the e.u. hidden ukraine should hold snap elections in a reaction to ongoing protests international look at how the standoff is taking a toll on the country's economy. u.s. drone attacks. devastated a wedding convoy in yemen killed at least fifteen people supposedly all of them civilians if the party was mistaken for an al qaeda procession. and the honeymoon is over australia's high court overturns the country's first law allowing same sex marriages. in less than a week. we've been married and we've been on married india reinstated a ban on same sex relationships now introducing jail punishment on the program we

look at the countries following a more conservative. the top headlines of the world this hour live when i see international thanks for joining us. live in moscow members of the european parliament pressuring ukraine's government to hold early elections as a way out of the crisis that's gripped the country e.u. lawmakers of also called for intervention using aid trade and other incentives to support those in favor of an agreement with the union ukraine's government has said that it could renegotiate the terms of the association deal if europe provides more money the sides met in brussels and agreed to discuss a new road map towards a possible deal. while in kiev anti-government protesters continue to defy the

orthe already he's blocking the city center with barricades and suspending the work of government institutions as artie's alexina chef skied now reports it's not only causing chaos on the streets but also taking a bite out of the country's economy. oh. the. key of sprawl just have ended its fourth week with no sign it will die down the recent attempt by police to clear the streets proved fruitless and have only hard into people's resolve it took the protesters only several hours to rebuild the barricades which the police i take it down in a matter of minutes and now they're even bigger than before the blockade has existed for almost two weeks now and not only creates something of a traffic nightmare for the locals but also as the government claims it cripples the country's economy because of governmental buildings being under siege ukraine's prime minister says the country is still without a said the budget for next year aggressive shows for it it was drafting the budget

for next year and the parliament should have an opportunity to work on it the protests are distrust in many social projects like road construction and metro changes which here than needs the economic impact is being felt far from the rallies in the capital one of the country's leading winemakers factories a thousand kilometers away from the scenes playing out in clear times are tough but those that they would never know what's going on in kiev is complete chaos and it's causing serious economy damage to state enterprises like a fine expert license has expired because work in the public offices in the capital was disrupted by the protests that we were unable to export five trucks of wine to russia and lost two hundred fifty thousand euros and now our contract with russian importers for the next year is up in the air because they doubt our reliability and that's happening to a country already on the verge of economic collapse with an external debt of one hundred thirty six billion dollars and what is widely seen by economists as a pre default. old level standard and poor's have recently warned if the violence

continues they will need to lower ukraine's credit rating even further unless the country gets a large injection of cash from somebody over the next six months at the latest maybe even sooner then they will default. revolution down with the government. has been hearing at the key of protests for weeks but a possible default or economic collapse is not the top of the town behind the barricades lets you assess the r.t. reporting from kiev ukraine. now the police in kiev had previously attempted to clear the streets of protester comes to make way for traffic in the city center the move sparking criticism from foreign politicians washington going as far as threatening sanctions against ukraine's government stephen cohen a professor of russian studies at n.y.u. he believes the involvement of u.s. officials could have disastrous consequences i'm not surprised but i am disgusted

that members of the united states government are standing in queue. and a very dangerous and fateful moment for ukraine addressing crowds of protesters is no they are. state department officials of the united states are the leaders of this opposition in effect we are contributing to the tensions in the streets and i feel that if there is more violence. that these american fishel from the. european represent their people the bosses the governments that sent these representatives from other countries to come here are going to have some blood on their own hands i think it's a very very bad idea. of course we are closely following the situation in kiev on our website we have a live timeline. around ukraine. for the very latest on that.

joining us here in our international to yemen now where a feast turned into a tragedy when as many as fifteen members of a wedding procession were killed by a u.s. drone strike local officials say an unmanned aircraft fired missiles at the party after mistaking it for an. envoy dozens were also injured in the attack which happened near the southern city of herat that is traditionally known as a militant stronghold but washington uses drones as part of its campaign to fight extremists in the arabian peninsula but they do not comment on individual strikes i do you will activist medea benjamin says incidents like this one play directly into the hands of but. every time there's a drone strike that's the best recruiting tool for al qaeda and killing people in a wedding party i am sure that this will lead to not tens but probably hundred

people joining al qaeda and this guarantees the cycle of violence will go on in perpetual war the drone strikes actually are a support to al qaeda it doesn't get rid of al qaeda now every month more lives are being lost. in america's war on terror unmanned aircraft have reportedly killed at least eighty seven people since july of this year more than a third are thought to be civilians at least three children falling victim to what the u.s. calls precision strikes now despite america's operations. and drone activists later bolger believes the recent incident won't be the last. this is just another example in a long list of despicable illegal and immoral combat drone strikes on the part of the government of the united states that it could be prevented it there's no reason for this to continue and the world needs to rise up and point the finger at the

united states for causing and this. necessary damage and death you know they say that they're very precise they're surgical and we can we see over and over and over again and there are many many examples of civilians women children old people being killed by these drones and even the is the drones attack people that the cia intends to attack until they've been proven to do something that's against the law these are extrajudicial assassinations and they're absolutely up for it and the legal. well drones are being used for domestic security in america as well where the f.b.i. is not want to pressure but all to dot com you can find out just how much authority the bureau thinks it should have to conduct warrantless surveillance this is according to the latest declassified documents. also online for dramatic new footage of the asiana airline crash this summer charring the jets smashing into the runway at san francisco international airport three people died as

a result more than one hundred injured you have a look if you like in the motion section of our page. right to see the. first row. and i think you're. on our reporters. in. the end. it's all the international live from moscow. australia's high court has overturned the country's first law same sex marriage less than one week after it came into force and another blow to gay rights campaigners earlier this week this state of india now upholding legislation that criminalizes homosexuality has gone nature con looks at the

countries taking the conservative approach. most western countries already recognise in some form the right of gay couples to get married in adult children but in other parts of the world there is the opposite train less than a week. we've been married and we've been on there it's really just days after the nation's capital allowed same sex couples to get married the high court there struck down that decision saying regional foreign said no right to decide the matter to live in a relationship of loves and trusts to any seven australian couple things saw their marriage and know. australia's high court ruled that gay marriage was even legal because the marriage act only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman and only the parliament can change the legislation the more recent attempt to change the law in the australian parliament failed last year polls in the

country show support for gay marriage stands at fifty three percent. saying that. history. to try to make sure that every tree on the planet has its natural environment so. that we would be challenging the definition of marriage which creates exactly that environment for a child requiring that it's between a man or woman you need the supreme court is just me gay sex illegal again since the nineteenth century india has had a ten year sentence on the statute books for quote court only the course against the order of nature four years ago a lower court found it unconstitutional. the supreme court just brought the law back into force by making a similar argument to the australian judges only the nation's parliament has the right to change it but with the overwhelming majority of indians against same sex marriage and with a conservative nationalist group leading in the upcoming elections in legislative

change in the next two years is highly unlikely you have about it that you just didn't. know all the communities of this country feel that albert if you didn't. sense that each of the main sort of thing you are seeing something similar this december. you know. how long same sex marriage. the most powerful the population. changes in the constitution in the tug of war between those who are and those who are not allowed to say i do the conservative view on marriage seems at least at the moment to be prevailing in many parts of the world. in a shutdown or two. but we spoke to the unmarried australia knew you would you just seen in that report i've been hinton it was also an activist from australia equality pledging to press on with the fight for same sex marriage. the work that we need to do from this point onwards obviously. we have

a very conservative government we have a conservative prime minister who's sister. and she's also engaged to. this is something that we need to work on not just with the prime minister a little so it is possible at the moment that. the way he wishes them to be working very hard to make sure that they have a free card a conscience forward to release those members of that policy it's actually a very strong supporters of marriage equality once we've got that we're going to be much closer to achieving reform across the country. and in croatia for the majority voted to ban same sex marriage in a referendum the government proposed partnership legislation for gay couples it will allow them to register their relationship but not to get married american pasta scott lively praises the country. i think that's a positive trend i think australia has just shown some courage in

standing up to the gay agenda india has decided not to allow the laws to be taken off the books jamaica is showing resistance to the un to the united states effort. and it's a sign of how this looks like what you may consider not i'm going to go. on that i believe that that homosexuals should have basic civil rights no one should be knocking down their door trying to find out what they're doing and there. are still to come here on the program mexico's national pride it's up for sale the country opens its oil deposits to foreign energy giants sold in an effort to boost the nation's struggling economy. he told the refugees in south africa about why. they think their future is now in doubt often the death of nelson mandela that's what the rest of us i was told headlines just

a second. with . science technology innovation all the least developments from around russia we've got the future covered. they look like bounty islands where the locals can enjoy the sun and the ocean. but what was buried here years ago. means these people are suffering the consequences. how much more poison lies on the ground. behind this zone there is what we call the callet bank on which there was a deposit of plutonium left by security test which caused the dispersion of radio

new clyde's despite previous cleaning efforts there remains a deposit of a little less than two kilos of plutonium stuck in the rock and the coral reef about ten metres down. tests a never ending legacy. you know we're going to go to mars and it may be that initial mars colonies are set up by different nations and so forth so i think about borders well they might but the game will be one currency one language many languages again we just one flag americans say it's america i think there's room on mars for more than one flag ok but ultimately i think that the many flags that there will be on mars that most of them will be new for us. because what we're talking about doing is not extending nations to mars but giving birth.

it's all of the international live from moscow not far from cross-talk fernando mexico has approved a controversial bill which opens up state controlled oil deposits to foreign investors for the first time in seventy five years of the new law would allow foreign companies to explore for oil and extract it alongside the state owned giant pemex and then end up pocketing the profits the country has known reserves of more than ten billion barrels making it the biggest oil producer after venezuela in latin america but thirty billion more of believed to be under the gulf of mexico which the government cannot afford to develop a global energy giants now queuing up to offer the technology needed to get to the reserves of the country's opposition says the president is simply capitulating in the face of u.s. pressure correspondent nicholas donovan the story. we have to say it was one

of the most chaotic moments ever seen in the history of mexican politics outside the barricade to build in hundreds of protesters rallied against the reform and inside the picture wasn't really so much different now the p r d and the modern no movement both left wing movements have called for message rally on sunday regarded the content of the reform well it basically means that the government is now allowed to give private companies contracts and licenses to explore and drill the oil and gas in mexico deals and till now will obviously work prohibited under mexico's constitution opponents to the reform say they fear that that big corporations especially from the us where we have complete domination over mexico's natural resources and the truth is that it can be a big very big deal actually for the us we can't forget that mexico remains one of

the top five crude exporters to there not know the northern neighbors chip in over a million barrels a day this energy reform also modifies three points of the mexican constitution therefore it now has to be approved by a minimum of seventeen local governments this this is step is really only a formality and groups on the left think that the measure is so big that it should have been subjected to a national referendum and energy analyst alex corin's believes that all the advantages of mexico sovereignty over its own resources are being pawned off for free. i don't guess we're seeing natural resources being stolen by businessmen with the government's help we see high flying politicians provide companies with all the legal assistance they can so the companies end up owning resources that should be controlled by the state business is even get control over employees

rights and it's clear that these rights will then be violated these proposals are then put before congress which passes them while some of the most unpopular measures get included as reforms i believe her date i can't imagine that any of these lawmakers then go on to work for oil companies after their mandate expires it's not what is happening with the system where the public sector sets up the private sector the state starts to sell off bit by bit especially now in times of crisis and they sell it all cheap. all right let's get some other global headlines in brief to china a gas explosion at a coal mine trapping at least twenty two people on the ground in the west twelve workers did manage to crawl to safety is ongoing for the rest of the cause of the blast right now still. a long awaited u.n. report has concluded chemical weapons were probably used in syria at five out of seven sites investigated in the country it doesn't point to either the government all rebels being responsible for the attack though earlier this year syria agreed

to destroy its toxic asset all under the supervision of an international watchdog. north korea has executed the once powerful uncle of its current leader kim jong un the former general was accused of seeking to overthrow the leadership he was executed shortly after a trial on thursday is the biggest people since kim jong un succeeded his father two years ago. a car bomb has exploded in the northern egyptian city of ismailia killing at least one person and injuring dozens more in the blast took place near the entrance of a security phrase and was followed by gunfire attacks on police on the army have risen in the country since president mohamed morsy was in july. now the spanish government has vowed to block an independence referendum in northeastern catalonia local separatist parties have already agreed on the wording and set the date for november next year but madrid says any debates on the issue are simply out

of the question and he said that pollute see an economist from barcelona university says spain cannot stop catalonians from challenging choosing independence day has to show. how is it going to trees and absolute truth happening now what is it going to to do. electoral class it's up to them to show you what kind of democracy they support first of all the talents our people are an issue now long. history commission and they have been convinced that. to survive the loss of their own language of their culture. is a story says apply to their citizens are going to be better held by their own government that. matter or will. the government by your own government. before we join people of

cross-talk for now in his lifetime nelson mandela managed to break down society's divisions and smash apartheid in south africa he stood with open arms welcoming refugees from far and wide who saw him as a father figure but without him to protect them many fear they won't be long welcome at home artie's policy reports. don't lean sought refuge in south africa from the congo because of one man nelson. mandela causes the one who allowed him to do. that had came but now he's gone and only means afraid she and other foreigners like her will be kicked out i think there were tears well thought it was because they don't one foot in the company that put him over taking their jobs millions of africans have fled their troubled countries in search of a better life in south africa but more often than not they've swapped one hundred for another with no money work all prospects a handful have made this place

a methodist church in downtown johannesburg. if you. agree or you for your german or if you're fringe and you come into this country you were in to experience what's experienced here one of the three. as a part it did for instance was that it divorced us from the rest of africa who failed is struggling to support his wife and five children in a brutal attack she was beaten so badly she miscarried he was left for dead the crime being foreigners in a strange land i think we could we have. a right to life i think i should call. the world in south africa prejudices run deep not only are african foreigners accused of taking jobs away from locals they're also held responsible for accelerating crime so if who is doing the number they're going to do the work to who is good in. the world to deal with somebody

going home though is not an option political instability acute poverty and violence awaits them. for twelve long months studying has been too afraid to step foot outside this church and now with mandela gone she's more afraid than ever liz too says something about the flood and but now is not the no one was talk about the flooding events as night falls the schools close providing refuge to people seeking sanctuary in a country that doesn't want them police here r.t. johannesburg south africa. pope francis named time magazine's person of the year as a side of the church's influence or just good p.r. that's the issue for debate with people of ellen cross-talk coming your way in just a second.

this is the media leave us so we leave that maybe. by the sea pushes secure. your party there's a goal. for shoes that no one is asking with the guests that you deserve answers from it's all politics only on our team. confident that the irish people won't be asking it down to stab in the jail where the private banks are any cause some staffer hopkins pleasure to be found now economically and what always happens is. central bankers politicians they say this will never ever happen again and it keeps on happening but what we have to ensure is that if company. doesn't such

a classic place to make costs for tots slave. is on a journey to structure. one hundred twenty three days. through to some other town two cities of russia. relate fourteen thousand people or sixty thousand killing. in a record setting trip. air. space. the torch relay. on our t.v. our cool.

little. hello and welcome across all things considered i'm peter lavelle time magazine's person of the year francis the catholic pontiff according to the managing editor the pope changed the tone and perceptions of the roman catholic church this may be so but francis also is showing himself to be critical of the global economic order and capitalism is their hope for the church. a p.r. product. to cross-talk pope francis i'm joined by my guest jamila bey in washington she's a journalist and public speaker also in washington we have one hundred chef when he is the president of the at was economic research foundation and in madison we cross to scott rickard he is an expert on catholicism as well as the executive editor of chronicles a magazine of american culture all right crosstalk rules in effect that means you

can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage encourage it one hundred in washington per person of the year well deserved yes for sure few people have such respect as the pope and few institutions the catholic church still has so much kristie just so much influence around and around the globe so i'm a middle aged ok jamila are you elated that pope francis is time magazine's person of the year it is despairing despairing to me that i've got to support miley cyrus pope francis is a choice for person of the year was absolutely wrong in every measure from time magazine this pope as you put it in your intro so aptly earlier is a product of p.r. he's not this major reformer who's coming in making sweeping changes to benefit the lives of the faithful he has more of the same and unfortunately that's

a problem he should not have been picked ok scott i would you differentiate the two because it's very interesting what we've heard already in this program is that i mean it may be very possible that francis is a p.r. product and you know he's very appealing to a lot of people i mean even i look at the pictures of him embracing a man with severe disfigurement i mean any person who has compassion can say that's a good person doing that as opposed to kind of where is the catholic church because it looks like you can easily separate the two go ahead scott. right it's certainly he certainly is appealing the the the idea though that that he was ever going to come in and change the catholic church in the way that that i think or or some of the editors of time might want. was was wrong from the from the beginning what what he has brought to.