eventually military and now try to read task it as a counter-insurgency force it creates a lot of gaps and that's the kind of private sector stuff. the e.u. is offering financial support to ukraine as the country endures a severe political crisis amid ongoing protests on the heels of western diplomats backing the opposition's bid to seize power. children. and they try to dust with machine guns there would be three a title and killing us r.t. is the first foreign channel to gain access to the besieged syrian city of where the survivors of the alleged massacre recounts the horrors they witnessed. traditional family values take center stage in france as thousands rally to protest against the policies of.

broadcasting live direct from our studios in moscow recapping the week's top stories with our weekly program this is our international now all eyes have been on ukraine this week the cabinet was dissolved government buildings across the country besieged while the opposition enjoyed a huge backing from the west. e.u. foreign policy chief catherine ashton has offered financial aid to ukraine's interim cabinet the aid package is now being discussed by the e.u. and the u.s. meanwhile top diplomats from america and europe have already pledged of their political support for ukraine's anti-government movement at a security conference in munich u.s. secretary of state john kerry called the rallies a fight for democracy

a view sharply contradicted by russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov artie's you've got a piece going off reports 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. people also you crave 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 even still occupying government buildings were those who burned police officers who show racism and use the media and nazi slogans why do many leading european politicians unscarred 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 mr kerry is going to ask him what grades he had in school asking how many countries this you think are in that group that he calls the rest of the worlds. ukraine's prime minister along with the whole cabinet resigned earlier this week in a bid to ease tensions and the ongoing crisis peacefully the move comes after weeks of violence left dozens injured including many police who were both beaten and burnt in confrontations with rioters earlier we spoke to a former agent of the cia and f.b.i. who now advises law enforcement on crowd control to ask him how authorities should respond. 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. strikes electronic control devices pick 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 and 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. now the riots have not remained solely in kiev in western ukraine many local government buildings were stormed by protesters who clashed with police while the latest opinion poll shows two thirds of the country are against the current wave of

violence party's policy or reports from one of the regions that witnessed the turmoil. this is the regional administration building event notes on cards skin western ukraine where up until a week ago the regional governor had his office but as you can see just liking kiev's there is now a giant barricade surrounding the building with snow tires and planks of wood radical and he russian this is the heartland of nationalism where anti on a college sentiment runs deep and that's the way natalia 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 which is supposed to have no president then to have you know call the church but with the opposition as fragmented as it is that tally is the first to admit no yanna coverage could well mean an alkie whitley bishop along with 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 the sentiments blown across central and western ukraine where regional offices are being picketed and seized by protesters i believe a group of writing radicals some wearing masks stormed the municipal building chanting you have the power they used fire extinguishers and wooden sticks against the. i intended of the demonstrators set up barricades made a vehicle paths and sacks of snow they demanded police in the building was similar scenes played out and she can see where protesters trying to said like to furniture they smashed windows and threw stones at security forces. in a van or from coffs those now laying siege to the municipality building a forbidden in symbols or sentiments of the ruling party they claim it goes against

the will of the ukrainian people. policia r.t. ivana from cosco waste in ukraine. meanwhile thousands are gathered in the capital kiev on sunday for a mass anti-government rally we've got more on the unrest in ukraine at r.t. dot com. it has been more than a month since the islamist rebels seized in the industrial syrian town of hadera just outside the capital damascus after that offensive dozens of civilians were allegedly massacred and thousands displaced though extremists still occupy key parts of the city party's mayor for national and her crew were the first foreign journalists to get close and 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 mounds of sand and piles of old tires the

army uses to its convoys from attacks it's maybe longer but it's a safer route. where the first foray into recruit 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. now to reported allegations the dozens of civilians had been executed that people were beheaded and burned in over ins and one claimed the doctors and patients were killed in a clinic we traveled 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. actually to the old town admiral blood and the workers house in complex nearby a drum aliya both an al besieged by people with a lot of maybe some blankets here to separate other are below and that room earlier and to prevent the militants uniting. these corridors go all around the besieged cities with the army watch in their area day and night this is one of the checkpoints of the syrian army behind this wall is territory held by militants and the 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 terrorist attack the student who 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 are six yard where they live now. the hours mother appear from the darkness of a room barely ten square meters and a silence 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 already 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. and. 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 another drug 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 loner up there were looking for anybody serving in the syrian army and also the virus so 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 i saw with my own eyes people stoned i still see them in my nightmares. about how might this sort of make up 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 try to dust with machine guns. once an important industrial and peaceful city has become yet another syrian battleground for weary forces whose three alone 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 roof notional tea from address in syria. of the baskets has rejected face to face talks with the opposition when the geneva peace conference restarts that is unless of the us secretary of state apologizes for saying president assad has no future in syria syrian political activist omar told my colleague kevin owen that such verbal attacks could jeopardize the next round of talks which are scheduled to start in a week's time eavis congress is looted during that because he issues to arm the

rebels so there is a lot to answer for around from the language we're here to really americans don't seem to be you know having any of that is what about the threat from washington that would use force if syria failed to get rid of its chemical stockpiles by the summer there are some pretty cool reasons why this is happening you know i knew from from friends and family that who would travel his along that route we don't ask this and other know who is the south but there are certain segments of that where they have to drive closer to like a hundred miles an hour or under sixty you can orders an hour because a few know sniper power or shots from moderate opposition so if you want to move military grade equipment and vehicles into that through the they have to be moved you know much lower than that and they would be vulnerable especially if they're carrying you know chemical. warfare material that was that was used also questions the commitment and the you know the american position whether they went into this agreement in good faith or not because they might seem to be using this agreement

to punish is use rather than using this is really to get rid of the chemical warfare calmer waters for file sharing website pirate bay. after a dutch court has turned an earlier ruling allowing the side to restart operations in the netherlands we have more on that in just a few minutes time. tens of thousands of people have marched through paris and of the city of melbourne in support of traditional families and marriage protesters are demanding the government abandon its policy allowing same sex couples to marry and bring up children our correspondent peter oliver reports from the french capital well on sunday paris saw the latest wave of discontent to sweep across france as we saw thousands upon thousands of people come out onto the streets of the vent their anger at what they see as the erosion of traditional family values in the country is being particularly anger toward suggestions that

france could legalize homosexual marriage also that it could do those could be brought in that would see if they could see gay and lesbian couples either adopt all conceived children to i.d.f. treatment they say that that's isn't what the traditional family is about and that's why they've been coming out here and telling me that they want to get the french government in particular france war on the president to hear their anger their government is not very firm exists in this matter i mean they don't want to go but there are many many people who just want to the right of children and just don't care that she's she says even more so use for a long time his personal popularity well that is it an all time low and he's currently seems the the most unpopular french president in recent memory and what that seeing is more were more people coming out onto the streets to vent their anger against all odds and against the rules that he's trying to impose on them that they say infringes upon traditional family values here. and peter all

very reporting for us there from paris now as one french journalist told us earlier . focus on sexual orientation issues is a smokescreen to direct attention away from his low ratings. disses an issue that he has deliberately raised to distract attention from his unpopularity who want to get c. impressions of the ministry of the interior is actually looking into these issues but equally it's true there is an i suppose about one says the population who do feel very strongly about this we talked about this year ago the best time i said there is the settlements the population who will not not let go on this subject to the whole the government pushes it all they will push back to the background there is the new code which is expiring and to try harder if you like this is not anti these in favor of a family was a pair of children fighting for a shop or just shot down by. still ahead this hour testing of the ice for future

world records our correspondent joins at the. speed skating arena to make sure that surfaces for the upcoming races for gold are as smooth as can be. one of. the. pleasure to have you with us here in. london. the whole world. of the original

one of the one on the end. of the cord that building at the end of the street another one a more transparent society gets the money or the puck the tears become we see military and state and police forces mobilized against people who blend into the city the city the more people trust electronic devices the more defenseless the. fear that it is a. hierarchy. welcome back you're watching the weekly here on our team now just days the brand new adler venue and so on she will play host to the real stars on ice when dozens of top sportsmen and women will compete for olympic gold a real drama on ice with breathtaking sprints false starts and

a photo finishes that's what awaits fans and they can count on it say has been checking out the arena. we've just arrived here at the adler skating center this is where the speed skating competitions during the twenty fourteen winter olympic games is going to be taking place now we've been invited inside to actually take a look at the four hundred meters in length the skating rink it's very important that this rink be maintained properly particularly for the skaters and they going to show us how they do that so let's go and see it. as you can see it's spectacular on the outside but the real beauty is how it works on the inside no expense was spared in the creation of the venue at the olympic park and you can certainly see where the money went a crystal face is reflected by and you know walls and triangular stained glass windows the gray and white color of the building in hunt's this impression even the

facade is transparent so the spectators inside the arena can see out the focus of the arena doesn't disappoint with leading sports men and women coming forward to trace the circuit it features to competition tracks and one training track all designed to provide the best possible performance for athletes the quality of ice can make a huge difference in winning that goal and edler quality is the main priority with optimal micro climatic conditions because. it's just a limb. every forty five minutes will have to. be machine on the circuit for. the floor one hundred meters this is very important because i will be leveling up ice rink as well as making.

all week a limb pins will be skating. close on the machine feeds. well the hopital every twenty five minutes of the games so that the little blighters one thousand one can have a much smoother loss so. it's going to be all about speed speed and more speed and the atlas and sochi is ready to bomb the thing in the big park in sochi what. now you can get more of our tour of the olympic park at our t. dot com and make sure you're here when the games get going we'll have special coverage on air throughout saussure two thousand and fourteen.

u.s. and e.u. sanctions who will continue to burden iran's economy that is according to u.s. secretary of state john kerry during a meeting with his iranian counterpart in munich some of the restrictions were lifted under a deal reached in november in exchange for tehran scaling down a nuclear enrichment a former advisor to iran's negotiation team. says the comments do more harm than good. and lipstick carries pressure tactics which is part of these two prong. of diplomacy the idea pronk being rising military threats and this very dangerous. threat that we saw in president obama's state of the union address is really content put duct here and there poisons the environment for the coming talks they brought iran to the table by pressure and they need to escalate that pressure

to gain maximum concessions and secretary of state kerry has been referring to this man telling aspects of the opinion nuclear program which is contrary to the content of the geneva agreement and flatly rejected by d.n.a. and four minutes that. an entrepreneur and a bit coin millionaire charlie shrem was arrested in the u.s. this week he has been charged with the laundering of more than a million dollars worth of the cyber currency through the online market silk road the site closed for selling drugs the twenty for twenty four year old is well known as one of bitcoins biggest promoters and if found guilty he now faces more than a decade behind bars is currently out on bail but remains under house arrest financial analyst mark thornton thinks that actual legal issues have very little to do with this case. the u.s. dollar is actually the major facilitator of the illegal transactions of drugs human

trafficking all sorts of nasty businesses most of the trade is done with the u.s. dollar not a big one bitcoin is a small player it is a small percentage of its transactions are illegal that's true but the majority are for legal goods whereas the u.s. dollar is the primary player in international trade in illicit items but this was a political event not a legal or judicial event this arrest it was a political event meant to intimidate people in the big point space and it was a perfectly foreseeable event as well. holidaymakers on the beaches of spain may have to get used to an ominous silhouette on the horizon. that's after america sent a ballistic missile defense destroyer to the area this of course has not been welcomed by moscow which has warned of a counter move you can learn more online. of

the big bang in practice. a one hundred sixteen metre high german skyscraper was a leveled in one of the largest ever controlled building explosions in europe and online for the dramatic footage. a dutch court has given internet freedom activists a reason to celebrate this week after it ruled to restore users access to an online file sharing service in the pirate bay the hague appeals court has reversed a two thousand and eleven decision to block access to the website stating that the ban didn't help to reduce copyright infringement political columnist ted rall believes it's almost impossible to defend property rights in this high tech era. if anybody tries to regulate the internet at this point seems to be failing it's a very interesting case though because it seems to rely on the concept the legal

concept of arbitrary and capricious ness in other words the law the which applied specifically to this site would be which should apply to all sites obviously and if they were only going after this one and effectively it what's the point and it's unfair but you know there's obviously broader implications of such as intellectual property rights the motivation of for example movie studios creative people cartoonists and writers those kinds of people have to be able to earn a living so it's you know it's an interesting balance between internet freedom and the fact the digitization has made it very difficult for copyright holders to enforce those rights. now take a swing around the globe to look at some other stories making headlines around the world this hour in the iraqi army has stepped up its of bombardment of the city of fallujah reportedly ahead of a full on ground offensive the city was seized by al-qaeda linked militants in early january and has been under intensive shelling for days the government has

been holding off on sending in troops to give local tribesmen time to oust the rebels security in iraq has been getting worse with almost eight thousand people killed in sectarian violence last year alone. thailand's electoral commission says it is unable to announce the results of a nationwide vote after anti-government protesters forced the closure of thousands of polling stations they disrupted the delivery of ballot papers and set up blockades the early general election comes after months of protests calling for the prime minister to quit to pave the way for far reaching political reforms and then rash was sparked by fears she was forcing it through the wall to let her exiled brother back into the country. just ahead the abuse suffered by some adopted children is discussed in the worlds apart stay with us you're watching our two international.

wealthy british style. sometimes it's because. of the. markets why not scandals. find out what's really happening to the global economy in these kinds of reports on our t.v. is obviously more for the latest because it's pink. women wanted to avoid rate they really needed to buy guns environ how to use them i'm. sure this is the one that i want to go with them once again it's the feel of french. women are definitely the target of the gun lobby and you don't kill them when the killing money but if somebody would you would describe her. i'm noticing more and more is

this really scary marketing tactics which implies that women have some sort of moral obligation to own guns to protect their family and young girls shoot out here too so we do have a pink or. more kids young kids choke on food than are killed by firearms if being armed made us safer in america we should be the safest nation on earth were clearly not the safest. right from the scene. first street. and i think picture. on our reporters when they're in.

hello and welcome to world the part of the conventional wisdom is that a child is always better off when the family down in an institution given in being with family means losing all existing social ties but it is international adoption of really all wasted in the best interest of a child all to discount that amount joined by elizabeth bartholet faculty director of the child advocacy program at harvard law school. i really appreciate you being on the show i think it's a very sensitive issue and we are all for a very very interesting discussion thanks for having me now i know that you are one of the most vocal advocates in your country for international adoption.