world news and much more twenty four hours a day this is r t civil rights groups have criticized president obama over a controversial defense bill he's authorized the military to indefinitely detain terrorist suspects without charge or trial unprecedented in u.s. history the bomber said serious concerns about parts of that has pledged it won't be hiding to americans who rights advocates are describing the bill as a blight on his legacy expect the white house to break its promises it comes as the notorious gone time of bay prison remains open despite the president's reelection about to shut it down by the beginning of twenty tent party report. long before he became u.s. president or a nobel peace prize winner barack obama was a constitutional law professor we have never been more energized by. a civil liberties champion turned charismatic candidate who vowed to reverse the

abuses and policies of his predecessor george w. bush four years later many civil rights advocates who once cheered yes we can are finding themselves saying no you can't not only has the obama administration blocked torture accountability and refused to investigate and prosecute. he's he's basically maintained indefinite detention has revived military commissions. and as we've seen as well he has expanded targeted killings so they've increased under the obama administration many fold and he's even authorize the killing of a u.s. citizen so you know i think yeah we're in a you know there is a bad state of civil liberties under the obama administration world renowned author and scholar noam chomsky believes the obama administration has changed gears and accelerated illegal practice into overdrive. between bush's policies and

obama's. push bush's policy was to kidnap people. whatever horrible them. put them to guantanamo. or some other poor. for some information obama has just kill. killing them all over the world. another is the targeting drone killing of anwar locky an american born cleric u.s. drone strikes during obama's first two years in office exceeded the total carried out during bush's tenure president obama described the walking as the leader of external operations for al qaeda in the arabian peninsula human rights groups which voiced international opposition against bush counterterrorism policies quickly condemned the killing journalist jeremy scahill says obama's policies have drifted

far from his political roots a president mccain doing the exact same thing that a president obama is doing would have been denounced by a lot of liberals and so we're at one of those dangerous moments in u.s. history and we saw it a bit with clinton in the ninety's where a democrat who campaigned on a pledge to change the you know the country in the world has actually pushed a right wing agenda further forward than a republican rip up republican could have if they remained in power or they took power or expanded power as obama gears up for his reelection campaign civil liberty groups that believed his words the first time around are now left to judge the commander in chief on his actions america's democracy is represented by a president who studied and fought the rule of law and is now armed with a duty to carry it out but critics say as long as obama raised by his own rules the constitution and his promise to change both i mean compromise hurried up or not

artsy new york. iran has successfully test fired several long range missiles on the last day of major naval exercises in international waters off the persian gulf it comes amid mounting western pressure on the country of its nuclear ambitions but tehran says it's ready to counter any attack by countries like israel the united. gates and it's reacted angrily to new u.s. sanctions targeting its central bank and financial sector around has been threatening to close the strait of hormuz the world's most important oil exporting nation to the nation and meanwhile the e.u. is mulling a bargain purchase of a reigning oil with a decision on that expected before the end of the month let's discuss this more with side mohammad marandi from the university of tehran here and he live but you are joining us iran has been holding these military exercises as we say for the past ten days and threatening to close a key oil does it only have itself to blame though for data centuries.

not at all i mean even if you look at what the u.s. presidential candidate ron paul has been saying he says that this sanctions on the iranian central bank by the american government has effectively an act of war so it is really the americans that are being provocative they are trying to make ordinary iranians suffer at the same time you see senior american officials and politicians constantly calling for the assassination of iranian scientists of iranian military commanders of politicians and the constant threat of attacking and bombing the country so really the problem lies with the united states the maneuvers in the persian gulf are basically to show the united states that iran is strong and can protect themselves and it is basically the only way in which to

force the united states to recognize that certain lines just simply shouldn't be crossed so ok we see these maneuvers but practically speaking does iran actually have the ability to carry out any threat of closing the strait of hormuz. well remember a just like an ordinary human being if you try to make it a human being suffocate. that there will still be a severe response if the americans and its allies try to make the iranian economy suffocate the iranians will have no option but to respond in a sea of severe manner and the iranians are far stronger than the americans would like to admit just recently they've brought down and captured the most sophisticated drone in the us military the iranians have blinded. cia satellite and if you recall in the two thousand and six war the israelis made the very same miscalculation they attack lebanon thinking it's good that it would be

a walkover but they were soundly defeated by hezbollah so the only difference though here is that this is a region where an extraordinarily large amount of oil and gas. goes through and if there is insecurity in the region it's not just the strait of hormuz if there is a conflict in the persian gulf tankers who will be at risk insulations will be it was war as hell so it's not at all just the strait of hormuz and this instability will go beyond the persian gulf it will i think oh oil exports and gas exports will be at risk in central asia and throughout the middle east and there will be a lot of backlash from the public throughout the region so given what you say there is a real war in the region possible. i personally think that it is doubtful but the problem is is that the united states is pushing this conflict this confrontation in

a direction which is becoming dangerous and if the united states bullies other countries into. blockading iranian oil exports or bullies in countries and into and stopping to stop them from buying iranian oil then and if countries in the region like saudi arabia any reason go along with such a project even though it's highly unlikely they'll be able to do so because the saudis really don't have that much excess capacity for producing oil but if they go down this road then as ron paul said this is this would be considered an act of war and they cannot simply expect the iranians to sit back and to be hurt and damaged and not do anything in response while the tension the certainly ratcheting up on them western states are really putting on the pressure just today the french foreign ministry said the missile tests by iran were a bad sign what's the next step off the sanctions that the west might take then.

well it is extraordinary that the french would say this here they are completely silent when the americans constantly actually threaten iran with bombing the country they are silent when western governments try to sanction the iranian central bank that means what the americans and the europeans are basically trying to do is to prevent ordinary iranians from living an ordinary life from living like ordinary human beings they want people in iran to suffer that's what they did in gaza and that's what they're doing in syria too that's what the sanctions in syria are all about it's interesting just recently just a few days a couple of days ago. they had funded polls in syria which just came out and they show that the majority of syrians actually support the current president and this is a biased terry funded poll yet this you do not see this in the western press so while the majority of syrians actually backed the president the americans are forcing the people of the country to suffer this is this is inhuman this is pretty

barbaric and the europeans and americans they allow themselves to punish ordinary people yet they when. they understand the point there but sticking to a wrong and these sanctions isolate iran have a negative effect on its economy and as you say maybe on its people as well but will iran get to a point where it thinks it has nothing to lose and become even more audacious. well first of all despite american and european attempts to hurt the iranians the iranian economy is actually growing if you look at recent i.m.f. reports the iranian economy is growing faster than european economies and the american economy so far the sanctions have not that sort of have not had the effect that americans wanted them to the iranians want stability and the iranians want reason to prevail the problem is that the united states is behaving in an irrational manner by constantly threatening the country if the united states behaves in

a more humane manner if it becomes if it becomes more reasonable and for example the russian proposal to step for step proposal to resolve the nuclear issue if the americans actually. see that as a way out then i think there's a there is a solution but the problem is that many in the eyes of many iran is the americans really do not want the nuclear issue to be resolved because they simply do not recognize iran as an independent state because iran opposes american hegemony ok we'll leave it there for now whether that was side one hundred one and the from the university of tehran joining us there thank you. it was all to come this marking ten years of the euro. they can't bring themselves to admit that it was a mistake and so i'm afraid we risk the very thing they purport to fear which is a disorderly breakup of the euro caused by having tried to keep it together for too long mood is often jubilant for millions of europeans twenty twenty twelve the

currency that's failed in the up to expectations has leaked prospects ahead. and the restaurateur who spotted a opportunity during the last days of the soviet union secrets in a new series find. some other world news in brief we now first to syria where the arab league chief says the game has gone heavy weapons including tanks from cities and create about three thousand five hundred prisoners but we head over there on that gunfire and snipers still pose a danger and called for an end to the shooting of protesters. now the u.n. has advised villagers in south sudan to the from advancing fighters of a rival tribe of people was the center of into ethnic clashes on saturday they were forced from their homes as a local hospital and several other buildings were set on fire the government says

it's deploying police officers and troops to the town in order to bring the conflict under control thousand people have died in clashes over the past few months which has sparked my cattle raids. riot police in bahrain of clashed with hundreds of demonstrators at the funeral of a fifteen year old protester killed a day. to text korea where south korea's president is offering the north's new leader kim jong un new talks if you agreed to suspend nuclear activities and he said in a new year's speech that the korean peninsula is a turning point one against which a provocation by north korea want out of nuclear talks in two thousand and eight after objecting to south korea's requests to inspect its atomic facilities the comments come just after kim jong un was named ruling party leader four in the death of his father. now

a new year celebrations for many people in the euro zone where in the tough current economic climate in many predicting a further financial misery twenty twelve will see a severe test for the euro as it fights for survival the single currency is now in circulation for decades but it leaves millions of europeans anything but optimistic as artists also reports i. the birth of an ambitious project a common currency celebrated with no less than the big bang. i . draw your. parents to. bury. here ten years down the road the euro is not in the best of shape. spiralling sovereign debt

crisis credit downgrades rising interest rates tens of millions unemployed budget cuts and violent protests. the euro's growing undergoing the worst crisis it has ever been and obviously the founders of the of the euro did not hope that this would happen for what began as a step towards a united europe has become a race against time with leaders scrambling to keep it together. era skeptics along argue that the euro was flawed from the start pursuing a political dream above all else well they say lumping together polar opposite economies like that of greece and germany into a monetary union could never work economic rationality has been thrown out of the window in the pursuit of this goal and we now reaping the consequences of a couple that with internal squabbles and deadlocks there has to be a sign from somewhere that some economic entity that is credible is going to ship

to back every euro zone and there are only two or three entities that can do that what is european central bank the other is basically the german government and neither of them right now are willing to do it but this exhibit shows the journey of the european union and the creation of the single currency with documented events in history that explain why it would have been appealing to decision makers at the time so much so the crux of the fundamentals may have been overlooked or ignored which brings us to this point ten years after the creation of the euro its appeal has waned and despite last ditch efforts to save it its future is still uncertain in the spirit of the new year we asked for some predictions but one can be sure of is that this crisis is going to be a long and bumpy road however if you would ask me do you think that the euro would still exist in ten years time my answer would be yes they can't bring themselves to admit that it was a mistake and so i'm afraid we risk the very thing they purport to fear which is

a disorderly breakup of the euro caused by having tried to keep it together for too long downgrades almost certainly i think you'll see a french downgrade i still think this is solvable if the political will is shown in certain member states to allow for what is called solidarity in europe. and if not if not we are in for a huge huge recession in europe in my prediction that at least greece will leave the euro in the next year and what happens beyond that is unpredictable euro watchers may have divergent views of the single currencies future but it seems whichever way the euro goes it won't be painless does or cilia r.t. brussels. more news and analysis always available online at r.t. dot com some of what's lined up you. discover more about the leading lights of the bolshoi theatre also enters the father of the nutcracker the celebrating is eighty

fifth birthday today. you. also find out more about the first newspaper ever printed in russia which was created on the border into the great on this day three centuries ago read all about it at r.t. dot com don't forget you can watch all of our best videos on you tube channel. the modern world of satellite imaging gives us a glimpse into most parts of the globe from our computers until now israel has been protected from close up images but a new tech or satellite will see put in then to the countries zoom in back as israel's former ally prepares to launch its high tech satellite the country fears being watched and is worried about its security reports. israel's leaders are

worried and they've good reason to be in just a matter of months they'll be nothing stopping satellite companies from getting up close and personal. thank you. not to enable me to very high resolution imagery. until now only the americans had the technology capable of taking images greater than two meters per pixel resolution and american law stopped us companies from distributing the pictures the americans very sensitive security demands and scrutiny of plays along with it which means even with google earth one can zoom into israel but only so far to feature a look at specific parts of israel many of them will come out blurry than any other place in the world that i've checked but that's about to change turkey is putting the finishing touches to a military satellite it plans to launch within the next two years the gawked took

satellite will be capable of taking the very pictures tel aviv doesn't want distributed and there are no american star legal qualms in turkey about upsetting its photosensitive neighbor took it could be sold directly or indirectly some of these injury to him and his office road and that's the fear here especially because tensions between tell of ever danko are at an all time low and aid for to the attempt on gaza two years ago that left nine to and cause expulsion of the israeli ambassador has tel aviv nervously weighing its options the irony is that it was not so long ago that the gawked took satellite would have spelled good news for israel the two countries cooperated extensively often sharing military intelligence but whereas turkey was once israel's a closest ally in the muslim world today it is ankara that is asserting itself without a television as a powerful player in the region turkey is trying to say that he isn't really not to be granted the special. services. that if used to have

a saying these are military and is not the playground of. the phone companies everyone should abide by the same laws and have the same standards one satellite is barely enough. to put israel's picture shy world in a spin but this is not a country that wants its neighbors knowing its business especially with an arab world in flux and israel fast losing former friends policy r.t. and a veil on israel. just what does it take to become a successful entrepreneur in russia in our new pathfinder series we hear from the foreigners have explored the vast potential in the world's biggest country. yesterday we hear from an entrepreneur and restaurateur whose appetite for adventure helped him carve a new career in russia during the dying days of the soviet union henrik spotted an

opportunity to build a restaurant empire across the country and reveals now his special recipe for success running a business and russia. is challenging for different reasons. in the west the risk in the reward. equation applies to russia. there's a great opportunity in the market and your return on investment here is higher than you would expect. in the west is justified by the relatively high risk that one has to face in the market it was nine hundred ninety one came in september and the collapse of the soviet union was six months later i was new in the country i didn't speak the language but what was interesting and challenging at the same time was that things were changing really what was changing and how things were going change was totally unpredictable so opening up

a restaurant in russia. was something truly unique back then there were no restaurants. in russia there was a total restaurants and this was basically the third restaurant in the soviet union and a country of three hundred eighty million people a swiss restaurant. with fondue one steak. season and things like that it's funny the story about the sea is the style of the situation in russia is quite unique because the season salad is on literally every menu in the whole country why that is so in my opinion is when we play the key dish it was a caesar salad it was prepared in front of the guests by the waitresses a lot of people had to learn how to make this you thought well as the years went on and new restaurants opened up one of the things that everybody knew was to make a seasons out so it was

a recipe that was kind of passed out among the few professionals in the restaurant business in those days the influence of the pioneers yes you felt it but really it was later on. one realized the profound impact. that one had in those days at the time it wasn't that it was just surviving it was just trying to do things right and get the business going in the beginning in the first couple of years it was very much the pioneer work opening up a new concept by the late ninety's it was very much starting to become a more competitive market you had to be good you had to offer something special because in the beginning you opened up a restaurant it was for the next day you didn't have to try very hard so i set out really to make a strategic shift away from just opening up restaurants to. implementing it. customer service and distraction and that started with training programs

because the restaurant business has a relatively weak turnover of staff we would teaching bringing knowledge to a huge number of people all of the workforce for a while and many of them left all the restaurant and so forth so we were the professional kind of drove model for professional knowledge in the restaurant business how do you later to become ill patio was hugely successful likewise the planet as general manager. throughout these many years four hundred restaurants three years ago i started opening my own restaurant now the same restaurants but as a franchise the have today twelve restaurants it's a business that requires a lot of reflection in every kind of execution that personal touch. it's the small things that count but that's not special for russia it's everywhere but

surely it's a requirement for russia because here again the competitive environment has become so tight that you need to be really really good to be successful. yes and that will be meeting more business trailblazers in the russian capital a special pathfinder series and the next two weeks here not me. but sports team will bring you the best of twenty leavening leading diving in at the deep end. and this is the chance to see these pictures from the al ten lego cliff diving well championships next take the plunge with our sports but it's and to find that. amazing body back in the headlines in a few moments stay with us. the

. white stream cascading from mom's slopes the view is miss mirage. but this beauty brings deaths at a speed of more than two hundred kilometers from. a step in the eye of

a long one on. the. line in russia would be so much brighter if you knew all about sun from funniest impressions some. nice friends start on t.v. dot com. us.

well. time for a look at the headlines now i know. there's uproar in the u.s. says the president authorizes a law to detain terrorist suspects without charge trial all the right to defense rights advocates are calling the unprecedented measures a blight on madonna's legacy. iran test fires long range missiles during naval drills in the persian gulf and says it's prepared to hit back if it's attacked comes a western nations plan to impose further sanctions targeting it or the financial sectors and iran threatens to shut off.