in bringing you the top news and headlines from around the world this is r.t. certainly glad to have you with us let's take a look at your top stories human rights groups in the u.k. cry foul after the sentence of two young men to four years each in prison for using facebook to incite riots what the two described as just a drunken joke may now cast a shadow over the rest of their lives as artie's ivor bennett reports the knot is only likely to tighten as a political drive for tough justice seems to be the new british government policy. four years behind bars for the riot that didn't even happen jordan black sure and perry sutcliffe kenan were banged up for inciting disorder on facebook no one turned up after their invitation to riot which they later said was a drunken joke but now they face sentences even tougher than most looters and i worry is that it is an imbalance a four year sentence for example would normally be given to somebody for

a previous bodily harm for holding someone up with a knife or even for. some form of sexual assault so it seems to me that that there is a danger that the courts are moving into disproportionate territory and that actually devalues our response to more serious crimes that governments encourage courts to dish out harsh sentences by using the public disturbance as an aggravating factor it's meant this man anderson fernandez could even be sent to jail for theft of just two scoops of ice cream because like this one denying bail to most offenders and ignoring any claims of previous good character of the one thousand two hundred seventy seven people charge so far two thirds have been remanded in custody that's way up on last year's rate for serious crimes which is just ten percent some offenders even being made homeless is their punishment with local governments taking away their houses but many say it's all simply cause more

harm than good i think this is very unwise the move to remove people from housing interim move benefits because actually if we are saying that some of the crime that we saw on the streets was an expression of people not feeling part of society not feeling part of our communities then these measures are actually going to push people further away from society further away from our communities and far more likely to commit crime the facebook case is the first sign of the government's desire to crack down on social media sites like twitter were applauded by the west for mobilizing the masses in the arab world but they were also instrumental in the u.k. riots so now the prime minister wants it to stop. we are working with the police the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites or services when we know they are plotting violence disorder and criminality when social media fueled revolutions in egypt in chinese person called it democracy but now the shoe's on the other foot when

troubles closer to home i'm very conscious that there be news you know they're really poor or. movements only would be the force to complete. the authorities and countries were trying to walk. the prime minister says this is where britain fights back but it speeds this fighting fire with fire could only fan the flames of civil disorder after bennett's artsy london . for more on the story we spoke with freelance investigative journalist chandan he believes the harsh response will in the long run only lead to more violence across the u.k. . i think it's quite clear that the government want to send a very draconian message out to young people out there who had any sympathy even with the uprising or the right away if you want to call it that took place but never again really can the british government legitimacy criticize any other regime

in the world for any human rights abuses when people are facing jail time for scoops of ice cream for mineral water one child stealing a dustbin for his mother listen these young people have been ignored and they've been exploited and oppressed and they just had no voice now through in a very traumatic experience through the rioting that they have a voice what is the response again of people is to further criminalize them so if you're going to further criminalize them they're going to get more angry and i'm very regretful to report that the message is going around the street gangs in london and other parts of england is a competition as to who is going to kill the first policeman so this is the this is what we're facing in england now it's a civil war situation which is going to make the writing previously excuse the pun look like child's play and nothing is going to stop these young people they're very shocked they've learnt from the student protests that they're not going to be cattle that they're going to hit and run essentially and they'll find other ways of communicating these these are young people who live in communities with each other so you can stop these social networks or that you like it's not going to have

a really fundamental adverse impact on the writing which will come again quite soon the u.s. and major european countries have urged syria's president bashar assad to step down and imposed a fresh set of economic sanctions that's the latest response to the regime's violent crackdown on anti-government protesters the statements were made at a special u.n. security council meeting on syria which took place in new york artie's marina porton i reports. not only has the u.s. president called for the syrian president to step down he has backed up his words with action and that action includes issuing an executive order thursday morning with fresh sanctions against syria and now according to the new sanctions that have been signed by obama all americans and u.s. corporations are now prohibited from investing operating or having any business dealings with the syrian government this includes a ban on imports and exports including cereal syrian oil and petroleum products i

dish nearly all the syrian assets under u.s. jurisdiction will be frozen so clearly this is some more mounting pressure coming from the u.s. government in terms of financial you trying to corner syria shortly after president obama issued his statement and his executive order we did see germany france britain and the european union all are rapidly issuing statements calling for the syrian president to step down and this all coming just one day after president assad did speak with the un secretary-general ban ki moon are suring him that all military and police operations in his country have halted but clearly this is not stopped the u.s. and its western allies from putting more pressure on the syrian government report was released by the u.n. human rights panel this twenty two page report accuses the syrian government of carrying out of human rights violations since mid march when the anti

government protesters began taking to the streets but one of our correspondents maria for notion of is inside syria did speak to some people on the ground there some people who believe that the government security forces are actually helping their lives here's a bit of what she found out. the city of there is order may be liberated but in the last few days it suffered a brutal occupation having lived as bandits block the weights put up barricades it became a gay city we were hiding we were just like hostages for more than a week the military claimed the army fought against armed groups that had taken control of the city and had been terrorizing its residents. soldiers of the syrian army i live in the city of there as so near the iraqi border measure officials are saying operation is now over that the city has been freed from armed groups as you

can see people are welcome in the soldiers as the way there is but in other parts of the country the troops lead in assad's vicious crackdown are far less welcome in a similar offensive against so-called terrorists and the coastal city of latakia the opposition claims government troops killed almost forty civilians while human rights groups report the number of deaths in the country could be almost as high as two thousand some say assad is simply using his army to silence peaceful demonstrators across the country. the syrian army hasn't met any resistance in the cities across the country work and maybe there was some so-called bandits among protestors and maybe they use the momentum to spread care but if so where have they been when the army period armed groups is just a theory invented by the state to have an excuse to enter the cities. in new

liberated there is or life seems getting back to normal the markets reopened and roads that just days ago were empty are again filled with cars but reminders of the recent troubles arms to hard to find and the most obvious one is fear reflash an r.t. syria. political theorist dr benjamin barber says that the west instead of imposing toothless sanctions should rather launch negotiations with the syrian government to come up with an alternative scenario to assad's rule. the west has been deeply inconsistent in its approach to these uprisings across the border in libya where there was an armed insurrection against gadhafi and there's really a civil war the west has been extremely active using nato forces the air arm of the insurgents in syria were innocent people have been murdered day after day and week after week no action at all has been taken because nobody can imagine what an

alternative to assad would look like the trouble is very little can be done because we have offered no way out and we've said in libya gadhafi can go to the international criminal court or he can go on fighting nobody has said to assad what the alternative to him continuing to rule would be would it be that he brought up be brought up on charges that the international criminal court could be tried by his own people the west is not engaged in genuine negotiations but in largely empty threats and sanctions that won't work and trying to force people who are in survival mode to give up power when there's very little chance they will do that if they want to stay alive. later on in the program the state versus the agency. standard and poor's and their bodies come under scrutiny by u.s. officials who claim that the agency's a ratings contributed to the two thousand and eight financial crisis. and we are on

the ground at the moscow regions of the biannual international air show where all eyes are on the sky. the israeli military has launched an air strike on gaza killing at least six including the leaders of a group that blamed for thursday's bus attack which claimed seven lives meanwhile shots are heard on the egyptian border as government forces are locked in a firefight with insurgents who have infiltrated the country a further seven palestinians were killed in southern israel and egypt and forces are believed to have killed at least two gunmen party's policy is in tel aviv with very. well these many military have come firming one strike over the southern part of gaza and then at the same time there are israeli drones flying over the city of rock which is on the egyptian gaza border now none of this comes with a surprise earlier the i.d.f. the israeli defense forces issued a statement in which it made it would bring to book one of those responsible if they could see them at all cost the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is

meeting if you think a day with the frame for this so they are making out the way through it but only he did say that this was an attack on the hall when state and that is well would retaliate and accordingly now the jordanians that has transpired not so long ago did inform news when the intelligence that they had picked up that they were operating in the south of the country that they were planning to attack this was in line with his main intelligence from town not now israeli security officials have been warning that the sinai peninsula is chaotic and it is and not he there that rain and they've been warning that shipments all the weapons have been making their way to gaza the israelis often convinced that this couple right. and did it originate in gaza that there was still a massive command house in the manhunt in the south of the country the israeli air force is deployed as well as foot soldiers and just a short time ago they was a shootout between some of those shoulders soldiers and militants are being told

that one israeli has been critically injured and the number of gunmen so far killed totals seven or eight feet gazans deny having any involvement who matters in fact issued a statement saying that not only is it not involved but it has warned israel not to attack it having said that though they had nothing to minutes to have given a direct to both his security headquarters to be evacuated for fear that the israeli that will retaliate and strike it as one of a target to quote in one of a statement they say that if i was trying to expose the crisis and transfer it to gaza now the template on the border crossing which is the border crossing between israel and gaza that amount of goods to be transported has been closed down the ratings agency standard and poor's is under fire having become subject to two separate investigations the company is it being questioned by the u.s. securities and exchange commission after stripping the u.s. of its treasured aaa credit score but it's also being quizzed over dozens of

improperly rated mortgage securities leading up to the crisis of two thousand and eight but financial analyst margaret bogan raef explains why the ratings matter so much to so many. bradleys agency if it is within the private sector but the general public would so much weight on the ratings and the way that they were is to bury groups and very valuations that there guinea are actually pain damage so you can't you know you would have an opportunity to you know take one hundred three identical jobs and you when you want to pay due to that how does this actually work trust that is clear in the agencies to decrease or the clarity to increase i believe something will be done on the margin i'm not positive that it's going to dramatically change the the financial world is scared i mean did the dollar and you know the united states generally we are going to go to country we're going to go to currency and regardless of whether he said one day in the month of august we're

still bad and you know with the european union essentially falling apart no one knows what's going on in shire well we're still buying it up and lower and you know i do think it more or less how sort of screwed up the rest of the world is more than it does that he doesn't know what it's doing the spanish government has had a double slamming first by pope benedict the sixteenth who said the country's focus on money making had caused its economic crisis and then by angry protesters saying of the cost of the papal visit reportedly a little over seventy million euros is just too high local journalist miguel homaro says it's all about maintaining a delicate balance. we are just in the run up of a general election the socialist government is in a very difficult position they are being criticized by the pope who is their guest for their policies in social issues and on the other hand if they are too hard on those who protest the visit they will be criticized by the older side this world so

so for them they have to strike a very difficult balance between the two. turning to the skies now which have been particularly busy in the moscow region the max international air show plays host to all sorts of magnificent magnificent men and their flying machines the show's third day solve multibillion dollar deals sealed on the ground while an array of military and civilian aircraft showed what they can do with overhead the bi annual max meeting or as private investors to see the leading edge aircraft in action and then put in their orders and throughout the show crowds that were enthralled by death defying stunts from some of the world's leading the early data teams artie's tom party climbed into the cockpit of one of their planes and lived to tell the tale. engine check instruments check runway check.

and then it's takeoff for the russian aerobatic display team. andre is training to join the team he thinks he's nearly good enough now but still remembers his first flight as a solo pilot to get to the pier where without any warning they told me i was going to do the next flight on my own i had no time to be scared there was no longer an instructor at my back it was unforgettable takeoff you're on your own controlling the plane then when you land you've done it i think you're a real pilot at that point. the as moves are always trying to hone their maneuvers they practice most weekends thinking of new tricks and practicing old ones like a form of the stanford or whatever but we come up with stunts and then research them but it often turns out that the pins on the four nested of a russian came up with the loop and all the other stunts are based on the loop the loop is the basis for all aerial acrobatics. however it always comes down

to time in the air even with years of flying and training experience between them it never becomes easy. the most smoke when you leave the cockpit you can squeeze a gallon of sweat from your suit what your knees are shaking because it's extremely difficult and stressful and anyone would feel that way. so with that gut wrenching fair ringing in my ears i was told it was mine. we did the loop the loop all the planes just meters apart. but when it came to the fountain i nearly blacked out. white faced but not defeated i returned. it.

ok. if they. kick it. if through but i could also see some of the screens they go through. so next time you look up at those speeding planes spirit thought for the pilots inside. tom bottom. and stay with our team as we'll bring you more updates and live coverage from the max two thousand and eleven international air show here in the moscow region. the republic of. the caucasus is preparing for an early election following the death of its president any future leader will take on a nation still recovering from conflict with neighboring georgia next we talked to the acting president about the challenges facing his country.

we are in the republican preparations are underway for the august presidential election. is the country's acting president and also one of the candidates and he's here with us today the upcoming election will be the second presidential election since our cause a gain recognition just how hard it is for a cause here to live as an independent state i hear some of of course there are

many difficulties with accomplished a lot already but there's still an enormous amount of work to be done we're optimistic about our future the most important thing is that following our country's recognition we've had its security ensured now all we need to do is get down to work and there are a lot of things to be done for the country and the people many of the reside abroad there are also georgian refugees who would like to return to their homes in a pause it will the upcoming election take into consideration the needs of those who consider this republic their home. i don't see any relation. between the abkhazians who reside abroad in russia or in more remote places and the refugees who became ones because of the war and as for the election it's only citizens of a republic are eligible to vote there's nothing i can add to this will international observers be present at the election who's been invited all ready and who agreed to come up with that it wouldn't put him there will be a very many observers if one hundred is

a lot sten then it is because that is approximately the number of observers that will be monitoring our election we have already sent the invitations are palm and source and that by the way observers were present in significant numbers at the previous election when sergey bank apps got reelected i can tell you honestly that their evaluations were mostly positive for. service considered our election to be fairly democratic and transparent and maintained that it causes should serve as an example for many countries and i think the upcoming election will go exactly like that as well since a pause there remains unrecognized by many countries what are the chances that the current election will be considered legitimate abroad then we have with them the new whom we don't even focus on that what matters to us is that we must administer the election in accordance with concious legislation how others may react to it is another matter what is truly important is that we do everything right those who are unbiased will come up with an impartial assessment of the election as for the issue

of recognition of our election let me speak plainly even if it sounds a bit too blunt for this interview we don't really camp the political battles of two thousand and four place the pause there on the brink of civil war what should be done to avoid such a scenario today. there's nothing of the kind not by a long shot in two thousand and four the situation was absolutely different so i can tell you honestly and i believe it's very important that your viewers should be made aware of this back in two thousand and four it was through some very serious efforts by sergei baggage and rule has. that the situation was stabilized i would even say that it was thanks to the wisdom and full sight of these two politicians to the situation was resolved successfully and appropriately in society was very grateful to both of them for that if anyone feels that the events of two thousand and four may recur might believe such an assessment is premature we i mean the abkhazian society do not share the opinion of those who believe this election

should end up with some kind of confrontation we have entirely different plans. the result because in treaty on military cooperation the play grown work for stationing russian troops in the country was signed one half years ago but it has been submitted for a terrific ation by the russian parliament only recently why is the process getting a fresh start today is the fear of new georgian aggression and as one of the rules of those. we know that for us georgia is not a very friendly state because he is present legal standing allows us to say that any aggression will be repelled besides the presence of russian servicemen feeds an optimism about the future safety and that of our country is security protected and we intend to strengthen this kind of cooperation with the russian federation we've also been collaborating with russia in other areas everything is just getting started and it all looks promising and mutually rewarding we intend to meticulously

implement the comprehensive agreement signed by our two presidents misstate dimitri medvedev and mississippi baggage we strongly support the case for strengthening our relations with russia what kind of methods can we expect from georgia and its attempts of restoring official police equals the countries to report real integrity when the us over the past years we've lost a lot of people to violence at the border including over one hundred russian peacekeepers as well as zero border guards customs offices reservists and civilians and it's certainly georgian politicians. it is to blame even today regretfully the georgians often engage in assaults and sabotage operations you probably remember when there was a russian border troops a young lieutenant colonel who was killed in action a few months ago it was in the news reports but despite that russian border troops keep settling down in abkhazia i believe that in the year or so our border will be sufficiently fortified and the situation will change drastically we are really

looking forward to that there is a whole generation of people in a positive who survived two wars with georgia during the past twenty years is a possible at all for these people to live peaceful lives is the rule of the model of if you refer to our young people aged eighteen to twenty they ready cherish the events of the recent past and all know that the memory of those who defended a country's independence and it's the talk of the government to keep strengthening this memory the way i see it all people don't live in constant expectation of things to come nor did they consciously think back to the events of the past from my point of view because these present domestic situation is very tranquil and it's on the up thank you for your time with us today. takes fifteen to twenty million years for the planet to recover from

a major extinction event but the planet has time we don't. it's been going on for about twenty twenty five years and since there's been an eco terrorist before there was even a islamic fundamentalist terrorist in this country when a nine eleven happened the bush administration could not find any terrorists because the feds couldn't find any real terrorists who decided to take these young people who are accused of property sabotage and label them as terrorists someone who destroys property. with absolutely zero in ten. harming a single human being. in my mind is not. real people who are green in this country are the housewives who recycle. and the children who plant trees on the weekend with their cub scout troops that's the. sound. guys.

sound. of. tough. love approach. on the future flight. team takes to the air show. more news today violence has once again flared up. and these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. giant corporations are today.

and broadcasting live direct from the heart of moscow this is with us. it's british courts are cracking down on the rioters with some stiff sentences but human rights groups accuse judges of over reacting by handing down overly severe penalties to young men have been given four years sentences for posting what they said was a joke message on facebook calling for people to loot their hometown. european leaders and of u.s. issue strong statements calling on syria's president assad to step down just as he announces a halt to all military operations in the country and of the u.n. is preparing to call on the international criminal court to investigate the regime's lethal crackdown on protesters.