day's news in the week's top stories from r.t. international traditional family values take center stage in front of the crowds rally to protest against the policies of france where our latest on that coming up this hour plus two. young children were about to die from a lack of water and they threatened us with machine guns they were beating us three at a table and killing us becomes the first foreign t.v. channel to gain access to the besieged syrian town of address after reports of rebels massacring dozens of civilians there including children. the amnesty for rioters comes into force in ukraine is the country's opposition to western politicians of the security forum in munich despite moscow once again warning the e.u.

against taking sides in the unrest. has joined us when i was kevin are you watching round of our top stories of the last seven days that is the weekly here on our team and our top story that tens of thousands of people been rallying in paris and also in the city of leone today in the latest wave of demonstrations for traditional family values parties peter all of us in the french capital. demonstration we're seeing right now is the latest in a wave of unrest that swept across france the campaign is that are out on the streets marching through central paris they say that they're marching in defense of traditional family values now they say they're against proposed changes to the law that would make alternative ways for homosexual couples to have children legal naysay that they want to quash proposed laws that have been put forward now the

demonstrations that we've seen in the past have on occasion turned violent here in france just the other week we saw a so-called day of rage a day of anger across the country where thousands and thousands of people were out . and some rather unsavory clashes between the police and those those demonstrators now all of this comes on a wave of also a huge popularity for the french president francois hollande popularity here at an all time low and he's pretty much the the most unpopular french presidents in recent memory and the people around here in paris coming out on the streets to show that unhappiness out their leader let's go live to distrust big for an insurance program this is there you saw a former editor of the french newspaper news newspaper thanks for being with us it's such a bad time of the moment isn't it for the president he's really in the war sort of

speak is he doing everything wrong though. well i think as just a suggestion that this is an issue that he has deliberately raised to distract attention from his unpopularity i mean why necessary to revisit the laws on abortion at this moment seems to me quite bizarre it is not necessary but they're doing it and they're provoking a lot of anxiety what you're also seeing is people who protested against homosexuals marriage are out in the streets protesting against the possibility of homosexuals being able to have children are this research out there or otherwise and they're a get that the government reply oh we're not proposing that but the protesters don't believe the government believes that the government quite capable of slipping is in an amendment to do course well is that they'll say no smoke without fire of course but why is the government pushing this if it seemed a big part of society isn't ready for it then you think it's all part of a smoke and mirrors their game here their well i think it's a bit of a smoke and mirrors game also the left in france has always been rather keen on

social engineering so that there's an element of that they do actually believe some of some of them not all of them that this is a good thing in inverted commas but i have to say it when you see that recently we've had this huge rau about an obscure comedian you're doing a in france and what he says about jews and all the rest of it you want to get see impression that the ministry of the interior is actually looking for these issues to distraction attention from the government's popularity they tried to force the demonstrators here to take a route that was almost bound to cause trouble and it was only the fact that the organizers sixty dollars going to somewhere where there was much less likely to be difficulty that the route was changed the organizers have fifty lawyers present they have court officials there to make sure that there's no trouble and it's not only government that seems to be avoided trouble but the demonstrators are allowed to talk and there are actually taking a look now at the live pictures over your shoulder and over the over the back of

your picture there that is the latest thing coming out from paris the big turnout there but how they are orderly held these convictions that you know traditional marriages must be strengthened because if you look at the figures they have been on the way down since the seventy's in front. yes sighs it's true that the bulk of people will not occupy their sunday afternoons without going out and demonstrating it the streets of paris all year but equally true there is i suppose about once as a population who do feel very strongly about this we talked about this a year ago at that time i said there is the settlements the population who will not not let go on this subject all the government issues and all they will push back i says to the jury i was just going to say they did a background there is the new code which is expiring and to try are there if you like. to be clear when these protests here kind of anti gay protests around the all and protests what's the majority of people you think what's the root of it oh no i

don't i know that it is there is an attempt to say that it's at this very unpopular but though this is not anti this is in favor of a family was a pair of children and against the norms sadistic gen siri which tries to say that there's a. strong. case for a push for just ramble also in against all odds although you don't like the way you behave so to all this business with these various girlfriends has not helped. us thanks so much for your thoughts there from paris tonight thank you thank you it's been over a month since before to merge the hard line syrian rebels have captured the town of address side damascus stones of civilians were allegedly slaughtered and thousands displaced the rebels still occupy key parts that are making it hard to verify information coming from the i didn't if national and a crew were the first foreign journalist to make it inside to speak to the

survivors. address is just a twenty minute drive from damascus but the highway runs through an area firmly under rebel control so instead we take a newly created pass driving through high mountains of sand and piles of old tires the army uses to shoot its convoys from attacks it's maybe longer but it's a safer route. where the first for him to be crude to get this close to address after the siege began a month ago it's still not clear exactly what happened in this industrial city last december back then reports emerged of numerous killings and violence after alger was attacked by militants belonging to al-qaeda linked groups and the free syrian army. they stormed into the city and they kept the civilians in their buildings using them as human shields which made our mission very difficult this is why it takes so long we want to avoid civilian losses. to reported allegations the dozens

of civilians had been executed that people were beheaded and burned in over ends and one claimed the doctors and patients were killed in a clinic which revelled to address hoping to verify these reports but there is still no way of getting into the besieged areas of the town to confirm if any of that actually happened we got as close as the army can they're actually to the old town admiral blood and they work his house in complex nearby a drama lear both are now besieged by people because a lot of them were maybe some bankers here to separate other out below and that room earlier and to prevent the militants uniting. these corridors go all around the besieged cities with the army watching the area day and night. this is one of the checkpoints of the syrian army behind this wall is territory held by

militants and these soldiers strategy and mission right now is just to watch this area and to shoot if they see the enemy approaching. and this is actually all they can do for any military operation could threaten the lives of those who remain hostage and was no access inside it's impossible to tell just how many the are but luckily most of the residents managed to escape address we meet some of them two kilometers away they shelter around what used to be a large sum and factory life in this hotel's me he doesn't go to school anymore but this place because a terrorist attack this weekend we had to escape there compiled and we cannot go there they're owed a blocked he says his father is a government employee this is why it is dangerous for his family to stay we ask where they live now. the hours mother appear from the darkness of the room barely

ten square meters in the silence and everything what is happening is wrong there was no need for any of this see where we are now what degree we have reached now it's a question that many here are asking these children haven't seen their mother for a month full ready seriously ill she couldn't get her medicine due to the siege with her condition deteriorating she was sent to a hospital far from her family. we were living in peace and now where are we i wish peace would come back to all of syria. a month later it's still not clear exactly what happened in our drive most of those we talked to here in this camp fled before the militants arrived but occasionally we meet some who didn't escape so quickly and the luna up there were looking for anybody serving in the syrian army and also the virus of the syrian soldiers beheaded at the sewage system. we were in a group of about twenty people they were beating us three at

a time and killing us and i saw with my own eyes people stole and i still see them in my nightmares. that are like this sort of they cut drinking water and they prevented the bakery from working for us and young children are about to die from a lack of water and they threatened us with machine guns. once an important industrial and peaceful city has become yet another syrian battleground for weary forces whose three year long confrontation has left well in excess of one hundred thousand dead and millions displaced and yet it's another place where no side looks able to win and it's the ordinary syrian people left to pay the price. see from our drive in syria when tom the syrian foreign minister says the government will not be negotiated directly with the opposition the next round of peace talks in geneva due to start a week from now that decision was made after u.s. secretary of state john kerry insisted that president assad must be excluded from

the transitional government has been more action about this political activism a work of as a member of the syrian social club or a pro-government group joining us on the line all over the syrian government delegation demanding an apology indeed as well from john kerry because of his statements is that likely to happen. i don't think it will be happening no or not and so i think we also need to take the consideration of the u.s. congress has voted during the negotiations to arm the rebels so there is a lot to answer for and from the language we're hearing from the americans they don't seem to be you know having any shima that you know one sided vote shouldn't be the syrian government trying to achieve more dialogue with the rebels and you know being. more willing to a p.c. or not. i think they're trying but who are they going to go see if you know they went into geneva i think with good faith a since the very moment it was announced actually. the idea that is like six or seven months ago the syrian government said

it would be attending however those people whom they said even represent the umbrella they came under which is the syrian national coalition whose which was it in half really attending let alone negotiating on a lot of the syrian government so i think the syrian government is desperately trying to see someone and to negotiate with someone who can they want to to achieve any who would they want to achieve a sort of political solution and be be irrelevant underground and actually can you know have some powers to you know hold to their word in their agreement and the general consensus of course was that geneva two with was very disappointing about how much you gloss over it russia now says more rebel factions should be involved in the next negotiations to what extent did the opposition delegation in geneva two represent the many opponents of president the sad i don't think they represent much really despite the who one hundred forty sort of thirty or forty one hundred thirty

or forty states that have recognized it seems a very little bit if you syrians are yet to recognize it actually and even when they proposed this paper. and this is melissa. to some humanitarian issues here and i'm really seemed to hear it would floor they have. thought about holmes instead of a little which the syrian delegation of the syrian government the delegation had proposed previously. that was because the they had some control over homes but little did we know the you know the second day commander from our own skin publicly as you know who these people love actually there's an organisation to what they have and there are any you know humanitarian convoys of of him with the initiative apparently and so i hope so they really do not represent what you have to also think about the other straight through the sunni political opposition and indeed

the rebel commanders on the ground who have control of the ground and who hopefully if they agree to something they can stick to what about the threat from washington they would use force of syria failed to get rid of its chemical stockpiles by the summer of course you know where the is disappearing quick john was already gone february shortly going to be gone through as well but tell me get to the next meeting try to get a ramp up the pressure isn't it. well it is but there are there are some pretty cool reasons why this is happening you know i know from friends and family that whoever travels along that route between damascus and the one who started there are certain segments of the world where they have to drive closer to like a hundred miles an hour or hundred sixty can or has an hour because of fear of sniper fire power or shots from moderate opposition so if you want to move military grade equipment and vehicles along that route they have to be moved you know a much slower than that and they would be vulnerable especially if they're carrying you know chemical. warfare material or they will be routinely to become shattered

and cause a disaster let only the road itself that was cut for about three to four weeks during december because of the fighting in the column or area earlier navigon iraq they are brilliant and on other of it is just people and not even the aspers could get their fuel for the winter for their vehicles the food for the people and all the goods that are necessary for a for the military authorities to feel safe to move such as it is and and and and that it will not would so the language that was used again by by the americans ok they might have to be fair they might have some grounds to question whether the syrian government is really sticking to its word or not you know there is a there is a bit of trust to be built here definitely but the language that was used also questions the commitment and the you know the american position and whether they

went into this agreement in good faith or not because they might seem to be using this agreement to punish is serious rather than using this agreement to get rid of the chemical warfare so it's closer to a very complicated picture thanks for your thoughts on a work of political activists live from london appreciate it. for the opportunity. coming up on the program reinforcing afghanistan. we will support a unified afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future here is no point that the taliban and the future well join the peace process with the government of afghanistan the volatile country faces the looming threat of the resurgent taliban is kabul to washington wrangle over a post bullet security deal still to end the. war.

you know the playing. field in big spirit travels with the flame from its place in greece. joining james brown for an elemental and epic journey around russia and beyond. where i want to go.

hello again an amnesty is coming to force in ukraine given rioters in downtown kiev and throughout the country's west fifteen days to disperse and to leave government buildings this amid the seeming triumph of the country's opposition from many of the purity of form in munich where they scored pledges indeed of more support from washington the the european union meantime russia's foreign ministers called against taking a one sided view of the rest in ukraine you've got this can offer ports from germany. 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 what 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 your body what it is when you get that from there are some fundamental questions that need to be answered in particular about the situation in ukraine i'll just fueling street riots that are becoming more and more violent to promote democracy why is there no condemnation of the siege in still occupying government buildings were those who burned police officers who shot racist anti-semitic and nazi slogans why do many leading european politicians encourage such actions while any violations of the lord homes are dealt with harshly some strong words there from russia's chief diplomat also added joy that next time they meet was mr kerry is going to ask him what grades he had in school or asking how many countries this you think are in that group that he called the rest of the worlds.

well during those discussions in munich both opposition leader patella klitschko and ukraine's foreign minister had this say with a top diplomat blaming the boxer turned politician for the increasingly nationalist violence in the country klitschko though diverted the debate by blaming the violence on police brutality security consultant should join or used to work for the cia and the f.b.i. give us his thoughts on ukraine's handling of the situation. if you are in the situation where i've seen videos of police officers on fire and 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 if a police officer perceives that there's a threat to themselves or somebody else they can respond with pepper spray but tons of personal weapons strikes electronic control devices 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 i think throughout

the history of riots you see if there's not a strong police presence then the the tag and eyes of the agitators they become emboldened and they become more violent and more aggressive so there needs to be a strong police presence in those circumstances to control the violence. let's take a look at the latest polls they show two thirds of ukrainians do not support the turmoil that's engulfed the western regions in which most of the local administration offices the we've been stormed to besieged and many feel indeed the country's under the threat of civil war right now these poor asli it traveled into one of those hot beds of the unrest. this is the regional administration building event not sun card skin western ukraine where up until a week ago the regional governor had his office but as you can see just like in key if there is now a giant barricade surrounding the building with snow tires and planks of wood

radical and and he russian this is the heartland of nationalism where anti on the cover of sentiment runs deep and that's the way an italian and her comrades want to keep it the twenty nine year old entrepreneur has been here since the building was overthrown she says work can wait this is more important it is better to have no president than to have you know called which but with the opposition as fragmented as it is that tully is the first to admit no yana coverage could well mean an alkie . the problem is that we don't have any person to replace him and we will need to take someone from their position which won't be easy their sentiments blown across central and western ukraine where regional offices are being picketed and seized by protesters. the misa a group of right wing radicals some wearing masks stormed the municipal building chanting we have the power they used fire extinguishers and wooden sticks against

police. in china gov demonstrators set up barricades made a vehicle paths and sacks of snow they demanded police leave the building and. similar scenes played out in she can see where protesters trying to set light to furniture they smashed windows and threw stones at security forces. the anger has moved even further westwards. and ski protests descend ukrainian hymns while ignoring the governor's attempts to disperse them. in nevada from coffs those now laying siege to the municipality building a forbidden any symbols or sentiments of the ruling party. they claim it goes against the will of the ukrainian people no one knows where the head of the administration is there are parts of this building that are still functioning for example the day to day running of the city but on a political level everything is come to a standstill all this process might. lead to door division

of the country of course as a result in some arab spring helps in the long term perspective. despite their criticism of the only coverage these protesters have nothing better to offer policia r.t. even a front costs western ukraine. well the sooner we show you the latest pictures from here they came a couple of hours ago that was a scene a bit earlier the saturn where despite the amnesty the still a mass anti-government rally underway and fresh in security for munich opposition leader vitaly klitschko is calling for a total substitution of the government now of course if you're watching us perform a story very closely we'll bring you more on the ongoing term or the on air and online at r.t. dot com. presidential campaigning starts in afghanistan as american troops continue their withdrawal from the country kabul still refusing to sign

a security pact which would permit u.s. soldiers to remain in the fragile state after twenty fourteen counties losing caffein off next reports on how the taliban could be the ones benefiting from the friction between washington and the afghan government. after thirteen years in afghanistan washington is counting down together with our allies we will complete our mission bear by the end of this year and america's longest war will finally be over. but ending a war isn't the same as winning one when it comes to afghanistan peace is far from certain and the past ten years there were not able to build afghan security for forces to be able to face the challenges and this country and to be able in the future to confront the challenges and the taliban forces and the taliban fighters and al qaeda forces and the taliban have been active in the past two weeks alone the group has staged numerous attacks in kabul kandahar nimrods helmont and nanga

har in fact ministry of interior incident reports reveal clashes with the taliban in a most of the eleven provinces bordering pakistan the group also controls several districts in parwan just a short drive from the country's capital some provinces are believed to be controlled by shadow governments that answer directly to the taliban be the one that anyone not the taliban run their own district government is just there but there is no real security. and it could get worse a classified american intelligence assessment warns that the initial objective in afghanistan removing the taliban and disabling al qaeda as operations in the country could fail and that the taliban could return in full swing by twenty seventeen the u.s. wants some troops to remain in the country by the pentagon's logic the pursuit of terrorists is best based in the region same goes for u.s. drones and without american help the afghan army could collapse but the u.s.

first needs the afghan president to sign off on a key security pact something he has been refusing to do so far. now our position continues to be that if we cannot conclude a bilateral security agreement promptly then we will be forced to initiate planning for a post twenty fourteen future in which there would be no u.s. or nato troop presence in afghanistan there's also the issue of talking with the enemy the consensus seems to be that the afghan war could only end in a negotiated settlement with the taliban not a military victory but that's proven elusive the taliban are internally divided and the rift between kabul and washington has reportedly empowered hardline commanders who want to keep on fighting at the expense of those who support peace talks the u.s. war has succeeded in toppling the taliban regime and many afghans have seen their lives improve but those gains could easily be lost depending on who wins control over afghanistan a country that's once again could be up for grabs reporting in washington for our

team i'm lucy catherine. washington has spent billions waging war afghanistan over the years since two thousand and one indeed cost the u.s. taxpayer just under eight hundred billion dollars and there are some other bills still to come to every single american soldier serving in afghanistan will cost an average two point one million dollars more than seven billion dollars worth of equipment isn't going to be shipped off to be decommissioned and you thirty four million dollars military aged q will not be used that's now reportedly going to be demolished instead former british special forces officer richard williams told us the u.s. drawdown means the afghan government will have no choice but to reach a deal with the taliban. president karzai and those who have seen with him as they approach these next elections. and his supporters and those who he is supporting in the elections need to do a deal with the taliban going forward in twenty fifteen the taliban in certain

provinces the conflict provinces in the south certainly will be the dominant political element and as the president goes forward there's going to need to be an accommodation with them so this is a political gesture and so yes he is taking risks with the lives of his own soldiers the afghan army and afghan police are all fighting hard at the moment in these conflict provinces yes he's taking risks there but it's for a higher purpose and the higher purpose is clearly some form of political solution with the taliban protesters marched through central moscow in support of those accused of plotting mass unrest on the capital block my square back in may twenty twelve that's when protesters clashed with police during a rally that took place a day before vladimir putin's inauguration twenty seven people arrested after protests turned violent some were later released under a presidential amnesty late last year but others are still awaiting verdicts.