the day. so it's on r t activists in syria are holding a day of nationwide protests against the government with reports that demonstrators have been fired upon this is the u.s. is threatening actually slamming syria's alliance with. russian security forces killed ten armed militants including a lead out for terrorists out responsible for a number of attacks. by russian pilot found guilty in new york of conspiracy to smuggle drugs was taken to america illegally and abused in custody according to moscow a report on much to. the cost of borrowing in russia goes up as the central bank

increases the refinance rate by twenty five basis points join me on business starting in twenty minutes time to find out what. a load welcome this is r.t. from moscow it's kevin over here this hour with our top stories at ten pm more than two dozen people have reportedly been killed now in clashes across syria has thousands of poured on to the streets for a friday of rage i witness is around five has been killed in the coastal city of latakia the base of the ruling elite after agents in plainclothes fired on demonstrators and in the capital damascus police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of protesters the opposition promised president desired the biggest rally yet following a series of killings of demonstrators in the bloody crackdown called international condemnation too with the u.s.

even pointing at a radio interference on the side of the government house is really going to show looks at what both accusations could mean. some like it hot but this spring things have heated up perhaps too much in the arab world egypt's tunisia libya now syria northern african region and the middle east and often brutal civil wars with the western powers playing an important hand some believe this won't stop anytime soon so who is next in line for the greater evil in the region the answer may lie on the surface. president assad is disingenuously blaming outsiders while at the same time seeking a rainy in assistance in repressing syria's citizens this need to be a film veiled hint at where exactly the united states is looking to get involved i think iran has been targeted for some time and if you watch propaganda about syria

washington is now claiming it. is helping syria oppress protesters what's different about syria about protesters in both cases we know for a fact. the united states government who are opposition groups and so it's only those two countries where there's an interest in. tehran has been a longstanding alliance with syria in this digital important region right next to iran's arch nemesis israel syria syria isn't the same as libya geopolitically we've always realized that syria is iran's springboard in its fight against israel this is why it will eventually make a powerful sunni jesica impact on iran's positions this brings us back to the question what country will follow syria it events in syria progress according to the libyan scenario we will probably see

a similar developments in iran unfortunately patti's iran will repeat the syrian scenario. iranian ships have dropped anchor in syrian poor its enormous proximity to tel aviv with damascus crippled by crisis iran me lose its footing in the region this is again a continuation of the idea that you use the international machinery to achieve your national objectives under the pretext that you are actually trying to protect human rights should the u.s. allies decide to go through with a habit of meddling in aiding revolutionary forces in the region the result may be catastrophic if there is foreign intervention in syria yes iran's intervention in response that is a definite and very real possibility just as much as it interfered in iraq when the us invaded that country and if suspicions proved true the world may be in for an entirely different ballgame if iran and the us involved in a real hot confrontation it involves quietly. i turned the un's give the go

ahead for an investigation into syria's bloody crackdown on protesters and demanding immediate release of political prisoners and human rights council also wants restrictions on journalists and the internet lifted but even so no expert on u.s. foreign policies joins us live from washington know to discuss these latest developments but a very good evening to thanks for being on r.t. syria's previously refused calls for an international investigation has made saying it's capable of conducting its own i would like to see any change now its position after the un's decision do you think. i doubt it at this point i think the security council has still yet to act and the human rights council of course that's not such a strong body i'm afraid we're going to see more of a crackdown in syria well the obama administration says it is going to hit syrian officials with sanctions over the brutality of the protestors while i'm speaking with the latest pictures we got of you. revolutionary guard to is also. allegedly

providing material support for the syrian regime is the u.s. do you think gradually switching its attention from damascus to. know you know i mean i know that the u.s. has said that iran is involved in helping the syrians and so on but you know i think that this is very much fundamentally still an internal syrian matter we're going to see whether the numbers of people that have come out on the streets will continue to come out whether more will come out. is not his father this is not nine hundred eighty two i think that at some point he is going to have to make some concessions to get these protests to stop or he's going to have to step down and i don't think the iranians frankly with all the problems they have in their own country are going to be able to salvage this regime my sense is that if i know the iranians and i think i do they are already reaching out to other players in syria most likely some of the a sonic groups others because for them it's important to have a relationship with

a country which is on the confrontation line with israel. how the dealing with all the. decisions that are likely to come into friday look into imposing sanctions as well does it mean that the west is considering diplomats ignore military means to deal with in the future uprising in syria if this continues or is this is a pretext for further action do you think. you know i think this is very much diplomatic economic means not military needs no one in his right mind would intervene militarily in syria what we've seen is colossal ambivalence on the part of the united states europe really all of syria's neighbors because nobody knows what would come after the assad family dictatorship after forty years in power if that's to implode their tremendous fear is strife of the sort that we've seen in iraq and in lebanon because of the divided sectarian nature of the country the most

hopeful scenario frankly is that these sanctions other measures will convince the regime to make reforms to open up to allow real elections to take place because the longer this goes on i think the more violent it becomes but it's not as what you see in the muslim brotherhood movement today syria does need to unite against them and join protesters on the streets how significant is now backing for the streets and. it's significant but again the muslim brotherhood of two thousand and eleven is not the muslim brotherhood of nine hundred eighty two when crushed crushed them in one hundred and killed twenty thousand people this appears to be a very broad based movement the sort of thing we've seen frankly in tunisia and egypt in libya me throughout the middle east this is young people this is islam assists this is people without jobs people who want some kind of democratic freedom some sort of ability to control their lives but if

a. radical islamist group got into power what would america do with its. strong friendship with israel. well again this is it's really premature to speak about what happened obviously sunni muslims would have a bigger say because they are a majority in syria and they're being run by a minority regime but if you add up all the various groups and so on there's probably an echo librium between alawite christians druze and sudanese you have secular people you have people who are not particularly religious as i said the most hopeful scenario is something that really is more democratic i think that would be best the longer it goes on the more violence you see the more extremism you see and the more it actually helps groups like the muslim brotherhood be exposed to this hardcore geopolitically is syria in the whole region. oh my god it's so important that's why iran has had an alliance with it since since the one

nine hundred eighty s. it is the most important state that is still in confrontation with israel it has tremendous influence still in lebanon of course as we've seen it's a conduit between iran and hezbollah it enables iran to play in the arab israeli conflict in a major way it's a very important country i believe the old phrase was that there was no peace no war without egypt and no peace without syria in terms of arab israeli peace so it's a tremendously important country course it has an influence as well on iraq we're watching all developments very closely expert on the u.s. foreign policy joins us from washington good to have your inside of a program. sure my pleasure. rosie refuses to go cause new killings have led to the run for president of media resignation despite a deal with the opposition to step down within a month that interview he gave to see the leader says the dangers of rushing into

greater than his opponents imagine as he sees it. you know. that our opponents reject the idea of holding presidential and parliamentary elections because nearly where they won't be able to gain a majority as a matter of fights what we're having is an unconstitutional coup and they are trying to force them as their plans are against the constitutional transfer of power in twenty thirteen we're even ready to agree snow pounds so as to avoid bloodshed. some countries in the region and some western nations conniver to its tendencies currently being seen in the so-called new middle east is this the controlled chaos and i was a prepared for it's enough to have a look at what's going on in egypt tunisia and other countries a scenario cannot be called anything other than a plot against the region i believe it or not and they would stoop to anything. coming up with a program russian road rage. down this road alone result three am to get

spaces now that stroll the lights find out why paper the world's largest oil producing country have suddenly found themselves running on empty. next though ten militants have been killed in a special operation by security forces in russia's north caucasus authorities say that among the terrorists were the head of an extremist group and it was responsible for a deadly attacks in the region that is really a caution over has the latest for you. another successful anti terror operation has been carried out by russian special forces on friday morning everything happened at the border between the region and in the republic when a group of militants were cornered in a residential area and after the civilians at the scene were evacuated to safety and militants refused to surrender and opened fire at the end of the shooting tun militants including at least two women were killed now russian special forces are

saying among those militants were some high profile terrorist and regional investigation committee also. among them were some leading figures in a so-called bucks on games in the republic of combating of al-qaeda. they were not regular bandits but high profile ones they're responsible for one hundred crimes in the republic of cuba the little corridor and the other regions we were meeting beside the house where they were killed as big bus with was among those militants who were killed in that operation and he was believed to be involved in a number of terror attacks not only in that region but across the north caucasus including a terror act at the hydro power plant and of the terror attack on the racecourse our last year now in another figure among terrorists as you have just poor was also among the killed militants investigators take hugh's job again of attacking tourists from moscow in february twentieth levon and russian security forces also

the further d.n.a. tast would probably be required to identify some of the militants and as this identification process is under way at the scene of the special operation at the moment. within a quarter of a reporting the world's eyes are going to look good today is prince william and kate middleton tie the knot at a lavish ceremony at westminster abbey thousands of police officers were deployed in one of the biggest security operations in the u.k. it over forty people were arrested in the run up to the event but one of my five intelligence officers i mean russia told me the police approach was every handed. they have to take measures to protect the event from any sort of terrorist groups particularly irish republican dissidents all middle eastern terrorist groups and i don't think anyone complains about that the fact that they're trying to stop and did stop protestors xor exercising their right to freedom of expression around the world wedding is of much greater concern because the police are talking about such squads and gone raids and in fact there's the sort of measures that are indeed used

in countries like syria but were used against u.k. protesters including notably leading peace activists charlie veach who was swept out yesterday as a preventive measure and is apparently just disappeared into the system his family his girlfriend can't trace him they're being blocked tonight by the police even his lawyers can't find him so he seems to have sort of disappeared in a rather cath caressed way and i think it's dangerous dangerous because this man hasn't done anything he might even suspect he might want to protest that he hadn't done anything so effectively what we're looking at is an orwellian thought crime within what is a notional u.k. democracy. should all producers have to come up with a big profit as authorities are cutting their exports roy much lower prices on the domestic market are many of them selling abroad and forgetting about local demand as a result of the petrol stations have been drawing up pump prices have skyrocketed. for the world's biggest oil producer is running on empty. russia would know

sounds ridiculous yet what you did we went to five different gas stations all of them were closed here we'll be waiting in line for hours what is this isn't this supposed to mean will this country doing it overnight you prices jumped to twenty five percent in several russian legions as the battle runs out the prize goes up even more there's a glide is enough only for two weeks all prices skyrocket at the beginning of the year but russian authorities made an effort to get battle costs at a consumer friendly level as a result foreign markets became much more attractive and profitable for russian oil producers. we understand that people have the right to demand for oil prices but what's fertile us today in russia petro is thirty to forty percent cheaper than in neighboring countries ukraine not to mention the boat experience out of fixing a fair price has had a questionable outcome for buyers and sellers as

a result of the oil companies pulling out of the domestic market what's left is becoming more and more expensive as natural becomes a scarce resource that the prices are going up and no one likes it and we're free prices will rise even more and then what meanwhile in the russian capital it's small gas retailer stations that are under the threat of being closed down it simply became not profitable for the oil giants to self-heal to them down this road alone the saw three am to gas stations now petrol now lines. in the russian capital during thousands of other petrol stations to choose from but regional authorities are beginning to find pieces against the wheel companies. all companies illegally limited or stopped supplying two independent girls filling stations in the region who are going to take them to trial trying minister vladimir putin has ordered an increase in acts produce these on russian well starting from me so that companies can't make extra profit selling for higher prices abroad leaving them in an on when

situation and those in need of fuel have been traumatized thousands of tons of natural on the way and then the ticker writing must. occur in the world other stories online tonight as well as our to either of these world made culture found see the reality of the situation in syria is far from the picture painted by the western media according to an eye witness of a country caught in a war about that once and i said r t the com as well. the new partnership promising to be winner of this year's car film first of all as russia and china take on the international movies c r t v dot com. says that the russian pilot found guilty of drug trafficking by a jury in new york came with a psychological and physical pressure in the u.s.

consulate in yoga showing he was arrested last year in liberia and then taken to america he was accused of smuggling drugs around the world and trying to bribe simulate in officials but his artesian has to see a choke in the reports next he insists he's innocent. words not deeds landing foreigners behind bars in the us russian pilot constantine your shadow has been found guilty by a manhattan federal court jury of conspiring to smuggle drugs across borders the man was scooped up by u.s. officials in liberia last year and promptly taken to america along with three other suspects from africa what your shimko faced in the u.s. was a ten month wait for a trial a month on hearing and now a guilty verdict the pilot and his family maintain his innocence. all the facts are fabricated all the tapes were distorted by the prosecution u.s. officials played a leading role in the arrest of the russian citizen posing as drug dealers american

secret agents conducted meetings with the four resulting in hours of recordings the prosecution then put forward as proof of your shame goes intent to conspire to smuggle tons of cocaine to south america and later into the us in liberia he was surrounded by five agents the second he stepped off the plane he was accompanied by guards they spent day and night in his room only during the trial did he find out that all he had around him were agents they introduced him to some man who transported drugs that's it nothing else happened they wanted to jail him and they did he or she was defense team echo's this defendant did nothing. other than listen to the floor of the. state to get to where he was going with the united states meanwhile your show has never even set foot on american soil that is until he was handcuffed and brought to america by force in may of last year russian officials were not julie notified of his arrest the man was effectively

missing for a month and moscow cited a breach of international law we have. apologized to russia the state department's excuse we pressed the wrong button on the facts which are. to be brutally for the. notifying romania instead of russia to observers this seemed a joke on the day of the guilty verdict the most important question why this trial is being held on u.s. territory remains unanswered there still is the issue that was decided before. it related to the concept of manufactured jurisdiction which the judge decided pretrial against. i believe you still it. can be patient. and appeal cannot be filed until after the sentencing but hopes are dim he was appeal courts are generally reluctant to

reverse decisions made by jury court the sentencing of the city are some positive steps it's three months it's like twenty eight people find out his testimony on u.s. soil if you for some pilot faces ten years sixty five hours a pantry where he committed no crime is that's a tricky part see you. elsewhere on the world tonight at least seventeen people of god and five more are missing a ferry accident on the river nile in egypt some reports say the victims were on a bus that slid off the ferry while other reports that the boat capsized transport accidents are common in egypt and are often blamed on poor maintenance and a lack of regulation. the number of people killed by those powerful tornadoes leaping from the southeast of united states is rising rapidly nearly three hundred lost their lives most victims are in alabama where the storms of the worst ever two major cities have been paralyzed by the deadliest tornado outbreak nearly forty years the state of emergency has been declared in seven states with many people

left. in support of the attack in a cafe in morocco that killed sixteen people whose most likely to be a suicide bombing it out under the bursting heart of a lot of cash is old quarter with most of the victims followed tourists no group yet claimed responsibility officials say it's. to early to lay blame for the explosion although suspicion has fallen on cells linked to al qaeda it's the deadliest attack in the country since two thousand and three. the crew members on the international space station begins to meet and greets from earth courtesy of a russian freighter the progress successfully docked for the assess them delivered more than two tons of cargo a team got fresh fruit and vege as well as parcels from psychologist and what technical side of things they also got a new oxygen regeneration unit and equipment for a biotech experiment maybe some of those interesting gifts going up there or deliveries which will say fruit flies bacteria and funny really long flight for those bugs a team will apparently be using them for their experiments. done

with sport richard b. in twenty minutes time it's an r.t.s. got news of ice hockey as world championships coming out they got underway a couple of hours ago but it's cut short the business from moscow next with dimitri . alone a very welcome to business star see the cost of borrowing is going up in russia the central bank has increased its key interest rate by twenty five basis points to eight point two five percent is the second hike this year after the banking increase to refinance rate by the same amount two months ago alexandra if you're from e.c.b. capital outlines the reasons for the move. well the central bank is obviously concerned about inflation and particularly they mentioned in the statement that they are concerned about one trade progress of inflation the central bank. note is that it mentions that they see a decrease in savings rate this means that people are going to bang for their

boring they're going to spend more and this will drive inflation high and so the central bank is trying to prevent this by raising rates the making deposits more attractive so median savings more attractive for. russian markets and the do we. know with overall weekly that lines amounting to one point two percent in the r.t.s. two point nine percent of my sex that's despite high oil prices across now russia's largest oil producer lost one and a half percent on friday the spike reporting a sixty percent increase in net profit for the first quarter positive financial results also failed to prevent gas from shares from the climbing more and that in just a second banking stocks were also down with shedding almost two percent its all russian markets have been vulnerable to profit taking in lower trade levels over the past week we're going to get your miles of alpha capital believes however that this is simply due to them outperforming other markets in the previous months. basically

what we're seeing now rusher is legging and slagging however in the previous couple of hours it was our performance other developed markets so i believe that it's merely a consolidation of course produces some profit taking on some segments where. it's stronger than the rest of the market for a person still sector with. russia still major us being significantly lower this week however we still see the top players and top blue chips like rico gas problems para bank. some others. and russia's gas monopoly gazprom has reported from top results for last year net profit rose by a quarter to thirty five billion dollars that's higher than the pre-crisis that gazprom benefited from strong local demand would sales up twenty seven percent domestically but sales in europe slipped one percent however and this expects

a man to pick up possibly due to supply disruptions from the middle east and africa . things were. less of the we expected your action which much pressure and as a result of our revenues were broader expectations that income was also above speculations thanks to be lower in the interest expense and higher gains from the sales this year seems to be a very good year potential for the forecast from in terms of sales but i think there's a fair chance that in terms of revenues gas pump will not suffer from the seasonal slowdown that's new wolf with the second course it's like thanks to high prices or you are in europe and russia's most popular search engine yandex is hoping to raise a billion dollars and i.p.o. in new york by company will start marketing the listing next week the number of shares is yet to be that and again that is placement of six months out of the one billion dollars london float of its biggest russian rival mail dot. kind of next

on out see the headlines temporary. this time silent for decades. cruelty five years ago in the entire fifty thousand population only iranian town of creepy art was the american way to within three hours. but now it wants to be heard recently some people started receiving post

notices telling them to pick up letters at this post office embody. the stories of the world's long gone it. doesn't have to be tough. meeting the diaries of the ghosts of our two. wealthy british science. has moved on to the zeitgeist. of the. markets why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy in the kinds of reports on our t.v. .