest rates any lower and most of

the banks even if you increases the interest rates a small amount they'll flexibly been in the insolvent. twenty eighteen drawing to a close it's time to take stock of the year gone by. in case you missed it take a look back. twenty years. to remember sex trim. and two men on a mini break to look at the big clock it is twelve one if i see why my eyes look back at the last it's a christmas miracle. there you go off to a sexy start making january a scary time full rich men need to draw on you to store these fred that you can defy the secretary gavin williamson was involved with a married woman when he was a manager at a fire place it was fourteen years ago and consenting you can do i sympathize with him until you realize it's kevin williamson january was also a high point in

a trend that so eighty it's. just natural selection working its magic in february an official report declared that the u.k. was facing brags that. that's paraphrased president secretary david davis calmed everyone down by saying the phrase it in the u.k. into a mad max style distain c.m. a few months later he quit and oddments britain is still very very also mock the first major u.s. school shooting and this time in florida that would be plenty more but the us made the brave decision to do about it and mom was when twenty really got going someone normally a. british spy sagacious crip out and his daughter yulia pads back with much less attention though even the reagans ignored and embracing for themselves reporting on russia uncertain russian diplomats was sent packing from western capitals moscow

denied any involvement as did a couple of cloak loving cathedral enthusiasts neighbor was busy in the script. in the u.s. the u.k. and france launched airstrikes against. the way the armed groups in that brazen welcome to numb the results. i don't remember the name they don't trump announced that my friend is so around in the british capital that is practically a war zone they say because it is really angry they insisted that just because the moderates of the highest has been in a decade that does not mean the us president can be so mean also the some celebrities lastly rosie wearing a dress that didn't fit in here in the great romance of the year reached base politically speaking donald trump finally met with korea's cuddly tire and kim jong il in a single poor hotel the best buds agreed to denuclearize north korea and world war three was delayed by a week at least. in the first six months of twenty eighteen. public

doesn't know when you're going to hold on for one russian granny means clocking up more and more. yes and set fire to preserve the traits of yet she admitted to her you have to be ruthless. yes he would want your three months of so if i can use it thank you i do

not live in. the touch. while. you're watching i'll take a new scandals bring around a former french presidential advisor sacked this summer after he beat up a protester is our next story after the break. i've been saying the numbers mean something they matter the u.s. has over one trillion dollars in debt more than ten thousand dollars fine tamping each day. eighty five percent of global wealth you longs to the rich eight point

six percent market saw thirty percent just last year some with four hundred to five hundred three per circuit first second and bitcoin rose to twenty thousand dollars . china is building two point one billion dollars ai industrial park but don't let the numbers overwhelm. the only numbers you need to remember is one one does not show you can afford to miss the one and only. welcome to the crystal ball edition of crosstalk what can we expect in the new year we have a great lineup of guests telling us they think. french

politicians are demanding explanations from president mccrum they want to know why disgraced former advisor still has diplomatic immunity and represents france abroad alexander banaba reportedly used a diplomatic passport during business trips after his dismissal a former presidential security advisor was fired in the summer off the video emerged showing him viciously beating a protester politicians in france a people with his status called travel without the knowledge of the ministry of foreign affairs. when you want to visit a country with a diplomatic passport you need to send a verbal note your ministry of foreign affairs informs the embassy when you're arriving to facilitate the visa process if the ministry is not able to provide us with a verbal no then the must have been an intervention from outside maybe from a higher government or body which allowed mr bernard law to make visits to the country via standard diplomatic procedures if person called the thought it couldn't

get any worse off the weeks of violent protests engulfing france think again now his disgraced former bodyguard alexander another is back for a second bite of the cherry it's emerged he may have been using diplomatic post boards obtained during his time working from that call one of which is said to have been issued to americans trusted confidant only weeks after being filmed beating up a protest was. was the french foreign ministry says it's just for their return and says they should only be used for official for it any use of these passports since then would have been despite the commitments made by the person in question it's alleged he used in doing a trip to africa including

a visit to chad where he said to have met the country's president that meeting came just weeks before korn made an official trip to chad and was forced to red faced to give an explanation this person was a no win official or an official intermediary on the foreign minister the diplomatic advisor to the president and his africa advisor representing the head of state in africa president macron wants to entirely void the use of intermediaries especially in africa though the former aide maintains he never represented himself as anything but a private investor corns office has formally rupie. with regard to the current personal it to the to switch ask you to ensure that conducted with strict respect for the confidentiality and ethical responsibilities of your time in this office. despite trying to distance itself even further from the nella

opposition politicians are now questioning whether man can still has ties to his former confidant this is having them as this could potentially short circuit french diplomacy who examined the now a good bit of danger for the republic this man is different from the image of someone who was sanctioned after what happened in may and who up to this action has received two diplomatic passports when you have a diplomatic passport means that you go you speak for the country so of course on this one like why you see meeting you know people official people you know in africa if this person is no one you know according to a two to the government if it's not a diplomat if it's not a friend if it's not an advisor then what he is then who is i mean all the whys you know why he had those passport back and who given this passport back so obviously there's

a connection like somehow somewhere with one person or different people maybe the president's else i don't know but if what has been revealed you know for the past few hours about his few trips in africa if this is true then it's very concerning. british governments being slammed for his latest push to reduce the use of plastic in british schools the education secretary is calling on all schools to drop single use plastic items by twenty twenty two and use environmentally friendly alternatives but critics are quick to point out that the government's own national program to deliver fruit and vegetables to schools makes extensive use of fasting packaging the co-founder of the campaign group a plastic planet believe the government's anything but a pairing and i think over to you. if the u.k. government is going to encourage organizations like schools to reduce their plastic usage to create plastic free schools. then of course they must also show by

leadership by cutting out as much plastic as they can possibly do it is not defensible for the government of the u.k. to send out calls to schools to say let's cut down on plastic in communication that is that should be packaged in plastic it's it's matt i think at the moment the u.k. particularly there is a huge amount of noise about plastic i think we're probably the noisiest nation about plastic in europe it's not the world and it's very easy for people outside the u.k. to think that we are actually showing extreme leadership in this issue that that noise is translated into action but the reality is we are in the u.k. and we need to speed up. the target for schools is part of a wider drive to reduce the use of plastic in the u.k. among other things it wants a ban on plastic straws and cotton buds as well as an increase from five to ten pounds of plastic bags given out in stores

a possible changes could come into effect in january twenty twenty environmental journalist oliver tickle told us the solo commendable cutting out plastic as in a single shot compost challenge is itself the real problem is a passive his cheek a little such a good job. in keeping food fresh and in reducing food waste in the supply. and so if we have to take a pass you can't stories where then either we shift to another material which would also have. zero although we will find that the cost of food goes up and that we are moved food is it is being damaged in the food wasted in the supply chain and that show lives. and that we are repo's one problem with another war. new so if all this sounds of a mobile device get news alerts on the go i'll be back here to update you again in

about half an hour so you get. what politicians do something to. put themselves on the line and they get accepted or rejected. so when you want to be president. more somehow want to. have to try to press the saliva for three of them or can't be good. i'm interested always in the waters in the house. for certain. when goal may just manufacture consensus instead of public wealth. when they're running pluses and protect themselves. when the financial

merry go round lifts only the one percent so. that's not going to hold middle of the road signals. around anymore you don't even really know what. i've been saying the numbers mean something they matter the us has over one trillion dollars in debt more than ten white collar crimes happen each dish. eighty five percent of global wealth you longs to be rich eight point six percent market saw thirty percent rise last year some with four hundred to five hundred trade per second per second and bitcoin rose to twenty thousand dollars. china is building a two point one billion dollar a i industrial farm but don't let the numbers overwhelm. the only numbers you need

to remember is one one business shows you can afford to. one can only assume but. it's hard to imagine decades after the war a nazi doctor was still active and rich in the nineteen seventies crittle had as the chair of its board a man convicted of mass murder and slavery at auschwitz a german company develops a little mite drug that was promoted as completely safe even during pregnancy and it turned out to have terrible side effects what has happened to my baby is anything paul you know she said is just cut short arms minix a little mind victims i have to this day received no compensation they never apologized for the suffering that. not only want the money i want the revenge. welcome to the crystal ball edition of crossfire what can we expect in the new year

we have a great lineup of guests telling us they think. oh oh. oh

. so yes i want my name is all coming i'm a travel photographer i went to kenya today i'm both saudi national parks to meet the must i be an amazing people who have managed to preserve their authenticity and find ways to interact with the outside world. to be surprisingly many most i speak good english and have internet access so finding them and arranging to meet was a breeze so. yes. it. was.

i decided to become a real must woman myself and experience firsthand all the trials and tribulations of tribal life. from what you have at them did it was the tribes most respected woman agreed to help me you know she presented me with the red dress a brightly colored shawl and piles of jewelry that she had made with her own hands go through. that what. she's fifty two years old and her name's not my tour and she has four adult children but i call her mama for short you know and i was like. mom immediately gave me a chore.