thirty seven people are confirmed dead and dozens of children are missing after a fire engulfed a shopping mall in siberia. this morning. facebook boss takes out full page ads in british and american newspapers to apologize for a massive data breach and. activists clashed with police in barcelona at a rally in support of former president. who has been arrested in germany.

are broadcasting live direct from our studios in moscow this is our two trash long john thomas glad to have you with us now we start with breaking news this hour thirty seven fatalities have been confirmed after a massive fire at a shopping mall in the russian city of america now the number is expected to rise of course with sixty four people unaccounted for including dozens of children.

the austrian chancellor and the turkish foreign ministry have expressed their condolences to the families of those killed in the fire earlier my colleague kevin owen was joined here in the studio by daniel hawkins to discuss the tragic events. spin room even of course for the friends and families of those particularly still unaccounted for this fire began on the fourth fall of the top floor of a shopping center in that south central city of came over we understand thirty seven people have been confirmed dead services many more in hospital many of them in a critical condition of course sixty nine are still unaccounted for tragically the

majority forty of those are children aged between two and thirteen they're believed to be in a cinema at the time of the fire and now we've had some very very harrowing eyewitness accounts of what went on inside black smoke billowing through the corridors through the windows people trying to escape jumping out of the windows as well just to give you an idea of the sheer panic and terror that must have been going through as people's minds we do have some eyewitness accounts of the panic that ensued as that fire spread through the building let's take a listen to some of those eyewitness accounts. just close to that. if you will on this is. this what you. thought was a. thank you. when you didn't ask but.

i knew why didn't i see that you sent is a big place the such an intense fire by the looks of it you can see the toxic smoke and the top down and people trying to make as you see every time what the heck's happening around them interesting i'm not hearing fire alarms there and that's done for the investigators isn't it to talk about eventually when they try to recover the bodies here the fire began in the early afternoon and raged for many hours it took awhile to get an under control we understand that firefighters couldn't actually reach the top level because of the sheer temperature of their schooling temperatures walls and floors melting so now it's very much a recovery operation to try to find anybody still trapped under collapsed the collapsed roof there. we we we do know also that the cause has been speculated upon two theories problem right now although it's preemptive to say for certain you know one of the cause is being faulty electrical wiring the other one being some sort of mis up with

a light or perhaps an accident there and flammable worth twelve use of course in publix places here in russia smoking would be quite annoyed one word child of someone that was in the limelight but they don't know what's happened here is going to be lot of questions that are certainly being asked here why it didn't go off why fire exits were clearly marked why there was such a planet to get out very difficult time and resources for the families of friends of those children still tragically unaccounted for it's going to be a long life and obviously we can just hope that as many as possible of those are accounted for perhaps in hospitals up small charts but i asked phil far the live. and i will of course of the updates for you as that investigation carries on and so exactly what happened when the fire broke out more than six hundred emergency workers were called in for the firefighting and rescue operation people who were at the scene described what they saw. you can't instead of. with those inches of chose not to use it she presented me out he's the meanest thing to leave her in

movies in the new clues from which she cheered when it was clear that. if she was pulled out she would leave what is behind all clear after the particular. complicity in the children the children. are a much weaker leaving him if he doesn't there's a. fairly close to what you miss if you believe you teach that these people who. commit to you at the end of this when you look at you for do you do you call them they didn't you were the reason so good for you soon. as you just heard their school children were inside the mall cinema when the fire broke out included an entire class along with their teacher they had travelled from a nearby village to celebrate spring break and the fire started they were unable to open the doors and some called for their loved ones relatives have described those heartbreaking conversations with children saying goodbye and later on locals met with city officials in a nearby school and did not hold back their anger. it

was a weekly much let's. ask even knowing it. would obviously going to be different with the summertime oh absolutely that's what was. missing was. the source you want me the tragedy in a matter of bears a close similarities to two deadly fires in russia back in two thousand and fifteen and two thousand and nine. the e.u. .

law. thousands of catalans have rallied in barcelona in support of their former president who has been arrested in germany sunday's gathering led to clashes with police. cool.

officers in riot gear moved in to break up the crowd up to eighty nine people were reportedly injured and four were arrested the protesters were demanding that the spanish government end its crackdown on the key figures behind the cattle on independence movement. we decided to send the president vice president and other high ranking officials in the council on government.

while the former catalan leader was detained while crossing from denmark into germany where he is now in custody he fled spain after last october's referendum which madrid ruled was illegal and he just said he has more on his arrest. the former catalan president colors push a man has been detained in germany he's wanted in spain on charges of sedition and rebellion and was held after crossing the border from denmark on his way to belgium now german police have confirmed his arrest and he said to be in a local police station awaiting his legal team since this day appears sharon has

been on a visit to helsinki university in finland to give a lecture that on his way back to belgium jim authorities arrested him off to spain reissued his arrest warrant but his lawyer tweeted that he was returning to belgium to be of course at the disposal of the belgian justice system that he's been living in self-imposed exile in belgium that's after leading the pro independence referendum last year which was deemed illegal by the spanish authorities this was a vote that caused tensions across the region with accusations of police violence as well now tensions have still been riding high in the region with rallies taking place from time to time and calls for the release of other political prisoners as well as the return of karla's could face up to thirty years in prison in spain and the spanish courts have already signed documents for patients extradition. storen told us put him on extradition all battle is likely to drag on for several months well he was probably going to be in reply three been all in the supreme court and

to the chances to get. very high sentence and to be your most efficient and rebellion why he had to be one brussels was centrally because there's no suggesting this is a rebellion. in the belgian. legislation allows up to three months. next edition so if. it. looks going to be the case then the german authorities would have to remount. take on getting the. so it may take a long time. in france was hit by an act of terrorism this week a gunman hijacked a car and took hostages at a supermarket in the southern town of travel on friday three people died that day while the fourth succumbed to his injuries on saturday.

in the movie i went shopping with my wife and sister in law after some time we had an explosion well several. i saw a man lying on the floor and another person who was very agitated still with a handgun in one hand and a knife in the other and yelling allahu akbar. after that i took my wife and my sister in law and some customers nearby and we went to look for shelter i put them in a butcher's fridge closed from the inside. because it's peaceful here where you see the like any other he was very kind very sociable

adorable he overt sweets to the children and he is a terrorist. the terrorist has been identified he was killed during his solo investigation will have to answer some important questions when and how was he radicalized and how and when did he procure the weapon. we have for several years paid with our blood to know the terrorist menace. all right among those who died was police officer our no belt who was swapped places with a female hostage he left a cell phone switched on so the special forces outside could monitor the situation he died in the hospital on saturday morning of gunshot and stab wounds and is being hailed as a national hero for the past year there have been several terrorist incidents in france now and february two thousand and seventeen a man attempted to enter the louvre museum in paris with

a machete and an attacker was stopped at orly airport one month later a police officer was shot and killed last april on the show and last october two young women were stabbed to death every train station in march say a former british intelligence officer an emotional says the fact that the gunman was under police surveillance exposes wider failures. of the past that we're seeing emerging across europe over the last few years of people carrying out these low tech type of attacks with high. rates. of course on the radar of at least the police if not indeed of the intelligence agencies the for some reason they're not being watched carefully enough they're not being monitored carefully enough they're being followed around. and they're allowed to get more radicalized and carry out these are pulling teeth it's hard to see what will france can do i mean they had a state of emergency declared after the massacre and attacks all the palaces still there in france it just changed the name they changed the terminology and yet those

powers are still preventing the security agencies and police from protecting their french citizens so i thought see how much more they can do. the turkish president is vowing to extend a military offensive against kurdish militias in northern syria. remember i told you we can they will flee we will chase the work and with our friend the p.k. k. went to we'll go there to operations that have begun. or president everyone says turkish forces will soon move to our friend to take control of the kurdish stronghold of tal rafah which is in syria's aleppo province this is where civilians as well as kurdish militia fighters fled after turkey seized afrin and the turkish advance against kurdish forces will not stop their president everyone says his army will go after the kurds in the region of iraq cross says is targeting the kurdish y p g m p

k k which it considers to be a terrorist organizations and turkey's operation all of branch was launched to at the end of january with turkish forces entering syria's after in the region despite fierce resistance from the kurdish militants turkish forces seized in the city of afrin in mid march president everyone says more than thirty seven hundred terrorists have been killed during the operation the crackdown has forced one hundred seventy thousand civilians to flee the city this according to the u.n. turkish affairs analyst told us the army is trying to cut kurdish groups off from each other. do they actually trying to push the borders by leaving quotation like. you can from the turkish perspective wipe it from the point. i'm actually i think taking p.p.p. care what it was and so you cut the connection of why p.j. from. also trying to. close forces on the

east. diplomatic standoff between the u.k. and russia ask later this week with twenty three diplomats from each country expelled this followed the poisoning of former double agent sergei screwball and his daughter in england three weeks ago now the investigation is still underway but british officials have repeatedly pointed the finger at the russian government and on thursday the prime minister asked the e.u. to back her up. it was highly likely that russia was responsible this is just for one thing that the current analysis is already very well grounded and nobody questions that everyone was also indicate didn't do willingness to develop as far as russia is concerned. relations we have different positions different. interests political landscape in europe russia and this is why it starts so

easy to keep that. twenty eight. group. together. are the kremlin has rejected all claims of involvement calling the poisoning an act of terrorism russia has also offered to cooperate with the u.k. in the investigation u.k. foreign secretary boris johnson has been among russia's harshest critics even agreeing with nazi comparisons and a parliamentary year. because the roads lead to the. way. these things. here so i think the comparison with maggie these exist is right moscow considers this kind of statements made under the level of the foreign secretary in any way unacceptable and totally irresponsible. the british government just free to make

a decision about its dissipation in the world cup but nobody has the right to insult the russian people who defeated nazis and lost more than twenty five million people by comparing our country to nazi germany. did he goes beyond the common sense and we do not think british war veterans including those of the arctic cold voice which share this opinion after that condemnation from the russian ambassador the russian embassy in the u.k. posted this photo it shows the england football team giving the nazi salute before a friendly match with germany in nineteen thirty eight. the anti russia campaign is even making its way into british schools as artie's i was told he had heard about reports. what's better than helping the young to try to maneuver the ever tricky

world of global current affairs. of the day is an online news service that is used by one in three u.k. schools teachers much variance from subscribing schools use around schools and activities across all subjects for lessons homework research. here's one handed to tory and provided by the service to help educate the young and broaden their horizons talks of putin on mission to poison west ouch and among questions to discuss is putin europe's most dangerous leader since hitler was this gus. to help students out topics like the ongoing five scandals where an investigation is still underway are broken down despite this incriminating evidence of international outrage to release monks and everything in case there is confusion still there is a dictionary included which explains the meaning of the words marks surely this

teaches you to put things into perspective. you know the chalk and blitzkrieg are also in here a military tactic designed to crush the enemy with overwhelming force a short space of time coincidentally made famous by hitler in world war two just to make it a bit easier to connect the dots brutal assassinations cyber attacks as well as plotting the downfall of western democracy also laid out as food for thought a you decide section let students consider the following questions is putin the most dangerous man in the world did the cold war ever end as well as what impression does putin give about what russia is like the day helps students develop information literacy and critical thinking and prepares them for the challenges ahead in the ever changing world critical thinking is key the toxic putin class is dismissed and as i say churkin our party wanted. well the kremlin spokesperson

dmitri peskov told a russian t.v. channel that britain's campaign against russia is unparalleled. in your new what we're seeing now is unprecedented affront reaming there's never been a case where a country is being accused of something which the accusers cannot even articulate themselves and they're not even trying to articulate it or i can say is this whole case is unprecedented in verges on a sort of gangsterism in international affairs as to what's behind this it's either the ukase internal issues all the problems london may be facing in relation with its allies or maybe something else that's probably none of our business we're focused on how to handle this provocation president putin is keeping a cool head in this situation and unlike his british counterpart isn't going beyond diplomatically appropriate rhetoric putin laid out his position of the very beginning he said our internal affairs are our first and foremost priority and the poisoning incident happened on british soil you have to first get your facts straight at home before firing off accusations upset. facebook founder mark

zuckerberg has taken out a series of ads in sunday newspapers in the u.s. and britain apologizing for failing to protect users data it follows claims that the private information of tens of millions of people was quoted without their permission and exploited for political gain and his job has been. several u.k. and american newspapers featured full page apologies from facebook boss mark zuckerberg the ad states this was a breach of trust and i'm sorry while promising to do better in the future that's after having written a post online about the changes the company will be making and saying facebook has learned its lesson during a c.n.n. interview we need to make sure that there aren't any other cambridge general because out there right or folks who have been properly access data you know we need to make sure that we don't make that mistake ever again but not everyone is buying what zuckerberg is selling this cartoonist gave his responses a big thumbs down mocking the statements more than anything it reads i'm sorry that

we've been forced to stop ignoring these data breaches and they aren't alone in thinking that facebook has some explaining to do dr burke has been called to testify both in the u.s. and the u.k. on the situation now the whole scandal is centered around the british data gathering firm called cambridge analytic dated they collected was involved in donald trump's presidential campaign and possibly others as well the whole story blew up when it came to light that the company allegedly mined fifty million facebook profiles for its operations while its parent company was reportedly involved in psycho social studies for the u.k. defense ministry cambridge analytical is now under investigation its offices have been raided and its chief executive has been suspended the company denies any and all wrongdoing the scandal has also led to a backlash against the social network facebook's share price plunged to a four year low and the company is now facing multiple lawsuits from shareholders over on twitter meanwhile the house to delete facebook has been trending with some high profile people joining in as the fear of breach privacy is at the front of

everyone's minds the point is being missed here it's not cambridge analytic it's the fact that facebook is a. proxy if you will of that government and it just. it it was it was conceived it sudar book to see. money this this faith and oh i do think they use the information against their are you kidding me facebook apple everything that we do is basically sucking up every bit of information we have despite the two major firms at the center of the data scandal having roots in america and the u.k. a c.n.n. report has time the story to russia does have comments. imagine being a liberal a democrat and being stuck in a trump presidency for a year is it must be horrible waking up every day guessing that what russia

is songe bots or hackers have cooked up the day came original that i had powerful connections to candidate trump including one time top adviser steve bannon and billionaire donor robert mercer so presidential son in law jared cushion or and consultant brad parr scale brought in the company which is now accused of utilizing data from fifty million facebook users without permission facebook was how donald trump was going to win wait a sec something's wrong where's the bad guy who do we blame this on. there it is questions are also swirling about a possible link to russian metal cambridge c.e.o. reached out to julian assange of wiki leaks seeking access to e-mails from hillary clinton's private server there's no evidence ricky leaks had such information but wiki leaks was releasing e-mails from the computers of other democrats which

authorities say were hacked by russians and another trump advisor roger stone great innings i actually communicated with what how do you even make the connection what's your logic if someone speaks to a songe their russian agent there is zero connection here other than the word russia being in every other sentence there is only one explanation cnn's report must have been put together by a random generator literally this explanation makes more sense than cnn's report at savage the d.n.c. oil trump the russians cambridge had because we've got the key words just fill this. basis with whatever he also directly message the russian hacker he says he did nothing wrong and despite another claim that cambridge had ties to

a russian oil company the campaign insists there were never any links to russia are you comfortable that the trunk campaign through their cameras analytic had a connection to wiki leaks. they did have a connection wiki leaks let me demonstrate if you are of average height and your birthday is in july you are closely tied to a sound see how easy it is let's do this again if you like snow and the russians like snow u.i. lined with russia or if you want lots of money and all the gods have lots of money you are susceptible to russian influence it's all nonsense but who cares it's about getting the keywords out there about confusing and confounding not explaining or investigating keywords people keywords

the russians everywhere. now an update of our breaking news story here on r.t. international forty eight people have now been confirmed dead in a shopping mall fire in central russia dozens of people are still unaccounted for with many children among those missing the fire broke out in a cinema on the fourth floor of a popular complex in the city of america it is feared that the number of casualties may rise those first responders in hospitals treating the injured of course our news team is keeping across situation we will bring you up to date in our next board. you're watching r t international. join me every thursday on the alec simon show and i'll be speaking to a guest in the world of politics sports business i'm show business i'll see you then.