2 pm this friday afternoon here in moscow youre watching national with me suspect in a welcome to the program lots of stories here this hour starting with this one u. S. President donald trump chose to spend his thanksgiving taking part in the puff backed photo opportunity paying his fast ever visit to afghanistan and greeting american troops based there and he had a message for them he told them that talks with the taliban declared dead just 2 months ago about koran my colleague Daniel Hawkins discuss this with me. They call it a surprise visit but the motives behind it are rather clear since day one day one of his presidency mr trump wanted to and the war in afghanistan the bloody almost 2 decades long conflict that took so Many American lives and so Many American dollars trump wanted to end it for his own for steve at home and for his global influence in that region and internationally of course and hes been given this promises so many times that thanksgiving feels that short reason to afghanistan was all about that to demonstrate hes in charge and he is taking everything under control and everything is according to his plan and peace is near thats a perfect plan and you know strong promises except we heard that before and so many times. The taliban wants to make a deal well see if they want to make a deal is going to be a real deal but well see talking to the taliban have a very good discussions well see what happens talking about a plan i dont know whether or not a plan is going to be accepted or acceptable to me and maybe its not going to be acceptable to them but we are talking we have good talks going and well see what happens in these negotiations have been quite stops thought they have there been any success is in the past it would be unfair to say that there wasnt any success because for almost a year a trans key negotiator mr heller former ambassador to afghanistan held 9 rounds of talks extensive talks with the taliban very influential on the ground in afghanistan everybody agrees that they say is a player and no one can ignore and the peace cannot be restored without although many countries still view them as a terrorist group some were saying that to merica was closed and these negotiations were success but that it was called off last minute because of the bloody incident to dozens of lives including an american soldier so some say that america is losing this game in afghanistan. Because trump is trying to play is solo game there are so many peace initiatives on afghanistan led by most by iran but always rejects all the invitations and never takes part in these talks and hes trying to kind of settle it all on his own and just before go into afghanistan this thanksgiving he posted a photo shopped picture of himself as rocky balboa and i think this is how he feels maybe and maybe this is what he wants to be for afghanistan a hero but as they say you can tell what they are by what they do not by what they say or what the post on twitter obviously as you mentioned there its a good photo opportunity good p. R. For the election exeunt of realistic chance of getting a deal how optimistic and its very hard to say because its been on and off all the time but what we can say for sure and you made this point already trump is not going to give up he needs it he needs to regain this influence in afghanistan and in that region and globally and of course they say that ending the war in afghanistan he would rise his chances up to be reelected at home so i mean its not yet over. Through and charlie dean at the school of International Affairs says trump is resorting to bluster while its the taliban thats got the upper hand in the talks. Trungpa simply you nor i were you know trying to show some bravado the reality is that he needs this deal much more than the taliban rule but if you look at the ground situation the taliban going to to make good gains and leave while its their degree of control that the taliban has all the water theory has increased and the u. S. Forces are said to grow out on the you know they can root them out and eventually win this war for him a victory for a very pure political victory for domestic gains got less than 12 months for the reelection and he wants to shore success and i think the taliban or that they want to extract a lot of concessions pakistan which backs of taliban is going to try and extract more concessions so really the onus is on the countries in the region you know the neighbors are going to standard try and stabilize it because as far as the old rule of the u. S. Being the policeman or the sheriff will may do in order and balance of power all their lives or were and trump is simply saying you know i give up but simply putting a bridge last resort a sheen on it. Another headline story for you the mayor of a small town in bolivia who was brutally assaulted by protestors amid unrest triggered by the countrys political crisis is refusing to resign but youre sure our chain has now left hospital images of the attack on her and marched on social media revealing the violence towards politicians of the party of ousted leader morales a quick warning you may find the following scenes upsetting at the start of november after setting the town and. Paraded how bath put down cut her hair and public you can spring red during the 4 hour ordeal she was made to kneel and sign a Resignation Letter she told us shes still being treated for kidney damage sustained from the blows she received. When all what happened was disgusting im now recovering from brina all damage that i suffered during the assault and im still in pain the also cut of my hair they bade me. But they can change my views everything was so confusing at that moment many of them covered their faces but we recognized some of them it was sad to see all those people attacking me its been a difficult time for my children to see their mother in such a condition i dont want this to happen again. But libya is now facing Political Uncertainty the selfappointed right wing government of senators and yes has already been accused of abuses even more as resigned after the countrys military suggested to step down that was on the pot of a wave of protests following up to election and allegations of vote for his supporters see it as a coup and in turn protest during the countrys post election on rest 34 people were killed and more than 800 injured but again says that the violence must stop. But as youre going to be i cant betray my people those who believe in me i would like to express my gratitude to the staff who have stayed with me and are dedicated to improving the city we will keep working to achieve all our goals it was very difficult to return here after everything they did to me and it was terrible to see this city hall in such a state after all the work that was done to improve it after everything thats happened how can it get any worse people need to reflect and stop harming each other we need to restore unity ive never hurt anybody ive always worked for my city and i want people to take a step back and think the believe in people cannot live like this. A meeting between the french president on the nato chief has apparently failed to resolve lingering tensions with a manual mccall again in costume doubt on the current agenda of the next 70 year old military alliance. Looks at the roots of the tensions. One of the 1st symptoms of irrelevance is when you find yourself having to remind people that youre relevant successful and someones got off on a bit of a verbal selfcongratulatory blitzkrieg nato is a Strong Alliance but more than that we are adopting it we are agile and we are active so we are responding to a changing world and the reason why nato is the most successful launch of these 2 it is that we have been able to change in the world is changing and thats exactly what we have done over the last years thats exactly what we are doing nato is the most successful alliance in history. And alliance that strive to join showing the historic suspects of nato and liberal nato and it has been the most successful alliance in the history there is more much more in the star machine amount of a standing valid think a step back look at it objectively almost 30 years since the cold war ended and nato hasnt changed almost nothing about it just as they were then theyre still expanding eastward towards russia just as they were then theyre Still Standing up to russia now also in the cybersphere afghanistan a lot of evolution their 18 years of stagnant stalemate what theyve really adapted to is pumping out glamorous videos no argument there stella stuff nato is brain dead and those arent my words their own from the lips of the french president. Of the Different School the nato is a collective Defense Alliance against who and what it is organizing who accuse our common enemy what are our common issues these are questions that deserve clarification that core has a vision a United European Army a europe protected by europeans not americans no hard feelings i mean how would an american feel if the us was protected in the garrison by hundreds of thousands of foreign troops a European Military that decides on its own who its enemies are. Is our enemy now russia or china is it the goal of nato see designate them as enemies i dont believe so our common enemy today nato is terrorism which has hit each of our countries. But nato is nothing if not adaptable we heard many times now theyre evolving to adapt to the fact that the u. S. Is tired of paying for everyone because everyone elses so successful that no one wants to foot the bill we Work Together and getting some of our allies to pay their fair share its called burden sharing and as you know when i came it wasnt so good the United States pays for a very big share of nato disproportionate share but in all seriousness there is something that has changed in the last 30 years itll countries a buying russian weapons turkey spending billions on russian s 400 air Defense Systems and refusing to go and march up and down on russias borders until nato acknowledges that its members have actual problems. If some countries object another countrys security concerns are being addressed in there will be no unity with the natives. Are nato the galaxys greatest military Alliance Since the big bang it isnt gentleman all since the moment of creation probably arguing about it is well. A story for you shopaholics out that the black friday shopping extravaganza gets underway all around the world today analysts say americans alone will spend around 87000000000. 00 this time around chasing the very best deals but there is a dark side to this we tell festival as artists dont water explains. Black friday is coming up big box retailers are gearing up for their annual mega sales super profits and consumer stampedes that will probably result in more than a few injuries in a georgia walmart to have been fighting over pots and pans one refusing to let god. That wasnt brutal enough for you there is an even darker shade of black friday the kind that takes place on a darker shade of the internet called the dark web its a place where black marketeers pursue huge profits with alluringly low prices just as much as the legitimate guys probably more so and there are plenty of consumers looking to buy those contraband Goods Society has become more digital and own without so his crime despite their activities being on rule from an illegal criminal is already turned in surprise in a sense im not looking to maximize the opportunities its no small enterprise either last week the European Union published a report about online narcotics sales in the u. K. It said 24000000 pounds sterling worth of the stuff was sold in 20172018 alone and on black friday everything from credit cards Fake Passports and Illegal Drugs are for sale at bargain bin prices and marketplaces that are specifically designed to be completely untraceable and while buying illegal items puts you at risk with the law you should also be aware of the very vendors youre buying from Security Experts are sounding the alarm and how you can avoid a black friday. As we head into the Holiday Shopping season notice there is a new online scam that involves fake retail websites that look real but they are not scams come in many forms one popping up more and more is fraudulent websites that look exactly like the real thing no doubt the a thorough. These will be hard at work trying to stop these dark web deals but what about the consequences that come with legal black friday consumerism for so long the overproduction and overconsumption that characterizes the holiday have been cordially accepted as the norm no matter the frenzy that overtakes many or the damage it wreaks on the environment the latter has become so bad the french government is debating on banning black friday altogether but for now expect the usual frenzy for anybody who takes part in a black friday so who wants to be part of this when ever there is a chance fraudulent activities especially with what we know about the dark web in certain facets of the internet and with all of the hacking capabilities of fire wall breakings and all this other stuff we need to be taking personal responsibility individual responsibility and being sure that we are in charge of what happens to our finances and where we are putting our finances that it really takes advantage of the the narrative that people have to shop on black friday that that is the only time you can get presents for your children for your family for your loved ones and your friends and so it really gives the some of these hackers or these dark web or some of these false sites an opportunity really to to prey on these on these shopping sentiments and to try to find people who are going to be likely to give in to any deal that looks too good to be truly and because we dont take the time to look into that especially on black friday when it went in and so its not only a frenzy but theres a time constraint we have one hour we have a certain amount of time or its going to be over and youll miss it forever and thats what gets people in these modes where theyre not going to look it up theyre not going to research to see which sites are legitimate which sites arent and thats where they might be able to be taken advantage of the Palestinian John this has been to turn clashes in the west bank he told what happened. After a short break. The nato military alliance is a relic from the cold war back then it was relevant even necessary today it is an alliance in search of a mission that search as almost we haled eastern expansion towards russia but the lingering question remains is the average american and western european interested in a war over the sovereign the dystonia. Industry is based on greed greed is based on this. Rush to change the latest much paper wealth as possible even though its not genuine wealth spot actual money its not gold like a warren buffet just hoards of money like an old brainy one or phonebooks that doesnt credible damage because of its it to the population this notion of police would be. Welcome bach germanys highest court has ruled that a man convicted of double murder in the eightys has the right to have his name and other details removed from website shows he was sentenced for his crime in 1982 on was released 20 years later the case was why he reported in the media on has his full name appears in online such as as part of all carved all to coles he claims his right to privacy and ability to develop his posts and not to see have been violated the right to be forgotten is a controversial subject resulting in disputes between google and the new e. U. Nor states that any european citizen can also for links containing Sensitive Information to be a raise. From Search Engines in 2014 a court ruled that they could force such engines to do this since then google says more than 800000 requests how have been made to remove more than 3000000 web addresses however critics say its dangerous removing information on former criminals are gates our guests to debate the issue. Well they certainly deserve a 2nd chance but what they dont deserve is to have the historic crimes of theyve gone wiped off that no one can find them this is clearly an attack on free speech freedom of information and its International Censorship because the the rights of those that he killed the families the victims should never be forgotten but what he wants to do he wants his past to be completely wiped clean but once you start to we erase Historic Events then you are. Writing what historic what history was this person should have a slave why clean on the fact that the still showing up is going to be discriminated against or it could push him back into a life of crime if hes not given the right to leave his old life by law behind if you go for a job you still got suits you still got to give your past previous convictions which will discriminate against you anyway but the thing is theres no point releasing the individual from prison if hes still going to die if you still want to live in the past im all for giving a 2nd chance and like say the rehabilitation of offenders should should help but sometimes its down to employers having confidence in the judicial system to corrective behavior for people to come out a changed person and sometimes you need confidence in businesses to give them a chance but the problem is when you start to hide your Historic Events then that adds another dimension to the people will look into employer if hes trying to hide this what else is he trying to hide this person trying to better themselves the trying not trying to raise the past the trying to be given a fair shot the way of thinking you know what clean slate start again this is me now not then do you want to raise the party can change the name always of the internet could just change the name if they want to eventually like let me. Right you want to keep repeating yourself but the fact is you can change your name and you can just do exactly that anywhere. I change my name for example when i go on it is called you can have a go at the argument with. No if you if you actually go for jobs where they need to do certain disclosures because of the certain criteria you have to say if you change your name or you know by other names so that they can do a proper search yet serve you serve you that society you released as a new person with it with hopefully with a new mindset you should be given every opportunity so that your past is stricken from the record like of a leader to go in for jobs it will always come up so theres no getting away from it its just about. Being a new person produce produce project yourself in a different lie and try to become a productive member of society the criminal may have served the time they may want to move on the families cant move on is still there and the should never try and wipe it because if this try and hide their past what else are they going to try and hide in the future. A palestinian journalist has been shot in the eye allegedly by israel for says the incident happened while she was covering clashes in the west bank you might find the following video upsetting. But. I want to. Get more for our money spoke to r. T. Exactly about what happened to him. We covered a demonstration by people from serif against the confiscation of their land by israel the rally was suppressed and there was some clashes while we were covering the clashes i was shot in the eye by an israeli sniper i was wearing a reporters uniform and anyone can identify me as a journalist from far away by god i only lost my own not my life when i was shot i thought i was about to die i fell on my head was going to explode i thought i was breathing one last and then my colleagues came to carry me away. While on monday has received an outpouring of support to the story. Palestinian activists and journalists held demonstrations and they have in solidarity with the injured colleague just a couple of days after the incident some of them even a joint flash mob on social media posting photos of themselves with one eye covered meanwhile the Palestinian John the syndicate says 16 channels have been hit by life and just this year the majority of them in gaza. Israeli police however maintain that they used only a non lethal force which was not directed at the photographer they also say his entry could have been caused by the violent but thinks what happened to him was no accident and the israeli occupiers do not want the rest of the world to see the repression policy and journalists are showing the world what the occupation is doing to our people the disregard for human rights palestinian journalists are exposing these crimes palestinian journalists are being killed summers have muslims your patient does not care or respect any of the suppression of journalism with the collusion of some of the countries is enabling israel to escalate its crimes against the palestinians thats the round up for now ill be in 30 minutes with the very latest for now though stick around for so. Join me every thursday on the alec simon show and ill be speaking to get a feel of the world of politics or business im show business ill see you then. Thinking of getting your music on the ones we got in our shows no problem was he didnt know until he was trapped in this tiny little wired coach we dont need a crate with him he will just start freaking out in she wont let us bring him anywhere near and thousands of breeding dogs are caged in the into lane conditions on puppy phone i mean 67 years you know theyve been locked up in cages outside you see no protection from the weather the heat you know the cold air the rain the snow the funder nothing they have no protection. To get what you. Get through chaos across the u. S. Cruel puppy mills are supported by dog shows and pet stores most of the puppies are coming from these large Scale Factory farming kind of operations are being sold in stores even joined a Group Businesses are involved like agoa mum son to there has been a shocking amount of organized opposition to adverts to increase the sands of care for dogs bred in commercial breeding for so many most of that opposition is coming from huge agricultural groups and industries that have nothing to do with jobs dont buy dog. Welcome to sophie co visionaries me Sophie Shevardnadze human life how beautiful it can be remains a mystery of. Consciousness ever be explained what is consciousness about this and much more of an amazing new year scientists are in this susan greenfield. Burnous susan greenfield pleasure to have General Program as a pleasure to be here sophie so weve spoken to some of the most Brilliant Minds and your 1st woman interview and im very excited to talk to thank you especially about the brain because it seems to be the eternal topic so youre very. Well known and respected neuroscientists and youve covered many aspects of human brain and how it works and all of that and i have talked neuroscientists and most of them tommy that were very dual beings that brain and body are 2 separate entities one is. By the other they all seem to somehow stick to this theory i want to what you think are really 2 separate things the strange image of the brain in the body are separate you look a bit weird if you that was the case i know theyre very integrated if you think about it the immune system the end of crime the hormone system are things that we have in common so the placebo effect for example where you can take a drug thats completely in a completely has nothing active in it but you think its going to make you better and it does of the socalled perceiver fecht that has to work in conjunction the Central Nervous system has to work in conjunction with the immune system and the endocrine system hormones because otherwise youd have biological amoco if they were separate so there has to be a system for the brain in the body to be really integrated in the brain after all is just another organ of the body very important organ of a greedy organ in terms of energy but nonetheless it is an integral part of your body its not as if its a separate or machine thats perched on top of the body directing like a little rover and of course not you have these chemicals are iterating throughout your body from the great control systems of blood in the streets the Central Nervous system the endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system which over controlling the heart talk a bit of a. Consciousness there because thats a huge topic for you and like for all of us what is a consciousness from a neuroscientist point of view is that what makes us human i mean do animals harshness work ok so thats 2 separate questions were so 1st of all. I think if we say all scientists like to do is say lets take the null hypothesis lets assume its not the case and so lets assume an animal is not conscious right when and where and how to suddenly you cross this magic line that suddenly gives you consciousness is a fetus conscious in the womb if it is not the null hypothesis when does it become conscious is that screeching down the birth canal well thats a bit tough if youre born biases and section is exactly at 40 weeks well thats a bit tough if youre born the baby is born prematurely is it not conscious so the null hypothesis isnt really very robust to say to say that things are not conscious is a bit of a risk because you then say when you look at animals or look at the fetus how how is the difference because the human brain although obviously the parts may be bits are exaggerated in different sizes compared to other animals theres no magic brain region thats different in humans from other other animals so where do you cross this anatomical rubicon because you cant yet so i would reject the idea and say let us assume all animals are conscious right leg