this is why you should care what your only on the. top diplomats from the united states and russia meet in a bid to salvage syrian peace talks even as rebel forces turn their fire on each other and an unprecedented turf war. pulling no punches and u.k. looks to claw back some control over its legal system as a european court denies british judges the right to sentence criminals to life without parole. and pay up or move out low income families bear the brunt of washington's overspending as automatic budget cuts forced them out of their homes by the millions.

you're watching are to international live from moscow headquarters where it's just eight in the morning thank you for joining us here leigh seven hundred syrian rebels have been killed in the past nine days and clashes not with the regime but with other opposition fighters extreme islamists and moderates have turned on each other in what's become a savage turf war meanwhile the chances of success at an upcoming peace conference are dimming by the day with less than ten days left before the geneva two conference is scheduled to take place hopes for a proper peace talks just like the stakes are high there's no other solution for the syrian tragedy than a political solution but just when it seemed reports of atrocities carried out by al-qaeda linked rebels had pushed the west away from the rhetoric we don't have the assad regime on one side and terrorists on the other it is the regime that is fueling terrorism. mixed signals are once again being sent

statements which some experts claim and up contradicting the facts on the ground these are cynical statements the western military alliance has been recruiting right from the outset and it's confirmed by numerous. reliable sources nevertheless it seems any anti assad words are music to the ears of the syrian opposition whose main precondition has been and still is for him to step down. the most important aspect of today's meeting is that we all agree that al assad has no future in syria yesod family has no future in syria. this is despite even the former head of the cia and the ex u.s. ambassador to syria iraq and afghanistan admitting that as soon as it's gone jihadists will quickly take its place with the clock ticking and she needed to be coming closer it's still unknown whether the syrian opposition will be taking part but what is clear though right now with all these mixed messages coming out of

france perhaps the chances of its success are slipping even further you got pissed off r.t. paris. in a few hours time u.s. secretary of state john kerry and russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov will be giving a joint press conference after their talks in paris today with r.t. to hear their latest plan for bringing peace to syria. meanwhile john kerry says he's confident that the rebel council will attend the peace talks despite its apparent reluctance but journalist john white believes this will have little impact on the ground. it seems clear that they are saying see very little credibility on the ground it can deliver nothing on the ground all the rebel factions are what associate people but they're saying see or most of them and we have the fake teeth to other groups so all the u.s. administration is increasingly desperate to try and cobble together some kind of syrian opposition and they can do business with but the syrian opposition itself

the city national council no really only exists say of syria and it only exists. u.s. patronage so this is increasingly it seems like a few process that is about to hit the ball forced the opposition government in exile is now warning that northern syria which is largely held largely held by rebel groups is in a state of anarchy the syrian national council has little authority over fighters there and seeing what influence it does have passed over to islamists john white also told us that for western governments time is running out for many of you if you want to fool you know actually say them with assad because if you look at the situation on the ground is growing increasingly desperate sunni fundamentalists pulling into the country causing mayhem who are intent on turning the country into a killing field so assad for all those people is the west of all evil so at least with the assad government we have

a government and katie than the twenty first century the alternative is a regime is to keep it somewhere in the seven said judy i don't think there's much to discuss for the mistakes of the high as the syrian war drags on al-qaeda is reaping the benefits in today's cross-talk we hear how the terrorist network has managed to gain so much ground and who might be behind it. but one of the western media and politicians told us it was defeated or at the very least on its last legs the same media and politicians today tells a very different story i'll quote it is very much alive and fighting indeed across many countries of the middle east al qaeda is portrayed as a deadly minutes in this edition of crossfire we asked what is al qaeda today who supports it and who benefits from it. are you pleased with.

britain is struggling to claim back control over part of its legal system from the e.u. the u.k. government insists it has the right to sentence the worst criminals to life in prison with no chance of parole but as laura smith reports from london a top european court says that practice runs roughshod over human rights setting up a legal showdown. if we're talking prison sentences it's already very breath a knife to me in life but if the european court of human rights has its way it will become impossible for courts in this country to hands down the most severe punishments that exceptional criminal might never become eligible for parole condemned to die in jail the a c.-h. all got involved after convicted killers notes to complaints with the courts saying it was deemed moralizing notes to have a chance of release last year the courts the greens and rules having no rights to

review contravene the european convention on human rights the justice secretary is set to fight the decision in a lengthy legal battle but many say he should go a step further and leave the court altogether the legitimacy is pretty much nonexistent. but not a proper court made up of. often of politicians rather than lawyers many of. the members a tiny countries or countries with. very poor human rights record i mean we're getting a lot of interference in our in opposition legal system. from them and i think it's completely completely unreasonable i think we should make our own decisions aren't arrangements about the boat sentencing there are fewer than fifty prisoners serving whole life terms in england and wales for the severest drives one of them's more bridges he was sent down last year for murdering well schoolgirl who he's launched

an appeal another killer in maclaughlin has already avoided a whole life because of the. he murdered a man while on day release from a murder that intends meanwhile the u.k. government is entering into a lot of expensive fights with the course of human rights. the courts interfering with british justice. and it's been set for iran to start reducing its uranium stockpiles but while the country looks forward to the easing of sanctions the u.s. senate is raising the prospect of new obstacles we'll be reporting on that later in the program. also on his way ariel sharon is put to rest weaving behind a restless country israel's defense force rolls out hundreds of soldiers and an anti missile defense system just to provide a safe aerial for the former prime minister. pensioners and low

income americans are being forced to find smaller and cheaper homes or see their rental costs soar the second year of automatic budget cuts known as sequestration could hit over two million households are tearing apart i am at one of the victims of washington's overspending. my brother and his family inside and brown's home this is home for me a lifetime of memories are displayed everywhere you look one of my friends were there with me doing this is eighty three year old has lived in her one bedroom new york city apartment for thirty seven years this is the first played out for mercy from h.p. but it's a few months ago city officials told her she has to downsize her options move into a studio apartment or see your seven hundred dollar rent triple the only thing i know is they heard the word sequester whatever that means you have this thing is the city agency that subsidizes rent for low income new yorkers is facing a thirty six million dollars reduction due to budget cuts known as sequestration.

as a result thousands of seniors like anne are being forced to shrink their lives into smaller and cheaper apartments and that physically able. or i'm going to do it my friend if you're there send it over i can't afford to stuart so what i'm going to do with my life and this isn't this the supporting civil rights attorney norman siegel who represents many sequestered seniors calls a downsizing campaign inhumane i can't dismiss the possibility that the effect of this will impact disproportionately on seniors and poor people because in the bigger picture the people who are in power and make these decisions. know that seniors might not fight back and it's a problem playing out nationwide potentially affecting more than two million low income american households in the coming year that's according to one washington

budget think tank but it's when social cuts drag in the nation's unprotected pension nears that experts say the effects will prove explosive what happens to a family watching the government of the country stick it to grandma when she's eighty years old you're making enemies you wonder why people join the tea party you wonder why people join occupy wall street while many times the reasons or grandma in the current era of budget cuts the country's elderly most in need of government assistance and stability are being displaced vulnerable citizens forced to spend their golden years suffering the consequences of washington's debt and overspending is like putting somebody in prison that didn't commit a crime that's the way i see it what did we do because this deficit and why are you going to balance it on the fact that a senior marine a port naya r.t. new york. germany officially brings islam into the fold it's become an official

religion in certain provinces much. to this dismay of some ruling party members who say the move is simply about scoring political points that story after a short break. there's a media leave us will we lead the media. by the see bush and secure the other your party years ago. to wear shoes that no one is asking with the guests that you deserve answers from it's all on politics only on our t.v. . good luck tory was able to build a most sophisticated. fortunately. mission to teach me. why you should. only. struggle with hunger each.

someone offers a lifetime food supply no charge. there is no. evidence any problem with. what. is free cheese. three. days.

january the twentieth has been set as the official start date for iran six month plan to scale back its nuclear program in exchange world powers have agreed to give the iranian economy some breathing space easing crushing sanctions but despite smooth progress on the deal so far the u.s. senate is already raising the prospect of new penalties against iran if it fails to follow through on the pledges president obama however has promised to veto the bill should it be passed warning that such an approach could derail the historic diplomatic breakthrough with tehran reached back in november or to a political analyst patrick henningsen thinks it's in the interest of many

countries for tehran to reintegrate into the global economy. but the fact of the matter is the reason there's this detente with iran is over two we've got two factions we've got the the military probe or israeli faction one side that could never have peace with iran no matter what and then you have the fact that the world the west and the world needs iran they need to liquidity from petrochemical exports they need trade there's a stack of global stagnation economically right now and opening up i ran into the world trading theater is going to do a lot to increase trade and obviously move money around the world and goods and services back and forth at a time when it's much needed so there's two two camps here battling it out one to keep iran closed and other camps who would like to see iran open for trade. and company in the u.s. has stopped lending out guns found its customers were turning the firearms on themselves in increasing numbers find out what the owner has to say on our to dot

com. also there the russian government goes online to ask citizens for their ideas and criticism as it puts together a new strategy for cyber security get the details on our website. the israeli army is sending around eight hundred troops to guard the funeral of former prime minister ariel sharon wary of possible disruptions from gaza sharon was deeply unpopular in the blockaded palestinian territory and his death was met with celebrations there but his legacy is also controversial inside the jewish. reports. the former israeli prime minister ariel sharon is being very later today at his ranch in the south of israel perhaps more than any other is really figure he is loved and reviled in equal measure the iron dome anti-missile system has been activated over the south of the country because his house is in the vicinity of

rock could range from gaza and of course israeli security establishment are concerned that her mass and other militants might try to fire rockets to disrupt the attention of the funeral and the arrival of world leaders to pay their last respects when it was announced of the weekend that sharon had died there were celebrations in gaza where sweets were handed out and posters of him were burnt chevron always justified his actions saying that they were for security but he leaves behind a very insecure and vulnerable jewish state at the same time he's regarded as the father of the settler movement but his project to forcibly remove eight thousand jewish settlers from gaza ended with them feeling betrayed and extremely angry today they are more than half a million citizens who live in the west bank and they vow that that will not be repeated they say there today in some area which is how they refer to the settlements in the west bank will continue they are still many who are.

angry. because of. the girls rupe and because of the threats the imminent. leg these would be. in the suburbs and this is something will still remain are as part of his. at the end of last week tel aviv published plans to build one thousand four hundred housing units in jewish settlements in east jerusalem and the west bank the palestinian chief negotiator saeb erekat said that this is a slap in the face of the u.s. secretary of state john kerry's attempts to negotiate a successful mideast peace plan policia r.t. tel aviv. let's take a look now at some other world news in brief at least eleven police officers have been injured and up to forty people arrested in protests spreading across northern spain fighters attacked police cars smash windows and builds barricades demanding

the release of those detained in previous demonstrations what started on friday as a peaceful rally against a road redesigning plan escalated into violent clashes where riot police were brought in the. crowds of protesters are descending on central bangkok and in attempt to shut down the thai capital they accuse the prime minister of being a proxy for the brother and one leader who now lives in exile and are demanding his resignation officials have sent eight hundred thousand police and soldiers into the city as anti-government demonstrators are building barriers and occupying the streets. police in egypt have fired tear gas at supporters of the ousted president mohamed morsy during clashes a crime was made universities one thousand protesters have been detained and several hundred injured several injured rather as hundreds took to the streets or protest the latest outbreak of violence which has become a familiar occurrence in egypt comes just two days before a planned vote on

a draft constitution. muslims across germany are looking forward to easier times ahead as islam becomes an official religion in a number of regions but as peter all over reports the move has come in for some strong criticism as levels of immigration continue to rise. daily prayer in bremen. this region was one of the first in germany to make islam an official state religion nearby lower saxony is the next in line with at least three other states expected to follow in the near future the change of status allows worshippers to have their religious holidays officially recognized burial rites carried out and classes taught in schools. but what does it mean to the islamic community in this part of germany to have their religion officially recognized by the state. perhaps in the future it will help the building of a mosque or

a school it will also help to bring communities together over the last ten years both sides have made efforts to build bridges and aid integration and a good mind critics of the move claim this is being done to score political points here by hundreds of you can interpret this as a slum a vacation of germany but i see it as more politically motivated politicians telling muslims islam can belong but the majority of germans don't want this. only nineteen percent of germans believe that islam is compatible with german culture that's the lowest in europe thirty percent had specific concerns such as terrorism and almost half thought there are too many muslims in germany only around five percent of people in the country are muslims giving leave to the idea that the real issue for germans may be immigration not islam and i think it is more a question of getting people in big numbers into germany than having

a problem with these large. they mix it up and they don't recognize it's a different story islamic leaders recognize that they have work to do to improve the image of their religion. or we have a duty to change perceptions and prejudices unfortunately the media plays a big role they only show negative stories about was names this makes it harder for us. whatever the public perception of islam in germany more and more federal states are set to follow suit and ground germany's almost four million muslims the same rights as the christian and jewish communities peter all of a germany. i'll be back with more news in thirty minutes time first though it's time for sophie shevardnadze to interview shall. prevail sleep peace keepers for a profound concern with monitoring peace deals in that post conflict environment

nowadays they're increasingly asked to operate in a high risk while believe bibles are still going. to stay. motionless with these people has closed over almost twenty years four million people killed millions of displaced and refugees tens of thousands of women raped tens of thousands of children recruited as soldiers slaves no. choose your language. without any kind of special someone. chooses to speak consents to. choose to give to use that invigorating to. choose the stories that impact. choose access to.

and.

wealthy british. markets why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy. for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines in two kinds a report on our. i think that. over time. that you know the prize is the only industry specifically mentioned in the constitution and. that's because a free and open process is critical to our democracy but golfers. rule. in

fact the single biggest threat facing our nation today is the corporate takeover of our government and across several we've been a hydrogen lying handful of transnational corporations that will profit by destroying what our founding fathers once told us about my job market and on this show we reveal the big picture of what's actually going on in the world we go beyond identifying the problem trying to fix rational debate and a real discussion of critical issues facing america up on the front row ready to join the movement then welcome to the big picture. the but. it was terrible a. very hard to take on. once again here is a lot has never had sex with the earthquake none.

of. it was. going to be a a political. it's a.

pleasure to have you with us here on r t today i'm wrong researcher. first street. and i think you're. going to. be a. little . little little.

hello and welcome just sophie and co i'm sophie shevardnadze jody williams embarked on a crusade against landmines in the early ninety's with few people behind her within several layers sort of motorists and g.a.o. had grown into a cloak spanning network landmines where international are banned and she was awarded a nobel peace prize now she is on a different mission and killer robots are her target she is our guest today.