decided that the united states should take military action against syrian regime targets president obama says he wants to launch military strikes against syria but he'll take the issue to congress for approval also. the russian president blasts the u.s. for planning intervention in syria insisting the alleged chemical attack was a provocation by those aimed at dragging the west into the conflict. meanwhile u.n. inspectors say they need to visit syria again to continue their investigation of the site of the alleged chemical attack near damascus the latest developments here on r.t. . international

news and comment live from our studio center here in moscow where it's just turned midnight this is. syria is dominating in this hour because president obama has announced he wants to carry out a military strike against the country but not without congressional approval what is more important has the details from. u.s. president barack obama has announced something of a shift in strategy with respect to military intervention into syria now most of the world was speculating that washington would strike damascus within the next within the next twenty four to forty eight hours but on saturday afternoon president obama confirmed that the u.s. will take military action against syria but first the u.s. leader says he will seek authorization from congress speaking in the rose garden obama said that he believes he has the authority to carry out a military attack without approval from congress but he feels that going before

congress having above public debate debate having a vote would make the country stronger if there was actually a national conversation taking place about obama's intended military strike against syria now the u.s. leader says that he feels comfortable carrying out an attack against a syrian targets without the approval of the united nations security council u.s. officials believe that any security draft resolution allowing for the use of force against syria would be vetoed by russia and or china now obama says his plan military strike is not time sensitive that means that it could happen one week from now it could happen one month from now but ultimately the u.s. president says the syrian government will pay consequences for allegedly carrying out a chemical weapons attack after careful deliberation i have decided that the united states should take military action against syrian regime targets and should not be

an open ended intervention we would not put boots on the ground. instead it would be designed to be limited duration and scope now it's important to point out that the team of u.n. experts that have been investigating the august twenty first alleged chemical weapons attack just returned from damascus and have not yet concluded if chemical weapons were used the results of their findings may become known in the next few weeks while president obama is basing his judgment on is an independent investigation that washington has done into the alleged chemical weapons attack which blames the assad government for being behind it now president obama also said that the u.s. cannot raise its children in a world where we don't follow through on the things that we say president obama was for referring to his own statements and what he said a little over a year ago when he drew that proverbial red line in the sand about the syrian

government using chemical weapons if they were to then there would be consequences now many experts believe that the u.s. president can't bluff he's in a position where he said what he said and now he has to back up his words. we've now learned that president obama changed his mind at the last minute before making his announcement first he wanted to take military action against syria without congressional approval let's take a look at what the u.s. public thinks about carrying out an attack on syria well overhaul for those americans who took part in the reuters poll don't want intervention in syria only twenty percent in favor of it. should be attacked if implicated in chemical weapons use well we can see here that just under thirty percent of americans said yes but now it seems that decision will rest on what congress does when it returns from its summer holiday in just over a week from now. syrian authorities say the army is mobilized for intervention while the rebels have pledged more attacks notion is following the latest

developments in damascus. if at the beginning of about his speech i saw that people looked nervous obviously frightened attack and worried relief came to replace all these emotions all these feelings following a bomb of speech many here say that congress is unlikely to approve military action against syria but even those who think that it could happen that congress does approve this strike against a country say at least it is not going to happen tonight but if we're talking about the general mood here in syria that public opinion is divided there are those who are afraid and frightened and they leave the country they pack their bags they send their families women and kids outside syria and they're following them themselves and there is another part of the syrian society they say we don't care we've been living under this pressure under this dangerous highly unsafe and stable

situation for more than two years and a half we didn't live last year and two years ago why should we leave now so meanwhile antiwar protesters have been demonstrating around the world against this imminent strike on syria or the files on protesters in london. that was before obama left no doubt that the country will be targeted there were similar scenes in germany close to the same amount of antiwar activists said only a sovereign and independent syria free of foreign interference would make peace possible and that's what was echoed in paris while supporters of syria were out in force in turkey as well let's not cross live to r.t. contributor she returns to join me live in london shouldn't could congress do to obama what the u.k. parliament did to cameron over this or will he get their support. not really a lot of the sources are saying that memo entitled surgical strikes memo or something was sent to all the congressional offices on the twenty sixth of august president obama is pretty confident of getting that approval from congress so no no

real chance of that but then on the other hand he has made it explicitly clear and he's been briefing since he gave the speech in the room rose garden that action can take place well can take place within the next twenty four hours if necessary congressional approval is merely a add on to show how democratic it is or more suspiciously some sources were saying that chuck hagel defense secretary and martin dempsey the chair of the joint chiefs of staff are not happy with this proposal of tomahawk cruise missiles and some sources even saying they were prepared to resign without congressional approval cause as it were in as manifested itself in the rose garden speech what about the american people's opinion we've seen this reuters poll suggesting that a majority don't want to see intervention at all what sort of backlash could a bombing get from the american public if he goes ahead. one shouldn't underestimate the power of television news propaganda one could doggedly say that

television news is moving more and more like al qaeda propaganda videos because after all a lot of the news bulletins are now made up from these you tube videos that they call open source intelligence here in london as well as m i six and joint intelligence committee's concerned so the power of that propaganda to persuade the american people that this will be short and simple and surgical and pinpoint in ari's absurd. words on the on the one hand i suppose there's no threat from al qaida to the united states because of course this speech today shows that the united states is implicitly now working with al qaeda are you surprised there you are in london that the u.k. or the british parliament has rejected any thought of intervention any help any support along with nato so is this a surprise to you that isn't getting the support from where he was expecting it. well. to a degree surprising and certainly surprised the british prime minister but you've got to remember that president obama doesn't really care either way this is when he

was speaking you could almost see the flickering embers of a dying superpower he wants to go into the speech or the fingerprints of susan rice all over it and behind that is the henry jackson dixiecrat ideology of neo conservative going in wherever two for freedom and it doesn't really matter whether any allies are with you or against you because united states will act alone. shows moscow and beijing it is president obama implicitly saying devel that america runs the world and the un charter there is no point and he doesn't care much for good insight or xi jinping caption thanks so much for your thoughts there live in london actually return r.t. contributor thank you well before obama made it certainly he wants a limited attack on syria washington's already had a lot of naval power on standby in the mediterranean he says he wants to talk to congress about it but the house will only be back from its break on september the

ninth while in the meantime five american destroyers are ready to attack whenever the order is given and the u.s.s. san antonio that's a warship with several hundred marines on board also joined the fleet late on friday now obama has said they'll be no boots on the ground in syria echoing earlier u.s. claims that the troops on board won't see any action and the ship is merely there as a precaution the other five vessels pack some major fire power each of them can carry as you can see up to ninety tomahawk guided missiles they can strike syria from a distance keeping the destroyers themselves safe from the country's ship missiles whenever the russian president vladimir putin warned against military intervention and r.t. shaun thomas has more now on russia's reaction to america's saber rattling. president vladimir putin spoke to reporters and bloody vostok here in russia and had some strong clear words about the situation in syria first of all he said all of this talk of strikes and military intervention from the west is he is certain

because the syrian regime is making advances against the rebels and it's a tactic or a technique to try and turn the tide of the civil war in syria to the rebels side he also said that the idea of the government the assad regime using chemical weapons is absurd. the syrian government forces are advancing in some areas they have surrounded the rebels to think that in such a time they would give a true code for those calling for intervention is. now the president went on to say that of course russia is against the idea of weapons of mass destruction specifically chemical weapons and in this case and particularly that the global community needs to wait until the u.n. investigation team results are in and he says that at that time the global community can then discuss the situation and act in a lawful manner that any unilateral action would be against international law he

also said that the g twenty summit coming up next week is an ideal time for world leaders to discuss the situation in syria he also said that he was surprised about the situation last week in the british parliament where they debated and then voted down military action for the u.k. in syria he says that he was surprised but he was pleased and it shows that there are rational minds at play in the government and that that debate needs to happen he also appealed it to president obama not just as a president but as a nobel laureate winner of the nobel peace prize let's not forget that barack obama is nobel peace prize laureates of the tallest decade the u.s. has started several. inflicts in various parts of the world but did that really solve any problems afghanistan iraq libya there's no democracy there now which is what the us claimed it tried to bring there's no civil peace or balance all of

these has to be taken into account before making the decision to stop bombing syria which will lead to civilian casualties so russia continuing to stand in their position that the world needs to wait for the u.n. investigation to take place the world needs to act globally it looks like now that president obama will be sending it back to congress and so we will wait to see if that spirited debate that happened in the in the u.k. parliament will also happen in the united states. thomas reporting there from central moscow what of course we're keeping an eye on developments in and around syria and we'll be bringing you the latest updates just the soon as we get them now in the meantime i'll be back with other news for you after this short break altie life in the sky.

but he seems things that sighted people don't notice. these. things most people never to call him disabled but he's the world's first deaf and blind doctor of science. professor thinks other savor of. the great life. the odds.

these continues here naughty the situation concerning gay rights in russia has been making headlines around the world and sparking huge debate among activists politicians and even athletes hundreds of activists took to the streets of berlin to protest against a new russian nor prohibiting the promotion of gay lifestyles and those eighteen the legislation uproar in europe and america and led to calls for a boycott of the upcoming winter olympics in sochi in february on his culture course one of modern entries takes a look at whether russia really is hostile to same sex couples. the real rainbow russia fights on the streets and less arrests for many around the world moscow brings images of snow spies violence and now extreme homophobia the new

anti-gay propaganda law has certainly break night in the cold war hangups from decades ago only this time it's the l g b t community in the spotlight all the fights for equality and boycotts on sporting events can be justified it's important to note that moscow and many other major cities in russia do have thriving gay communities peter was named is a british ex-pat who told me how he feels about safety in the capital so you've been living here for three years what are your experiences. being here again now expired in moscow i think it's safe i don't have any incidents living here and i don't have any friends that have any balance of living here is all here ok we get violent clashes murders and ban parades there is widespread homophobia in russia discrimination is discrimination and needs to be a challenge but has the community become a scapegoat of anti russia propaganda and this tempers flare and protest tourism

takes hold in london and new york are activists seeing the full picture. central station is a popular gay nightclub such venues aren't in themselves a measure of freedom nor are they the benchmark of human rights and acceptance but they do give something of an insight into the reality of gay life here this isn't about promoting a positive image of russia it's about addressing the fact that even though gay rights are being squeezed and people have been abusing killed it is possible for young gay men and women to have a happy healthy and safe life here activists in the west have spoken out loudly in great numbers but is this about hate crime or hate russia. this is not about defending russia it's. there is only one side to equality but it is about understanding russia's history social behavior soviet mindset and the whole religion has over swathes of society and just one of the most misunderstood places

in the world tolerance and equality remain a battle to be one before the rainbow flag stop flying. around very. well earlier i was joined by a panel of experts to discuss why russia has been singled out for special criticism over gay rights we have been accused of not covering this topic here on t.v. and just last week a freelance reporter by the name of james could achieve he brought r.t. certainly into the spotlight to me with great star one has to say and he certainly did. tell you if you want to do a twitter follower bump for him but to get to the point this by the way is our third panel on carrots in russia but that's beyond the point kirchick came on to our tea to let us know what he thinks about our coverage or lack thereof of gay rights in russia and this is what happened you know being here on

a kremlin funded propaganda network i'm going to wear my gay pride suspenders and going to speak out about bradley manning plus time because i don't i'm not really interested in talking about bradley manning a mission talking about being a riff environment of homophobia in russia right now and to let the russian gay people know that they have their friends and allies are i think those are just about done. i only go on that station with the russians so i don't want to waste too much time my critic we did invite him to speak tonight he denied saying that he said in interviews around the world after this event that r.t. is not a legitimate news channel that he just believes it would be supporting putin and his mouthpiece and that he won't participate in discussions on our network to give it credibility but i think that we should not spend too much time talking about kirk and talk about the real issues absolutely we invited peter tatchell who is with us now in london with regard to the anti gay law what it's basically says is

that any information that makes homosexuality sound attractive or interesting or which says that homosexuality or heterosexuality is equally valid is illegal if a person under eighteen might witness it why shouldn't young people under eighteen know the facts of homosexuality and same sex love some of them moved sold or if not they were dropped and no gay people they should know the facts the truth not about sex but about love between people of the same gender in a moment peter would be asking in the sort of the purpose of the storm what it means and what it's trying to achieve but you quite rightly point to homophobic violence in russia but of course it's not just a problem here in the country i just like to give you some statistics about the problems elsewhere around the world in the u.s. for example sexual orientation ranks as the third highest motivator for hate crime incidents after race based on religion based attacks in new york alone crimes rose seventy percent this year according to local police let's look at the u.k.

ninety eight homophobic and transfer crimes recorded each week across britain and compared to other types of hate crime the proportion of and to get attacked is on the rise too would you agree you're going to get a writes here in russia what's your experience i cannot be called a champion of the russian government or anyone here in the russian government i mean i'm just fighting for the rights i think the boys have to discuss something and that's what they have been discussed. for the last days but that i was hijacked that i was tortured that i have been. harassed by everyone and so on yes it's absolutely true that my flight was raided by the police on tuesday because of the case of deputy of the russian duma and it was a really not a very pleasant. experience what happened during but it doesn't stop me i have a phobia is rife in this country one hundred percent true what i find it culturally interesting is that what is the why is the focus on russia when there are seventy six countries around the world that you know how far west laws to death penalty etc

i get messages every single day from people saying how could you live in moscow the reality is that if two tourists or americans come to moscow if they have come in say the sense just like they will in any other country they will be safe whole picture is absolutely exaggerated it's not what they report is absolutely not true what they're saying is that basically everyone is being killed on the streets here . i mean i want to say i mean we i want what we want to say i'm here i mean i'm absolutely involved in all the public utilities you know probably one of my own not being rated by the police why am i not running a role why am i not now in new york why am i not now in london why am i here in moore school in your studio fighting for your rights and talking about it right that's what i want to say absolutely and it's proof you're here and it's very happy to talk about it. well now for some international headlines this hour in our world update coming up very nearly twenty three. and we're just hearing that the yemeni

prime minister escaped in assassination attempt in the capital sanaa gunmen opened fire on minister. motorcade before fleeing the scene according to one of his advisors that he was injured during the assault yemen is a hotbed of insurgent activity affiliated with al qaida. waves serve discontentedly are coming football world cup or continue to cause ripples in brazil hundreds of demonstrators flooded the streets of rio de janeiro protesting against corruption and income inequality demonstrators mocked the president dilma rousseff who is under pressure to boost spending brazil's largest cities are part of marches turn volunteers protesters attacked a major bank and a national media giant and was sponsored you know of a public transport rises and pouring money into high profile sporting events social services remain severely underfunded. also the world update this hour eight bus drivers and a woman have staged a crucifixion in protest of being fired from their jobs in paraguay their anger

came in response to years of unpaid benefits for over fifty employees of a bus company in a sense and it's already their third week of protests in this plant to last another twenty two day. to afghanistan where a blast a suicide blast has claimed eighteen lives in the southern city of kandahar attackers stormed a security checkpoint as people queue to enter a nearby bank of police and civilians are among the victims according to military officials insurgents in the east killed a nato soldier countries plagued by almost daily insurgent attacks. time now for some thrills and spills for you from the world's finest pilots at russia's max aviation show the biggest need and check to see or a supersonic jet engine lindsey france has been there today she explains. it's not the size of the engine that matters it's how you use what you've got that's what the pilots of first flight rushes only aerobatics team using propeller planes say

no jet engines here no mach two or eject button just good old fashioned pistons and plenty of guts at airshows like max these pilots may no longer be the main attraction but propeller planes were the first to take on aerobatics and they plan to stick around. a main goal is to show everyone how beautiful flying can be and to demonstrate the potential of these planes and popularize esports and aerobatics though these planes may not be so big and powerful they have great potential. reminiscent of the barnstormers of the one nine hundred twenty s. in america this team's planes are equipped the smoke systems that leap patterns in the skies piloting on a stunt team is still a man's world but irina markov is one russian woman breaking that mold yeah people often ask me how i feel different from the male pilot but i just assume that flying planes makes us the same i feel complete freedom in the skies it is believe there

are six degrees of freedom but in reality it seems to be much more out there that is how free you feel. making it look easy is part of the job and world champion aerobatics pilot. insists that means his mood has to be put to one side when he takes the controls. the most important thing when you do a great flight is to follow the guidelines and express your emotions be they sad or happy only to you land and turn off the engine during the flight you have to be focused on performing the elements flawlessly and stay safe so if you is going to have fun. of course just watching isn't enough so off i went in a bright shiny fifty with the arena at the controls and a leisurely two hundred kilometer per hour cruising speed it was clear that for the pilots it's more about finesse than g. force lindsey france r t moscow. great shots there

are on one team called some of the best moments in the skies you can see the photos on our website right now in the in vision section. time now for a recap of our top story now this hour with president obama declaring his intention to attack syria we have learned that the decision to consult congress came at the last minute that's according to u.s. officials congressional spokes person has announced that lawmakers will deal with the issue when they return from the summer recess on september the ninth obama hasn't said exactly when the attack on syria could take place and clearly a lot will depend on what happens at that session in just over a week from now i'll bring you the latest on that and more in just about thirty minutes from now with the news team in the meantime for that from considering suicide to becoming a renowned professor of psychology before the part of one extraordinary man that is after a short break this is r.t. .

sometimes it seems like in the face of giant corporations people are just sort of helpless i could be pretty pessimistic myself about what a few individuals with no real money or power could really do against the system but you never dull in fact if you remember toward discussion about ammonia doused pink slime being used across america and frozen fast foods well chef jamie oliver has actually managed to shame mcdonald's enough on t.v. to get. them to back down and stop using this ultra processed form of quote meet at their establishments also we recently discussed gamer rage at the rather racist betrayal of russians in the game company of heroes two well all the rage actually worked and thanks to the seventeen thousand signatures on the change dot org petition that game has been pulled from russian shelves by the developer the thing

is that massive corporations do a lot of bad things because they have no morals and are obsessed with profit but because they have no morals and are only obsessed with profit the second you even slightly threaten their cash flow they will instantly start cowering at your feet sometimes but that's just my opinion. wealthy british style sun it's time to. hide. markets. scandal. find out what's really happening to the global economy kinds of reports on our t. . the.