. >> former us ambassadors to persian gulf countries talked about security in the gulf region and us relations with iran. this event was held at the ol university of michigan's ford school of a policy in ann arbor. >> hello everybody and welcome. i would like first to add my thanks to the weiser family as well as to the american academy of diplomacy with which we've been fortunate to partner to bring today's event together.the topic we will address is obviously timely and extremely important. going to talk about us iran relations, the nuclear deal, politics and security y in the gulf more generally and of course those issues are linked to a whole range of other regional issues relevant to us foreign policy in the middle east from israel and the palestinian territories to the conflicts in syria, yemen and afghanistan and to have a discussion onsuch an important and wide-ranging array of issues we have assembled a dream team of diplomats with experience in the region . i'm going to introduce them briefly and trust me, introducing them in a time efficient manner requires a lot of distil

ambassadors to persian gulf countries talked about security in the gulf region and u.s. relations with iran. this event was held at the university of michigan's ford school of public policy in ann arbor. [ applause ] hello, everybody, welcome. i would like first also to add my thanks to the wiser family as well as to the american academy of diplomacy with which we've been fortunate to partner with today's event together. the topic we'll address is timely and extremely important. we will talk about u.s.-iran relations, the nuclear deal, politics and security in the gulf more generally and of course, those issues are linked to a whole range of other regional issues relevant to u.s. foreign policy in the middle east from israel and the palestinian territories to the conflicts in siria, yemen and afghanistan and beyond, and to have a discussion on such an important and wide-ranging array of issues we have assembled a real dream team of diplomats with experience in the region and i'm going introduce them briefly and trust me, introducing them in a time-efficient manner requir

old -- the principle threat to the gulf states. however, this is not to say that there are not other threats as well such as saudi arabia. >> ok. thanks. >> thanks. an deaf it inly a threat perceived differently than other countries. the u.a.e. -- years ago looks at iran, they just moved up the middle. but they have real enemies. but there are things that are changing in the gulf. the leadership of the states in several cases has changed and is yoirning, and is perceived for more dynamic courses and in some cases particularly in saudi arabia and the u.a.e. breaking away from the traditional conservative almost passive defensive approach to power and this sort of feeling mousse cue la chure and challenging much more so -- muss cue la chure and challenging much more die namics. at the same time you have monarchies defending monarchal systems. and there's a tendency to say in the west, monarchies, old news, a trash heap of history gone. we've done that too back in the 960's when arab nagsalists came. wrong. they outlasted all the othe

of california one of the most beautiful marine sanctuaries in the world it is here in the target gulf waters at the edge of the baja california desert the world's smallest cetacean has found a home power when all the money that one of the earth everybody does yes. america because of the motive. what you have and the wreckage that is found nowhere else right this is the only place that it exists yes exactly this is the only place this is and they make these issues. whether someone is with ok only we can find if you're not on the place in the war mexico we are so lucky to have these as these 4 boys belongs in mexico you know if they but get them both here if you are. given us in a hole is an acoustic researcher for mexico's government sponsored iraqi to rescue project today to stop when his team plan to deploy several submerged will see pods or underwater listening devices the pods are used to track but keep us his research picked up the early warning signs that indicated the bucky the population was crushing the data is sent to researchers in san diego crystal dilworth has that part of

of california one of the most beautiful marine sanctuaries in the world it is here in the target gulf waters at the edge of the baja california desert the world's smallest cetacean has found a home power when all the money that one of the earth everybody does yes. america because of the motive. what you have and the wreckage that is found nowhere else right this is the only place that it exists yes exactly this is the only place this is and they make these issues. whether someone is of ok only we can find if you're not on the place in the war mexico we are so lucky to have these as these are poised belongs in mexico you know if they but get them both here if you are. going us in a hole is an acoustic research or for mexico's government sponsored iraqi to rescue project today stop when his team plan to deploy several submerged will see pods or underwater listening devices the pods are used to track but keep us his research picked up the early warning signs that indicate at the back of the population was crushing the data is sent to researchers in san diego crystal dilworth has that par

britain withdrew from the gulf, . in this coldt of war context, saw a power vacuum that increasingly relied on saudi arabia and iran, at that time ruled by the shah of iran, as sort of the pillars of american foreign policy in the gulf. the shah was much more powerful regional state at the time. when the iranian revolution occurred in 1979, this posed a tremendous difficulty and challenge to the united states and its foreign policy in the gulf, certainly to the extent saudi arabia took that up, a that role or took on a greater responsibility as an american ally in the gulf. the saudis at that moment were experiencing their own difficulties and challenges. as some of you may know, there was a seizure of a grand mosque in mecca by islamist militants. also in 1979, an uprising in the shia innority the eastern province in the eastern part of saudi arabia. some background to that relationship among the u.s. and saudi arabia. and iran. >> the question came up. somebody get another card up here. you seemed to imply earlier t

of california one of the most beautiful marine sanctuaries in the world it is here in the target gulf waters at the edge of the baja california desert the world's smallest cetacean has found a home power when all the money that one of the earth everybody does yes. america because of the motives. and what you have and the wreckage that is found nowhere else right this is the only place that it exists yes exactly this is the only place this is and then make these issues. whether someone is of ok only we can find if you're not on the place in the war mexico we are so lucky to have these as these. belongs in mexico you know if they but get them both here if you are. going us in a hole is an acoustic research or for mexico's government sponsored bucky to rescue project today to stop when his team plan to deploy several submerged will see pods or underwater listening devices the pods are used to track but keep us his research picked up the early warning signs that indicated the back of the population was crushing the data is sent to researchers in san diego crystal dilworth has that part of

in the gulf. found itself increasingly isolated what that has done is basically carter diametrically opposed to an n.p.c. and so that is like this kind of regional conflict basically. and that we're seeing that's. and these tensions between the 3 princes were brought to a head as a new figure entered the fray. there are economic relations between donald trump and the pro saudi camp we know that donald trump has a golf course in the u.a.e. . the united arab emirates had a remarkable intuition that donald trump was a man with a rather basic understanding of geopolitics and that there was an opportunity for them to shape his vision of the region so many foreign policy advisers and think tanks in the united states have received money from the united arab emirates in an effort to influence the trumpet ministrations key decisions concerning the middle east. and washington and saudi lobbyists have targeted the president's entourage and one man in particular. there's a middle middle between the u.s. and s

kidnap the crew of last week it was the latest incident in a growing piracy problem afflicting the gulf of guinea off the coast of west africa . now have the most anywhere in the world nigeria. our correspondent shot went to the niger delta to find out the scale of the problem and how it's affecting people that. the beautiful. inside a problematic history in the past creeks. this region is already. after with the arms trafficking kidnapping and in recent years another business has begun to florrie nigeria's course line has become a hotspot for maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of the waterways but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates. to critics like misplaces when they. drive down to creates. the pins 1st the armed man wanted to take the engine of his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they let him go they took his money instead from then on the peregrina stopped working after sunset we are very scared me

gulf leaders will meet and riyadh this week for the 40 to section session of the gulf cooperation council the 6 nation regional bloc has struggles as 2017 and saudi arabia the u.a.e. bahrain and egypt sever ties with qatar and imposed a blockade. reports on whether the summit might offer a new beginning. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has better allies the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by foreign minister. fanny during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate. to some progress where there are some talks. that took place between us and. specifically and saudi and we hope that these talks would lead. to a progress where we can. c.n.n. . 2444 of the crisis. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behala egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands by the blockade in countries which

afflicting the gulf of guinea off the coast of west africa the waters there now have the most attacks anywhere in the world nigeria is at the center of them our correspondent funny our shot went to the niger delta to find out the scale of the problem and how it's affecting people there. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic his story we have read in the vaults creaks of the niger delta. this region is already struggling with or theft with arms trafficking kidnapping and in recent years another business has begun to florrie nigeria's course line has become a hotspot for maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of waterways but it's not only home to criminals per could be no lives near by the river he source of income he transports goods and people but he's careful since he was attacked by pirates and. creatures like. that. creates. the forest the armed men want to take the engine off his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough without him go they took his money instead from then on para could be

is a very big problem attacks by pirates is a problem worldwide but especially in the gulf of guinea they are on the rise along the coastline of west africa. because. they want to be there before pirates strike members of the nigerian navy are headed out of their legs headquarters to money toward the sea here given rare access to accompany them on their daily patrol. we are about politics not to call them out on the cost of legace and this is a legit training different thing it is not anything it. was a long. good thing. it was a very good war. is responsible for navigation and. onboard there is only one vessel that money tours hundreds if not to come out today but the navy doesn't have enough vessels and personnel to prevent piracy attacks funding is need for more training in a position of more platform a condition of the impeachment committee spaces for the vessels given the business of what you saw this was a very difficult isn't this pensive another challenge west african countries have different policies to protect their waters in movies of the old if they're also. countries in

friends in the gulf and elsewhere. but if we don't begin to get to the heart of that, we will have missed a trick and the people of the region will have felt that they've been tricked by nice words quaint project. but in the meantime, the money is running venezuela as it were. >> follow the money. alex, thank you from me. now, this is your opportunity for comments an questions. but all i would ask if you can keep them relatively brief because we want to hear more from him. important though, you are. though, i know there's a wonderful mary with a microphone in her hand. there's a gentleman there. if you could just say who you are just because we're curious. >> i represent somali land right here. i'm going ask you this question. i would appreciate if you reflect on the somali land in terms of its contribution in erms of peace and stability to region. and the political situation in the changing horn of africa. thank you. >> somali land is very interesting, historical position. this is in the region unique in africa, which

is a very big problem attacks by pirates is a problem worldwide but especially in the gulf of guinea they are on the rise along the coastline of west africa. they want to be there before pirates strike members of the nigerian navy are headed out of their lagos headquarters to money toward the sea we are given rare access to accompany them on their daily patrol. we are about to call to you not to call off the coast of them this is me but not your friend deferring to. anything this is. one. good thing. is responsible for navigation and training on board there is only one best song that money tours hundreds of miles a day but the navy doesn't have enough vessels and personnel to prevent all piracy attacks. more training. more platform. minutes. for the vessels keeping the business off. very difficult as in this pensive another challenge west african countries have different policies to protect their waters in movies of the. countries in the gulf or the need for them to effectively money totally don't because even though this. is the it never was fine. and they do why this navy vessel is

a big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and are holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we argued in the past creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of water winds but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates and. creeps like misplaces when they. drive down to the creeks. the forest the armed man wanted to take the engine of his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they let him go they took his money instead from then on the peregrina stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river because you don't know when exactly mccombs so sometimes if they are on the with the cane it will with all your money so piracy. is a very big problem. they want to be there

pirates have become a big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and are holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we argued in the vast creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of water once but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates. creeps like misplaces when that. creates. the pins 1st the armed man wanted to take the engine off his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they let him go they took his money instead from then on the parrot peanuts stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river because you don't know when exactly mccombs so sometimes if they are on the way the king it will with all your money so piracy. is a very big problem. they want to be there before pirates

pirates have become a big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and are holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we are big in the vast creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of water once but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates and. treats like misplaces when the. prince. first the armed man wanted to take the engine of his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they let him go they took his money instead from then on the parrot peanuts stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river because you don't know when exactly the corpse so sometimes if they are on the way the king it will with all your money so for see. is a very big problem. they want to be there before pirates s

cracking down on pirates in the gulf of guinea. and the indian company converts garbage into bio gaps. we begin in eastern ukraine where a ceasefire between ukrainian troops and russian backed rebels is to be implemented by the end of the year. or. close enough to see what the other side are having for lunch that's how these ukrainian troops have spent the last few years just 300 meters from the russian backed separatists facing them whole night without a single shot i don't remember a day like that maybe on the 1st night of the cease fire it's a strange and there's no fire at all you get all nervous we're used to the shooting at us and the conflict may have fallen out of the headlines but the shooting and the deck continues less than a 10 minute drive away a young woman out walking with her child was severely wounded by a stray bullet just last week our guide through the trenches on xander was in his 2nd year good at school in the conference room couch where he rolled he could hardly have imagined that he would soon find himself b

a big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and are holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we argued in the past creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of more tolerance but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income to transport goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates the. critics like misplacing. when that. creates. the pins 1st the armed man wanted to take the engine of his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they let him go they took his money instead from then on the parrot peanuts stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river because you don't know when exactly the corpse so sometimes if they are on the with a cane it will with all your money so i receive. is a very big problem. they want to be ther

pirates have become a big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and are holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we argued in the past creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of water once but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates and. critics like misplaces when they. drive down to the creeks. deep in forest the armed man wanted to take the engine off his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they got him go they took his money instead from then on the parrot peanuts stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river because you don't know when exactly the comms so sometimes if they're out that you're on the way the. where with all your money so i receive. is a very big problem

gulf leaders are meeting in saudi arabia for the 40th session of the gulf cooperation council the 6 nation regional bloc a struggle for unity since 2017 when saudi arabia the u.a.e. behind in egypt severed ties with qatar and imposed a blockade. reports on whether the summit i'd offer a new beginning. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has paralyzed the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by the qatari foreign minister ahmed abdullah fani during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate to some progress where there are some talks. that took place between us and. specifically and saudi and we hope these talks will need. to our progress where we can see an end. to 4 of the core of the crisis and. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behala and egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands b

our gulf leaders are meeting in saudi arabia for the 40th session of the gulf cooperation council the 6 nation regional bloc has struggled for unity since 2017 why saudi arabia the u.a.e. bahrain and egypt 7 times with qatar and imposed a blockade but are reports on whether the summit might offer a new beginning. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has paralyzed the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by a qatari foreign minister said. fanny during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate to some progress where there are some talks. that took place between us and. specifically and saudi and we hope these talks will need. to our progress where we can see an end. to 4 of the core of the crisis and. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behala and egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 de

pirates have become a big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and are holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we argued in the vast creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of water once but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates the. critics like misplaces when that. creates. a forest the armed man wanted to take the engine off his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they let him go they took his money instead from then on the parrot peanuts stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river. because you don't know when exactly the comps so sometimes if they are on the way the. where with all your money so fire see. is a very big problem. they want to be there before pirates

gulf leaders will meet in riyadh this week for the 40th session of the gulf cooperation council the 6 nation regional bloc has struggled sense 2017 when saudi arabia the u.a.e. bahrain and egypt sever ties with katara and posed a blockade. what's on whether the summit my offer a new beginning. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has paralyzed the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by a qatari foreign minister. during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate to some progress where there are some talks. that took place between us and. specifically and saudi and we hope these talks would need. to are progress where we can see an end. to 4 of the core of the crisis. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behala and egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands by the blockade in countries

gulf leaders are meeting in saudi arabia for the 40th session of the gulf cooperation council the 6 nation regional bloc has struggled to unite since 2017 when saudi arabia the u.a.e. in egypt imposed the blockade on qatar. reports on whether this summit might offer a new beginning. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has paralyzed the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by a qatari foreign minister share. any during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate to some progress where there are some talks. that took place between us and. specifically and saudi and we hope this these talks will need. to our progress where we can see an end. to 4 of the 4 of the crisis. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behala and egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands by the blockade in countries whic

now gulf leaders will meet in riyadh this week for the 40th session of the gulf cooperation council the 6 nation regional bloc a struggled since 2017 when saudi arabia the u.a.e. behind egypt all severed ties with cattle and imposed a blockade. reports on whether the summit might offer a new beginning for. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has paralyzed the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by a qatari foreign minister sharon. thani during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate to some progress where there are some talks. that took place between us and. specifically and saudi and we hope that these talks will need. to up progress where we can see an end. to 4 of the core of the crisis and. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behind and egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 deman

a big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and they're holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we argued in the past creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of water once but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates the. creeks like misplaces when the. creeks. deep in forest the armed men wanted to take the engine off his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they let him go they took his money instead from then on the peregrine out stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river. because you don't know when exactly the comps so sometimes if they are on the way they came away with all your money so there are see. is a very big problem here. they want to be t

the national gulf veterans and families association in hull. yes, thank you. we make sure people know that these have been made by a veteran. because we think that is really key for people to understand, that is his therapy. but he is helping us to raise those funds. this time of year is particularly difficult for them because a lot of them were already out and getting prepared to go to the gulf. so there are the triggers, the memories, and there is a lot of support needed for them. with this year's batch delivered, mike is ready to take a break. but not for long. he is already thinking about designs for 2020. i get home, have christmas off, and then i'll start again for next year! lovely! have a nice christmas. thank you. lizzie steele, bbc look north, hull. pilgrims from around the world have been gathering in the city of bethlehem, revered by christians as the birthplace ofjesus to celebrate christmas in the holy land. thousands converged on the town in the israeli—occupied west bank, with christmas eve festivities taking place in and around the church of

gulf leaders are meeting in saudi arabia for the 40th session of the gulf cooperation council 6 nation regional bloc a struggle to unite since 2017 when saudi arabia the u.a.e. behind in egypt imposed a blockade on qatar how you might about our reports on whether this summit might offer a new beginning. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has paralyzed the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by the qatari foreign minister sheikh mohammad one of the any during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate. to some progress where there are some talks. took place between us and. specifically you and saudi and we hope that this is the store. we need. to our progress where we can see. 2444 of the crisis. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behala egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands b

jonathan beale, bbc news, the gulf. pakistan's former military ruler, general pervez musharraf, has been sentenced to death by a special court in islamabad. the general seized power in a coup in 1999, but was forced to step down in 2008 after nationwide protests. he is currently in self—imposed exile in dubai but has previously denied any wrongdoing. the sentence is unlikely to be carried out, but is unprecedented. the next archbishop of york has spoken of his hopes that britain can move on from the divisions caused by brexit. the bishop of chelmsford, stephen cottrell, will take up the role when drjohn sentamu retires injune next year. the host of itv‘s love island, caroline flack, has announced she will not be presenting the next series after she was charged with assault. police were called to her home in north london last week, where she lives with her boyfriend, the tennis player lewis burton. our correspondent chi chi izundu is with me. what has been said? for those who do not know who caroline flack is, she is

this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behind an egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands by the blockade in countries which include closing a turkish military base downgrading ties with iran and shutting down the aisle to 0 media network. the u.s. has called on its gulf allies to and their feud fearing the rift might undermine its 1st to contain what it sees as iran's growing influence in the region the signs are they are but at the same time despite these 2 are momentous steps that have been taken over the past weeks we know that to know why diplomatic initiatives have so far over the past 2 and a half years taken place with robust u.s. diplomatic pressure in the background there have been signs of possible deescalation in recent weeks saudi arabia the u.a.e. and bahrain took part in a golf football tournament held in doha. reversing an earlier decision to boy

in the gulf war of the 600 and i think what something like 697000 who served. have gulf war syndrome now when you say go for syndrome that even sounds like a p.t.s.d. kind of thing it's not these are physical defects these are chronic headaches and migraines and then again the birth defects that can come from that as well so going back to the original go for we still have veterans who are suffering from that and you know those numbers pale in comparison to the number of veterans who will suffer as a result of these wars that we're in right now it's true and that's the thing that you know when i read these stories about you know you have kids being born you know iraqi children being born with these birth defects just 10 kilometers or and under away from these bases the thing with them immediately springs into my mind having known about gulf war syndrome on the issue of the burn pits is are we now going to see us soldiers who served in these areas now come home and suddenly this rising birth defects i mean is that a real issue that you have to see i think it is a

rarely gets talked about anymore is something called gulf war syndrome right to go back to the 1991 gulf war the original one right 250000 veterans who served in the gulf war of the 600 and i think what something like 697000 who served have gulf war syndrome now when you say go for syndrome that even sounds like a p.t.s.d. kind of thing it's not these are physical defects these are chronic headaches and migraines and then again the birth defects that can come from that as well so going back to the original go for we still have veterans who are suffering from that and you know those numbers pale in comparison to the number of veterans who will suffer as a result of these wars that we're in right now it's true and that's the thing that you know when i read these stories about you know you have kids being born you know iraqi children being born with these birth defects just 10 kilometers or and under away from these bases the thing with them immediately springs into my mind having known about gulf war syndrome and the issue of the burn pits is are we now going to see us soldiers who served

in the gulf war of the 600 and i think what something like 697000 who served have gulf war syndrome now when you say go for syndrome that even sounds like a p.t.s.d. kind of thing it's not these are physical defects these are chronic headaches and migraines and then again the birth defects that can come from that as well so going back to the original go for we still have veterans who are suffering from that and you know those numbers pale in comparison to the number of veterans who will suffer as a result of these wars that we're in right now it's true and that's the thing that you know when i read these stories about you know you have kids being born you know iraqi children being born with these birth defects just 10 kilometers or you know and under away from these bases the thing with them immediately springs into my mind having known about gulf war syndrome and the issue of the burn pits is are we now going to see us soldiers who served in these areas now come home and suddenly this rise in birth defects i mean is that a real issue that we have to see i think it is a real issue a

the saudi foreign minister and also the outgoing secretary general of the gulf cooperation council giving a news conference there in riyadh at the end of the 40th g.c.c. summit they called for unity in the g.c.c. said that the g.c.c. despite a small differences remain solid united and one coherent body they did admit that there were some differences in that mediation in the crisis between qatar and the countries blockading it are still ongoing let's bring in myron bashar who's our senior political analyst who's also been or watching the summit there in riyadh where the us has one of the journalists there at that news conference noted the summit is ending rather quickly it seems like the meetings were shorter than expected how do we see that is that a sign of success or not what tried to project. an image of success on the fact that it was short but seriously 40 minutes a 40 minute summit when the region is facing so many huge challenges wars strategic shows with iran divisions from within and so on so forth but. the 2nd general of the g.c. said well you know the fact that it was short is

the indian ocean and the gulf of oman are leading trade routes. the gulf is where two oil tankers were attacked in june and the u.s. blamed iran for that. it is also just a short distance from the strait of hormuz, a major site of contention between iran and the west over the passage of oil tankers. the military drills come after the u.s. withdrew from the iran nuclear deal and as it faces threats from russia and china at the end of a key cold war missile treaty. >>> christmas is in the rear-view. but for millions, the trip home could be complicated by rain and snow. lots of it. a major winter storm that brought snow in southern california is rolling towards the plains and upper midwest. the snow brought traffic to a standstill on thursday, over grapevine pass northeast of los angeles. the stuck vehicles, forcing the entire freeway to close. >> that same system sparking a tornado in ventura harbor, california, that brought down trees and flooded roads. as the storm moves east, it's expected to intensify over the central plains. winter storm watche

pirates have become of big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and are holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the beautiful wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we argued in the vast creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of more tolerance but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates the. critics like misplaces when they. drive down to the creeks. forest the armed man wanted to take the engine off his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they got him go they took his money instead from then on the peregrina stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river because you don't know when exactly the corpse so sometimes if they are that you're on the way the king will with all your money so piracy. is a very big problem. they want

pirates have become a big problem in the gulf of guinea. a few days ago they kidnapped a tanker crew and are holding them for ransom the nigerian government has promised to crack down on pirate activity. from the outside the puta for wetlands of nigeria inside a problematic history we argued in the vast creeks of the niger delta. and this is where pirates operate from a labyrinth of water once but it's not only home to criminals lives near by the river the source of income transports goods and people he's careful since he was attacked by pirates the. critics like misplaced scenes when they. drive down to the creeks. bins forest the armed men wanted to take the engine off his boat when they realized it wasn't good enough they let him go they took his money instead from then on the parrot peanuts stopped working after sunset we are very scared. when driving on the sea or in the river because you don't know when exactly the corpse so sometimes if they are stuck on the with a cane it will with all your money so piracy. is a very big problem. th

the indian ocean and the gulf of oman are leading trade routes. the gulf is where two oil tankers were attacked in june and the u.s. blamed iran for that. it is also just a short distance from the strait of hormuz, a major site of contention between iran and the west over the passage of oil tankers. the military drills come after the u.s. withdrew from the iran nuclear deal and as it faces threats from russia and china at the end of a key cold war missile treaty. >>> good news in the u.s./china trade war. china imported soybeans in november. farmers have been hit hard in the tit for tat trade war, as china was the biggest market before beijing retaliated against u.s. tariffs. a spokesperson said the two sides are in close contact and they are still going through necessary procedures before signing the phase one deal. >>> christmas is in the rear-view. but for millions, the trip home could be complicated by rain and snow. a major winter storm that brought snow in southern california is rolling towards the plains and upper midwest. the snow brought

him al-jazeera not just. 3 of america's biggest rivals have started joint naval exercises near the gulf iran is hosting 4 days of warship drills with china and russia in the gulf of oman it's the entry point to the strait of hormuz through which much of the world's oil is actually transported iran denies involvement in recent attacks on gulf oil tankers. colombian riot police are coming under increasing pressure over the way they've dealt with protesters taking part in the national strike one student has died many more than blinded by. a university student dragged into an unmarked car. another protester brutally kicked in the face killed by a police project since a national strike started over a month ago colombia's riot police known as is mired has been under pressure for its violent response to the mostly peaceful demonstrations. martial arts trainer alexandra de yes marched in the 1st protest but had been playing pool for 2 hours when he was attacked by the police as he fled the bar flooded with tear gas he lost his right eye after being hit by a rubber bullet. they didn't care if we

now japan is sending a warship and military aircraft to the gulf tucker says the deployment is to protect japanese shipping in the region the ship an aircraft will not be part of the u.s. led naval force operating in the gulf japanese prime minister shinzo abe briefed iranian president hassan rouhani on the operation last week 90 percent of japan's crude oil imports come from the gulf an independent investigation has found police in india used unauthorized and excessive force against protesters at a university in new delhi the civil rights group peaceful union for democratic rights has accused offices of indiscriminately beating demonstrators is destroying public property and arresting people unlawfully police are also accused of intimidating and firing on protesters in order pradesh where 18 people were killed and the public prosecutor in ivory coast says a former rebel leader and presidential candidate accused of planning a coup could face life in prison intelligence services say they captured or dio sora discussing up close his lawyer says the recording is old an incomplete but a warra

the national gulf veterans and families association in hull. yes, thank you. we make sure people know that these have been made by a veteran. because we think that is really key for people to understand, that is his therapy. but he is helping us to raise those funds. this time of year is particularly difficult for them because a lot of them were already out and getting prepared to go to the gulf. so there are the triggers, the memories, and there is a lot of support needed for them. with this year's batch delivered, mike is ready to take a break. but not for long. he is already thinking about designs for 2020. i get home, have christmas off, and then i'll start again for next year! lovely! have a nice christmas. thank you. lizzie steele, bbc look north, hull. it's that time of the year for christmas carols, here's a jingle you might not know, dashing through the waves, on what appears to be a pair of waterskis. this is the famous "waterskiing santa" and his reindeer, well—known for his annual displays on the potomac river in virginia. not quite the snow cove

gulf leaders are meet and riyadh this week for the 40th session of the gulf cooperation council the 6 nation regional bloc a struggle since 2017 when saudi arabia the u.a.e. rein in egypt sever ties to katara and imposed a blockade. reports on whether the summit might offer a new beginning. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has paralyzed the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by a qatari foreign minister ahmed abdullah fani during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate to some progress where there are some talks. that took place between us and. specifically and saudi and we hope these talks will need. to our progress where we can see an end. to 4 of the core of the crisis. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behind an egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands by the blockad

now gulf leaders have made a show of unity at a summit in. the capital despite divisions within the gulf cooperation council the group quarter greater military and financial corporation while the diplomatic blockade of cover was also a major issue at the summit which they cut the way prime minister attended in saudi arabia the u.a.e. behind in egypt cut diplomatic and economic ties with catherine 2017 accusing the country of supporting terrorism which though has repeatedly denied and the g.c.c. secretary general said there are ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the crisis north this is. as you may have noticed since the crisis began we've been moving in 2 axis the 1st is the crisis itself and the core of the problem his royal highness the emir of kuwait has been mediating between all concerned parties and this was at the highest level as you have seen all of this state leaders have been hailing the air force exerted by his royal highness the emir of qatar and this mediation is still ongoing but the other axes involved the concerns raised by th

a number of gulf states. the swiss. everyone trying to inject some possibility of a resolution, the trump administration has, in fact, gone public. the president on a number of occasions saying he'd love to sit across the table. we know of this effort during the united nations general assembly to, in fact, broker a meeting with president ro mauha which fell short. it's clear from the rairanian side, what they've been able to do is produce more diplomacy to create some new opportunities to begin to apparently persuade some of their adversaries in the gulf, the emiratis and the saudis, in particular, to begin to back off a little bit of their hostility. that's all gravy, that's all upside. but what they haven't done actually get access to their cash and that's what they need. what i see, as maziar said, this is a regime that's now emboldened but also unsatisfied and from that calculation, i think that and the fact that there has been no significant retaliation on the part of the trump administration and president trump ha

. >> reporter: take a trip up cox creek off the gulf of mexico, and it's impossible to miss this gigantic petrochemical factory. that's a massive plant. what's sometimes harder to see is what's finding its way out of it, plastic pellets, sometimes called nurdleles. how many pellets are going into the water on a daily basis. >> they managed to scoop up 79 billion in two years. >> reporter: diane wilson is a fourth generation fisher woman, who used to captain a fishing boat. >> this is the all over the bay. >> reporter: she is now an environmental activist, fighting one of the largest plastics manufacturers in the world. this was never the plan, to go from a fisherwoman to an environmental activist? >> no. people don't believe it, but i am normally very quiet. i'm an introvert. >> reporter: so why this? >> because it fell flat in my lap. >> reporter: the taiwanese conglomerate formosa plastics first opened this factory in 1983. it now covers 2500 acres of land near port lavaca, texas. trillions of polyethylene pellets like these are made here. the first step in making products that we use e

and we'll tell you why japan is sending warships and planes to the gulf region. welcome to the program an airliner has crashed on takeoff in kazakhstan killing at least 15 people the back as a jet came down the almaty airport's mashing through a wall before hitting a house rescuers have worked in freezing temperatures to reach the 93 passengers and 5 crew in the wreckage alexandra god for ojt joins us now from moscow let's just begin with the situation as we know it so far the crash happened what nearly 7 hours ago rescuers are still at the scene. yes exactly rescuers are still at the scene and they are about now joined also by the investigative team because a pretrial in the pretrial investigation have been launched the team consists of course of investigators and forensic wichita determined what happened why this plane crashed almost immediately after taking off it 1st broke through the concrete fence and then hit a low building which was fortunately empty at the moment as a media report in this plane crash. 15 people confirmed that there is many injured the ho

but since may, there has been, you know, these attacks in the gulf. there have been attacks on facilities that were set up as contingency measures by the various states of the gulf to ensure they could -- even if they closed the strait of hormuz. there's been the attacks, of course. all of this done by way of the iranian iranians. no civilian casualties. no significant environmental damage. there has been no damage to the economic facilities. it hasn't been relatively easily reparable. but even includes one city, where clearly they could have raised the entire comepound which would have knocked out significant volumes of oil from global markets for a long time. but what they chose to do was to pinprick attack a number of facilities in a way that the saudis could repair but could also understand that the iranians had the ability to carry out a highly sophisticated attack. this all succeeded, i think, from the iranian perspective. they've gotten a variety of new initiatives on the table from the japanese, the french. there are interlocutors working acro

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 a 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 every military.

our gulf leaders are meeting in saudi arabia for the 40th session of the gulf cooperation council the 6 nation regional bloc a struggle to unite since 2017 when saudi arabia the u.a.e. bahrain and egypt imposed a blockade on qatar reports on whether this summit might offer a new beginning. for the 1st time in years there are signs that a diplomatic dispute that has paralyzed the gulf region may be easing that's according to statements made by a qatari foreign minister said. any during a conference in rome on friday we have moved from a stalemate to some progress where there are some talks. that took place between us and. specifically and saudi and we hope that this these talks would need. to are progress where we can see an end. to 4 of the core of the crisis. this is the last time gulf leaders put on a show of unity that was in riyadh in may 2017 a few weeks later saudi arabia u.a.e. behind an egypt cut diplomatic ties with qatar accusing it of funding extremism and building closer ties with iran qatar has repeatedly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands by the blockad