some of the awareness of the people in lebanon today will arguably me down to our next guest joining me from beirut is melon reality former communications minister from the lebanese forces party melhem thanks for coming on the show how bad is it in lebanon parliamentary speaker nabih berri says your country is like a sinking ship and it's going to go under if something isn't done tuesday's parliamentary session shut down by protests according to reports across the western world the situation in lebanon is. like a new. birth. in the streets and beirut and all over the country are preparing a new coming for lebanon and the chamber is closed because they are doing something against the constitution they try to make legislations without. before forming a new government it is illegal and it is until constitutional and you ask for just

a new election of the committees in the chamber because you are asking for a new government and you technocratic government. with a new premier to relaunch and restart. the work in lebanon. but why is it that lebanon is suffering its worst financial crisis since the civil war we spoke to president assad of syria in one of his 1st interviews for a year and a half he said that what happens in lebanon and the protests depends on the awareness of its people can you see that there is something strange about the timing of all the protests in lebanon and the financial crisis it's very different between what's happening now in lebanon and what happened in syria. at least not at the beginning because in syria in the beginning it was

a peaceful demonstrations asking for change but they'd transform it into another thing unfortunately what what's happening now in lebanon it's because of. 12 or let's say 15 years after the. end of the syrian edge of money over lebanon and we still are without electricity we have around $20000000000.00 deficit because of the electricity those we have. many corruption in our administration and our government and we are fighting against this corruption and the people has fed up to move because they need to change because corruption is destroying our country so you don't see it is for instance hezbollah which runs its own massive social services program in lebanon that economic sanctions from western institutions they have helped create the

conditions for these protests economic sanction again in lebanon are against some ignited people in yes but even in the area where hezbollah exists there is the most rationed because the people the whole lebanese people. in. poor hood situation because of the corruption you have the problem of the electricity the problem of. seeking jobs and living on the problem of big deficit in the. general situation and especially in what we call the public services i'll get to the electricity in a moment but why do you think britain the united states france perhaps israel why do you think they are supporting the protests in lebanon britain is explicitly said

the voice of the protests must be heard i don't know many maybe they have their own reason but we don't care about what others are saying we are supporting these demonstrations this money for stations because we are early binny's party and our leader said some days ago that please do to the 1st secretary mr pompeo that lebanese affair and it will stay. benny's affair we are fighting for freedom sure but we are fighting against corruption we are fighting for a new government at technocrat government from specialists without political figures. because their people didn't trust those popular political figures anymore we are in a big shift between. times and the new times are coming we

are a little bit afraid that some interventions will destroy this shifting or this or manage it against our purpose do you think us secretary bombero listened to your leader beirut famously historically no cia agents in the city and in the past 48 hours pompei are saying settlements on palestinian land are to be judged illegal by the united states in violation of un resolutions do you think pompei o is on the same page as your party let me be frank with you. directly. united states. lebanon and support the lebanese army but in this case we we

want that nobody will interfere in our 'd. most asians because it is not the demonstration of lebanese forces sparty it is a demonstration of the whole live in these people what is happening in palestine what's happening in palestine is very different and very different in the case it's very different in the approach the. violation of the united nations. security council resolutions is. against our conviction and we insist in this case that the palestinian case will be held by the palestinian people and resolved by your un security council ok but when it comes to electricity which you mentioned earlier do you not think that it is obvious washington will want to privatise the electricity system

fully in your country the world bank is advising your politicians on how to run the lebanese economy why don't look to china instead of washington now it is not a problem between washington and china it is a problem between some companies that we need that the ministry of. electricity work on and bring electricity to our people what is happening about this it is not a problem international problem it is a problem to choose a good. company to work with the good people and to put the push off the corruption because some are saying that britain and the united states has been trying to overthrow the government of syria for 10 years now britain recognizes hezbollah politicians as terrorists. lebanon could be a consolation prize for these powers that have been trying to destabilize damascus

you don't think they could use your financial crisis for game i think if we stay strong in lebanon and unified nobody can use us they will help us because they need. the country and they need a model that lebanon can present to the whole world and this model between communities and between united unified people can make the difference. in the whole word as john paul 2 said one day that lebanon is a message of truth and the freedom for the whole world and what is happening of the demonstrations in the cunt in the streets now. muslim christians jews is everybody is demonstrated to find his kind of of the day

well just finally has saved lebanon arguably from israeli bombing a few years back do you think instability in israel benny gantz trying to form a coalition today in israel do you fear that israel could again bomb lebanon during this financial crisis and this political instability. it's a good question but we have to wait israel is always trying to make his own interest and she will it will continue to make it. an enemy of lebanon but. i don't know what dance will do if you will be the premier in israel because the kind of i think it's not. it's not in the vision because it's there now has another

problems to resolve inside the sack. now i'm reacting thank you after the break as sweden drops its investigation into wiki leaks founder julian assange sizing insufficient evidence activist or national provoke a jerk of a joke or a tells us what he found when he visited the world's most famous publisher detained in britain's belmarsh prison for revealing u.s. war crimes. part 2 of going underground. temperance to impeach and remove donald trump from the presidency have clearly divided the country this should not surprise anyone trump is probably the most divisive public figure of our time however all this division over a single person is changing and even damaging institutions is impeachment being

normal. and going to. sway or both the food. itself. plus we've got to go through hard not to think in the decide this. and i don't know and i think. this is the only think we do is music because everybody fights his way. i am sure you can call the film. driving home movie have a look at the moment on the. what i think is this is the fun that is all come from.

i have concern about new technologies and i think society should and i and i try to help them get engaged in those concerns. but we also should have concerns about doing nothing doing nothing is extraordinarily risky in a world with some point 5000000000 people and a whole series of. ancient technologies that are not necessarily suitable for tomorrow. welcome back about one we have about alleged u.s. backed protests in beirut well a donation backing for so-called color revolution has been a focus of the whistleblower site wiki leaks its founder julian assange has now 70 years of torture at the hands of british authorities according to the u.n.

joining me now is activist a national broker turco founder joe korea who has visited the president 30 miles away from this studio here along with his mother fashion designer vivienne westwood as tirelessly campaigned to raise awareness of his case is now appealing to the wiki leaks founders former lawyer and u.k. special envoy on media freedom amal clooney to pay some attention to assad just case joe welcome back to going underground so no one of this general election in britain is talking about the most famous publisher in the world what's your understanding of his condition because as i said no political coverage in this country of you know i think that's a picture that's been repeated of the last 7 years where he's been sort of ignored or. sidelined in many cases and vilified and the rest of it in terms of how he is silent same in march. a month ago i mean you have

to understand the conditions that he's in he's kept in solitary confinement. when he sounds on the wing clear the wing of any other prisons or anybody else in the white so he never gets to speak to anybody will see anybody he's literally not in one place to the other gets in solitary on going the un special rapporteur on torture has been making allegations against the british government we think that certainly. very rare experience they made as his report i think the biggest form of torture he's going through is the isolation and the persecution and i think it's affecting his mental health more than anything else i mean his physical health is not great he looks palate and those people who know jude in his family and friends know that he has

the personality which shows characteristics of being on the edges autistic spectrum . of personality traits where people become obsessive about certain things. or shows in characteristics and i think in my experience i have seen those things because i have other friends other people that have that and i think people that are on that spectrum have this. they have a real sense of sort of justice what's right and what's wrong and they find it incredibly difficult to deal with things that fall outside of that but he's facing under 35 years in the united states prison coverage here is just wellies there awaiting extradition proceedings to the united states you're appealing to something called the clooney foundation because the wife of george clooney and well clooney used to represent julian assange tell me about that appeal the clooney foundation

is set up really to look miscarriages of justice and this is a trial watch trial watch looking at how put it putting a spotlight on the legal systems all over the world where there are the causes for concern that there might be miscarriages of justice human rights abuse that type of thing we know that a lot of that goes on all over the world in lots of different places where perhaps the legal system is not as famous let's say as the british system i won't say as robust because i don't think that that's the case because what we've seen so far in terms of his. let's say you know his courts appearance is it's become so kind of confusing because he's not really charged with anything. and resume in the united states and those who now

are charged recently in the united states that's why. i mean i don't understand why the united states needs to have these sentences of 175 years 250 years i mean it's an effective death sentence that's what it is in fairness to 2020 presidential contenders really sanders was a guy for the democrats are saying that they want to not prosecute for that i did 70 and as project why do you think then in this country after all is being detained not far from this studio it's outrageous it's absolutely right is this main. is a whistleblower and a publisher is probably the most important case in all of life it's only about press freedom about whistleblowers and about holding the powerful to or can't through the media that's what wiki leaks does that's what julian ascends does

that's what he's even managed somewhere in some respects to continue to do over the last 7 years. but. you know what what this is turned into is something that is essentially like saying it's a crime to expose american war crimes and for that crime we're going to take him and put him in concrete for 175 years the media the public the judiciary the politicians should be outraged 1st of all i think people need to understand that when he claimed asylum it was against the threats of this very thing that has now been made public with america saying they're going to prosecute for all these crime us all of the media and only the media here kept on talking about sexual allegations i think that now everybody can see that that was just

a fabrication in the set up in order to turn public opinion against him and we now have the evidence of the miles from the crown prosecution service. telling sweden don't you dare drop these charges of good far from what you're saying alexander downer the former australian foreign minister yourself himself as allegations against him about spying and working as dole trumper that we've heard of this program voices australia cannot intervene because julia is under causes in australia this is just a normal extradition case and she retreated as that and you know this is this is. potentially the biggest crime if we let this poor woman who has exposed america more crimes than is now being treated in the most the refit whitey. i mean it's exceptional the crude see that this country is putting on this guy i should say was

we gave leaks exposed crimes alleged crimes. every country whether it be russia so i'm going to it's not a hard it is an error not pardons out there is it about us press freedom this is about him from a. and this is about whistle blowing this is about holding the powerful so the can that's what this is always been and when he claimed asylum in the ecuadorian embassy that trumped anything about jumping bail you know asylum claims trump anything but in fairness to him of gloomy you spoke of the media freedom coverage here which i should say this program was banned from the caribbean protect journalists individuals as your game on our site for that one i was really did mention julian as i just case very little reporting of the fact that you did so and we had a reply from a well clooney only earlier is that i as yet but we are really asking. and clooney organize asians really watch what's going on here because we are about potentially commit one of the biggest miscarriages of justice the world is

a sane 175 years in concrete for telling the truth i mean it's ridiculous and the fact that elements within the british establishment and government are aiding and abetting this is absolutely shameful and we need to do something about it we need to get people out we need to i don't know i think we need to get as many people so the call as possible we need to really up the stakes because this is crucial what would it and what did it mean for what it will mean if he is extradited to the united states is he won't be a person anymore he will become a symbol a blob. in 175 years of concrete that symbolizes this is what happens to you if you report the truth about american war crimes we always at its way will become a symbol for the and that's it but we have our agree on this program of our boss

former boss have a doubt he street foundered out the street as ever all of the guns are but what if she doesn't say yes to using the trial what your organization to highlight because you're going to hurt can you understand that she has to fear quite a bit if she talks about. resolve. i don't think you can play favorites in miscarriages of justice i don't think you can play favorites with people's freedom and what is potentially a death sentence for this man in the united states and say well it's not popular we're not going to talk about it because we're not going to get involved because it's the british legal system and they should be untouchable i mean when you see some of the comments the the. magistrate made about julian calling him a narcissist and things i mean this is a joke this is

a kangaroo court just finally what about the fact that t.v. journalists the journalists that gave the story to all the crimes alleged crimes were the guardian your terms is bigger than how do you account for their silence relative silence about what you're calling a possible death sentence for your innocence of wiki leaks well i think it's a bit shameful and i think that. some of it's caught up with people's own personal opinions about whether they think he's been. somebody that's been on their side enough. the point about the whistle blowing organization is that it's nonparty zoning so. you know some people in america are on the left or on the democratic side for instance can't stand him because of the clinton name tejpal can't stand him on the

right because releasing. american military footage i mean this isn't about what you like and what some may do wrong nissim about core principles of whether or not you can have journalistic freedom in the world if the american government can come to the u.k. that's supposed to have a very robust legal system to protect rights supposedly a we going to really be a party to sending this guy to a death sentence for publishing the truth about america more crimes that's the question that we need. and if that is what we decide to do then in my opinion that will be one of the worst crimes of the century dzhokhar thank you and that's it for the show will be back on saturday in the past 72 hours one of the

greatest photographers in the world terry o'neill died here he is talking to going underground the full interview one of his last is up on going on the grounds you tube channel see on saturday there's nobody i want to show him anymore to be so this is sort of the whole world changed. things they all seem fake you know all the politicians in their life actors playing a role of done about 4 or 5 prime ministers in my time and i have access to them and i still don't work for you know there's no. great english politician but you know they. couldn't figure out why they. got where they got i just show them how i see them. you know that's that's the secret of my photography i think i saw the show people how they really are.

over the last 3 decades the european union has seen its enlargement as a way of helping its eastern neighbors democracy well keeping them firmly within it spiotta political orbit as the mantra of the bigger the better proven to be the case. of the tense situation in venezuela is still all over the news the problem in venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented but that socialism has been faithfully implemented for inside venezuela things look different we're going to announce sanctions against petroleum to venezuela associate famous will have a supplement goes. down that football battle to stay on the path to come

to pass the moment the focus of the whole story isn't new nixon called in henry kissinger to tell him that it would not be tolerated that in latin america an alternative economic and social system could take hold and therefore the policy would be to make. the chilean economy scream so once in the making the economy of venezuela screed. this is a story about what happens auster a stray bullet kills a young girl in the street. what happens to her family and daughters in florida you know the mother daughter is buried in a cemetery it really messes with your head what happens to the community the public was screaming for a scapegoat the police needed a scapegoat so why not choose

a 19 year old black kid with a criminal record who better to pin this on than him and what happens in court b b b b. shot after shot as far as a side deal that we don't know she'll just for the. end of this trial unfortunately you too will still not know what childress. you know world of big part of. a lot of things and conspiracy it's time to wake up to dig deeper to hit the stories that made the stream media refuses to tell more than ever we need to be smarter we need to stop slamming the door on the back and shouting past each other it's time for critical thinking it's time to fight for the

middle for the truth the time is now we're watching closely watching the hawks. markets or make a new all time highs interesting the money that is being force fed and see these. markets like green in the liver of a duck not far off. it has to come from somewhere a must let's dig into this little bit more. ringback

the headlines this hour vladimir putin tackles the global economy sanctions i'm relations with the u.s. as a top foreign in russia. many guns fails to form a new government to moves israel towards an unprecedented 3rd general election in a year and. how she sent a military police to kill us like animals we're not animals for them to kill us like that. the death toll in bolivia's and c.q. protests rises to $31.00 as the country's self-proclaimed leader gives the security forces impunity when it comes to dealing with unrest. well those are the headlines for now i'll be back here next hour with another roundup found stay with us for a boom bust next year on all 3 international.