dozens are killed in syria's capital and the first suicide bombing since march. down to business. tensions are running high as the government. claims. just days after the pullout of u.s. troops. every move you make could now be recorded human rights. to be installed. in the

city. you're watching our. welcome to the program around forty people have been killed more than one hundred wounded in double suicide bombings in the syrian capital the regime. 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. called for calm the. newest foreign powers are actually seeking a reason for military intervention. is already in syria. maybe so. maybe there are also responsible for d.c.

attacks so when the assad government is claiming that they are merely fighting an armed resistance from abroad. they do have a point but that does not change the fact that there also is a popular uprising in the country nato is indeed waiting for such and i i weigh my words waiting for such a excuses to into the day they do indeed intervene when i'll try this involved but not necessarily because they're against what al-qaeda is doing look at what they're what to do real allies are in libya and something similar is happening in libya in syria sorry but the day will succeed is another matter the west if i can use that to shade the west wants to control the middle east and for the moment syria is dictatorship out of out of their control the issue is not whether c. is addicted to porn or not i mean the nato is and the west is supporting data ships to saudi arabia and bahrain and others that's not the issue the age issue is

whether that syria jean that is on their side or not syria is not on their side therefore they have to go. while our syrian government troops allegedly gunned down hundreds of civilians this week and the west wants the crackdown to stop but if yours is to acknowledge that the opposition is armed but despite a legion of army disasters now fighting against president assad as audiences are a further apart from syria international monitors will have their hands full trying to put a peace plan into action. well 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 excuse me 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 trade to conflict is actually happening that's been a real problem here in the country was 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 the violence breaking out at civilians us but they seemed if anything to being creasing the force of sitting around two hundred people having been killed in the past few days and as the conflict continues what we are seeing is this becoming on both sides seemingly 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 are you paying this some form of change can now be a vote about that this is going to be and it forces that in the right direction but do remember it is of course just one step and many many more that are going to need to be taken before you see the situation here in syria coming down. to sort of the port right that when the international opinion remains a split on exactly what the arab league observers can actually achieve in syria so we. you know what you think if you just. have your say by voting in our on going live poll here your numbers at the moment most think the mission will actually precipitate foreign military intervention in syria and what few of believe the efforts will produce nothing more than news headlines barely any if any at all reduce or think it will buy damascus more time to crush the opposition or that will force the two sides in the conflict to behave so if you have not already do head

over to our website. be a part of the global online. and i coming your way this is the latest edition in our special feature focusing on two thousand and eleven sean thomas talks about the extreme grief and pain that he witnessed when covering the plane crash that killed. him. 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 and 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. history in the making. testimony. ten stories that shaped two

thousand and eleven. seven minutes past the hour here in moscow this is. the iraqi government deep into crisis with leaders engaging in a blame game following a wave of bombings that rocked the country. the atrocity comes only a few days after u.s. troops pulled out it was the worst attack in months with at least seventy two killed nearly two hundred injured in a series of blasts all across baghdad crisis talks between the country's political leaders were on friday. in which iraqi prime minister maliki was blamed by the opposition for the violence the u.s. administration insists it left behind a stable country. but joseph shaw a writer for the socialist thinks the latest flare ups in the region are a product. not of you know securing iraq and giving it

freedom it was about securing the resources in the process. and this is really the. different factions of the iraqi elite who are battling over power over control over resources including particular oil contracts. and it threatens to unravel into a civil war that 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 desire can patient has produced over one million people killed by some estimates thirty five percent of iraqi children. living now is orphans destination of infrastructure are the entire society has been scarred by this occupation by this war

the u.s. troop withdrawal leaves behind a country embittered by occupation that's cost thousands of lives on the billions of dollars and as a us soldiers were time home for christmas for many the mood is far from joyful with suicide rates among veterans on the rise our correspondent list will reports. being in this environment. it's killing us soldiers but surprisingly the biggest killers are not enemy combatants i am 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 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. and 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 and then all of a sudden they're there back things happened in their families while they were gone the situation they came to 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. to unless. the fortunate thing is that it's not the military it's. average guys 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. any hopes. of those veterans who. have to take desperate

measures. we have the story of. to put food on the table much more car. pools. in colombia. more news today. these are the images. today.

some of the major events that shaped the year of two thousand. through the eyes of our correspondents who cover the stories today we focus on the fatal plane crash that. some of the thoughts and memories that did not make it into his previous reports. you were hearing it on the radio in fact. you know they were listening to it and everybody was it was just hitting. but. this was much bigger than it was much bigger. as you got to. the personal connection everyone in the town.

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. single much since i've been living and. i go every season and that's why it's painful. we were at the scene when it was pouring down rain it was in the middle of the day my classes were just. thousands of people came. as soon as we finished our live shot we saw this. walking with two of his

friends in this moment of shock in this very. 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 who came to pay his respects. the graphic images in covering this 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 in chile who is 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 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 locomotive team so that there could be a team in the future and that was an inspiration. for the new year we bring you more personal reflections from our correspondents who covered the year's biggest stories also showing you

a lot of footage the never made it to our original version of the. costs but if you were with us to be with us every day through the thirty first just check out the videos they're ready for you now on our web site at. about ten minutes at the business news for now though has 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 clued in the mass killings by medians in the early twentieth century the bill imposes a fine of forty five thousand euros a year in prison for a friend is still needs to be approved by the senate he has already recalled its ambassador from france on hold at all military ties with. more than fifteen countries to recognize the slaughter one hundred one and a half million armenians. genocide to an international committee of historians. you decide what really happened go away

a professor of political science at paris west university things francis 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 probably it would not go to the senate before the presidential election and maybe it would be die out you know. so little political game is played by various political parties. there is historical debate genocide is not written 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 six eighteen pm here in moscow you better watch what you say especially if you're set to ride in

a taxi in oxford wealth or to use in the british city you plan to install an order you know and video surveillance system in every cab by two thousand and fifteen campaigners of called the city council's decision a staggering invasion of privacy and claim people's rights will be violated parties or smith or investigates the story. in oxford surveillance cameras everywhere and now in a city council scheme taxis will become the latest targets of state 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 some fear for their security they sit night all reassured others see it as a staggering invasion of privacy i think is good idea i think it will make people feel a bit safer it's an amazing impression same. talking taxi just like chad you pointed out. there all. 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 bedroom this is the back of a taxi with a driver in the front seat who will be a able to overhear any conversation that we'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 or. threats which exist that requires them to record not just video but the conversation of. passengers we simply don't accept that the force is greater than. everybody. indiscriminately for example a public bus system. treats everybody as potential criminals. treating everybody. and while the council says it has the support of cappy many at this local firm object to the blanket approach if people used. is it going to be because. family and friends well the.

whoa that is you know for me. they may question why are we monitored. this 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 state's prying eyes and ears into innocent people's lives nora smith oxford. all right in a moment it's katie with the business for now the world update here on our let's start with the czech republic it's where world leaders have gathered in prague 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 a number of european heads of state among those in attendance the one time

dissident right politician led the czech republic 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 riot police fired tear gas to break up the mast protests in a small town in southern china is the fourth day of rallies against the construction of a new power station after its also say an existing coal fired power plant has contributed to a recent rise in cancer cases as well as heavy police to see the crowd demanding authorities release a number of demonstrators was locked in a standoff with police at this point five people have been detained. in the city of christchurch in new zealand who suffered a series of us with the strongest reaching a magnitude five point eight have a look at this footage right here for the showing some people screaming and running out of the supermarket in ship panic the quake rattled buildings and prompted

a mass evacuations despite its strength no casualties should be reported no tsunami warning issued by the city though is still recovering from an earlier quake in february that killed one hundred eighty and caused billions of dollars in damage. you with a little bit later on here on the program santa claus coming to. moscow out seem take a look at the final preparations for christmas here and what will be at this point a very snowy russian capital is just coming down outside right now let's get to the business news joins us next. hello welcome to the business here and i'll say russia has cut its key interest rate as inflation drops to the lowest levels in decades the right has been cut by a quarter of a percentage point eight percent the government hopes cheaper loans will help business grow mood instability in the global economy others say what's happening on the markets today prices are mixed after posting strong gains the growth was

supported by u.s. economic reports that indicated that demand in the world's largest crude consumer will excel right close way to trading at just below one hundred dollars per barrel does the one hundred seventy. and in year out the stock market is also benefiting from the upbeat data coming from the us well i thought it was a typically low for this time of year christmas weekend coming up and in london that already celebrating they have gone off to get festive back on the russian markets in the last hour of trading here moscow we also yes it is alluding just using just the knowledge while my stocks is overhaul five percent in the red and the individual then on the my sex chips mix is out all major new call is getting point two percent. bag has been in the red for much of the day in the us now shedding one another officer and telecommunication provider both telecom is among

the top guy eunice all reports the government will take around seven and a half percent of the company. russia's biggest lender spag has made another step of brule which is bull swiss based s.l.b. commercial bank for almost a million dollars from russian all major loophole. to uses and use it to develop syndicated lending and trade financing businesses in. up to twenty five russian banks may lose their licenses next year a fifty percent increase in two thousand and eleven the federal deposit insurance agency says a key reason it would be doubling of the minimum capital to six million dollars the agency says some of the nine hundred banks. would not be able to meet the new standards problems with liquidity lending to fears all among the biggest problems

in the rushing banking system. the weakest part of those banks which to their affiliated structures this phenomenon is still here and some even this is. actually an extremely risky business. problem has to postpone plans to create its first joint venture in western europe germany's second largest utility. supposes and talks to set up a venture after failing to agree on the deal was planted right in germany u.k. the netherlands started in the summer as part of the altar plans to mitigate the cost of germany's decision to phase out nuclear power in ten years separately gas paul says it's considering taking part and up to five electricity projects in both areas. and that's all this is for now i'll be back in about fifty five minutes for

more business. that was responsible for.

the most recent study that was done shows that this water pollution spreading. unpunished.