that a failed state and a terror training camp leading to speculation and invasion is the next step. now i am in the russian capital you're watching r t with me arena joshie and i think up to fifty thousand people are expected to gather in central moscow on saturday for another protest against the results of russia's problem and reelection earlier this month the mass rally is being organized by various opposition groups who claim the voting was rigged or his group is going to joins us live now. so you are tell us what we can expect from this gathering today. for this rally was authorized for fifty thousand people although on some of the social networks on the internet over fifty thousand activists have already confirmed they're planning to

attend this event to this point the organizers have managed to gather over one hundred thirty thousand of those dollars from donations to sponsor this rally a lot of people are expected so there's going to be heavy security there as well but authorities say they hope everything will go through peacefully just like they did on the samberg tenth on bolotnaya square which is so far the biggest protest rally russia seen in the last twenty years where at least twenty thousand activists gathered demanding real action there and accusing the violations of having been rigged. that rally was authorized this one is authorized as well let's just hope everything will go through just a smoothly all right now what's been the reaction by the russian leadership to these protests. president of the the media has ordered to investigate all of the allegations of the violations during the election and you

know that over fifty criminal cases have been opened already and the results from over twenty polling stations across russia have been canceled to the president also said that each russian citizen has the full legal rights to voice his opinion or hers opinion as long as it's done within the framework of the a law without any provocation sand leading a beautiful social rast that any foreign influence in this process will not be accepted these statements were made just recently at the annual state of the union address where the president also voiced a set all free. proposals which has already been deemed the government is leading a sweeping of the clinical reform aimed to liberalizing the system in russia there are proposals like turning the election off regional governors simplifying the procedure especially registering new political parties and procedures to take part

in presidential elections and so on and all this is actually needed as the newly elected parliament has already started working following the long and she election on december fourth now what do we know about the people who are behind the rallies . at the moment there is no unified opposition force in russia consists of various groups some of them have been there before some of them merge just recently and it's only actually since this parliamentary election early in december that they became really active and many took to the streets there are some well known figures especially in russia like former deputy prime minister by the psni and soft on opposition figure who is also known to be linked to washington as national endowment for democracy and recent peabody's so he's actually found

himself in the center of a lot of scandal where some of his phone conversations were leaked into the internet and when he talked about some of his fellow opposition leaders described them really using some obscene language there's also figures like i don't see why any who is a blogger on active anti corruption activists a fierce critic of the kremlin but he's also known for his often aggressive and sometimes even nationalist oriented speeches resize them they're also going along to be celebrities some. journalist public figures including even the first and last presidents of the u.s.s.r. because they're much of buying or at. thanks very much indeed for bringing us this update of what was going on there. to the stories now the christian world is getting ready for christmas but there is little festive spirit in syria the capital is recovering from a two suicide blast which left over forty people dead and more than one hundred

injured the arab league is searching for a solution to the crisis and trying to find out the truth behind the unrest syrians just want the bloodshed to and are the surfer of reports. chaos and confusion in damascus as the capital which until now has remained largely spared from the violence starts to feel the effects of an escalating conflict. the first day of the league's work was a bloody tragic day the people of syria will never forget. this kind of here the capsule is usually brightly lit as christians here can succumb to send to the population get ready to celebrate christmas but these scenes of devastation are a harsh contrast and a stark reminder of just how much the country has changed in the past nine months. last year at christmas we used to wish health and pray for people in other

countries that were going through hard times with war we never thought that this year it would be us. this year is totally different because of the situation in our country. the priests here at planning their own mark of respect for the coast. of syria our people to. avoid the external signs of festivities but to go. there when really feels like celebrating anyway when the country's hospitals are full of casualties the government claims it's fighting arms militant groups sponsored from abroad meanwhile the opposition originally marked by its insistence on peaceful protests it's now been joined by growing numbers of army defectors and has become increasingly arms on the months of quite downs by the government and this violence spreads its prevailing extremely hard to know exactly

who is responsible for what. you have for instance. from somebody who is not. the government can use. your position. to oppose and gleams a government. taxing killings have been met repeatedly with claim counter-claim an accusation. you have to use two different. we don't. see more from the truth one of the arab league team will be attempting to cut through the rhetoric and discover his version of events is most accurate they many remain skeptical about how much they'll be able to achieve but there's one thing that everyone here is shaping for and that's for the

violence to be stopped the christmas celebration going down this religious services will be happening people. are going to be with their country there are the. russia supports the arab league's mission but attempts to make that backing official in the un security council was blocked by the u.s. and its allies who are based author and political analyst. america says america is only interested in inflaming the conflict in syria. the reason they would want to provoke regime change is to put in place a government that would be friendly to us and its allies interests and of course to enable those interest to control strategic resources in syria and throughout the region which is the same case that we saw in libya i mean the whole justification of protecting the population was really just a front to be able to overthrow and assassinate really

a moammar gadhafi and put in place a government that would be friendly to the u.s. we have to remember that right after the obama administration would drew troops from iraq to some of those were relocated to the border of syria from jordan and in preparation of arming this conflict and possibly engaging in it as well and i think that these terrorist attacks are part of that or part of maybe a justification to say hey there needs to be a stronger military presence from abroad in order to prevent further military conflict internally in the country that could result in the deaths of so called innocent civilians as the year draws to an end we're looking back at some of the major events that shaped twenty levon today we focus on the crisis in syria with our teams to us are still you sharing her thoughts about what she saw firsthand during a visit to a conflict torn country. well

when we went to syria it was sometime in october and the situation was getting very tense there so our flight arrived at the around three in the morning so you can imagine the surprise and the shock of security forces when three foreign journalists arrive at a time when there was a media ban he said international journalists there where here in the center of the syrian capital you can see behind me traffic is just about starting to flow again going into the city damascus was rather peaceful it was quiet although very tense still because everybody knows what was going on in the country. and what's interesting i think mostly for us is that we saw the kind of. diverse opinions on what was going on there was no clear two sides even there were more than two sides it was not i want the regime or i don't want the regime.

and there was one time you were interviewing a young man and he was rather critical of the government so he gave his point of view and what you didn't see on the camera is that there was a group of men around him and us listening to what he was saying. and afterwards after the interview was finished they all came up to us and said get us on camera we want to see what we feel. and then we also spoke to those people who were protesting specifically those who were on the streets in how to stop that's about twenty minutes outside of damascus one of the guys that we interviewed he actually disappeared for two days and he said he was held by security forces he was beaten up after forty eight hours of detention and torture they took all of my money and belongings and threw me out into the. st. we also spoke with soldiers families those who have been killed and you can wholesale feel that they are angry at the protesters because their sons have been lost fathers have been lost husbands have

been lost and you can understand the point of view that they're coming from you from how console gers kill other soldiers this is impossible whatever media says this is plainly lawyer. speaking about fear look out tell you one incident we were supposed to interview one of the leaders of the national coordination council the local opposition. the interview was set and he when we called him he said i might have to cancel because we there were security forces we think who were at the office and they wrote some threats on the wall. we had to our fixer who translated what it meant. it said you're working for israel and the u.s. we're going to kill you. and so they were there were threats at the

members of the f.c.c. particularly leader. that was a scary time because we they were just outside we didn't know whether they would come in and we asked their our interview we are you scared he said you only die once. so the syrians are very i felt hospitable people but when it comes to political talk when it comes to expressing a political view in a crowd it can really get heated they would. jostle at the rally that we went to it got pretty rough. our camera was procured and so point. everywhere do you know but that is your job you go in there she try to get you try to do what you can to try to film as much as you can try to put it in as much context and we had to tell sometimes. to tell people please calm down otherwise we can't get anything on film work here in the south where the syrian conflict with our little gathered their support for the government is going up far cry from the

images we've been seeing in other cities of the country where there have been reporting a lot of the great force of any government most of those however one think it's a matter where in this country whenever they'd be news about syria or whenever you could be everything you say about syria i would really pay attention although everybody here say that they gots correct i don't think that's or got started as precise as i think it was so i'd like to think that because of my trip there and my experience there. that when i see something about syria i don't take it at face value i remembered everything that i gathered and big looks through with through that perspective rather than just what i see. our days looking back at the ten most significant advance of twenty one as seen through the eyes of our correspondents case miss any you can catch the series

online at our t.v. dot com. well the campaign in libya now seen as mission accomplished the british prime minister has turned his attention to somalia david cameron plans a summit in february to discuss what to do about what he calls a failed state and britain's secret services have named it the new training ground for terrorists or his laura smith explains why london sees somalia as a threat. in the words of prime minister david cameron somalia is a failed state that directly threatens british interests his solution options ranging from humanitarian aid right through it's a military intervention report suggests that in the new year following the perceived success of the libyan campaign in government circles somalia could be the next target for u.k. forces newspapers as saying that the royal air force could be sent to help african

union troops to support the weak u.s. backed transitional government equipment and money other main donations despite a tough economic situation at home there are around a hundred thousand somalis living in the u.k. making up one of the largest muslim groups according to m i five somalia is the latest terrorist training ground where british residents from a variety of backgrounds pakistan bag that dash yemen go to study jihad the risk is that they then come back to the u.k. and carry out terrorist attacks there's also the threats of piracy and the kidnapping of aid workers and tourists but crucially somalia also has boston gas reserves and other natural resources including the rainier which the u.s. and other countries have had their eye on for years many points also to somalia is to teach position presiding over a large part of oil transport routes through the gulf of aden and usually following

when the military strategists are planning long term intervention somewhere. i'm looking at a political map second the oil and gas one of the biggest boost has a huge somali community around here that i represent most of whom are from the south but not all and they're not saying to me please intervene they're saying can we please have support to get a functioning system of government and. some somali some see this as a direct result of the perceived success by the government of the campaign in libya operation me to oust gadhafi successful next stop somalia. now coming up on our team what do you look for. do you think that sense of humor it would be appealing in a world leader think it's an international where you're speaking you know everybody gets it and everybody likes it. our own resident in new york and people on the

streets about the must have qualities for the world leaders of today. there was draw of us troops from iraq has left a wave of sectarian violence in its wake america says it left stability behind but even the largest oil reserves in the world aren't enough to pay for the peace iraqis want r.c. sean thomas investigates what that means for the reputation of the u.s. in the region and beyond. packing up to head home it may be easy to overlook the total costs of war at least one hundred fourteen thousand iraqi civilians killed as well as four and a half thousand american soldiers millions displaced from their homes not to mention a one trillion dollars financial burden still the former occupiers leave behind some words of encouragement i can say it with confidence that in the next twenty or fifty years iraq will be a leader here in the in the gulf region that rivals any country inside of the gulf

region i think that iraq now is a safe and secure environment it's not a safe and secure is as it should be or it will be but it's it's progressing very well the american occupation of iraq saw the fall of the baddest regime the capture and execution of deposed leader saddam hussein and the implementation of a democratic government but now nearly nine years later these are the country better off well it is odd that they below and also the u.s. troop invasion of iraq in two thousand and three and the grief mistake he committed made the situation here worse there are so many mistakes committed by the u.s. military leadership especially in managing the civilian aspects here or this had a negative effect because they said that in fact many here say it was the american mismanagement i mean iraq and that led to the rise of sectarian violence in the country people if you us who brings the threat of us to iraq. he said usa.

damage to the infrastructure of iraq he said. so i think. we are american must cooperate in order to. put up this. culture that hate. between two peoples the timeline for u.s. troop withdrawal was set in two thousand and eight and while the obama administration initially tried to extend the deadline the official transfer of power came sixteen days ahead of schedule on december sixteenth two thousand and eleven but we hope that the future. all of us and many good things if. media can look to the acquittal a balanced view with see. he follow america must have been everything's on american. subsidies and not

sources and also mind the many people who. love. our country right now the u.s. and iraqi governments are working on a new type of diplomatic relations building a new type of trust if you will but now the next step is in the hands of the iraqi government to move the country forward as america's influence waned political infighting and sectarian divisions in the iraqi parliament have diminished as well giving iraqis hope for a strong future i'm overjoyed a bit of fun with it as regards other aspects civil life the political and parliamentarian aspects as well as the economic aspect that it lets me see that iraq has good capabilities but to be put to become one of the developed states but as iraq prepares to move past this dark chapter they have a message for their former occupiers to defend america that the

police another mistake. because your mistake is a great mistake and affects you. but it's teach. you the future relations and friends are few right now in a region in which america's reputation lies and friends in the eyes of many in iraq sean thomas r.t. . we explore the impact of long wars on returning soldiers our website our team dot com u.s. troops coming back from conflict zones could face their toughest battles yet with suicide now killing more servicemen and women than anime boards. also online three cars minutes completed their journey to the stars is russia so these rockets successfully dogs for the international space station bringing in new crew members details on our home. now let's take a look at some of the stories from around the world barack obama has greeted the

approval of a short term tax cut extension by congress by asking for another extension the president said the move was even made or break moment for the american middle class after he managed to overcome republican opposition for a landmark victory a conference committee will try to sew up a year long deal after the holiday season the bills will extend payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for millions of unemployed into the new year. the cuban government is set to release almost three thousand prisoners including man convicted of political crimes however those accused of serious of fans like murder as you know as were drug trafficking will not be granted amnesty president castro said this humanitarian gesture would show cuba strength ahead of the coming papal visit to the country. the tunisian assam boy has approved a new cabinet put forward by prime minister hamadi now falls to the caretaker

government to drive a new constitution stanley was elected to work with moderate islamist party and harder taking the majority of seats the formation of a new government marks a political milestone after the ousting of former president and all of the due in january. that i had of presidential elections in the u.s. russia france south korea and many other countries in two thousand and twelve the question on many lips is what does a modern leader look like they are g.'s big apple resin laurie hardness asked people in new york about what they expect from a potential candidate. important elections will be held in many countries in two thousand and twelve what's it going to take to be a good leader in today's world this week let's talk about that what do you think is the most important quality for a world leader to have right now just empathy for what's going on right now just an

ability be able to be flexible just with the american people the people the world and a lot of patience i equate intelligence with humor. i mean say oh yeah a quick mind so you think that sense of humor would be appealing in a world leader think it's an international way of speaking you know everybody gets it and everybody likes it the circumstances are controlled all the countries right now so someone needs to step up and take the reins you know would you follow someone that was strong like that even if you didn't necessarily believe yes yes they're true leader no we're honest with people absolutely is having the ability to lead people more important than having the intelligence or the right kind of policies. yeah i would say it is because you have to have a whole team of people that are actually implementing your work so you have to be able to provide that process for them though is it important for them to have money

so that they understand how it works or is it important for them to not have so much money so they're in touch with people i think is probably important for them to have come up having no money i mean look at great leaders nelson mandela i mean you look at mary came from larry ended up i mean he understood what it was what it was like to have nothing i think that's probably what made him such a good leader of course for me it was a new apostles the kennedy was was of one the leader of my mind because you had this really man who was my vision was and he's not what he was a man who really wants to lead nations to the future do you think it's possible in today's world or is it too different a time now than it was in the path of sort of this totally different because of global vote is a totally very complex and not easy to manage metis including by have a social or social networking now is starting to change your mind over how to leave the people no matter what qualities we'd like to see in the new world leaders of

two thousand and twelve let's just hope we aren't too disappointed in who they turn out to be. well sure they our financial duramax guys are explores how the u.s. and the u.k. are looking for ways to cut their debt levels that's after i give you a recap of today's top stories.

it's technology innovation all the moves developments around russia we've got the huge earth covered.

welcome back here with our deeper look at the top stories up to fifty thousand people are expected to descend on several moscow in a second major protest against the results of this month's parliamentary polls the opposition claims the vote was rigged and want every election while the russian leadership has promised political reforms. there's no merry christmas in syria worries spiral of violence continued with a suicide blast in damascus which left over forty people dead the arab league is in the country looking for ways out.