why you should. only. clarification from the e.u. the european commission says trade deals with a country and now want to hold all the. antigovernment protests in the capital that are being cheered on by politicians from the west. it is the protest about protests a rally in spain turns ugly campaign against possible. demonstrations which have been labeled as a democracy. does not want to dominate the world but will stand firm in defending its values president putin delivers his annual state of the nation address. breaking free of the aid program the government warns that doesn't mean an end to austerity.

with the top headlines of the week and of today it's the weekly with me rule received from everybody here welcome to the program ukraine is seeking official confirmation that the e.u. has put on a hold on a trade. deal it's a tweet was posted by the e.u. commissioner for enlargement saying expectations have no grounds in reality. we have a statement by one of the european officials who is responsible for. the european union particularly doing. the stuff and. more on his. words and deeds over the gradient. residents and government regarding association agreement

with european union are further and further apart their arguments have no grounds. just a few early also went on to say that several days ago in brussels when he was meeting a delegation of ukraine's government he had warned that they don't further discussion about the association deal this condition. by the ukraine to sign the deal i did not know they were going on the signing this deal has been put on hold because. you know i'm certain that this latest statement by the european official also puts huge pressure on the culverts because he has been saying all along continuously during press corps it says that leaders with the european officials and the opposition that israel would not. do integration. he was fully expecting to sign you know association deal right now in that year is the future meanwhile the protests are going to. have your way across the rain more than definitely more than one hundred thousand people are now in the central square of the capital and we're

watching the situation to see how the latest statements by european officials late may or may not anger the protesters even more. now diplomatic sources are citing money matters as the reason behind the alleged postponement kiev has been saying from the very start the country's failing economy couldn't handle the deal being offered by brussels not to mention the modernization requested by the e.u. which would also cost a pretty penny for the nonstop anti government rallies have been gaining momentum in central kiev tens of thousands also took to the streets this weekend to support president yanukovych which now the two rallies happened just a few hundreds of meters apart from each other and earlier i spoke to the foreign affairs editor of the chronicle's magazine he told me it's no surprise the deal has been frozen yet again be you call her a deal b. you all heard a very few years agreed we would have. you mean.

european industrial products without the possibility of your ministry thanks for the east and the longer of course is the bank in the west you have uni i can clearly see in the. moscow. all the dogs. in the middle east you have people who seem to hear the candidates speak russian but feel your green and regional told you. meanwhile the nonstop anti-government rallies attracted another string of high profile foreign supporters this week and the ladies of those u.s. senator john mccain you can find out what he's been up to and who else has been cheering on the on the rest in kiev do so at r.t. dot com.

joining us here in r.t. international thousands of state of violent protest in madrid venting their fury over a draft law that could enforce tough action against the un sanctioned rallies. two dozen people were injured about seven arrested when angry crowds attempted to surround the spanish parliament activists condemned the proposal which would impose hefty fines for offenses such as burning the national flag calling it an attack on democracy and the bill is likely to pass into law with strong support from the conservatives who do hold a majority in the legislature but activist doris bennett gas says the protesters need to show they're not ready to give up without a. c. and they said this is only the beginning they need a lot of efforts to stop this fascist nation he didn't want this year to end without at least starting to demonstrate. and yes this is only the beginning

because it will take some months to be considered and adopted yes and who will achieve what we want it's not the last time we need more people as this protest was mostly spontaneous we want to make our voices heard and now we want to just say look you're always going to be able to shut us out and we're going to pray. about it and elsewhere in spain it's a matter of save our caves as a community living in a hollowed out hills are ordered to get out by the authorities or the settlers refuse to cave in their stories coming up for you. now russia's president made it clear that he's ready to defend traditional values this during his state of the nation address this week that i mean putin also said the country does not aspire to be a superpower or to lecture others on how to conduct their affairs though russia it's ready to defend itself whenever necessary piskun off has details it's

traditionally become the place to be to find out the president's vision of the president and his plans for the future every year russia's top politicians businessmen economists and elites gather at the kremlin to listen to his address first head of just returned from there as well and here are some of the key points . had to me russia isn't looking at dominating but that doesn't mean it has to stop protecting its sovereignty and traditional values. we know that there are even more people around the globe who support our position in terms of ensuring traditional values these are the values of traditional family and the value of human life including religious life that is not only material life but also spiritual of course this is a conservative position but the point of conservatism is not that it hinders the movement forward and upward but that it precludes the movement backwards downwards back towards chaos and a barbaric state. diplomacy was another point in the president's speech or

specifically recent breaks loose with syrian chemical weapons and the rain in nuclear programming many analysts agree these are examples that diplomacy still works by the time when russia. suggested. the process of chemical disarmament stars in syria. very few countries in the world were keen to support the so-called obama option which would have been yet another bombing of yet another country so i think this is a very important lesson. of crisis of this type should the sole u.s. plans to build an anti missile defense system in europe one of the biggest sticking points in moscow's relationship with washington was of course also talked about the president's message was simple without a threat from iran what's the point of building it moscow does see the shield as a threat to its national security and putin says powering up russia's military is

one of the ways to protect against it you know when you look at what you do see unless it was more sinister that it's no country should harbor illusions of achieving military dominance over russia we will never let it happen russia is ready to meet those challenges both political and technological that we've got all the potential needed our military doctrine as well as our military equipment allow us without a doubt to ensure russia's security finally it referring to the current situation in ukraine putin said moscow respects the desire of those partners who want to be closer to the e.u. as long as decisions aren't made by hotheads and are based on dialogue. or to moscow it's r.t. international island's finally ready to financially go it alone how they manage to become the first e.u. state to work itself free of rescue loans and this milestone is expected to dominate the irish prime minister's televised address on sunday testor are silly reports from. people know that in that decision they endured three years of very

very deep you had salaries going down and you had their benefits of being slashed a lot of deep spending cuts so what the government really is trying to do is say that this today is symbolically stepping out of what they call the shackles of the kreutzer hoping that this will really give that morale boost to the people whoever they are there is no illusion here that there are still high unemployment that have to be tackled as well as the very high number of people skilled young workers leaving the country moving to countries like australia or canada to pursue better opportunities some of the business is your construction business is starting all over again here in dublin however when you go just one hour out of the capital the story is really different than has come through the worst of the crisis but we shouldn't underestimate the size of the crisis it faced because of the enormous holes in the banking sector which in turn resulted from very cavalier lending by the banking system parish st mary citizens and taxpayers have had to pick up the

bill for the mess the very system with the government already said that austerity policies are actually going to be continuing so if this is to be seen as a success it's going to be a psychological or a success in terms of exiting again more closely monitoring of the troika economically there's still a long long way to go for our land to really be calling itself a success. or it's the last to come here on the program to south africa look into the future as nelson mandela is laid to rest but some migrants aren't so sure later in the program here at r.t. international we hear their fears that tension under the surface is about to boil over. for now though it's proving to be a tough month for gay rights this week australia's high court overturned the country's first law allowing same sex couples to marry before that india held legislation that criminalizes homosexuality while croatians overwhelmingly voted

against same sex marriage in a national referendum nature counterpoints. most western countries already recognize in some form the right of b. 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 the regional authorities had no right to decide the matter to live in a relationship with loves and trusts to do any seven australians couple of things saw their marriage annulled. australia's high court ruled that gay marriage was illegal because the marriage act only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman and only the parliament can change the legislation the most 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. and offered it absolutely amazing that in our history britain were jumping through hoops to try to make sure that every tree on the planet has its natural environment from far east 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 india the supreme court has just made gay sex illegal again since the nineteenth century india has had a ten year sentence on the statute books for quote court only two 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 of 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 few years is highly unlikely you have about a good. all the communities of this country feel that albert is legions of fans and each of the main thing you are seeing something similar this december. in a referendum to outlaw 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. it was in may that power saw thousands of protesters turn out to the government's decision to legalize gay marriage and we talked about this earlier to investigative journalist a robot harness and strasbourg he thinks the french authorities are just afraid to put the issue to a nationwide referendum. there is increasing skepticism about it

because in the enthusiasm for human rights of every kind same sex marriage achieved a substantial majority in the opinion of much of western society but there is perhaps a tendency now to look at it more carefully and start asking questions like well what happens about children latins about adoption choice of the french people would've seen a civil union the opinion polls are quite clear that a majority of people that's the solution they wanted but the government didn't want that they didn't want it for political reasons because they wanted to and not in the direction of that is their left wing supporters who are very much in favor of same sex marriage it would be wise when you make a major change in society to do this but the reason they don't do it is because they're afraid that if you have a referendum this is certainly the case in france to have a referendum on this what they are going after i should have a referendum on a host of other issues and governments will find that hands tied they don't get the

answers they want when they go to a referendum because it focuses attention on the problem in question and people actually start to think about it rather than gaily on soaring public opinion polls or giving it much thought. well i hope you can stay with us for a bit here on r t international after the break nelson mandela laid to rest we report on some disturbing reemerging racial hatred in south africa the weekly continues here on our international just a sack. 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 there is what we call the

bank on which there is a deposit of plutonium left by security test which caused the dispersion of radio nuclides despite previous cleaning efforts there remains a deposit of a little less than two kilos of plutonium stuck in the rock the coral reef about ten metres down. tests a never ending legacy. headlines of the day of the week here on r.t. international it's the weekly a cave dwelling community in southern spain is standing up to the latest attempts

to a victim hundreds of activists formed a human barricade this week to resist being forcibly removed from their homes other residents say the government wants them out to make a luxury resort artie's at least a cafe off went to meet the defiant settlers. hammering out an existence on the outskirts of granada sprucing up a front yard with some of the best views in town it's an eclectic community that's literally burrowed into a mountain the residents of the hill of san miguel have converted dozens of caves into bona fide homes. we've been living here for two years not and do not a look community it's the kind of place when they bruse help each other out. it may not be a life of luxury there's no running water or electricity but for residents like anna that's not a problem when it does that they live long lives that we've done

nothing but on their own without cup everything here. but those who have made their home here may have their days are numbered although they've lived here for years now the city council has been fighting to get them off the land. these are in proper houses and it is a residential area of the city that the caves are unsafe for any humans still have and that they could collapse at any moment. it's an argument this resident simply doesn't buy one tonio pora has lived on the hill of san miguel for more than eight years he believes the city is over exaggerating the dangers in order to help developers get their hands on the land actually one of the united fans here and that's why house is because he's already. said with the args to protect the roof. they need to be done even in

a very near us and he's willing to do everything to keep on living here and for our . big cities to house. me the city council wants to clean up the hill years ago developers announced plans to turn this area into a tourist attraction and we think that's what's really behind the eviction but for now only eight caves are facing the risk of eviction burma is one of the residents who could lose her home she too suspects and i'll tear your motive that would be like giving up the city council wants to shut down the killings but they don't want to of them down that's why we think they really just want to. and to use it for their own purposes another concern cited by the officials is sanitation the caves they say are dirty and the area has been described as a slum that sits above the city we may be ready not so say the residents the city council isn't likely to abandon its plans to evict the residents but for the

people living in the caves of san miguel giving up is simply not an option reporting we're not a space for our team. of. other russian adventure a few of the. six around the world trips under his belt he's mocking his birthday right here and some a very unique personal style setting off on a solo trip across the pacific ocean in a relatively small rowing boat you can log on to our website to see the launch of the daring voyage while you're there check out this story as well google snatching up of providing for research robots for the pentagon but keep the reasons for its purchase under wraps you can read more about the breakthrough technology on the web site. for another hearing on the international nelson mandela has been laid to rest of his ancestral home after ten days of international mourning for the iconic leader he's going down the history as the man who vanquished

apartheid and bridged racial and ethnic divides but with mandela's passing some africans fear the ghosts of the past could return for the city of reports. software fijian south africa from the congo because of one man nelson mandela causes the one while out of the. camp but now he's gone and only means afraid she and other foreigners like her will be kicked out i think that there were tears well thought in the eyes because they don't want for their own thing that's put in the attic in 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 horror for another with no money work or prospects a handful have made this place a methodist church in downtown johannesburg home if you're a green 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 things apart 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 that what i do 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 and. where we are to give them a sense of going home though is not an option political instability acute poverty and violence awaits them. for twelve long months 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. no one will talk about the flooding this as night falls these schools close providing refuge to people seeking sanctuary in a country that doesn't want them police here r.t. johannesburg south africa. the u.k. has managed to squeeze out a little more growth than expected and has decided to send the money abroad for the treasury chief is about to approve a one billion pound increase to the foreign aid budget but it might come as cold comfort to brits who are yet to feel any benefits of so-called economic recovery they also think the aid is going exactly the wrong way laura smith takes up the story. britain's economy is growing better than expected so more money in our pockets to relieve some of the misery of lift people out of poverty help them pay

their heating bills controversially and despite senate hardship home the more positive figures will also mean increasing the amount the u.k. sends a broad in foreign aid not because there's more suffering in the world but to meet all of it sheree target no point seven percent of national income the british government seems set on increasing amount of money it's sending overseas for the sake of meeting a particular target not. target driven policy which is the the worst kind of way to set policy but we think it's irresponsible of the british government at a time when money is very tight for everyone for family from the government to be sending more and more typos money particularly when a lot of the current is not being spent very well money gets lost through fraud money's being spent in countries which even have their own aid programs to other countries it means sending

a billion pounds more over the next five years and where's that money going well over the last five years nigeria has received more than a billion pounds from the british taxpayer it's got its own space program and is mired in corruption an estimated several billion pounds are stolen from the states every year by corrupt officials and politicians and india also trying to push a man in space they get two hundred eighteen million pounds a year from britain and they've got their foreign aid program worth one point three billion dollars to today's accountability report shows the u.k. already spends more percentage wise on foreign aid than any of the g eight country and the greatest irony britain. is still borrowing billions of pounds every month and now growth is on the up it will be borrowing more than it have to just to give

us a way. it's been a pleasure having you with us here on r.t. international today my colleague kevin owen is here and half an hour's time for now though tony in paradise up next we explore land battered by nuclear test explosions for decades to see whether or not now it could become habitable for people like you and me live from moscow and r.t. international. as we all know the holidays are a great time for families to get together and sometimes on the gets flowing they're also a great time for us to argue about everything from politics to religion with the ones we love but if you happen to be an n.s.a.

agent and the government has an official list of talking points that way you could win those family arguments for sure yeah that's right the government is now giving n.s.a. agents lists of very corny talking points going to firedoglake so that way they could convince their relatives over the holidays of just how awesome effective and necessary the national security agency truly is the spite all those little revelation thinks of mass spying by snowden trust me talking points exist for a reason political social and religious organizations use them so that when their members who may not be the best debaters on the planet can defend the positions of the organization and i would have no problem with the n.s.a. gave this list ages they could answer questions from journalists but when the government wants you to propagandize your friends and family over christmas and thanksgiving it all seems kind of cultish to me but that's just my opinion.

douglas in the land the islands they are the mother that feeds us. on a footing then they put a dirty bomb in there like a rotten bomb in my mother's womb. that's that's what exploded for what

nothing i mean what she's dead and what she's dead on a limb and my eyes mileage is dead now. on this journey very often noone under the magnificent dome of the senate the debate begins the debate which is not exactly popular maybe because it's about polynesia a country some eighteen thousand kilometers away with a different world yet this is a day that could go down in history. to deny the environmental damage.