this is tonight ten days before the peace talks on syria but the opposition still silent on taking part despite russia the u.s. and the u.n. warning the summit cannot be delayed any longer also. the run may take part in the upcoming easy to conference on syria a slight shift of washington stance russia really un's invite makes the rounds presents a real prospect with the u.s. say it would welcome the step but under certain conditions. britain's prime minister is accused of bribing local authorities and homeowners to accept controversial fracking in their areas a cash incentive to sweeten the deal. with rights take a leap forward in germany we hear people's concerns about spreading islamisation of the cost to others a. very

good evening when i was kevin owen it's eight pm now here in moscow our top story this the peace conference on syria company delayed any longer must happen at the end of the month that's the joint message now for russia the u.s. and the un after talks in paris earlier but the main challenge is convincing the syrian opposition to take part as the group still hasn't given a definitive answer you've been following the discussions in france. well one of the first things that we've heard from u.s. secretary of state is that russia the u.s. and the u.n. are completely on the same page that the only solution of the conflict in syria is a diplomatic one mr kerry also said that both the syrian authorities and to the opposition are equally responsible for the atrocities committed there now we've also seen a slight shift on iran since a lot of barbara he needs u.n.

special envoy on syria and syria lauber off the ball for saying that they want to see iran taken part in the geneva two conference this is a key player in the region this was something that the u.s. has previously against but now according to u.s. secretary of state washington wouldn't mind seeing tehran there at geneva two if it supports the agreements reached earlier at the one now mr also said that the authorities in syria have now confirmed that they are going to take part in the conference although one of the sticking points right now is that it's really unknown whether or not the opposition is planning to do the same although we are possibly witnessing now positive tendencies somewhat of a positive tendency when it comes to the relationship between the opportunities there and the rebel since we've heard today about possible exchanges of prisoners and allowing humanitarian aid to get in but according to sergei lavrov right now regarding humanitarian aid the rebels are the key obstacles that's why moscow

doesn't want to see the terror threat among the key issues to be discussed to be on the table there. now today we've heard nothing about calls for president assad having to step down which is different from sunday since yesterday the french prime minister when he met with the syrian opposition he did make these calls for the syrian president to step down which shows that right now even though the key players now working on organizing this conference they are completely on the same page. it comes to lots of key issues some currencies in the west are sending mixed signals which could theoretically undermined the success of the car friends your priest can offer for us what despite the glimmer of progress in paris that infighting between the once united syrian rebels is worse and al-qaeda linked groups have executed dozens of rival islamists in the last couple of days bringing the total number of victims between the rebels to over seven hundred this month

alone it's now estimated that the majority of rebel fighters belong to either islamist or terrorist groups one of the most notorious of those called the islamic state of iraq and the levant that began a campaign called expunging filth which targets the u.s. backed rebels from the free syrian army among the methods used by the jihadists are executions bombings imposing sharia law and capturing those not showing their beliefs in fact it's a group that's so brutal even our code is leadership has distanced itself from it yet it now largely controls big areas of syria and iraq which total an area larger than portugal the shown here in the black well al qaeda gaining ground in syria and iraq is also the focus of today's crosstalk as well later this topical comment on the stories of the day this is what's ahead. now one of the western media and politicians told us al qaeda was defeated or at the very least on its last legs the same media and politicians today tell us a very different story al qaeda is very much alive in fighting indeed across many

countries of the middle east al qaeda is portrayed as a deadly minutes in this edition of crossfire we ask what is al qaeda today who supports it and who benefits from it. britain's prime minister is being accused of bribery by eco activists after he announced a lucrative incentive to areas which allowed fracking for gas despite widespread concerns about its safety david cameron is letting local councils keep all the money raised from the business tax levied on energy firms who drill in their patch he also but cash payouts to affected homeowners as well sarah first reports. local authorities that allow drilling to take place will receive one hundred percent of the business rates from the scheme that's double the fifty percent they could

currently receive no government estimates say that that could be worth one point seven million extra a year each site that a council agrees and there are other estimates as well that say that the industry could attract three point seven billion a year in investment and support an extra seventy four thousand jobs so it all sounds like great news the financial incentives that have been laid on the table for the local authorities but campaigners and environmental groups of expressed their anger at the plan saying that it amounts to nothing more than a bribe we might have seen the government frack back pushing the benefits of this procedure but the extraction of shale gas from the ground to schools why spread control to see here in the country we've seen large scale protests in the recent months in fact on sunday we saw protesters from across the country marching to sulfur it to an area where exploratory drilling is taking place and campaign is really concerned about a wide variety of issues with this controversial process including contamination of

ground water the potential for the triggering of earthquakes we've already seen running the site here in the u.k. halted after it was thought that that was linked to earth quakes that had taken place in a nearby area really huge amounts of anger we've seen from the wrong campaigners and protesters of course the announcement coinciding with the expected announcement from french energy giant. expected to say that they're going to be investing millions in u.k. drilling licenses now that's causing anger because you look to france it's actually got a ban on the process and campaigners are asking why when there's a ban in that country the energy company can then exploits the u.k. opening its tools to shell gas exploration in this way so despite the financial incentives that we've seen on the table i think

a lot of people going to remain unconvinced. sarah ferguson one of the fracking campaigner of the u.k. told us the government is giving the public a trojan horse here the first miffed we have to bust is that it's going to bring cheaper energy the gas if it goes into production in this country will be sold to the highest bidder on the market it's as simple as that so there's a very high likelihood that even if we did go into fracking production in this country we wouldn't see any of the benefits that was widespread opposition to the industry so now they've tried to throw some more money our message to david cameron and to central government would be when are they going to realise that democracy is not for sale and you simply can't throw money at this problem because there's no social license for this industry this industry has a history of manipulating data and twisting the facts to suit to suit them and to suit their investment and you cannot bribe communities into accepting this dangerous industry on their doorstep so then some brits maybe are bumper fracking

payday but cross the atlantic there's a squeeze on those in need. it's like putting somebody in prison they didn't commit a crime what did we do because of this deficit automatic budget cuts for some of the most vulnerable americans out of their homes find out more about that later this and. try to be accommodating to religious sensitivities is proving to be divisive in germany these days regional governments are increasingly incorporated muslims feelings into local legislation a couple of districts even went without christmas lights this season for fear of causing offense to non christians a recent survey suggests more than half of germans now fear the growing islam is a shell of their country as peter all of. daily prayer in bremen. this region was one of the first in germany to make islam an official 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 eight integration by on and they can mine the critics of the move claim this is being done to score political points here by hundreds of you can interpret this as a slam of the cation of germany but i see it as more politically motivated politicians don't muslims alone but the majority of germans. 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. 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. we have a duty to change perceptions and prejudices unfortunately the media plays a big role they only show negative stories about this makes it harder for us. whatever the public perception of islam in germany more and more federal states are set to follow suit jim needs almost four million muslims the same rights as the christian and jewish communities. coming up

a final goodbye for the man who was once israel's most powerful figure but amid the lead in the t.v. hundreds of soldiers in an anti missile defense system to secure a safe area. plus two britons told it should be softer on its most dangerous criminals the e.u. says life without parole is no prison it's. just a couple of minutes from. now i think the fact that these weapons can fly semi autonomous sleep for seven thousand miles to you know the locations we're unfortunately my military and the cia are attacking people in countries with which we are not at war to me is simply horrifying and as many you know already argue it's

a violation of international law for its assassination i do not support assassination by my government period. eloi . i've. led.

live . lives. previously peacekeepers for a programmer concerned with monitoring peace deals in a post conflict environment nowadays there are increasingly asked to operate in a high risk while being violent still being told to stay.

motionless with these people who has caused 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 were all slaves no. israel's but a final farewell to form a promise to ariel sharon but the atmosphere around the ceremony wasn't exactly peaceful two rockets reportedly fired from gaza shortly after the funeral though they didn't cause any damage israeli army and police have been a high alert with anti missile batteries dispatched around the burial site of middle east correspondent paula sleep. the iron dome anti-missile defense system

was deployed over the south of the country with extra drones also being deployed over southern israel for the funeral process now this is because the ranch where sharon was buried is in rock of range from gaza and in recent weeks there has been rockets fired from gaza into israel of course israeli security did not want to take any chances of there being any kind of disruptions during the funeral itself in addition to this there were kilometers of roads around the burial place that was sealed off now the irony is that sharon always justified any kind of military or political action he took by saying that it was in the interests of israel security and here we seeing him buried in such an atmosphere of insecurity sharon is a very controversial figure for most israelis he is regarded as a military war hero who fought in almost all of israel's wars he's seen as a powerful politician and their fearless leader he has the nickname of the bulldozer and this is because when he set out to do something he allowed nothing to

get in his way but among many in the arab world particularly palestinians he is despised and resume today you see him as the mastermind of crushing military action and military offenses against palestinians and for killing thousands of them since the war back in one nine hundred forty eight that's regarded as the butcher of beirut for the role he played in one thousand nine hundred two when palestinians were massacred in the camps of supper and shifted the eleven on by christian militia groups and there's a lot of anger still on the palestinian street that he was never brought to book for the role he played in those massive because the masses also issued a statement saying that sure one's death is a historic moment that marked the disappearance of a criminal whose hands are covered with palestinian blood so certainly a very controversial figure that was buried in israel today. among the stories you got lined up with. just a few clicks away the rented guns about

a spate of suicides now an american firm that hiring out its weapons after customers were turning their guns on themselves. cyber security in russia goes online to ask people what they think about the country's strategy to say say. it's a. pleasure to have you with us here on t.v. today i'm researcher for.

low income families in new york and feeling the pinch of the so-called sequester the automatic multibillion dollar spending cuts which kicked in last year after congress failed to agree a budget people being told to find smaller and cheaper apartments or see their rent skyrocket reports that one of them. 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 went down with me doing this in 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.d. but 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 they 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 ann are being forced to shrink their lives into smaller and cheaper apartments and that physically able. to a will or i'm going to do it my friend if you're sitting on a sidewalk i can afford to stuart so what i'm going to do with my life is in this disappointment civil rights attorney norman siegel who represents many sequestered seniors calls the 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 are 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. thousands of protesters a bloke he wrote in bangkok in a bid to bring down the government a promise to shine

a wall streeters are also the. this around the capitol building to prevent it from functioning it was supporters of the ruling party of gathered for counter rallies some twenty thousand police and soldiers have been deployed while fishel say a state of emergency may be declared if there is fresh unrest. heavy rains of course floods and landslides in the southeastern philippines it forced thousands of residents to flee their homes at least thirteen people have died more casualties are feared with swathes of the country still living in rough conditions after it was passed because by super typhoon haiyan this last november. this seems to be little less than the violence to see big in the central african republic capital despite the interim president declaring the fighting over and claiming that deserted troops are returning to their barracks the provisional government also issued a stern warning to rival muslim and christian militias to end clashes weeks of turmoil in the country is killed more than a thousand people. a top european court trying to make britain

ease up on handing down whole life sentences imprisoned for the most dangerous criminals you judges believe that offering no chance of parole even to those convicted of horrifying murders breaches international human rights but the u.k. is fighting back to stop brussels must must again on its justice system laura smith explains more. if we're talking prison sentences it's already very rare but to me like that if european court of human rights has its way it will become impossible for the courts in this country to hand down then those to their. no criminal never become eligible for parole condemned to die in jail the a c.-h. all got involved after convicted killers lodged a complaint with the courts saying it was deemed moralizing not to have a child it's a pretty nice last year the courts the greens and rules that 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 lawyers many of. members a tiny countries or countries with. very poor human rights record i mean we're getting a lot of interference and. 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 but sentencing there are fewer than fifty prisoners serving whole life in england and wales the severest rights one of the bridges he was set down last year for murdering well schoolgirl eight. he's launched an appeal another

killing in maclaughlin has already avoided a whole life because of the. he murdered a man while on dave released from a murder that said meanwhile the u.k. government is entering into a lot of expensive fights with the course of treatment right to stop the courts interfering with british justice. nor smith reporting there from the u.k. coming up as promised a bit earlier always topical conversation on the big stories of the day one after the break crosstalk looks at the alarming global expansion of al-qaeda. because you don't have states is the big dog the only hyper power and the cultural

driving force of globalization it takes a lot of flak i mean globalization means the whole world gets hollywood and hot dogs and not the other way around so let's take a break from the negativity and talk about something truly amazing about america and as a guy who lives in moscow i could say that the constitution of the united states is something truly amazing in russia there is constant talk about needing a new national idea a new ideology or political theory or be. changes to the russian constitution and so on and it's hard for people in america understand this but twice in the twentieth century the system that russians gave their lives for collapsed and the current constitution was written quickly after a period of violence and said collapse not after a glorious victory now you see why people here aren't exactly memorizing amendments and founding fathers quotes here in america there are debates between liberals and conservatives but almost everyone believes the constitution and it is america's greatest strength there is a national idea that is a sacred document with a list of rules as almost universally agreed upon everyone with half a brain on the street but sadly not in congress knows when something is against the

constitution or should i see against america near universal belief in the constitution is actually something truly exceptional about america but that's just my opinion. please. hello and welcome to crossfire all things are considered on peter lavelle not one of the western media and politicians told us al qaeda was defeated or at the very least on its last legs the same media and politicians today tell us a very different story al qaeda is very much alive and fighting indeed across many countries of the middle east al qaeda is betrayed as a deadly menace in this edition of crossfire we asked what is al qaeda today who

supports it and who benefits from it. to cross talk al qaeda and similar groups i'm joined by my guest daniel make adams in washington he is the executive director of the ron paul institute and in tel aviv we cross to your home sweitzer he is the director of the terrorism project at the institute. national security studies of tel aviv university all right gentlemen crosstalk rules in fact that means you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage it daniel if i go to you first in washington very simple question what is al qaeda today because not too long ago we were told that see no on its last legs it's you know small groups but nothing to be too concerned with and now you can pick up a newspaper not read about al qaeda it's tempting to view al qaeda as a kind of a manual goldstein you know from one thousand nine hundred four that is everywhere and anywhere you know it's and it's harder to not feel that way look in in syria

groups that have been affiliated with al qaeda are benefiting from u.s. support and saudis support our great allies saudi arabia and then next door in iraq is this the so called al-qaeda has made a comeback and is now you know threatening on bar province so it is a good question what what is al-qaeda is that al-qaeda in in somalia where you have small regional conflicts you know groups with no with no desire for a global jihad it seems to be a pretty convenient term that doesn't mean it doesn't exist but it certainly seems to be overused jarome in tel aviv would you like to reply to that i mean it is a term used very very often you almost want to get to the point where it's just a kind of a franchise since since its inception in one thousand eight the i think that we're going to have to look for when you knew the phoenicians that is one of the crowd sometimes referred.