camp leading to speculation an invasion is the next step. today on the russian capital you're watching r.t.i. marina joshie at a thing up to fifty thousand people are expected to gather in central moscow on saturday for another protest against the results of russia's parliamentary election earlier this month a mass rally is being organized by various opposition groups who claim the voting was rigged artistic work is going off has the details. of 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 summer tents on baldness square which is so far the biggest protest rally in 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 a rigged president with neither the media has ordered to investigate into all of the league ations of the violations during the election and the you know that over fifty criminal cases have been opened over eighty 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 feel more without. any

publications and you can be beautiful also stressed 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 of proposals which has already been deemed a sweeping political reform liberalizing the system in russia there are proposals like returning the election off regional governors simplifying the procedures for registering new political parties and procedures to take part in presidential elections and also he named a set of other quite a liberal reforms which are plans to be carried out and he actually did that with the new parliament already working following the election on december fourth at the moment there's 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 a 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 decent and soft on opposition figure who is also known to be linked to washington as the national endowment for democracy and recent peabody's so he's actually found himself in the center of a large 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's a blogger on active anti corruption activists this fierce critic of the kremlin but he's also known for his often aggressive and sometimes even nationalist oriented speech is the the size. and there are also going to be celebrities. journalists

public figures including even the first and worst presidents of the u.s.s.r. . as much of the question our world gets ready for christmas there's a little festive spirit in syria the capital is recovering from two suicide blast which left over forty people dead and more than a hundred injured the arab league is searching for a solution to the crisis and trying to find out the truth behind the empress syrians just want the bloodshed to and artists are of earth report. 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 these terrorists. this time of here the capsule is usually brightly lit is chris stevens who can for ten

percent of 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 to christmas we used to wish and pray for people in other countries that were going through hard times with war we never thought that this year it would be . this year is totally different because of the situation in our country. the priests here planning their own mark of respect for the coast most. of. our people to. avoid the. festivities but to go. no one really feels like celebrating anyway when the country's hospitals full of casualties the government claims its fighting 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 after 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's. position the. government. taxing killings have been met repeatedly with claim counter-claim and accusation. have. two different views. don't tell me. more from the truth 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 hoping for and that's for the violence to be stopped the christmas celebration going on this religious services will be happening. again for the with the country there are. russia supports the arab league's mission in syria but attempts to make that backing official in the un security council were blocked by some western states new york based author and political analyst david gardner says the u.s. 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 one have and today we focus on the crisis in syria

with our taste tests are celia sharing her thoughts about what she saw firsthand during a visit to the 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 bad international journalists there but we're here in the center of the assyrian 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 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 are 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't haul so 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't understand the point of view that they're coming 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 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 the 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 forth. every detail but that is your job you go in there he 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 center of the syrian conflict with our look out there to show their support for the government i don't think that's a 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 forces that government protesters however want think it's a matter where in this country whenever there be news about syria we never repeat everything you say about syria i would really pay attention although everybody here say i think that's correct i don't think that's or a good start 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 remember everything that i gathered and because

look through with through that perspective rather than just what i see. looking back at the ten most significant events of two thousand and eleven is seen through the eyes of our correspondents and in case you missed any can catch the series online at r.t. 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 secret services have named it the new training ground for terrorists 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 uranium which the u.s.

and other countries have had their eye on for years is 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 find when the military strategists are planning long term intervention somewhere. i'm looking at a political map second the oil or gas one of the biggest 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 the. so you 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. coming up on our t.v. 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 way of speaking you know everybody gets it and everybody likes it a. problem resident any oregon asks people on the street about the must have qualities for the world leaders of today. that was drawl of u.s. troops from iraq has left a wave of sectarian violence in its wake america's has it left stability behind but even the largest oil reserves in the world aren't enough to pay for the peace in iraq he's warned artie's 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 is the country better off well it is i 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 i said that in fact many here say it was the american mismanagement of 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 yes it. damage to the infrastructure of iraq he said. so i think. we on 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 many good things if we can look to the iraqis in equal a balanced not my view with see. iraq he follow america must

be been in everything on american. subsidies sources and also mind. many people. 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 lets me see that iraq has good keep abilities but the need 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 our friends america. the police don't. because you would miss to is a great mistake. but it's teach. you to be sure and friends are few right now in a region in which america's reputation lies in threads in the eyes of many in iraq sean thomas r t. what do you ask combat troops now out of the rock artie's military country that are looks at the impact of a drawn out war colonel even getting her share of believes a lack of a definitive policy and a multitude of foreign engagements means washington has failed in its war on terror no when officially the u.s. war in iraq is over the reason growing attention to the results of the u.s. military engagement the kernel ation between the two american campaigns that were

run almost simultaneously in afghanistan and iraq effectively deprived the us foreign policy makers of any chance to complete reading the reasonable timeframe the initial intent of the operation enduring freedom this to kill or capture osama bin laden and not in pakistan but afghanistan per se the united states have never had any comprehensive policy regarding afghanistan and pakistan and was driven by ideological considerations and cold war prejudices that's why the united states had lost a unique opportunity to nip in the bud the taliban resurgence in pakistan. while we explore the impact of long wars on returning soldiers at our website our

teeth dot com. us troops coming back from conflict zones could face their toughest battle yet with suicide now killing more servicemen and women than enemy bullets. also in line three cosmetics completed their journey to the stars as russia studies rocket successfully dogs with the international space station bringing in new crew members details are available on our website r.t. dot com. now let's take a look at some other stories from around the world and a suicide bomb attack on a paramilitary camp has left at least six pakistani soldiers dead in the northwest of the country the bomber drove an explosive sladen vehicle into the camp camps office in the town of bondo the taliban claimed the attack was revenge for a u.s. drone assault that killed one of its commanders. cuban government is set to release almost three thousand prisoners including many convicted of political crimes

however those accused of serious offenses like murder as you know drug trafficking will not be granted amnesty president castro said this humanitarian gesture would show cuba's strength ahead of the upcoming papal visit to the country. barack obama has greeted the approval of a short term tax cut extension by congress asking for another extension the president's move was a vague or break moment for the american middle class after he managed to overcome republican opposition for a landmark victory a conference committee will try it is so up a year along after the holiday season the bills will extend payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for millions of unemployed into the new year. well i have 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 today artie's big apple resident laurie harvest asks

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 to be able to be flexible just with the american people and 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 that circumstances are controlled all the countries so

somebody 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 and 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 you know 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 it's 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. 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 upon. kennedy was was of one the leader of my mind because you had this

really man who was my vision was and he's now what he was a man who really wants to lead the 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 avoid is a totally very complex and not easy to manage met us 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. and surely we explore some here and innovations in technology update that's after i bring a recap of our top stories. welcome

to the future new year's wishes on technology update next generation placings made from super strong cultural lightly building materials is held with a host of nuclear isotopes a clear plan it seems to be a revolutionary way to get rid of our growing man fields and along with the knowledge of the russian invaders. we've got the central.

mosque. talk about you watching r.t. live from moscow these are the top stories up to fifty thousand people are expected to descend on central moscow in a second major protest against the results of this month's parliamentary poll the opposition claims a vote was rigged and want a real action while the russian leadership has promised political reforms. while there is no merry christmas in syria worries spiral of violence continued with two suicide blasts in damascus were.