use this year just incredible the so-called arab spring revolutions we saw a change of power in three north african countries and while the revolutions in tunisia and egypt from the leaders of those countries stepped down libya witnessed a grueling civil war that came eventual late with nato intervention. well on the brighter side it's a good time to look at that as well is that the british royal wedding this year took international headlines by storm and people's minds off war and recession for a change and that's to me to two billion people watch the ceremony live as prince william and kate middleton tied the knot. there's also been a medical breakthrough this year or more we're yet to find a cure for the likes of cancer and a time ie the world's first transplant of an artificial organ and given millions of people new hope. it was a very tough year for those pictures we saw ravaged by the earthquake and tsunami

that toll through the coast destroying so many lives it was so sad leaving so many others with nothing and of course it sparked a series of incidents at the fukushima nuclear plant ushering in the worst atomic crisis since should all go well twenty two out will begin with one less war on the plan in the u.s. has finally pulled its last remaining troops from iraq after nearly nine years and a trillion dollar mill and of course the news of some of bin laden's killing by american special forces brought hope that the so-called war on terror is on track in finding extremism that continues to strike fear in now will twenty eleven will also be remembered for the biggest information leak in the history we covered it such a lot as well as whistleblower web site wiki leaks released hundreds of thousands of secret u.s. military and diplomatic documents looking up at the stars russia is now the only country which can transport people to and from the. international space station but

as nasa retired its fleet of space shuttles after thirty years service we were several very happy new years to the thinks brave crew members currently manning the i have says going of course beyond the call of duty and science they get sixteen chances to welcome in twenty twelve as they've been above us completing in orbit every ninety minutes. all so the eternal question over all we loaded the universe will us closer to a big city in the year we're just about to say goodbye to space probes this year revealed what appears to be images of liquid water on mars of course they say where this will to could be life well that of course kevin is left up to the scientists in any case it will most likely be decades before man can actually set foot on the red planet which brings us back to twenty two well just around the corner let's take a look a bit ahead to what the next year will bring it will be

a year of elections as russia and the united states the more than twenty other countries head to the polls to choose their next presidents and leaders. there will be an economic collapse to avoid as well of course for the e.u. even a double dip recession to prevent for the united states and some other countries the conflict in syria still to be sold and several other arab countries as well have yet to quell their own dress we're following it closely they'll be fun and games as well the next summer in london so much preparation going into that is the summer olympics kick off there and the end of twenty twelve has already been labeled an apocalyptic scare when some people firmly under the believe that the world will actually end on december twenty first the day that the current cycle of the ancient maya calendar ends and some claim it will be preceded by some sort of massive cosmic event that will directly affect our planet and everyone on it let's hope not well we. just tough to see all the way but for the time big let's focus on

the here and know much better on the end of twenty eleven and it's time that we took a closer look at the key events that shaped the outgoing year. so question for you first of all who would you say pits of mice is the year of money to time magazine a cause and its choice of the person but in bodies twenty eleven some hoped it would be the iconic founder of awful steve jobs who passed away so sadly earlier on this year others were in favor of wiki leaks and julian assange took this to a whole new level of information awareness of availability but the winner is. the

un protester until one of the hundreds of thousands to hit the streets to demonstrate in countries across the globe this year the protester who has helped bring about a change of power in three arab countries with no cost to our correspondent really believes who's in one of them she now joins us live from cairo happy new year to you in reno there where of course in egypt an uprising at the start of twenty twelve saw twenty eleven eisen say to president mubarak forced out by the middle of january it was the second country hit by the so-called arab spring revolutions take us back to the very beginning and what you saw along covering the events in egypt. was it to get into these as a matter of fact at the end of last year when it swept over the northern african continent spreading over to egypt and then going over to libya this man such people in all of these countries were pretty much the same they want. greater freedom of

speech they wanted to get rid of what they called authoritarian regimes they wanted to do something about the rising unemployment in these countries essentially they wanted jobs and they wanted freedom well there were this is pretty much worse militaries and to because whereas in tunisia you had the tunisians mostly on their own conducting the revolutions going against their governments people in libya and in egypt for very much help so in overthrowing their their regimes by the western powers they had the nato bombings in libya which helped oust moammar gadhafi then you have the overwhelming u.s. financial backing off the adult point. demonstrators who were who were of course in forced about who were backed by the muslim brotherhood in egypt and of course what happened in these countries is that they got rid of their regimes which they so much hated but the ended up with something very similar to chaos in some of these countries the unemployment has actually gotten worse for example in tunisia

you still have sort of undecided and to see government going on in libya they still have cannot figure out who exactly is going to be upheld and you still have pretty much the same suspended situation in egypt where people are still pouring out in protest on the lists weekly basis and of course of those protests occasionally turned deadly when the police clashed with the protesters and this is what you have at the end of two thousand and eleven the year of revolutions with things in these revolutionary countries pretty much pretty much still in the air. it's covered here three revolutions brought change to the will but have they brought peace and stability of one of the other countries seeing protests but of which not resulted in a change of power what's ahead. what would you hobble smother you like is that arab countries which are also on the brink of revolutions you have to hurry and you have yemen in yemen you have a three fold situation we have the government the common people who are protesting the government willing to help the us. the protesting elites who are not with the

people are not with the government you have hurrying to day they just had classes where people were wounded there was tear gas and rubber bullets being used against demonstrators and of course you have syria which is also on the brink of revolution where the majority of people are not happy with the regime by president assad so at the end again you have a sort of a very volatile situation in the middle east and in northern africa with very definite situations and very very questionable fruits of the revolutions so what do you hear two thousand and twelve will bring to this entire region yet of course remains to be seen back to you. but it is a really good life for the egyptian capital frank you know of course car will ring in the new year just two zero zero zero after a series. well let's get a job with a man who is how does make sense of the turmoil and changes in the arab world there well the year mark comment who's a professor of international relations that will cain university in ankara joins us

live thanks for being with us this new year's eve is there ahmed let's start with tunisia it's nearly twelve months since president ben ali was forced to leave the country after the remote there what's been achieved since then and tunisia are they happy with their revolution. the big change of course is had to be much choose a new problem with the interim president. has to try to change because he seems to be you know for secretary of state for life. but on the other hand not everybody is so happy with the changes he. is running on the law to share the vote which are to be added some places to city because each one of the revolution began with the suicide. the opposition to the responses to surprisingly well people the truth is that nasty kind of conflict between. the two. but also this affects the

economy the fourth of tourism to be very dramatic because of the revolution and also because of the violence in libya and this means that the real truth tunisians who hope for better things with the full open only a found that in the us since his former life hasn't gotten so there is the problem that the river often gets rid of the person the person boaties hates about the old regime he doesn't listen to get rid of the economic problems that existed before and he will sometimes brings new ones and it's. either close like an arab spring. president mubarak in february elections now underway there but the price that reads there is again live with more lives lost why anger is so hard to quell in egypt. well i think there's a deep frustration that in many ways the people in power in egypt actually running the government of course with the high officials of mubarak the prime minister who he recently appointed was the prime minister in the one nine hundred ninety s. and across the head of the military council for the mosul time tal he was mubarak's

defense minister so for some people there's a sense that the change has been cosmetically the regime was decapitated with the fall of mubarak but on the other hand most of his key officials remain in place but there's also a great sense of frustration if you like with the. democratic process on the part of many of those people who were in the streets of his square in the center of the road last. but they see in a sense the revolution they feel they made slipping away from them because the election results so far do show quite a strong message of support for the muslim brotherhood and even more money groups including down the knowledge many of the tourist centers might look story and so on so we see feel like a three way split an egyptian society between those people who see themselves as western secular liberals who perhaps but they spearheaded the revolution who dislike can survive will the city government offices of florence old officials would also fear the coming to power of the muslim brotherhood. rigorous islamic

based society so those three were tensions inside egypt. last year i'd like to look in libya now libya of course so that the deadliest uprising with this civil war that reportedly left tens of thousands dead gadhafi among them and nato weighing in with those airstrikes causing civilian casualties. lies ahead for the libyan people now if you think. this is what it's been a very difficult situation because a lot of the frustrations with gadhafi his regime in libya came from people who felt that he didn't collected them economically the people they destroyed maybe he took had the oil but they felt most of the money was spent west of tripoli now they want to see a rebalancing of the spending of money but of course many of the people actually overthrew could be with the aid of nato as you say qatari special forces. missions from the west and some have their share of the oil still so we have a big regional division inside libya. people i think exaggerated the degree to

which the oil wells could be redistributed to make everybody happy and so i think it's going to last confession of that and we see splits now regionally over the oil money but also over issues like the role of religion in politics if you were intentional in libya. and we see the turn of course the problem that many people for gadhafi took the rebels and nato bombs to overthrow him and so he collapsed overnight and so there is a body of people who are losing many many thousands perhaps millions are so happy with the changes and there are huge numbers of columns of watch the country effects of this war is really between these two to be able to force into egypt even more so much training and from libya also being used. it's a very messy situation. what about syria of course remaining a flashpoint we're reporting on it again today the un. they said they'd be

teetering on the brink of civil war still and control slipping for president the sad who still in power at the moment though who's driving the conflict and is the would end game anywhere in sight. would seem to keep with syria the most dangerous situation that you have an. incipient civil war but it's also as a as a religious civil. and shiites a white student in syria and if we go back to what happened in libya resource how the gulf monarchies qatar and so on funded and propagandized on the health of the anti gadhafi forces but they're also very much involved in scipio syria and i think there is a danger now that you could see external forces wanting to write their vision of a democratic middle east but on the theocratic middle east and in a way the west has to promoting democracy rights to say the states and locals who are. absolutely on a peace. and whose concern for civil rights of minority rights very limited and so

the danger is that we will see a religious civil war spreading from syria into lebanon but also including iraq where of course the shiite led government has at the moment very sharp. crisis means to be the sunni minority so i'm afraid we could see the new year comes in syria becoming the center of an expanding circle of religious civil war roles of the democratic revolution. disturbing picture you're painting there just start to take a minute. as well to thank you so much for all your input on this channel that you've given us throughout the year we want to wish you all the very best for twenty twelve but we look forward to talking to you in the new year again thank you for your input into the program very happy new year. it's appreciated. ok.

well we are turning to europe amongst the fireworks going off behind this twenty eleven is going to be remembered for its mass protests in greece where angry crowds clashed with police and trashed the streets of athens will recall those pictures a response to the government's austerity measures well the leaders there have been under immense pressure from the e.u. to make savings concent order to qualify for desperately needed bell out money our correspondent sara further has been covering the protests in greece throughout the past year and now joins us live from happen sara the greek people have suffered a lot this year you saw it on the top last thirty measures adopted by the government put in real terms for us take us through it how is it affecting households across great. whether it's just been such

a challenging year for the people here in the country because it's been all about that this year and the bell outs that have meant to villa stacks images now in real terms of the people here that's meant killed because on a huge scale it's meant tax hike it's really affected so many people here in the country every household felt the progs of this we've seen a new class of haven this springing up here in the country even here this evening the results of that are very bleak the looks of people out on the street leaping problems speech tonight huge amounts of love into the country and it will cease to not up when you gave it time and again this year and see the huge outpouring of public anger on the street simply. because still here a service for the two of you is that the banging going on about going to courses not happening with you there in athens is something beyond us we've already letting

off fireworks in preparation for those big new year forwards coming in about forty minutes from now but if you still can hear me we saw a lot of discontent on the street says the force of the problem here at home you were there were mixed it for all thought of those protests what struck you most about it. what really struck me for most of the times that we've been here what we've seen happening and how things this year it was just how far reaching this you are quite as has been as they said it really has affected so many people here in the country and you know different themes tonight here in the central square where say many of these protests has happened and these are the people we know from all walks of life it was the young it was the same many different people tend to show that discontent and so many young people who saw that he was speaking to a full team fifteen these are very motivated very well educated people that are having to grapple with extremely big issues and that you know doing that party turning out into the streets and really making us to re-evaluate the way we feel is

about the usa and europe as a whole as a set incredibly motivated and we've seen as a direct result of their esses of their energy this year and some real change happening here in the country. and he's a hero again group or place to the government in november how do things change in the country. but that has been one of the biggest changes that we saw at the end of the year need prime minister lucas papademos his eyes step summing up the year's events that greece still faces a big challenge is they going to do all they can and put all their assets into the remaining within the usa but of course the one thing i can tell you is that the people here in greece the last thing that they're going to win in two thousand and twelve is going to be more and the rhetoric because unfortunately we see too much of that this year when it was the then serious action and the situation just seeming to deteriorate to the time with the world leaders that you know it's

a need is always a few cases the high end and as i said just real impact on people's lives is so moving food into the needy what people are going to want to be seeing is the real development of two thousand and eleven has been the year of to send them. maybe we can take fifty thousand and twelve to be the development because people here want to see some real changes and say wolf tonight people are going to be celebrating the thing that and celebrate his friends and family take the pedigree with me because of course everyone here is it going to be a very tough year. right sara furthur party live from happens of course saying goodbye there on this new year's eve to a very difficult year for three people grief one when alone with much of the eurozone on hand belt tightening to deal with that euro debt crisis just a few weeks ago european leaders held a crucial summit in brussels where they agreed to form a fiscal union and rein in bunch of controls over the big spenders wallet go ahead

without great britain though which opted out of the new interim government treaty because it feared it would harm the banks of the city of london let so put that in perspective should we with investment advisor patrick he's on the line from warsaw in poland patrick very good evening chewy very much enjoyed talking to you over the year just gone by giving us your take on things in your own inimitable way trying to cheer us up. and to give us some insight about some very gloomy stories this one in particular clouds of gathering over europe throughout the year it's very close to the wire in terms of sleeping nations going on there where are we now as we head into this new year. resolution the recession in twenty twelve patrick. have a good evening hello to you i have to say it seems entirely appropriate that i'm speaking against a back wall drop of fireworks to see things because while we haven't perhaps had

the multi-faceted and beautiful colors that are limiting the moscow skyline already and anticipation of the new year tragically the european union has had a crisis throughout the year as you rightly said given i don't fortunately the prognosis for the new year must be one of a terrible. hangover it is absolutely to my mind clear that we are going to have a crushing recession it's a tragedy but the european union has alternately made no effort to resolve its problems we've had one shower after another shower after another shower and they've been spoilt so much and unfortunately there's just nothing at this juncture that gives us any reason to be remotely optimistic apart from the fact that we're going into a new calendar year and the fact that it's easy to talk about the big picture of course this affects people families people losing their jobs people maybe not having a good christmas maybe not having a new year because they haven't got a great time to look forward to not a great prospect ahead as you saying maybe losing their homes it's a bad time is need all round and you're not seeing it getting better than

particular at all no. kevin look at the situation is as follows i mean in the western european countries essential people have stopped spending to a large extent and not because some people are not spending because they're worried about the future outlook and they want to see of what money they have on the other people the unfortunates of the situation as you're rightly mentioning are the people who are already on employed and finding it incredibly difficult to get a job i mean we have a lost generation in western europe something like forty percent of all spaniards in their twenty's are on employed that's a travesty it's an absolute failure of government kevin and it's appalling and one really sympathizes but the difficulty is that you can't keep the government simply spending money in order to manage to make things work and the hangover we have these affectively fifty years of state controlled socialism in western europe that

ultimately has proven to be on affordable in many countries no it's falling really really hard on a great many individuals and that is a terrible price to pay and unfortunately i don't believe things are going to get better although i will offer one tiny ray of hope and. dos come from the european union which is that the european union is working very very hard on trying to improve conditions for small and medium sized enterprises a dialogue which i'm actually actively engaged in so let's hope that something is going to come out of bob but the problem really is that ultimately businesses need customers and it's difficult to do or customers are they aren't really in the united states of america their economy doesn't look terribly good even the great power houses that have been growing in recent years like brazil like china like india all of their growth rates are significantly down there are some pockets of opportunity and i have to say fortunately and to be this is somewhat of course in our own interest they happen to live somewhere between where i am today and warsaw and indeed russia but that's not going to be enough to propel the whole world

economy and it's not going to be enough to keep lots of western europeans under many unfortunate people almost ten percent of the united states of america who are unemployed and that is a tragedy a lost generation indeed kaveh you right in europe particularly so many folds doored so many dates to be looking ahead to wondering how long greece could hold out for a run out of money eccentrics said sure the latest is now though to people saying the first six months or twenty twelve going to be crucial for the eurozone or for many economists is time for make or break decisions isn't it what is the likely outcome will euros still be circulating a year from now. kevan the euro is living on borrowed time it has been on life support for the last six months it could survive on life support for the next twelve months that is possible but realistically i cannot see how the euro can survive certainly not in its current share or form i mean we've just been

hearing from people in greece on this show and indeed look at the greek situation the greek economy is in a death spiral there is new economy worth speaking of within greece at the moment they're headed towards a mediæval barter economics. all because of the whim and fear of politicians in northern europe that's not tenable and i do believe that honestly the greeks are going to be able to live with it i think you will find there will be defaults in other words countries are going to turn round and say you know what we can't afford to pay these debts we're walking away and i think that will happen it will happen in greece and it may happen in other countries in the euro zone as well as far that spreads will dictate whether we have any form of euro war not at the moment but the truth of the matter is twelve months ago on this show if we sat here and said the euro will be in a death crisis in twelve months time we would have been ridiculed because all of the power of the establishment would have said oh there's just a little local difficulty on the mediterranean well rubbish on the truth is the

fact that the euro is being widely discussed as potentially falling apart in the next twelve months is in itself undermining the euro and leading to what is likely to be a very very brutal extinction because one morning we're going to wake up on the euro will change chip enormously another day we may wake up and there will be no euro whatsoever right now i thought probability is fifty fifty best that the euro survives the next twelve months. patrick i'm afraid we're out of time thank you ever so much for giving a shit thoughts there although they are pretty grim it has to be said but i can't say i very much enjoyed talking to you and i hope to touch again a lot next year on r t with more coverage of what's going on thank you for now. me.

let's go to the u.s. now where. on going to your witness the biggest wave of protests since the vietnam war americans have been turning out in droves and hundreds of cities across the u.s. they too want a revolution but economic one. or the occupy movement is it because you know which sprung up in you you will than three months ago let's go to the no showing it with. covering the protests for this channel sees no great secret to good to see you know the occupy protesters were criticised for having no focus on exactly they want that has been approved. well they got themselves more together know. well at this point kevin the occupy

wall street movement is still meeting and they are strategizing and planning clearly it's not out in the open ever since there i had a quarter or so to speak was raided by the new york city police department in november but they are strategizing and they do plan to resurface in the new year and this movement is by no means over and done with we did see this occupy movement trigger headlines from coast to coast as you already mentioned tens of thousands of americans came out into the streets of various cities throughout the country occupy public space and sparked somewhat of an economic debate that cannot be ignored it forced us leaders and politicians to address the issue of wealth inequality when the occupy wall street movement gave momentum they were talking about the ninety nine percent the first one percent they focused the spotlight on the fact that the wealthiest four hundred americans have more money than of the more time you.