do we stop stories from r t tens of thousands rallied peacefully in the russian capital demanding a rerun of the parliamentary elections president dmitri medvedev was bold political reform. international pressure mounts on the syrian regime to end its crackdown on protests violence intensifies across the country and the people struggling under a heavy set of western sanctions. and the end of an era of well north korea mourns the death of kim jong il is youngest son steps into power hailed as the new supreme commander.

live from moscow this is r.t. welcome kevin irwin with the weekly it's our roundup of top stories from the last seven days and first tens of thousands rallied in central moscow on saturday in another peaceful protest over the months of the results rather of this month's parliamentary election thirty thousand people turned out of the capital according to the russian interior ministry but rally organizers said the true number was over one hundred thousand protesters were calling for a rerun of the election which they claim was rigged the rally echoed an earlier one held two weeks ago and thousands took to the streets to have their say president medvedev addressed the protesters in his annual state of the union speech of the week promising widespread political reforms some of which are already underway in the newly elected state duma. reports. the time for change has come. people are tired of not being able to promptly solve the most pressing issues people are tired of having their interests ignored

speeding and his fourth and final state of the union address the president said of . portals which have already been deemed to be sweeping political reform he wants to change the rules for the registration of political parties as well as for taking part in elections in fact a total ground up rebuild of the whole electoral system today governors in russia are up for him to directly by the president they used to be elected in the ninety's but this was cancelled and thousands now the meeting with wants to bring the vote back as part of the move to vertical eyes power in russia it took over a decade to build to the current vertical system of power but now russia's regions are told it's time to start gaining more independence from moscow the president's proposed reforms will also hit the state duma which will include two hundred twenty five deputies each independently elected within their own territory or constituency

and when it comes to new parties in order to register political parties need to gather at least ten thousand approval signatures and have representatives in over a half of the eighty nine regions the new initiative is to reduce this figure to five hundred which should give the green light for more political forces the president's speech followed the recent parliamentary election which caused widespread discontent among the public the biggest brutus rally since the collapse of the u.s.s.r. have been taking place across the country with tens of thousands of russians shouting out accusations of fraud and other violations over fifty criminal cases have been opened looking into the allegations while the results from more than twenty polling stations have been cancelled russia has enormous potential enormous human capital physical capital and has the potential to become a world leader and they would like the spirit of the educated people would like to play a part in that the president praised

a legal right to express opinion warrant any attempts to manipulate and provoke the people's will not be accepted up with human. well you know it's going to then that we won't allow extremists or probably caters to draw society into their shady enterprises we won't allow interference from outside in our internal affairs russia needs democracy not chaos but getting back to the reforms to the media to financed another proposal concerning his own paused as well in order to run for president independent candidates have to gather at least two million approval signatures from voters three hundred thousand as asked the new figure currently being proposed which will most likely widen competition for a russia's top job even though the president doesn't plan to run for a second term in office it doesn't mean the reforms will be forgotten the meeting needed if he's aiming for the prime minister's seat if he wins the upcoming presidential vote in march he is going to have already moscow go and live as

well for coverage of the mass protests and russia's capital for video direct from the site of the rally had to choose while you go online as well you can visit our twitter feed for the latest firsthand impressions from our correspondents and of course you also catch up on the full background of the protests on our website so you don't call. more news today violence is once again flared up. these are the images. from the streets and canada. giant corporations are today. activists in syria so the opposition held city of homs is on the heavy fire from thousands of government troops and tanks are calling on the arab league to dispatch observers to the area it warms and advance party of monitors food to damascus this

past week to prepare for the arrival of primary arab observers now their mission is to oversee a peace plan that guarantees the regime and its. activists claim hundreds of civilians going down in recent days twin suicide blasts in damascus targeting government buildings also killed forty four on friday the regime is on first set of heavy sanctions from the u.s. the e.u. put us all to syria first reports since the syrian people who are feeling the squeeze right now. it's been nearly ten months since syria's uprising began the capital of damascus has remained largely sheltered from the conflict right here in the bustling sand say it seems like it's business as usual there's one to say it's in the winds of change have begun civil over a little stronger the arab league sometimes tough economic sanctions the effects of which have been felt even head in a poor area of damascus and her family struggling to make ends meet

her son here has learning difficulties fava beans for a living that he barely makes one hundred fifty three in pounds a day three dollars to support him and this is why now the fuel for his vending has become harder to get hold of it's the economic sanctions. on the beat and there are less products available and the prices are pushed higher there's been fights over ganz we've been trying to manage by cutting back as much as we can but sometimes when we can't afford it which is don't eat. the economic situation in syria was one of the areas president assad had been seen to be making some progress be it slowly for a population that it started seeing the results of economic opportunities a lot financial transactions. blackouts become the new. they could be even the financial times ahead. because of the economic sanctions

people rushed to stockpile fuel and gas just. people are a little bit afraid of the fact that water or gas might run out this is when you see these queues this in place by the arab league it is take the sanctions with the government hands when it came to ending the violence in the country because inside syria the name and many feel it every day people being punished for the economic sanctions still. taking. one hit. has become part of the daily life of many people here in syria. from the arab league will be paving the way for an observer mission to at the end of the month much opposition they remain skeptical about whether that too will bring about any real change. in the west of the conflict areas change can come and they meet tesing it's imperative teeth families like. finding life under the sanctions

increasingly desperate search. damascus. the u.s. and the e.u. say their stance against her massacres is a reaction to the regime's crackdown on peaceful protesters but of course they're refusing to recognize that the opposition is also fighting to bring down president assad some analysts believe it's because the west wants to see regime change in syria. what we see here about these atrocities five howser. deaths here and the so-called massacres none of these numbers are confirmed they are actually given and if you look at the media they are actually telling you that they're getting their information from the. rebel army but they're not getting it from inside that country but of course when you look at the mainstream media at least here in the united states they are just repeating those numbers this is basically a makeup of a psychological warfare first of all the decision on syria was made

a years ago even as the preparations began and this is a turkey on the border there there are nato air base there injured airbase in the may two thousand and eleven so they have the decision they have had the decision they have been preparing for an actual war and then they begin the propaganda and the psychological warfare by trying to get the public support for an unwarranted war and that's the he papa c.e.o. of the us foreign policy you're looking at live playing right in front of you. coming up later this hour the inside track on the year's most momentous events. they knew where journalists were but we couldn't stop thinking. what if they make and we stayed or later on our team or if not the shows have first hand reflections about reporting from the nato strike zone in war torn libya.

north korea is still mourning the death of its leader kim jong il who passed away last saturday from a heart attack at the age of sixty nine his death was announced on state t.v. on monday by a weeping newscaster and thousands of people showed crying in the streets as youngest son kim jong il orden has already been named now supreme leader to keep it in a state going the president's body is lying in state in the capital pyongyang as north koreans continue to pay their final respects with a funeral now planned for december the twenty eighth news of his death put the country's neighbors on high alert japan called a special security meetings fearing instability in the region while south korea says its military is standing ready to him below in asia specialist who's written extensively on the korean peninsula says it's still hard to predict the impact kim's death will have on events on the peninsula. the americans i think at the moment not moving climate because they want to keep tension on the korean peninsula

apple's way of contain china that sell i would greet the american response whether they will decide that it's they want to come back a negotiator we don't yet know if we have a smooth transfer of power in the in the north knows i think it's likely. it will. we will move forward perhaps not this year but the following year when this new government in seoul and we may get a return to the engagement of the of the previous five years ago. if on the other hand those some sort of turmoil in the north if the. system is not maturity. that there is a collapsed then we may get into don't shoot from the south and then show who knows what will happen. the first time in forty two years libyans are celebrating their

twentieth century liberation from former colonial powers independence day had been banned and the colonel gaddafi was ousted with nato assistance and killed in october the revolution so far failed to bring peace with tribal violence on the rise of china boyko reports from libya. was this is what it's like to look death in the face a group of man the young and old captured after the needier propped rebels overran get off his home town of sirte there was behind a camera delivers a verdict would you work for gadhafi. and the captives themselves seem dad sad to hear about what's coming next. and it seems like these when you know that possibly be as the rebels assisted by western powers so to liberate the country from gadhafi i've been lodgings about he said to stick tendencies grow more and more outlandish by the day and that seems to justify any sort of treatment for his

perceived loyalists in some places the violence is quite bad the town we looked out in was called where god and the militias from the neighboring town of misrata are terrorizing the people of to where they accuse them of having fought for qaddafi of having committed atrocities. in his name this is one of the liberated tripoli's new landmarks a prison where moammar gadhafi was set to hold his political opponents with no access to lawyers and no chance for a fair trial. but while the prisons new guards have a very elaborate in their rating go back his ferocity is here and hatred still resides in this neighborhood. obviously is a poor area in southern tripoli where more margot duffy had strong support base prior to his fleeing the district also led to the tourists present a scene of torture and arbitrary killings but while gadhafi is gone the human

rights abuses still remain rather from this area still disappearing without a trace of their families are too scared to talk about that. this is probably the only place in all the beer with families of a logic get out his supporters can turn to for how mohammed to form peace and your earlier this year it investigated the fate of those who disappeared in good office prisons he is now primarily dealing with people who went missing under libya's new leadership it's usually mothers who come here and at first they are scared to tell me that this son or husband was with pick a daffy forces they usually say he was a civilian court in the crossfire but i tell them that i don't care which side he was on all i need is accurate information so that we can start searching. for. mohamed and his friends have been taking photos of unidentified bodies that have been popping up across lead beer in recent months this naturists are probably the

relatives the most realistic hope of finding closure but even after sifting through them many managed to retain hope like this man whose brother disappeared on the frontlines of banter about. i hope he's in tunisia maybe his in hospital maybe he's lost his memory or has no way of contacting us. they see hope it dies last only bit it's still alive even if many people aren't going to wake up artsy tripoli. well the libyan uprising that began in february and ended in october is indeed one of the top ten events that shaped almost a whole year of broadcasting on r t the civil war saw a nato led coalition intervene with thousands of deadly strikes would frequently cause civilian casualties it is rare for not covered the revolution from inside libya and looks back on her experience.

we arrived in libya in the evening this is how you'd expect this kind of story to start but actually we crossed that unusual border when the sun was too high. our driver told us to be careful we all thought that was a little bit unnecessary. but he explained that they sway nato and qaddafi. could both blame each other if the scope killed. on our first night in tripoli would go to a very warm welcome rixos hotel we stayed was just a kilometer or two away from. his residence. and that was bombed that night as it had never been before and would never be wards

. it was literally shaking and curtains in our rooms were moved even with the doors firmly closed my bed was just beside a glass wall i did dick her into the room because i was scared that an explosion could destroy literally. my western colleagues explaining that. rixos hotel at the time was the safest place in the because nature knew best where drone is for which we couldn't stop thinking. what if they make a mistake president so secrecy with this search here in three fairly have been woken up by a strike in the middle of the night and all summer old bombs landed here this story as you can see behind me some rolled three story buildings. and there were no professional rescuers at the scene. only man who bare hands. and

one after another they pulled out five dead bodies. where she couldn't see that but is themselves. because they were just wrapped up in blankets. lifeless bundles. in the morgue we heard that they were three little babies that. they were lying there. on. the cold tables still in pampers. and next morning nato confirmed. it had made a mistake intended target during last night's best strike in tripoli as a military. from our initial assessment of it appears that one weapon did not strike intended target due to a weapons systems. of course i wanted to meet khadafi or

his son say for this every journalist did but that was kind of impossible. as you remember one day after a news conference my friend and a time photographer came to me and pointing at the man. in his suit told me he wants to meet you the next night i got to call the car he said wait someone told me weeks back to them to blindfold us but they didn't do anything like that. you know the option of hold they enter the room and no one paid any attention to. what he was different when he entered and we all noticed we all knew that he is right now in the room. there was an injury common knowledge from a very powerful man. he invited me to follow him in a separate. group. with questions many questions like what do you think about what

do you think about the uprising hey and maybe what do you think about me what do you think about my father but i was calm and confident. and then he suddenly stopped and looked at my shoulders high heels. and he went. sweetie what about your questions and you know he looked like he didn't take me seriously actually and i looked at my notes and among the first questions there was did you or your father. give the order to kill civilians. but i didn't tell him that and i was like smiling just ordinary questions. and he said ok let's go. and that interview was one of the past interviews in my life it's not the best interview safe was very sincere. very open and he thought always before answering that was really literally electricity and

that truth. will left next morning and i had a feeling that i would never see this country again. i didn't go back six weeks later. but that was a different country already with new faces new heroes new everything. the country i had traveled in the summer of two thousand and eleven it is now just a part of history for good. every day right up to the new year will bring you more personal reflections from our correspondents who saw the biggest stories of twenty eleven first hand the case you missed it was well you can also see them on our web site r.t. dot com it's coming up to twenty three minutes past eight o'clock at night moscow time still ahead for you having regrets the citizens are strapped for cash the stonier of paying the price for joining the euro as they're forced to fork out for

other nations in states. around the world in brief that we bring up to date on some top world news stories now to nigeria first there two explosions were heard in the northern city of duma turo making five blasts in total today a radical muslim sects claimed responsibility for a bomb attack with rocked a catholic church in the capital of boogy killing at least twenty seven officials say there's a shortage of ambulances in the region world with a number of casualties could rise the blast from the wave of violent clashes between militant forces members of the islamist pocket sect which of killed at least sixty people today. the suicide bomber in northern afghanistan blew himself up during a funeral killing nineteen including a member of the national parliament the attack took place at the end of the ceremony is mourners were preparing to leave there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but local officials suspect the taliban suicide attacks are rare in the province which is considered one of the calmest regions in the country. in yemen's capital security forces have opened fire on protesters

killing nine people that says tens of thousands marched a day to president saleh is powerless demanding that he should be tried for months of violent crackdowns on anti-government activists and estimated seven hundred people were killed in clashes since the uprising against salad began in february so is the sign the power transfer agreement ending is thirty three year rule and giving way to his deputy to take over. a complete change of direction away from violence and war for it is of course the festive season and with christmas trees lighting up let's look at how some people are celebrating the holiday in different parts of the world in bethlehem the west bank's christian minority gathered with tourists to commemorate the birth of jesus thousands of palestinians from inside the west bank also converged on the town also during midnight mass at the vatican the pope rounded on the commercialization of christmas followers to look past the superficial glitter and concentrate instead on holidays true meaning.

and in the capital of taiwan people flocked to see a christmas eve parade in a colorful display that included acrobats and of marching band. the newest member of the eurozone as stonier adopted the single currency just under a year ago and while the country's businesses have been reaping the benefits of the euro for the people of a sturdier it's a different picture their financial future is at stake as part of the bid to rescue debt ridden countries like greece and portugal so it's no wonder the public mood so far from mary out is alexia jet ski reports. on paper these people live in one of the most prosperous economies of the baltic region reality their homeland. is the e.u.'s poorest country and after spending a year being part of the euro zone these people say the positive changes they were promised are nowhere to be seen at the moment but a lot recently euro commission check their pensions are authorities told they

received an average pension of six hundred this is far from reality pensions in greece which fifteen hundred here get around two hundred. a stone he adopted the euro last january but despite a general positive attitude towards the move until now it is mostly big businesses and politicians that are really enjoying the transition there are clearly political advantages in terms of if you want locking your study and more firmly into the economic advantages as well in terms of investment the support for the euro is holding up very well people seem to be to see the advantages you may be politically wrasslin economically but the year award option party soon brought a painful hangover since september a story has agreed to take part in the european financial stability facility the body created to combat financial crisis and the bailout countries like greece and now experts say this membership comes at a price and can not afford to buy the formula for us is very bad because we need to

. or. from our g.d.p. the rich countries something more than nine percent from our budget poorest country and now we need to pay off march richer countries the country central bank has even warned of a possible recession recent polls suggest up to sixty percent of historians are against the country's membership of the. the government however doesn't seem to pay attention and refuses to drop out of this relief fund meanwhile members of this community say they would rather help greece with potatoes and far it would then see their pension money having their adopting the euro soon or later was a necessary condition for a stone you to join the european union but being part of the european financial stability facility was not in the agreement and while economists are speculating

whether stonier should continue its membership in this organization ordinary people are left to wonder why they have to pay someone else's debts. reporting from tallinn in a stony. we've got some baseball in about twenty minutes time that's to come then shortly my name is kevin owen you are watching our team this twenty fifth of december twentieth levon coming should live from moscow of course if you're celebrating christmas and your part of the world right now all of our best wishes to you for me and the rest of the team it tonight the headlines coming your way very shortly. all.

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