i. think. the key witness in the russian doping scandal fails to confirm a number of allegations against the country's athletes in his court testimony. hugs handshakes and history in the making north and south korea's leaders agreed to rid the penitentiary of nuclear weapons during their first in a decade meeting. of more than a dozen syrians testify at the hague saying that an alleged chemical attack in the town of duma was in fact staged. we were scared they started to pour water on me i don't know why they did this moment as professionals we saw that there were no symptoms suggesting chemical weapons had been used also the protests in garza that have already seen forty killed and thousands injured in the past month are set to go on for another two weeks.

hello there welcome it's three pm here in moscow you're watching r.t. international now we'll start this hour with breaking news because it has been revealed that the former head of moscow's anti doping laboratory gorder you're a chunk of a key witness in the russian doping scandal failed to confirm a number of allegations against the country's athletes during his recent testimony at the court of arbitration for sport well in february the court had upheld the appeals of twenty eight russian athletes banned for being in now is given some of its reasons so let's get some details now from hugo she done a few joins us in the studio igor we were hearing the court gave details concerning the case today so far the russians alexander so what exactly was said and what is noteworthy about testimony well in the two years that we have been through this whole saga you've had. it's almost become common knowledge that well russia dopes

every single russian athletes the dope they take special drug cocktails like designer drugs the swab dirty samples for clean ones through some hole in the wall and so on and so forth now the foundation for all of these allegations was the testimony were more like tales of grigori rochon because he was the key witness for the whole case and for the for all of the he made all of the allegations but when he was questioned by the judges of the court of arbitration for sport which is the highest judicial body in the world of sport he actually admitted to and let me quickly read it out that he never administered these so-called cocktail himself he never saw this said cork till being administered by somebody else he doesn't know he couldn't explain how the cocktail was smuggled abroad to be used at international championships and he's never been a witness to how clean urine samples were swapped for dirty ones and vice versa now

he did reveal that all of his that the allegations that he made in regarding to these points were basically him overhearing other colleagues or talking to other colleagues but not nothing or of the sort was actually him seeing or doing things and now the so basically testimony showcase that the allegations are world circumstantial at best but well two years is a long time and in these two years his words were just taken at face value so to speak and he himself was propelled to fame even starred in the oscar winning documentary about doping in russia i mean here have a taste. i was hoping to facilitate while those there was deliberate employees in the sport's history was aware of the existence of the russian doping system. level to. about

part of the oscar winning interest documentary about the whole saga stage though should we ignore that eleven russian athletes. continue to have their sanctions upheld by the c.s.a. there was doping going on but not the scale that everybody said it was going on by before and we also know that testimony was the foundation of richard mclaren from or which was used to blanket ban a lot of russian athletes wasn't it so what did mclaren have to say him self well indeed mclaren also showed up in the court and first and foremost his report did not show a way to mention a lot of russian athletes in his report but testifying in front of the judge he said that basically the fact that he chose to put an athlete in his report does not mean that he makes an accusation against that athlete so basically he first he does

not shy away from mentioning from making a mention in a very damning report of a very concrete athlete but then he says that it doesn't mean that. participated in the docking scheme also you could not explain to the judge as to why he trusted and did not question his testimony he did not reveal any of the turnout of sources that he claims he used to put together the report and he could not explain as to why he believes the presumption of innocence further and not applied to russia or russian athletes and the ball in his opinion was in russia's court to basically defend itself as a clean nation the sad thing here isn't it is that the spike cast take a. this side of almost thirty russian athletes for many of them the damage has been done as well indeed this february as you mentioned twenty eight russian athletes were cleared by cas of all doping allegations and the athletes were banned for their lifetimes from ever participating in any international events including the

olympics so they were cleared in february just before the games in south korea and still none of them went none of them none of those are the leaders whose brands will fully overruled none of them were invited by the international olympic committee to participate in the games although many of them were still acting they still had their careers on going and these still were they would have loved to participate in the games they would have loved to take part but none of that happened so clearly a lot of careers stained minds and even ruined by that report and still yet to be seen as to where this whole thing for sure ok thank you there was a yugo he's done off there. but we can get more reaction too familiar cashmore he's professor of sociology at aston university this avidly follow these days being stories to good afternoon chief ellis things thanks for coming on coming back on where does this leave testimony and his credibility do you think. i know thought

his credibility was very strong in the first place and the viewers of our two will soon be over the last couple of years questioning his testimony all along as you've just explained the whole nucleus of the mclaren investigation and the ultimate report on the so-called state sponsored doping rested on his testimony and i question from the outset how objective or neutral or fair his testimony could have been he's a fugitive let's put it that you know let's face it the guy has fled from russia he does have an axe to grind and so when mclaren based his evidence on the testimony cough i remember saying several months ago i'm research or i do this for a living if someone tells me a story i want to substantiate that or are want to do what we call triangulate it

by talking to other witnesses to see it ties together and the car didn't do this so the answer to your question is basically i never thought he'd have any credibility to begin with and he has less still now and where does this leave the overall plane and the whole country because some people might argue well look sometimes for main against russian athletes and i want to sign wasn't any dying thing but it's the scale isn't it the scale of the accusation was made to start with let's not kid ourselves and there is doping going on in russia no question about that but it's going on in every other country in the world as well so the scale of it we don't know. the systematic operation that the current refers to we don't know about that what we do know is that russia has denied any knowledge of this this is led to a kind of a standoff between russia and the athletics governing organization that is the idea of left who is still saying russia cannot compete on the wall stage enough to.

ethics until it admits that there has been state sponsored doping so you have this ridiculous situation where russia is saying we don't know anything about the state sponsored doping why do you want us to confess to something we have no knowledge of and as long as a stand up continues russia won't be readmitted to athletics not cos it's a world out in track and field so. the victim of this really is thought as well as russia. but i don't really see any immediate resolution to this problem well i mean that's a that's very true because russia's been told look you have to admit the findings to the findings of the mclaren report before you can get reinstated doesn't it all become compliant again but if you can't can it given what i've got just said one hasn't said. i'm just i'm sorry i'm going to bring in a colorful analogy it reminded me of the old witchfinder general of the seventeenth

century you know they used to travel around the country. in britain and say fine old women who are suspected of witchcraft and say look if you confess to being a witch we will just drown you if you don't go and you so either way you lose and russia is losing boatloads is the moment somebody's got to budge on this and i think that the for the court of arbitration dropping that lack of credibility it will actually make a few people at the idea of layout particularly a lot oh we hope think twice about this decision because it is absurd. like i was told you along about me one at a time thanks very much for coming on to r.t. that is cashmore professor of sociology at aston university thank you. so in other news today north and south korea's leaders have wrapped up the official part of their historic summit with emotional handshakes and also hugs it was the

first meeting of its kind for the countries in over a decade after hours of talks they reached a number of key agreements two that could significantly warm relations with the leaders announce that they had to seek full denuclearization of the peninsula the countries also vowed to stop all hostile actions against each other and to gradually reduce their weapons arsenals additionally the leaders agreed to hold talks with the u.s. and china to arrive at a proper peace treaty so let's take a quick look then at how they spend their day together. thank you. mark i thank

i cry for her cry. cry cry cry cry. cry cry cry cry thank. you thank. you. well the korean leaders have spent over an hour now in a face to face talk with kim jong un joked that he wouldn't interrupt his counterpart sleep in the early mornings anymore most likely referring to the north's missile test which do usually take place door. i prefer. the leaders are also treating each other to some color delights to kim jong un sent

a special chef to the border to prepare cold buckwheat noodles for me while the south korean leader ordered a traditional swiss potato for it if it came to remind him of his school years in switzerland the desert they'll be a cake today with the symbol of the united korea on it and it's understood that north korea's first lady is also attending the dinner at her first public function outside the country so let's look back briefly at how quick thaw between the sides actually happened.

well u.s. president donald trump was quick to tweet his approval of what's happening on the korean peninsula at the moment although he couldn't resist suggesting that america was some credit trump stance on north korea's leader has changed dramatically in the space of a few months. rocket. shooting rockets all over the place so we will have no choice but to totally destroy north korea they will be met with fire and fury. we're having very very good discussions. john was he really has been. very open. i think very honorable from everything we're seeing nato chief gave a somewhat mixed reaction to the ongoing meeting of the korean leaders. into korean summit i think that's it encouraging we must continue to put pressure

on north korea to continue with the sanctions despite the pressure on north korea a final peace treaty could now be possible a human rights attorney eric still says that the two koreas are ready. i think what we can expect is a exciting moment in time in which. as they said in south africa history and hope could live if you have it in a certain time in a certain slates and i really am hopeful that from these talks we can see the framework for a full peace treaty to finally end this conflict seems both sides are ready and willing to do that if the south and north create the framework of their own steps in self-determination then the us as much smaller role to play if we can agree that and hold them to the notion that ending the hostile policy creating

a peace treaty with the u.s. and south korea will lead to denuclearization of the korean peninsula. now he said he would have fifty days to go until the three for world cup kicks off in russia and r.t. hi stan collymore has been taking a look at the teams competing this time travel to portugal and spain. portugal the biggest club sport a brain for the champions of portugal so a chat with a man who they are sure with pride scored a lot of goals for them on the national team his name nogami even if we are a small country we have a natural talent. with talent i think. as a striker to be oh is in the right place because after there isn't a question of score or not but if you are not in the right place you know i have

the chance to to to fail or to to . michel delighted you can join me on the stan collymore incredible career we've heard in the spanish national say. for sure this is a. four hundred much as in real money if. you know you're going to. buy i think of the main rival of spain it's not germany argentina or brazil it's spain itself is spain is really going to compete with the same hunger and design that it had during the last year i think spain will be close to doing something important.

and you can watch a stands later step aside in about ten minutes time now before that another patient march is expected today we'll have the details just after this break. from foreign policy could be described as double speak the president doesn't have a defined policy approach even goals are difficult to discern is this what the art of the deal is transform policy making america great again the world safer.

with this manufactured. public world. when the ruling classes project. the frame of. the one person. nor middle of the room sick. ok let's turn to the middle east now where another palestinian anti occupation rally is underway in garza as part of the the six week long great march of return in the past month the event has seen forty palestinians killed and over five thousand wounded according to u.n. estimates.

was. picked. up. by the israeli army just an hour using excessive force against the protesters and it also accuses hamas which controls gaza of using children to carry out acts of terrorism israel's defense minister has called on people not to approach the border meanwhile doctors without borders recently released a report saying their teams have provided medical care to over six hundred palestinians injured by bullets since the start of the month they also say that the number of patients treated in just three weeks of this month is higher than the number than the number treated during all of. the fourteen the year of the gaza war

we spoke with the head of the mission in palestine who believes that many of the trees will result in disability what i can tell you is that what. are you observing we wait. so you say we use disproportionate use of force and it was in may but when you against protesters this is a loss or horton brings to mind. we were a little fragments are you seeing divestiture we see sharon's in there. so in order to. explode it and these people. are also. very serious injuries. so a lot of time. so we thought the question of just destroyed a. lot of months and even years we are quite sure of it so.

we are very afraid of high uys fiction bones which are exposed we know already thirty years are very difficult to treat these complications and their. requests special rotaries issued for submission to say against any state wants war conjoin that what we have sent a request to the i.d.f. asking for comment on the doctors without borders report as well as on those claims that its crowd dispersal methods can leave people with serious disabilities to a will though so far we haven't had a response in the meantime israel says it uses known lethal sponge tipped bullets however they are believed to be harder and heavier than older versions and they can not only cause to be redressed but can also kill as happened back in twenty four but an israeli human rights group recently released a video showing soldiers in the west bank discussing the use. of live ammunition.

who. only israeli x. policeman did receive a nine month sentence for killing a palestinian teenager and twenty fourteen at the court accepted the claim that had mistaken a live bullets for a rebel one story though caused outrage after earlier this month a palestinian girl was sentenced to eight months in jail for slapping an israeli soldier we are asked political commentator and we are all written to comment on the two crimes and their punishments. of course it is not similar to a cool and when one puts on a scale eight months for just. an officer or trying to slap him in the face and nine months for the earlier case it doesn't seem just but yes there is no level playing field always and everywhere in the world

governments will give their uniform personnel more leeway and would be more lenient towards them then towards those who resist the government we may find it. totally unjust but this is the reality and not only in israel. elsewhere local syrian doctors have testified they saw no patients with signs of chemical poisoning in the aftermath of the alleged attack and the time of day when it is explained how events unfolded on april the seventh to the un backed chemical watchdog alongside russia's representative however not everybody was willing to listen to their accounts is not against the explains. is reduced emerged pundits and politicians took them as gospel the truth conclusive indisputable and irrefutable proof of acids chemical since the chemical weapon that killed

dozens of civilians and ister is that the us had regime has previously used in chemical attacks the assad regime has used this same yellow gas canisters the n.s.c. telling fox news they have a high degree of confidence that it was yours they must have had solid evidence you don't just launch a hundred cruise missiles in an act of war without convincing proof beyond any doubt right right. wrong. we were in the basement and then heard someone outside scream go to hospital we were scared they started to pour water on me i don't know why they did this. pundits and politicians who've never been to syria where it happened witnesses the locals who were there in the hospital in question say they didn't see

a thing all the exhaust was white helmets dousing confused of aliens with water neither did the doctors see anything. on the seventh of april i was in the emergency room treating patients injured during the fighting the same day around seven pm we started receiving patients with breathing problems about fifteen cases this happened because people were inhaling smoke and dust but they only showed symptoms of choking and nothing more it all happened because one missile hit a building nearby and a lot of dust got into the hospital rooms with. the screams chemical weapons chemical weapons were used to create panic this lasted for about an hour we were treating the patients and then sending them home we had no fatalities or instances of people suffering from poisonous substances this isn't helping western journalists their leaders insist it happened syria russia and locals insist it

didn't dead end usually when you put your mind to not a monologue if you don't understand normal language let's try a different way if you're impervious to arguments let us bring you the witnesses so russia aboard more than a dozen witnesses to the west to the u.p.c. w. and invited western press perfect opportunity for journalists to get to the bottom of this right. right how low do you have to go to bring a little child all the way and threaten them right off the bat the nile but here's the what if we came here willingly we demanded the red cross allow us to come here . wrong in truth there isn't the right answer no matter what you say to some people no matter what you show them they'll never ever come around or change their views how threatened do you have to feel to change your

story into the noise a chemical weapons attack stubborn doesn't do this fellow justice he's really the reason that the boy had to fly over the yes my son is young and it's been difficult for him to make it here a flight here is no easy thing so little has scientists told you the truth something you do not want to hear it was a necessary measure we needed to show that there was a line in a very dangerous one. anyone who hoped there would be a breakthrough was in for a disappointment hours of testimony and the evidence all for naught though you mentioned in a russian press release that somebody here was going to be present who was a witness of producing the video of the white helmets and i was wondering where this witness is and if he can tell his testimony.

more and more it's my view all these witnesses we heard from today are the evidence the white helmets feel is fake i don't know maybe i missed something. in one ear out the other with no pause in-between. all right gas never post message that's how the news is looking at say foster day here in r.c.m. next there is time to talk football on the will come this time called. when else truths seemed wrong but old rules just don't hold. any old belief yet to shape our disdain comes to educate and in games from an equals betrayal. when so many find themselves worlds apart we choose to look for common ground.

as i can go remind all this like the three little piggies right the day you know no one lives in a fiance ouster houses blown away by the huffing and puffing of the big bad feel wolf and then taking over to your god countries like india they're like one step it was step back a second household sector has all the gold their government doesn't exactly and then the big benefit will often fall to the people to produce a to survive the government has blown away then you've got the countries like china and russia that have said wow stay out of twenty four carat gold bullion and the big bad theo walcott of pop and it didn't blow their house away. los angeles the city of luxury and fame but also an alarming number of people living in the streets. the simple fact in l.a. is there's just not enough shelter even if people on the street.