these rockets could have never been fired from government controlled territory experts to question america's claims that syria's government was part of chemical weapons of tide near the capital damascus last august. fishelson moscow was a growing time a bay prison seeking to negotiate the release of a russian national he's been years without charge just like the majority of other detainee. yes they can continue with sweeping surveillance president obama's anticipated plans to reform the n.s.a.'s activities are dismissed as a limited p.r. stunt.

a life now to the center at nine pm here in moscow it's kevin i am with you this hour our top story the u.s. conclusion that a chemical attack near damascus in august was carried out by the government has been challenged by a team of highly respected experts washington immediately blamed president assad but a new report from the massachusetts institute of technology found the rocket couldn't have been fired from government controlled areas. we went through two to three months worth of study to determine the types of rockets. the weight the size the propellant and we determine that the range is on the order of two kilometers i like to make a note that the u.n. also had come up with a range of approximately two kilometers so this is very confusing to us in our studies and we're trying to understand exactly what the white house map means because right now as it stands these rockets could have never been fired from

government controlled territory they would be fired more from a rebel type of territory or a border of a contested territory so it appears something america's official conclusions does not up the. looked closer to the mit study. this latest report is trying to answer one question whether the missiles carrying sarin gas in august twenty thirteen were really fired from the parts of damascus controlled by the syrian government now we reproduced exactly the same map which the u.s. intelligence used when they voiced their concerns that the attack was carried out by the syrian government and this is the part of damascus controlled by the syrian government at that time in august twenty thirty in this is the part controlled by the opposition those blinking yellow spots they marked the places where the attack happened in particular this western most point of those attacks where the biggest number of casualties happened and this red line here it shows where the missiles

could could have gone if they were fired from the from the governmental territories in damascus the maximum range of those missiles is two kilometers now of this eastern the most point of the of the attack is about four kilometers from the isa most point of the governmental control and the territories controlled by the government and if you talk about the heart of the of the territory controlled by the government that's something which was specified by us state john kerry that's where the rockets were fired from this is about nine kilometers from the this point here this report basically does not lay blame on any side and does not say whether there were those were the rebels who perform these attacks using chemicals but what it does though it seriously puts under doubt that the quality of intelligence and as to why the u.s. authorities used what seems to be incomplete or even flawed intelligence data to

voice their concerns and if we remember what u.s. state secretary john kerry said back then the claims were quite solid high confidence this is common sense this is evidence these are facts also this report speculates at one point that it could have this wrong data could have been used in a similar fashion as the attack on iraq when wrong information was used as a pretext to launch a military operation official washington hasn't yet responded to this latest report by the mighty researches. and there's the violence rages on in syria the country's turning into a major drug producer too with both the rebels and army soldiers reportedly taking up veterans to keep up the red edgy and state goal during apple's we were reporting on that just ahead. after a decade long effort to secure permission an official delegation from moscow visited guantanamo bay america's most notorious detention center they are able to

meet a russian national held at the prison despite never having been charged with a crime. reports. for the first time in twelve years a russian delegation spearheaded by the foreign ministry special representative for human rights got access to visit the guantanamo detention camp the goal meeting with the sole russian prisoner of held there without charge for a decade and taking steps to push for the detainees returned to his homeland we spoke to the top diplomat of the visiting delegation to get the details when you move government is looking pretty significant churches they gave their lives at the loop you. really are you still you look you basically. don't you get legal very cute you know. you produce your very own properly. access to where we have been given to to refute kuku are a little bit different but we've got to look. more politically all the details

putting extra pressure on the us to shut down the scandalous camp was also on the agenda of the foreign ministry the prison has been staining america's human rights and legal record both at home and abroad for years leaving the detainees staring really into the abyss of indefinite detention and just last week the world saw the twelfth anniversary of the first detainees of the world of the war on terror being brought to the scandalous prison camp which obama made a promise to close on day one at the white house last year the world's attention was returned to one tunnel as the majority of the prisoner population was on a hunger strike for over six months making world headlines and really forcing the obama administration to refocus his attention at least on words for now to the detention camp although plenty of bureaucratic and political reasons continue to be used as an excuse instead of just shutting the place down when we visited guantanamo three months ago we found out that at least fifteen detainees were

continuously being force fed before it's passed on the news we lubricate it and we give the. a choice do they want to have the key which is agent it will numb the area or if they want of will to lubricate the tube. most of our patients have been using our will you seem to like it in fact some of our patients are so used to this they will describe which nostril they want about other aspects of prisoner life however there was a lot of secrecy we were taken on a largely staged and prepared to war around the prison facilities without being able to see much of the real conditions that the prisoners live in and speaking to any of them was of course out of the question let alone seeing them one or two of them actually for more than a minute a lot of secrecy and a routine tour around the premises also turned out to be the experience of the

russian delegation as well and as they said you're going to r.t. new york he writes clearly the number of hunger strikers has doubled in the past month no stones at thirty three however the military authorities refusing to release any new figures authorities said the release of information about hunger strikers quote detracts from the more important issues like the welfare of the tourney and the safety of troops clive stafford smith lawyer for several guantanamo detainees has witnessed some of the most brutal tactics used by the military. this the prisoner are from camp six which is the least bad camp goes on hunger strike they automatically get transferred not just count five but you can't fight back which really has been the most abuse took place in over a container of bay prisoners are held in all steel cells and denied the most basic human rights just as a punishment for going on strike that force feeding techniques are very much an action unfortunately again it's the very abusive force feeding techniques i mean casting aside the question of whether it's that the culture of course being

a tour in the world medical association says it's not you know unfortunately the techniques they using. gratuitous take. so for example and i've witnessed some of this that they used to leave but shoot up the prisoners noses that hurt so much they're still pulling those tubes out every single time twice a day forcing them back up each time still forcing far too much food too quickly into the prisoner making prisoners that if you're sick they just carry on doing it it really is horrendous what's happening. coming up on the program leaving latvia the baltic nation watches. the eurozone driving away just ahead.

with the economic downturn in the final. days. and the rest. will be. a pleasure to have you with us today.

hello good washington will not dismantle its global spying networks announcement of a major overhaul of the national security agency by president obama failed to provide any detail on when the collection of data will be stopped or indeed whether it will be stopped at all critics say the plan for deep reforms nothing more than a facelift. explains. after nearly seven months of n.s.a. disclosures president obama finally came forward with reforms to the spy agency acknowledging that the current capabilities of the n.s.a. do leave open the possibility of abuse given the unique power of the state it is not enough for leaders to say trust us we want to be use the data we collect for history has too many examples when that trust has been breached or such a system of government is built on the premise that our liberty cannot depend on the good intentions of those in power the president address the n.s.a.'s most

controversial program section two fifteen bulk telephone metadata collection basically the president no longer wants the government to be in control of these massive metadata databases but that doesn't mean the president wants to get rid of bulk collection in fact the bulk collection of virtually every american is metadata will continue indefinitely and the new restrictions announced by the president requiring the n.s.a. to obtain pfizer court approval before searching all that metadata doesn't satisfy privacy advocates who argue the pfizer court has acted and will continue to act as a rubber stamp nothing in obama's speech put any rain rain dan this collected all approach and yesterday that there was a big revelation of i called this fire program that just fire program was collecting all tax costs literally hundreds of thousands of text calls every day are going into the end. jite take any clue for regarding spying on foreign leaders

the president said he's put an end to surveillance on friends and allies but did not say the n.s.a. will stop spying on diplomats nothing about the n.s.a. breaking encryption standards and ports that the n.s.a. has been breaking into the data leaves on google and yahoo servers while some specific reforms were introduced how exactly they will be implemented moving forward remains to be seen especially since the same government agencies that have overseen the massive growth of the surveillance state are now the ones tasked with reigning into it washington d.c. same socks are to. a speed show the n.s.a. was that was criticism of some of the country spied on germany's justice minister has said a written agreement is needed to stop it he was supported to by a brazilian lawmaker who believes the u.s. has little respect for international partners one european and people whose washington's just paying lip service to make everyone feel better and the president of the national whistleblower sense a told me the government is trying to destruct public attention with

a well planned p.r. move. the real thing that the american people are looking for is what are you going to do when you have a whistleblower like mr snowden who has critical information that the american people have a right to know he did not address that issue it's being swept under the rug instead i think in a fair view of what's going on it is for some merely window dressing covering up the abuses that have been identified who's to say there are a lot more abuses have occurred that haven't been identified because there's no channel for the n.s.a. whistleblower to make their allegations public or known in any way so that at best it's window dressing it's punts a lot to congress to try to fix the problem and it addresses in no way how the american people have a right to understand the abuses of our government. think twice the next time we decide to like somebody on facebook especially when someone maybe

a former who wants nothing to do with you because one click might get you arrested on a more without online full story dot com plus still thinking about buying a ticket for those very saucy winter olympics well if you're still undecided head to article comes the motion section for a dazzling bird's eye view of the city helped. write the scene. first for you and i would think that your. orders would. be. with a key syrian peace conference moving closer the opposition still hasn't decided whether

or not to take part in a meeting on friday brought no result despite international pressure being put on rebel groups to attend the opposition coalition's proposed decision until saturday series governments expressed its readiness to make concessions ahead of the long awaited geneva two conference the country's foreign minister and deeds now proposed a cease fire in the city of aleppo the area of some of the most intense battles as well as a prisoner exchange all this is reports are coming in that fighters on both sides are turning to drugs as both a source of funding and staying power and battle the soaring export of illegal unfettered insist turn syria into a major drug hub notion a report. with siri about to entering its fourth devastating year of war the lack of law and structure has allowed one dark industry to flourish the country has become the number one producer of a drug known as camp to go on its ass and synthetic stimulants was first manufactured in the one nine hundred sixty s. and it was at that time used as a medicine to treat hyperactivity and depression but it's too addictive and this is

why it was banned in most countries so here in the middle east it's still very popular it's cheap and it isn't forgotten but today syria not only produces more than any other country in the region but it's also kept a close main consumers believe that five terrorists are taking the pills to maintain vigorous energy levels your eleven c. battles because it helps you keep awake in four hours and hours but there are also reports that ordinary citizens those who've been livin in depression and in this war and chaos for almost three years now are also holding to the drug for these capers two for rare aid gives them and it's lucrative it's between fifteen and twenty doors appeal and the right hundreds of millions of them taking all trafficked and there is evidence that the revenue raised is buying weapons from

both sides of the syrian conflict the un office on drugs and crime. has been reporting that syria which is located at the crossroads here in the region has for a long time been a transit point for the drug going from europe to turkey and lebanon but since the war began captagon trades guns and mastic and factories are appearing these days all across syria and production has increased and sales and booming here elaborate on the authorities seized around two hundred million dollars worth of tabla. blast here mostly hidden in the tracks go in through the syrian lebanese border from syria into lebanon from where it hit its final destination including the gulf countries of the most ardent supporters of the syrian opposition and saudi arabia where around a billion dollars worth of the drug was seized just last year with authorities

saying this is nothing but just ten percent of the real turnover of the drug indicating them. actually were listening for those so we were hoping to hear from the opposition syrian national council we have breaking news now that the opposition syrian national council has announced it will attend next week's geneva two peace talks once again that line just coming through to us the opposition syrian national council just announced the last few minutes it will attend next week's geneva two peace talks damascus is also agreed of course to make concessions out of the conference including a cease fire and a prisoner swap of his report as the details. amid mounting international pressure syria's opposition has decided to take part in next week's geneva two peace talks the group which faces its own internal divisions announced its decision saturday following a meeting in is stamboul now hearts of the syrian opposition were previously

critical of taking part in peace negotiations that could help syrian president bashar al assad they say stay in power the syrian national council a main opposition bloc even threatened to pull out of the coalition if the general assembly voted in favor of attending the geneva two it seems though however that mounting pressure from the u.s. and western countries cause concessions to be made the conference will be held under the auspices of the un and it's co-sponsored by russia and the u.s. it's scheduled to begin on tuesday january twenty second it is aimed at finding a way to install a transitional government that will subsequently pave the way for to ending the nearly three year old civil war which has reportedly claimed the lives of some one hundred thirty thousand people. russia's national counter-terror committee says seven militants have been killed in the southern republic of dagestan security forces of the negotiating with the militants in the house where they were holed up

but the armed gang then opened fire it's believed some of the militants responsible for a grenade attack on a restaurant friday followed by twin blasts that injured at least sixty people one of the militants killed was the leader of a local gang while another was the friend of a female suicide bomber who carried out a terrorist cell from a bus in volgograd last october when was also said to be preparing for a suicide attack and was wanted by russia's forces in more world news now a taliban suicide bombers killed twenty one in the restaurant popular officials in the afghan capital a russian citizen three u.n. workers and a representative from the international monetary fund are among the dead guards killed two gunmen who tried to storm a venue activists have clashed with police in spain's capital madrid they gathered in solidarity with people protesting a road project in the country's north which they say will displace the poor and drain public funds solidarity rallies across spain and already forced the suspension of the project. type protest as

a blockaded the police said quarters now in bangkok just a day after a bomb injured twenty eight demonstrators at least eight people have died since the rest aimed at forcing the government to step down first started in november but the prime minister insists the only solution to the crisis will be a snap election in february. maybe europe's fastest growing economy but it's also the e.u.'s youngest and poorest member the road to prosperity is proven to have been too sharp for many thousands of professionals who are leaving their four parties paul scott met one of them who says government negligence is to blame. serv a gay is one of thousands of workers who will leave latvia this year but his destination is perhaps surprising he'll be leaving this state to work in azerbaijan is that. life is always hard but in this country it's harder as the government is

much more concerned by politics not economics and the life of the common man they survey isn't the only one the world bank says that because population is shrinking by almost sixty thousand people per year i feel i'm not alone the government are squeezing everybody wanting more and more from us for less money between two thousand and nine and two thousand and twelve not because population fell by around ten percent in a country of only two million people this decline is sharply felt especially since those leaving a mostly of working age. the major work force males from twenty to forty go in find jobs abroad and then move their families over this leave just older people this demographic shift poses significant economic challenges which the government says it's keen to try and tackle there is a government program to return people to that via but it doesn't work and yes they pay for people to return but there's still no work for them the only way out is to

create new jobs and a suitable atmosphere for investment but it isn't happening more and over the next twenty years the population will decrease another third so as leaders desperately try to arrest the worrying trend the message from at least one of those with bags packed for a better life elsewhere is simple. the government has to stop its aggressive social policies and lower taxes so that people can live and not simply survive. scott ulti latvia. up next voyage to revisit the highlights of the torch is record breaking journey across russia are also given more news just thirty four minutes time maybe.

tanya. well tell me how you were my little grandson. i don't load i don't like. being cut off. except as an ecovillage that the spiritual side is destructive.

i tried to convince her to try to preach that it was a sect but it's dangerous and she had to leave it was a story she had lost her mind. she will come back i know it was and i will wait but even if it means i must wait until my dying day. it was supposed to be just another news or of course although admittedly for a special occasion it was one hundred twenty three days before the start of the winter olympic games in sochi and i was in greece for the lighting of the olympic flame the ruins of elim p.-l.

one of the most famous monuments of ancient greece the site of the very first olympic games where stones like this would have been part of the temple. the temple. temple lowe's. home. mom.

well that was a rather surreal. definitely the way to stream i've had for a while. there was a memorable ceremony. it was one pretty sure the high priestess never spoke to me. but was it should set follow the flame or something. and there's. a lot more of course at base. so what's the top story this morning then the sochi twenty pulteney olympic flame as of right in moscow seven days after it was first in the ancient

greek city of libya carried by russia's deputy prime minister dimitri call with ak the flame traveled in a small mountain to red square where president vladimir putin spoke of its meaning for the russian people. the olympic torch the symbol of the world's primary sports competition of peace and of friendship. but he has come to russia. there are many marks the start of the longest tools relay in a limb take a story the flame good it's great there's so many people have turned out to the start of the russian relay it looks like a lot of fun and back. in a minute. couldn't be. but it was the stone i picked up in and then it was on my mantel piece and if that isn't a sign i don't know what it is. i knew i had to get down to read.