iraq's prime minister urges all kind of control of key towns to give up the militants enjoy a rise of influence fueled by the war in neighboring syria. the army's greatest threat to create military is disconnected from the public don't understand what it's actually for that's the claim coming from a parliamentary watchdog. and also the russians sledge hockey team prepares to make its debut at the upcoming paralympics he kept in his family to find out where he's drawing his strength and inspiration from the top stories.

from a student center here in moscow this is r.t. international with twenty four hours a day militants have attacked an army barracks north of baghdad reportedly killing twelve soldiers the iraqi government is currently struggling to regain control of key cities in the country's west occupied by al qaeda fighters the prime minister has called on the group to surrender middle east. it's following the conflict. well the situation certainly is becoming increasingly volatile but we've now heard from the iraqi prime minister it is him urging all those who have joined a kind of to give up the fight he has hinted at the possibility of hardening these militants if indeed they do so they are facing a massive siege that has been launched by the government troops now on my like he was speaking in his weekly televised address and he volunteered that it is to continue what he calls the sacred war against al qaida is the local branch which is known as the islamist state in iraq and they live and he also said that he would

continue to finish the push to retake the key ambassador he is off the move and the mahdi which earlier were taken over by the militants and that the militants had to compete for the as their new independent state what we see happening now is that al qaeda going to militants are trying to capitalize on the six hereon attention that is currently inside iraq and this is a tension that the united states failed to resolve you'll remember of course that the united states occupied iraq for eight years and then pulled out leaving behind this major sick tarion power of the cave at the same time some of the al qaida in linked militants who are now fighting in iraq are reportedly coming from across the border in syria now of course the united states has been supporting the syrian opposition which inadvertently has allowed these extremist islamist militants to flourish in the first place the united states is now saying that it will be sending

an emergency shipment of surveillance from drones and missiles to iraq in an attempt to try and prop up its allies in baghdad and. pull us live there while the militant group now in control of your calls itself the islamic state of iraq and the levant and its fighters are also known as the most radical jihadist wing of the syrian rebels now let's take a closer look at the organization which is gaining momentum in the. well its roots go back to the early years of the iraq war it was established in april two thousand and four by sunni extremists and pledged allegiance to bin laden and that time it was called al qaeda in iraq two years later it was rebranded as the islamic state of iraq and twenty thirteen it gained a strong presence in northern syria which sort advent to its name and of course in the latest developments the group has taken control of the key town in the anbar province in iraq and proclaimed it and islamic state well their plan is to unite

iraq and syria to form an islamic state known as a caliphate but when solomon from the american institute for public accuracy told me earlier that the crisis in the region is largely before not from the policies of the us there's been such a dissension into chaos and violence now ever since the us invasion of iraq more than ten years ago and when more and more weapons are dumped into the region and the idiology that the enemy of my enemy can be my friend and therefore should be given more weapons all that is adding up to just one catastrophe compound another and for the us government today to act as though it were helping the situation by sending more weapons not only drones but missiles and other armaments this is just. disastrous course being pursued when

superpowers and says that it's their way or the highway rather than acknowledging a need for regional diplomacy then we're going to continue to have this sort of violence so diplomacy needs to be taken seriously and advanced as policy rather than simply an add on to this massive violence and shipment of arms. the iraqi government has delayed its assault on the militant held city of fallujah for now in fear of civilian casualties but the troops and tanks besieging the city are ready to attack as soon as they get the order for the residents it's a looming catastrophe as artie's going to church can no reports. residents of. hell during the u.s. occupation now face their own army so salt on the cd the iraqi government has lined up tanks and loaded fighter jets preparing to drive al qaeda linked militants out of the city the u.s. is packing more hellfire missiles and other weapons for the iraqi army to use and

everybody knows when the bombing begins there will be blood brian back with me brian so many innocent iraqis have died in terror attacks do you think this. terror assault could turn out to be just as deadly as terror itself it could be even more deadly if the people who. have been through this before two thousand and four twice the u.s. marines committed to huge war crimes against the people of flu should they can they call a kill zone anything that moved was killed when you declare a kill zone you say everything that moves must die everything that moves must be a terrorist everything that moves is a legitimate target who then dies who then suffers it's the the people of pollution themselves of course they don't want to live under what do they want to live under these kind of military assaults paid for by the united states with arms from the united states carried out by the government which has also been a brutal against the residents of fallujah i don't think so crucial question thank you thank you no doubt there is an urgent need to drive these militants out after

all how can you allow extremists to run talents again territory expand but then you also have to ask if you see bombing as a viable option in order to drive extremists out of residential areas how different is it from what bashar assad is doing in washington i'm going to check on our team . the islamic state of iraq and levant controlling for is at the same time urging attacks on its rival opposition groups in syria while other rebel leaders are urging a truce between the factions you can read all about it right now on our website and r.t. dot com i mean one of the second round of peace talks in syria is just around the corner for the country's opposition bloc is split on whether to attend coming up in a couple of minutes we've got expert opinion on what is behind the syrian national coalition divided stance. one of the biggest threats to britain's armed forces is

a lack of public understanding of what they stand for that's according to a recent u.k. parliamentary report and p.c. the opposition to wars in iraq and afghanistan and a reduced public appetite for overseas interventions is leading people to question the purpose of the u.k. army public support for defense is dropping due to what is seen as a lack of a long term strategic mission meanwhile massive military budget cuts are putting the army's capabilities at risk despite being one of the world's top defense spenders britain's planning to cut personnel by nearly thirty thousand over the next six years is artes to society. the army's recruiting but applicant numbers are slow to pick up amid thousands of layoffs there's a massive drive to recruit army reservists but leaked mid year army memos revealed the number of people in the listing and beyond the reserve over a three month period was just three hundred sixty seven barely

a quarter of the target the ministry of defense said that after wrapping up the recruitment drive in september there were more than fifteen hundred applicants in the first four weeks and that it's too early to make a conclusion but this young man says he simply can't be convinced my grandparents were in the air force actually during the second world war of the time enjoyed it was not such a bad idea to be joining the forces because they were fighting a war against fascism i don't agree with the way the. food is used for. the grass. and this morning it was arrested to commemorate the conscientious objectors to military service those who would exercise their right to refuse to kill you at the time of the first world war for instance they faced a restaurant jeers from some a society who view them as cowards but times have indeed changed. a decade of fighting in iraq and afghanistan has made the british war weary a most

people join the armed forces to be in the peace business not in the war business because such is a threat to their livelihood nobody wants to be in a war because to be in a war activists have also lashed out at recruitment campaign started at sixteen and seventeen year olds who according to one recent study are more susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder at the moment we're asking a sixteen year old who we don't trust point to drink a pint of beer the trust of age in a general election we're asking that person to make a very far reaching legal commitment towards a career like having a baby carriage or an accounts or the ministry of defense. the report completely ignores the benefits and opportunities that a military career offers young people but for this young man it's a career path he is a ready to change his mind about. to show people that if you're joining the army you're not going to be brought to shoot people who don't.

do so so your article. german from the stop the war coalition believes britain's role in the world is changing and so should its defense policies we've had a whole number of years of the war on terror of interventions which have not been successful so people why are billions and billions of pounds being spent. on the armed forces on all these things put in strategic of going to war in afghanistan and iraq have been shown to be complete failures and i think it does raise very serious questions about british foreign policy we've been claimed that we have a special relationship going back decades with the united states but the simple truth is the united states doesn't really need british the british military aspect of it operations and therefore it is quite a turning point for the british military in british foreign policy and it's one that the government is reluctant to accept but which i think in this respect as in

so many others the public opinion is well ahead of the government sledge hockey has been on the winter paralympics roster since one thousand nine hundred four but this year will see russia's team make its debut we've already seen them on i submit their captain and now we meet those who've helped them so you can endure so many hardships in his drive for victory. four of them so who can who is known as the captain of the national paralympic flood talking to here in russia but in this tells his just notice dad. we just have a dream about his family and the first time he met his wife irene a. we first met when i was in the army serving in this area there was a spark from the very beginning and grew as we dated it you could see it was love at first sight my entire life changed it had a new meaning but another kind of change was coming the two were considering time

the not one of a team went off to war where he lost both of his legs i removed into his hospital room to help with his care and the couple continued with their plan to marry when asked about the proposal irene a said she knew it was coming. well i was expecting the proposal the wedding day we had a lot of guests and we all had so much fun but the mood changes a little when we ask our rena how she felt about his and jury. i couldn't believe it for a long time coping with the stress of any injury requires real psychological resilience they both clearly have that in spades he does everything for the family we all feel that he helps people realize that life isn't over everything is possible life goes on. the marriage is stronger than ever and katia became the second woman to

change the team's life six years ago. now he's heading for the paralympic games and that also means leaving his loved ones that for the team his two passions in life are never too far from each other but. i really enjoy all the time i get to spend at home because when i'm away in training sessions with the team i miss my family very much in the woods it's the same as the game when you sit on the bench for a long time just watching the others play and then you get this little time a nice you want to make most of it you're one hundred percent committed. a commitment shared by everyone in the health while the team is eager to take home gold come march he already has his prize at home in the moscow region margaret howell r.t. with both elin picking paralympic games fast approaching don't forget to follow the amazing journey of veil and pick flame we've been following it online as well and

you can catch the best moments of the record breaking torture a day of the twenty fourteen winter olympics in sochi on l.t. the call. to lead the charge is on its epic journey. one hundred twenty three days. through two thousand one hundred towns and cities of russia. relayed by fourteen thousand people or sixty five thousand kilometers. in a record setting trip by land air c.n. others place. olympic torch relay. on our. coming up here not international but taxpayers picking up the endless bills. this building site will eventually become books premiere. however it's already over

ten times its original budgets it's set to close to a billion euro a report on the huge national construction projects in germany that burst their budgets many times i have a to pull planning. this immediately though so we leave the people. of the scene to secure the play your part of the physical. issues that no one is asking with the guests that you deserve answers from it's all politics. are t.v. .

dramas to be ignored. stories others refuse to see. faces changing the world. so picture. from around the globe. the myth of german officials the public construction projects have been turning into economic time bombs critics say to the irresponsible planning of those in charge and its taxpayers who are forced to foot the bill as are. now reports.

if you listen to the politicians germany's ruling in it but if you believe those following the money trail is a different story. the main problem with cost estimates they use wrong data they start building and eventually they run out of money and then taxpayers have to pick up the bill. currently germany has one of the biggest construction sectors in europe but all around the country there's evidence that those in charge of the purse strings on the best to make building decisions this building site will eventually become the premier concert hall however it's already over ten times its original budget it's set to cost close to a billion euro it's not just the grand artistic projects that have cost the big money here in ne tourist information booth has already cost taxpayers around one

and a half million euro. for the ultimate in modern german construction white elephants look no further than right here at the brandenburg airport grossly over budget already four years behind schedule it's currently costing nearly one million euro a day to run and that's without any planes or passengers on to those that train tunnel in light zigged that ended up five hundred million over budget that had expected in two thousand and five and the german reputation for efficiency hold up when it comes to construction we rose running for election this year the e.u. parliament believes those in power don't have the required skills to decide on huge projects it's not their money they can dream they can plan they can make each and every kind of. drafts. because they don't have to paid they are in charge

for four years before eight years as long as the project is not finished. they are fighting for the additional costs to increase the national debt so the taxpayer pays twice first for the interest rates of additional debt then the extra costs for planning those familiar with construction business if you plan it will be more expensive than if you planned in advance she was sworn in as chancellor for a third time late last year and promised five billion to fix up germany's rule germans will have no idea how much that promise and eventually cost them peter all over germany. online for you right now disbelief in his own strategies you can. find out why the former u.s. secretary of defense feels disillusioned by obama's policies plus. details and former top military man reveals his memoir. plus the holiday break terrorists might

have run over time if he fails to return back to prison after his new year's eve with details on that story just a click away from. the u.n. is claiming that all syria's chemical weapons stockpiles are said to be destroyed by this june the first batch of chemical materials has now been removed from the country meanwhile heavy fighting between moderate and radical rebel factions continues and the opposition is once again perspiring its final vote on whether to take part in this month's geneva two peace talks release experimental oxon writer told me earlier that he believes the opposition doesn't represent the syrian people's interests. but the term syrian opposition is as strong as it could be this these groups are neither syrian nor opposition so they don't have in their interest the good the benefit of the people or of the country these groups are very very often influenced by the west by turkey by the goal of states we have to

imagine or to see those groups more like militant gangs like a sort of mafia those groups who claim about themselves that they represent the moderate opposition of the moderate moderate rebels don't have any influence on the better we know in the meanwhile that the fights on the ground. by slamming extremists. in brief in bangladesh police used tear gas and water cannon is this person angry crowds of student protesters who've been staging a ranee it followed one of the most violent national elections in the country's history good for a general strike against prime minister sheikh hasina who won the weekend's poll with over two thirds of the seats since the results were published the country's been plunged into chaos reports of dozens of deaths and widespread allegations of fraud. in the turbulent kashmir region thousands

flooded the streets for the funeral of a band hizbul mujahideen militant eighteen year old was killed by the indian army in a gun battle and mourners care of the body of a man while shouting anti indian slogans and demanding the state's independence from the country's gun fight broke out late tuesday evening after the army received intelligence about a build up of militants in the area kashmir is seen in the insurgency against indian rule since nine hundred eighty nine. percent of what update their angry activists in south korea are stage a protest in seoul against kim jung un on the day believed to be the north korean leader's birthday it with flags of the neighboring country and depicted last month's execution of the powerful uncle of kim young women raise tensions on. the korean peninsula has prompted the united states to deploy more troops heavy tanks and soldiers part of the so-called military rebalance. a russian fishing trawler which was forcibly detained by senegalese authorities over the weekend is now said to be running out of water supplies moscow says it is preparing to file

several legal claims to a court in the west african country over the vessels impounding greenpeace claims the boat had been fishing illegally. has been. we're talking about an armed detention of this ship and some sixty two russian citizens that are on board at detention was actually handled quite roughly by the. stories because at least four people now off the course saying that they are actually in need of medical help however they are not allowed to get off the ship in fact all of the russian citizens have had their passports taken away by the armed officials and they are the ship and the crew are sincerely being accused of illegal fishing and poaching waters however the authorities of senegal still haven't given any concrete proof of that actually haven't taken place or have not provided any called explanation where these allegations are coming from and still were already have the green peace which is already making statements saying that they fully support the

actions of the senegal government in their attempt to prevent the alleged illegal fishing this involvement by greenpeace is something that doesn't sit well with russia's federal fishing agency greenpeace says it's been tracking this vessel for a long time why are they taking upon themselves the government's responsibility to protect their waters and biological resources therefore based on the statements from greenpeace one may conclude that the military of senegal is acting upon these claims as you may know fishing minister the green party in senegal and was until very recently a member of greenpeace and she see the connection between this harsh and unprecedented attack on the russian trailer and its detention with greenpeace's actions if you go back to september i will remember the rest of the greenpeace vessel arctic sunrise after an attempt by the greenpeace activists to scale russian oil rig in the northern waters and then of course later they fell under the

nationwide amnesty and were released and what we can assume that they are now safely home when there was a country however this recent development in the west african nation is. as seems to arise out of the tensions between russian officials and yet again. brings up today for the most part with a news team with more from just over half an hour from now in the meantime cross-talk examines washington's methods in the middle east and beyond there with all of the international.

you cannot preemptively restrict your freedoms because of the fear of what something or how something might be used everything that has ever been developed has been used for a bad purpose baseball bats which are fun for you know for baseball players to hit balls you know they've also been used to be people today i mean we just cannot restrict ourselves because something might be another in the wrong way. approximately sixteen percent of imports came from illegal fishing. the

european union is ironically taking fish from some of the poorest nations on earth so this is a very serious and very urgent problem that needs immediate international action. coupons but they enter our territorial waters they fish they load the fish on to the ships and leave for europe. to day illegal fishing just taking the bread out of our mouths. millions around the globe struggle with hunger each day. what if someone offers a lifetime food supply no charge. they can the very strong push against g.m.o. and we think that's. the genetic anymore the right products are priest to.

there is no. evidence that there's any problem with genetic engineering when you make a deal. or is free cheese always in a mouse trap i don't believe that. for i am not a free. enterprise is profit that. these golden rice. is. a low in welcome to cross talk we're all things considered i'm peter lavelle dangerous entanglements and contradictory alliances is the us has honestly hostage to its many client states how well do these client states and alliances.