in the water. you. should. throw her 1st not. fit. to. get rid of it fantastic but here let me alone i am saying good riddance to the cast that i have been. a lot of what i want to. be your remain your clear deal leave those. countries to us pressure that's the message from russian diplomats have just held talks in moscow.

coming up on the program russia's federal security service releases video showing the arrest of 2 people suspected of plotting a terror attack in sindh petersburg a new year's eve they were seized up for a tip off from u.s. intelligence something. double trouble for a phone call also ahead. of. the year drolls to a close we begin a review old leaky events that shaped $20000000.00 including the street protests that seems to me every corner of the. around the clock across the world this is your r.t. international from the team and myself you don't know me oh hello and welcome. let's begin in moscow where iran's foreign minister mohammad german's a reef is on

a working visit he earlier met russian counterpart sergei lavrov who stated the west must return to compliance with the iranian nuclear deal. that's because it's the us is forcing of the countries not to fulfill their obligations despite iran's compliance with the reached agreements we demand that the us and the e.u. both return to full implementation with the obligations voluntarily and then iran would do the same but if our western partners do not want to confirm their respect for international law then the. must be recognized as dead or to be the united states is trying to impose its will on other countries and make them violate international norms and standards as for the european position on the. politically supportive but in practice they do not do enough to counter the u.s. sanctions we think the europeans should stick to their commitments apart from the school thing the prospects for the nuclear deal the top diplomats touched on

bilateral relations with iran's foreign minister saying their historical high point there if will later visit china is significant because this trip there comes as china iran and russia conduct their 1st joint drills antiterrorism and anti piracy training under being held in the northern part of the indian ocean as well as in the gulf of oman the region includes key shipping on energy supply routes and is a source of tension between tehran and washington. or professor side morandi from the university of toronto and me earlier he believes that drills are a message to washington that it can no longer dictate global terms unilaterally. the united states. still sees itself as the head of you know world and or wants to see itself as the head of the unipod world and the europeans of course are. will abide by the united states no matter who's in charge of the

country whether it's who they most your uterus just like or anyone else but the reality is that we've moved beyond that stage the united states is on the relative decline countries like iran russia and china are on the rise the united states is going to have to accept and recognize the new situation and i think that the fact that these 3 countries actually carried out. maneuvers together jointly all 3 together is a major significance and it sends a message to the united states that they can no longer dictate terms what has been a turbulent year for and really that region as a whole mark by tough sanctions the seizure of tankers as well you may remember looking back at all other than there's quite a bit to look at the money. for terror on the year 2019 was thrilling to say the least it narrowly avoided an open military conflict with the united

states got hammered by new stifling sanctions to port in a so-called oil tanker crisis and had to deal with the worst domestic grossest in 40 years let's go through it one step at a time. following its withdrawal from the iranian nuclear deal the us continued its sanctions against the islamic republic the country's uncompromising stance swiftly led to an american military buildup in the region the united states is deploying the u.s.s. abraham lincoln carrier strike group and bomber task force to the u.s. central command region sent a clear and unmistakable message to the arabian regime that any attack on united states interests on those of our allies will be minutes with unrelenting force in may and june of 2019 some oil tankers were damaged and some caught fire in the gulf of oman washington immediately blamed terror on in may the rebels in yemen carried out multiple drone strikes on a saudi oil pipeline the u.s.

again stated that it believes iran was behind the attack and continued deploying different troops over the next 2 months the pentagon said the buildup was in response to heightened iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations these assets would join the u.s.s. abraham lincoln carrier strike group and a u.s. air force bomb a task force in the middle east region in response to indications of heightened iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against u.s. forces and our interests president trump even said that should there be a conflict it will be the official and of iran washington saber rattling seemingly ended when trump approved the sale of $8000000000.00 worth of weapons to saudi arabia but tensions reached a new high when a u.s. surveillance drone was shot down by the iranian military trump had ordered out is very military strike on iran but withdrew his decision minutes before the operation began so avoid the loss of life. pressure on terror on continued in

early june as through the strait of hormuz following usual accusations of piracy threats by iran to close the strait of hormuz and the ensuing panic in the oil markets all ended well as both tankers were eventually released. despite iran's resilience to the us sanctions their effect has taken its toll the last months of 2019 or more by protests across the country when gasoline prices skyrocketed due to the government's decision to cut fuel subsidies though the plan was to direct the additional funds to supporting over $60000000.00 people in need crowds it still took to the streets it was initially a peaceful rally but it quickly turned violent in some places and resulted in several deaths including law enforcement officers now that story if he's even put the country on its old school internet shut down to prevent the protests from spreading now let's guess who was the 1st to capitalize on iran civil unrest people

enjoy a better future when their government begins to respect basic human rights abandons its revolutionary. posture and its destabilizing foreign policy in the region and behave simply like a normal nation he's arabian can a poor jobs or eve dismiss that kind of support saying that it was the us sanctions that caused so much suffering to his people a regime that binds food and medicine for ordinary people including elderly and sick iranians by economic terrorism can never show it's disgraceful support for the iranian people despise and the other year under serious pressure life here in tehran continues the internet is back online with all major social networks available and i checked out myself but hardly anyone in iran has any ads out with an adversary like washington they're in for still more thrilling moments in the

coming year. artsy seron. ok moving the program all now russia's federal security service has released a video showing the arrest of 2 terrorist suspects accused of plotting an attack in simpy berg on new year's eve they were seized after a tip off from u.s. intelligence report and personally thank donald trump for the in a telephone call. can pick up the story for us. russia's federal security service that is the f.s.b. announced on friday 2 russian citizens who were planning on committing terrorist attacks on home soil was arrested it is said that the incident was going to take place in some widely called the country's 2nd capital often called the venice of the north because of it and it was going to take place in the new year which is of course now just one day away at this point in time we don't have any for details on the individuals apprehended but what i can say of course is that new year hair in

russia is one of the biggest holidays on the night of the descent this is tens if not hundreds of thousands of people in every single city stream out onto the streets meaning that if this had not been stopped the consequences could have been truly tragic now it is absolutely vital to know this attack was foiled in no small part thanks to a tip off from the american intelligence services marking a very positive very encouraging moment of cooperation between the u.s. and russia the kremlin in fact has released a statement confirming that the russian president spoke to his american counterpart donald trump over the phone on sunday and thanked him for passing on crucial information that led to these arrests jury not cool death in fact since july when they discussed the devastating fires in siberia both theaters also reiterated that commitment to the fight against terrorism and in this the 2 countries really have

shown considerable cooperation for example strongly echoing these latest events back in december 27th teen washington warned moscow about an attack that was planned. cathedral that tip off led to the arrest of 5 suspects simply as far back as 2011 a russian authorities told the f.b.i. about an individual who was later found partially responsible. for the boston marathon bombings now of course we know that terrorism has become one of the grave last global threats that we face today in fact just within the past 24 hours a 45 year old who was suspected of being a propagandist and a recruiter for international terrorist organization was arrested in russia's far east and just over a week ago on the day that is dedicated to the security services right here in russia vladimir putin announced that 3 terrorist attacks had been foiled in russia

in 2019 alone and quite right he said that this was testament to the dedication and to the professionalism of the counter terrorism units in the country but with specific regards to this latest story it seems that thankfully the fight against terrorism continues tonight countries across the world even ones which sometimes struggle to find common ground on this call between presidents putin and trump really going to show that when people are in danger when lives are at stake differences can very successfully be set aside. we continue our review of the past year and look at some of the key events here in reston love america after this short break.

join me every thursday on the alex simon show and i'll be speaking to guests of the world of politics sports business i'm showbusiness i'll see you then. the world is driven by a dream shaped by one person. in a day or thinks. we dare to ask. but it's a long held tradition on cross talk to take stock of the year that is about to pass we have a look at what moved us what changed and what gave us concern us 2019 the good the

bad and the. hello again now with 2020 just around the corner let's continue our look back at some of the key events of the year that was. all right today's topics are. we have streets of rage on the mysteriously titled mind games let's see what stories the 1st all of these has for us then violent protests well you know they were prevalent they the world over this year from the yellow vests in paris to the anti paging riots in hong kong and of course in latin america so let us focus on the continent has had more than its fair

share of turmoil in 29000 protests have raged from venice wayland bolivia to chile ecuador artie's double quarter breaks it all down for us. it started as a spark the next thing you know the inferno of revolution is all around you and can't be extinguished that is the south america of 2019. what's crucial if that's your aim is to find just the right moment to stir up the scent. of venezuela's chaos was the epicenter right

after the country reelected president nicolas maduro washington pounced challenging the government's legitimacy and trying to provoke a coup. by mike pence nicolas maduro is a dictator with no legitimate claim to power and it gracefully in doubt the legitimacy to run venezuela upon the leader of the opposition i swear it's a formally soon the duties of the national executive as president of venezuela. president trump officially recognize the president of the venezuelan national assembly one going to do is the interim president of venezuela the time is now to support the venezuelan people to recognize the new democratic government led by interim president gore though the safety and security of president and his family are of great importance to the american people why don't tried hard to win over the military but when it became clear it stood behind a majority washington rolled out some empty threats are you hearing very well that

is what i consider getting thing but all options are on the table all options are open to all options are on the table all options are on the table it was. not to test the resolve of the united states and steamrolled the country with sanctions adding to the suffering of ordinary people already living through economic collapse but is it really democracy that washington and its allies were interested in or perhaps this has something more to do with black gold or what is donald trump's cases battling against venezuela the cases bella is the only live in his way now the riches of venezuela it's gold gas diamonds iron water a material riches resource grabbing hasn't only been confined to venezuela in the region. bolivia seen its own share of unrest this year but there are right wing coup was successful the elected president

abel morales forced to step down and flee the country. why am i resigning so that my opponents cannot continue to persecute my socialist brothers it's my duty is an indigenous president and the president of all believe in still seek peace after morale has got the boot senator janine anya is proclaimed herself interim president not exactly a household name before that but what's more important is who had her back and he guesses we pledge our support to the believe in people and to the transitional government led by president janine and yes as they prepare for these elections. we support you need 9 years in bolivia as she would to ensure a peaceful democratic transition through free elections and just like in venezuela it's ordinary people who are paying the price for a regime change. their

. compass enough that they would be tempted to go to the. seeing the parallels here's another one lithium is in high demand in the united states and that valuable resource also happens to be in abundance in bolivia. chile has also been no stranger to disorder where clashes have been deadly a times thousands have rallied since mid october demanding the president resign and the constitution be revised there have already been widespread reports of torture and unlawful killings following the military's deployment. of the.

but on these protests the u.s. has been silent maybe it's because the president is sebastian piñera a harvard graduate whose free market policies have shown he's happy to do business with the u.s. a case not so different from this next country. had last we have ecuador a country that became engulfed in protests after the government carried out i.m.f. backed severe austerity policies. yet again silence from the us and the reason is pretty much the same as with chile the us supported the government's newfound allegiance with the i.m.f. washington might pick and choose the battles that benefit its interests the most but at the end of the day fire is fire it doesn't care who it burns and when

a whole continent is set ablaze it becomes extremely difficult to extinguish and then $29000.00 left in america was and the only continent that went through a chill to this period will bring you another retell this year's protests shoes they for another though let's move to another topic mindgames we're delving into the issue of controlling the way people think and the rule of social media particularly facebook artie's. takes a look at how the tech behemoths has become the center in chief when it comes to what we can and what we can't say. i'll tell you what having this job for 6 years has made me report on censorship quite a few times look at this freshman giorno patrolling co asking about facebook censorship at a press briefing hey man you have no idea what awaits you and 29.

by the end of the decade look at it the evolution of online platforms has gone all the way towards 0 tolerance for offenders even though it all one started down there with pretty much 0 regulation but who decides what exactly makes someone an offender all right let's dig into the 2900 stage of evolution look at these one by one and check out their censorship record. you true work hard on reading their platform of harassment see the latest update to their harassment policy came out in december go on read into it you'll find words like veiled threats and ply threats right there warning that whatever that's supposed to mean will be punished and you'll find 0 examples and no proper

details. because it was in force these policies seemingly random oh no it's a tool so once you know to trust them to do it now i'm skeptical one of the late night hosts allowed to gross people and pick on people's physical appearance but the you tube has come out so you put on to new guidelines they don't set lines and they don't go right. the latest in a series of policy updates after the previous ones you tube didn't hesitate to take action the result record breaking numbers of accounts and videos taken down. in $29.00 taking facebook really took us all by surprise by showing what it takes to put on a new face not that it looked like they were keen to do it but someone just happened to notice that while trying to dodge a defamation lawsuit facebook prefer to itself as a publisher look at this mature c.e.o.

telling congress his network is that tech company not a media one well that happened before 2019 in the new era f.b.i. gave itself the green light to censor just about anything which they've been up to quite strenuously although in march when the new zealand shooter live streamed a massacre of 50 people everyone was like where the hell were the moderators or censors were anyone to stop this another thing i won't call anyone out for inconsistency but in a recent interview mr zuckerberg said no to censoring political ads even if they contain lies in what i believe is that in a democracy it's really important that people can see for themselves what politicians are saying it's that they can make their own judgments and i don't think that a private company should be censoring politicians or news this tech giants however have been blamed for screwing up

a bit of campaigning like when gabbert for instance challenged google for taking down her ads this alarming trend has been growing with tech giants continuing to silence voices and restrict access to information this concentration of power and influence is a direct threat to our democracy by the way did you know about this side to it 29000 saw the list. facebook moderators claiming to have p.t.s.d. growing with a former employee suing the social media giant even though the company said it was offering all the required support. well no point in digging too deep if the story's repeating itself twitter has mastered the art of new era suspensions and bans to the vagueness of the rules probably isn't so much to worry about so you can get in trouble for it can be many things from supporting join a songe to pulling

a prank on the fans of the cats movie but just keep in mind what kind of folks you may find among twitter's staff a british army psyops soldier war saudi arabia is tasked with digging into the counts of the kingdom's critics. well we'll keep using all of them anyway right let's wish the industry pioneers well wherever the evolution takes them in the new year. just some of the stories that ship the past 12 months on for up to the moment developments this monday to give marty's twitter page a follow well worth some of your schooling cæsar. what politicians do. they put themselves on the line to get accepted or rejected.

so when you want to be president and you. want to. have to go to the press this is what before 3 in the morning can't be good. i'm interested always in the waters in the house. there should. be there are good tennis and bad at it it's the bad news in the end when the united states deems to be the good. word in syria the cia and the us military were engaged in covert actions really throughout the world. where they were assassinating populist leaders they were backing up the right way militaries with those funding an army of death squads there's no. more because there's always a small. really good this is a profit. there's

a lot of it here is economy where china has caught up or surpass us you know the mobile payments market 50 times the size of the us or over here still writing checks our banking system is not innovated 5 g. we've kind of recently woken up the last couple years and go wow we don't even have a company that can make 5 g. equipment it's been a win win for china and it's been. a lose lose for the u.s. . low in welcome across town for all things considered on peter lavelle it is a long held tradition on cross talk to take stock of the year that is about to pass we have a look at what moved us what changed us and what gave us concern us 2019 the good

the bad and the ugly. crosstalk in the year that was i'm joined by my guest robert bridge he's an arty website writer we also have dimitri bobbitt she is a political analyst and editor at internet media project and in nicosia we cross alex cross before he is the director and writer for the duran dot com originally cross talk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i always appreciate all right let me go 1st to alex in nicosia you know alex so much happened this year it seems like the time lines get shorter and shorter and the pace continues at a greater speed here but if i'm taking stock here it seems to me the disconnect between the liberal liberal media in the liberal elites with everybody else because we kind of stretches out you know brags that 2016 that was a one off trump 20068 that was a one off and now it's go to this year the election that's

a one off you know it's not this is a trend that's going on here and we're all told no no no no that this is not a trend these are one offs i think that 2019 was the year hey don't you finally get it go ahead alex. yeah i agree with that assessment peter i think the main theme of 2019 was really the disconnect between what the media what the elites the globalists the permanent state the deep state whatever you want to call it what they try to tell us what they try to convince us of and what the people are interpreted as true and fact by doing their own research by going to their own alternative news media sources and trying to find the truth on their own time and no 3 stories represent that more i think that breaks it.