armed thrower on the other compound in the holy city of najaf. as store some mention more than 20 people were killed by an identified gunman she sent us this report a bit earlier one of those violent nights in recent weeks. panic among crowds as gunfire echoing around the square in central baghdad moments earlier gunman had pulled up in cars and trucks at a building where protesters have based themselves since anti-government rallies began in october medics struggle to treat the dozens injured there's been concerns that the rallies gathered around tahrir square could spiral into chaos. after supporters of hush the shabby paramilitary called listen flooded the area on thursday in a show of force they arrived in their thousands and to hear square carrying pictures of the country's top shiite cleric grand ayatollah ali al sistani. the hashed initially backed iraq's government against the protests but switched to supporting the rallies after an intervention by grand ayatollah sistani. just hours before the shootings the united states imposed sanction

the secret hef forces was very brutal. 48 people i think were killed both in nasiriya and najaf. in return, the demonstrators can or the symbolsuses of this corruption. in a small town where i was a few weeks ago, they burned the houses of mps b because that t s the symbol of corruption. areajaf, demonstrations tataking place against the consulate, huge setback for the iranian influence and a rack. second, against the shrine of a very revered, again, she a cleric -- shiite cleric who is part of this establishment that is dead. in these places, it is more personal and thehe reaction is r more violent than a baghdad. amy: we're going to gotta break and come back to this discussion. ghaith abdul-ahad , we will also be joined b by sinan antoon. stay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: this is democracy now!, i'm amy goodman. we continue to look at what is happening in iraq. more than 400 protesters killed. the prime minister has acquiesced and said he is resigning. i want to turn right now to representative of iraq's top speaking friday. >> we confirm again that attacks against peaceful pr

from other oil fields but hundreds of iraqis of it are marching in baghdad and the nearby city of najaf to protest against the iranian backed nominee for prime minister remember iraq's president bottom seller refused to accept that nomination he doesn't want to appoint someone who would be rejected by the demonstrators. iraqis have suffered decades of war and sectarian conflict there was i so have been u.n. sanctions so much so i want to fulton reports now from baghdad on what might be in store for 2020. hundreds dead tens of thousands injured dozens of activists assassinated or abducted and only one resignation that is the result of 3 months of anti-government protests in iraq as unrest spills into 2020 the rift between iraqis and ruling elites only appears to be growing in but that's the here square the epicenter of protests some people call this a revolution they want to enter political class to leave across the bridge in the fortified green zone politicians offer token concessions as they cling on to power all of the candidates put forward by major political parties to replace prime

footage over the past few hours that show a number of his supporters gathering outside this compound in najaf province we do know that this drone attack took place in the early hours of this morning and the cleric himself rather on southern was not inside the compound he's believed to be out of the country at the moment so there were no reports of any injuries after this attack but this comes at a very critical time because we have heard from a number of protesters in baghdad from that attack overnight they say that the people that came to their aid where the military wing of the souther is movement so we believe that the call from the demonstrators for help was answered by the shia cleric because other a souther and his army and they say that this is a reason possibly for this attack that took place on this other compound and this must be feeding to existing security concerns the. yes certainly this does not help the situation at all what it does is create further divisions within the voices of the demonstrators that many of them say that they were being silenced by militias or gangs and num

an attempt on the life of the cleric shia cleric coveralls father his compound in the holy city of najaf was apparently attacked by an armed drone overnight in that city you know we don't know if there were any injuries or casualties in his in that compound and we don't know who could have been responsible for that attack but we have heard from various sources saying that there was an attempt on his life that is because there are some other the shia cleric in najaf now this happened after many of those demonstrators who were attacked just behind me here. in the square overnight they were demanding protection from government forces and there were no effort there was no government security to protect these protesters and that is when most other us souther called on has military wing of his party to come to the rescue of these protesters that is what they've been telling various other media outlets that they tried to rescue and help the demonstrators in the last month in that gunfight and now we're hearing that there was an attempt by a aren't thrown out on the other compounds in the holy c

. >> najaf is one of a rare city. at the end of the street is the sacred shrine of imam a lirks. he lives here behind these doors. the shiite cleric is 89 and many follow his guidelines when they take crucial decisions. also in their everyday lives. he and his mother who live in the north of the city refer to him as father. >> he is like a shelter where we can find d refugege. hehe protects us in all circumstances. we always follow his guidelines even when it comes to the most private and personal issues. >> the abudin family respects him so much that w when he call to fight the islamic group, his brother and father enrolled in an armed group. his father died in the fighting. >> his unite was attacked and a snipiper shot him in the head. if we had to do it all over again, we would still follow. >> his influence can be fatal for politicians. his callll to remove the government led the prime minister to step down. the cleshic's representatives believe he is entitled to influence politics. >> he advises people over social, religious and political issues. when there is a political im

from other oil fields meanwhile hundreds of iraqis have marched in baghdad and the nearby city of najaf to protest against the iranian backed nominee for prime minister iraq's president bottom seller refused to accept that nomination because it isn't want to appoint someone who would be rejected by the demonstrators . in the hot dry weather that's led to unprecedented bushfires in australia is forecast to return the prime minister said some volunteer firefighters will now be paid also authorities in sydney will be going ahead with the big fireworks display on new year's eve but have warned it would be cancelled if catastrophic conditions declared that's my lot for today thank you for your company the listening post is next on article 2 is it donald trump is now the 3rd president in history of the united states to be just the one that you'd be never going to want to see as major event for the future of the rest joining us with details coverage an analysis of the trump impeachment on al-jazeera. this documents is an official cia memorandum dated september 970 and is a note curiously title

life of the cleric shia cleric several souther his compound in the holy city of najaf was apparently attacked by an armed drone overnight in that city you know we don't know if there were any injuries or casualties. in that compound and we don't know who could have been responsible for that attack but we have heard from various sources saying that there was an attempt on his life that is most other souther this shia cleric. not just now this happened after many of those demonstrators who were attacked just behind me here. in the square overnight they were demanding protection from government forces and there were no there was no government security to protect these protesters and that is when most other us other called on has military wing of his party to come to the rescue of these protesters that is what they've been telling various other and media outlets that they tried to rescue it to help the demonstrators and they lost many in that gunfight and now we're hearing that there was an attempt by a car and thrown on the other compound in the holy city of najaf. for the moment thanks

making news today: protesters in iraq have set fire to the iranian consulate in the southern city of najaf iran‘s dominant influence in iraq has helped fuel the protests in iraq, now entering their third month. the violence has intensified in the past week in several southern cities as security forces continue to use live ammunition and tear gas. chinese social media users have voiced their concerns about the privacy implications of a new law requiring mobile phone owners to have their faces scanned when registering a new device. authorities say the new law, which came into effect on sunday, seeks to verify the identities of the country‘s hundreds of millions of internet users. but many weibo users suggested the law will increase state censorship. residents of venice have voted on whether to split administratively from its neighbouring city on the italian mainland. supporters say venice needs its own administration to tackle rising sea levels, mass tourism and failures to build flood defences. however, the poll requires a 50% turnout for the result to be valid, which may not have been reac

mahdi said he'd step down after dozens of demonstrators were killed in various cities — including najafior army commander has been killed in a roadside bomb attack in the southern province of helmand. the head of the military‘s border forces, brigadier general zahir gul muqbil, was leading a convoy of soldiers and local journalists to marjah district when his vehicle hita mine. brazil's presidentjair bolsonaro has accused actor leonardo dicaprio of "giving money to set the amazon on fire", although he gave no evidence for the allegation. in an instagram post, mr dicaprio, who has pledged five million dollars for the amazon, denied mr bolsonaro's claim — saying, "we did not fund the organizations targeted." the brazilian president has previously accused some ngos of starting the fires that broke out earlier this year, in order to receive more money. dom phillips is a freelance reporter for the guardian newspaper based in rio dejaneiro. he says the accusations against mr dicaprio are part of a wider narrative. i think they fit into a wider context thatjob ohnson arrow has been making unfo

protesters in iraq have set fire to the iranian consulate in the southern city of najaf for the secondt iran's dominant influence in iraq has helped fuel the protests in iraq, now entering their third month. the violence has intensified in the past week in several southern cities as security forces continue to use live ammunition and tear gas. thousands of people, including judges and lawyers, have been protesting across poland against widespread changes to the country's legal system, which are being implemented by the governing law and justice party. they've called for the reinstatement of one judge who was dismissed earlier this week. the government has clashed with the european commission over its changes to the judiciary. residents of venice have voted on whether to split administratively from its neighbouring city on the italian mainland. supporters say venice needs its own administration to tackle rising sea levels, mass tourism and failures to build flood defences. however the poll requires a 50 per cent turnout for the result to be valid, which may not have been reached. malta'

effigy supposedly of president mccrone wearing a crown was put on display in the southern city of najaf. protesters there were seen hitting it with sticks as it dangled from a tree the strike action there also saw some sporadic violence as demonstrators clashed with police. russia's flatly rejected germany's claims that it's not been cooperating with an investigation into the murder of a georgian national in berlin in august russian foreign minister sergei lavrov told r.t. on thursday that it appears moscow will again be blamed for a crime it was not involved in with the story is more if a national. relations between moscow and bearly now going drastically downhill germany's unexpected decision to expel 2 russian embassy staffers on wednesday has left more scope fuming angela merkel complained russia didn't do enough to has ceased tame the investigation into the murder of a georgian national back in august and now barely says there is real and sufficient indication that russia was behind it i asked russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov for his response. russia and germany have special

abdul mahdi said he'd step down after dozens of demonstrators were killed in various cities, including najaftalians have ta ken to the streets of florence and naples to protest against the far—right league party, and its leader matteo salvini. the crowds sang anti—fascist songs in these latest demonstrations staged by the new political movement known as the sardines. it was founded two weeks ago in bologna to oppose the league ahead of regional elections. hundreds of climate campaigners in eastern germany have occupied several opencast coal mines to demand their closure. the protesters have rejected the government's plan to phase out coal mining by 2038,and instead want the industry be closed down immediately. gareth barlow has more. activists pour in where the coal pours out. dressed in white overalls and wearing masks, the protesters occupied several mines across the states of saxony and brandenburg. they say the german government's pledged to phase out coal by 2038 is not enough. translation: we're here, activists for the climate, sitting here in front of the inaction of our government. t

photos over the past few hours that show a number of his supporters gathering outside this compound in najaf province we do know that this drone attack took place in the early hours of this morning and the cleric himself father also there was not inside the compound he's believed to be out of the country at the moment so there were no reports of any injuries after this attack but this comes at a very critical time because we have heard from any number of protesters in baghdad from that attack overnight they say that the people that came to their aid where the military wing of the movement the other headlines now the u.s. and iran have exchanged prisoners in a swap facilitated by the swiss government the iranian government released chinese american cheese you wang who faced spying charges after being detained in 2016 in exchange the u.s. released the iranian scientist masood sort of many who flew back to iran with the foreign minister mohammad javad zarif u.s. state department official says he is hopeful the swap is a sign iran is willing to come to the table to talk about all issues but thes

down following the killing of dozens of people during demonstrations in several cities — including najafrs and ten drug cartel gunmen have died in a shootout near the us border. the clash happened in the small town of villa union. the gunmen arrived in a convoy of 12 pick—up trucks and attacked the police station and town hall. china has warned the us it could take "firm counter—measures" if washington continues to show support for pro—democracy protesters in hong kong. the warning came after us president donald trump signed into law an act that requires an annual review, to check if hong kong has enough autonomy to justify special status with the us. a new law comes into force in china this weekend that will force mobile phone users to submit to facial recognition software in order to access the internet. the scan will ensure that they match the photograph on their national identity card. the government in beijing says it will help protect the legitimate rights of citizens in cyberspace. it's the 1st of december today, and the spirit of christmas has already arrived in the birth place o

mahdi said he'd step down after dozens of demonstrators were killed in various cities — including najafgners in eastern germany have occupied several opencast coal mines to demand their closure. the protesters have rejected the government's plan to phase out coal mining by 2038 — and instead want the industry be closed down immediately. gareth barlow has more. activists pour in where the coal pours out. dressed in white overalls and wearing masks, the protesters occupied several mines across the states of saxony and brandenburg. they say the german government's pledged to phase out coal by 2038 is not enough. translation: we're here, activists for the climate, sitting here in front of the inaction of our government. this is for the climate, for a future with renewable energies. saturday's protests aren't the first such demonstrations. in june, hundreds of activists blocked a mine near cologne for several days. seven of the top 10 carbon emitters in the eu are german coal—fired power stations. the sector provides thousands of jobs and a small pro—coal rally sought to highlight the fossil

abdul mahdi said he'd step down after dozens of demonstrators were killed in various cities, including najafy, and it's been confirmed that the licence conditions of every convicted terrorist released from prison in england and wales are to be reviewed, following the latest london bridge attack. here's our political correspondent, jessica parker. hello, how are you doing? visiting the scene earlier, the prime minister, alongside the met police chief, cressida dick, as people try to take in what has happened and understand what lessons can be learned. from borisjohnson, a call for tougher sentencing. i have said for a long time now that i think that the practice of automatic early release, where you cut a sentence in half and let really serious violent offenders out early, simply isn't working and i think you have had some very good evidence of how that isn't working, i am afraid, with this case. the mayor of london, sadiq khan, has said that while criminality cannot be excused, he believed police cuts under the conservative and coalition governments have had consequences. and the labour lead

only did the ukrainians get $391 million congress prepare rayed, they got another 30 odd mill dollars najafin anti-tank missiles to use against the russians that the obama administration refused to provide. liz: thank you, john. iran violated nuclear deal, they are on a schedule. the update how iran might ratchet up those nuclear deal violations right before the november 2020 elections to potentially disrupt that race. the story next. ♪. we made usaa insurance for members like martin. an air force veteran made of doing what's right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, usaa reached out before he could even inspect the damage. that's how you do it right. usaa insurance is made just the way martin's family needs it - with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa quitting smoking is freaking hard.st, like quitting every monday hard. quitting feels so big. so, try making it smaller. and you'll be surprised at how easily starting small... ...can lead to somet

rocky city of najaf is home to the grand ayatollah ali al sistani the highest shia religious authority in the country since anti-government protests began in october he has delivered some sharp criticism of the government's handling of the crisis during his weekly friday sermons but this week he decided to no longer get involved in iraq ie politics his somalia fault and again reporting from natural gas. as iraq slips deeper into political crisis the one man iraq has looked to for guidance is silent grand ayatollah ali al sistani is friday's sermon delivered through his representative usually includes comments on political matters closely watched in streets and halls of government alike this week the cleric announced he'd no longer speak on political issues and he passed a cryptic message to iraq's politicians explaining why. if you read history you'll find that the problem is not with the people who have wisdom and intellect but with those who don't listen to those who have wisdom and intellect. clerics close to stanley say his silence is a show of dismay that iraq's politicians are no

in the next 30 days in the meantime the violence is continuing especially in the southern city of najaf that is where we have heard reports that demonstrators have yet again set fire to the consulate there for the 2nd time in less than a week we've also confirmed 2 deaths that took place there on sunday all this continues while people say that they want to see a change in the country's political system. that certainly takes time and it's not going to be easy transition the meantime the polling the trying to find a local candidate to replace the ministers that is and knowing that that is. the right source of thank you for that update from baghdad let's make some way he's the director of the gulf studies center at qatar university joining us right here and thanks very much for your time with us on the al-jazeera news hour so the resignation of the prime minister in iraq was not really the central demand of the protesters there demanding the overhaul of the entire political. system so is iraq looking at a prolonged political crisis. i believe that this is just a new chapter i think this cr

several months protesting against iran even burning iranian consulates and the likes of karbala and najaf and other places because they don't want raney and meddling in arena and domination in their country just as they don't want american domination and meddling in their country so the iraqis a class are speaking out and speaking out not exactly in one voice but certainly the invisible iraqi that's basically suffered from 16 years of war nokia patient and sectarianism is emerging once again and saying look that is behind us american invasion hopefully is behind us and we want to rein in meddling to be behind us because iraq needs to be a sovereign independent country and iraqis need to leave as and live a sovereign people free of international meddling in the end and the country well it's been good to have you on the program thank you again for that well in the shower there. well the former chairman of the multinational john nissen has fled to lebanon from japan where he faces a trial of allegations of financial misconduct callus cohen has a live in a passport and was arrested in tokyo i

from other oil fields meanwhile hundreds of iraqis have marched in baghdad and the nearby city of najafto protest against the iran backed nominee for prime minister iraq's president bottom seller refused to accept that nominations and he doesn't want to appoint someone who would be rejected by the demonstrators. we're not protesting against the prime minister if we would we would have ended our demonstration from the very beginning we have been protesting against the political parties we want services we want the government to help. iraqis have suffered decades of a war sectarian conflict has been i saw un sanctions so many things some wonderful tin reports now from baghdad on what may be in store for iraq in 2020. hundreds dead tens of thousands injured dozens of activists assassinated or abducted and only one resignation that is the result of 3 months of anti-government protests in iraq as unrest spills into 2020 the rift between iraqis and ruling elites only appears to be growing in but that's the here square the epicenter of protests some people call this a revolution they want the

over the last 24 hours on saturday a drone attack targeted unka rocking shia clerics in the city of najafn baghdad more gunfire. how to find a nice balance and after least 23 dead. unfair and politically motivated is how russia is describing a proposed 4 year ban from international sports events the world anti-doping agency accuses russian administrators of manipulating doping records and it's due to decide on monday if the ban will be imposed step bassam reports now from moscow. banned or not russian olympic gymnastics at training for gold their target the olympics in tokyo next year among them silver medalist and the 2016 olympics in rio de janeiro events at the beach he also won the world title in stuttgart 2 months ago. is too strong as a country therefore there will always be talks of some sort because we are strong competitors let them say whatever they want we will move forward and keep preparing . the world anti-doping agency wada rico. amended imposing a ban on russia afterwards as the result of athlete's blood and new recent samples found in a moscow laboratory were incomplete o

gentleman said in the video, when the river has a capacity and the video can overflow, and what we saw in najafnd what we saw in karbala and in nasiriyah was that flood that was caused by supporting a very small plague of iranian allies since 2003, 2004, and i don't know whether the u.s. allies or others would be much cleaner and more accountable than the people who are in iraq right now. but these people have proven to be as corrupt as they can get and because of that, i think people are manifesting part of their anger, at least, projecting part of their anger against iran. in iran, iran does not have the brigade a real allegiance to one group or another. and as you can see, with muqtada al sadr, muqtada al sadr sometimes comes to iran and sits next to khamanei, and he's very critical of the regime and muqtada al sadr's family , traditionally, have been very much against e ran'siran's family, the hakim family in iraq. so, that is different. sorry, my answers are just adding more complex. >> they're great. >> confusion to the situation. unfortunately, it's like explaining soap operas to people