texas city at or doomsday thousands of dead birds and fish are dividing opinions and causing a media frenzy now italy is the latest to be here. out of an independence referendum in southern sudan sudanese refugees in israel want to return home but they fear of persecution for seeking asylum in the so-called anomie state. plus the financial crisis as some americans are looking to marxism for answers but communist views in the u.s.

are being slammed as a patriotic. and they are trained to serve and protect the country but it takes a lot board to fight off modern threats r.t. brings you a day in the life of russia's special forces. watching r.t. live from moscow i'm marina josh welcome to the program authorities in northern italy say more than a thousand turtle doves have dropped out over the past five days it's the latest in a series of unexplained sudden death incidents affecting creatures in the sky and underwater the events have sparked a media frenzy was doomsday speculators saying it hails the aunt of the world but is there really something fishy going on or is a being overhyped. reports. sing a song of suspense one where the end is nigh as thousands of black birds flew out

of the sky and when the birds were found the news began to sing the end of days conspiracy does have a catchy ring. at first it was just arkansas grabbing the world's attention then louisiana followed suit and your son said theirs was mysterious even death since wieden experts attempted to calm the public by suggesting the birds got scared of fireworks who're. flew into trees and cars because of bad weather and we know is that fireworks or weather could not cause five thousand black birds to have a liquefied insides that's what the fish and wildlife veterinarian sad they've never seen anything like it now we're seeing the same polarization of the insides of black birds they are dad when they hit the ground they are dying in the night while they're roosting in trees but then one hundred thousand dead fish joined up on us shores that seem to have opened the floodgates i think the media by and large

not a portion are actually underestimating how serious it is so i believe there are multiple causes but basically means that the entire planet was an uproar that we have a toxic release of gases and changes in the oceanic currents that the entire current system is no destructive for those not very impressed with the scientific explanation there's always the religious one fanatical bloggers have once again started flooding the world wide web with end of days posts and the international media storm for news during the slow post christmas month of january is having a field day and you are asked to call sooner rather than later now we do contacts today because who officials so far to you cannot even get down the road without running over hundreds it was that bad with more and more mysterious deaths around the world fish in brazil australia and new zealand crabs in the u.k.

the frenzy is growing and the headlines scream a coocoo lips these fishy stories looks set to continue stealing the media spotlight at least until scientists about a chance to examine the dead animals or you know the world comes to an end whichever of course happens first. catherine as our r.t. moscow. well filmmaker and blogger danny schechter says media sensationalism is taking the focus away from finding the real scientific causes behind the bird and fish deaths when one set of incidents happens followed by another set followed by a third said suddenly it becomes a trend then it becomes a much bigger story in the media but it's still sort of a mystery it may be that each example is actually specific to a particular local set of circumstances we don't know they're calling it. you know a flock of birds coming up with new catchy words new ad lives and the like

obviously it's it's just something that intrigues audiences even if there isn't a lot of explanation it seems to be a pattern of this sort of thing where you have alarmist headlines followed by a few examples which then you know lead to sober conclusions about the dramatic events and then there's no follow up for so you know if we really never find out what really happened and this is the in attention of the media maybe even the amnesia of the media the refusal to speak to the people who are most in the know because all of this is sort of titillation for the public and yet it could be a very serious. and coming up in the program here in r.t.e. going rat in the had to find out what's bringing more more americans on the ground level this or just plain common its movements. and hundreds of people stranded on board a ship in the icy waters of russia's far east are closer to safety it's the last one out of five a got stuck there a week ago and remains trapped

a prophet breaker is expected to arrive later in the day to help complete the rescue mission poor weather has been hampering the operation and strong winds snow and sick ice have made it a challenge for the ice breakers involved in freeing the vessels and officials say the people on board are not in danger as they have plenty of supply said the captain of a force ship currently on route to safety describe the situation for us. we're following the r.s. breaker admirable car as it's clearing our way through the we're moving quite slowly it's a long difficult route and we're only at the very beginning of it there's a thick layer of ice a mile or two ahead once we pass that it'll be easier but for now it's too early to make any predictions the ice may be up to two meters thick the problem is it's like a sliced consisting of many layers of wise one on top of the other the words being done according to schedule we have enough food and fresh water on board.

southern sudan's on the eve of a story weeklong referendum for dependence from the north the vote is part of a two thousand and five peace deal that and of the civil war lasting two decades that conflict led manny sudanese to flee the country with thousands and he up in israel artist polis leader has met refugees who struggled to make ends meet after finding a new home in a place considered an enemy state. well the road to freedom is long and its role wasn't their first choice egypt was but as the thousands of refugees fleeing sudan found themselves under assault in cairo by a police force trying to clean up the streets the decision to cross over into israel seemed a logical one israel is near from here in israel. and they do scan. and christian but the journey was long sometimes on

foot sometimes penguins to drive them you have to cross the border and coming to the israeli border without measure of the sort of not to see you otherwise you would be something shooting and marcia made their journey three years ago with his wife and four children he watched friends and family die along the way some were shot some died of hunger. who were born and this but israel doesn't really know what to do with these refugees last year alone eighteen thousand and one lived just from sudan and eritrea is always party to the convention on the status of refugees which means a constant way fiji's back home if this would risk their lives but keeping them here is becoming more and more difficult. benjamin corey arm works as a cleaner in a hotel and struggles to make ends meet my life is not. how can i was

walking. i didn't go to my unit. and thousands of sudanese share his story poor homes no jobs little money and it's too dangerous to go back to sudan so the government is against. israelis. and. appear them. if you were going to northern sudan you would be keen and sudanese leaders have said as much if the authorities would release that the northern government of sudan finds out that the person has sought asylum in israel this person would be in in serious risk of persecution in january two thousand and eleven southern sudan is holding a referendum on whether to separate from the north and become an independent state

it's the final stage in a peace agreement that ended twenty two years of war many of them have has the spurred from being in israel for such a long time with no rights whatsoever the people realize that they don't really have a future here and people are also homesick and benjamin moore not sure what to do home beckons despite the risks if those southern sudan to is pretty do. i would decide to go back to my own. r.t. southern israel subject look at some other stories from around the world and pyongyang says it wants to start bilateral talks with so as soon as possible to settle the situation on the korean peninsula the north issued a statement offering to start negotiations without preconditions in late january early february this is the second such proposal from pyongyang this week itself this missed the first one as insincere relations between both koreas abruptly deteriorated after the shelling of a south korean island in the bamber which killed four people besides blame each

other for first opening fire. on radical shia cleric has declared the u.s. britain and israel common enemies of iraq in his first speech since returning to the country after his father to the country rather after a four your self-imposed exile and speaking in front of thousands of supporters of a total side of holding them to reject the u.s. has returned from iran comes a month after his movement gained thirty nine seats in the rocks newly appointed parliament solder heads an army. quest several times with u.s. troops after of the two thousand and three invasion. german authorities say they may prosecute the company responsible for contaminating animal feed with a poisonous chemical tests show levels of dioxin at seventy seven times above the legal limit almost five thousand farms have closed down after investigations found experts used in the northwest of the country were tainted the scare has prompted

some countries to block german torque and poultry imports from reaching consumers. colombia has extradited a woman known as the queen of the fed amends to the united states where she's wanted on drug trafficking charges for treason then and now is accused of having sent massive amounts of synthetic drug pills to america spain and the netherlands she was arrested in september two thousand and nine and was one of interpol's ten most water women shall now face trial in a new york court. severe floods in brazil have killed at least thirty five people and forced over thirty five thousand to abandon their homes since late december heavy rains have been battering the country for weeks at a state of emergency has been declared in some sixty towns a powerful storm in the state of some power left hundreds of houses submerged in maadi water it's the worst flooding in twenty eight years and more rain is forecast in the region in the coming days still ahead of the program here in our team it's

a long road to becoming a russian red parade vidal you just made off and what its members have to face. and with the united states gripped by the global economic turmoil some americans are turning to the roots of socialism to face up to the country's problems at the new york marxist school people have a chance to voice their plans for a better society artist lauren lister has more. the very first sentence of the congress manifesto in eighty four news a specter hangs over europe the specter of communism like. in modern day us the specter of communism hangs over the bottom floor of a brick building on the west side of downtown new york city the right form started out actually as the new york marks of school in one nine hundred seventy five here communism is certainly no bogeyman and its poster a philosopher so to speak is revered i'm walks and i wanted to be around other

marxists and and it's just a talk with all the marxists in the us that may sound a little taboo even unpatriotic to the average joe but these days amid rising poverty and inequality in the country more and more people are joining in the discussion certainly since the kind of the economic crisis or the financial crisis kind of hit home in a lot of people realized you know there are some systemic problems we saw a huge increase in in. traffic here people opening their eyes to a different view here people's histories poster project wherever you look you can see a chapter of events not found in history books they don't realize that that haiti was the first free black republic in the western hemisphere you know and historically they've been punished because of it. choose a door and behind it you may find any number of leftist social movements left out of mainstream news coming in here again. these carolers are urging a boycott of israel because of its policies towards palestine and the building of

illegal settlements in the west bank partly for the only great nation sure it. was a hero i think that was behind another door you could hear the discourse left out of many american colleges i felt that it was just an amazing world of knowledge that i had never been exposed to. people also just play poker with the side of political analysis you don't hear on cable the whole struggle. you know the immigration story. is cause. kept stranglehold. though we're at the marxist school the people we've spoken to here are calling for any kind of proletariat revolution no violent political uprising but everywhere you look the history in the philosophy of communism is here you can see all of the

works of marx engels over here is lenin even here the writings of joseph stalin and the version of monopoly that they play is called class struggle to prepare for life in capitalist america where the object is to win the revolution of workers when it's socialism it capitalists when it's barbarism talking to people around the breck forum it seems many are trying to implement the change they're studying without uttering the s. or c. isn't communism word now it's probably more positive to say progressive or less whatever you want to call it they are actively trying to solve the problems and inequality they see in the country which is an attempt to make change but maybe right now it's not in terms of a revolution but a working from within which you can call any number of things but probably not unpatriotic lauren lyster r t new york. the latest in everything we're covering here on our t.v. at our website r t dot com let's take a quick look at what's on the line right now. u.s.

corporations have managed to convince many americans and politicians that helping them to help the country was wanted six americans trapped. by now the calls for change. in an imperial why delight once the official residence of the russians are see how the winter palace in st petersburg has become a stunning venue for the state of the art show all that and more after you don't com. revered and fear the are the cream of russia's military crop the country's special forces spetznaz are the first and often the last line of defense against many of today's threats including terrorism as artillery if a national reports it takes blood sweat and years to earn

a lot of their red berets. like these young soldiers part of the country's internal forces are preparing to meet and it's france their country may face this year of special units all sprits not goes back centuries the tactics and techniques have evolved dependent on the key challenges of the time but these guys have always been the lead and in the twenty first century they are on the front line of the fight against terror a siege hostage taking for these youngsters these are life like scenarios from training. none him get taken part in a real operation. but i did a day learn how to act effectively face to face with an enemy which is exhausting both physically and mentally but for many facing their own fears remains the hardest thing. for him said to belong to the elite but of course i am human and

argue about fears to cope with them is a reason soldiers number one most challenging target. left ten in colonels and draper ryan face here to help the young boys deal with that. oh no the order of courage was terrorising chechnya and the crimson berry that talks place not all are similar to america's greenberry he knows how to take control of human nature was full of many sportsmen come to us and fails only twenty percent managed to prove they deserve it as a truce but it's not soldier is a fusion of physical insurance and what may be even more important emotional maturity. was countering terrorism is pat's not spatiality that they could be sent to any kind of emergency if it threatens the country's security in mid december when the russian capital was hit by a wave of violent nationalist riots spetznaz soldiers were on standby close by.

some may say that's no job for special forces but for the police we don't agree there is the order and we have to carry it out as well as we can that's it was one of those and you're. all of these young soldiers a conscripts it means to stay for a year at least. many say they will stay for longer sign a contract and continue as professionals in the least. race nationality moscow and our christmas holidays in russia also made of sale style a little later we go bargain hunting in the capital's best with. located in the backstreets just the river this place is not easy to find but was a gem it is a most of the code look as if they're brand new the collection is impressive the

price is all that's the original price sounds good to me. is coming your way in just over an hour's time here in our team before that we'll take a look at what's happening in business heroes here. welcome to our business program. a high tech country needs to make high tech products the government is putting its political and financial capital behind modernizing the economy but it also needs to find innovative goods the rest of the world might want to buy that tell you how close reports. the gigantic ultramodern building obstacle

cover innovation center these days it's attracting a lot of interest from those who in the near future could change the face of both russian science and its economy speaking at the forum the presidential aide even went as far as saying that russia may become the world leader in innovation within the next five years but for that to happen talent needs to be nurtured and harnessed such as that belonging to this fifteen year old muscovite was in the us this model is built with the leg and construction cage it's intended for people with limited hand movement it is constructed on the principle of human biomechanics and fully replicates the hands function i'm currently expanding my project and i hope it will soon help even those who are paralyzed three times that they had a roof not a was more cautious and preferred not to unveil details of their breakthrough projects but assured that there were at least three that could change the world and it was the sense of exciting potential that was attracting

a new wave of private capital to come to russia a number of. other what your government says this is about eleven billion dollars yeah what is the border for me yeah we're. investing eleven you know less than fifty percent. more bottom up it's from the private businesses the top five sectors prioritize to drive russia's modernization our energy efficiency nuclear in space technology medicine telecommunications and aunty but some of the most interesting projects have universal appeal and cut across all areas. of the economy and society this is what the library of the future should look like in the eyes of some young russian inventors they believe it could be a real money spinner in just the last year more than one hundred thousand people have paid to join their start up service booth scientists and businessmen agree

that finding talent in russia is not the major problem the skolkovo research group has already found many exciting and innovative candidates the trick will be to harness that into primary or energy to produce goods that will make the whole world sit up and take notice and then get out its wallet. r t moscow. two thousand and eleven will see more changes in the banking system with some players leaving the market and the rules getting stricter speaking exclusively to r.t. deputy general director of russia's deposit insurance agency under miller cough spoke about the upcoming reforms. but those are the only changes we think we should make is to create procedures so that the assets and deposits of a bank or bank are given to a healthy one that's the situation we see in the states at the moment in the us in ninety five percent of cases this mechanism is being implemented the clients of the bankrupt banks are given access to their deposits quicker also the agency together

with the state doesn't have to spend a lot of money and the liquidation process is faster so now we think this mechanism could be used in our country we have already tried it several times and found that it works we think it is possible and this will also give us more but unities to save capital reserves the central bank plans to raise the minimum capital requirement for retail banks do you think this will force a more banks into liquidation stretch or sector because this move lies in the overall strategy to develop the banking sector last year the minimum level was three million dollars the next step is six million dollars until the end of two thousand and eleven for all banks to fulfill this obligation the system needs capital reserves of some three hundred million dollars i don't think this is a crucial figure so i believe the russian banking system will see another minimal

level increase and this will prompt further reduction in the number of banks present in the market next year i expect this to force some ten to twelve banks to leave the sector but this will not be critical for the whole system. do you see more consolidation in the banking market next year and i think on the every year around fifty banks leave the market next year our forecast is that some thirty banks will have to be shut down but you can never really say exactly how many banks our country needs the main aim is for all of these banks to function properly currently we have around one thousand banks in the market and they cooperate quite well with each other. and russian companies enjoyed a successful rebound from the crisis in two thousand and ten as investors increasingly turn to emerging markets but a select group emerged as big winners and potential gain was in two thousand and

eleven air flowed ended the year well as it was linked to a rebound in consumer demand and a recovering economy mark rubenstein from metropole explains why russian carrier will continue to interest investors in two thousand and eleven. and their stocks that basically that you can use to play their feeble fast recovery consumer demand in russia which is fast recovering indeed and this is going to continue in my view in two thousand and eleven and there are flawed is certainly in the sector which is which is on the cyclical sectors which has a high correlation with their consumer demand of loadstone is going to be one of the beneficiaries of that growth because it's an airline. and that's your business update for this hour but you can always find more business stories on our web site that's r t dot com slash business stay with us.