old in every taxi in a city a box of a. worldwide news live from moscow city center this is artsy with me will receive shite welcome to the program around forty people have reportedly been killed more than one hundred wounded and double suicide bombings in the syrian capital the regime is a laying the blame for the attack on al-qaeda it's the first incident of its kind in damascus since the uprising began in march this comes against the backdrop of the first batch of arab league monitors arriving to implement a peace deal endorsed by the party former belgian m.p. a lot of out of things that the west and its arab allies are simply seeking and an excuse for any type of military intervention. is active already in

syria for some time the assad government is claiming that they're finding an armed resistance from abroad and then you have the following nato east in the region concerts excuses to intervene in a day doing the intervene when i'll try this involved but not necessarily because they're against what al qaeda is doing look at who do real allies are in libya and something similar is happening in syria due west wants to control the middle east and for the moment syria is the day to ship out of other than their control the nato is and the west is supporting data ships the saudi arabian bahrain and others that's not the issue the aid should issue is whether that syria gene is on their side or not really believe it is not on their side therefore they have to go. and syrian government troops allegedly gunned down hundreds of civilians this week the west and its allies want the crackdown to stop but refuse to acknowledge an armed opposition that's despite had legion of army desert is now fighting against

president assad and his r.t. is there a further reports from syria international monitors will have their hands full trying to implement a peace plan. well the advanced arab league team is now in damascus they have of course to pave the way for the observer mission 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 the places where the colds and try to 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 being free single pulls out 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 arms increasingly bloody certainly that team of observers are really going to have that 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 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. further reporting

right that all international opinion remains split on exactly what the arab league observers can actually achieve in syria we want you to get involved now and tell us what you think if you would just to head over to r.t. dot com have your say and by voting in our ongoing poll that is live right now let's have a look at the numbers here are not saved but at the moment most of you think the mission will actually precipitate forward military intervention in syria a lot fewer believe that the efforts will produce nothing more than just news headlines and barely any so far think it will buy damascus more time to crush the opposition or that will force the two sides in the conflict to behave if you haven't caught a vote already please head over to r.t. dot com we will broadcast it live around the world. and that coming your way this hour here we talked to thomas thomas he tells us about the extreme grief and pain that he witnessed when covering the plane crash that killed the entire look at

motif. i remember we were at the scene when it was pouring down rain it was in the middle of the day we saw this one player in new jersey walking with two of his friends in this moment of shock in this very rare and very raw 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. with this is. just history in the making. testimony. ten stories that shapes two thousand and eleven on our t.v. . now six minutes past the hour here in moscow the iraqi prime minister nouri al maliki has been blamed by the opposition for a wave of bombings that rocked the country on thursday it's sparking fears of a political crisis the atrocity comes only a few days after the u.s. troops pulled out it was the worst series of attacks in months at least seventy two

killed nearly two hundred injured in a series of blasts all across baghdad a sudden build of violence is a course on sunday about the fragile year old iraqi power sharing government and its ability to ensure security but is that the fears of a return to the two thousand and seven sectarian fault that thousands to the u.s. administration insists it left behind a stable country nine years after the interview but joseph a writer for the world socialist thinks the latest flare ups in the region are a product of the american. it's not about you know securing iraq and giving it freedom it was about securing the resources and in the process. so sectarian tensions devastated the entire society and this is really the product of that you have different factions of the iraqi lead who are battling over power

over control over resources including particular oil contracts and threatens to unravel into a civil war the conflict the violence in iraq is very much a product of the occupation itself and you know that's really the source of the crisis facing iraqi politics and iraqi society i mean look at what what does i.q. haitian has produced over one million people killed by some estimates thirty five percent of iraqi children. living now is orphans destination of infrastructure the entire society has been scarred by this occupation by this war. the u.s. troop withdrawal leaves behind a country embittered by an occupation that's cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars and as u.s. soldiers return home for christmas the mood is far from joyful among veterans struggling to deal with the personal aftermath of the war with soaring suicide

rates it's still too early to estimate the true cost of the invasion our correspondent liz war reports. being in this environment is killing us soldiers but surprisingly the biggest killers are not enemy combatants i am fortunate that the demographic in the united states 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 last 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 veteran 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 bad. 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 and 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. two unless. we're shooting is that's not really the. average size 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 or. now it's right here and so who do find it who do manage to find the inner strength to face down the torment of life after service often have to take some rather desperate measures reports online now we have the story of one former soldier forced to form his military medals

simply to put food on the table and that much more at all to dot com. also online a reckless men versus angry bulls yikes head to our you tube channel to watch of the feet featuring a no nonsense bull fighting competition in colombia. more news today violence is once again flared up. in these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. giant corporations rule today. now at twelve minutes past the hour here in moscow now time to take a look at some of the major events that shaped the year of two thousand and eleven this time though through the eyes of the aussie correspondents who covered them

today we focus on the fatal plane crash that wiped out the. whole looking motif hockey team and russia. shares some of the thoughts memories that did not make it into his previous reports. 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 you know everybody was it was just hitting them the gravity of what had happened. this was much bigger than a plane crash it was much bigger than russia it was an over worldwide event. as you got to 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 practice 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 of 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 things. i know every day right up to the new year we're bringing you more personal reflections from our correspondents who cover the year's biggest stories are showing you footage she did not see if you can't wait though you can also watch them right now at our website. turkey

has now accused france of genocide during the colonial occupation of algeria this comes after the lower house of the french parliament approved legislation making it a crime to deny any genocide including the mass killings by turkey of armenians in the early twentieth century the bill imposes a fine of forty five thousand euros and a year in jail for offenders but still needs to be approved by the senate so he has already recalled its ambassador from france on the hold at all military ties with paris more than fifteen countries have recognized the slaughter of around one and a half million armenians but turkey denies genocide saying it's up to an international committee of historians to decide what really happened here a professor of political science at paris and 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 thing through the lower house that are meant and then it has to go to

the senate most struggle it would not go to the senate before the presidential election and maybe it would die out with all these silly little political game is 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 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. now nearly twenty minutes past the hour here in moscow you better watch what you say especially if you're set to ride in a taxi in oxford well forty's in the british city plan to install an audio and video surveillance system in every cab by two thousand and fifteen campaigners of call the city council's decision a staggering invasion of privacy and claim people's rights will be violated artie's

laura smith has more. in oxford surveillance cameras everywhere and now in a 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'll 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 or reassured others see it as

a staggering invasion of privacy i think it's going to end there i think it will make people feel a bit safer it's amazing and pretty same advice you have to talk entices just like chat with friends and not be recorded you've got to get heavy isn't it puts a lot of pressure on people who behave. sort of like 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 think 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 some his bedroom

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 i 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 unjustifiably 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 force is great enough to warrant everybody conversation recorded indiscriminately rather the for example a panic button system being 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 people used. car as well. as in the i was a not working is a kind of going to be because. family and friends filmed. the movie to. whoa that is you know. they may question why are we want to. sort of. 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 campaign is 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 states prying eyes and is into innocent people's lives laura smith oxford. all right before we get to katie with

the business news let's start with the world update here at c n n when we begin in the czech republic it's where world leaders have gathered in part to attend the funeral of former president. who died on sunday age seventy five the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton former president bill clinton and several a group of european heads of state are also among the mourners at one time a dissident writer turned politician and let the czech republic's transition to democracy and overstored split from slovakia thousands of people turned out on thursday to pay their last respects during a state funeral procession. chinese or riot police have fired tear gas to break up nasty cross tests in a small town in southern china is the fourth day of rallies against the construction when you were stationed activists also think an existing coal fired power plant has contributed to a rise in cancer cases as well as what we see pollution in a crowded demonic or thought his release of a number of demonstrators was locked in a standoff with police five people have been detained so.

the city of christchurch new zealand has suffered a series of the strongest i can see to my point here you can see lots of footage showing people screaming and running out of a supermarket in a panic when you blame them the quake rattled buildings and prompted a mass evacuation despite its strengths no casualties have been reported no tsunami warning also issued the cities that were covering from an earlier date that killed over one hundred eighty people and caused billions of dollars of damage in february . are now as i promised it's time for katie and the business. thank you very welcome to business journal today russia has cut its key interest rate as inflation drops at the lowest level in decades the right has been cut by

a quarter of a percentage point to eight percent the government hopes cheaper loans will help business grow maize instability and the global economy does have a look at the markets then today all is heading for its biggest weekly gain in two months that's off the u.s. economic reports indicated that growth in the world's largest cruise consumer in the u.s. well exonerate light sweet is trading at just below one hundred dollars per hour while the bread is just a fraction below one hundred eight dollars per barrel and over in europe the european stock markets are also benefiting from the up the data coming from the us live audience all typically low ahead of the christmas weekend and tried in london will enjoy the fruits of the session as they gear up for the festive celebrations that. the russian markets are both up this hour the mindset drifts below actually bouncing in between those gains and losses today and what about the individual in the my six and blue chips all mixed up all major new coal is gaining

amid stronger crude while the b.c.b. bank one has said on telecommunication provider telecom is among the top again knows all reports the government would take over seven point four percent of the stake. washers gas giant gazprom has to postpone plans to create its first electricity joint venture in western europe germany's second largest utility all w.a.'s as the parties and talks to set up the bench up of the fed into a great deal j.v. was planned to operate power plants in germany u.k. belgium the netherlands who took started in the summer as part of the out of you is plans to mitigate the cost of germany's decision to phase out nuclear power in ten years separately gazprom says it's considering taking part in up to five electricity projects in both the area. national oil company ross that petro has put

its london i.p.o. on hold until next year if the company fronts a list of third of its job and raise three hundred fifty million dollars to pay off debts and increase output sources close to the offering say the flotation has been postponed due to low to mold ahead of the presidential elections in russia. and that's it for now i'll be back in about fifty five minutes from all here in business.

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groups don't talk t.v. don't come. four thirty pm on friday here in moscow you're watching all of the headlines now dozens are killed in syria's capital and the first suicide bombing since the uprising in the country began in march this arab league observers get down to business in an effort to mediate a peace deal. tensions are running high in iraq after over seventy people were killed in a new bombing atrocity only days after u.s. troops pulled out of the country this comes against the backdrop of.