a journalist working with a big channel has been killed by shelling from islamic state in syria. in a review of the week's news one signature away. we'll look at what's behind the move. as russia condemns the proposals as illegal. washington fearing europe's businesses will be hit. the news human rights watch claims the u.s. trained iraqi army unit has carried out numerous extra judicial killings of suspected. vote. to

change the constitution furious opposition protests left at least five people dead . this sunday this is the international the main news for the past seven days but first a breaking development that we learned about a couple of hours ago here at r.t. a young journalist working with a big sister channel in syria has been killed by shelling from islamic state more details are what we know so far from our correspondent daniel hawkins that straightforward to find out what's going on in a place like that what do we know. he was part of all extended family so to speak. he was in syria for those not familiar with the time it's like a local contractor to work specifically in war zones as he was doing in this case

he was killed in an attack by isis in the area of. homs province where the syrian army is currently working to liberate that area. now. work with. lots of battles in the area of homs he interviewed the families of victims of refugees affected by fighting from all sides he was also very active on social media on facebook in particular this in fact was one of the last posts he posted on his his facebook very chilling very poignant given what happened just hours later perhaps the most sad of all he was only twenty two years old in fact he was still a student he was at the university of damascus in the faculty of media and journalism and a very talented young journalist as well it seems judging by some as materialists is some of his last work that we can show you know. what do you.

do that if you said i mean. now we understand at this stage what happened is they were hit by and it's act from isis whether they were on foot and a vehicle we can't confirm at this stage but we do know is that his camera man. has jacobi was also injured in the attack he's now been taken to hospital in homs we're not sure what his condition is but of course we'll have an update when that does come in. and also he is we can confirm the first journalist

cameraman ever to die working for ati in a conflict so very much a difficult day for his family and for all of us here today as well a sad loss of a brave young man very much mccullough's from a matter of the cameramen recovered. so done a fine thank you very much. thanks to a new round of anti russia sanctions that is just a signature away as the u.s. congress waits for president trump to put pen to paper the senate passed the bill on thursday washington says they were in response to what they cold russian aggression in syria and ukraine and for alleged meddling in the u.s. election it was kind of moping found out there might be much more behind the initiative. this sanctions bill that was passed it targets many parts of russia's economy it targets mining it targets finance and russia metal manufacturing but one part of the bill that was specifically singled out was the energy sector of russia's economy the bill penalizes any company that cooperates with russia's

pipeline projects it's about sending a message to russia to hold mr putin accountable for his actions we will take tough action against russia the bill is targeting the construction of a key natural gas pipeline into europe citing what it calls detrimental impact on european energy security furthermore in the same paragraph the bill talks about exporting more of america's resources in order to create american jobs strengthen u.s. allies and strengthen u.s. foreign policy now that all agrees with a key component of u.s. energy strategy america's global dominance in energy policy. is not just a vital element of u.s. economic policy but it's also a bottle element of us foreign policy and one of the most important actions we can take is to use our massive shale gas resources to begin shipping liquefied natural

gas overseas so there you have it but what does selling gas to europe have to do with protecting the sanctity of america's voting machines the point is it hasn't got to do anything with the geo political sphere with the frozen conflict in the ukraine though with syria and it actually hasn't got anything to do also with an interference with russia the us elections this has to do with the approach of the us administration to make deals to get their economy going and so this is very commitment rather than political u.s. leaders say that they don't like russia for all kinds of reasons but one thing they don't mention is that russia is a key exporter of oil and natural gas competing with the big monopolists america's european allies are now crying foul saying that the usa is interfering with their energy policies with these sanctions the us bill could have unintended unilateral effects the impact the e.u.'s energy security interests america first kind of mean that europe's interests come last at this point russia counts for thirty eight

percent of the european union's natural gas while the usa only accounts for two percent of the e.u. is natural gas imports you can bet some slick wall street syndicates would like to reverse that lineup so when you hear this explanation of the sanctions the mere fact that russia tried to affect our elections this stunning breach of our right as a sovereign nation decades of unchecked russian aggression whether it be in the ukraine in the crimea in syria don't forget about this one we must continue to focus on how we get our gas here in the united states our natural gas to europe to our allies so they're not so dependent on russia. e.u. leaders have reacted angrily to washington's proposed new sanctions as well in its attempt to free europe from its reliance on russian gas they say their economic interests are being ignored germany's even warned the u.s.

of countermeasures is one reason why europe's leaders are so unhappy about it all the sanctions could impact on the north stream to pipeline that's a major project between european companies and russia's energy sector firms from germany austria france and the netherlands have agreed to invest almost five billion euros in it around half of the projects total cost once completed it should provide northern europe with russian gas according to reports from multinational businesses in the energy sector the likes of b.p. and exxon mobil have been lobbying against the new measures in the u.s. congress so to a big manufacturers like boeing and ford more on that now from peter oliver. well it's the potential impact that these sanctions could have on both the the business and energy sectors here in europe that has e.u. officials hot under the collar there are potentially huge fines for e.u. businesses that would enter into energy projects with russia many of those blue chip european companies of course are heavily involved there what we've heard from

the german foreign ministry is them saying that it can't be accepted that the industrial policy of another nation be passed off as sanctions while the german government spokesperson also came out saying that e.u. industry can't be targeted and if there will be a response if the sanctions or when the sanctions go through it's not just the germans though the french foreign ministry issued a statement saying that well they believe that the sanctions impacted upon the rights of private individuals as well as corporate entities to an extent that they believe may go beyond international law the austrian chancellor christine care he posted online he said that politics and business should not be mixing when it comes to making decisions like this it's not excluded that they also follow that they also follow their economic interests. we don't complain about that unless

it does not affect our own interests but right now it really affects our own interest negatively impact of do you plan sanctions notice a very negative form. especially for the energy sector because under sanctions under the threat of sanctions especially energy pipeline exports from russia so what options remain for the european union when these sanctions or if these sanctions come into being the european union could decide to impose sanctions of their own on the united states now this could take the form of e.u. banks suspending u.s. companies ability to take out short term loans but let's be realistic this would be a nuclear option. russia's patience has also waned president putin says that moscow cannot tolerate offensive actions anymore to the news of the sanctions are completely illegal they go against international law and the rules of the world

trade organization we're being very patient and very reserved but we can't endlessly tolerate aggressive behavior towards our country these actions can be perceived as aggravation and i would even say exceptional cynicism in fact moscow's already hit back it asked the u.s. to reduce the number of diplomatic stuff it has in russia it's estimated that between two and seven hundred people will be sent home or fired but the american embassy hasn't given an exact figure as yet moscow says the number of staff must be cut to four hundred fifty five which is the same amount it has in the united states russia has also said that two diplomatic properties used by washington will be seized next month it will take back a warehouse in the south of moscow and a riverside retreat in one of the capital's parks which was used by staff members for leisure activities and get togethers. at yet nine is that this is a response to the own little fluxions view us and most importantly to the anti russian mayhem in the u.s.

congress the rest of the setting the turn on capitol hill and we're not ruling out any steps to bring them to their senses this bill is a tool of intimidation for the entire world it's a consequence of our own willingness to follow america's political course the us secretary of state's explained the thinking behind the sanctions bill he says russia should take steps to improve its ties with the u.s. and hopes sanctions won't be needed in the future the russian embassy in the u.s. says it's puzzled by rex tillerson to comment on the sanctions so we got some expert opinion. it's not the most logical thing to say we want to improve relations therefore will impose example to listen his statement was trying to be diplomatic and lessen the impact and be less insulting to russia than the he might have was have been i think that's why you have a logical statement explaining these sanctions to which was not really any sensible justification at all we think about american foreign policy from like nine hundred

forty five forward it's tough to find many great examples of what we've accomplished so what the american forces foreign policy it's expected what they're trying to do you know i think it's time for a total and complete overhaul of how we conduct our international business. next rights groups and international observers have accused iraqi soldiers of executing dozens of suspected terrorists without trial the claims come just weeks after a lengthy battle to drive islamic state out of the city of mosul. to international observers to a group of iraqi soldiers who didn't find themselves as members of the sixteenth division the true naked men down an alleyway onto its they had multiple gunshots they saw through the doorway of a damaged house the bodies of a number of naked men lying in the doorway they said one of the dead men was lying with his hands on his back and appeared to have been handcuffed and there was a rope around his legs. to sixteenth division soldiers the school to one observer

and showed the severed heads of what the soldiers said was an american female isis sniper whom they had to capitated it was not clear whether the captives were alive or after her death all the iraqi forces that are involved in this fight against isis has been committing rampant abuses including war crimes and unfortunately in the face of all of these abuses by many different units and many different elements of the iraqi military structure we had yet to see a thing the incident be properly ex investigated by the iraqis or any commanders to be held accountable. the human rights watch report claims the executions were carried out by the sixteenth division of the iraqi army a unit the played a significant role in the liberation of mosul it's been trained by the u.s. military since twenty fifteen and international observers say there's no indication that the supporters stopped. after numerous calls from international organizations the u.s. led coalition is now urging iraq to investigate claims of war crimes committed by

its military there and been consistent reporting of alleged laws of armed conflict violations recently any violation of the laws of armed conflict is unacceptable and should be in it investigated in a transparent parent manner we meet routinely with our partner forces to advise them on the expectations for throwing transparent investigations and accountability for anyone found responsible for abuses and public disclosure findings and actions taken during the week we talked to a number of experts who appeared to be very skeptical that the americans calls for an investigation it's not even cynical to suggest that just because this division iraqi division were trained by the us military that they wouldn't have done this we have to remember the u.s. torture after the during the two thousand two thousand and three invasion. in bag ram and abu ghraib. and i think all of those techniques. taught to the

standing army that was created after the after the us invasion looking at what we know so far as can be very difficult to specifically accuse any of those american soldiers fool for training iraqi soldiers specifically in the craft of torture but i think it paints a very poor picture puts the americans. under a very poor lights in iraq generally i mean we've you know what are they doing there exactly i mean this sort of euphemistic term advisor i think the the miss has been busted on one exactly what those voices do in iraq. torture and killings allegedly carried out by the iraqi army have previously been documented by a cameraman who was embedded with one of the units should warn you though that we are about to show you scenes of graphic violence alley arkady claims to have filmed abuse and extrajudicial executions some of which he said were also recorded by the officers themselves last month aw t's my guest you have talked to him again there

are some disturbing scenes coming up. i understand the dark background is intended to conceal the way you walk how serious is the threat to your life after you made these revelations about all this torture and wrongdoing in iraq. my family received many threats from the especially from captain mourners are she wrote to my father on facebook he said they would come and night and kill them of course i understand that my life is in danger what was your position with the emergency response division and how do we work together every day we all slept together i spent more time with them than with my family but then i saw the other side the torture the raping the killing first they didn't want me to film the torture and other bad stuff but eventually they relented and gave me permission and then. after that it all changed it affected me my psychology

i kept thinking about the torture of those people and their suffering it got worse and worse and after five weeks it became so horrible that i decided to publish everything. it was unbearable but i made myself continue to film because they knew it was important to torture people and kill them over and over. here with r.t. the weekly continues in a few minutes with an update on one of today's headline stories the divisive vote in venezuela that's happening now and has already seen deadly violence the details are next.

the. period. according. to the past hour or so that a candidate in venezuela is key constitutional vote has been shot dead just hours

before polls opened the country's seen massive demonstrations with the opposition still calling for more protests despite a bad in the past week alone it's thought that at least five people have been killed and the polls are now but i'm for a few hours in the turnout will be crucial after the opposition called for a boy called president maduro was one of the first to cost his ballot. of the country in the economic doldrums and experiencing a political deadlock right now president maduro is called on venezuelans to elect a new body it will be tasked with rewriting the current constitution over five hundred representatives will be chosen from various groups in society however the opposition believes that the president is simply trying to extend his own powers and is undermining democracy here's a look at how the country's crisis has worsened in recent months.

i. got an exclusive interview with the venezuelan president who told us that the opposition's tactics are alienating many people. europe we should join europe if you know the opposition has been saying the same thing for eighteen years they used to say about hugo chavez and know about me for the last few use for there is no other way to resolve a conflict in our country than through democratic means. for three and a half weeks starting the main. opposition to engage in

a direct dialogue and join the national constitutional assembly but they refused since then the only thing the opposition has been doing is taking new steps backwards right now the situation is dire i think face political isolation that they're leaning towards the far right and they've trapped themselves in this strategy of local acts of violence restricting the movement of people in the very districts that voted for them the opposition is losing the support of the venezuelan people voted for them in the past we also spoke to an opposition activist he claims that dora is riding roughshod over venezuela's democracy and the door has been undermining democracy i was listening to his interview saying that a way to change democracy and as well as their family through this new constitution that he wants to write it is very clear as we have seen in the past that the opposition won clear and save elections about two years ago where they won the

majority in the parliament so there is no reason for him to write a new constitution what he writes another constitution he kicks out the opposition from power and he continues to do what he wants besides the fact that the national guard has been killing people on the streets i mean with the international community cannot just sit around and wait for him to do all these old take all these actions against his people the majority of the people but as well i have a different opinion what's going on in the country the betting on what social sector they belong to. the italian interior minister admitted on monday that his country is struggling to find a way out of the migrant crisis he was speaking at a gathering of european officials in tunisia on monday where he called on the e.u. to find a common strategy there is no magic solution no nation can alone deal with the migrate reflux a new nation is shielded from it italy's become more vocal on the refugee issue has

its lately been on the receiving end of the dorothy of newcomers coming from africa this year alone in fact almost one hundred thousand people have reached the italian coastline are trying to travel to some parts of italy where the crisis is impacting on their daily lives. still in bed to a small town in the mountains which after a government decision was forced to accommodate dozens of migrants. i hope the mayor of this town mr cheever talk explain the system to me. on giordano. the prefecture didn't tell us in advance that migrants were coming i thought everything would work out as the government told us that it would help us to cope with the migrants there are already many problems here like unemployment issues with infrastructure health etc that's why some people around here are angry because the government chose to invest money into the relocation of migrants instead of providing the time with additional funds. this

looks like the hotel we're looking for they entered through the gates but stayed outside because there was no electricity the hotel hasn't been used for years to host tourists my next step was to try and talk to the migrants inside but they wouldn't let me behind a locked gate was a dodgy looking man he claimed to be from a cooperative that had been put in charge by the authorities known filming he said the mayor said that a very low percentage of people who are here are actually refugees most of them are economic migrants is not true no that's not true the migrants are well integrated the mayor has never even contacted me he is lying i went on to ask where the migrants were from the man claimed they were always he g.'s out of. nigeria niger guinea became a fast food just as i was negotiating we saw a couple with a tray of sweets turns out some locals were indeed glad to have the new neighbors

finally he let me in without the camera the refugees said they'd only got warm welcomes from locals and were ready to become sicilians i can tell you that the migrants and refugees have everything to live a normal life there the question. though remains whether they will be able to integrate into the local society and whether all the locals will be ready to accept that number of refugees our journey continued to another small community where migrants haven't arrived yet but the government's intentions have already caused quite a debate in the usually quiet neighborhood. a very small abandoned school local government wanted to place sixty my gran's in that small building i think we have a chance to talk to the lawyer who is representing the local community. to meet you don't hope it will be that of us who are putting migrants here into buildings like

this is racism the risk is that the shelter could turn into a ghetto because the migrants will have nothing to do here having blasted the rest of the betraying roman crisis italian officials seem to have taken up the strategy of a nationwide melting pot will be watching how it's put to the test ilya for trying to r.t. in sicily. a reminder of our main news a freelance journalist working for autumn's out of the channel has been killed in syria twenty five year old. died and shelling attack in homs province the next all too well news update from me in just over half an hour. here's what people have been saying about rejected in the us it actually does belong awesome the only show i go out of my way to launch you know what it is that

really packs a punch at least yampa is the john oliver of r t america is doing the same we are apparently better than two thousand and six and see people you never heard of love redacted tonight was the president of the world bank hey you're going to write me seriously send us an e-mail. this winter with me. the most get a little bit who was. said the most on you but i. know both of us but i guess we're kind of on this side of this yes or no but if you dump out and just know she refused. to. wear the blue he won't get a specific good area for immigrants it's hit and miss we never really know for sure

but this has been a active area. that you so i. know well when i started no i. on the welcome to worlds apart from the kremlin baiting in washington has once again reached a scale where it mere contact with the russians is viewed as.