or as always every year for the symbolic ball dropping at midnight. but stay can what's happening there for the moment. to see thousands of people gathered there to welcome him twenty well. now let's take a look at what was happening elsewhere in the world. a strong leo was among the first countries to open its doors to the new year with glittering fireworks lightning the skies over sydney harbor and asia picked up the baton with spectacular shows held across the region also in russia. russia's also met two thousand and twelve with a bag with thousands of people gathering in moscow's red square to toast and you hear and watch this in fireworks over the kremlin millions of revelers also gathered in cities all over europe for the countdown to midnight.

but. of course with celebrations sweeping the globe we remember what made twenty eleven it was a year of revolt and rallies as millions around the world went out on to the streets to demand justice freedom and economic equality arches and he's now lives back at a protest that shaped the past twelve months. two thousand and eleven could easily go down as the most eventful year in years the killing of bin ladin after a decade long manhunt in libya's gadhafi after months of nato bombing and the death of north korea's kim jong il don't even begin to illustrate twenty eleven. times chose the protester as person of the year and although there were different slogan signs and demands of solutions twenty eleven will ultimately be remembered

as the year people came out onto the streets the arab spring bloomed into a european summer which harvested an american autumn from cairo to california moscow to madrid to harir to occupy global rallies shared common themes but if one thing stood out in the middle east and north africa alone it was protests that lead down one road regime change. tunisia and egypt got rid of their dictators without war but libya was not so lucky nato allies began a humanitarian mission with a fierce bombing campaign but critics called it a mislabeled invasion to take down gadhafi for benefits the only reason they're interested in with libya is about the oil you hear anybody screaming and yelling about all those people last week they were killed in the ivory coast or who sudan gadhafi was brutally killed in october as the world watched the graphic video go

viral thousands of civilians were killed over months of bombing and twenty twelve neared syria found itself in a similar set up for intervention russia and china fearing a repeat of the situation in libya as civil war intensifies this is a direct effect that there are. clash between the u.s. and nato on one side and russian shined on the war in on the other side much more david was in libya protests continue in egypt libya syria and many more arab countries as the year ends. the battle to save the drowning single currency left to board rooms and banks in twenty eleven and flooded the streets of europe most commonly and violently in athens greek debt became the centerpiece of the euro crisis protests ranged against desperate austerity cuts to

qualify for i.m.f. bailout germany and france fined for influence in the debt ridden zone i think we will see an exit of greece given the situation in which the greek economy find itself has become really unavoidable draining the economy of big brother germany can't go on forever greece and italy are now led by on a lark to brussels back technocrat leaders who are trying to curb the crisis coming into a new year critics say twenty eleven that allowed or bust was the beginning of the end for the single european currency there's every chance the euro is going to crash. london burned for days in the summer of twenty eleven what began as a peaceful protests demanding justice over the death of a twenty nine year old man who was shot by police turned into days of riots and left authorities helpless talks of possibly bringing out the military because the shops were looted car set on fire and windows smashed across the u.k.

the police the job center all the banks everything that's happening the recession you know there's a lot of anger about that social experts also through a felt multicultural programme and racism into the mix. out of the place institutional. racist as well the riots faded but the problems are still passing some say only a spark is needed to set the public off again. occupy wall street became a household name in the us and around the world but when the protests began in september if you were talking about it the mainstream media stayed silent until seven hundred people were arrested on the brooklyn bridge and then truly based in the end of his roots of american politics but. there are

a disorganized a look but there's one of the protesting nobody seems to know but negative coverage didn't stop us from spreading from small towns to huge ports occupied was not going anywhere raids on camps heavy handed police and burning pepper spray only helped occupy grow and spread their message of the need for economic equality and an end to corporate greed their slogan became we are the ninety nine percent and they the rich the one percent from oakland to boston the more people occupied the more. talent became more evident. but you're. right our police forces have been militarized they are working more in cooperation with the pentagon they're buying and being given

military surplus to quit meant that has been kind of designed for use in war and this is something that. needs to treating the public as you would treat an enemy a public that has promised to come out in full force in twenty twelve. parliamentary elections where the push behind tens of thousands of people coming out onto the streets of moscow after allegations the december duma vote was raked. up the protest at least fifty thousand strong the largest in recent history call for free and fair elections and remained peaceful ruling party united russia lost popularity in the vote with official results putting their numbers at almost fifty percent but experts say a sixteen percent drop from two thousand and seven should be taken as a warning i think

a lot of people want to punish. a united russia for having power for so long and maybe not doing everything they could protest organized by vast groups of opposition members are set to continue in two thousand and twelve next year russia along with the u.s. and france holds presidential elections which makes it a safe bet people will be out on the streets in twenty twelve in europe america and around the world and you see now a r.t. moscow. while more insight and analysis on the events of main twenty levon are in our web site r.t. dot com also watch our special new year coverage from the heart. moscow reports from various parts of the world an expert analysis on some of the most significant advance of the past year. plus the major stories as seen through the eyes of our correspondents who were in the hot spots of events their testimonies are at our

key dot com. witnesses. to history making. testimony. ten stories that shapes two thousand and eleven on our t.v. . violence in syria continues unabated despite the arab league observers mission that started this week security forces have reportedly opened fire on thousands of protesters with monitors giving conflicting accounts of government snipers involved activists claim dozens were killed in recent clashes in flashpoint cities all of which are also being visited by the monitors the u.n. says more than five thousand people have died in the ten month long unrest with damascus blaming armed gangs for the violence journalist. believes a lot of the videos and recent media coverage are there are five zero. it's certainly the western media's viewpoint that we must believe the we must believe

opposition groups it seems that any mobile phones we just know except as a source so only what they are being said about homes very different a great deal from the reports we've been getting on t.v. channels of massacres continually going on what is no doubt is thousands of syrian soldiers dying and they haven't died because of peaceful protests but this isn't a libya syria is a linchpin of the middle east and the united states and other countries some of the more intelligent people realize that there will be turmoil right across the middle east if anything happens to destabilize the government from outside forces the. certainly syria the syrian government itself has to step up the pace because it's certainly losing the propaganda battle. libya has stepped into the new year as a new state was new leaders and new hopes what visitors slowly returning to the conflict torn country what greets them at the gate is heavily armed militia

artichokes out of work reports there are still a long way to go before a public trust is restored with extremely diverse former rebel groups having to transform into a civilian political force. flying high but still running low almost two months after the lifting of the no fly zone over tripoli the city's airport operates far below its capacity of the passenger traffic keeps increasing every month as more and more airlines uprooting tripoli back on their flight schedules the tripoli airport is once again buzzing with visitors a fellow lives have already within service and more expected to follow in the coming months but while the flight controllers and customs officials are back of their desks it's still the militia who call the shots here and the rebels themselves admit that the situation is still way to trouble and to cede control to civilian authorities they're no longer flashing their guns to get make it very

clear who is in control here the rebel brigades from the western cd of the captured the airport in late august as the rebels over on the capital the control of this key facility how the town with a population of some pretty thousand rise to national prominence since then does in time militia has successfully styled itself as the save guards of libya's future. for forty two years our country had nothing no state institutions just one and same person. now we have a historic mission to overcome the difficulties of the transitional period we can build a new country and that's almost will be. hamas. is one of the top guns in tripoli these days primarily a colonel in the get out his army he still keeps the good offices army kept in his office his subordinates are now holding the deposed libyan leader's son safe will islam. we are against any dictator of history repeats itself we will wage

a war we will let the rule of law decide his fate. didn't ghazi zintan misrata these libyan c.d.'s one after another rose against gadhafi is regime . the militias now represent the real axis of power in the country as their various and their legacy and agendas as this tribes on the only base new tricolor the prospect of civil war in libya is always there and it has always has been there but it has been effectively mastered by the very strong centralized rule of the gadhafi regime but of course now that that has been the stabilized we see this all of the tensions there in the fabric of libyan society coming to the fore another militia commander in charge of tripoli rebels is preparing for an interview it's been a month since he changed his military fatigues for a business suit of dylan makers now trying to transform rebels under his command

into a political force a laptop has replace their rifle as his main tool internet is his new front line of the armed assistant at his door is a sign that political process is still in its very early stages but. we've seen many examples in the past when people's revolutions were stolen and we are very clear that our struggle is far from over you know gadhafi may still come back in some other shape or form and in that case who have to take up our weapons and defend our revolution. guns are still a common side on the streets of tripoli of their prevalence has visibly decreased the city's covered with post. calling on the rebels to turn them in if the design element of lewisham have still for hail to translate into national reconciliation the competition and monk various brigades may have become less visible but not less in towns but the nato alliance would like to build upon any division within the

groups or the parties that they have revolutionized against the qaddafi regime and according to my own understanding they would like to see certain provinces being divided inside the state of libya back in the arrival hall is in town rebels are screening passengers bags on to the posters left from the old regime to get out his golden frame portrait that maddest at the airport the hearing is gone hatred of him a have glued the libyan society for several months if he's killing the former units he appears to have died as well as in the work of artsy tripoli. and still have for you the sour dark horse we cover the mystery that surrounds the new leader of north korea as people are urged to defang him to the death. and the new year predictions is their chance to european currency will survive find out in a few minutes. u.s.

president barack obama has signed a bill imposing new sanctions against iran the measures target the country's central bank and will particularly hit while revenues relations between washington and tehran reached a dangerous point this week islamic countries threaten to block a vital oil supply route in the persian gulf where it's currently holding navy drills to promise to not let one drop of oil go through the strait of hormuz if the west goes on with sanctions and you are stepping up pressure over iran's nuclear program in iran a sense that it's ready for fresh talks. the independent lobby group national renny american council says the lack of diplomatic relations between iran and the united states increases the risk of a dangerous. cold in the strait of hormuz for the iranian government would be the equivalent of cutting off its nose to spite its face it's heavily heavily reliant on its on its income from oil exports the vast majority of which go through the strait that being said just because it's something that the iranian government

doesn't want to do it doesn't necessarily mean that it's something that it's won't do if pressure increases to the point where iran is backed into a corner two governments have been communicating for over three decades and when you don't have direct channels of communication that increases the likelihood miscalculations and misperceptions and it reinforces the cycle of escalation in conflict and it increases the likelihood that you can you can take actions that might not be in accordance even with your own interests and rather than governments controlling the conflict the conflict begins to control the governments and we end up with an outcome that i think both parties independently would seek to avoid. israel says it's killed a senior militant in an airstrike against gaza on friday the army claimed a move prevented an attempt to fire rockets at israel this comes after israel said it's looking into the possibilities of a wider campaign against the blockaded strip just three years after a devastating war there israeli columnist gideon levy says his country will be

isolated if it decides to wage another bloody offensive. three years ago israel had the car glad to not only the west had to pull out of israel and didn't say a word against the city but this time we are facing a new egypt and gaza ease in the backyard of egypt and i'm not sure that egypt will remain indifferent visa via another thing but having said this i'm not sure that this is enough to prevent an attack because unfortunately israeli politicians in general not always react in a most racial and logical way the current government of israel has no serious intention about this serious dialogue with the palestinians maybe some photo opportunities but that's saying more than this and the palestinian authority has just launched another proposal for israel to get back to the negotiation table they

even gave up the precondition of freezing the settlements which is a minimum. condition and they had suggested just a symbolic release of one hundred palestinian prisoners to get back to the go chaison table it would be these were to say no. and in a new year's message north koreans have been urged to make every effort to bring their country to prosperity and to fan its new leader kim jong il into the death it comes after a two day state funeral was held for his father kim jong il in the streets of the capital pyongyang. has been looking into what we know about the new had of the state. the death of the north korean dictator has raised questions and types over whether the dictatorship one of the last in the world who followed or would have us extremely close to trying to remain isolated on its new leader to do . so little is known about the late leaders the great successor his third and

youngest son came to an end he said pretty. the dark course even his age remains a subject of speculation his thought to be twenty seven or twenty eight his new ascension to power increases the media hunger for information about him so his expensive education in switzerland said lead tracked it's a lot more interest and entrepreneur in moscow with russian origins alys on a hug and she believes he could have been one of kim's classmates when news prior that kim charney may have gone to an elite school in this week's margins in late ninety's the businessman brought out his all the book to refresh his memory there were quite a few koreans. quieter than others. with the last name came. as kim is the most common name in korea alexander remembers that koreans always differed from all the students they were very disciplined they were

very disciplined as a group of students. very serious for their. they wouldn't always take part in fun and games at the other students were very hard studying to be top of the class he didn't like to do that although some think the deceased leaders son may be a figurehead overshadowed by his recently promoted uncle who's thought to wield the real power alexander says the three years channing has apparently spent in europe may change the country's future forever but i think. it will make him realize that he has to do something good for his people for his country. and make a change in terms of. past experience has his knowledge of foreign languages and the skills that he managed to do it in being able the outside world used to get most of the news from behind north korea's iron curtain through the country's

strictly censored state run media covering the live of the secrets of society from the inside has been an almost impossible task for international journalists but the details now emerging about the new leader is exposure to the liberal west or for a glimmer of hope that he may ease bag the rigid control over the two terran regime and begin to open north korea to the war old and maybe the war old to north korea. r.t. more sco our prospects for the struggling european currency remain low in the new year as the euro fell sharply at the end of twenty eleven debt burden countries are racing to implement more sturdy measures with spain announcing almost nine billion years in cuts investment advisor patrick young says he doubts the single currency still has a viable chance of survival. unfortunately 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 sham after another sham and they've been spelt summit 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 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 shape or form 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 one morning

we're going to wake up the euro will have changed if enormously another day we may wake up and there will be no euro whatsoever right now that probability is fifty fifty our best that the euro survives the next twelve months. a russian court has ruled it will not ban a religious book central to the hari krishna movement it rejected claims that the book was extremist in nature the case has angered hindus around the world and the court's decision was welcome by any us foreign ministry the trial was opened in the siberian city of tomsk in june prosecutors claimed that the russian translation of their religious book inside of hatred towards nonbelievers and social discord indian officials had made high level appeals not to ban the text before final hearings to place. i'll take a look at some other stories from around the world u.s. president barack obama has signed the defense bill with a price tag of six hundred sixty two billion dollars despite serious reservations by critics over how terror suspects will be handled under its provisions the new

law means any person can be detained without charge opponents also say the legislation gives more authority to the military to detain and interrogate people denying them constitutional rights. nigerian president goodluck jonathan has declared a state of emergency in response to the wave of violent attacks by islamist sect baka harami in a state address on saturday you valid to crush the terrorist group and condemn the christmas bomb blast that killed more than forty people means the closure of sections of nigeria's borders until further notice tens of thousands have fled their homes across the country because of the violence. in the south sudanese state john lay thousands of fighters from billoo new air tribe have laid siege to a town of one of their rivals members of the tribe stormed the board torching buildings stealing livestock and forcing scores from their homes u.n. troops deployed in the town were unable to prevent the attack this latest spate of

violence comes as the governor of the state and the vice president tam to mediate talks between the tribes. well that brings us up to date here on our brain. you our top stories stay with us.

whether you dive from high or to the depths. catch the power of the wind or drift in the beauty of the currents. the well prepared is a must and if you're lucky enough you'll never forget your experience only nice them a screen that's going to be heaven. in the white sea a cold and below the ice on r.t.e. wealthy british science. sometimes. markets why not come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with max cause or for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into kinds

a report on our. welcome back here with our team reminder of the top stories while the world welcomes twenty twelfth with fireworks celebrations and tell us as the holiday sweeps the globe north america has just greeted the new year as hundreds of thousands back to new york's times square for the symbolic ball dropping at midnight. in other news this week fresh clashes flare up in syria with dozens reported killed despite the arab league observers mission there. and president obama slaps new sanctions on iran over its atomic ambitions despite the iran saying it's ready for fresh talks to iran threaten to close off a key well supply route in the persian gulf. but next we visit the waters of the

white see above and below the ice to meet some curiously friendly mammals. the white sea its surface remains true to the ice for nearly seven months a year. the chilly breath of the arctic ocean peeps the water freezing cold. near the coast however the high winds and bitter cold recede. that even in winter can be seen through holes in the eyes. blood squeals and crushing sounds can often be good at rome the main thing. this is how so-called canaries of the sea communicate to. me typically.