american and european politicians pledge their support for the ukrainian opposition at a major munich security conference raising some eyebrows. where there's a new. street riots that are becoming more and more violent promote democracy russia's foreign minister hits out at the west with accusations of double standards when it comes to the key of protests. syria demands an apology from america's top diplomat threatening to pull out of direct talks with the opposition if they do not get one that's as the situation for those fleeing the conflict. these no food nothing to eat or drink sim militants are inside as well and the soul of the prophet we want this to stop. starving rebel held

a palestinian refugee camp in syria that's received its first food aid in months after dozens of people have died from hunger. and as the olympic flame goes to the top of europe's highest peak just a stone's throw from its final destination we tour the brand new course where cross-country skiers. will be racing for gold in a matter of days. broadcasting live direct from our studios in moscow this is thomas going to have you with us. the ukrainian opposition has secured the political support of the west at a security conference currently underway in munich top u.s. and e.u. diplomats said they back what they have called the country's fight for democracy but russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov accused them of double standards artes

you get a piece going off and explains clearly the west has already taken the side of the protests or so u.s. secretary of state john kerry said that the time has come for you have to decide whether it's one country or with the rest of the world and he added that washington supports the people of ukraine but some have been calling this a one sided approach and criticizing it including russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov you know. there are some fundamental questions that need to be answered in particular about the situation in ukraine how does fuelling street riots that are becoming more and more violent promote democracy why is there no condemnation of the siege and you can still occupying government buildings were those who burned police officers who shot races and use the media and nazi slogans why do many leading european politicians and current such actions while any violations of the home are dealt with harshly. some strong words there from russia's chief diplomat

also added joking that next time we meet was with mr kerry is going to ask him what grades he had in school asking how many countries do you think are in that group that he calls the rest of the world. the us secretary of state john kerry has reiterated that washington stands with the people of ukraine but the latest polls showed two thirds of them are against the havoc that's been plaguing the country's western regions and many fear civil war political analyst alexander public believes the support shown by the us for the riots is all about geopolitics. well we have the nato general secretary. making more and more comments in this regard again favoring the protesters of course the ukraine is is a geo political prize par excellence if you're moving east toward russia and obviously nato has been moving east since it says the end of the cold war more than

twenty years ago the thing is it seems like the end justifies the means this is again not anything new for the west they're playing real politics and it has nothing to do very little to do with democracy it has much to do with pragmatic geo political interests and people are just being used as pawns unfortunately. now one point of friction throughout the crisis in ukraine was the handling of the situation by police with some officials calling for officers to simply back down in face of the riots for more of this i'm joined by chuck joiner and acts of the cia and f.b.i. agent thank you for being with us here on our t.v. now footage of the violence in kiev has been broadcast around the world you have a unique position as a consultant to law enforcement on the use of force how would you react in the situation that we've seen in kiev the videos that i saw were very disturbing

and the police officers in my mind showed incredible restraint and united states in that situation they would have been justified in using deadly force now how would you instruct ukrainian police in dealing with the protests if they continue. i think throughout the history of riots you see if there's not a strong police presence then the the tag nies is the agitators they become emboldened and become more violent and more aggressive so there needs to be a strong police presence in those circumstances to control the violence now police in ukraine have come under some criticism especially from washington given that riders have thrown molotov cocktails and they've actually both bird and beat officers is this criticism from washington fair well i can't get into the politics but i can look at it just strictly from a police standpoint and i think again the police have shown incredible restraint if

you are in the situation where i've seen videos of police officers on fire again that's a deadly situation and they certainly in the united states would have the legal right to use deadly force in response to that so any criticism of the police officers in those circumstances i think is unwarranted and you mentioned the right to use deadly force in europe and america were quick to condemn ukrainian authorities but we have we have seen similar response across the you and at the occupy demonstrations in the united states as well so talk to me a little bit about these types of scenarios well in any situation in the united states a police officer has to evaluate the threat perceived threat so if a police officer perceives that there is a threat to themselves or somebody else they can respond with pepper spray but tons personal weapons strikes electronic control devices if the threat rises to the level where they think either they or somebody else are being threatened with death

or serious bodily harm then they can respond with deadly force. now the ukrainian opposition is getting a lot of support from the united states government right now it's kind of. actually giving support to the protesters what's your take on the situation could backing these protesters impact of the unrest in an unfavorable light. in me and i can't really get into the politics of it i can just look at it from a police officer standpoint and and my belief would be the police officers on the scene they also are a political there they are just to protect life and property so what their concern is are the agitators or the violent protesters and the police have a responsibility to respond to that and to quell that. and really briefly if this happened in the united states what would happen. well hopefully would never

rise to the level where you have people i've seen protesters with firearms i've seen protesters with the petrol bombs a molotov cocktails with hammers that's a deadly threat and our police would respond in kind all right appreciate your thoughts on the subject of joiner and cia officer and f.b.i. agent thank you for being with us here on r.t. thank you. now on our website our two dot com there is more expert analysis on america's role in ukraine's latest tor in turmoil stay with us on r.t. dot com. the syrian government has rejected direct talks with the opposition at the next round of the geneva two peace talks that is unless the us secretary of state says sorry for declaring the president assad has no future in syria kerry later continued his verbal attack on damascus accusing the regime of delaying the removal of its toxic arsenal the chemical disarmament in the country started after the u.n. russia and the u.s.

helped broker a deal in september last year and with no workable diplomatic solution to conflict currently on the table there's no respite for refugees fleeing the war or he's more of a notion visited one camp south of damascus where thousands of civilians remain besieged by rebels. another battleground of the brutal syrian war and the very heart of the country and at the edge of the regime stronghold this is your move from this scene in camp here in damascus that last being held by the militants for more than a year now we are not allowed to go any further because the military people who are controlling the situation here on the ground told us that the os now i praise and the rug on demand on this building but it's not only from bullets that's people here are dying when we visit dozens already said to have died from starvation

a year after the siege began food and water supplies a role but. there's no food nothing to eat or drink the militants are inside i swear on the soul of the prophet we want this to stop whatever guilty we just want to go out they want to go out but they conked they're trapped those holding the camp only and now we. an elderly man to go out briefly to bring in food a distributed by the syrian and palestinian officials together with the un their families remain inside so they have to return to the besieged camp and arrest that while we're talking to one of like resident and old men behind us collapses to the ground at all no one could tell us exactly why. there of the. body guard were dying from hunger we can't take this anymore. humanitarian aid is the only achievement so far i ask those responsible how they

know the food they deliver will not fall into the militants hands they say no one can give any going t. . siege has become a popular tactic among rebel forces here in syria just recently we went to the industrial city of outside damascus according to army generals at least five thousand and three main trapped there sieges serve well to weaken an army has capabilities keeping a large forces tied up for long periods of time but they have another go to euro do you have their own and they claim the syrian government is besieging the palestinians in the camp they want to invert the truth by saying the syrian government is part of the killing force as they don't do anything to protect the people they want the people to hate the regime. accusations over the next of the syrian authorities allowed indeed. government officials blame the militants for

infiltrating into the cities in the first place and complain they can do little to fight back now lisa villains could be heard and thousands of ordinary people all over syria remain hostage inside their own homes waiting for help. already three years into this conflict that could prove very long way to indeed rif notional r.t. from syria. or coming up a shoplifting spree. some people want to lift especially for their kids what do the u.k. experience as a nine year peak and fast as essential items can sometimes be simply too expensive for many people's budgets. also in israel people can now improve democracy with just one click as legislators now sometimes even submit bills based on angry facebook posts reports on the online way of making after the break.

we got a lot of housing only people but the government is not funding it and in a lot of the shelter today be having people down the street because people begin. to get involved right now ironically ironically i'm worth more to the city of new york he told me. personally. when you paid regular people like someone like a lawyer or doctor or some other madison avenue it's boring and sometimes the homeless people deliberately didn't like rather that night. this is see the country

rather than the state the response of the world has been in this city. bridges city in the world what people. pay money to do you. lose anybody could make you feel good you know. you're welcome back you're watching r t international the two thousand and fourteen olympic torch has seen tremendous ups and downs during its record breaking a relay it has traveled from outer space to the bottom of the world's deepest lake and on the north pole and one of the stops on the way to sochi was the highest mountain in europe parties paul scott reports. on its journey across the world's largest country the olympic torch was always going to experience some high as some lives on it has now completed one of those hoist the olympic flame has been lit at

the top of mt elbrus which is the highest peak in europe a team of five experienced mountaineers took it to the summit which is more than five and a half thousand meters above sea level but it is now in the final stages of its relay it will arrive here in sochi in a few days time ahead of the opening ceremony which is now less than a week away attention is slowly beginning to turn to the sport and one sport that russia has traditionally had success same is by athlone a my colleague to bon mots i had a look around the new purpose built state of the art cross-country skiing and biathlon center. lessons is that laura was an urban legend harold where now she decided to choose death by getting married to an old friends of course it's not just about this mind

serve as a reminder that when i'm going to do you might have to die for me figuratively who was this could be a metaphor for the athletes that determination passion and perseverance to whatever you want but i can only that gold you can get it twenty fourteen the cross country skiing and by flynn twenty minutes will take place from laura organizes a hoop in the lower end venue stage of the on to the sill a tease will put sochi firmly on the world's biafra long man i took control of the grounds on a stage to see the massive complex without getting my feet when it includes two stadiums a shooting area and going on to say so it's true what they say that. holds brings everybody together and their number plates i'm not just for us but for everybody even this little guy here. the course is

a very demanding it has few places where athletes can glide and save energy and at a height of one thousand five hundred metres above sea level the lack of oxygen also makes it much harder for the competitors to breed come a few days a visit the venue where the by alpha lawns olympic and paralympic games will be held will be filled with spectators as well as wealthy men and sports women why do you is where the starting point a minefield of gold will begin mother nature has dissolved the snow is ready the altitude is perfect now all that's missing is the stocks of the whistle. so cheers are banned are ready for the start of the winter games and in the coming days we will be bringing you more reports from the olympic city don't miss the coverage on air and online at our two doug. ok. how do you operate doing but again i'm going to rehearse for

a sports and such is it as easy as rissoles i'm not an olympic hockey player is on the. way i live in my fly. a canadian metal band to hit the guantanamo bay play list but the musicians are not happy about that with the band sending the u.s. government an invoice for allegedly using its music as a means of psychological torture and online for more details. about the proposed bill could allow u.k. police to get their hands on journalists notebooks photos and computer files without a consent to learn more about the law that critics say good barry press freedom in britain at r t dot com. right to see. first street. and i think you're.

on a reporter's. instrument. to be in the. live from moscow twenty four hours a day this is r t international now in the u.k. shoplifting is no longer the domain of bored kids and a petty criminals the country has seen a nine year high in the amount of goods stolen from stores and many are now resorting to the practice for their basic needs are tiscali boyko it's been finding out. some people do it for a dad others might have a physical compulsion or they could be part of a larger crime network but up until now few people in britain were doing it out of necessity i'm talking about shoplifting. people they don't even

a small going big thing even expensive or cheap or what they do they just grab in the back and they walk out according to the british retail consortium theft from shops is up to nine year high and the biggest increase has been food theft the police say there's a link between welfare cuts unemployment and shoplifting we're seeing people choosing to shoplift to maintain their previous life still on diminishing budgets and police forces approve actively targeted shoplifting you have a sixteen this if you can see on the ceiling to here. for over the one over there. would be. if you keep looking further down the. government critics say that it's cuts to welfare payments that are pushing previously nor abiding citizens into so-called poverty crime over the past several months police forces have been criticized for being too lenient on women especially

in mothers who of course shoplifting items that they simply can't afford to buy essential items like nappies and baby food life is so hard that the more. people live just. what they do. but the boredom that speaks to retailers here in the u.k. says that that is far from a victimless crime last year alone the losses to industry over five hundred million pounds as a result they say that shops like this one go bust and communities fully void. now for more stories making global headlines today first to spain where thousands of people have said government plans to curb abortion in the capital madrid the bill proposed by the ruling party would permit a woman to terminate a pregnancy only if she were raped her health was in danger the protesters are

accusing the legislation's of backers of violating human rights of women while calling on the country's justice minister to resign. in lebanon a car bomb has exploded near a school in the country's north east close to the border with syria at least four people were killed and eighteen others injured in the town of her which is a stronghold of the militant group hezbollah the country's interior ministry says it may have been a suicide attack sunni militants have often targeted shia areas of lebanon in retaliation for hezbollah sending its fighters into syria. anti government protests are heating up in the capital with at least two blasts dozens of gunshots fired six people have been wounded as supporters of the company's prime minister class with her opponent the incident happened after demonstrators blockaded a building where ballot papers were being the violence is spiralling ahead of sunday's general election in which the opposition has

a valve to boycott disrupt. at least fourteen people have been killed and three others injured on indonesia's western island of sumatra after a volcano erupted again mount sinabung unleashed clouds of thick gray ash and searing gas at a nearby homes just one day after authorities allowed thousands of villagers to return to their lands saying it was safe officials now fear the death toll will rise the volcano has been active with smaller options since september after being dormant for three years. israeli democracy is well and truly embracing cyberspace last year the government admitted it paid some students to defend its policies on social networks now it's using facebook rather than direct face to face meetings to ask the public what it wants or he's probably sleep explains. there's a new kind of politics blowing through cyberspace the parliaments on facebook and

its users are the legislators it's very simple citizens right in the page what they want to change and sometimes even better if they write how and we take the commons and choose and pick a member of parliament that this deal is suitable to that. issue we are doing a lobby a lobby for the citizens with its ears to the ground this user generated democracy is turning citizens into politicians for a long time not a real hive was fed up with the high cost of renting in tel aviv she posted about it her suggestions metamorphosed into a bull to regulate real estate agents fees it's now a vote away from becoming law i think it's definitely a more direct way to the government and they're actually listening and they're doing things with it which is amazing rather than feeling threatened by this new brand of cyber activists more and more politicians are seeing the potential of

partnering with their constituents online within that the public should be a partner in creating policy in legislation social media is a very very powerful too in politics this will be a mini revolution in everything to do the connections between us and the public which right now is not enough is not good enough the next bills already in the making granting single mothers cheaper life insurance the social media i think will be the next platform of politics all over the world it might have been the ancient greeks who introduced the world to democracy but today's generation is one click away from perfecting us policy are our t. tell of of. up next on our t.r. special coverage of what it is like to be homeless in the concreted jungle of new york you're watching are to international stay with us.

i've always had mixed feelings about speed traps it seems like it's a waste of the police officers time but on the other hand they sure do make people paranoid and drive more slowly one man from texas is completely sure of his opinion about speed traps and he set out to save his felt texans from being fined for speeding and much more importantly from potential traffic accidents caused by the hidden police and now he's the one who's in deep trouble according to fox news runner martin faces a misdemeanor charge for violating fiscal texas sign ordinance that says that you may only stand around holding a sign on private property martin claims that he was doing the exact same thing as a speed limit sign reminding people to slow down and i think ultimately he is right you should be able to tell other people where the police are setting up speed traps because that will cause them to drive more slowly which is the real goal of speed traps in the first place the only reason local authorities would be against this is

because they love the income that comes from a nice big pile of speeding tickets i hope that mr martin finds a way to go right back to holding his sign but this time on private property precious my opinion. right see. first for you and i think you're. on our reporters. in. the the in. i am. her asshole to believe all of this very reason so big problems. problems with.

the middle east and. it's. really easy. right there. is many reasons of course so she's. bought billets during the war deal responsibility. this is many reasons as was the first. so start of the beginning for example we can. talk about the case of jose who is left in that spot. so he got referred here by his friend whose name was also jose. they both worked in times where. their kind of costume mascot the other jose was batman and this jose was all wrong too so they

got to know each other and the other jose got to a spanish association i was going to not that he was he was ready to. patch up his family that he was in train trunk and rented apartment with so you really united with his wife and children and they moved out on the two apartments together . so the city. is soon is that this is what's i'm sure you heard. about mistrust i'm from cuba. maybe come from here i've been. different states of the united states. and this is the best this is the top that day everything you know what i mean if you don't make it here. he will make it in no way. you know what i mean

he said i report to me here in new york. no i don't mean i can just get out of an awful room from where you can and everything was close. so thank you very much i mean it's a different. you. when you're when you're young you have a lot of energy and headed because our and i went around painting beggars in the street and i went to the bowery i painted bunch of sorry. i'm not that political i'm not that. you know to me it's more about. statics you know if i paint black people it's not because i love them or don't love them i find it beautiful i find it easy to.