it's time to fight for the middle for the truth the time is now for watching closely watching the hawks. headlines an arty hundreds try to storm the u.s. embassy in baghdad after deadly american airstrikes in iraq the diplomatic staff including the ambassador have reportedly been evacuated from the compound. also this hour we go in search of a connection on the outskirts of the slew of headlines saying that germans are getting increasingly frustrated with slow internet speeds and coverage we ask locals just how bad it gets told last offered see this is impossible to understand that's a bit like 7 years ago i was driving through estonia the baltic lots of blix and poland and some students are down i don't have that quality of connection in germany and the new years miracle we find out what happened to a little boy who was pulled from the ruins of a tower block that collapsed in russia

a year ago. hello there good afternoon you with r.t. international our top story hundreds of tried to storm and set fire to the u.s. embassy in baghdad embassy staff including the ambassador have reportedly been evacuated from the compound it all comes after american bombing raids in iraq and syria killed 25 funerals for some of the victims were held earlier on tuesday in the iraqi capital with mourners there marching to the embassy. i was i was i was. i. was well earlier baghdad had

summoned the u.s. ambassador over sunday's airstrikes the u.s. hit 5 targets belonging to get tired hizbollah it's an armed group that emerged after the us invasion of iraq and has repeatedly targeted american forces is also one of the main shia groups fighting against islamic state in both iraq and syria according to the u.s. the bombing raids were in retaliation for friday's rocket strike on the code base in iraq which killed one american contractor and no group claimed responsibility for that but the pentagon displayed a militant group after the attack hundreds of protesters also gathered on the streets of the iraqi capital they condemned the u.s. airstrikes and expressed support for the militia who were bombed protesters burned the u.s. and israeli flags chanting no to america the u.s. special representative for iran brian hawk has defended the operation though he insists they targeted a rainin backed militants to deter iranian aggression the. one of the

things we want to emphasize is that this was a defensive action that was designed to protect american forces and american citizens in iraq we're also working on the mission set of restoring deterrence against in rimi and aggression. well you have now reports on how iraq has got caught up in the standoff between the us and iran. they come they see they leave a barren wasteland american airstrikes on foreign soil have become a normality the whole world is their militaries sandbox and this time they've been playing in iraq's corner where we did was take a decisive response that makes clear what the president has said for months and months and months which is that we stand for this long. to get the full of american men and women in jeopardy i would add that in our discussion today with the president we discussed with the other options that are available and i would note

also that we will take additional actions as necessary to ensure that we act in our own self-defense and we deter further bad behavior from militia groups or from iran the u.s. bombing pro iranian forces in iraq unilaterally if there's one country living in the borderless world of tomorrow that's america what happened yesterday was a clear aggression it was not right and we tried to stop it but the u.s. insisted and very unfortunately this thing happened to them i said that this was a very dangerous matter and asked to discuss elevated to face with the responsible party support not only point from he said the decision has been made and i am informing you will loose but for baghdad and installed bigger than the airstrikes themselves is the fact that the bombing of votes land wasn't even about it had nothing to do with iraq instead washington was after iran and its power grip on the

middle east part of america's great again plan over weakening tehran irony is america that complains so much about iran now who was the one to inadvertently elevate iran into a powerhouse it is now in iraq in particular saddam hussein once power. by the us was iran's greatest enemy and they cia even aided his brutal chemical attacks against the rayney an army but then hussein himself became a problem fell from grace and ended his reign on the gallows the us invasion created a power vacuum which iran didn't hesitate to fill iran as the major destabilizing in influence in the middle east and we aim to fix that one of the greatest security threats facing peace loving nations today. is the repressive regime in iran think twice that. the u.s. has been after tehran on so many levels from sanctions to declaring iran's elite

military force a terrorist organization but they are not stopping there and the u.s. has been particularly aggressive in trying to push to iran's influence out of iraq this alone shows just how much free will the u.s. has left its ally iraq in being the master of its own foreign policy and there's no indication washington's going to stop in fact the exact opposite we're not done this is an ongoing process process right now you know we are observing what is called a shadow war or proxy war whatever you want to call it but this is getting to be a dangerous gambit. that. engages in this unilateral economic war against iran that is also impacting negatively iraq's economy and good deal of what is wrong in iraq's economy today can be traced to

us is wrong of course to the region. pursuing a misguided policy not just to watch by those of iraq in chaos and instability and this will inflate anti americanism in iraq. in the region you will make it harder for the u.s. to sell steyn its military bases in iraq and the us government is simply not assisting the. you know vested interest that iraq is in stability entering clytie by pursuing these unilateral warmongering policies. the wiki leaks founder julian assange claims he slowly dying in the u.k. jail in this often tranquilized and kept in solitary confinement 23 hours a day he made the disturbing revelations in a phone call to his friend phone smith on christmas eve. all 4 and it was very upsetting to head the idea of him being sedated has come from several

people who visited him who clearly being told and the british government have been asked about it and they refuse to address that matter what they say is they're not mistreating him but clearly he's being kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day he sounded awful and he said to me that i'm slowly dying here please remember he's served that time all the bail charge and he served his time too that he's now on remand it's highly unusual to put a remand prisoner in belmarsh when they're not a threat of a physical violence threat to society i think we need to arms was from from the british government why are they treating him like this why can't we have some independent assessment 100 international got to those and asked to arrange a visit at least to send some representatives to check on him but that hasn't been allowed and those melts at the un roughly toronto which are has been very clear

about asylum just mistreatment and describes it in the most of holy terms and yet it's claims very recently in november that the british government of completely ignored his request to see julian problem his health properly assess. what mr sanchez arrest is an april and since then medics and view of the un observers have borne the bags is declining physical and mental health here in february will decide on his extradition to the us in their resume keys to publishing classified documents and could face $175.00 jail sentence commenting on the claims assigned is being mistreated the u.k. government says that they are unfounded and also folds but that hasn't stopped politicians activists and or so celebrities continuing to draw attention to his plight.

words are not the word. you have been exposed to psychologically torture for a prolonged period of time that's a medical assessment and. you asked for him to investigate this case. 15 killings right. here same things in. the medical situation is there by urgent there is no time to lose. now when you think of germany you might think of technological prowess and also the fish and sea but humans are getting creasing frustrated with their internet and

europe's economic powerhouse seems to be woefully behind when it comes to speed and also coverage. when to find out more. germany likes to present itself as a in the short and technological powerhouse in a country very much in the fast lane but oh sure on the internet here i haven't really got the memo because life online pretty much runs at least mail space we are in the heart of berlin so let's check the connection. it's. not exactly impressive but it may be that all these guys here are glued on you tube better stealing all the bad with. so let's have old side maybe we'll get more like he was mobile internet. if you were on the planet these days

people are addicted to their phones they just can't stop staring at them but the question is whether germans get the service they pay for and a recent study shows that they certainly do not and less than 2 percent of smartphone users get the speeds they were promised for but we're out here on a fact finding mission so it's time to do a test. not the result i was hoping for but wait until we get outside of the city. you'll be pleasantly surprised. we are 40 minutes away from berlin so let's see if we can actually make a phone call. seems like i have bad signal more like no signal actually so imagine i had to access information online

superhighway well good luck with that i would actually have to get on the actual highway and off to find signal international comparison germany ranks 70th according to recent reports all the nation has fully because all the european countries with only 65 percent of its territory being covered as it's called loss of footsie this is impossible to understand as a middle of 7 years ago i was driving through estonia the baltic republics and poland and i always had a stable connection of the phone from stephen said i don't have that quality of connection in germany more than angry enough to put in very mildly many of complain that this makes his hard to do business in the area and every slow internet time and as we know time is money so it's important for the economy and we have a good my ball coverage if we can achieve that continue to damage the economy. back to a story that started with tragedy but ended with some hope because a year ago a baby was rescued from the rubble have

a skull lapse tiersten rushes magnitogorsk but after care and treatment the sylvania is now taking his 1st. was. i that. i. used public lewdness a little for one of our rescue workers heard a child crying we stopped all our equipment in order to listen and make sure when we said quiet the baby reacted and went quiet to yuki look when we said where are you you started to react again she she was.

was. in the full chance my eldest son and i fell together i'll find it was left alone in his bed he managed to get out and he was left that. the child was conscious when hugh drive to and take him to the parade senior at the moment the child remains in a serious condition on the other stiffish of insulation city. we wish him well now still ahead we can continue our review of the past year

looking at some of the key events that's the come to stuff. in the united states presidential candidates debate the future of the u.s. the world. max kaiser and stacy her but dig into the burning questions of this election cycle. every week. tax student debt trade was corporate money universal basic. and more catch up with what's front running this sunday exclusively on r.t. . what politicians do. they put themselves on the line they get accepted or rejected. so when you want to

be president. or some want to. have to go right to be for us as a white woman for 3 of them or can't be good. interested in the waters of our. first city. again i would 2020 just a matter of hours away it is time to look back at more of the key events that shaped the last 12 months. well today's topics are don't believe the hype and also streets of rage 2019 was characterized by banks of political hysteria from angry debates about climate

change to the wider doping scandal and of course emotions ran high to over breaks it boris johnson's victory in the u.k. general election gave leaves hope and left some remain is in despair. reports. the festive season is upon us mulled wine christmas the smells and sounds the promise of snow but the time to come together and to tell stories and wow do i have a good one of the past one cute morning over 3 years ago the british people woke up and decided they just had enough of those bureaucrats in brussels and all 60000000 mourn the loss of their redpath courts 17400000 rejoiced off with those european shackles make britain great again a fuel they promised it would be easy getting out of the e.u. can be quick and easy the u.k. holds most of the cards. the goal is to revert to live we hold. we can choose the

path we want an optimism a part not shared by david cameron because he made peace to accept but to resume bounded to the rescue on her lap at kitson heels and she meant business bricks it means bricks it bricks it needs frets it wrecks it means bricks it and we're going to make a success of it so she clapped and triggered article 50 starting the hold to force process and to have credit she did manage to wrangle a deal from the e.u. so the pressure was the only one thought it was any good but desperate times desperate measures and off to parliament she went and it was a botched the deal was flattened not once not even twice but 3 times 2 years on m.p.'s have been unable to agree on a way to implement the u.k.'s withdrawal. as

a result we will now not leave on time with the deal eventually she ran out of that 2nd policy son so down to the problem to number times door she of course i chair i do so with no ill will but with enormous i'm doing during gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country i love and boris johnson i've been wrong a bit wrong but maybe he'd be the one to get. most of all what are we going to do to repay. to get bread dad did he get like you got a can you make a promise today to the british public that you will not go back to brussels and ask for another delay to banks and yes and so young and revealing that. he finds it was just too much effort to get invited by part about so suspended it but

that did not go down well so he said ok fine back to brussels more negotiations and he returned to london with a deal even port template to walk on a saturday but alas knows that his people jump like crazy it was rejected and he was forced to beg you to get him out that delay some of the campaign you can go to 10 new troops on the ship yards to the right 328 the notion that 301. be. not a good start forests so suspending parliament haven't watched an awesome new deal also what. it does no one can do is going to the opposition into a general election by putting jeremy coogan. is desperate absolutely desperate to avoid scrutiny.

and. on the eve of the election the polls were both turned on the charm and when we when people door to door. for. nothing like a good movie reference to win you an election because on december 12th boris was popping champagne and dining on his new parliamentary majority he got his wish of a korban free christmas and now he might well get his wish for january breck's it the question is will we finally get our wish for just a bit of. code to. crow 6 now another key events of the street protests did grip cities all over the world it seemed in fact paris was chief among them and the whole of france also

seemed to be affected by a kind of yellow fever shall have been ski reports now on the protest movement that has been shaking things up every weekend issue. 29000 winds up in france since that time move reflection was a good year what gifts did it bring well there were plenty from the government but many seemed to go down like a lead balloon and people took to the streets time and time again. yes we all know the french are famous for striking and for protesting but in 29000 it felt like that there was something picking out old wounds. it's been

a play year with on going protests and into professional strikes throughout the year one protest movement stood out every saturday without fail the yellow vests took to the streets. a movement born in 2018 but it left that small cone 2019 the yellow vests home to change in the social fabric and fronts they've charged to the streets in anger of what they see as being a hugely unequal country with the growing divide between the rich and the poor not corner had given them concessions but they were rejected week after week the yellow vests and the police clashed thousands on both sides injured.

then they were the climate strikes led by phone says youths they took to the streets to decry the country mostly doing enough to join the fridays a feature strikes president michael was incensed and demanded that they take that action elsewhere. every friday to save the planet is burning that's nice but that is not a problem people should go protest in poland help me move those i cannot push forward. and of course ending the year has been the big one the nationwide strike against pension reform.

the public transport strike has brought most of the country to a standstill under was sparked over the plans to merge 42 different pension schemes into a universal points based system and if you know anything about the french you don't mess with that we're toying meant so as $2100.00 to a close there was only one question to ask those who take it into the streets would not call me after all the unwanted gifts he presented to the french this year below folbre christmas is naughty or nice list he is a naughty child the bastard sure and i hope he will not have any presents from father christmas i think that it's father winter who is coming to see him i know i

think someone should tell micron that father christmas doesn't exist at all as if he was a child i am not sure that he would have a lot of presents this year because he has not been very wise he did not listen to his people. no t.v. no t.v. it's not nice to see you i think that he will be deprived of gifts this year and also next year. each other depends if they're wrapping up our if you. will but could more for you in about 30 minutes. there's the word. wow i'm feeling it 2020 should be a whopper. you know world of big partners new market and conspiracy it's time to wake up to dig deeper

to hit the stories that mainstream 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 for watching closely watching the hawks. this is casting around the globe and covering the world of business and finance and the empacher upon us all i'm christiane washington and here's a look at what we have in store for you today should the u.s.

and china ease tensions this week to ring in the new year professor richard wolfe is on hand today to break down the developments that could be on the horizon for the world's top 2 economies but in another trade development the e.u. is i quote that in trade relations with the united states according to unions new trade commissioner kelly for much of the face american business association lends a 2nd hand to break down business and other may. in the euro zone and later 2019 has been a shiny year for gold as the price has jumped on economic turmoil david mckelvey any of mckelvie financial help for the sector and how it's been competing against other assets we have so much to get to let's go. stocks are falling across the board from their all time highs monday the penultimate trading day of the year equities have enjoyed a strong december santa rally and oil prices continue to trade higher on china u.s. optimism the pullback today is most likely due to the fact markets are in the midst of a liquidity and news desert during those final few days of the year chinese vice premier

and top negotiator leo will visit washington this week where he is expected to sign phase one of the agreement however a political concerns continue to bubble in the background as neither side has released any specific details of the trade agreement and no text has been released while the u.s. t.r. has released a mere fact sheet outlining what it claimed to be in the deal which included $80000000000.00 in ad purchases over 2 years analysts consensus is that these figures do not add up and remain impossible benchmarks to fulfill it looks like the best we can hope for in the space one of the d. a trade deal is merely a point of truce in the bitter trade war rather than any real substantial changes which really begs the question of why even start a trade war if at the end nothing changed and you've wasted an entire year of economic productivity to help us answer this question and more we bring in professor richard wolfe host of economic update so rich.