the first hybrid car at the home of beal as local carmakers are under pressure to match their foreign company competitors find out more from a business full of importing that's. one pm the russian capital you're watching r t was nearing a joshie arab league observers are in syria with the aim of helping to stabilize a conflict torn country will have a big job as reports of continuing violence suggest hundreds of people have been killed in just the last few days moscow's hoping the arab league can help stand the bloodshed without the need for outside military interference are just sarah first reports. the advanced arab league team is now in damascus they have of course to pave the way for the observer mission that is expected at the end of the month they're going to be looking at the government's promises to implement that peace

plan now of course many people here in the country extremely skeptical about whether or not any real change is going to come from that arab league observers mission entering here a big concern is whether they're going to be able to cover enough ground to get to the places where the coltan trait of conflict is actually happening now that's been a real problem here in the country also we've been here for the past week actually getting to these areas accessing these people that are on the ground where the armed conflict is breaking out has prevented extremely difficult but getting accurate information and verifying it full stop has been a major challenge we visited the city of homs and there you can hear the gunfire ringing out in the distance but ahead of the arab league team arriving here in the country we've heard very harrowing reports of the violence breaking out at civilians us but they seemed if anything to be increasing the course of putting

around two hundred people having been killed in the past few days and as the conflict continues what we are seeing is this becoming all both sides leaving really increasingly armed increasingly bloody certainly that team of observers are really going to have their work cut out for them that everyone is going to be very much prepaying this some form of change can now be a vote about that this is going to be an important step in the right direction but do remember it is of course just one step the many many more that are going to need to be taken before you see the situation here in syria coming down. sara first reporting they're serious state news agency says over two thousand members of the security forces have been killed since unrest began and damascus claims recent un human rights reports alleging a brutal government crackdown are not the whole story activists about adman says the western media is a storing a picture of the real situation to help increase public support for war against the

country. what we see hear about these atrocities add five to housing. deaths here and the so-called massacres none of these numbers are confirmed they are actually given and if you look at the media they are actually telling you that they're getting their information from the. rebel army but they're not getting it from inside the country but of course when you look at the mainstream media at least here in the united states they are just repeating those numbers now in our four hour news websites we have been getting information from syria and these are not necessarily the supporters of. these are the people who are providing information to us they are there they are on the ground and then be run these stories nobody picks them up except a handful of international news outlets because it does not conform to what the group reported here in the united states that's all this is basically a makeup of

a psychological warfare first of all the decision on syria was made a years ago even as the preparations began and this is a turkey on the border they're on their nato air base their injured air base in the may two thousand and eleven so they have the decision they have had the decision they have been preparing for an actual war and then they begin the propaganda and the psychological warfare by trying to get the public support for an unwarranted war and that's the key popper sea off the u.s. foreign policy you're looking at live playing right in front of you. so the admins founder of the national security u. whistleblowers coalition talking to us from washington. a wave of synchronized bombings rocked the iraqi capital on thursday causing more uncertainty about the

ability of the authorities to ensure security and also threatens to make the political fault lines in the country even wider almost twenty separate blast ripped through the city ranging from car bombs to hidden explosives seventy two people are confirmed dead and over two hundred injured the attacks took place a few days after the withdrawal of american troops from a country u.s. leaders insist they left behind a stable nation nine years after launching an invasion but jeremy core of and british labor m.p. and member of the stop the war coalition has a very different view of. what's been achieved has been a large number of deaths a huge amount of profits for arms companies a lot of oil contracts signed by western oil companies and a lot of chaos on the streets and a huge level of private mercenary security forces and are the biggest u.s. embassy the world has ever seen it doesn't look to me it has been a complete withdrawal it looks to me as though there is a security presence left behind in order to protect the government that has been so

happy to do business with the west this could play out into something extremely nasty over a long period it does require a democratic coming in the whole country and it does require the participation of all those political forces in that outcome and that clearly is not happening at the present time the war was an attack on a sovereign state it was a war for regime change were in the case of britain the british parliament was told it was sold in a war for disarmament of the nonexistent weapons of mass destruction and the damage it's done in iraq in the region and the civil liberties of everybody in every one of the participating countries is absolutely huge. but damage done to the american soldiers who served in iraq and other countries is also on accountable even when the guns fall silent and cease fires are agreed wars live on in the minds of the man and women who fought and a killer stocks them that is more deadly than the enemies they once faced as

artie's lives wall reports. being in this environment is killing us soldiers spot surprisingly the biggest killers are not enemy combatants fortunately and have is the demographic in the united states that kills itself pretty much more than any other out there for the second year in a row more soldiers killed themselves than were killed in combat four hundred sixty eight soldiers took their own lives in two thousand and ten and even off the battlefield suicide rates continue to soar matha sure rose in afghanistan war veteran turn anti-war activists we come home feeling terrible despicable about what we did and what we saw sure roe is one of thousands returning from deployment feeling detached and conflicted the laws of decency don't apply to soldiers in combat and when you go back to having to apply those lost yourself all the time.

you know that that for many you know leads either to the grave or to jail an average of eighteen veterans per day commit suicide and many more attempted last year twenty percent of the thirty thousand american suicides was a soldier or better and it kind of cumulated in. disaster. in that you really start to wonder if you're ever going to be who you were again dr jan kemp says many soldiers come back feeling disconnected from the world in which they once lived then all of a sudden they're there back things happened in their families while they were gone the situation they can come back to is not often the same one that they left in fact many come back to bleak situations a quarter of the homeless in america are military veterans the unemployment rate among vets hovers over twelve percent meanwhile campaign such as army strong glorify life as a soldier and aim to entice america's young men and women. to enlist.

or shooting is that's not the case. to advertise since retiring from the army sharon has been committed to showing students the other side of the army experience the side recruiters fail to show it's all part of the we are not your soldiers tour his message is clear don't don't become one of us. and he hopes that message will prevent students from turning into a statistic from washington lismore arts. also i have here v r t r t ishant thomas remember the plane crash that wiped out entire jaroslava look i'm out of hockey team he looks back at the tragedy in our special series on the last twelve months. there was anger there was frustration there was sadness there were tears. and the outpouring of support from

everyone in the town coming to place flowers and pictures and jerseys and stuffed animals and light candles in front of the stadium where the locomotive practiced it was just amazing to see such an outpouring of support. witnesses. to history in the making. testimony. ten stories that shapes two thousand and eleven on our t.v. . turkey is recalling into bassett or in france after the lower house of the french parliament passed a law making it a crime to deny the genocide of many and in turkey in the early twentieth century if approved by the senate offenders could face a year in prison and a fine of forty five thousand euros hundreds of french turks have been protesting in front of the national assembly in paris more than fifteen countries have

recognized the slaughter of around one of the half million armenians by turkey denies the genocide saying it's up to an international committee of historians to decide what really happened. professor of political science at paris west university thinks france's move is just a way of scoring political points. first of all you have to realize that it's a build good through the lower house. and then it has to go to the senate most probably it would not go to the senate before the presidential election and maybe. he will do so little political gain least played by various political parties. there is historical debate genocide is not going down there was a genocide and there's also the political games being played by various parties to get the you know armenian vote in the french elections every nation has to investigate its crimes in the past but establishing historical truth is the work of

the story and it is not something that should be done and established by law. to issue a bit of his sound proposals to the state duma which could make it easier for candidates to run for political office in russia in his annual address to parliament the russian president suggested a number of reforms some of which could be implemented as soon as next year in a speech president medvedev also touched the issue of mass protest against the results of the election earlier this month the opposition claimed the voting was rigged and demanded a new poll was held the russian president promised all allegations of violations would be. thoroughly investigated. big brother is set for a ride in oxford taxis that is if local authorities have their way and install audio surveillance in every cab in the british city privacy activists are fighting them tooth and nail claiming people's rights will be violated and a court in another city has sent its own message by rejecting similar security

surveillance their artist or smith reports. in oxford surveillance cameras everywhere and now in the city council scheme taxis will become the latest targets of state bugging operations over the next few years license caps will be required to install equipment monitoring both driver and passenger it's a fact of life in towns and cities across the u.k. that you're being watched wherever you go on the high street in shops on public transport the surveillance along this stretch of street will only record images but the systems in taxis will record sound to effectively eavesdropping on the conversations of private citizens buses already have and sound recording but aimed only at the driver taxi passengers will be recorded too and some who fear for their security late at night are reassured others see it as a staggering invasion of privacy i think it's good idea i think it will make people

feel a bit safer it's amazing the privacy as i have to talk entices just like chatty friends you know we're going to. put a lot of pressure on people who behave. the innocent person probably feels a little drunk for absolutely i think there are enough surveillance camera in oxford and also i think it's quite awkward to have a video camera and everything in a taxi good we don't expect it to be taped or you know to have to be cautious about what you say day and night recording will stop when the car engine switched on and and thirty minutes after it's turned off the council says footage will only be available to police for ongoing investigations i don't believe that it will be this let's remember this is not someone's front room this is not somebody better

and this is the back of a taxi we. they driver in the front seat who will be a able to overhear any conversation but you're having with a passenger or someone on fire previously campaigners on the other hand can't understand how the council can justify this and accuse them of refusing to hand over statistics on taxi related crime big brother watch says the move is justifiably intrusive council of quiet threats which exist that requires them to record not just video but also the conversation of passengers we simply don't accept that the first is greater toward every part of the conversation being recorded indiscriminately rather the for example a panic button system being so how it treats everybody as potential criminals. treating everybody as a law abiding citizen drivers will have to fork out four hundred pounds that's six hundred dollars to pay for the equipment themselves and while the council says it

has the support of cap is many at this local firm object to the blanket approach if people used. as in the i was not working is a camera still going to be because they're not going to family and friends filmed while the puzzle being what it would. whoa is. me. why are we monitored there is sort of fear you know. this is like a prison oxford city council doesn't think it's going to have any trouble pushing this measure through but previously campaigners see it differently they're launching a complaint with an independent data protection body to try and stop what they see as the further creeping encroachments of the state prying eyes and is into innocent people's lives laura smith oxford. now plenty more stories for you on our web site

here's what's online view right now that r t dot com health indefinitely without trial or charge that could be the reality for the u.s. as a new bill makes it to the white house on its way to becoming law. and the man who changed the world and the way we'll listen to music is to be posthumously awarded the grammy find out what revolutionary achievements led to steve jobs getting the top author of the u.s. music industry has to give. and now let's take a look at some of the stories from around the world the philippine government says over a thousand people are missing following floods that devastated the southern islands last saturday the number of confirmed dead also stands at over a thousand a month's worth of rain fell in just one night when thai food washee hit the region triggering landslides and flash floods tens of thousands are now taking refuge in evacuation centers. the pentagon says mistakes led to nato

airstrikes in northern pakistan that killed twenty four soldiers are reported by the u.s. government said the alliance was retail eating against what it thought was an insurgent attack the u.s. blamed the incident on poor coordination with pakistani border forces the attack in of amber put significant strain on relations between washington and islamabad causing the pakistani government to close border routes into neighboring afghanistan. a five point eight magnitude earthquake has shaken christchurch in southern new zealand provoking a mass evacuation of public buildings despite the strength of the quake no casualties have been reported and no tsunami warning has been issued the city has still not fully recovered from a quake that killed almost two hundred people and caused billions of dollars of damage in february. in the u.s. republican leaders have caved in. and on president obama's demands to extend

a payroll tax cut members of the republican led house of representatives have previously refused to vote on the extension because it will save around a thousand dollars a year for the average u.s. pay packet and one new jobless benefits for millions of unemployed workers will also now avoid a significant hit to their paychecks in january well but. artie's looking back at some of the major events of two thousand and eleven and today we remember the fatal plane crash that took the lives of the entire jaroslav locomotive hockey team in russia sean thomas talks about the grief and sorrow he witnessed while covering the tragedy in the team's hometown. you were hearing it on the radio in fact in the taxi on the way to work you know they were they were listening to it and everybody was it was just hitting them in

the gravity of what had happened. this was much bigger than a plane crash it was much bigger than russia it was a worldwide event. as you got to jaroslav all you felt that the personal connection of everyone in the town to the team. there was anger there was frustration there was sadness there were tears. and the outpouring of support from everyone in the town coming to place flowers and pictures and jerseys and stuffed animals and light candles in front of the stadium where the locomotive practiced it was just amazing to see such an outpouring of support. i haven't missed a single much since i've been living and you know. i go every season and that's why it's painful. i remember we were out at the scene and it was pouring down rain it

was in the middle of the day my glasses were just. fogged up with the rain thousands of people came to pay their final respects to the team members and as soon as we finished our live shot we saw this one player in jersey walking with two of his friends in this moment of shock in this very rare and very well moment that was very special that he shared some of his feelings and his thoughts with us in a time when he was just processing what was going on. the entire community rallied around this team and speaking to the individual members of the community the fans the people who really felt like they knew every single one of these players. it's the most serious loss of my life like losing family. they were like family they all had something to say and they all internalized this loss.

that final day inside the stadium the coffins were lined up with flowers and one by one there is a procession of people including the prime minister vladimir putin who came to pay his respects. the graphic images in covering the story there's images of the plane still on fire images of them pulling the bodies from the actual crash site one of the survivors who survived the crash and in chile who was one of the stars of the team and then later to find out that he passed away just taking the hope away from this entire community. the desire in the willingness for this team to go forward to the team itself and the players and the young players really rallied and were on the ice the very next day. after the plane crash while there were funeral services and while there were rallies there were players on the ice ready to rebuild the jaroslava locomotive team so that there could be

a team in the future and that was an inspirational thing to see. i've been asked this take a look at what's happening in the world of business with karina. hello and welcome to business here in r.t. thanks for joining me now that russia has been approved for w.t.r. membership local carmakers are under pressure to match their foreign competitors its own venture between truck like. the annex an investment group is trying to push ahead by making russia's first hybrid car the. project has also won support from the gas monopoly gazprom artie's mine across well as all the details. this is the whole concept one of the two core so here today the door slide backwards sitting about a foot from the bomb and instead of your so i mirrors you have video cameras instead now this futuristic little yellow will cost you no more than fifteen thousand

dollars and the company claims it will save you even more money in the long term. all vo cars have an internal combustion engine and generator so you're wrong on petrol and natural gas and of course natural gas is not only cheaper it's also better for the environment you know auto has been showing off its pride and joy for a couple of months now and it has already secured one hundred fifty thousand orders mass production is expected to begin next spring and they plan to make forty five thousand cars a year but. gazprom will encourage the promotion of the project in the market we see this car as a consumer of gas engines you see additional demand in the russian market experts say the russian car market could become the world's six largest by twenty twenty selling four million cars a year this will come on the back of foreign partnerships modernization and more local production with russia joining the w t o it's now more important than ever to

modernize the country's current the street and these yama bills are seen as great contenders to compete with foreign auto powerhouses but car experts are already skeptic. about the yos with some doubting that will work and others claim in the company's designs are not practical and their prices will at benchley have to go up . not only to deliver what they promised but to convince russians that locally made cars can be better than foreign ones and that's not an easy task marina cost service business r.t. . has to postpone plans to create its first electricity joint venture in western europe germany second largest utility all. the parties ended talks to set up the venture after failing to agree on a deal with j.v. was planned to operate power plants in germany u.k. belgium the netherlands the talks started in the summer as part of all these plans

to mitigate the costs of the decision to phase out the power in ten years separately gas problem says it's considering taking part in up to five atrocity projects in bavaria. present a look at the markets now all is heading for its biggest weekly gain and two months that's up to us economic reports indicated that growth in the world's largest group consumer will exhilarate light sweet is trading at just below one hundred dollars per barrel while brant is over one hundred nearly one hundred and eight dollars a barrel. european stock markets open high as the data from the u.s. continue to resonate although volumes expect to be knowing ahead of the christmas weekend in london a short session today and here in russia markets are trading mixed in the afternoon the r.t.s. is top point three percent of them isaacs is pointing downwards now let's have a look at some individual shareholders and why is it some stocks have reversed earlier gains energy stocks are trading mixed gazprom is up while

a boat in the red hydro is shedding point point four percent as well and their bank has reversed entirely against it and is now pointing downwards. russian oil company has put its london i.p.o. on hold until next year the company plans to list a third of a tall and weighs three hundred fifty million dollars to pay off debt and increase output so it's as close to the offering say that the flotation has been postponed due to low demand ahead of presidential elections in march. well that's all for now we'll be looking at the markets and the next hour or so join me in about fifteen minutes from now.

well going into the future new year's wishes on technology updates next generation playthings made from super strong cultural lightweight building materials good health and with the help of nuclear isotopes a cleaner planet thanks to the revolutionary ways to get rid of your growing man skills and a long list of militant russian innovators. in the central. couldn't take three months for charges three arrangement three. three

stooges freezing. cold free blow loaded video for your media projects a free media. tom. welcome back to watching r t live from moscow here's a look at the top stories arab league observers and her syria with russia hoping they can help stem the violence before a foreign military intervention they arrive us two explosions rocked damascus with state t.v. saying these were caused by separate terror attacks. more u.s. soldiers are now losing their lives to suicide than enemy bullets unable to readjust to peaceful life that's causing some veterans to warn young people.