please. the turkish president expands what ankara calls his anti terror operation against kurds in syria risking direct confrontation with u.s. forces. also to come this hour left out in the cold war some of russia's top athletes are set to be banned from the upcoming winter olympics despite never failing a drugs test and a moscow neighborhood is left stunned after a model student killed his flatmate and then post the grisly details online before committing suicide. day here in moscow you're watching r.t. international our top story this hour the turkish president has announced

a plan to extend his country's military operation against kurdish forces in syria which ankara calls terrorists the fight will now move to positions held by u.s. backed kurdish groups in the town a man big and it's feared though that it could lead to direct confrontation with american troops. of. the operation with launch named olive branch to cleanse our friend of terrorists successfully and their way starting from many beach we will continue for the games which are being played along our borders and we will cleanse our region completely of this trouble. so let's have a closer look then it's what is happening exactly this is the border between turkey and syria with the areas in yellow here held by kurdish militias in the west you can see the town of afrin or the region of afrin to where the turkish operation originally began to the east of that is green and that's where the syrian government groups are backed by turkey and they will push east alongside turkey's offensive towards manned beach here's how the operation has been unfolding so far.

i. don't think i know what their hard talks with tanks move planes we did nothing to help their perception our land the only us wish so we have to sleep in the cellar because of the bombs we are free to go out in the streets what do they want from us on land they choose to reduce the or on matter how many planes and missiles we send this is only not leaving you do. what we're hearing from the turkish president is that he will now extend his military operation in northern syria to include the

town of mann bridge now once the turkish military moves into man bridge this could potentially put the turkish army in direct conflict with the forces belonging to a major turkish nato ally namely the united states washington is known to have some two thousand special forces on the ground in syria and while none of them are thought to be in the afrin area they are deployed amongst various kurdish enclave set includes the town of man bridge now man bridge is controlled by u.s. backed kurdish syrian fighters at the same time we are hearing from the turkish president that more than two hundred and fifty syrian kurds as well as islamic state fighters have been killed by the turkish army and allied forces in the past few days these figures are being disputed by the kurdish side who is also accusing and career of civilian casualties this despite the fact that we are hearing from

turkey that they are trying to avoid civilian deaths as far. as possible now the american president donald trump has called for and is urging a deescalation and a limit in the military operation that and create is conducting in northern syria it is now the sixth day since the turkish military moved across the border and no doubt in the coming hours and days the situation on the ground will only intensify that was our middle east correspondent paula slip international relations professor hussein back she told us that the u.s. are on a collision course in syria the expectation was that turkey in a very short period controlled area in. stop. just want to go to many beach and get much more control of the area the turkish president. would create another level of

confrontation we have a regional conflict on the one hand but also alliance conflict. to natal cancer is the american side war this is going to go on about turkey is not going to stand the operation this is somehow. a warning by the americans for the turkish president the confrontation between turkey and the masses of america is getting more and more likely. the conflict in northern syria is already spilling over the border to into turkey several missiles have hit the turkish town of killis on wednesday killing two people and injuring dozens more a mosque in the residential building were also damaged local officials to say the rockets were fired from affluent meanwhile in europe there have been protests over turkey's actions and some have turned violent. i

think i think. i thank. god. i. i was was i. right i. a pakistani doctor he was the k defining asama bin ladin looks set to spend the rest of his life in jail pakistan's authorities have accused him of helping militants and arrested him soon after the u.s. operation in may of twenty eleven two u.s. presidents have promised to get him released but it's now been seven years as regards the f. takes up the story. you can argue dr shaquille afridi helped catch the

century's most wanted man the man who did this. right here in. the. sama bin laden you can also argue he was a traitor and a fraud it all depends on where you are from the united states has conducted an operation that killed osama bin laden the leader of al qaeda tonight we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome gratitude though has its limits dr afridi set up a fake vaccination program in the area bin laden was hiding in in order to collect his family's d.n.a. and give the cia proof he was there clever shortly after bin laden was eliminated dr afridi was arrested by pakistani intelligence and sentenced to thirty

three years. in. two thousand and eleven of being money to the militants that. he was assisting in medical that he was making some. news a hospital i met him in. in june and he said that i am innocent and the charges they are totally illegal dr afridi was first accused of aiding local militants and then of murdering a patient though how fair those charges is debatable a bomber tried and failed to get him out donald trump well trump is trump you you think. you get a doctor out yes i do i think i would get them out in two minutes i would tell them

let them out and i'm sure they'd let them out it didn't fly it even upset the pakistanis a little being threatened with blackmail it's been almost two years since trump made his both stand nothing the man who helped catch asama bin v i call of terrorism is rotting away in jail we believe dr afridi has been unjustly imprisoned and have clearly communicated our position to pakistan on dr afridi's case both in public and in private and the us well they bring it up once in a while that's what gratitude is worth nowadays more aghast f. reporting we spoke to the former cia officer philip giraldi about this he doesn't see washington making any real effort to free the dr. i was in the intelligence officer and people are caught spying for another country. that country does not

like to let them free so it's it's actually something that trump did not understand if the pakistanis. enter into some kind of discussion and trump feels that he can be generous or or do something that will will enable this man to get free then he might do it but i don't know what that would be or what the circumstances would be but there are already having serious discussions about the the money that the united states gives the pakistan the united states has been suspending some of that money and not giving it to them so the pakistanis are not are not interested in doing any favors for washington i think that is very clear. in other news today team russia is expected to be dealt another shattering blow just weeks before the winter games to get under way in south korea olympic chiefs looks set to ban one hundred russian athletes including major medal hopes who have never failed to

test it is in response to the accusations of widespread dieting in russia dating back to the last games in sochi where the international olympic committee said that those banned could be the focus of further investigations a comprehensive list of who can go to peeling chand will be published at the weekend but it is thought the russian team will be slashed by around a fifth to just under four hundred athletes but while the team russia has perhaps been made an example of thomas back because nonetheless he's the i.o.c. president by the way he's no less continue to suggest clean athletes will go to south korea the i.o.c. wanted to give clean russian after lease the opportunity to participate and give a young a new generation of clean russian athletes the opportunity to be at the olympic games and be ambassadors for a new clean russian sport. however those set to miss that moment do include russia's next generation of athletes and also more established stars like the biathlete and and the speed skater victor on neither have ever tested positive for

banned substances their exclusion has drawn a lot of criticism i'm against the fact that athletes my colleagues who have worked for ages to participate in this huge forum would be punished as well in my opinion that's politics those who are involved must be punished but you cannot point a finger at the whole country i believe that some weren't involved but they're being tarred with the same brush because our sport should not be used as a tool for politicians games should be a celebration for the sporting world and for the athletes who have worked so hard for this event and done nothing wrong sport should unite people with russia should be sanctioned if the allegations are proven as anyone should but there is no country that has never been guilty of doping the north americans in lecturing the rest of the world but we haven't forgotten where lance armstrong came from open johnson of of we also spoke exclusively to the swedish ice hockey star under skulls

and also the canadian coach scott macpherson for their views on clean russian athletes being sidelined. i think it's awful i think russia should go with the best team because they have the best hockey players out side the show. is going to be sad for the tournament but the best russian is not tom i think they have to be able to do it a little older so they don't affect us like three four weeks before the olympics so it's a big. might think it's somewhat misguided in that i think most of the players on the russian olympic team or the athletes from russia team that are going to be in korea they weren't even in the last olympics everybody knows really a culture because everybody knows who you know the great figure skaters are so at the end of the day you know if the russians win in hockey or if an individual figure skater or somebody wins they know who they are and everyone knows who they are in they appreciate them as athletes and the hard work and sacrifice that

they've made to be able to compete at the olympic level the players that are on the russian team are guys that we played against from the time we were little kids we know that they're clean that you're miniature really and unfortunately politics seems to be slipping into athletics and that's really not that. a student in moscow has shared online the gruesome details of him murdering and raping his flatmates before committing suicide the incident has left the russian public stunned with paper describing the man as a promising student from a good family our correspondent. went to the house where they lived and also spoke to their neighbors you might find some parts of his report disturbing. this is the area where art and to see out rented their flat together the fetter of moscow very close to death in the universities where they study they seem to have everything to enjoy their lives in the capital.

the students who were once in a relationship but after breaking up they continued to share a flat in the building right there it turned out to be unbearable for art. to leave that's the right entrance they lived on the ground floor and one social media post described everything he did behind these walls on one horrifying winter night. it was late art he had been drinking when to tiana and heard a room he started punching the details of what was happening there and the next few hours are far too grisly to go into in this report but it included stabbing

and rape and necrophilia. after what everyone i guess would call a psychotic frenzy art show hang himself this is the entrance to their flat with a police notice but the shouldn't be the most challenging investigation for the authorities the couple's whole lives were out there on their social media accounts for everyone to see and art films very long suicide note that he posted on his account was a full description of what happened that night where he explained his motivation. this is a very small section of the building with very few apartments and none of the

neighbors here agreed to talk to us i was made for this to show. but one security guard outside agreed to share some details will you still love this most people salute the biblical story. susan. the little bit the soaps are still a good little some road is that the so much of children look at the people in the bill and to the point. of this because you. jealousy and rage have often led to kwame's of passion we've seen it in movies read about it in books but seldom before have we experienced it so vividly thanks to the killer of the victims of sessions with social media. you know trying to reporting that you watch nazi back after the break.

what politicians do you should. put themselves on the line to get acceptable reject . so when you want to be president or injury. or somehow want to. have to do like to be press that's what before three in the morning can't be good that i'm interested always in the waters of my house. first sit. i played for many clubs over the years so i know the game and so i got. the ball isn't only about what happens on the pitch for the final school it's about the passion from the families it's the age of the super money kill the narrowness and spending to get to twenty million. it's an experience like nothing else not to because i want to show what i think what i know about the beautiful guy great

chance with. the thinks he's going to. pull out again i would jim and judge has caused a trial in bavaria for removing a crucifix from his courtroom at the request of an asylum seeker the afghan man suspected of threatening to kill a fellow countryman for converting to christianity has more. this judge in the bavarian alps has found himself in the eye of a storm that's after he ordered that a crucifix be removed from his courtroom during the trial of an afghan asylum up look and accused of trying to kill another afghan who convert to christianity it's a move that's called for in the strongly catholic state as well as in german

tabloid media the judge says he made the move in order to show religious tolerance how can i educate the defendant to move away from his beliefs he thinks jihad exists between christians and islamists and so i did not think it wise to condemn him under the cross i do not care if there is a cross or not when the judge addressed this issue in court i just don't really understand the problem bosses in the bavarian ministry of justice say this should never have been an issue in the first place the presence of crosses in courtrooms does not prevent the state from up holding religious and ideological neutrality. religious rights for christine converts in germany is a hot issue particularly in places like my eyes back the toll on the border with austria is where many refugees and migrants either arrived or at least passed through in twenty fifteen and the move by judge schmidt has prompted

a ferocious backlash on social media dear proviron people this is a slap in the face of all christians do you still want to trample on your christian will lose the right jagjit school of me at a loss for words such an irony in the trial of afghan islamists judge class you're against me it takes chris offense from the war of the courtroom the sophisticated islamization in this country continues judge klaus you're going schmidt are you insane such a disgrace this story comes as the trial of a different failed asylum applicant from afghanistan is underway in a nearby town in southern germany in that case a thirty eight year old woman was brutally stabbed to death in front of her small children the prosecution say that the motive behind the killing was that she had converted to christianity the trial is expected to continue for several more days peter all over r.t. berlin. now within the next hour the u.s.

president is due to touch down in switzerland to take part in the pro globalist economic forum in davos but if you surprise of many at the luxury resort donald trump is going to promote his famous mantra america first the u.s. transportation secretary gave vicious spawn's to those questioning trump's appearance. america first is a continuation of the american affirmation of american exceptionalism so i don't think when i did this you know all these questions are why the president is coming and again i think all of us to feel very flattered that he has chosen this as a forum. for those that don't want to listen to him you can they can leave you know this is part of what discourse and discussion is all about earlier this week thousands of people did march through the streets of europe to denounce trump's visit to switzerland a lot of the entire gathering at davos the u.s. president is expected to be met with

a huge protest in divorce itself which was called for this thursday despite a ban from local authority it's. the pentagon's draft of the upcoming u.s. nuclear policy review has been leaked and this report already suggested it does appear to confirm a reversal in strategy for the coming year america looks set to expand its nuclear capabilities and experts to say it could make the idea of using weapons much easier changes will be made to submarine missiles which will be reconfigured nuclear tests could also be resumed while the modernization of the u.s. nuclear arsenal will focus on smaller weapons but the former head of national nuclear security does question whether washington can afford it. we are working pretty much at full capacity we've never done more than one life extension program at a time since the end of the cold war we're now doing essentially for the league's review

outlining u.s. intentions to update and upgrade its nuclear weapons has been criticized many have highlighted donald trump's nuclear button right with the north korean leader as an example of the possible dangers a nuclear studies director peter because nick thinks this modernization will increase the possibility of military conflict. my main fear is that they're going to carry out these modernization programs within the context of the modernization yes the faster they do it the sloppier it becomes and the more dangerous it becomes so we're concerned about nuclear safety i would but even if there is no concern about nuclear safety the fact that we have these new modernized weapons means that the threat of nuclear war increases and increases exponentially. so before we go this hour let's just update you on a developing story from mislead where a commuter train has derailed near the city of milan during rush hour it has been reported that at least five people have been killed while several others still

remain in a critical condition more than one hundred people suffered minor injuries in the crash today and some passengers are still reportedly trapped in this wreckage as the emergency services continue to work at the scene the accident here happened some forty kilometers from milan and around seven am local time that's what we know for the moment and further updates of course we'll bring that straight to. so that's how things are looking here in our city this morning don't forget we've got plenty more stories for you to look at at our web site and you can find that at r.t. doc. it's rather stand in here from us and. i know that i'm a lot of trouble right that you know that the fourth here is a. political

battle but i. can keep an eye on what i have to lose a child for. not that. close. hi michele the downside of that other than the owned model. number set up around the hey how you want to do it. and get this whole full plate choice on yours or you have them and they are trying in theory has said. to me she ought to give up somewhere else for the name after that it will fuck around with mr hates it for jim and then for her for food are for him in the course. eagerly. here's what people have been saying about rejected in. the long run the only show i go out of my way

to run you know what it is that really packs a punch oh yeah it is the john oliver of our country america is doing the same we are apparently better than nothing and i see people you've never heard of love for the next president of the world bank very. seriously send us an e-mail. welcome to all the part donald trump has just marched his first year in office by overseeing debt and now the u.s. government shutdown and while the partisan wrangling over the budget has temporarily been resolved underlying it is not just a million but

a trillion dollar question whether the united states will ever be able to bring its finances in order to discuss that i'm now joined by laurence kotlikoff a professor of economics at boston university and i write in candidates in the two thousand and sixteen presidential elections but as a consequence good to talk to thank you very much great to be here with you now you were scathingly critical of mr trump both before and after his election so i think it's safe to assume that you never expected him to be an outstandingly good president but a year and can you safely say that he turned out to be an outstandingly bad one. i would say so i think the terms of how he's presenting the u.s. to the rest of the world it's been a miserable miserable display of. authoritarianism aris ism. and a lack of real focus and understanding of what the country needs now. you can see

this in the health care. area we had really a débâcle with respect to the republicans proposing things that the country really doesn't want the country really once. universal health care not fifty million people uninsured and the republicans seem to not want that but the people do so that's just one example of many things that have gone wrong this year having read many of your articles i assume that you have generally very negative opinion of the american electoral system how it works. if you compare for example mr trump to let's say the obama administration which contributed a great deal to the american government debt on substance do you think he so far has been really so much worse than the rest well doing nothing. is not good either when it comes to fiscal policy because you have this true debt

of the country which we call the fiscal gap which takes into account all the debts that are off the books and those are growing every year. because the baby boom generation which is very large number is getting closer to collecting its benefits from pensions and health care and as it gets closer to the present value cost the cost in the presence of those future benefits gets larger so we have a debt that's growing around six trillion a year actually our fiscal gap is about two hundred trillion you said that that is you know because if that's not because the terms but. they got worse under obama they're got a whole lot worse under bush so every administration for the last six decades has contributed to this problem but the situation is such that if you don't address it it just keeps growing on its own so you're faulting tom for not correcting somebody else's mistakes in fact the mistake is all the previous administrations but isn't that a bit of a high order for him.