egyptians head to the polls for the first time since the fall of hosni mubarak the main questions over the legitimacy of the vote join me and he's now in cairo for more details. u.s. and e.u. diplomats converge on washington to draw a road map for the world's future while their respective war camps are still basking in libyan success reportedly similar plans for syria and iran. bearing their anger to the world a group of ukrainian women make a show across europe with a series of naked protests against the abuse of women's rights. as recession fears continue to dominate global markets the gold which is the traditional safe haven is

going up and analysts tell business could reach twenty one hundred dollars per ounce next year more on this in twenty. three pm in moscow i met a good to have you with us here on r t our top story egypt has taken the first step in a long parliamentary election process due to last into march while the current leadership says the ballot symbolizes an end to the country's recent up evil some sentiment on the streets is quite the opposite he's a nice in our way has the latest from cairo. well as egyptians had to the polls for the first time since the fall of hosni mubarak there are several concerns that i want to break down for you first of all this is just the first round of parliamentary elections and it's not even the whole country going to the polls it's broken up by cities so we're only going to see some nine cities or so across egypt

actually go and cast their ballot second of course it's the security and the in stable situation in the country we saw a vicious clampdown in clashes just ahead of these elections just this morning early part of apply pipeline was blown up that carries gas from egypt israel's there are very serious concerns about security as a jew have since had to the polls but also about the legitimacy of this vote of course after mubarak left power scour for the supreme council of the armed forces took over and some announcements from the head of the military just before this vote are very concerning one of course is that the parliament that is elected will have limited powers they won't be able to actually dismiss any kind of cabinet and we're also hearing that they won't actually be the committee that that that sets up this presidential election that is meant to happen now we're hearing some time in twenty eight thirteen with that said the people that i've had a chance to speak to are excited about the vote but many of them are being distant courage by the fact that

a lot of people think that even if they do go to the polls it won't really affect the road to democracy or so-called democracy that egyptians on the streets have been fighting for in fact some of them say they will go to the polls only to point out in highlight the fraud that is expected and some of them will boycott the poll altogether. some adoptions are bracing for the worst medics are lined up and security is tight for egypt's first parliamentary election since the revolution the country's only female candidate for the presidency expects the vote to be void due to from want but sent this message to the supreme council of the armed forces or scaffold took a. over after mubarak we are as. movement. we are watching you. monitoring the election just to correct their mistakes and then they're proud we had an all good no waiting for

them all chris others are planning to boycott the ballot minya a protester at occupy cabinet says they are encouraging people not to vote trying to do we're trying to call the people to come zone here so we would be a lot of people and nobody would vote and then they would know that these votes and this elections is not correct it's wrong how could you ask us to vote for a parliament which which you are building under you were a scout for. the violent crackdown that swept over egypt just before elections seems to be pulling focus from the long awaited dream of democracy minya says if the vote goes through the military will succeed in covering up the blood spilled. like to give into courts or something like for the people the kills i got shot in my yard like here but of course it's not that big of deal like other people go now they're blind and more a lot of them are did because of what happened was going to say when you were wrong

the party likely to win a staunch number of seats is the muslim brotherhood considered a terrorist affiliated organization in some countries appears very popular here in egypt known for tight organization and a hard islamist line also accused by some of wheeling and dealing with the military supreme council they are politicians and they mean or who is wrong that they want in that it will use indians and this not for that when you send this all the power power that the people on to our career have been fighting for on the streets. to how do you square people who would love to have a strong prison in the problem. so i urge everybody it was i was going to miss the next and billy's don't do that but what egypt wants and what egypt gets and so far proven to be two very different results many egyptians feel the political

parties that are on the ballot don't actually represent the people and even more so their revolution in fact a lot of what you hear on tough fear is that the people running the country are not very different than mubarak and it's thought that they're very much running this election. and he says they're to help keep you up on all the latest developments in egypt by her twitter stream and one of her latest tweets she says many women are wearing black as they vote in tribute to those who were killed during the revolution and he says twitter tag is on the screen right now you can check it out and coming up later today on r t gloves come off in cross talk is our he's people of el grills his guests or the role of western foreign policy in the arab spring you can see the full program later in the hour here's a preview. we saw a year ago almost now that the turmoil in egypt which is now returning no democracy there obviously the americans or the west are waiting for

a western friendly government to be imposed and this of course sucks up to the israeli situation so that the the border with gaza is controlled by the west and by israel so there's lots of problems and even the small country of kuwait has got a very hidden agenda there which we're not actually seeing in the media yet and of course the whole thing in syria we got another potential libya coming up here and plans for two already in the arab countries to impose a no fly zone over syria where is this going to stop i should probably point out that this idea of a wide arab spring is a bit of an exaggeration considering that even in bahrain or in any of the situations in which civil. segments of the society have risen up and demanded some kind of civil rights. in.

syria also feeling the heat as damascus now finds itself battered by a slew of new sanctions from the arab league is seen as punishment for the country's failure to accept thousands of foreign observers tasked with reporting the government's actions sanctions are intended to completely isolate syria which is mired in armed conflict between pro and anti-government forces the measures include the suspension of flights to the country a blockade of its central bank at an end to all trade with the state but the sheer breadth of the sanctions is drawing some criticism with concern that ordinary people will end up suffering the most as a result the arab league has lost its authority is the voice of the people of quarter of the doctor rainey and. mastery of the university of ballad in a group. that is basically digging its own coffin here and it is publicly declaring that it has no more legitimacy in the arab world so it is no longer speaking for

the arab people are representing our adventurous to in any way whatsoever and when we look at the credibility of these countries i mean that if you want to take one example when we had mass protest and beheading protests that the government of the day and responded we threw toilets against a protest in which the people were asking for democracy and reform as is their legitimate right to g.c.c. countries did not ask for sanctions against the bahamian government for the suppression but rather they introduced their own armed forces into a hurricane and supported the repression so when you have these very contrary is here themselves condemning repression committed by another arab country they like any credibility to call for that so again what is this our oblique it's not it's another farce it's another joke about that was imposed upon the arab world by the former colonialist that's where here the arab league may be the least of damascus is worries as representatives of the u.s. and europe gather in washington to discuss a much harsher solution a joint summit later today the two allies will be talking tough on syria and iran

with hauke lobbies calling for regime change in one country and a preemptive strike on the other as art he's got a chicky on reports the goals are often seen as being far from democratic. splitting the spoils of war in the middle east and north africa the u.s. and europe are meeting in washington searching for new ways to fortify their global position now with syria and iran on their plate here at the white house european leaders together with the u.s. president might be trying to turn political tensions around syria and iran into economic gain after all the decision on whether or not to meddle in a foreign country's affairs is never entirely selfless looking at the ranch for example a country with vast natural resources it's not hard to see the benefits in such a venture iran is the world's third largest oil exporter its seconding gas reserves the u.s. is not getting any of the rainy and oil europe on the other hand accounts for

a significant part of iran's crude exports a year has severe energy problems there are a huge net importer of better europe has recently stopped buying oil from syria it might stop buying crude from iran as well if the e.u. decides to impose an oil ban on iran but analysts say it's not full long that the west would want to deprive themselves of middle eastern oil that would mean more oil more gas a lower price of oil lower price of gas more steady supply. how to make it happen typically what we'd like to do is make the population so you cannot make the measurable that they will seek to change the regime and the second way is to isolate the country from its neighbors to the point where you can safely without too many complications go in and simply attack iran and destroy the regime through destroying the country singe. the u.s. and the e.u.

are trying to press iran's biggest trade partner china to do less business with tehran the u.s. is now calling on pakistan to stop building a gas pipeline with iran isolation seems to be the strategy regime change the end game the benefits could be enormous get a check on our team washington d.c. syria and iran aren't the only themes dominating the washington summit as both the us and e.u. struggle to contain their respective economic crises the most urgent is europe's debt epidemic which is at the center of which is athens we speak of with r t greek m.p. similar to go blue who says there's no telling what tomorrow holds for the embattled union. fearful tomorrow we don't know what's coming next and i believe that the whole of europe doesn't know what's coming next and now everybody realizes that it's not just the greek problem it's a european problem it's the whole system that we have made up of the european union

isn't working and this would create to the problems that we see today we believe that the germans must change their position they must realise it's for their own good goals so you know german economy without the european clients is not going to do very well. you can catch more of the man's thoughts and comments on what went wrong in europe in the full interview coming your way in the next hour. war of words between nato and pakistan is heating up with islam about announcing the recent closure of nato supply routes to afghanistan through its territory will now be permanent the already strained relationship was thrown into chaos after a u.s. airstrike targeted a unknown army base killing twenty four soldiers and two and a half kilometers inside pakistan the incident caused immediately pakistan with massive rallies breaking out throughout the country and elevating anti-u.s.

sentiment to new levels riding the wave of public anger as significantly scaled back its cooperation with nato forces fighting in afghanistan and more perspective on how the situation might develop i'm joined by journalist and author filreis live in london thanks for being with us so we're learning now that nato fire on the pakistani base lasted for two hours is not a bad says he even made the military alliance aware of who it was targeting so how could this have happened where was there a breakdown. this is a remarkable thing this certainly is not a firefight in the fog of battle late at night i think this was a deliberate attack now i think there are various theories going around certainly the nato forces knew it was a pakistan base but i think there were claims that that was firing at them now there are several forces within that tribal areas we're talking about linked to the afghan link to the pakistan army i'm sorry who it's in their interest to provoke

a firefight because let's remember that really the interests of nato and the interests of pakistan are fundamentally different in this region and therefore you've had an uneasy alliance that spin together for over a decade but really the end goal of both groups are different and i think this case now is much more serious than any of the other incidents and there have been numerous incidents where nato forces have had a firefight with frontier corps of the pakistan army but this is much more serious . so going beyond all the rhetoric that we're seeing flying between the two sides do you think the confrontation is that serious as is being made out because there were past disagreements based on other incidents and they eventually fizzled out and were diplomatically kind of massaged away do you think we could see that in this case. well i think that both the united states and pakistan have this very strange relationship that they need each other and that probably before it

absolutely rupture is there will be some concessions but you know the the united states is planning to leave by two thousand and fourteen all the troops there what will be left behind pakistan is determined to have a force in kabul but actually pakistan wants to support it in other words a fool similar to the taliban that is passed to based this is quite opposed to anything that the west wants so i think that the next two years are going to be fascinating when you go to totally different dynamics unfolding there there is a fresh buzz about a nato program that actually pays taliban insurgents one hundred fifty dollars a month to go home and put down their weapons do worse do you think that we are seeing workfare involved here. well remember this strategy has has been tried several times and you know it hasn't worked. you know the point about

afghanistan and you know there was a very unflattering colonial statement about the afghans that you can't buy an afghan but you can rent him in other words that you can you know gain loyalty for a short term but after the money runs out you know their loyalties we will return to where they were before and i think the afghans are very well trained as it were taking from both hands so as a strategy you know i think it's going to fail and what's going to stop taliban members simply taking their money and going back home and i you know i think it's a it's a desperate measure and i think it's a sign of the failure of the whole after. episode and the fact that the taliban are probably going to return as the most powerful political force once the west is gone well effective or not the taliban is only growing

stronger in many instances and by a lot of the evidence with the violence on the rise do you think there are other solutions. i think everybody now accepts that the taliban have got to be part of the solution they have got to be part of talks of course two or three years ago it was considered quite appalling that the west should talk to people they called us but i think that it's now been accepted they will be part of the solution i think that they will be probably the dominant part of the solution and this is what pakistan is relying on this is why pakistan is supporting the taliban pakistan is ensuring that they and the taliban are with members who support pakistan in the back by pakistan will have a seat at that top table when the final government of afghanistan forms and that government won't be anything like that which the west had hoped when he entered afghanistan in two thousand and one or will have to leave it there phil aris journalist and author thanks very much for your insight. a naked woman in the

city's central square is bound to attract some attention which is exactly what one protest group is hoping for a series of extravagant demonstrations against the abuse of women's rights have been raising eyebrows across europe as artie's alexia shouts he discovered these ukrainian activists have their sights set on new horizons. oh yes. on a chilly morning in key of health naked women in racing outfits drink champagne and chant slogans this is how the feminine movement celebrated the resignation of silvio berlusconi several days prior to that the very same ladies were in rome voicing their support to the anti berlusconi protest even do it i mean we have staged a lot of protests against berlusconi and his sexual adventures here in kiev and we are really happy his political career has finished this inhibition interrupted the last couple somebody who came to the terran embassy not only to celebrate but to

say that he needs to go on trial for his sexual crimes. for more than a week the ukrainian topless protesters had been making themselves heard across europe on a dedicated road trip to draw attention to the sexual exploitation of women in room one of their activists made a revealing protest against injustice towards women in the catholic church in the vatican right in front of the pope. was before that they hit paris storming former i.m.f. banker dominique strauss kahn his residence. i mean women from italy came to us in switzerland and said we know that you're coming to rome and will be staging protests again berlusconi and the pope thank you they said for sharing our problems there while drawing free rallies in ukraine have been making international

headlines for several years now from protesting against the alarming rate of prostitution especially with the upcoming you are twenty twelve tournament exposing flaws in ukraine's politics now they're looking even further afield the dealing with the now could be worse what they were understood the classic famine is no longer works it is if you excuse me impotent but what we do by. it's the desired effect that's why not only ukraine needs us but europe as well who are planning to take over the world. while we see how well you were received in europe remember your colorful actions in ukraine where are you planning to expand now but those are . received lots of letters telling us to continue fighting against religious and justice towards women especially in the muslim states that's where we want to develop we are even ready to go to iran or any other islamic state to stage our topless protests knowing all risks if given tale for us. they started out as

a few enthusiastic campaigners now their talk was protests messages going global. in ukraine alone they have tens of thousands of supporters the family network has been set up in europe and now stretches as far as the united states still they say they've got a lot of demons to fight at home. alexi russia skee r.t. because you from kiev in ukraine. and you can track how these ladies got to the top on our web site r t dot com of course there is plenty more a click away for you right now including this a loyal rescue prince william tries to save the crew and a lot of the lives of a crew of the sinking of a russian cargo ship he managed to pluck two to safety five still missing after their boat was overcome by treacherous waters in the irish sea plus after the recent failure of russia's old rocket to mars the country's scientists once again looking to the red planet with a new probe of blasting off to mars on a nasa rocket more info on the device that's set to unravel the mysteries of the

red planet at our. business news next with dmitri stay with us here on our team. thanks matt cold war trade barriers against russia may finally be lifted as the joins the world trade organization u.s. some bassett's in moscow says congress could of all this that jaxon van eyck amendment next year. as of these. the amendment itself is an old amendment that would say restricting trade privileges today should have limits on human rights ever gratian it's an old formal agreement has canceled every year for russia anyway but there are now concerns that u.s. businesses could be affected with this amendment in place when russia joins the

world trade organization that's because it's inconsistent with the w t o and so there are concerns now that american business is some of the benefits that are going to be to other nations by russia joining the trade. it's a cold war era relic it's been a long time coming for this repeal to happen and although it's unlikely it's going to be repealed it's certainly. before the us twelve. financial tidal wave is frightening to swamp europe many economists now are predicting a severe recession on the continent and twenty twelve governments significantly cut spending however this could be of great benefit to gold prices. from u.b.s. says the average price for the precious metal could reach two thousand seventy five dollars next year. emotions it's fear about the

current climate and fear about what lies ahead there's a mistrust of governments governments in europe and you know the management for many of the european nations is a musudan each word safehaven acid and what we saw in two thousand and eleven was a very volatile year for gold and for other assets we continue to see that expect that again for two thousand and twelve so at some time gold is approaching those record highs people need to be perhaps a little bit more proactive and be prepared to take profits with a view to coming back in again and buying gold you know one hundred hundred fifty dollars lower. the former head of the european a bank for reconstruction and development predicts the euro may not survive until christmas this year governments and companies around the world are preparing for what could happen if the currency disintegrates but the medicine cough scared north capital believes oil firms in russia would need government help to survive if the euro were to fall.

strive to survive by hiking the domestic rates at the pump stations. after the station number two there will encounter the anger from the government then. there will be a clash the rates will be word then the third stage russian companies will be some sort of a living tax and duties for the all will in order for them to preserve by the trade you margins so we made the government who would have to make huge sessions to rational companies in order for them to survive. there's going to leapfrog and russia's oil market is here and k.b.p.s. become the second largest oil producer in the country because any produce half a percent more crude oil during the first nine months of the year. has been

concentrating more on foreign operations than the mastic expansion and therefore this was a. move this nicely to commodity prices oil is heading up a strong start to the holiday shopping season in the u.s. side even saying knock out sales light sweet is just under one hundred dollars per barrel brant is up two dollars forty six. european stocks are also higher with the verses are driven by hopes that european leaders could be moving towards resolutions to curb the crisis in the euro region we can the reports said the euro zone officials had agreed on a way to leverage the european financial stability facility rescue that france and germany were also studying ways that deep but fiscal integration. russia's markets now exception they're gaining three percent on average take a look at what's moving the my sex energy majors are of course on the rise support

. by the sea strong crude ross nafta is gaining almost four percent the south banking stocks are no exception joining in the global trends burbank is up almost five percent this hour and carmakers solas is also up on news of its joint venture with japan's let's take a look at that in more detail joining the list of international carmakers to localize production in russia starting from next year the japanese company aims to annually produce over thirty thousand calls that seoul is plant in russia's far east as a force in the investing around eighteen million dollars in the project so it has already has production agreements with a number of international companies including korea saying young and it's in these yet. so from may to join my colleague. fifty five minutes time to bring in update the headlines on next.

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