up to fifty thousand people are expected to the sand on central moscow in a second major protest against the results of this month's parliamentary poll. the opposition claims the vote was rigged and is demanding a real election while authorities promise a set of political reforms find out more in just a few moments. no merry christmas for syrians whose countries locked in a spiral of violence was the arab league looking for ways out of the crisis and the truth behind why it's happening. and turning from leave to somalia london aims at a failed state and

a terror training camp leading to speculation and invasion is the next step. this is r.t.d. coming to live from moscow now thousands are expected to take part in another protest against the results of russia's parliamentary election earlier this month the mass rally in central moscow is being organized by various opposition groups who claim the voting was rigged to skin off tell us more. while you go or tell us how many people are we talking about here that we're expecting to come out today. well a big crowd is really expected here on sufferance every neuron such from moscow today the rally was authorized for fifty thousand but

a little bit over that. confirmed that they're planning to attend the event on one of the social networks final preparations are currently underway here with the soundtrack on the stage behind me very tight security kind of resembles preparations for a large open air rock concert at the moment but i've already say that the hope everything will go on peacefully just like it did on december tenth on bolotnaya square in central moscow which was the biggest protest rally in the last two decades in russia where officially released twenty five thousand people but the opposition says it's way more than that they gathered and said that the election was rigged and demanded a revolt. well this can count as we know has been brewing for some time now so tell us a bit more about the government a reaction to this. president mugabe defied the order that all of the allegations

of violations during the previous parliamentary poll be investigated over fifty criminal cases have been opened the results from over twenty polling stations across russia have been canceled and the president says that each citizen off russia has the full legal rights to express his or hers opinion as long as it's within the framework off the law and also stresses that any provocations or attempts all foreign influence will not be tolerated these statements were made actually just recently at the president's. state of the union address where they meet the media also voiced a set of proposals which have already been deemed a sweeping political reform don't aim to look at bringing more liberally zation to the system for example the president wants to see the return of the elections office regional governors simplify the procedures for registering political parties

and even taking part. in the presidential election now agreed to debate if it's already submitted these proposals to the newly elected state duma for their consideration. when you are a want to we know about the opposition leaders. at the moment the opposition in russia does not put together some unifying force it's made up of various groups some of them have been there for a while and some of them are just recently but all of them put together after a really just in the beginning of december following to be parliamentary for which there are some well known figures in the opposition for russians in general like the former deputy prime minister but he's named soft he's known to be linked with an american. trust and has also found himself recently in the center of a large stand alone where some of his phone conversations were leaked into the

internet and basically where. it's also talked about some of his. fellow opposition leaders who didn't really pick the words. we may call it using some obscene. lexica there as well there's also the figure of one of the who's a blogger and corruption activist a fierce critic of the kremlin but he's also well known for his often aggressive and sometimes even nationalist oriented speeches signs to these figures there will be also celebrities public figures journalists of actors authors and so on including the first or last president of the u.s.s.r. mikhail gorbachev already or thanks very much indeed for bringing us the very latest reporting there. to other stories doubt as much of the christian world gets ready for christmas there is a little festive spirit in syria the capital is recovering from two suicide blasts

which left over forty people dead and more than one hundred injured they are beleaguered searching for a solution to the crisis in trying to find out the truth behind the unrest syrians just want the bloodshed to and her first 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 these terrorists. this kind of here the capsule is usually brightly lit it is christians 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 at 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 us. this year is totally different because of the situation in our country. the priests here planning their own mark of respect for the coast. of syria our people to avoid the external signs of the beauties 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 militant groups sponsored from abroad the while the opposition regionally 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 quite downs by the government and this violence spreads its prevailing extremely hard to know exactly

who is responsible for what. you have. constructed 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. we don't need to see more of 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 going down this religious services

will be happening people. are going to be with their country there are the. russians supports the arab league's mission in syria but attempts to make their backing official in the un security council were blocked by some western states new york based author and political analyst eva gallagher says the u.s. is only interested in inflaming a 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 interests 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 cut off the and put in place a government that would be friendly to the u.s.

we have to remember that right after the obama administration withdrew troops from iraq 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 now as the year draws to an end we are looking back at some of the major events that shaped two thousand and eleven today we focus on the crisis in syria with our teams test our cilia 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 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 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 are protesting specifically those who are 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 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 you from how console gers kill other 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 was sets 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 are threats at the members of the f.c.c. particularly the leader. that was

a scary time because we 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. 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 for your listeners. so their support for the government is far cry from the images we've been seeing in other cities around the country where

there have been reporting out of the security forces and government however one thing. about where this country whenever they'd be use about syria would never be. useable syria i would really pay attention to all the everybody here and say that that's correct i don't think that's. as precise as i think it was so i'd like to think that because of my trip there and my experience there. that they see something about syria i don't take it at face value i remember everything that i gathered and be glued through with through that perspective rather than just what i see. looking back at the ten most significant amounts of twenty you haven't seen through the eyes of our correspondents in case you missed any you can catch the series online at our 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 artist or smith explains why london see 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 to military intervention and reports suggest that in the new year following the perceived success of the libyan campaign in government circles somalia could be the next target for the 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 nations despite

a tough economic situation. there 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 where british residents from a variety of backgrounds pakistan baghdad 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 parts of oil transport routes through the gulf of aden and usually following military strategist to planning long term intervention somewhere.

or. one of the biggest because a huge somali community around here. most of whom are from the north pole and saying to me. have support to get a functioning system of government and. so you see this as a direct result of the perceived success by the government of the campaign in libya operation oust gadhafi successful next stop somalia. now coming up on our t.v. what do you look for. do you think the sense of humor it would be appealing in a world leader i think it's an international where you're speaking you know everybody gets it and everybody likes it. our own resident in new york asks people on the streets about the must have qualities for the world leaders of 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 or do 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 a some words of encouragement i can say that 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 baathist 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 i that they below and also the u.s. troop invasion of iraq in two thousand and three and the grave 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 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 ask them who brings the threat of us to iraq he said usa. who bring 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. will bring us many good things if. and then we can look to the iraqis in equal a balanced not by their view with see. iraqi follow american must have been in everything on an american it out of good subsidies 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 a bit just a bit of fun with it as regards other aspects civil life the political and parliamentarian aspects as well as the economic aspects that lets me see that iraq has good keeper beauties 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 our friends america. the. because it is

a great. teach. and friends are few right now in a region in which america's reputation lies you friends in the eyes of many. and we explore the impact of long wars on returning soldiers and our website our t.v. dot com the u.s. troops coming back from conflict zones could face their toughest battle yet but suicide now killing more servicemen and women and i mean bullets. will fall in line three cars without completing their journey to the stars is russia so is rocket successfully dogs for the international space station bringing in new crew members details are on our team dot com. now let's take a look at 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 explosives 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 man convicted of political crimes or whatever those accused of serious of fans like murder and drug trafficking will not be granted amnesty as president castro said this humanitarian gesture would show cuba's strength ahead of the of coming papal visit to the country. barack obama has greeted the approval of a short term tax cut extension by congress by asking for another extension the president says the 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. now 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 well today artie's big apple resident laurie harshness 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 the inability 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 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 controlling all the countries right now 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 who were 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 the 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 so they're in touch with people who 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 that's probably what made him such a good leader of course for me it was a new apostles the kennedy was because of one the leader of my mind because you had to really man. 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 war it is a totally very complex and not easy to manage matters including by have a social or social networking is starting to change your mind over how to be 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.

while shortly we'll look at the consumerism boom and russia but that's after a minute our top stories. whether you die from high or to the depths. the power of the wind or drift into duty. of the currents.

being well prepared is a must and if you're lucky enough. you'll never forget your experience we only need them a screen that's going to be heavy. into flight see. below the ice on our teeth. on the money with the business of russia use this.