what if. like. the syrian opposition initiate red salk's with the government as rebel forces continue to lose ground we've managed to get to their former stronghold which is seeing some of the worst violence in a three year conflict. the iraqi government loses control of a vast province of the jihad is fine to see several cities in the north forcing the army and local officials to flee. and ukraine's military faces of dissent within its ranks as dozens of soldiers refused to take part in a deadly crackdown against proton in the regions in the east of the country.

welcome our names neil harvey and you're watching r.t. international now first for you this hour peace talks between the syrian government and the opposition could take place as early as this week and this comes after the rebels were forced out of their last stronghold of homes left in tatters by years of war auntie's maria fanaa managed to get inside the city a month for the militants weary of fighting against their own people. these a new sound the tank over the city of holmes the place in the shallow end of bombing 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 the green meant with their sources and this is what's left after months of fierce clashes after months of their resistance

and more sc shop someone's home everything is destroyed everything in ruins 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 their find where i just came back from the market where good thing god does become possible after high ranking military and civil figures accepted the advances from 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 get influenced by fanatic shakes and islamic clerics who have 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 x. 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 militants 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 homs 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 won't kill 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. remains the only district in the city or homes 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 at 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 to how it was a long way to go before peace is returned here but hopes are high today that syria is a pleased how do you down the right track. from homes in syria. islamic extremists to see if they second major city in northern iraq home to the country's largest oil refinery in recent days jihadist fighters have been stepping up the insurgency and they're now in control of the entire northern province of nineveh along with iraq's second largest city of more saw with a population of more than two million hundreds of thousands. as of people have already fled their homes soldiers were quick to drop their guns and abandon the post the radicals have reportedly overrun a local airfield seizing military helicopters and several hundred vehicles they've also released prisoners from jails we spoke to the u.s. congress antiterrorism adviser who says that the takeover of muscle is

a game changer this battle is an important one before the dive or the islamic state in iraq and the levant would be engaged in getting a war here 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 will 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 political but even more on the ground with the iraqi government at this point in time but also given advice of the iraqi government this is not the time for sectarian reaction this is a time for national unity in iraq still to come in the program this hour a lucrative military deal is on the table for japan and australia as the u.s. allies align themselves to offset china's growing influence in the asia pacific region this hour more after the short break.

that's what you call quick next the city of slavyansk in eastern ukraine the main hub of anti-government forces has been devastated by the ongoing army assault at least two children have died from shrapnel wounds during the week long shelling residential areas in the city center are severely damaged and locals are suffering from water and power outages. it struck in the morning always hit by the blast wave i ran away with the collar to. get it out. there shooting but i can't leave i have nowhere to go ukraine's newly elected president petro poroshenko has given orders for humanitarian corridors to be set up to get civilians to safety but the self-proclaimed leaders of the restive region say they doubt the government will actually go through with that plan meanwhile around fifty national guard soldiers who took part in attacks on slavyansk of refused 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 well mostly in our report. six weeks on and with more than forty soldiers did kiev's military operation continues the army is in a pitched battle with anti-government activists but it's also struggling to keep itself together. that. they're sending me to war calling on me to kill people in their own bars and just like me more and more soldiers are refusing to obey orders and despite a kid's full military mobilization in march and has all but dried up whereas once they used to before drafting officers in lugansk today because only one and it's quiet they won't let us inside with the cameras i spoke with said clark and he said there hasn't been any kind of recruitment here for weeks i asked to speak with the

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 involve 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 the labor i go to draft lesser on the third of march that said i should go to the army i refused i didn't even go to the drafting center i'm not going to fight against my own people we have spirit of ideals patriotism they don't have that there are any good orders and money but others did on said the court to serve a decision they now have a great maria's 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 with him or i want him home as

soon as possible we are missing him we are really missing him the army is said to lack food and ammunition and a sense of purpose and as the 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 r.t. eastern ukraine. and you can follow paul on twitter to get all the latest updates from eastern ukraine she has just reported that kiev has halted welfare payments in two cities in the region june to the ongoing conflict. began. next negotiators from russia and ukraine are trying to resolve one of the key disputes between the countries namely natural gas later on we report on why kid is refusing to pay its bills despite the offer of

a slush price and what repercussions that could be for your. language as well but i will only react to situations i have read the reports for. the pollution to know i will leave that to the state department to comment on your part to save to secure a car is on the docket. when you question me prepared for a change when you should be ready for a. critical speech. down the street into. dramas to be ignored. stories others the few just

in the. faces change. so picture of today's. politicians from around the globe. to. you're watching r.t. international real pleasure to have your company russia has offered to ukraine a discount for natural gas and moved back the deadline for debt payment it's a move and at resolving a long running supply dispute but despite hours of talks there is still no compromise in sight here's venture capital host katie pilbeam with all the details . it seems like the gas price disputes between russia and ukraine is set to continue for a while longer the latest development is that russia offered

a one hundred dollar discount per one thousand cubic meters during the recent negotiations which would be lower than what many european countries pay but ukraine has reached fused i want an even lower rate now the deadline to at least make a start on payments anyway which keeps on being moved has now been postponed to doon the sixteenth now if kiev's debt is not paid which as it stands according to gazprom amounts to four point five billion dollars then a prepayment system will be introduced by another words that would mean gas turned off now these ongoing negotiations they involve europe why well as you can see on the map just here they haven't invested interest and that's because your relies on russia for a third of their gas needs a fifteen percent of which pass through ukraine just here if kiev doesn't pay then supplies to europe could be disrupted meanwhile the alternatives sound stream

project would secure supplies bypassing ukraine and it's been frozen at the moment by air and other gas from fine a pipeline would ship gas to western europe via the balkans as you can see just that so obviously totally avoiding ukraine so with that in mind it's in everyone's interest to come to a compromise on these ongoing gas price disputes as soon as possible. the launch of the world cup in brazil is just a day away as well as a sporting extravaganza it's also become a political battleground between the israelis and palestinians israel's minister has been forced to defend her country's highly controversial. palestinians including traveling abroad. to be expelled from favor you can get the full story on dot com. while you were there perfect spot for. that it was for the fact it was teeming with dorsal fins as you can see holiday

makers in alabama are advised to stay away from the beach if they don't want shark bait. check it out yourself. your friends post a photo from a vacation you can't. call it different. the boss repeats the same old joke of course you like. your ex-girlfriend still plans to rejection poetry. or it. really matters. to your facebook news feed. japan and australia are looking to forge a closer 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 comes as prime minister shinzo rb pushes for greater japanese involvement in settling

international disputes since coming to power in twenty twelve the japanese pm has taken moves to change his country's post-war pacifist stance step by step in early twenties thirteen for the first time in over a decade japan raised its defense budget during an island dispute with china in april of that year tokyo relaxed its self-imposed ban on arms exports saying that it needs to expand the domestic defense industry the following month in a televised address the prime minister said that article nine of the constitution which outlaws war to settle disputes should be revised and then the late twentieth thirteen a five year defense plan was adopted and that includes the purchase of drones and m fifty assault vehicles and into account takes a closer look now 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 for every now swore 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 len see it 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. 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 abi 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. the east china sea with japan over same cockle and do all you

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 into triggering to global regional peace and stability including reexamining for tradition which constitution chuck hagel has lashed out at 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 haygood is full of her 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 aim is you're looking at this and 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 tensions in washington i'm going to check on r.t. or prime minister moves to militarize japan have met with fierce public opposition and international broadcaster has been gauging public opinion and according to the polls just over thirty percent of those interviewed actually backed the idea of japan's militarization whereas forty one percent are against tokyo's plans for a constitutional revision allowing the use of war in international disputes and we talked to one expert on asia who believes that the u.s. as a direct interest in seeing a stronger japanese military. very formidable military hour

and it's also a threshold hour in that it has nuclear technology and has rocket technology three hundred technology so if decisions are taken in tokyo and washington breathes. then japan could very quickly become a major nuclear nuclear weapon state the moment the american see tries japan as a very strong. element in their containment of on china and to lesser extent to russia. u.s. air space 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 that decisions come in quite some criticism earlier we heard from aviation expert richard woodward he said that there are major privacy and safety issues at stake future drones growing phenomenally

faster to be one of the begin to streets around the world because it is any number of applications such as tracking and checking l.r. and chip in all fields as a control issue otherwise we'll have them everywhere are said you won't have a private moment anywhere in the or there's a big privacy issue because the fact that those little things can fly over the side of your house and the fairing to your your. windows the second thing is the is no real design stage for the drones at the moment for every civil a craft that we fly is very strict design standards the drones have design standards country in the world is working on that as far as they can but the technology is developing faster and the regulations are getting up with. let's bring you some other world news in brief now starting in the chilean capital santiago where riot police have fired tear gas and tens of thousands of students and teachers who packed the streets demanding education reforms protesters fought

back rocks at riot squads dozens were injured and several arrests were made proving the education system was a key campaign pledge of president michelle bachelet who took power in march of this year. in haiti security forces fired live rounds at protesters voicing anger over the cost of living and government corruption and demanding the president's resignation witnesses say at least three people collapsed amid the tear gas as police tried to break up the crowd is the second mass rally in the capital port au prince in less than a week. at least one student has died in a high school shooting near portland oregon the attack armed with a rifle was found dead at the scene in ten fatal school shootings in america just since the beginning of this year. and to nigeria now where twenty women have been

abducted by gunmen thought to be bach or islamist militants from a remote settlement in the country's northeast when they were reportedly ordered into vehicles at gunpoint and driven away this is the latest in a series of attacks in the country including mass kidnappings slayings and bombings of two hundred seventy two schoolgirls abducted two months ago remains. now a news report says can't get to the heart of political intrigues it's time to turn to the cartoonists the resemblance is uncanny isn't it peter all the reports from germany on the time honored ridicule being poured on lawmakers and your across. politicians they've always been good for a giggle on t.v. poking fun as our political elite says a read on a fine tradition strict back hundreds of years but what goes into making a great political caricature. you can often find that you can exaggerate the part of their physical appearance with the policies they stand for the venues drawing

may not look exactly like this object but it will be instantly recognizable as those in the top jobs in europe settle into their new term they too have found themselves the subject parody meet the bath as he leaves his home in the woods and heads off with the intention of doing good in brussels there he ends up working as a lobbyist for a bank alongside rocky the chimp has been often. i was inspired to use the chimpanzee after a test in london to see who could pick the best stock trims or professional traders the teams one i thought if our only option in germany is to listen to i'm going to merkel one of the chimp a chance to. in this tale the nefarious rocky leads brutal into a murky world of behind closed door deals and political intrigue that bears a resemblance to what many opposed to lobbyists in brussels stand for yet say.

who you are but those days regime with the e.u. commission is to centralized this people were not elected but they have sway over policies many which aren't endorsed by people in the commission in turn are swayed by the law because citizens have no voice. all very complicated issues that many in europe can find difficult to fully grasp that's where the cartoon can become a useful tool to fill people in on what's going on with their politics you know. you can draw people in this way and get them looking at a real issue we consult with an economist while writing the script to make sure it's correct i see this as a gateway to understanding laughing and learning political satire isn't going anywhere even if some of the lump figures may not be best pleased with the way the cartoonists views them peter all of a r.t. . ok do please join me at the top of the hour for the very latest news headlines

what's coming up next after the break you might find particularly interesting because we're taking a look at the big news stories including ukraine on syria from behind the scenes here at r.t. its new sting. ray of hope for merely a low in what is rapidly turning into the ukrainian civil war can claims it has an understanding with moscow designed to deescalate tensions and the violence there are a few details known about this understanding can better shango deliver. over . did you know the price is the only industry specifically mentioned in the constitution and. that's because a free and open process is critical to our democracy albus. in

fact the single biggest threat facing our nation today is the corporate takeover of our government and across several we've been hijacked lying handful of transnational corporations that will profit by destroying what our founding fathers once told us my job market and on this show we reveal the big picture of what's actually going on in the world we go beyond identifying the problem trucks rational debate and a real discussion critical issues facing america have on the books ready to join the movement then walk a little bit take. your friend post a photo from a vacation you can't afford. the difference. the boss repeats the same old joke of course you like. your ex-girlfriend still pens tear jerking poetry keep. ignore it. we

post only what really matters at r.t. to your facebook news feed. please. please please. please . today and signs of progress in syria peace to. anybody.

else those rights where. these are are you pay the money to what do you. say. hello and welcome to the. west i mean to eighteen thousand people including many women and children who remain trapped in the young luke kind of sting and refugee camp and something damascus it's been caught hold by super and rebels in more than a year now hundreds of relief postals have managed to reach the calm for the finest

time in several months but that's too late for at least eighty five people have died that is the middle of last year from illness and starvation maria took a trip to this rubble and play. it just. before you're the cow was besieged and people started literally dying from starvation and this is something we have to occur. we have to go there and find out what exactly happened and how dramatic it is just so it's middle east man like you have to be very very careful with what you say because like. one wrong word could harm. someone and cooed at the same time. spool your images like as a professional journalist you are here to clarify things not. to mix things.