the emir of qatar steps down for his 33-year-old son. the taliban attacks afghanistan's presidential palace and cia headquarters in kabul. divinepray for intervention to stop flooding in northern india. could a massive construction projects be to blame -- project be to blame? the growingh diplomatic storm over the u.s. intelligence whistleblower edward snowden. russian foreign minister sergey lav rob hit back at american criticism. he is the man behind one of the biggest intelligence leaks in u.s. history. he was last said to be in a moscow airport. on monday, snowden reportedly checked in for a havana bound flight, but was not among the passengers on board. according to the foreign minister, he did not crash -- across the russian border either. towe have no relationship mr. snowden's movement across the globe nor to his relations with the u.s. dust a system. .e chose his route himself we consider unacceptable all threats and attempts to accuse us of violating u.s. laws. there is no legal basis for the u.s. official behavior. >> peter sh

republic, emirate, the conversations are the same. they have been going on for two years.there has been no change in what the taliban want and what the americans want. it has been ongoing. >> pakistan's powerful military has in a central role in convincing afghanistan's taliban rebels to hold talks with the u.s.. a shift from widely held views in washington that it was obstructing peace in the region. u.s. and taliban officials were due to meet in doha, the capital of qatar, in the next few days, raising hopes for negotiated keys after 12 years of war between american-led forces and the islamist insurgents. neighboring pakistan's role in the war has been ambiguous. it is a u.s. ally, but has a long history of supporting the taliban as its proxy in afghanistan. part of its wider jockeying with regional india. >> we extended facilitation through the doha process. we think that process is part of the larger reconciliation process. which in turn will help bring an end to the war, and bring lasting peace to afghanistan. our stance remains that it has to be an all-inclusive intr

qatar the united arab emirates reign and saudi arabia now in saudi arabia local media reported that the authorities asked more providers to find ways to monitor encrypted messaging and apps like viber skype and whatsapp and said that if these applications could not be monitored then they would have to be blocked well last month senior saudi religious clerics declare that those who use twitter are quote risking damnation and the lose both this world and their afterlife now let's move to are seen by many as a regional media hub which will be supports the radical freedom fighters in syria. there last week the. story now is looking at punishing websites and social media with a new internet called under the new draft the authorities will be allowed to remove news videos or post even factual ones if they think they violate the sanctity of privacy this brings us to the united arab emirates a country ruled by seven who are ready to rulers were political parties are banned by a war their citizens can be jailed for tweeting like the recent case of a man who received ten months behind bars for

factual ones if they think the violate the sanctity of privacy this brings us to the united arab emirates a country ruled by seven hereditary rulers were political parties are banned by a law their citizens can be jailed for tweeting like the recent piece of a man who received ten months behind bars for describing the legal process around a group of civil society activists quote in bad faith in kuwait this year alone at least six journalists and dozens of activists have been arrested on charges that include insulting the emir on twitter other widespread charges for online criticism from users are threatening national security and offending religion all on the web but the jail sentences are anything but virtual and sometimes stretch to two years behind bars despite kuwait being poured into the international covenant on civil and political right finally last but not least one ring last week six bloggers were given one year in prison each after they were found guilty of misusing the right of free expression and insulting the king even though apparently their angry tweets were merely criticis

suspicious methods of upholding democratic freedoms of their citizens could tour the united arab emirates kuwait rain and saudi arabia in saudi arabia local media reports that the authorities asked the mobile providers to find ways to monitor encrypted messaging and apps like viber skype and whatsapp and said that if these applications could not be monitored then they would have to be blocked while last month senior saudi religious clerics declared those who use twitter are risking quote demonstration and lose both this world and their afterlife let's move on to qatar now seen by many as a regional media hub which openly supports radical freedom fighters in syria while it's now looking at punishing web sites and social media with a new internet coach under the new draft the of the audience will be allowed to remove news videos or posts even factual ones if they think the violate the sanctity of privacy now this brings us to the united arab emirates a country ruled by seven hereditary rulers were political parties are banned by law and their citizens can be jailed for tweeting like the rec

. >> qatar's old emir and the new one held a joint reception. after newly two decades in power, which is a voluntary transition of power, a rarity in the arab world. he just 33 years old and was educated at a british military academy. for the past several years, he's run government organizations. >> jo soy in -- i am entirely certain he deserves the responsibility. he's capable of shouldering responsibility and fulfilling his task. >> the application comes at a time when qatar's international profile is rising. the country has the worlds third largest gas reserves, and it has used that that money to become one of the world major financial players. qatar often hosts major diplomatic conferences, and it is playing an ever larger role in middle eastern politics. qatar is also one of the most prominent backers of serious rebels. there's growing international concern that the emirate is using its money to fund islamist there. in 2022, qatar will become the first arab state to host the soccer world cup. it's just another sign of the country's growing

. >> qatar's old emir and the new one held a joint reception. after newly two decades in power, which is a voluntary transition of power, a rarity in the arab world. he just 33 years old and was educated at a british military academy. for the past several years, he's run government organizations. >> jo soy in -- i am entirely certain he deserves the responsibility. he's capable of shouldering responsibility and fulfilling his task. >> the application comes at a time when qatar's international profile is rising. the country has the worlds third largest gas reserves, and it has used that that money to become one of the world major financial players. qatar often hosts major diplomatic conferences, and it is playing an ever larger role in middle eastern politics. qatar is also one of the most prominent backers of serious rebels. there's growing international concern that the emirate is using its money to fund islamist there. in 2022, qatar will become the first arab state to host the soccer world cup. it's just another sign of the country's growing

back in 1999, a group of radical muslims attempted to turn dagestan into an emirate ruled by islamichari'a law. the russian army stepped in and quickly stamped that out. but since then, this province, home to about 2.5 million people, has today some 3,000 mosques and growing. sasha, another secret christian believer lived next door to two islamic insurgents killed during a police raid. we have taken similar precautions to protect his identity. sasha says he actively shares the gospel with muslims in the north caucuses, but it isn't easy. he was twice beaten by muslims. >> i always thought god would protect me as his son. but then i understood if we have the honor to believe in our savior, we also have the honor to endure things he went through in some ways. when we are persecuted and feel physical pressure in our lives, then we in reality start to understand and feel how close god is to us. >> george: the provinces of the north caucuses are one of the least evangelized places on earth. the rising islamic fervor has prevented many russians from even visiting the region. but for ramza,

the emir has been in power since 1995. qatar has, evolved into it a important plar on the international scene. the fbi said it was disappointed by the failure to arrest edward snowden. he is wanted in connection with leaking information about surveillance programs. asylum inseeking ecuador. >> catch me if you can. right on time, the aeroflot -- touchedflot flight down from hong kong with edward snowden on board. passengers said the 30-year-old was met on the steps of the aircraft by vehicles with ecuadorian diplomatic plates. snowden will remain at the airport and will catch a flight monday morning to cuba. last month, the former contractor for the national security agency released sensitive details of the u.s. government spy program before fleeing the country. may 20, he left hawaii to seek refuge in hong kong. once there, he revealed himself in an interview as the source of revelations about u.s. surveillance programs. , isitting at my desk certainly had the authority to wiretap anybody from you or your accountant to a f

the office of the emirates of afghanistan with a flag and so the question is a lingering question what is this war what was this war fought for what is going to happen after this this is a very very important turning point and if the americans sit with the taleban and on one hand they will be talking on the other hand the people of afghanistan will be dying this is going to. devastating situation for a nation will have to be right there morning out of time mr. sultanzoy political analyst and former afghan m.p. for joining us on r.t. . some other news making headlines around the world this hour violence has once again a striking iraq's a capital baghdad two suicide bombers are blowing themselves up in a shia mosque killing at least thirty three people more than sixty others were injured in the blast a bombing over beit of attacks on shia neighborhoods which have tamed of the lives of more than one hundred people. riot police of clash with protesters in brazil's the biggest cities are following mass demonstrations people are venting their anger at the government spending and staging the

opened tuesday, the holes in the wall are where the sign declaring political office of the islamic emirate of afghanistan used to be. that sign angered afghan president karzai, who temporarily halted talks with the u.s. about a security agreement that would allow u.s. troops to stay in afghanistan after 2014. karzai thought the taliban was presenting itself as the government in exile. >> there were some concerns about the manner which the taliban opened it, some language that they used. >> afghanistan does not recognize such a thing as the emirates of the taliban. raising the taliban flag on tuesday in doha was just a reminder of the dark and bloody past. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry heads to qatar this weekend, and u.s. officials expect to begin negotiations with the taliban as early as monday. >> i think it's worth the risk, but it can't be done without president karzai, without the government of afghanistan. >> reporter: another hurdle for the pentagon as it winds down the war, what to do with the 2,000 mine-resistant vehicles that are too expensive to bring home. at $1 mi

the office of the emirates of afghanistan with the flag so the question is a lingering question what is this war what was this war fought for what is going to happen after this this is a very very important turning point and if the americans were the taleban and on one hand they will be talking on the other hand the people of afghanistan will be dying this is going to be a very very devastating situation for our nation online our t. dot com we've got a lot more analysis and more of the stories the world's news makers including the latest on the wiki leaks whistle blow to the sun she's now says he's prepared to spend the next five years in the confines of the ecuadorian embassy in london after high level talks to break southern parts of fulton also to russia's foreign minister says iran's new directive president is ready to partly hold the radium enrichment but that's only under certain conditions at home to learn where the west should make compromises as far as they're concerned that. until he ran its new leader a promise is from system of nuclear transparency don't seem to convince

cease fire fighting would end the jihad continues to end the occupation and establish an islamic emirates to achieve this goal we will follow every legal means the emirate of the taliban with its military effort has a strategic goal related to the future of afghanistan the movement is not intending to harm any other parties and will not allow anybody to use afghan territory to threaten other countries but the fighting continues will defense official say that for u.s. troops were killed in a deadly ambush on tuesday at or near by air a base in afghanistan so when will the fighting end and what's next for afghanistan i was doing earlier by michael o'brien author of america's failure in iraq he discussed the murder of the four troops and what this says about the current state of security and stability in afghanistan. well you know the thing is that if troops are being killed you know it's all it's all relative you know what it what is what is peace what is what is withdrawal. if troops our troops are being killed while these announcements are going on and all the sermons are going on that we

to achieve this goal we will follow every legitimate means the emirate of the taliban with its military effort has a strategic goal related to the future of afghanistan the movement is not intending to harm any parties and will not allow anybody to use afghan territory to threaten other countries but the fighting continues will defense official say that for u.s. troops were killed in a deadly ambush tuesday under nearby air base in afghanistan so when will the fighting end and what's next for afghanistan with me to discuss this i'm joined now by michael o'brien author of america's failures in iraq hi there michael so i want to get right down to the four troops that were killed on tuesday while these peace peace talks are going on this week what does this say about the security and stability of afghanistan when this is happening now what do you say to that michael will you know the thing is that if troops are being killed it. it's all it's all relative you know what it what is what is peace what is what is withdrawal. if troops our troops are being killed while these announcements are go

chief among them was the taliban's use of its formal name "the islamic emirate of afghanistan" at its new office in qatar. a member of karzai's afghan peace council said the name suggests it's an embassy, representing an actual government. >> ( translated ): the senior american officials have assured us in a written letter in the past that the legal suggestion of the afghan high peace council will be respected and will be guaranteed by the opening of this office cannot be used as a political settlement to build up relations with the united nations or any other countries, but now we see this office is >> brown: state department spokeswoman jen psaki said secretary of state john kerry spoke with karzai last night and again this morning. >> the secretary reiterated the fact that we do not recognize the name islamic emirate of afghanistan. he noted that the government of qatar has taken steps today to ensure that the political office is in compliance with the of foreign affairs has issued a statement clarifying that the name of the office is the political office of the afghan taliban and

russia which heavily invests into serbia we're also partners with china latin america the united arab emirates other countries of the arab world in israel joining the e.u. isn't a question of life and death rather it's a question of a better life because of that if i basically say no school is an alternative plan for so because it provides investment and loans and i don't see this is an alternative these two blessings are not mutually exclusive. do you mean that said he has no need to choose between east and west unity the unique or the serbia will never choose between east and west it wants to be part of both this idea is nothing new it was suggested by the serbian socialists two centuries ago yes we are a slavic orthodox country but we have bordered by western europe and while that might not feel like our natural environment we have to deal with it of course we have longstanding friends with whom we share a common past a common language and religion but it won't do any good for serbia to look in one direction only sadly enough serbia russian relations have never been truly sincere because th

we also know that the wording behind them, the islamic emirates afghanistan has been removed.retary kerry made a series of calls trying to assure president karzai about his role. we know he's hanging on for what the afghans are calling formal reassures. we don't quietly know what that is. >> what is the mood there, duncan? are the afghanis at all hopeful this process will move forward and the peace talks will be successful? >> reporter: well, you know, we were out filming the other day at a kabul tea shop and i was talking to local students. i said do you think the taliban are ready to negotiate, to talk about peace? one of the students said if they're ready to talk about peace, why do they keep blowing us up? why do they continue with this violence? it's going to be a long road ahead, building confidence with ordinary afghans on the streets that the taliban really mean business and are really serious about this. >> a long road indeed, duncan golestani, thank you for that report. we appreciate it. >>> a new world fire in southern colorado is growing rapidly. people were forced

they have gone public to open what they call the political office of the islamic emirates of afghanistan these men are representatives of the group possibly to her -- leadegroup's leader. now the group says it is pursuing two options to liberate afghanistan. >> there is no cease-fire so far. we have two options. the military option that has been continuing for the last decade. simultaneously, we have embarked on a political option. >> this move was backed by western powers including the u.s. as well as the host country, qatar. >> we are certain the office will push the peace process in afghanistan forward. we believe this step will support the political process. >> there has been a cautious response from the afghan government. president hamid karzai has welcomed the opening of the taliban political office in doha. cars a war and the only engage in peace talks with -- karzai has warned they will only engage in police talks -- peace talks. also he announced members of the peace council will meet the taliban. there seems to be a new momentum after more than 10 years. >> they have good reaso

oof golf in 165 tournaments and to meet the people i've met, from presidents of the united states to emirsle east, and to have traveled to the extent that i've had and the education that i've received, it exceeds anything can you get from a harvard or a princeton. it's a miracle. ♪ we traveled, my wife and i, with six children, 40 hours to south africa to here, stopping four times. no disposable diapers, etc., and things that are happening today, so it was a very different world. do your exercises. many players in america couldn't play worth a damn outside america. i wanted to win everywhere in the world, because that's the ultimate test to see if you can get off a plane and beat people in their home country. >> gary, a versatile golfer, has won tournaments all over the world under all sorts of conditions. >> i've probably traveled more miles than any human being that's ever lived. the thing that i've learned is to have respectfor people's opinions, religions, their cultures, their ideas, their education, their food, whatever it may be. i believe it was a gift. it was a loan. it was a loan

the name of the office is the political office of afghanistan and not the political office of the emirate's of afghanistan. the sign on the door has been taken down. >> what is in a name? in this case, plenty. president karzai was plenty upset about that. the responsibility for security has passed to the afghan hands this week. talks have resumed with the taliban. how about these talks? good idea? bad idea? >> the way we just heard about is real amateur hour. >> these administrations arranged to hold talks in qatar, and no one notices that the taliban put a sign on the door that is their name when they were the ruling party in afghanistan pre-9/11. what they are saying is we are a government in exile. it was like in the vietnam war when the vietcong claim legitimacy. we ignore it, and it is not to be ignored. the talks themselves will go nowhere. the importance is, for the taliban, it gives them stature, statehood and legitimacy, and we treated it as a wording issue. >> in the vietnam talks, we fought for weeks and months at the table. >> i think the administration got suckered. their under

is the world's second-largest emirate of co2 behind china. president said he would use executive power to enforce limits on coal-fired our plans. >> we limit the amount of toxic chemicals like mercury and sulfur and arsenic in our air, but power plants can still dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into the air for free. >> obama dismissed those who denied the effects of climate change, pointing to the damage caused last year by hurricane sandy. republicans called the plans crazy, but most of the president's agenda can be implemented without the approval of congress. though he is likely to face opposition on some of the issues. >> tuesday was a record-breaking day in the world of astronomy. the european southern observatory announced the discovery of not one but three planets that in theory could support life. the planets are in a solar system some 22 light-years away from earth. in galactic terms, it's practically next door. they orbit their star in a zone considered inhabitable, shown here in green. surface temperatures don't get too

treated as or represent itself as an embassy or other office representing the afghan caliban as an emirate government or sovereign. >> it is in stark contrast to the ceremonial opening earlier this week. the caliban had a public address for negotiations. peace talksigh could find a way to end the war and afghanistan. the new taliban office that opened here with such a fanfare of publicity on tuesday is already looking a rather different place. most importantly, the plaque on the wall that so enraged the government has been taken down, is ahe diplomatic storm sign of how difficult these peace talks with the caliban are going to be. in afghanistan, the fighting goes on. america and the afghan government will be negotiating with an enemy still bent on killing them. >> america has underestimated the difficulties between the cap between the caliban and hamid karzai's government. i think they have not missed a fully how sensitive -- i think they have not understood fully how sensitive the issues are and how this undermines hamid karzai. >> the united nations secretary of state has been scramblin

the office of the emirates of afghanistan with the flag so the question is a lingering question what is this war what was this war fought for what is going to happen after this this is a very very important turning point and if the americans sit with the taleban and on one hand they will be talking on the other hand the people of afghanistan will be dying this is going to be a very very devastating situation for our nation. for the people do stories in brief now tonight a suicide bombers blow to self up during a funeral in northwest pakistan has left at least twenty seven dead and wounded dozens more police say the blast may have targeted a politician who attended the procession and is affiliated with opposition leader interim can it's the first attack in the region since the may eleventh elections and highlights the security challenges still facing the new government of prime minister now as sheriff. balances one skin struck iraq's capital by two suicide bombs have blown themselves up in a shia mosque there killing at least thirty three and more than sixty others were injured in the

they said they saw the taliban theflag, the old state -- islamic emirate of afghanistan. that upset them here. as a result, now the american military's future in afghanistan hangs in the balance. of course, combat troops are scheduled to leave here by the end of next year, after that, negotiations have been going on about how the military could stay to assist and train the afghan army here. in return, the u.s. would likely get several military bases in a country that would be of strategic importance. let's not forget that afghanistan has a long border with iran. of course, that is something the americans have been hoping for, and negotiations have been going on. but the president has been so unhappy with yesterday's event in delhi that the afghan president has said they were going to suspend those talks. ed is at risk here in afghanistan. and also, with the talks going on in doha, members on the high peace council here were meant to go and attend afghans talking to afghans, not only to bring peace but also to prevent any kind of civil war here after foreign combat troops

announced proclaiming to the world that they are a sovereign nation by calling themselves islamic emirate of afghanistan that they will not negotiate as long as any troops are left any foreign troops are left in afghanistan so how do you say you're going to win if you're going to leave and you haven't won the war so you have two governments you have the government of afghanistan and in the eyes of the world this is a separate government of the taliban the president of afghanistan and the people do not want this all right. well just to add we investigate the alarming suicide rate among young us war veterans status. i love life but there is a lot of sick stuff going on on this planet for example according to bloomberg a hospital in chicago has been accused by the f.b.i. of cutting the throats of patients for big bags of cash a tracheotomy is a procedure to get air directly into the windpipe of someone who can't breathe by cutting a hole into it an f.b.i. affidavit based on tape recording says that the hospital knowingly and purposely sedated patients to the point that they couldn't breathe

policy in africa as it stands today i'm joined by emir woods co-director of foreign policy in focus at the institute for policy studies thank you so much for coming on to be with you so what is driving the u.s. is to fit into africa well we have to recognize that africa is on the rise africa has over a billion people it has resources that are vital for the global economy from oil and gas to other key resources uranium gold plutonium but this is actually quite long so it is the center of the of africa for the global economy that is actually driving not only the u.s. and china which get a lot of recognition but also brazil india turkey the list is a lot of countries but primarily the brics you know brazil russia india china and south africa i see those drivers in terms of economic determination of the continent so i think these are key elements of it that we always know that resources are involved when you. look at a region that this is the africa summit by the african union in ethiopia what was the takeaway from this because the central issue is self-sufficiency peace and security i mea

announced proclaiming to the world that they are a sovereign nation by calling themselves islamic emirate of afghanistan that they will not negotiate as long as any troops are left in the foreign troops are left to afghanistan so how do you say you're going to win if you're going to leave and you haven't won the war so you have two governments you know the government of afghanistan and in the eyes of the world is a separate government of the taliban the president of afghanistan and the people you know what this. time for a brief look at some other headline news from around the globe. thousands have gathered on taksim square in istanbul demanding justice for a kurdish protester shot by police during rallies there according to local reports twenty arrests have been made so far crowds also vented their anger over there when these of a policeman from custody ahead of his trial for the killing of an activist in the capital ankara turkey has been in the grip of public unrest for almost the past month now. according to saudi arabia has sentenced seven cyber activists to between five to ten years

proclaiming to the world that they are a sovereign nation by calling themselves islamic emirate of afghanistan that they will not negotiate as long as any. troops are left any foreign troops are left in afghanistan so how do you say you're going to win if you're going to leave and you haven't won the war so you have two governments you know the government of afghanistan and in the eyes of the world this is a separate government of the taliban the president of afghanistan and the people who know what this all right now let's take a look at some other international news making headlines around the world this hour a fresh strain of an across iraq fifteen people including nine in a bombing at a football pitch in the capital most of the victims were boys under the age of sixteen violence also struck the towns of mosul dollar shark and hill iraq is in the midst of its deadliest a wave of violence since the end of the country's civil conflict in two thousand and eight with fears sectarian charged bloodshed could continue to escalate more than two thousand people have been killed by attacks and fighti