the syrian opposition initiate thread talks with the government as rebel forces continue to lose ground. we've managed to get to the former stronghold seen some of the worst violence in the three years of conflict. this is what's left after months of fierce clashes after months of their resistance and most. someone's home everything is destroyed everything in. the residents of the city of homs finally starting to return home to rebuild their lives devastated by the civil war. the iraqi government loses control of a vast province of the jihadist fighters seize several cities in the north forcing the army and local officials to flee. and ukraine's military faces to

send within its ranks as dozens of soldiers refuse to take part in a deadly crackdown against the regions in the east of the country. thanks for joining us for the program on r.t. international for me rory sushi and the whole news team coming up top headlines peace talks between the syrian government and the opposition could take place as early as this week this comes after the rebels were forced out of their last stronghold of homs left in tatters by years of war. to get inside the city and meet the former militants who are exhausted of fighting against their own people. these a new sounds the tank over the city of homes the place in the shallow

a bomb have to dialogue with the government the rebels left what they considered their capital and clashes stopped holmes's old town the militants last stronghold it's from here that they withdrew following they groom and with their sources and this is what's left after months of fierce clashes after months of their resistance and most shops someone's home everything is destroyed everything in the rooms but those who were forced to flee and no slowly returning for the first time in years is relatively safe here and people want to be in the place they still class as home here's my mother i just came back from the market where good their god does become possible after high ranking military and civil figures accepted bonuses for the very people have been targeting them they're desperate as the best word to describe the situation in which the rebels initiated talks the syrian police major was among

the negotiators but just a year ago he was hit by a bullet fired from the rebel side it left him disabled and doctors say he may never fully recover but he still calls for forgiveness most of them are young people who got influenced by fanatic shakes and islamic clerics who had the extremist ideology that is alien to syrian society they motivated them by money that came from the gulf countries mostly and all this was supported by western and israeli intelligence we need to help our guys who became victims of all this we speak with a major in what's become a kind of rehab center for ex militants around twelve hundred of them were brought to the school after they surrendered university teachers and religious leaders whose families suffered in war now talk to former military is helping them reintegrate. most of them saying they were forced to take up arms all of them deny ever killing anyone but their words are impossible to verify. they used to give us

lessons to explain to us that the regime is that the regime is attacking muslims and we have to fight them. we visit homes just days after syria's first presidential elections in decades this man tells us he voted for son the person who he was fighting against just weeks ago. syrian reconciliation is assets initiative he wants to rebuild peace and have the city of homs or who may have once targeted people in syrian army uniform could soon be wearing it himself as part of the rehab program the twenty two year old could be sent to serve in the country's army and there is no way that i will kill any of my brothers by religion and i were killed my former brothers in arms of i do not want to kill or hurt anybody it's. those behind this reconsideration initiative say the important thing is to encourage

other militants still resisting and there are many of them to lay down their arms and what remains the only district in the city of holmes is still held by the rebels there fishel say they are not less than three thousand and the army is here nearby and also surrounding the area and they are ready for an operation any moment but the rest of violence there are two. in three villages around homes and in some other syrian provinces the situation is similar but it is a long way to go before peace is returned here the total high today that syria is a cleese tell you down the right track. from homs in syria to iraq now where islamic extremists have seized a second major city in the north home to the country's largest oil refinery in recent days she had just fighters have been stepping up their insurgency now in control of the entire northern province of never along with iraq's second largest city of mosul with

a population of over two million hundreds of thousands. people have already fled their homes as soldiers were very quick to drop of their guns and abandoned their posts the radicals reportedly overrun a local airfield seizing military choppers and several humvees they've also released prisoners from local jails and here on r.t. international we spoke to be a u.s. congress antiterrorism advisor who says the takeover of mosul is a serious game changer. this battle is an important one before that dies or the islamic state in iraq and the levant would be engaged in getting a warship attacking convoys suicide bombing and now if it can control the city and the government within the next days and weeks cannot take it back this is a very serious matter and not only this organization will seize the resources of the city but recruit more and will conduct attacks from the city into other areas of iraq so the moment is very dramatic in iraq at this point in time and the

international community should have a stand at least if not politically but even more on the ground with the iraqi government at this point in time but also given advice to the iraqi government this is not the time for sectarian reaction this is the time for national unity in iraq now the city of slovyansk in eastern ukraine the main hub of pro autonomy forces has been utterly devastated by the ongoing army assault at least two children have now died from shrapnel wounds during the weeks long shelling residential areas in the city center are severely damaged and locals are suffering from water and power outages this is little. it struck in the morning i was hit by the blast wave i ran away need to call it to. get it out. there shooting but i can't leave i have nowhere to go and ukraine's newly elected president petro poroshenko has given orders for humanitarian corridors to be set up to get civilians to safety the self-proclaimed leaders of the rest of region say they

doubt the government will go ahead with this plan meanwhile around fifty national guard soldiers who took part in the attacks. now refuse to fight or sing their anger over the way the operation has been run a growing number of soldiers are laying down their arms as artie's paula smear investigates. six weeks on and with more than forty soldiers did his military operation continues the army is in a pitched battle with anti-government activists but it's also struggling to keep itself together. etc but now they're sending me to war calling on me to kill people in just like me more and more soldiers are refusing to obey orders and despite cuba's full military mobilization in march and has all but dried up where was once they used to before drafting offices in lugansk today there's

only one and it's quiet they won't play chess inside with the cameras i spoke with a clock and he said there hasn't been any kind of recruitment here for weeks i asked to speak with a person in charge but was told that he's taken early retirement. last month then acting president turchynov signed a decree calling on all men aged eighteen to twenty five to enroll those who did not list in jail but this young man is prepared to risk even more he's not only ignored his call up he's now fighting against the very army in which he's meant to serve a lot of. i go to dr lister on the third of march that said i should go to the army i refused i didn't even go to the drove things and i'm not going to fight against my own people we have spirit ideals patriotism they don't have that there are any good orders and money but others did on said the call to sort of a decision they now the great movie is son is twenty years old he was drafted

a year ago and disserving in western ukraine she's what we thought because he comes from the east he himself will be seen as the enemy and he appears to hoard i want him home this is the response. we are missing him we are really missing him. the army is said to lack food and ammunition and a sense of purpose and that's a casualty count climbs it will become harder and harder to convince young men they should put their lives on the line for a cause many don't believe in point of fear on t.v. eastern ukraine. and you can follow this report on twitter i should say giving us all the very latest updates straight out of eastern ukraine which is also reporting on the situation. one of the main flashpoints in the conflict between the army and pro autonomy militia groups. will be in the.

ten minutes past the hour moscow time negotiators from russia and ukraine are trying to resolve one of the key disputes between the countries out of natural gas just a moment a report on why kiev is refusing to pay its bills despite the offer of a slashed price and what the repercussions may be for europe. plus a lucrative military deal on the table for japan and australia as the u.s. allies align themselves to offset china's growing influence in the asia pacific we've called that and much more after a very short break. economic pressure. for. some. optimists now

a. part. of one. of the signs. the media leave us so we leave the. puzzling potions to cure. play your part of the musical. push use that no one is asking with the guests that you deserve answers from it's all on politicking only on our t.v. . ray of hope or merely a low in what is rapidly turning into the ukrainian civil war claims it has an understanding with moscow designed to deescalate tensions and violence there are a few details known about this understanding can better shango deliver.

to national come to life from moscow russia has offered ukraine a discount for natural gas supplies and moved back the deadline for a debt payment it's a move aimed at resolving a long running supply dispute but despite hours of talks there is still no compromise in sight let's bring in the host of venture capital capability for a bit of a bigger picture here nice to see you katie though any resolution inside do you think we've had hours of talks with no no real agreement not for now we're still waiting for a compromise on price to come or i give you the details just now so it does seem like the gas price dispute between russia and ukraine is indeed set to continue the latest development is that russia offered a one hundred dollar discount one thousand cubic meters of gas but as we understand it this was refused by kiev so we've got a stalemate situation at the moment no we know that this deadline which just keeps

being pushed down the road very much like the town has now been moved to june the sixteenth now as it stands if a payment isn't made by that time or at least a start of the pavers then that could mean the gas taps being turned off and at the moment we know this trilateral talks going on between europe ukraine russia so why does europe care so much well at the moment it gets a third of its gas from russia now fifteen percent of that gas makes its way via ukraine if ukraine stopped paying their bills and that would effectively mean as i say gas being turned off that could mean europe doesn't. it's deliveries and we know there's also an alternative going on at the moment this is the south. fire out boag area at the moment that has been frozen because of the tensions surrounding the situation with the negotiation of these talks so it's a perpetual situation at the moment and right now we are indeed waiting for

a compromise. or it could be that the host of venture capital let's hope that we get some sort of resolution here and then you know we know it's another set of discount it's more delays with kiev paying because this is the major bone of contention is and we're watching every second more we have. thanks very much. and i thank you for joining us here on r.t. international the launch of the world cup in brazil just a day away and it's. also become a bit of a political battleground this between the israelis and palestinians israel's sports minister has been forced to defend her country's highly controversial ban on all palestinians including athletes traveling abroad and this is a cold for israel to be. that full story. at the moment also therefore you have maybe a perfect spot for a diff if it wasn't teeming with dorsal fins. just off the beaches gulf shores alabama holiday makers advised to stay away from the sand if they don't want to.

japan and australia are looking to forge a military alliance with a multi-billion dollar submarine deal the first major transfer of tokyo's military technology to australia is seen as a step towards countering china's growing dominance in the region and it comes as prime minister pushes for greater japanese involvement in settling international disputes since coming to power in twenty twelve the japanese prime minister has taken moves to change his country's post-war pacifist stance step by step twenty thirteen for the first time in over a decade japan raised his defense budget this during an island dispute with china then in april of tokyo relaxed its self-imposed ban on exports saying it needs to expand the domestic defense industry just the following month in a televised address the prime minister said article nine of the constitution which

outlaws war to settle disputes should be revised and then in late two thousand and thirteen a five year defense plan was adopted including the purchase of drones and assault vehicles. now taking a closer look at the regional shifts in military power. after japan together with the nazi germany lost in the second world war it adopted a constitution which says the japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation in the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph lenda sea and air forces as well as other war potential will never be maintained throughout these years though japan has maintained armed forces but strictly for the purpose of self-defense well japan's current prime minister shinzo abe wants to rewrite that constitution and expend japan's military power in the region laying out

a vision of tokyo as a counterweight to china but without naming any country prime minister be offered japan's help to regional allies quote to ensure security of the seas and skies the japanese government has already relaxed arms export rules in april china is in the center of a number of territorial disputes in south china sea with the philippines vietnam and in the east china sea with japan over a same couple and islands the u.s. is very much in broiled in all of this claiming that the disputes demand a larger u.s. military presence in asia pacific sixty percent of the u.s. is fleet is there for us as a large military presence in australia japan and the philippines and guam and the u.s. doesn't mind its ally japan becoming more militarized the united states welcomes

japan's efforts to play a more proactive role in contributing to global and regional peace and stability including reexamining the duration of which constitution chuck hagel has left out of china for what he called destabilizing unilateral actions asserting its claims in the south china sea china hit back. i personally think the speech by mr hague was full of hate germany full of threats and intimidation china is accusing the due west of using the disputes and exacerbating them to gain a strategic advantage in the region if you're in indonesia if you're looking here is that what you're seeing is is that japan is piling on along with the united states japan may say that its plan is to secure peace but critics argue any military expansion would lead to more tension in washington i'm going to check out r.t. prime minister shinzo up those moves to militarize japan have been met with some

pretty massive public opposition by japan's international broadcaster has been gauging public opinion let's bring up some of the latest polls here on r.t. international numbers suggesting that just over thirty percent of those interviewed do support the idea of japan's militarization whereas at least forty one percent are firmly against tokyo's plans for a constitutional reversion allowing the use of war and international disputes we did speak to at least one expert on asia who believes that while behind closed doors it's all about the u.s. having a direct influence and seeing a stronger japanese military. very formidable military power. and it's also a threshold. this new kid technology and has rocketed three hundred technology so you decision to take. a. breather because they're trying. very quickly become

a major new. nuclear weapon state the moment the american. hand has a really strong. in their. own china and to a lesser extent to russia. u.s. airspace is about to get a little bit more crowded the federal aviation agency has for the first time allowed commercial drones to fly over land and that decisions come in for some criticism as get more perspective now and speak with aviation expert richard woodward who's also former vice president of the australian and international pilots association great to see you today richard when you anyone mentions the word drone so when it comes to being about civilian air space that people start to get a bit nervous and jittery is it justified why. cities in some ways aurore because they had become ubiquitous as we say is going to be hundreds of thousands of these things if there's any job that's only. interest you'll find

a drone why do you i mean do you think though there are any risks to civilians with this. if there are a few first off there's a privacy issue because the fact that these little things can fly over the side of your house and in india or you look at. the same thing is a there's no rule designed stand for the drones at the moment every single a craft that we fly is very strict design standards the drones don't have design standards yet and every country in the world is would you know that is that can be the technologies developed in the regulations that it employs now richard for example are the big oil company b.p. they actually receive the first license to use commercial drones are to oversee oilfield operations are potentially improving safety standards there and people are keeping people safe from danger do you think that's a positive side of it perhaps. i think that is a policy savant says a perfect job for a drone as a city to be boring to sit there in

a helicopter sunning doing it but he can do it at much lower cost with a drone to get higher resolution imagery back to the control side there's one issue with drones is that technology is limited by simply the moment a lot of saw it because of control issues so you can only do it we could see the drone in the distance on a sound to be a lot of people saying at all suggesting as you might be here that privacy privacy is one of the big issues here with civilians voicing that opposition to it but are you expecting there were a big public response to this is that maybe going to grow from here. i think we'll see the future of drones growing phenomenally fast sort of be one of the begin to strays around the world because is any number of applications such as tracking and checking the law and checking all fields as we've made should and taking photographs of you has facade all that's a favorite even making video documentaries you don't have to have it in helicopters now you can just have a little seven pm drone to do that so the future is fast control with the show

otherwise would have been me everywhere said you know i have a private moment anywhere in the world and lot of people are talking about big brother and so i in the sky keeping a close watch on all of us together is there anything apart from voicing opposition to this that people can do against it. well i think we've got to rely on the people in the industry controlling the development one of the thing is a for me is an airline pilot we could see in the future that we can have these drones very large droughns carrying cargo unmanned aircraft flying in the same a space is a pain in traveling and passionate it doesn't but i think it takes a very long thought to say it will pass that a craft as main should make the same stand is as the main de graaf in other words it can avoid potential collisions and it's built to a design standard suddenly come apart in the sky these are issues that the governments of go to deal with in the world in the initial civil aviation organization which is russia as a member of as well so we're all working as fast as we can to keep up with the

technology development richard with every action expert former vice president of the australian and international potus association a great pleasure to have you want on the international today thank you for your time. it's of. our let's get to some other global headlines for you international time for the world update to the chilean capital now santiago riot police fired tear gas on times of thousands of students and teachers in the streets demanding education reforms the protesters forward but hurling rocks at the squads and dozens injured arrests were made improving the education system was a key campaign pledge of president michel we took power in march this year. haiti where security forces fired live ammo what protesters who have been voicing anger over the cost of living corruption and continuing to demand the president's

resignation witnesses say at least three people collapsed amid the tear gas as police tried to break up the crowds well it is the second mass rally in the capital port au prince in less than a week. and to america where at least one student has died in a high school shooting near portland oregon. with a rifle was found dead at the scene there have been ten fatal school shootings in america since the beginning of this year. and to nigeria where twenty women have been abducted by gunmen thought to be. the most militant of this from a remote settlement in the country's north east that women were reportedly ordered into vehicles at gunpoint and driven away it's just the latest in a series of attacks in the country including mass kidnappings slayings and bombings and still the fate of two hundred seventy two schoolgirls abducted two months ago still unknown.

thank you for joining us here on r.t. international law research next though to find out how the u.s. government makes use of citizens' private data kind of right over by the companies that will be embalmed bost. and as for joining us from the u.k. thank you for doing so you're about to be joined by afshan returns. home. country murry history of yugoslavia is formation as a prosperous and peaceful country was considerate to be a success story of market socialism and in many regards it was them open the develop on. whom was this teacher of democracy and market economy if any republic in yugoslavia wanted for the us a it would have

to break away from yugoslavia and declared its independence ok it's not a conspiracy theory it's not my speculation it's not my analysis it's a public. sentiment. and punish it harshly for every slightly less some unlearnt the serbs start a business war the serbs are the original cause of the war they are the complete aggressors and wrongdoers. to bomb conflict. on that. bomb small. bomb all of tofu kitchens six of them new explosions and so. cool assists and the multi-ethnic society to live in harmony and joe not. what was forgotten to be told you about yugoslavia the weight of chains on r t.

c a series of explosions going off basis right. people are going to. feel like they are going to start taking every minute. let me. know what. my own life but. let's say the. skees is mostly to live. sometimes for nothing. just me it's still. just we still we can still be just if you see the stage take the t.v. . speech was.

led. to. the. local boss edward person that ada has the day off there are two interesting stories on our radar today the first phoenix housing the second goober let's start with phoenix now phoenix is the key to stressed housing market to follow a canary in the coal mine for former bubble markets and data from the month of may clearly show that the housing market they are topping out again. three major elements point to weakness going.