yes. i'm sure i'll see you there. among the week's top stories from russia's refreshed constitution comes into effect getting solid backing in a challenging week long as we gauge public opinion to changes. i love my country and you think everything that is being done is right i think it is. needed because the current constitution is out of date to charcoal or protect debate rages on over the future of statues linked to historical racism on the 1st greets we look at germany's claim to find a solution. times our seattle police clear this self-proclaimed protest zone following deadly shootings and repeated violence.

with the top stories from the past 7 days and right up to the moment of elements as well this is the weekly on r.t. international hello and welcome i'm going to. rushes over a whole constitution came into effect on saturday following a previous week long hefty majority of the public endorse the changes with over 3 quarters in favor from a turnout 68 percent. on the final day of polling for us. now this really was a vote of us the fos time people were in mosques and gloves the time they were using disposable pans wilson threw temperature sconce focusing on law and for some as for the voting process itself while that was a situation where security footage allegedly caught

a woman stuffing the ballots now that counting in that area of moscow has been suspended pending an investigation otherwise the central editorial commission says that it found no irregularities that was so many amendments on the table $147.00 in total that it's difficult to decide what it was that ultimately secured public back but undoubtedly it's the package of social amendments that house particularly white appeal i'm talking about things like adjusting pensions and laws with inflation and showing that the minimum wage should never have a fool's below the cost of living as well as giving additional financial support to low income families these proofs popping up because they have such a tangible impact on people's day to day lives but that is not to say that this was an easy decision for anyone old that it was without control to see a few amendments proved to be particularly polarizing and one that taint a lot of media traction was considering the so-called zeroing out of president putin's previous tubs paving the way for him potentially if he wanted to do so run

again twice as president on top of the some of the more conservative amendments proved to be divisive such as defining marriage so many as a union between a man and a woman reiterating traditional family values as well as mentioning goal despite the fact that russia is officially a sector of the nation but that's him the people themselves and what they have to say. why have i come here to vote because i'm a citizen of russia and. all of them men women and i am not ok with them and about the presidential term i absolutely do not agree with. the can from it. with all of the amendments in the constitution of the member looks the most important to me is the prevalence of russian you know over international the head of the central election commission of said something about voting being like a meal deals you either take everything or you do not take it at all and i already do not like one dish in this meal deal so i will not take everything else i think

it is nonsense according to all legal logical and ethical norms i love my country and you think everything that has been done is right i think that it's needed because the current constitution is out of date it is a modern time and even the view of life is new the bit of a mixed bag in terms of reaction and people decide to show that disapproval not just at the polls but also protests peaceful ones in the capital and also in that some petersburg but true to 2024 it was safety fast. not. because. ultimately the so many who put a tick in the yes box would argue that the russia of $9093.00 when this current constitution was born was full of political and economic instability it was still finding its feet after the collapse of the soviet union and that russia is not the

same as the russia of 2020 that almost entirely different countries so i think this is yes to the changes was born from a desire for the country's top document to move with the times to set russia on a new course and shape its future as envisaged by russians now today and not as envisaged by russians almost 30 years ago. where there was a long list of amendments in the package on offer but it was one element in particular that got much of the foreign media fired up. russia's parliament basically paving the way for vladimir putin to potentially stay on as russian president he's the longest serving russian leader since joseph stalin but a lot of your putin wants to stay in power even longer addressing lawmakers abdu words putin said he backed the amendment allowing him to seek another term in office but there are dozens of interesting lucian's that also be discussed and the one that caught my eye was on children the role of children and all fronts i

explicitly mentioned in one of the constitutional monarch moments which i think is worth while reflecting the russian federation of the u. 2020 is in many regards i would say in a different situation than was the country in 1903 when we compare the international circumstances but also of course the national economic and political situation the early ninety's were marked by the implosion of the soviet union marked by the down brutal communists and. it was more about being a fax s. of the then the russian federation that we have today i think there is a need for. meeting this new circumstances because a constitution is almost a reflection of a society and also of the circumstances of the country it is in so the future of

the legislature the parliament in order to respond to these new students is. the campaign to topple the statues linked to historical racism saw groups attack an aversion to defend monuments through the week some of the links may be clear the vulgarism of denmark's little mermaid was a little harder to comprehend it was daubed with the words racist fish but i could demick say the county what could be racially insensitive about the hans christian andersen fairy tale so what is the best way to remember our history the good and the contentious peter all over explores what germany thinks is the answer. when it comes to assessing and dealing with difficult periods of history germany has more experience than most but we haven't seen the type of scenes here that have played out in the united states britain belgium.

my. billet germany isn't without its own controversial statues otto von bismarck has been told with red paint in hamburg while as an ongoing campaign to block the renovation of another monument to the iron chancellor in the port city bismarck wasn't just crucial in german unification he was also a driving force in colonialism and by today's standards and on d.c. might here in berlin sell and golf district anomie as hassam in 1920 s.

depiction of a needling a black woman was decapitated last week kasem and remains controversial in germany he was a committed nazi and despite the fact his works continue to be displayed across the german capital this particular monument had been slated for removal by city authorities who don't already deemed it earlier this year on suitable for display in the city of belin. if you don't push the side you cannot exist with this kind of bigotry and prejudice you cannot live together if you do not treat each other equally people shouldn't be discriminated against based on the color of their skin so what happens to start choosing germany that no longer justify exhibition well here in berlin they've got just the place for them the spandau citadel although the 16th century fortress has its own troubled past it was used as a chemical weapon storage by the nazis but i put it as i was it was to bring those

that you to a museum to show it was an example of racism these mistakes are not repeated this racial stereotypes should not be demonstrated on the streets but in a museum where we could demonstrate it to people within context as we move through the exhibition we see hundreds of years of prussian military strongman into monuments of naziism the 3rd reich didn't really do sculpture but this castle it was one of few described by hitler is irreplaceable the nazis preferred buildings as their monuments to time and there's plenty of those still visible in modern belin. one of the most i can change in this collection of discarded start juice is this gigantic granite head of blood to me l.n. it's all that remains of a 19 meet monument that was built in 1970 to mark the 100th anniversary

of his birth. in the united states and also in great britain there are discussions at the moment about what to do with dismantle memorials but here we have already found a possible solutions for memorials that are so to speak toxic if you put them in a museum that doesn't mean it's over we put them here so that people can continue to pay attention to them but in a different context germany is often cited as the example to follow when it comes to assessing periods of history troubling to modern sensibilities even if there are 2 named after nazi field marshall erwin rubble that the german military calls home to this day they glossed over as they don't fit the particular narrative because history has a tendency not to be as neat as we might like it when it's really examined peter all of r.t. berlin. of the us has been ground 0 though for revising the last number

of months even the country's national anthems in question are truthful don't you hawkins picks up the story. 2020 is a year of change and i'm not talking about coronavirus popular t.v. shows axed statues torn down even food brands updated to meet 21st century criteria of inclusive u.t. equality justice and tolerance but is it enough more be done well in the united states protests during the national anthem have been a bone of contention for quite a few years but what about the national anthem itself well now some people are saying enough is enough. i. i well that's that's you that just came off the plinth was francis scott key the man behind the lyrics that the star-spangled banner and former slave owner and and he abolitionist so what's the deal with the anthem itself.

andrew sure warms the walls. what you can sing the 3rd verse all right of course the rarely performed that 3rd verse was directed by key black slaves who'd been freed or escaped and fought alongside the british in the war of 1812 his message to them was clear your fight for freedom will bring you nothing but death and downfall little wonder then the anthems attracted increasing scandal across the united states with both soccer teams and high school students refusing to play or sing at keys that only profited from slavery he apparently also harbored some pretty backward views on race and nationality and this widely attributed quote certainly has no place in this day and age. of the you don't want to hear music in french. that was the morsi is a tune for many it's all around the world for centuries truly

a symbol of french national identity both in times of joy and tragedy and. did. you knew that you know that is who or who. 'd you know well some of those lyrics furious soldiers coming to cut throats grabbing weapons impure blood may seem to some at least to be appropriated by the far right and certainly having no place in the modern republic calls for change remain there's even a movement for a new master yes and while they're still far off their goal they're not alone various french figures throughout history have had issues with them from the right of victor hugo to socialist leader. even seeing a surge gains ball who wrote his own reggae version back in 1979 have called for a make over. and seeing all not to see that is the

question well former u.k. labor leader jeremy corbyn found himself at the center of a media storm when he really got the wrong answer are you saying that you will sing the national anthem i'm going to be many of the take part fully in those events i don't see a problem but this is the issue surely is that we had a memorial for the battle of britain i was there and despite his explanation the press was merciless branding him all but a traitor but what would they say in 2020 beyond the 1st verse which we all know the lyrics do get a little strange especially in a secular society talk of a day theorizing to scatter enemies and punish those rebellious scots hardly makes any friends up north and whatever his reasons corbin isn't alone for example indigenous members of parliament in all taria recently announced they won't be taking part in any of them singing. god save the queen is an archaic tribute to the

british colonial period and the centuries of violence oppression and discrimination the british empire carried out against nations and peoples are considered inferior indigenous peoples in canada a glaring example among them perhaps corbin was just ahead of his time as well as canada they officially passed the motion back in 2018 making their national anthem gender neutral. i debates around symbols such as anthem statues or bronze don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon but as the calls for transformation grow louder many may question what fundamentals they really change beyond just that symbolism. still ahead on our teams or national it's a world heritage site visited by millions but could presidential plans for istanbul's iconic sufi be said to fuel

a religious feud between muslims and christians we get into that after this short break. so what we've got to do is identify the threats that we have it's crazy. let it be an arms race is very dramatic probably the only really exists i don't see how that strategy will be successful very critical time to sit down and talk. the world is driven by a dream shaped by.

the day or thinks. we ask. 15 minutes into the program welcome back police finally moved in to clear out the self declared autonomous protest zone in seattle on whedon's they although pockets of protests are all going in neighboring districts activists occupied the city's capitol hill which became known as chop about a month ago after police moved their precinct building but campaigners had said they hope to create

a peaceful police free utopia but the peace didn't last too long in the 3 weeks of protests the zone saw 4 shootings we know of 2 of them fatal there were also reports of assaults burglaries of rape protesters some armed to world war and they could face arrest if they didn't leave in. and over 38 were detained seattle police released footage of some of them. oh my god. well at 1st the mayor wanted to leave the activists to their takeover hoping for a quote summer of love but she was later forced to take action that the 2nd coming after protesters marched on her home demanding that the police be defunded and activists on the site watched as officers knew protesters all this is his report.

so i am outside of the pine street entrance of the shop right now where a bunch of police have set up a barricade and the protesters are now to gather not just. you know but then blocking the street trying to cause a little bit more awareness and the officers took that as an opportunity to simply enforce their version of law. yeah i don't know where you thought it was. the police came in to shop and ousted the remaining people who were staying there is that a brown 32 a rests been sprayed people pepper spray them in the aggressive from your perspective what exactly happened basically islands that are and. are and. it all started when bang bang bang screams and my. back there were a couple individuals who were speaking loudly red megaphone in the crowd energized

to actually bringing people in off the streets and the cops in a little bike brigade actually charging targeted those people arresting them individually and throwing them into the back of a cop cars far end of chop. not too long ago there were a bunch of tents in these areas there were people hanging. just living but in 5 hours everyone has been evacuated you know like you had a right. to do what i tell them. my matches burned down and over the burn down i don't think anybody in seattle did not see this coming ever since the string of 4 to 5 shootings that have. recently found out that the last shooting there was a 14 of a 16 year old kid who were killed so i think that it was. the cops decided that it was time to put an end to it there's a lot of the moralization right now especially in the crowd of protesters because i

think a lot of people are taking this is a bit of a law because maybe where. this entire idea. seems to have not only failed but come to an end. the future of an ancient monument in turkey is at the center of a political rather over the president's desire to turn it into a mosque yes afia in istanbul has been a museum for almost a century before that it was an orthodox christian cathedral a mosque for several centuries to it's an imposing unesco world heritage site and to draw from millions of tourists.

turkey's main administrative body is expected to decide on the building status in iran a fortnight's time you know it's illegal to change a cultural heritage monument status without their permission and given that it's been a muslim and christian place of worship over the centuries one eastern orthodox church leader is warning that the move could turn millions of christians against islam they are not the only ones concerned either. the united states future changing the status of the artist the fear is diminishing the legacy of this remarkable building and it's one supposed to belittle to serve humanity as a much needed bridge between those of differing faith traditions and cultures the has to be a must not be allowed to be devastated with universal character and turn it into a muslim place of worship with

a ticket government and president tempting to do today it revives and reignites fanatical nationalist and religious sentiment a symbol of tolerance and diversity this place must remain open to all. or but the turkish leadership's not happy at being told what to do insisting it's got the right to make decisions about its own buildings a presidential spokesman sais that turning the museum into a mosque would not damage its cultural meaning visitors would still be welcome here some of the reaction we heard from the public in turkey. as far as i'm concerned it's best for it to stay in museums because there is a blue mosque 100 meters across the white it's best for me to see the museum i hope that it will be open soon and almighty allah will allow us to pray here as soon as possible frankly i see it is a necessary tourism revenues are already all over the place because of tens of thousands of people come here every month to worship and by doing something like

this creating an artificial agenda there's nothing logical is no right to me. trying to revive the ottoman empire. we can see that it was all good movements that he's making and within this framework of good he would like to see also improved will more years so if you are. to go before me at the door. and this way he thinks that i have. a question over you. is not an issue. between agree government and. because years of fear is something that belongs to humanity many of jerks also into key believe that it should remain a world heritage and also as such as a museum it gives a lot sooner or financial support to their mayor over of them will jam out in saying that we don't need another mosque he said that that we should that we should

leave it as it is and we still do to be a. good man he said government he wants to break with maoist past for his own benefit. with countries around the world on edge over a possible 2nd covert 19 wave certain areas are already seeing the virus surge back it's the case in 2 regions of spain which are both preparing to reinstate locked on on sunday in libya in the far northwest move to bring back confinement measures affecting some 71000 people the lockdown is expected to last for around 5 days however which will allow local elections to go ahead at the weekend authorities highlighted a spike of about 300 cases since the public were allowed back to socialize in bars and restaurants as move comes just hours after catalonia on the other side of spain also placed one area back on lockdown. officials in south korea

home to around 200000 people say the how there a difficult decision to make catalonia has been one of spain's worst hit regions with more than 12000 covert related debts new restrictions are in place after new cases more than doubled over the past week locals say they generally support the renewed lockdown. i have said it better but i feel this is right because we have too many spikes too many infractions and eventually they would have to close off the region and more will come it seems this is necessary because we're seeing what's of cases this is a good decision for spain ranks 4th in europe for the number of coronavirus related deaths at over 28 years and it's been moving to reopen its borders to attract much needed tourist income during the peak of the summer season one smallish doctor we spoke to believes a selective strategy by region is needed but worries the tourism boom know it could lead to a bigger problem. in so my belief that given the current circumstances this is the

only option going back to its. supplies to the whole country is not the way to go the other issues here is that the e.u. countries have acted on their own since the stance of the lockdown and now the 27 countries have opened the borders except to americans brazilians and russians but there's still allowed the british to enter and visit spanish islands with little or no screening it's very important eva debate the need for a biological passport so to at least require a virus test 3 days before any trip within europe. a secret deals made between washington and europe in the wake of $911.00 which led to kidnapping and torture of terrorism suspects documentary crying injustice begins and.

you can be both with the yeah you like. 54 jets and more than 1300 military personnel are headed to heal some air force base in alaska where is that to say come on i'll show you what's the reason for any type of enhanced u.s. military presence in this area russia. what is it suddenly about the south china sea that makes it so that it 11. 1000000000 barrels of oil.

take a look at this map who really owns what kind of says no it belongs to us india says no we claim that that belongs to us both of these countries have nuclear weapons capabilities there is reason for concern so that's why we're going to drill down on the story for you today right here on the news or direction chaz where you know as we always like to say we do believe by golly it's time to do news again.