tonight a second mass protest in the russian capital against the parliamentary poll results . in recent history has come and gone without incident as thousands came onto the streets of the capital to protest against what they call a rig vote and they want to join me. in syria people want for christmas in the new year is peace but no festive mood as the latest round of violence leaves dozens dead. and the new mission for a new year fueled by a success is in libya david cameron reveals plans for involvement in oil rich somalia describing the country as a threat to pretty secure with. its

ten pm here in moscow this is r t thanks for being with us my name is kevin first tonight thousands gathered in central moscow to protest against this month's parliamentary election results the mass rally was organized by opposition groups who claim the vote was rigged. it was at the scene of the demonstration. it's certainly fair to say that the head count of the saturday's rally beats that we saw two weeks ago at below plan square official figures we're hearing from the interior ministry is that thirty thousand opposition is saying some hundred thousands but certainly tens of thousands of people came onto the streets of moscow today to call for free and fair elections you have lots of different political groups here people that just came out and say they're not part of any political group that in fact they don't want this to be politicized they want to just come out and have their demands made and what they're demanding is

a rerun of december's parliamentary vote we saw several different faces of the opposition but also some celebrities it's fair to say procurer of who of course is a relatively new politician who's running for president in march showed up he didn't speak to the crowd like was expected but he did go around and really talked to people it looked a little bit from afar like some kind of campaigning really and what he did say was that if he becomes president he would dissolve this this state duma and call for new elections we also saw former finance minister of the jews who didn't speak to the crowd he spoke officially on stage and he called for people who were involved in the so-called vote rigging to be brought to justice and called for a snap elections in terms of the parliament well as soon as we saw protests which happened almost immediately after the vote some of them sanctions others unsanctioned we heard reaction from both president ms vader and prime minister putin saying that protests are encouraged in terms of people coming out and voicing

their demands and that's important for russia's political development and important that people are politically active as long as it stays within the law but we also just two days before this rally heard from president medvedev a proposal about some mass reforms to russia's political system disease centralized power from moscow but also to create more of a representative proportional system in the russian parliament there are a lot of different political parties and organizations that have been coming out to . these protesters not really leaders there are faces of the opposition some of them more well known than others one of the most well known as parties themselves he is supported by washington's national endowment for democracy and he spoke to the crowd today he wasn't as well received as to reach the goal of course that might have something to do with the reason our phone recording scandal in which a conversations he had on his phone were leaked to life news and there you could blatantly hear him rudely speaking about other opposition leaders in fact he was booed a bit by some of the people standing in the crowds perhaps because he called some

of the protesters hampsters probably the biggest speaker of the day was next in the biden who's really the rising star of the opposition he's an anti-corruption activist well known for his russian blogging very well known here in russia and becoming more and more well known in the west you certainly become a star of the media i think it's fair to say he was detained at one of the earlier protests after the elections and stayed in detention for fifteen days of this was the first time he spoke publicly after being released and he was very well received well you don't hear a lot about nirvana is his nationalist trends if you ever go and read his walk you can read about some of his movements and his words what he's calling for is for more and more people to come out to these next protests that are being planned today he called for a million people to come out onto the streets certainly there is a feeling that crowds will continue to come out until their demands are met. and said this in our reporting for us now are closely following developments in the russian capital online to you go to our you tube channel for the latest video

footage from the site of the rallies earlier on today calling for those new transponder lecture and you can also get all the background to a moscow's protest on a website and see dot com. more news today violence is once again flared up. and these are the end. the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. showing corporations rule the day. coming up on our t.v. behind the scenes of the big news. after the interview was finished they all came up to us and said get us on camera we want to see what we feel artie's tesser a silly it was one of the few foreign correspondents allowed to report from syria she looks back of the anger and fear that she encountered there. but before that

staying with syria the country mourns the victims of friday's terror attacks forty four were killed and more than one hundred fifty wounded in twin suicide bombings in damascus syria's muslim brotherhoods claimed responsibility while the arab league works to put a peace plan into action r.t. sara firth 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 conflicts. on. the first day of the league's work was a bloody tragic day the people of syria will never forget. this time to hear 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 planning their own mark of respect. we. ask our people to avoid the external. 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 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 for instance. from somebody who is not. the government. position. and the opposing claims government. taxing killings have been met repeatedly with claim counter-claim an accusation. you know we have to use two different movies to use the. we don't have the we don't tell you is a means to see who is more. to 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 the thing down this religious services will be happening people. against the with their country. the. well the permanent members of the u.n. security council is still evolving time of our act on syria russia wants a balanced resolution calling on all sides to lay down arms but the u.s. and its allies seem committed to putting the blame on president assad's regime political analyst over gallager thinks the west has a very specific agenda for syria's future. 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 that the whole justification of protecting the population was really just

a front to be able to overthrow and assassinate really hard out 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 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 you know rest in syria's dominated will had long since march that is one of the top ten events and nearly a whole year of news here our correspondent bruce willis but a lot of time reporting from syria is just someone who thought about the crisis.

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 and you can't 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 lawyer. 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 were threats at the

members of the n.c.c. particularly 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 are you scared he said you only die once. so the syrians are very i felt hospitable people but when 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. everywhere do you know 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 you can't get anything on film where you're on the steps of the syrian capital where

the outlook out there to show their support for the government out of it is a far cry from the images we've been seeing in all those cities that a country where there have been reporting process between security forces and a government protesters however what they get. to where in this country whenever they'd be the news about syria we're never going to be everything you suppose syria i would really pay attention to everybody here say that they gots correct i don't think that's or got stopped 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 had gathered and would look through it through that perspective rather than just what i see. well color test for a seller there just let you know every day right up to the new year will bring you

more personal reflections more correspondents who covered the biggest stories of the year you can see the most as well of course on our web site out the dot com if you get a chance to go online we've got the stories waiting for you as well tonight well to go home now your rights the city of los angeles is pushing people detained in the occupy l.a. protests to take classes about the first amendment to learn the proper way to size free speech that story interests you want to check it out. with called life footage straight from bethlehem we're still streaming it now hosting the biggest catholic event to celebrate christmas in palestine the latest pictures too on our website article. spurred on by the apparent success of his intervention in libya britain now turns its sights to another oil rich african state somalia is seen as

a training ground for terrorists with the potential to incite extremism among young british muslims and its fates going to be decided indeed at a summit in london in february our correspondent laura smith reports. in the words of prime minister david cameron somalia is a failed state that directly. interests his solution options ranging from humanitarian aid right through to military intervention reports suggest that in the new year following the perceived six acts of the libyan capital. 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 spots transitional government equipment and money other main nations despite a tough economic situation. there 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 native terrorists training ground british residents from a variety of backgrounds pakistan bag. go to study. the risk is that they then come back to the u.k. and carry out terrorist attacks. the threats of piracy and the kidnapping of eight . wrists 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's to teaching position presiding over a large pots of oil transport through the gulf of aden you usually find when the military strategists are planning long term intervention somewhere. looking at. the oil and gas one of the biggest. community around here.

most of whom are from the north pole and. 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 get daffy stick cesspool next stop. coming up her controversial goodbye just days after u.s. troops withdrew from iraq r.t. takes a look at the legacy that some say they've left behind. will be brief to fall that first nigeria at least sixty one people have been killed in days of unrest in the northeastern part of the country members of the radical muslim group boko haram clashed with security forces in a fierce gun battle people living near the city's central mosque were asked to leave before armed soldiers moved tanks into the neighborhood the recent string of

clashes began on thursday with boko haram campaigning to implement strict sharia law across the country. in middle east yemen being shaken by unrest the security forces fire all massed crowds killing ten injuring dozens offices use guns tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators in the capital there were mounting with former president ali abdullah saleh be tried for his role in violent crackdowns an anti-government protest we are still in power thirty three year rule ended last month when he handed over power to his vice president and exchanged for complete immunity from prosecution. iraq's vice president said the government was behind thursday series of warnings that killed dozens of people in baghdad tariq al hashimi claimed such a large attack was impossible without some kind of help from the authorities he fled to iraq's kurdish region after an arrest warrant was issued against him for terrorist charges at least sixty eight were killed in baghdad on thursday by multiple unbroke sagal. and the violence comes just days after u.s.

troops said goodbye of course to iraq nine years after the invasion began over one hundred thousand iraqi civilians and thousands of american soldiers lost their lives in the war that cost america a trillion dollars now many iraqis say the war was a mistake and they're sending that message very clearly to u.s. leaders correspondent sean thomas reports. 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 gulf region that rivals a country in sizable region i think that iraq now is

a safe and secure environments 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 a living these are the below and also the u.s. troop invasion of iraq in two thousand and three and the grievance they could commit to meet the situation here worse there are so many mistakes committed by the u.s. military leadership especially in managing a civilian us banks here for this kind of negative effect because they said that in fact many here say it was the american mismanagement from iraq that led to the rise of sectarian violence in the country people if you ask who brings the threat of us to iraq he said usa. who damage to the infrastructure of iraq he said. so i think. we

must cooperate in order to. this. culture. hey it's. 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 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 very strong future but as iraq appears to move past this dark chapter they have a message for their former occupiers to our friends america. police

another amnesty. because you want to stick is a great mistake. affects you. but it's teach. your 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. twenty twelve almost a year then of that set to be the year of the presidential election is the u.s. russia from south korea all go to the polls with millions yet to make that choice the question is what makes a good modern day leader new york resident laurie oftenest gauge depending on the streets of the big apple about that. 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. in ability be able to be flexible just with the american people the people the world. a lot of patience i equate intelligence with humor. i mean say oh yeah a quick line do you think this sense of humor would be appealing in a world leader i think it's an international way of speaking you know everybody gets it and everybody likes it circumstances or control and all the countries. take the reins you know would you follow someone that was strong like that even if you didn't necessarily believe. their true leader who were honest with people is having the ability to lead people more important than having the intelligence or the right kind of policy. 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 that they're in touch with people is probably important for them to have come up having. i mean. i mean you know. i mean he understood what it was like to have nothing else probably what made him such a good leader of course. you know kennedy was the leader of my mind because you had to really man. my vision was and he. really wants to to nations. 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. very complex and not easy to manage and. it's

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. twenty seven years past. looking ahead to programs coming in the next edition of technology update we bring in the new super strong. everyday lives.

to the future. years which is upon technology to the next generation places made from super strong. building materials with nuclear isotopes. cleaner thanks to the revolutionary way to get rid of our growing landfills and a long list of russian. police.

among the least exploded areas. untouched by money. surrounded by stupid. cave paintings on display for thousands of. eastern signs. on oxy.