as turkish crew plotters face hefty prison sentences crowds exchanged blows with police saying the trial is nothing more than a witch hunt. iran's new president says he wants to build bridges with the west but is the feeling mutual the u.k. snubs his inauguration as america pushes for tougher sanctions. and american and e.u. activists call for a boycott of the twenty fourteen winter olympics in sochi over a new gay propaganda law in russia we examine the legislation our top stories this hour. and for most judea center in moscow this is r.t.

with twenty four hours a day clashes have erupted in turkey during the long anticipated reading of the verdict for almost three hundred people accused of plotting to overthrow the government i ranking senior army officers lawyers academics and journalists have been among those in the dog they've been awaiting the ruling for five years the court acquitted only twenty one of the defendants while major military figures were handed severe sentences activists and media have criticized the trial calling it a witch hunt. has the details from istanbul. if heard the verdict remain suspects in the case for example the retired former chief of staff has received a life in prison as well as you can say that the majority of the top four of the former top military brass which are on trial in the organic cotton case all of them have received either life sentences or sentences up to hundreds of years old so the head of the workers' party is also looking at one hundred seventeen years in prison

as well just to give you a comparison and one of the people who was on trial was a known mafia lord who has received ten years in prison where is a known journalist who happens to be an opposition activist as well has received twenty nine years in prison already people in turkey are calling this historic trial but they're saying that this it's important says that it does look like at this point all talk of democratic ideals in the country can be buried pretty much with these sentences and of course because of its importance around four thousand people have taken their time to go to the court which is outside of the main city of istanbul they've got there by buses and they were dispersed at this point it looks like they were disbursed at least twice with water cannons and tear gas as well as we've have. some information that rubber bullets were flying as well. as have employed unprecedented security measures they have memory and thousands of police in the place when we tried to get there it was impossible for us to pass

because right only eve all the sentencing of the verdict the authorities have said that only journalists with turkish media passes will be allowed in there by essentially ruling out the presence of any foreign media if you look at the people who are on trial these are mostly people who are known for their staunch opposition to the prime minister and the ruling party they are the ones who are saying that area one along with the people already are strained turkey off the path that was set forth by ataturk. a century ago and they're going towards the democratic ideals and kind of going along the western way they're taking the country in the complete opposite direction swaying it towards islam islam and is the country is not becoming a secular and to see any more you have to understand this is also happening against a backdrop of protests which have happened started in turkey about two months ago and they're essentially still continuing there's almost weekly sort of clashes

between the protesters and the police the protesters are saying that again. a lot of along with his policies basically defeating democracy in the country and they do not want to see that happening and yet there is a very brutal dispersal of them taking place on an almost weekly basis and water cannons tear gas rubber bullets all of that is happening and this trial a lot of people are saying is that the proverbial straw that may just break the camel's back and bring turkey towards the brink if not a civil war the entire chain of protests which the country could find itself develop. professor historian bill clinton university thinks an internet campaign by the head of the country's forces is a strange way to stage a coup. general busbar school himself said originally that is a bizarre force chief of the general staff if you want to talk in eyes of coup he was in a much better position to do it in charge of the armed forces than with this rather ragtag group of journalists on the world figures and retired army officers so

that's always been one of the problems with the plausibility accessions and even the prime minister erdogan originally said that he couldn't really believe that general bush who had been. at the central plot he may now change his mind and i think more the problem for the government is that they feel under pressure from the street protests that began in istanbul over the crazy park they also feel under pressure internationally because of the fall of president morsi in egypt who they saw very much as the process areas of new. egyptian version of their own justice and development party in turkey they see the pressure in tunisia. the life here in moscow coming up later the surveillance scandal deepens in germany the pressure of elation suggest the country's intelligence is feeding massive amounts of data to the n.s.a. sparking outrage from the public and embarrassing politicians that still ahead for . the first the era of tough

sanctions on iran should be buried in the past that's the message from the country's new president hassan rouhani was elected on a platform promising dialogue with the west in an attempt to end the country's isolation over its nuclear energy program but it transpires not everyone there is enthusiastic about the reconciliation drive to syria as this report. iran's new president hassan rouhani is widely seen as a moderate politician particularly significant detail where western leaders are concerned after years of string diplomatic tensions now in what is seen as an attempt by terror to ease of that isolation the government had sent out invitations to e.u. countries including britain would tend to be a swearing in ceremony. excluding the west and now the position was that only tehran a base of diplomats would attend the u.k. had not sent anyone at all the reasoning given by the british foreign office does

not have an embassy in tehran but this has been criticised by members of the opposition labor party here particularly the shadow foreign minister douglas alexander who had called this a misjudgment as well as a missed opportunity adding about diplomacy involves meeting with people would you disagree now in light of the steps forward that to run appears to be taking it moving this invitation to european leaders as well as appointing a foreign minister with relations with washington as some are reading. really wanting to rebuild those relations with the us and we spoke with labor m.p. barrie gardiner for more on this the u.k. foreign minister william hague he had said we will respond in good faith to positive action by iran and improve relations on the supply so basis without remark shouldn't this invitation to attend the president's inauguration in iran have been accepted i think it would have been

a very good opportunity to say look he starts with. far as we're concerned we want to take him as we find him and it would be a good opportunity for to go to have informal discussions are around the inauguration. sounding out to to how he was going to behave in office so i think it's an opportunity missed i hope that there are backed channel conversations going on that are beginning to try and work out a new relationship with what is after all a new president at the end of the day in this very careful dance between tehran and a western leaders every action and not action will certainly play a part in that equation on where relations are really headed reporting from london and test ourselves. all the number one priority for rouhani now is to loosen the grip sanctions have on the country let's see what effect they've had so far well

the economy has been dealt a severe blow with swathes of punitive measures from the u.s. and the e.u. targeting iran's oil exports trade and banking sectors in twelve alone iran is thought to have lost at least fifty billion dollars in oil revenues at least financial burdens have seen the price of essential such as bread milk and meat skyrocket the country's medical institutions are also sounding the alarm saying the measures prevent millions of people from accessing vital drugs it's been reported that last year six million iranians suffering from multiple sclerosis in the film and cancer could not get proper medicine local journalists need says that it's too optimistic to expect much change from the new leadership immediately. we have seen a very high rates of inflation something like forty percent based on official pfleger but according to the consumer price index or to c.p.i. the figure is far more than dads and one of the economic advisers of president was

has said that to rein in should not blame brawny reply says are. you know kolber and november. then we have the unemployment rate of twenty eight point three percent which is another problem the administration is playing scene you know that year was national congress the house. over fifty percent since last year so altogether i should say that the expectations are very high from president rouhani but she could not revive the economy as fast as many iranians expanding. whether the white house says it will become a willing partner should iran choose to engage on the nuclear issue what office it signals are coming from american lawmakers just days before a new president hassan rouhani was inaugurated they post a bill which would see iran on exports slashed by another one million barrels a day while to talk more on this his resume russia his research director at the

national iranian american council is that why is it that washington has created this new president with more sanctions rather than trying to make an effort to find common ground over this highly divisive nuclear issue. that's an important question there's two schools of thought with regards to iran. and you have one individuals who would prefer to use those prices and deescalate tensions and there's another group in washington that believe that you have to have your on the neck of the iranian government in order to get them. and that's why you see talk of a willing partner in washington on the one hand but then also congressmen over there sanctions that are counterproductive. given the time but will we see any efforts by iran to could tell this nuclear program that some american and indeed european officials are saying that plutonium weapons grade plutonium could be produced by the summit next summer so are there any signs that perhaps iran will

back down. i think it's less a question of whether or not iran backs down and more question of whether or not a serious compromise can be found at a negotiated figure but one has a track record of being willing to make compromises but for the right price i think the united states is in a similar position now along with colleagues and nations european council plus germany so when everybody sits back down and democracy beginning this and. to resume negotiations with the new negotiating team in iran the united states and the european union don't have a new negotiating team as well and also in the negotiators process on the end of the west will bring a new mentality and are willing to test new individuals on the iranian scientists see if they're willing to make compromises and that's the most important part because these individuals i'm tapped for on who will be leading this process foreign minister on down to because the president himself tracks are willing to

compromise. and what about. what about foreign policy concerning its near neighbors this latest incident concerning the sudanese president not being allowed to cross through saudi arabia airspace to get to the inauguration of the new arabian president was this really an aim towards iran from saudi arabia or maybe his again . i think it's probably a lot of that there's been a little bit of a cold war if you will going on between iran and saudi arabia especially over the past two years during matter and i am an in-joke presence going forward you know i work for the new president mr rouhani has said that he seeks to improve patient oh you so you really are but also persian gulf countries as well. and important steps can be taken toward that end to deescalate tensions and then if that is something that does end up taking place then these types of scenarios with overflights and sudanese militants. and this sort of new approach this gesture what sort of impact

could rouhani then have on the current crisis in the middle east and in particular syria. personalities go a long way when it comes to diplomacy when you have people who are at the negotiating table interlocutors if you will that are going to listen to the principals of clumsy nations forbearance listening and as i said before that that helps build trust and dotcoms and there's very little chance of a diplomatic solution whether syria sudan or anything in between iran and its regional neighbors very little chance unless you can build that kind of harmony trust and that's something romney has said he seeks to do so we'll see how long it takes and we'll see how much effort he puts forward to that end and just briefly raise it what about the iranian people who clearly as i just explained about the impact of sanctions before our interview the impact the sanctions are having that on the country but the economy is not bad ways that forty percent inflation do you think perhaps the economic policies in the future now will make life

a bit better for the iranian people. i think that's priority number one for mr rouhani is to take steps to improve runs that common part sanctions can be compared to a room in which the walls are slowly closing in on the entire country yeah and the first people they get hit as a result of that are the iranian people and the iranian government who are in the middle. class people they have lost close in and i think western countries are increasingly becoming aware of the fact that when you combine iranian government mismanagement and corruption with u.s. led sanctions and the united sanctions it's a recipe for disaster for innocent people so hopefully both sides will take steps to remedy the crisis that's emerging in the works by the day good to talk to reza thank you very much indeed for that. reza marashi is the research director at the national iranian american council live here and i'll take thank you. it injured hundreds triggering panic and now selling to say the asteroid that blaze its way into russia's year olds may be part of an orbiting family that could be flying

towards a world that after the break. americans have long seen latin and south america as part of their geopolitical back yard stereotypes die hard but new realities on the ground give reason to believe this continent is on the rise and determined to control its own fate regardless of washington's unilateral perceived interests and given the trends should the american be learning spanish. i would rather as questions for people and positions of power instead of speak on their behalf and that's why you can find my show larry king now right here on r.t.

question more. just turning seventeen minutes in the news continues now famous russian vodka could soon be hard to find in new york and not because of production troubles activists and some by. owners in the u.s. and europe of call for a boycott outraged by a new law banning gay propaganda to minors the legislation is being criticized as profoundly discriminate discriminatory but supporters of the law set up holds the views of the majority of russians they cite the latest survey by an independent

research organization levada center almost a half of those who took part in the vote think that my sexuality is a bad habit or a perversion some even believe it could be the result of a mental trauma or an illness only twelve percent believe that homosexuality is just a normal sexual orientation while some people remain undecided now the figures of the same survey conducted in one thousand nine hundred eight are almost identical suggesting the new law hasn't led to an increase in anti-gay sentiment here in russia artie's and the finale investigates. but there is. no stoli no sochi. dumping russian vodka and calls to boycott the olympic games the l g b t community in the west is furious with the passing of a new russian law banning gay propaganda to minors a detail almost never mentioned lot of here putin signed

a law and some very strict anti-gay measures these laws absolutely obscure they're not clear in what they mean of course it will not have a white ranging gretzky's of being applied everywhere and to everyone and members of the gay community have been attacked and arrested you cannot say that there is massive suppression or massive attacks against gay people in the streets and that wherever you say that you're gay you will be killed or beaten russian gay activists are taking their case to the european court of human rights and say the law is meant to target specific individuals but see the picture of gay life in russia from abroad is warped these pictures being shown and being portrayed just because this little became a symbol of protest against the suppression of l.g.b. community in russia supporters of the law argue it represents the russian majority

. if there is a large number of people who believe the law is too soft thirty years ago there was criminal punishment for being if you take examples from some states in the u.s. the relationship is much crudely and strict and this propaganda law was this one. it's important to remember this law is about gay propaganda to minors and it will be enforced with fines not criminal punishment russia is still a very traditional conservative country it wants to hold on to that. this is one of moscow's many day and night clubs yes it's in a discreet location but it holds three thousand people it's. packed on the weekends and it's full of foreigners it's owners asked us not to film on the inside to protect the privacy of its clients but we assure our business is booming there's a happy arriving excitable you know wonderful gay community which is great martin andrews is british openly gay and living in russia for eight years he opposes the

law but won't be dumping his russia is dominated by the church in general far more than the u.k. i think if you compare america for example you can't look at sound for. new york and then look at the middle part of texas and that's what russia is especially moscow you've got the old meets the new and you've got soviet mindset he's with this capitalist boom with excising the west lifestyle homosexuality is illegal in over seventy countries across the globe so martin asked why russia why do the western media why do people in the west never mention cats are the world cup is coming up going crazy about. him pics i was in such a last week filming there's a gay community there is a great day seaman but the west has a big and its on it regarding russia politically. they russia got together and he's now a r t moscow well let's have

a look at the facts and myths about the gay propaganda law here in russia statement number one being gay is a crime in russia now that's false a crime is promoting non traditional sexual relations to children nontraditional is defined as ones that can't produce children second can you be arrested under this new law yes you can if the police suspect you of gay propaganda to children and third you can get a prison sentence for that well this is not true individuals can be made to pay a fine of up to fifteen hundred dollars while the maximum penalty for organizations is thirty thousand. now if you're a foreigner you can be deported or detained for up to fifteen days what a shoulder to cry on now. is the first robot heading into space and scientists think he could help lonely astronauts through trying times of isolation online for more videos all of the little guy. and played by twits the social media

company twitter has introduced a new button and allows users to report online abuse as soon as it happens the details on r.t. dot com. write the scene. first for you and i think you're. on a reporter's twitter. instrumental. to be in the. german intelligence is sharing large swathes of telecommunications data with the u.s. according to latest revelations published in despicable magazine documents provided by whistleblower edward snowden showed that the degree of surveillance cooperation between balin and washington is higher and officials would like to admit he's one

of them brings us the story from the german capital. what the these internal communications that have been leaked by edward snowden show is a rather cozy relationship between the national security agency the german foreign intelligence agency the b. n. d. now a lot of these documents in the latest article in. deal with a monitoring station it was based in the various what we've seen that's come out from these documents of just how much data was being collected and then passed on to their american allies american partners in this system it's quite outstanding really in december of last year alone there were five hundred million pieces of metal data collected from this from this monitoring station there does seem quite evident from the said these cables that have come out these internal memos in the fact of just how much data was being collated and. distributed between the two

agencies that this certainly was a very close relationship you couple out with one of these leaked documents from a couple of weeks ago where which referred to the head of the b n d as both showing an eagerness and desire to help the n.s.a. it certainly seems that the two agencies were working incredibly closely indeed now in response to this we've seen demonstrations on the streets of berlin as well as many other cities around. the country people saying well just they need it coming up people coming out in support of edward snowden in support of bradley manning basically saying that the this must stop and if germany was involved if it turns out that the b. and b. were involved in spying on its own people that they they must be brought to book for that now we have seen something of an attempt at face saving from the german government so we have an election coming up here in the end of september and of course this is all absolute golden information to the opposition leaders if you

hear them campaigning they're saying well. you really want to trust those guys not they help the americans it seems look into your into your private details but in terms of the german people well there is shock in and outrage at times of just how much they were spied on and how much their country seems to have helped that spying take place anger over government surveillance was also felt across the pond thousands of people are marching across the u.s. against the n.s.a. surveillance operations as part of a one nine hundred eighty four day dozens of u.s. cities or demonstrations that also doubled up in support for whistle blows edward snowden and bradley manning rallies were organized by brass roots movement called restore the fourth it calls for an end of warrantless communications by the fourth amendment of the us constitution protects citizens from unlawful search and seizure . protests continue across to near zero as pro and anti islamist government supporters take to the streets police fired tear gas to disperse

a crowd that tried to block the governor's residence in the town of cebu's it on monday the rallies were triggered by the murder of secular politician mohammad grammy at the end of last month. the mayhem sparked by a massive meteor that smashed into russia's urals could well happen again remember this. when this was. it was a. huge potentially devastating as it was total towards. it may not have been flowing sort of i was first sort of part of a group of us droids that still pose a threat to. explain. it may be hard to believe that an eleven thousand ton eighteen meter across meteor made its way to earth undetected but that's exactly what happened which is why scientists are leaving no stone unturned even in

space now to figure out how the chelyabinsk meteorite made it to earth scientists ran billions of orbital simulations and came up with the apollo asteroid family that may sound a bit intimidating because it is it's a two hundred metre wide cluster of rocks that according to scientists broke up around forty thousand years ago now it's still at large it's our it's orbiting around the sun now to find out if it is actually the parent cluster of the chelyabinsk meteorite scientists would need to then to send a tool to the asteroid and take a core sample that's not going to happen any time soon the cost is extreme although if this cluster of meteorites any one of those fragments does show itself to be on a collision course with earth you can bet that action of some sort will be taken until then this cluster of asteroids is still under observation to make sure that something like chelyabinsk does not happen any time soon. when he's in just

a huff and i would mean the team but they stay with us for the latest of peace that avails crosstalk that's coming up next after the break. while revolutions in the middle east sure get a great deal of coverage what you don't mix a lot of sense revolutions or exciting t.v. peaceful protests or nice but footage of molotov cocktails flying and crazed crowds of local middle easterners really grab attention so there's a logical natural reason why some protest movements get a lot of coverage in the mainstream media well others kind of adult please forgive me for being conspiratorial but there is one revolution going down which does have all the exciting visuals of the arab spring but just doesn't get any of the mainstream coverage in fact.