up to fifty thousand people are expected to say and on central moscow in a second major protest against the results of this month's parliamentary poll. the opposition claims the poll was rigged and is demanding a real watch and while authorities are promising to settle for political reforms in the country far more in just a few moments. no merry christmas for syrians whose country is logged in a spiral of violence with the arab league looking for ways out of the crisis and the truth behind why it's happening. and turning from libya to somalia

london names that a failed state at a terror training camp leading to speculation and invasion is the next step. eleven am in the russian capital you're watching r.t.m. arena joshie now anything 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 the mass rally is being organized by various opposition groups who claim the voting was rigged artistic work is going off joins us live now for more so you were tell us what we can expect from this gathering today. final preparations are underway here. in central moscow there's a soundtrack going on there going on and the stage final instructions are being

given out to the police very. tight security here as well and kind of at the moment it reminds reaches for a large music concert and a big crowd is expected today here this rally was authorized for fifty thousand people but it's a little bit over that confirm they are planning to attend this event on the one of the social networks meanwhile to this point the organizers have managed to gather over one hundred thirty use of thousands us dollars to sponsor the cement events from the nation's forty c. the four maybe to move peacefully just like it did on december tenth on the square right near the kremlin where the biggest protests rally in russia in the last two decades happened when at least twenty thousand activists gathered saying that the recent parliamentary election was rigged and demanding reboot in the country. well now that a final preparations as you said are in place so tell us

a bit more about how the russian leadership been reacting to these protests so far . president and we're going to be a bit because of the order to investigate a whole of the allegations of violations during the election over fifty criminal cases have been opened so far the results from over twenty polling stations have been canceled across the country need to define said that each russian citizen has the full legal rights to voice his or her opinion as long as it's within the framework of off the field law and so the president has also stressed that any from occasions or attempts of all foreign influence will not be accepted now these words were said that is there no state of the union address where the president is also listed set off changes the proposals we should already been deemed a sweeping political reform of the entire system aimed at bringing

a liberal change into it and. these proposals include it's going to be turning the election so free gentle governors easing the procedures to register political parties and to take part in presidential elections and so on then actually the president made these proposals and submitted them already to the newly elected state duma. are the people behind the rallies and who should we expect to turn up today. while the opposition in russia currently is not some unified general force it consists all food groups and teams of some of them have been there before for some time now some of them a bit have emerged just recently but in sacked all of them put their efforts together just earlier in december following the parliamentary vote on december fourth the opposition does have some well known figures in russia like the former deputy prime minister but he seems so who's also known to be

a linked with zero washington's national in balance though for democracy has also found himself recently in a large scandal when some of his phone conversations were leaked into the the internet and when talking about his fellow opposition leader introduced himself and didn't really pick out the poorest let's call it that and do some see the language there as well there's also the big overarching see and i want to be a blogger haiti corruption activist a fierce critic of the kremlin but who's also no good to you. too often. say some aggressive and even nationalist the oriented speeches now there are going to be here as well celebrities journalists writers actors public figures as well including the first class president of the u.s.s.r. mikhail gorbachev. thanks very much indeed for this update i'm bringing us the atmosphere from the venue where people will be gathering later today this cannot recording their. now as much of the christian world gets ready

for christmas there's all the 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 they are searching for a solution to the crisis and try to find out the truth behind the unrest syrians just want the bloodshed to end artist sara for three ports. 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. on. the first day of the league's work was a bloody tragic day the people of syria will never forget. this time live here the capsule is usually brightly lit is christie and here comes the 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 hope 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. his duties but to go. no one really feels like celebrating anyway when the country's hospitals are full of casualties the government claims it's fighting militant groups sponsored from abroad the while the opposition regionally marked by its insistence on peaceful protest is now being joined by growing members of

a. the fact is and has become increasingly armed on the months of quite downs by the government and his violent spreads it's 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 an accusation. two different. 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 shaping for and that's for the violence to be stopped the christmas celebration . down 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 a blog by some western states they were based author and political analyst says the u.s. is only interested in flaming the conflict and 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 with 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. how does the year draws to an end we're looking back at some of the major events that shaped twenty eleven today we focus on the crisis in syria with our teams test our 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 journalist there will. be a syria 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. 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 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 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 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. 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 wholesale feel that they are angry at the protesters because their sons have been lost fathers have been lost husbands have been lost so you can understand the point of view that they're coming from how console jer's killed their soldiers this is impossible whatever media says this is plainly lonely. speaking about fear tell you one incident we were supposed to interview one of the leaders of the national coordination council the local opposition. the interview with sets and he would be called to 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 leader. that was a scary time because we they were just outside we didn't know whether they would come in and we asked there are interview 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. and so point. 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 on the steps of the syrian capital outlook out there to show their support for the government how did they get 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 growing force of any government protests this however one thing it's about where and it's punchy whenever they'd be use about syria or whatever you could be everything you suppose 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 remember everything that i gathered and because look through with through that perspective rather than just what i see.

well our team is looking back at the ten most significant advance of two thousand and eleven as seen through the eyes of our correspondents and in case you missed any you can catch the series online at r.t. dot com. now with the campaign in libya 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 argues laura smith explains why one didn't see somalia as a threat. 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. backs transitional government equipment and money other nations despite a tough economic situation. there are around one 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 british residents from a variety of backgrounds pakistan baghdad dash yemen. she had 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 a tourist but crucially somalia has boston gas reserves and other natural resources including which the u.s. and other countries have had their eye on for years many points all say to somalia

is to teach position presiding over a large pots of oil transport routes through the gulf of aden and usually find military strategists are planning. some way. to gas one of the biggest. community around here. most of whom. are. saying to me. have support to get a functioning system of government. some see this as a direct result of the perceived success by the government of the come paid in libya operation me to oust gadhafi successful next stop somalia. 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 that. are all resident in new york asks people on the streets about the must have qualities for the world leaders today. the withdrawal of u.s. 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 our dish on tom's 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 balance 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 a living that they've below in the halls of the u.s. troop invasion of iraq in two thousand and three and their grievances think he committed made the situation here worse there are so many mistakes committed by the u.s. military leadership especially in managing civilian aspects here this had a negative effect because. in fact many here say it was the american mismanagement of iraq and that led to the rise of sectarian violence in the country all people if

you us who brings the. he said us. who bring damage to the infrastructure of iraq he said usa 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 many good things if. they. look to the acquittal a balanced view we see. he. must

have been everything's. good. sources also mind the many people who. count three 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 has diminished as well giving iraqis hope for a strong future. without us regards other aspects civil life the political and parliamentarian aspects as well as the economic aspects that lets me see that iraq has good keep abilities 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. america and the police. because it is a great state. but is teach. relations and friends are few right now in a region in which america's reputation lies in friends in the eyes of many in iraq sean thomas r t. we explore the impact of long wars on returning soldiers at our website r.t. dot com u.s. troops coming back from conflict zones could face their toughest battle here with suicide now killing more servicemen and women than at any bullets. also on line three cars minot's complete their journey to the stars is russia so is rockets. except for you dogs with the international space station bringing in a new crew members details on our t.v. dot com. now as we go to some other stories from around the world

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 laden vehicle into the camp's 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. the cuban government is set to release almost three thousand prisoners including a man convicted of political crimes however those accused of serious of fancies like murder espionage or drug trafficking still not be granted amnesty president castro said this humanitarian gesture which show cuba 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 by asking for and the other extension presidents have a move was a make 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. to have a 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 harman is 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 the inability to 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 do 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 their true leader and were honest with people 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 so 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 that they're in touch with people who is probably important for them to have come up having no money i mean nelson mandela i mean you look at where he came from . i mean he understood what it was what it was like to have nothing that's probably what made him such a good leader of course for me it was a new a positive. kennedy was was of one the leader of my mind because you had this really man who was my vision boss and he's now 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 war it is a totally very complex and not easy to manage meadows the golden boy of a so shows social networking is totally change your mind over how to leave the people no matter what qualities we'd like to be 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 coming up our team speaks to those who took part in a unique russian space experiment by spending a year and half an earthbound capsule to stimulate simulate a flight to mars for that athletes.

would be so much brighter if you knew about the song from first impressions in some . states. don't come. to.