what is true? what is faith? in a world corrupted, you need to descend to join us in the depths or remain in the shallowness. in today's headlines, a blood loss may have triggered the torture and murder of unarmed afghan civilians by australian elite troops. according to a shocking new inquiry, also this hour as the u.s. death toll from depend on make passes a quarter of a 1000000 people or emotional health care workers complain. they're devastated by it all and not least the risks they're having to take. we have noticed,, it's ok for us to be exposed. u.k., he thinks both, but we keep ya make it non of money. and countries discuss mandatory

vaccination as the solution to rising numbers of kogan victims. we debate the issue with our guests. what should we do? that vaccination should be obliged people to have the vaccination. we should. we're not back to the liberating dimension. one of the things compounding the humanitarian disaster here is the shia ruggedness of the mountainous country. refugees, return home to nagorno-karabakh as russian peacekeepers secure the only route linking at the region to armenia, party takes the trip and test its safety. a very warm welcome to the program from all of us here at r t h q in moscow. let's get started with your life news update. blood lust and competition killing may have

provoked australian special forces to murder dozens of afghans. an inquiry has found, and some killings appear to have been part of initiation rituals for new troops. there is credible information. the junior soldiers were required by their patrol commanders to shoot a prisoner in order to achieve the thought, just 1st kill in a practice that was known as bloody. so essentially, the general idea behind this report is that some rogue soldiers, some rogue members of most elite astray in his unit s.a.'s, that they have been fusing excellence, military excellence with eagle, with pride, and well with indiscriminate killing. here's how a top defense official of australia described the atmosphere of the dominated in this unit. the report finds that some specialist service ridgemont commanders in australia fostered within the s.a.'s. what justice burton terms,

a self centered warrior culture? a misplaced focus on prestige status and power turning away from or from the regiments heritage of military excellence fused with the quiet humility of service. so to put it in simpler terms, a soldier was given a boost in status in the world, you know, within the unit. for instance, the $11.00 ritual that is described in this, in this document in this report, is that some new recruits were made were made to shoot prisoners compliant prisoners which were no longer combat tends to make their 1st kill. it was called blooding. and they're also, there's also some evidence uncovered by the investigators that weapons were planted later on the bodies of these prisoners to make them look as if they were fighting

back and so on and so forth. and also the report suggests that these kills that they weren't made in the heat of battle. so you know how some decisions, like if this is, if there's a heated shootout going on and then if it's you or me, if it's kill or be killed, then world soldier could be absolved of some of the over some of its actions that later, you know, looking back in hindsight, don't look as good as, as good of a decisions as they seemed in the heat of the moment. that was not the case when it comes to the incidence that this report has been looking into. in fact, one of the investigators that was who is familiar with the matter. she said that the killing was made into a sport. you say it was happening again and again, what was happening? what sort of actions are we talking about? it was killing as a sport. also the report interesting me enough, it absolves it seems to absolve the commander suggesting that the higher up

officers officers higher in the hierarchy, they didn't know that was taking place some difficult and disturbing information to learn to everyone who condone as freely as in room and in afghanistan, especially given that they went in, that they intervened in this, in this conflict that intervened in gani affairs, to the tune of these words, terrorism is based on evil, intolerance and bigotry, and new free societies, such as australia, the united states can never buckle under to bigotry and intolerance, so that the report suggests punishment against 19 members of s.a.'s. so this is the number, so we'll have to see what legal steps and what legal action will be taken in the wake of this probe. international affairs professor sophia mclennan says foreign troops don't care about afghan lives. the war in afghanistan was always brained

and a 2 pronged way while on the one hand accountability for the attacks of 911 arguments that afghanistan had been used as a breeding ground for terrorists. and on the other hand, in attack against the taliban, a humanitarian intervention, to save the afghan people from a brutal regime. the reality is that none of the behavior that we have witnessed in these reports shows any serious care for the afghan people. at no time do we get the sense that there's any concern for the future of the nation. and for the complexities of rebuilding a country that's been ripped apart by war since $979.00. and in fact, in the, the afghanistan papers that were released only just about a year ago, we found out that the u.s. government was uneven really taking seriously counting civilian casualties. they

didn't count the bodies of dead afghans because the afghan lives did not count in the war. and so i think we see, you know, a consistent pattern here, where there's no accountability and no concern at all for the people one death to decoded every minute us ascending, ever more appalling records with a new 6 month pick of crown of our civic times rich this week makes even tougher, it locked down restrictions increasingly likely. new york city is closing all public schools from thursday more than a 1000000. students will move to distance learning, but not all parents agree with the decision because a lot of friends and very sure as we really don't have to go down just yet, it kind of sucks. please don't do this to us. please keep the schools open for a little sad to close a fast. as for the cancer, it's super unfortunate that these kids are going to be denied. an education,

i believe can go eat dinner inside a restaurant. and yes, it makes no sense to me out. absolutely, and fears of stricter lockdowns have people scrambling to stock up supermarket chains struggling to keep up with demand to put limits on the number of items shoppers can buy. are just come up in reports on the growing u.s. crisis over the pandemic. the number of covert cases across america now stands at roughly 11000000. in addition to that, 250000 people have died. we now have gloomy predictions coming from scientists, saying that that number could double in the coming months with the virus giving no sign of abetting. many hospitals around the country have been pushed to the brink. one nurse in texas told the horrors of overcrowded morgues. 'd we have never seen, it's ok for us to be exposed. but you have doctors, you do not even coming near. you can't get exposed, but we can hear

a ya make them on a monday. in fact, it has gotten so bad that in el paso, texas, it's prison inmates who've been given the job of transporting bodies in north dakota. the governor has signed an order saying that medical workers who test positive for coded 19 should still show up for work as long as they're not showing symptoms. and nurses are furious. union leaders say this is putting workers in mortal danger. we really feel like it has an issue that patients even are seeing as well. do you really worry about a nurse or now? nurses are exhausted across the street and everybody in that house and having to turn and we have asked people to really be heard and your current teen and their contact and i'm positive and we're going to turn around. i'm going to work with that. we are totally counting on the empower, our respect and credibility that we have delivered community not for politics as though the public health crisis is an opportunity to point fingers and blame each

other. joe biden blames the coronavirus deaths that have been forecasted for the next few months on donald trump and his refusal to concede the election. furthermore, joe biden is saying that donald trump is the reason that many americans are suspicious of the vaccine. what do you see as the biggest threat to your transition right now, given president trump's unprecedented attempt to obstruct and delay a smooth transfer of power. more people may die. the only reason people question the vaccine now is because of the. now polls are showing that only about 58 percent of the american public is willing to get vaccinated, and that is not going to change depending on whether or not donald trump is willing to concede the election results. if i took it in, as some people might die again with the my down no vaccine and some people might die in the future or the like in 10 years. so even if it got tested that it was positive and it had no ill effects, i still wouldn't want to take it. i want to see like what the actual effective rate

is, how the doses are going to be administered. is it a single dose? is it a 2 dose like how, what's the gap between doses? so just more information in terms of what the actual rollout will be. the covert 19 pandemic has devastated the country both in terms of public health and the economy . there is not much optimism right now, and there's not much hope that a new administration in the white house is going to turn things around. caleb oppen, artsy new york with a number of come into cases, also growing across the atlantic. europe's caging public opinion on making vaccinations. mandatory in british government survey found almost half of the population supports that. but despite significant opposition to an obligatory jab, a senior m.p. says those who refuse could be banned from public places. if vaccination works, and if we're confident it's safe and all indications so far are good, then i can certainly see the day when businesses say, look,

you've got to return to the office and if you're not vaccinated, you're not coming in. according to the ruling party lawmaker only vaccinated passenger should be allowed to use public transport, but that sparked a massive online backlash. and he still question the safety of an anti coated bike scene. while others know a mandatory job could only make things worse. in all in denmark, a draft epidemic the law could let police force the vaccine on parts of the population, but it may be backtracked. following mass protests, it took the idea of mandatory vaccinations to a panel of experts. i'm certainly not against fascinations on one city. my son was partly the situation since we should holies fascinations were necessary. it's made by this fact since 20 years, sooner it should be improved yet. so this law is playing fast tracks. and also great bizarrely. the great governments are ensuring its people cannot sue the

manufacturers, will be company for anything which happens to be tomorrow. he's as a result of this fight scene. i think that we're in a real emergency situation and you know, 56 years ago when you make a choice as to whether or not you have actually in rio raised a major threat make a public health threat. and they're frightening the government, it's not really right in speeding things up. people are worried that this essentially is kind of straying into the area of true cousin and nor a bit of final thora terry intends to at. we want to respond to people who add to that, and let's assume for one moment we have the facts, a nation which is safe. what should we do with that vaccination? should be obliged people to have the vaccination. well, there is no law in the u.k. that the government could use at the moment to make you know, bigotry. in fact, the 984 act which comes closest to it actually prevents the government requiring

people to undergo medical treatment or vaccination. so there isn't a more, a lot of people are mistrust who are going back in because, you know, people are saying, well, there's all these big problems through companies coming in there making loads of money on it. who knows what's really behind them. so now actually there is, there is sufficient and i would be right if they were duckweed or christians openly, might be frothing there and, and he baiting there and creating a theatre where those that were like myself, really wanted to go ahead with that rocked. forgetting dick bigger and bigger units, right? in the meantime, we think you could convince the rest of the population of the worst thing that you can do is a new sport that would simply confirm people who destroyed there were actually create corps and more problems in the long run. and that if you read a little bit, basically it's the same discourse actually should, because if you can't get over, we were talking to public transport,

we're going to rush or toward records. if you think about actually wish most people are going to eat meat. so we or the toads of towton, so rare in the states. if we got a hold on treatment rather than vaccination, and we kept doing what we're all trying to do, wear masks, why gloves, social distance? is that not enough? or do we really need to stray into as people are saying this realm of to konya north stepping in a stepping on the toes of people's liberties? well i think that if we continue to way, we are already getting on people who clearly i would rather not wear a mask and i would rather not push all of this and clearest in my life. i would rather do every vaccine and so with millions alone, i think most people die from the background. you are actually very happy to get them actually in the hope that there will be on the out to go back to normal real right instead of the present circumstances which take

a picture of freedom and liberty the way so most people are acting is that liberating intervention and i think it's race tilley to say that we don't need a vaccine still to come this hour, the u.n. warns of a humanitarian catastrophe in ethiopia as tens of thousands flee its civil war. in the north. i show 4 children adults and pregnant women i've been shot and thrown into the streets and bit-o. is sticks. and we break down the conflict in the country in the 2nd half of the program when i almost choked seemed wrong. but all quotes just don't call me to get to shape out just to become active and engaged. because betrayal.

when so many find themselves worlds apart, we choose to look for common ground. a new gold rush is underway and thousands of ill equipped workers are flocking to the gold fields, hoping to strike it. rich as children are torn between gold was very poor. i thought i was doing my best to get back to see which side will have the strongest appeal.

welcome back. a new group of refugees has returned home to the disputed region of newborn a car bomb under the truce reached between armenia and azerbaijan. last week. russian peacekeepers have secured the key road, connecting the area with armenia, allowing dozens of buses and cars to pass through the route himself. one of the things compounding the humanitarian disaster here is the shia ruggedness of these mountainous country for the 10s of thousands of people who fled the fighting for them to return home. they need a safe route, but because of the fighting various segments of the routes to get about under the control of different sides. what the russian peacekeeping mission has been able to do is to make the achaeans key, corridor safe for all these refugees to return. so we went for a very literal test drive to see if it's true. it fresh and peacekeepers really had

convinced that said by john to let me and refugees written it turned out to be a very cautious drive. the other problem, of course, is the weather. these late in the year in november, december, it gets increasingly cold, increasingly wet and visibility is down to what? 20 meters at this point. the roads are treacherous. if you're a refugee though it isn't the fault you're afraid of. neither is it the bad roads, the end exploded munitions or the bodies of the dead. it's still leaving that scale you just over a week ago. this was a fiercely contested front blood. it still is a frontline in the room no longer contest that the next 19 kilometers off to the sun. held by is headed by a judge through russian mediation. the sides have agreed to let all traffic through unmolested, meenie and it's headed by john the military vehicles,

civilians or refugees, but 1st few willing to trust the other side. we heard that there were azerbaijanis about ambushes here. i didn't know if it was true or not, but now i know everything is fine here. when am i afraid? of course i'm not of a threat is what is there to fear when you're driving under a russian flag. the situation is that booth son ads who were at war just over a week ago, have to share the same stretch of road. and it's up to russian peacekeepers who patrol the road and who is stationed at various points to prevent the 2 sides from taking revenge on civilians or harassing them. it took a lot of work, but russian peacekeepers were successful. new weapons are allowed, not even for as they did by johnny was i mean the troops, everyone searched every vehicle, inspected every weapon, confiscated. here

we filmed a small, is it about johnny, military convoy pass immediately after cause carrying armenian refugees, which by itself was unimaginable. 2 weeks ago. it's not that i haven't been home in 15 days. we're going back now. thank you. everything is going fine. thank you. but everything changes. if you would have believed russian peacekeepers and i did it by jonny outposts would be situated metres apart. or that by johnny troops would be barbecuing food and setting the table as armenian refugees. return to cattle the city will have had no difficulty with the neighboring outpost. we have very good relations if they need something, we help them. and if we need something, they help us everyone's playing by the rules. the ceasefire stands and thousands

of people are returning to their homes, their previous lives more, i guess the of, from the garden account of her and of the peace to armenia and azerbaijan will hold on to their current military positions and games. armenia, control of the disputed regions, largest cities to plan a carrot on, gets the 2nd biggest city which it took just before the fighting. and i mean, it will also have to hand over 3 other districts in the region. the un refugee agency is warning of a full scale humanitarian catastrophe in ethiopia. more than 27000, people have fled to neighboring countries from civil war in the north. if the o.p.'s government is battling the great people's liberation front, after accusing it of attacking a military base authorities, then launched a military offensive calling the alleged assault, an act of treason. even

the student that we work for so many years left, everything can pat working with just our clothes. back this year. i was nearly beaten and tortured and we were detained for 3 days. we near death from hunger and thirst. before they released us myself, i should renounce all sense. pregnant women have been a charlatan thrown into the streets and bitter was 6. after they took control of they stole all homes. the humanitarian situation on the border between ethiopia and sudan is quickly evolving and it's extremely urgent. in the matter of a week, the u.n. h.c.r. has already recorded more than 30000 refugees who have crossed from ethiopia into

sudan. better have we lost everything there are belongings. our livestock, everything, i do not know anything about my children, whether it's adults, the world not see us now. where when we go and i will just die. we barely escaped with our lives. i mean ran away. the whoever did not sleep at all, but will die. the u.n. is helping refugees who have fled to neighboring eastern sudan just across the border

from the conflict a spokesperson for the un refugee agency. the u.n. h.c.r. gave this warning if hostilities continue. it all started with a trickle on 9th of november with 100 or 100 in 15 and the 2nd on 10th of november over 6800 utopian if we g.'s in just one day, we as units in other humanitarian zone being this. and then these are told to used to rush supplies and help these desperate refugees. but the situation is really overwhelming. the community again capacity, many of these refugees are coming with nothing. they just fled, saving their lives. they need all the immediate things you need 1st. we need to be and didn't want to have food and shelter. and stabilized your condition. the numbers are so huge that it's really, really challenging to reach everyone. this is really more corner of sudan is trying

to build shelters, trying to install health and hygiene installations because we're also dealing with the as well. so these desperate refugees need everything and the fear is if this fighting goes on, there could be thousands more on the run. that's been our wrap up of the day's top headlines for now, but don't forget you can always follow us on facebook or twitter for up to the minute reports. so what we've got to do is identify the threats that we have. it's crazy confrontation, let it be an arms race in this on offense. very dramatic development. the only personally, i'm going to resist, i don't see how that strategy will be successful,

very critical. time time to sit down and talk during the vietnam war, u.s. forces neighboring laos. it was a secret war. and for years the american people did not know how much it is the case that the heavily bombed country per capita. human history, millions of unexploded bombs still in danger lives in this small agricultural country. so i mean, we have even today, kids in laos full victims of bombs dropped decades ago. this is the us making amends for the tragedy in laos built to the people need in that little

greetings and salyut, asian since u.s. president donald trump drastic a devastating loss to former vice president joe biden, all the way back on what feels like ages ago, november 3rd, our brand name in chief has been running a sort of scorched earth transition policy from outright denying his defeat in a half brained attempt to muddy the upcoming electoral college vote on december 14th to his randomly on purpose firings of how to go to the homeland security officials who just happen to disagree with them about the election trombones. how the news media's and political punditry is fall outrage machine running on time when it's not a full tank of gas $27.00 ratings. clicks and pearl clutching was go lower. but it wasn't until recent reports that on his way out the door, the donald may drawdown or outright end the u.s. wars in afghanistan and iraq. that, that hit the washington d.c.

where it hurts the most right between its military industrial complex legs. in fact, the hill is now reporting that acting defense secretary, christopher miller announced on tuesday that president trump has ordered the pentagon to pull 2500 u.s. troops from afghanistan, iraq, by mid january. and that the defense department will cut the number of troops in afghanistan from 452500, the number of forces in iraq from 322505 january 15th, just 5 days before joe biden would get sworn in. naturally cries of national security dominated the airwaves in response to this news. yes, it was an all out political news media blitz to convince you that somehow removing us troops and bringing them home from war are now multi-generational wars. that somehow puts them in more danger than being in a never ending war. but that wasn't the only bad news for the pentagon this week,

as it appears once again. they just can't seem to get the old books. right. reuters is now reporting that the pentagon failed, failed its comprehensive audit and fiscal to that and fiscal year 2020. that's the 3rd year, the pentagon has failed since the 1st audit was conducted back in 2018. but apparently my friends there misuse and disregard for keeping proper accounting of how they spend billions and billions of our tax dollars. apparently that's ok. you know, because golly gee, we have a, they're getting better at it. at least that's according to department of defense comptroller, thomas harker, who told the media that hopefully by 2027 the pentagon will finally have a clean audit. it's time to start watching the hawks in a city st. peter's square.