international news and comment line from moscow this is r t with twenty four hours a day the cultural of the united nations has accepted palestine is a fully fledged member it's the first time palestinians have achieved full status at a un body but you know sco will now pay for the decision with the loss of nearly a quarter of its funding it's not cross to auntie's going to countries in washington she has more details for us now over two thirds of you know members voted in favor of missing palestine but the u.s. has now stopped funding the agency altogether so what is the logic behind this. well bill you're absolutely right we mentioned it was a jubilant moment it was a jubilant scene that we've seen in paris cheers the wind up in the assembly hall when the final tally was announced but the vote comes at a price welcoming palestine to the united nations educational scientific and cultural over his asian means saying goodbye to as much as twenty two percent of the organization's budget washington has been the agency's biggest contributor so far and the state department has confirmed that they will stop sponsoring the

organization on what grounds you were sloppy past the nine hundred ninety of lie just washington to cut off funding to unesco if it admits palance palestine but nonetheless this u.n. body facing huge cuts in its budget voted one hundred seventy four and fourteen nations against the admission of palestine a very sensitive and jubilant moment for the palestinians a sour point for the israelis and for the united states it seems they've been doing everything they could to do rail the vote but to no avail because the palestinians have already gained elevated status of observance to the u.n. general assembly how does today's admission to unesco affect palestine's bid for full u.n. membership now. well bell although the un body in question deals with science education and culture the vote has been seen as very much political as a first step but as a reminder of the popularity of the palestinian bid for full membership in the un

itself that application is now pending before the u.n. security council where the united states is threatening to veto to use its veto power most of the international community is for palestine becoming a member of the u.n. and the u.s. position on this because it is considered is very much considered to be biased and anti palestinian although washington says they've won it two state solution but they are blocking all attempts of the international community to help the two sides come to such a solution washington says israelis and palestinians should be able to deal with it on their own but that proved impossible because one side is too strong and the other side is too weak they can't even start bilateral talks these days peace talks were supposed to resume but after mutual strikes in the last couple of days and people killed on both sides the talks again stalled. live from

the u.s. capitol thanks very much indeed for that well let's discuss this with the learned he's from the independent institute think tank he joins us now live in washington d.c. and that is not even though there is good to see you there in washington a huge victory for the palestinians but how will this affect the state did. well i think that you know that gradually the palestinians are pushing to get in more international organizations particularly in the u.n. i think the difference between this vote and the one. statehood bid is that of course the u.s. can be in the security council that the latter one whereas this vote there is no veto and it was voted overwhelmingly that people went against what the u.s. and israel wanted and voted in palestine as

a member clearly this was i think the two are such as you who because the two are separate simply because of the way the votes are taken and whether the united states can block it or not. this really was a political move to get that unesco membership but nevertheless what would have been the practical advantages or the what all of the practical advantages of being a member of unesco for the palestinian people well i think you know at the most basic level the unesco. provide it's mostly well known for preserving cultural sites historical sites and i think the palestinians in that area of the west bank and gaza feel that the israelis are trying to you know get the get the. race that culture now also you know they. have programs for women science that sort of thing and i think the

palestinians will benefit from those as well and so there's lots of lots of programs i do not need to promote promote further international recognition and understanding as well. yes and i think a you mentioned the symbolic thing i think that's actually the main thing here because certainly the programs are important but the symbolic idea to all these nations wanted to let palestine in over the objections of the u.s. and israel is very significant i think and it. tells the indians have been stymied in their efforts to have a state and of course they're trying a new route they're trying. he's for protests and they're trying this method of trying to get into more and more international organizations to build their legitimacy and i think that's a better way to go than violence myself what about the u.s.

israel. the violence hasn't helped anybody i mean just quickly the u.s. reaction to this could help backfire i mean they've already announced that it's going to withdraw funding twenty two percent of indeed the funding that they provide to the u.s. go budget i mean here they are punishing people and their cultural and social projects around the world in effect making these people sacrifice for the palestinian cause certainly the economically tough time as well i mean what sort of image does that give the u.s. . well i think obama administration actually likes you nasco unlike the republicans who don't really care about you now sco and i think the u.s. ambassador to you know said that they'll try to find other ways to support the organization so i don't think the obama administration is happy to be having been put in the situation but you're exactly right that's what it does it holds a lot of people who are not involved in this around the world hostage to this

particular dustup over the palestinian membership and you know sco and i think you know it does it this law is very rigid and it's kind of left over from from other places so. another era so anyway it's it's very. it doesn't look good for the u.s. because the they're in a rigid straitjacket they can't do much about the law they may try to help the organization in other in other ways ok we'll leave it there thanks very much indeed ivan eland of the independent institute think tank joining us live in washington sorry about the delay occasionally when i was talking of you thanks very much they . syria's president has told russian television the forces fighting is regime dangerous and putting civilians at risk but also said he is ready to work with the opposition parties that have emerged during the months of uprising against his government. has this report. strong words coming from syrian

president bashar al assad to where the conflict this country's been going on for almost eight months now in that interview to the russian channel he did say that any attempt to destabilize the country will result in what he called an earthquake that will reverberate not just in the region but will have global implications he also stressed that syria is most definitely not libya it's a different situation altogether and he did voice out what he and his government think is a real cause of the conflict in his country. today we have hundreds of soldiers police and security forces among how were they killed during peaceful demonstrations because some slogans being shown you know they were. dealing with people we don't know whether the syria from israel. but there is evidence of millions and grenades that were put in place. this led to casualties and a number of the information obtained. to syria from

neighboring states become pain was funded from a brood of those who. the government has tried to put forth. i mean the president had said that they're planning parliamentary elections in february there are opposition voices such as the national coronation council which shot tries to bring together the different forces in syria and they're saying that while they're very critical of the reforms they've put forth by the government saying it's not enough they're also wary of calling or door saying a so-called no fly zone because they do see that this could just result in more bloodshed they don't want to see that in their country now the arab league of course had been actively trying to find a solution as well trying to us speak with syrian officials they put forth a plan to president assad he said that he will. will be a willing to talk to all of the opposition voices including those formed during the conflict however these are words for now they want to see actual. table and that's not to say that i mean there the external pressure is increasing that even if there's a lot of hesitation to any form of foreign intervention our words coming from the

western leaders as well as china and russia who as we know had vetoed that u.n. resolution calling for sanctions on syria all of them are calling for a dialogue for real results to see the violence really stop and that's really the main focus right now of the pressure coming from the outside they just want the violence to stop. and will correspondent scott taylor told me earlier that any attempt to intervene in syria using force could have a devastating effect on the entire region it would have potential to reverberate throughout the entire region which is very unstable right now iraq is not stable americans are due to pull out within two months they're looking to relocating forces into kuwait so they can still maintain some sort of. clout in the area. incursions into northern iraq the kurdish factions minority inside syria as well i mean israel's on the border if you've got all kinds of things there now which would be very difficult to go in there and turn that into a less than volatile situation in other words no one's got any second thoughts

about whether nato could force their way in but if you do fight your way in they're going to find going to be fighting an insurgency for some time to come you'll keep an eye wall street movement shows no signs of slowing in the u.s. is enters its seventh week scores of activists have been arrested across america for refusing to pack up their camps and russia has voiced concerns over the crackdown in the treatment of protest as by u.s. authorities. the way the occupy wall street protesters are handled is an ample illustration of double standards quite a number of our counterparts from western countries are pursuing we will never put up with a situation when our western partners who have the right to ask us questions refused to discuss their own problems which there are plenty of which keeps growing. the statement comes in response to growing criticism from western countries as russia moves towards its presidential election meanwhile authorities in the us have tried to enforce various curfews over the weekend to prevent demonstrations from

escalating further more than seventy protesters calling for political and economic changes have been arrested in the state of texas oregon and california police in denver used pepper spray to disperse the crowds but the protesters are saying they are ready to withstand the pressure well for more on this let's now talk to christina tobin she's founder of the free and equal elections foundation joining me live in chicago now the protests have been going on for seven weeks christina with people not backing down despite the police crackdowns we've just been talking about arrests and of course bad weather setting in they determined but the messages are somewhat makes a little confused in some ways so what exactly do they really want to achieve these protesters. well i feel that there are a lot of grassroots protesters that are just looking for something to latch onto and also with protesters on the tea party side i think the common denominator between the left and the right the grassroots that are looking for something to unite on is electoral reform and we can are come to terms of the fact that we have

the wrong people in our office both democrats republicans getting money from unions and corporations and what we need to do is we need to break these relationships up and we the people need to run for office is bad and so although they are different messages coming from the tea party and the occupy movement they are essentially perhaps working together for the same result they need to work together i do or see a true grassroots movement the free meek will actions foundational be very involved with that uniting the left and the right and the common denominator in that is that corporate money and union money needs to butt out of the electoral process and this is something we can all agree on there is a common denominator between the left and right and this is electoral reform but the occupy movement doesn't show any signs of that sort of political organization that the tea party does is it's more chaotic and less organized. well i mean some

would say that you know the tea parties and the media you can't really trust everything you hear in the united you hear here in the united states i like to look at the positive aspects no going to tea party movements in occupy wall street moments i see true grass root individuals there that just one of the better america and again the way to achieve that we all need to learn more about electron reform and the key is winning these congressional races in two thousand and twelve in two thousand and fourteen which will ultimately have an impact on the senate races and therefore should u.s. politicians being be listening very carefully to both of their messages because at the moment it seems that the government isn't listening at all and a big business doesn't seem to be caring either. i agree with you know and there will be a movement for electoral reform through groups like the green equal actions foundation that will shed light on these wrong candidates have been a lack of candidates taking money from again whether it's corporations or unions

they are bad they can be happy of those entities and not the taxpayer so yes i do for a see that we taxpayers will run for office for the congressional races and showed for two thousand and twelve two thousand and fourteen and take back america take back to the other potential rise of a fresh new scene of politicians a new look entirely in america maybe while i do see that happening and that's the key the president you know he's stuck in a stranglehold the congress they're not doing anything we need fresh new people for the congressional races i do see the movements of valving directly into that direction i was talking to somebody little earlier promoting the american dream indeed preserving the american dream now of course these are corporate protests carrying on at the moment throughout the states and indeed throughout the rest of the world but what the protesters are actually calling for are undermining the very idea in which of course the u.s. was built and that is capitalism. well those anti union protests there's anti-corporate just protests i feel and what we really need to have is anti

politicians protests here in the united states again whether it's was a tree in the you know union corporatist the real problem is these people in our office once we address that issue and we kick them all out of our and then we will the people will see you know more of the origins of the constitution which i feel as taxpayers left and right across the political spectrum really want of course politicians will always be looking over their back and should if they want to get votes and get into power listen to what the people really want but of course a lot of this is all about the big corporate world the finances. obviously tied in with politicians but do they really care in what way could this protest have any impact whatsoever on way the corporate world continues there in the states and throughout the world why i think this protest is the beginning of a bigger movement i don't know the occupy wall street being that bigger movement

some argue that it's temporarily a distraction but then others argue that it's the party was the g.o.p. group when in fact really just a lot of grassroots people and it was taken over by other entities could be sort of the same for our occupy wall street but i do see that some of the positive people that want to truly make a difference latching on to something pure and that is something again an movement for lack toral reform here in the united states and an absolutely cross the world christine a very interesting to talk to thanks so much your time christina tobin founder of the free and equal elections foundation talking to us live from chicago thank you think you know. the russian billionaire owner of chelsea football club ramona bottom of which has been before a london court it's in connection with a five and a half billion dollar lawsuit being pursued by russian business and bodies but as off ski the self xcel tycoon but as he claims his former associate illegally forced him to hand over the money and now he wants it back. ortiz of a bennett report and one of the most expensive disputes in history taking place in

london. well this is actually the first time that mr abbott was actually given evidence and spoken in this hearing despite it already going on for four weeks that's just to give you an idea of how long winded this whole process is and today was no different however it was fascinating. to hear him speak and to see this going on because he's a man who is one of the richest in the world with an estimated fourteen personal fortune of over ten billion pounds if you very rarely speak to the media if at all and yet today all of that intrigue and mystery suddenly evaporated as he was put on the spot and reduced to being just an ordinary member of the public basically he was visibly nervous he was shy shaking a little bit small in his words and there's a lot at stake here he's being sued by mr berezovsky for three point five billion pounds a third of his personal wealth mr berezovsky and him were the co-founders of the oil companies now mr berezovsky alleges that he was blackmailed into selling his

shares in that company for a fraction of their true value now in this cross-examination today that's just started because lawyers were focusing on details to really discredit mr abbott movies think we've heard allegations that he was involved in the arms business also allegations that he lied about his education so these details might not be key to the actual case it's an attempt by his lawyers to discredit mr abramovich both of them concealed behind this curtain of money and and mystery and this hearing is really been the peek behind that both men turn up to call to very shiny cars mr barrett mr b. is the bodyguards call him turning up in my back mr a mr i promote it in the sadie's they're all both flanked by bodyguards translators lawyers that he's got a team about. mr bures all skis clane what's central to his claim is based on their close relationship form a close relationship on speaking terms now he says they were very close friends he was his mentor and they were they were business partners yet today released

a statement denying that. part of the problem with actually establishing what exactly the deals were between these men is because none of it was actually written down now this is a fact that doesn't seem to rise or shock these men they take it as fact obviously and they say well that's just the way it was because this was after all ninety's russia time now to check out some other international news in brief in our world update this hour suicide bombing in the southern afghan city of kandahar it's claimed at least four lives a truck laden with explosives was detonated near a u.n. aid agency checkpoint several people in the past and ensuring gunfight between insurgents and the afghan security forces the taliban's claimed responsibility. nato is set to wrap up its mission over libya with an hour marking the official end to its military intervention the responsibility for national security will be handed to the country's interim government now faces the difficult task of collecting countless weapons and firearms from civilians weapons use became

widespread during the eight months of civil war that ended with the violent death of libya's former leader moammar gadhafi. the new york trial a victim boots the russian businessman accused of international arms trafficking and supplying weapons to terrorists is close to a conclusion we're now hearing he was arrested in thailand in two thousand and eight after a sting operation by the u.s. and flown to new york to face trial our correspondent and started checking it is following developments in new york. he was arrested in a sting operation conducted by the united states drug enforcement agency where special agents were posing as members of this group and trying to lure him into a business deal with them so that they could promptly arrest him now the prosecution says that should face from twenty five years to a life sentence behind bars whereas his lawyers say that the only thing i was doing was trying to sell two old cargo planes to these people and according to groups

lawyer was perfectly aware that he was not exactly dealing with members of the fourth group and were expected to hear the verdict in the hours to come and this is something that could potentially make a great picture booch we have to remember that earlier in september in a similar case or another russian businessman was sentenced to twenty years behind bars basically the hunt for victor boot has been going on for roughly a decade before his arrest in thailand in two thousand and eight we know that u.s. agents have spent tens of millions of dollars in attempts to build this operation to rescue your boot while he was peacefully living in moscow actually and then catching him in thailand and bringing him over to the united states and what really seemed like a hollywood movie they snatched him away in the middle of the night from thailand where technically his legal documents still remain we have to remember that type courts found not guilty twice but still he was taken to the united states where he

has been facing a trial for the last three weeks and the controversy started really a long time ago because this man was dubbed the merchant of death in the united states way before he was even taken here with even a hollywood film made about this man and the judge was even forced to make the jury sign a pledge that they would not look this man up on the internet because unfortunately for boot in the court of public opinion in the united states he's most likely already lost this case. started chicken or this is r t live in moscow come up to twenty five minutes past the hour kareen is next with the latest from the world of finance. hello and welcome to our business update the south the russian government is putting some numbers to help it might offer the you are selling presidential aide arkady their coverage says this could mean up to ten billion dollars for the debt fund and this could be down through the i.m.f.

and by bilateral agreements with individual countries like a crutch or has more. russian help in the eurozone makes both political and financial sense europe is russia's largest trading partner so ensuring its recovery could only be positive for this country's wellbeing will be no winners should the e.u. be fed to the wolves but it's not all financial old truism russia would be seeking some sort of reassurances as to the structural reforms in europe's most indebted nations also buying european bonds offers russia the prospect of diversifying its reserve holdings which are now dominated by u.s. treasuries on the downside money that does go for the aid is not available to be spent at home although economists suggest it is not enough to make a real dent in russia's plans i would still say you know what talking about ten billion dollars which can be important amount for maybe specific kountry and i mean the european union zone but for russia to take into account the central bank reserves say about five hundred billion dollars where really talking while. i'm on

the financial decisions politically there's also miles to be meet russia wants closer relations with western europe to come into its rescue in its hour of need can only be to its credit something which may come in handy when discussions focus on matters closer to russia's heart such as energy relations. that's a look at the markets now all declines pairing the biggest monthly gain or more than two years futures slid as much as one point two percent after japan we can begin against the dollar making commodities priced in u.s. dollars less attractive to investors some market watchers expect a jump in crude price to push gases. prices higher and undermine demand stocks in the u.s. are lower with wall street were languishing some of its recent rise the dow jones lost one and a half percent with all but two of its thirty components falling but by being in maker alcoa that's off five point seven percent bank of america and j.p. morgan stanley also dropped more than four percent following declines in europe

stocks in europe close in the red with a foot in the dax ending over involved one and a half one one half percent for the puts in two point three percent for the dax banks and miners among the biggest decline is as commodity prices fell shares of hedge fund manager man group four point nine percent the world bank of scotland and lloyds banking group both lost over six percent and here in russia stocks closed in the red for the first time four days on monday crude oil and metal spells hurting the outlook for companies in the world's biggest energy exporter and if gainey could she was a from alpha capital says investors are now in a profit taking mood. following a roll of the recent crew for weeks when major markets were hard by a twenty to thirty oh no final source and some correction so we think it is not true for continuation of a healthy market growth for us to grow by four percent or so. we have seen

some positive done. stocks in the russian market market is correct rhinoceros a portion of profit taking people just don't want to buy at such high levels. that's all the business we have for you but don't forget you can always log on to our website business for more.

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from moscow with the twenty four hours a day top stories this hour and historic day for palestine which has achieved its full membership to u.n. agency the recognition comes at a price with unesco doozie nearly a quarter of its funding which the u.s. cut in response. to. foreign backed syria's president claims a protest campaign against his regime is being funded from a broader a more the west not to get involved and the head of nato has ruled out imposing a no fly zone over syria with which some demonstrators in the country have been calling for. clash of the russian tycoons two of the world's wealthiest men for a month up to move it. take their bitter dispute to a long court and spent no money on the fight but as all ski accuses up to move it you're robbing him of five and a half million dollars and wants it back. when i'll be back with more news stories more developments in this the hoff an hour from now in the meantime october the thirty first signals a landmark in history after the global population officially reaches seven billion .