foreign leaders under surveillance the latest leaks from the n.s.a. whistleblower reveal how delegates of the g twenty summit in london four years ago a former russian president were targeted by u.s. and british intelligence. the bombshell disclosure is feared to add some tension to the g eight summit convening in britain against the backdrop of anti austerity protests. syria set to take center stage for world leaders at the g eight in northern ireland looking to narrow their differences amid fears the conflict is set to escalate even further.

broadcasting live from our studios in moscow this is. glad to have you with us. british and american intelligence spied on world leaders and officials new evidence from n.s.a. whistleblower edward snowden puts the recent surveillance scandal on a new scale delegates of the g twenty summit in london in two thousand and nine among them a russian president dmitri medvedev apparently had their computers monitored and phone calls intercepted the leaked documents emerged as the u.k. hosts another major international gathering the g eight summit in northern ireland artie's boy goes there for. this really is the worst possible timing for a story like this to come out where just kicking off the thirty ninth g eight summit here in la today now we know what we know from the documents that edward snowden has revealed is that the british security agency was spying on foreign

dignitaries at the last g twenty summit that the u.k. also hosted back in two thousand and nine so not setting a great precedent as host of a summit we had even reports that they set up fake internet cafes in order to intercept the e-mails of the whole delegations of foreign dignitaries and even tapping into the phone calls of the then president of russia dmitry medvedev so not a great atmosphere for the start of the g eight summit i think that some of the world leaders at the summit here today might be a little bit more careful about what they say over the phone all right in the e-mails in the light of this information now we know that david cameron in response to the news has already said that the u.k. just doesn't comment on security issues or masses of intelligence the g c h q story has a somewhat overshadowed what had become the main headline of this summit which is

the escalating crisis in syria now we know that russia and the u.s. approach the crisis extremely differently now the british prime minister david cameron speaking yesterday off the talks with a lot of if we can in downing street called for bashar al assad to step down he said that britain will continue to provide support to the syrian opposition we know that russian president vladimir putin well he his view is somewhat different he questions what will happen one of these weapons are provided to the syrian opposition nepali it looks like the g. eight leaders just can't get to terms with each other on this but how is the general public's reaction to this been of the gathering. well there has been an unprecedented amount of security at the summit had just driving through from belfast to go on last night just going through all the checkpoints there's police standing everywhere and they're guarding obviously the security of all these

foreign dignitaries the world leaders that are here but they're also trying to guard against any potential protests as a massive fifty million pound ring of steel erected around the resort itself where the summit is taking place and of the protests well there were forty been a number of them we've had a misty international marching through belfast in. calling for the closure of guantanamo bay talking about the hunger strike that's been taking place that the breach of international law or the inmates being held without charge for years on end and it's not just sort of human rights cause as we've there's been a lot of global lists there have been trade unions taking to the streets talking about economic issues the g. eight summit was that it did come about initially as an as and economic summit and people talking about world hunger and poverty and questioning why world leaders on

to addressing these issues for them really that this represents this summit represents the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a very small minority washington earlier justified spying techniques with security considerations saying monitoring internet data and phone tapping was essential in tackling terrorism but such explanations hardly fit the recent revelations richard norton taylor who writes on defense and security for the guardian newspaper in the u.k. that published the leaked documents he says london and washington aimed to get a competitive edge over their foreign partners and allies. there are two kinds of information that the british and america that we need setting of course the latest leaks which the first is under the guise of anti terrorism if you like and getting information about individual communications that's one thing. separate out of paying all the same machine the same computers the same agencies with the n.s.a.

in america and the g.c. is great britain and doing a intercepting and targeting a different kind of information which we know about which we revealed today i diplomatic and economic intelligence which ready have very little to do with terrorism but it's quite clear from these documents that a lot of the information is to try and get information on one competitors in international before international meetings for example turkey a nato ally and as i was by the russia would be a south africa is also trying to come with a key couple of countries for example for reasons of. finding out what their negotiating positions are on economic or diplomatic international talks and that of course has nothing to do with terrorism the revelations of the g. twenty spying come as the scandal caused by snowden's earlier disclosures on the extent of u.s. surveillance after its own end of foreign citizens is gaining momentum dozens of lawsuits are being filed against the government's practices while many lawmakers

continue to defend the operation it has also merged that the scope of the surveillance and the help it received from corporations may have been underestimated here's our washington correspondent going into can with more. what edward snowden revealed could be just the tip of the iceberg we're learning that in addition to internet giants thousands of u.s. technology finance and manufacturing companies that include software and hardware producers banks internet security providers satellite telecommunications companies thousands are working closely with u.s. national security agencies according to the people familiar with the exchange the cooperation of some of the company says helped the u.s. government infiltrate computers worldwide so this certainly adds to edward snowden's account note and said he believes that the n.s.a. has carried out more than one thousand hacking operations globally snowden said he was leasing the information to demonstrate quote the posse of the u.s.

government when it claims that it does not target civilian infrastructure unlike its adversaries he also said quote we hack network backbones like huge internet routers basically that give us access to the communications of hundreds of thousands. of people computers without having to hack every single one in the sources who speak on the condition of anonymity say u.s. companies help intelligence agencies do exactly that and they say it's not subject to any oversight now it's all done of course on the national security but there's some very obvious discrepancies here robert muller director of the f.b.i. for example he said the massive surveillance program that the u.s. has now could have prevented nine eleven then what about the fort hood shooting in two thousand and nine the perpetrator of that one needle molly costs on had been exchanging e-mails with anwar all locky for a period of time or time or launch are now if multiple warnings over several years

radical content on his you tube but web page. one may ask the question then why this massive collection of information when all of that was missed. and it's not just the u.s. government that's under fire for the extent of the surveillance many wonder why so many companies supplied the n.s.a. with data artie's lucy counting off looks at what might be in it for the firms themselves. this story certainly raises more questions than it answers as my colleague reported earlier we know now that thousands of companies have been sharing sensitive information with the u.s. government in exchange for various benefits now this raises concerns about the extent of the private sector collaboration with the u.s. government not to mention questions about what exactly those benefits were now the details may be murky at this point but let's go over exactly what information we have now companies who did hand over data to the government got a big thank you that's according to michael hayden who used to head the cia as well as the national security agency which runs of course the prism program and mr

hayden told bloomberg this if i were the director and had a relationship with a company who was doing things that were not just directed by law but were also valuable to the defense of the republic i would go out of my way to thank them and give them a sense as to why this is necessary and useful all right well what kind of thank you exactly are we talking about here well again not a lot of details but anonymous sources did tell bloomberg that leaders of the companies who handed over data to the government were showered with attention and information by government agencies in fact in some instances that meant quick warnings about the threats that could affect their bottom line for example serious internet attacks and who's behind them of course this exchange of information is supposed to be voluntary and well at this point we don't exactly have evidence that this is not the case but well most of the companies seem to have participated simply because the government asking for help one former c.e.o.

paints a slightly different picture in two thousand and one when some telecom giants allegedly were asked to participate in an n.s.a. information sharing program one company qwest initially refused to play ball and according to court documents filed by its then c.e.o. joseph nacho as a result of that decision the company was denied lucrative n.s.a. contracts he believed to be worth fifty to one hundred million dollars which allegation he says for refusing to partake in the government spy program. so to sum it up companies that share data earned government goodwill information about the fight information and of course there's concern that those who did not play along could could have been left out of lucrative government contracts course we don't have more information on this but that's person i see the point the lack of transparency about this data swap is a major concern now it's done in the name of security but at what cost and to whom

this account for reporting for our team in moscow with syria firmly in the spotlight of the g eight and there's also the issue of tax evasion that british prime minister david cameron is very keen to push forward earlier artie's business presenter to the bill being filled me in on the details. well the international consortium of investigative journalists has come out with all these details and exposed people that are using tax havens from thirty countries literally hundreds of thousands of people have been exposed right now and this is all for a timely considering these are the people that exposed politicians rogue nations that religious leaders oligarchs and we know that david cameron is using the g eight to really put tax evasion at the forefront and get international support for his laws that he wants to enforce he needs everybody to jump on the same ship so that everybody else that wants to avoid tax can go to another country and get away with it so taxes are all important because these are tough economic times in the

u.k. yeah exactly we know that britain is dealing with stagnate growth at the moment it has been since the financial crisis but there's a bit of criticism going on because britain actually created the tax haven and is actually in charge of ten crown dependencies and talk about guernsey jonesy all those countries are live man i love y. and there's a lot to talk about and he's got to get those countries on board he's held the fact that he has already done that but nothing has been put on it all of this is here said than done as in all things with politics right this is actually tough town it is a tough task just because it's so secretive but that secrecy is coming to a light at the moment because of exposé is like this is making mr cameron's job that much easier and i thought i expect analysis on this so i said to ben areas who's the editor in chief of business new york magazine i said to him how realistic is it that we could have a tax tax haven free world. because it means you'd have

to police the entire world think about the system is necessary international. any country one tiny little country who chooses not to abide by. those. conveniences. this is for people trying to hide money. means that the whole thing becomes a mockery there's no way of controlling it so you can work towards it you can it will take time and probably it's a good idea but you've got several countries like cyprus is the obvious example but luxembourg still switzerland before who are offering their services as a business it becomes a big part of their economy and it's very difficult for a small country like luxembourg to tell them they can't do it because they have no other way of making money so i think that one thing that can be avoided at the g eight summit is the topic of tax evasion. well finance issues aside at the g eight meeting of the spillover from the syrian conflict looms large that's after iran

offers a helping hand and washington campaigns to provide lethal aid to the rebels all coming your way after a short break right here on r.t. . download the official publication to yourself choose your language stream quality

and enjoy your favorite. if you're away from your television or it just doesn't work so now with your mobile device you can watch on t.v. any time anyway. you're watching r t going to have you back with us now syria's civil war is expected to become the hottest topic as g eight leaders convene in northern ireland meanwhile the conflict is expanding assad troops have made significant advances in recent weeks while the leader of the opposition's free syrian army says it is in urgent need of weapons let's take a look iran is reportedly gearing up to send thousands of troops to beef up syrian government forces but it's lebanon's hezbollah that has been openly engaged on

assad's side the rebels are reportedly being backed by mercenaries from the gulf states and al-qaeda linked to jihad ists such as the all nusra front as the opposition enjoys widespread diplomatic support in the west and the prospect of lethal aid jim brann of the stop the war coalition told us earlier that any third party involvement will only fuel the conflict. there is the fundamental question of sovereignty which those who wish to arm the rebels violate the fact is that there is a government of syria and there is international law in these matters and it's not the right of any other state to intervene in. a rebellion in another country the opposition coalition in syria is extremely weak it's extremely fractured and it was actually set up outside of syria itself so if they can't even find a suitable party to support in syria because the thing is unreliable how on earth

can they guarantee who gets the weapons that they supply i think the only serious possibility is if those who are pressing for intervention. to very definite extent give up the precondition. aside shall not be president of syria i think without such a fundamental principle i think that. the it's extremely unlikely that the talks go ahead meanwhile and it's a rush to support to the syrian regime iran has also proposed a new military frontier in the israeli occupied golan heights policy or reports israelis living in the area are already feeling the pressure. iran it just got that much closer amid reports that tehran is sending some four thousand a rainy and revolutionary guard to help the syrian president bashar assad israelis

living here in the golan heights are worried because now for the first time at least officially iran is on the border there when you want war. iranian war on the finisher. in to do it. makes syria. this is an israeli bunker on the israeli syrian border less than a kilometer from here is connecticut that has been the scene of fierce fighting between assad's forces and rebel fighters with the american decision recently to arm the rebels one of the groups that will be most directly affected are israelis living here in the golan heights any increase in hostilities in the area will impact on their lives you know to be. jewish. to understand virtue. you need to fight for your place in the last few minutes i've heard three explosions the united nations chief ban ki

moon is warning that the ongoing military activities in this area have the potential to escalate tensions between israel and syria and jeopardize the longstanding peace treaty between both countries and this is one of the questions that israelis who are asking if assad was to be overthrown would the forces that were placed in be interested in maintaining the cease fire israelis unfortunately seeing. arms and weapons that are going to be used against in as as a threat from iran. in this board needs to be friendly these bunkers have been here for years but for decades there's been a sense of tranquility and predictability now all of that in situ change with america's decision to arm the rebels. you know probably it's good for them and it's good for america otherwise they wouldn't do it maybe it's for the purpose of

helping themselves and it's not about if it's good for israel or not there is fear we are afraid the rockets will hit us and it's already happened this is a fight that attracts tourists but many fear it will soon attract soldiers and become active once again paul if they are on the israeli syrian border. now let's take a look at some of the headlines making news around the world this hour iran's newly elected president hassan rowhani said the country isn't ready to suspend its enrichment of uranium despite the sanctions and pressure from the e.u. and america statement came during his first news conference where he expressed a strong wish to rebuild relations with western nations rowhani one iran's friday's presidential election with just over fifty percent of the vote. police in turkey have taken down barricades in taksim square where union federations have gone on a one day strike the rally follows

a nineteenth night of fierce clashes between security forces and anti-government demonstrators on sunday prime minister air to one also rallied to tens of thousands of supporters in central east on ball in a show of strength even as the central square was being cleared. rain and floods have ripped through northern parts of india killing at least twenty three people over fifty more are reported missing rescue teams are trying to supply drinking water and food to the region cut off after roads were washed away officials are warning of more casualties and destruction saying the downpours are to continue for the next three days. america has voiced skepticism over north korea's proposal to launch high level talks between the two states to soothe tension on the korean peninsula the obama administration says any negotiations should come with concrete action from north korea specialist dr tim

beal thinks that america is reluctant because it won't benefit from the peace in the region. the preconditions are there so that the negotiations won't get off the ground the simple way or if you don't want to have negotiations then the simplest way to do that don't go she soldiers way is to demand preconditions of the other side of the excess so that i think that's what the american doing. then the question of course is you know why are they doing that why don't. you know that that's the difficult one and i think basically a number of reasons but the main reason is is china they want tension on the korean peninsula as part of the containment of china so they're very loath to to information go show sions which when do you choose the situation. bug bear of

the west mahmoud ahmadinejad is about to hand over the iranian president had to calm for all of the. time. from standing firm to get nuclear energy for the country being alternately mired in the throes of an economic crisis. trigger happy in the u.s. where he is reporting record sales during a year of deadly shootings as americans react to the president's push for stricter weapon controls. more news today. these are the images. from the streets of canada. today. germany has become

a magnet for many immigrants in recent years seeking work outside their financially struggling homelands every port by the paris based organization for economic cooperation and development shows the number of newcomers from greece and spain alone has more than doubled since the beginning of the crisis in two thousand and eight but as artie's peter all over explains some successful germans are now looking for a quick exit. packing up for a new life elsewhere yes and his family are joining a growing number of germans seeking a future away from home. germany is a nice place but right now the future looks very dark so we're getting out that's why his software business and plan tie a company off for sale and he setting up a new business in canada away from what they see is shortsighted policies by german and european politicians. all they're doing is taking the debt higher and higher and by breaking their own rules it's something the family has been planning for a long time after one and

a half years their paperwork is now in the final stages as well as his family yes is also moving almost two million euros worth of business to canada people of always move to new countries in search of opportunities but last year saw over one hundred thirty thousand jet off from germany the most in a generation an increasing number of making the move to to concerns over where the country's economic. among the most popular destinations were switzerland the united states australia and canada away from the e.u. and the bureaucracy of brussels. does the feeling. we are going to see intrapreneur is leave europe it's one hundred times easier to shut down a business here than create one of its doing easy to block you. are on the side of the job creators. dr roth is a lawyer in bavaria heading to new zealand he sees the current system in europe is

almost comical the team get bored look at the ten commandments there are probably around five hundred no words here then i think the regulations on something small like production can i mean that you know it's over ten thousand words most of the nonsense this will leave you are a bit like a non-republican and so many laws no one can follow them. with dissatisfaction in the e.u. on. the rise germany runs the risk of seeing more and more of its job creators taking off to find new opportunities elsewhere be sure all of the. heavy. does it for me my colleague kevin owen will be here in just a bit but on the way in the wake of the latest u.s. agency leak cross-talk looks at just how much security american citizens get for the freedoms they've been forced to give up.

you know what's worse than a corrupt bureaucrat a crook bureaucrat who sucks at being corrupt a scumbag bureaucrat in veronese russia just couldn't help himself and puts a very hefty charges for services contracts for road repair and construction in just three years he was able to take enough of a percentage off of these contracts though investigators raided his house he had the equivalent of over three million dollars in russian money all over his home news not mail dot ru claims he had entire laundry hampers and twenty five kilogram sugar sex filled to the brim with box first off when someone is this flagrant that means that he thought rather comfortable and not getting caught so there are plenty more of these guys out there but second this is an absolute slap in the face to russia taxpayers who are hungry for new roads i think for instance it's a flagrant in your face obvious crush corruption russia might need to reconsider

that moratorium on the death penalty but that's just i mean. this is a. hello and welcome to cross talk we're all things are considered i'm peter lavelle in the national security state is given an inch would always take much more than a mile for years we were we keenly told the government does not spying on citizens now we know this is not true we are spied upon in an unbelievably massive way and it's not just surveillance oversight of the intelligence community has been shown to be cavalier this is also true of torture kidnapping detention assassination by drones and death squads do we need a supercomputer to.