a second mass protest in the russian capital against the parliamentary poll results . moscow's biggest rally in recent history has come and gone without incident as thousands came out to the streets of the capital to protest against what they call a rigged vote and they want to join me now wait for more details in central moscow . in syria all people want for christmas in the new year is peace but there's no festive mood in the air as the latest round of violence does. and a new mission for a new year fueled by his successes in libya david cameron reveals plans for involvement in oil rich somalia describing the country as a threat to british security.

costing live from moscow you're watching r t international thanks for being with us it's eleven pm here now my name is kevin owen and first thousands gathered in central moscow to protest against this month's parliamentary election results the mass rally was organized by opposition groups who claimed the vote was rigged. it was at the scene of a demonstration. it's certainly fair to say that the head count of this 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 talk 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 alexis accouterments 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 in almost immediately after the vote some of them sanctions others unsanctioned we heard reaction from both president medvedev 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 go of course that might have something to do with the recent hours phone reporting scandal in which conversations you had on the 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 hamsters probably the biggest speaker of the day was the next in the biden who's really the rising star of the opposition has 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 so 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. correspond to this tsunami that we're closely following the developments in the russian capital online as well log on to or you should travel to see video footage

from the site of the rallies calling for you transparent and that should if you can also get more background about moscow's protests from the web site as well a lot more of the polls and comment there at all to come and. more news today violence is once again flared up. and these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. giant corporations rule the day. still to come this hour on r t 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 terser of cinema college is one of the few foreign correspondents allowed to report from syria she looks back at the anger and indeed

fear that she encountered. before there was stay with syria as well the country is mourning the victims of friday's terror attacks forty four were killed more than one hundred fifty wounded in twin suicide bombings in damascus syria was lim brotherhoods claimed responsibility while the arab league's working to try to put a peace plan into action as this all goes on r.t. sara 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 conflicts. on. the first day of the league's work was a bloody tragic day the people of syria will never forget. this kind of here the capsule is usually brightly lit as christians here can succumb to center 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 festivities but to go. there 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 meanwhile the opposition visioning 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 claims it is a position that trusts him and the opposing claims the 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 turn is a means to see who is more. to the truth of the arab league team will be attempting to cut through the rhetoric and discover his version of events is most accurate

they many remain skeptical about how much they'll be able to achieve but there's one thing that everyone here is heaping for and that's for the violence to be stopped the christmas celebration. down this religious services will be happening people see. again for being with their country there are the. the permanent members of the u.n. security council are still and odds over how to 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 squarely where political analyst david gergen joe 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 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 and 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 and the unrest in syria has dominated world headlines since march now it's one of the top of the whole year of our coverage to.

spend a lot of time reporting from syria thoughts 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. when three foreign journalists arrive at a time when there was a media bad international journalists there will. be a syria you can see behind me traffic is just about started 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 a 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 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 this. we also spoke with soldiers families those who had been killed and you can wholesale feel that they are angry at the protesters because their sons have been lost fathers have been lost husbands have been lost so you can 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 lonely. 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 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 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 there are 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 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 heard here on the steps of the syrian capital where the outlook gathered show their support for the government it was a far cry from the images we've been seeing in other cities that a country where there have been reporting process between security forces and a government protesters however what they get. nowhere in this country whenever they beat news about syria would never be everything you suppose syria i would really pay attention and although 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 remembered everything that i had gathered and would look through it through that perspective rather than just what i

see. test of syria every day right up to the new year we'll be bringing you more personal reflections from our correspondents who cover the biggest stories of the year you can also catch them as well on our website out com if you get a belated check out our website the stories to there right now know your rights the city of los angeles is pushing people detained in the occupy l.a. protest to take classes now about the first amendment and the proper way to exercise free speech somebody for interested also from us we've got live footage coming from straight from bethlehem there the. biggest catholic of any sort of break in the public but in the wake of pictures to streaming on our web site r t v dot com.

spurred on by the apparent success of this intervention in libya britain now turns inside to another oil rich african state somalia is seen as a training ground for terrorists with the potential to incite extremism or young young british muslims in this faith's going to be decided this 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 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 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. 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 latest terrorist training ground residents from a variety of backgrounds pakistan baghdad dash yemen. the risk is that they then come back to the u.k. and carry out terrorist attacks there's also the threat of piracy and the kidnapping of a. 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 to somalia is to teach position presiding over a large parts of oil transport routes through the gulf of aden and usually find military strategist to planning long term intervention somewhere.

or. one of the biggest. communities around here. most of whom. will. have support to get a functioning system of government can pay. so you see this as a direct result of the perceived success by the government of the campaign in libya operation l r me to oust gadhafi six festival next stop somalia. coming up a controversial goodbye just days after u.s. troops withdrew from iraq r.t. takes a look at the legacy of that some say they've left behind now. some of the headlines around the world first to nigeria there are at least sixty one people of being killed now 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 or cross the country. middle east yemen has been shaken by rest and security forces firing massed crowds killing ten injuring dozens offices use guns to gas and water cannons against demonstrators in the capital sanaa demanding the former president ali abdullah saleh be tried for his long and violent crackdowns on two government protests but i'm still in power so those thirty three year rule ended last month when he handed over power to his vice president in exchange for complete immunity from prosecution. iraq's vice president has said the government was behind thursday's series of bombings that killed dozens of people in baghdad. claimed that such a large attack was impossible without some kind of help from the authorities if led to iraq's kurdish region after the arrest warrant was issued against him for terror

charges at least sixty eight people were killed in baghdad on thursday by multiple car and roadside bombings. and the violence comes just days after u.s. troops of course said goodbye 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 that with confidence that in the next twenty or fifty years iraq will be

a leader here 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 is the country better off well it is i that they below and also the u.s. troop invasion of iraq and three thousand and three and the grief mystique recommitted made the situation here worse there are so many mistakes committed by the u.s. military leadership especially in managing a civilian us banks here your base how to negative effect because i said that in fact many here say it was the american mismanagement from iraq and 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 bring damage to the infrastructure of iraq he said. so i think. we on american must cooperate in order to. 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 right now the u.s. and iraqi governments are working on a new type of diplomatic relations going 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 feel for a strong future but as iraq prepares to move past this dark chapter they have a message for their former occupiers to our friends america. police another amnesty. because you are a mystic is a great mistake it affects you. but is teach also your future 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. twenty twelve is almost here and it is said to be the year of the presidential election as the us russia france sun south korea all go to the polls with millions yet to make their choice the question is of course what makes a good modern day leader new york resident or a half of us gauged opinion on the streets of the big.

important elections will be held in many countries in two thousand and twelve what's it going to take to be a good leader in today's world this week let's talk about that what do you think is the most important quality for a world leader to have right now just empathy for what's going on right now just an ability be able to be flexible just with the american people the people the world and a lot of patience i equate intelligence with humor. i mean say oh yeah a quick mind do you think a 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 country. up and take the reins you know would you follow someone that was strong like that even if you didn't necessarily believe. their true leader no 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 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 that they're in touch with people i think it's probably important for them to have come up having. i mean. i mean you look from. i mean he understood what it was what it was like to have nothing else probably what made him such a good leader of course for me it was a new a positive. kennedy was the leader of my mind because you had to really man. my vision was and 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. very complex and not easy to manage including but. it's totally changed my mind over how to leave a 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. resident let loose on the streets of new york next week we have much closer over the next half hour we speak to people who took part in the unique russian space experiment they spent eighteen months in isolation simulating a trip to get on with. your top stories in a couple of minutes. that

was responsible for causing the. real disaster. had been. where it had become a source of the most recent study that was done shows that this water pollution and

spreading. more than hundred. ten times more likely to be. in the sea. five hundred dollars. unpunished.