kerry johnston a very warm welcome to funerals have been held in syria for the victims of friday's bombing in the capital damascus and least twenty six were killed in what the government believes was a suicide attack thousands joined a funeral ceremony organized by the serial forces the escalation of violence comes as our league observers prepare to present their mission report an ongoing conflict activists claim scores have been killed since the monitoring team arrived two weeks ago serve as a means to broker a peace plan and end ten months of protest which the u.n. says has left more than five thousand people dead when jordan based political analyst hisham kassem believes some opposition forces are behind the violence. right from the start the demonstrations were not truly peaceful and there were many incidents of. gangs perpetrating crimes against the army against the

security forces against the civilians and of course there were denying it the so-called opposition were denying it for a long time but now everything has become clear these terrorist acts these shameful terrorist acts are a clear indication that there are armed gangs and there are terrorists working in syria to disrupt their life in syria they are not aiming their aggression only against their regime but against the whole syrian people and against the whole syrian homeland obviously what we where we are witnessing in in syria is not a revolution but actually it is a very ugly conflict to dismantle not only the syrian regime but to change the whole area has nothing to do with democracy and freedom and that there are certain forces international forces and local forces as well which are actually trying to change the situation in the area for geo political reasons. respective of the costs

that will actually be imposed on the syrian people on the whole area. iran has announced it's planning to hold another round of naval drills in the home straight following its ten day maneuvers in the gulf it's been threatening to block the wells most important all right to response to u.s. and european sanctions britain says that would be illegal and unsuccessful to national waters american warships are also there to ensure the press it remains open but iran promises it will take action u.s. warships sailed through the strait last week in washington sanctions began targeting iran's financial and oil sectors to hamper its nuclear program progress is calling for tougher measures and the editor of the colbert report current affairs website says pressuring iran further vention to warn and. think it's quite remarkable to think that france and the us and other countries would be willing to step up sanctions that have already had such a profound effect on the iranian people on the basis of their hunch that era to run

is developing nuclear weapons as as france has basically put it it's quite remarkable because that really does is tantamount to an act of war and and really the i think the only logical outcome for this is another increase in military tensions between the countries involved in that region that are already on the knife edge of military tension so it is quite an explosive thing to be talking about and i think of the escalation in recent weeks with the recent ten day military drill in in the straits of hormuz has to be weighing heavily on the minds of of the u.s. and others but but i think really the idea that iran would really close off the straits of hormuz or attempt to do so would only be an absolute last measure resort for a country that relies on the importation of refined gasoline and other things through the very straits that they would be a sensibly sabotaging and planting mines in so it's it's quite remarkable to think that that iran would do that in any other situation other than they felt that the

entire existence of their country was under threat so adding more sanctions to to the mix is is. it's really just a recipe for military disaster i think for live from moscow this is our taste so they had this hour a matter of life and death as prosecutors in egypt call for ousted president mubarak to. head why his execution could kill any peace in the entire region. and europe still missing a new money warning that some states could really be a recession greece may have to abandon the single currency now together. in the u.s. republicans are holding key debates this weekend ahead of tuesday's primary in new hampshire opinion polls put former massachusetts governor mitt romney as a front runner for the french. for a distant second in the polls primaries and caucuses will take place every u.s. state in the coming months before finally choosing

a candidate the party can go on its own when it then takes on barack obama in november presidential election from a congressional aide diplomat who's been told r.t. that on the run paul stands out he's unlikely to secure enough support. for his foreign policy is very distinct from the other candidates in that he has a more isolationist viewpoint he wants the united states to retreat from international conflicts that fares in some areas that can be good he's opposed to military action with the rod who are supposed to be iraq war but the other candidates are all extremely hawkish on foreign policy very conservative and ron paul does stand out among makes voters once. spars leading the party and getting other republicans on board that really. hasn't done that someone who says i am a free american and i can make it on my own and that's what ron paul really embodies but republicans also understand that kind of positioning will not win the

general election against president obama. as the republican campaign ramps up there's a growing question over how much of a challenge president obama can still post to them four years ago he was the ultimate choice for millions of americans but today his obvious supporters seems to be thinning as maria point now reports. four years ago one historic campaign turned us politics into a pop culture phenomenon and. it's very wrong the democratic candidate achieved unprecedented support international fame and a record breaking six hundred fifty million dollars in donations. thousands of new yorkers celebrated the victory clutching an enormous american flag hand sewn by obama supporters but the winds have changed and the very same

democratic symbol waved in honor of the president elect in no way each straight from a straight has been donated to them lou find that became a phenomenon in two thousand and eleven there are twenty people holding up david move food out organize the flag project after being inspired by obama rhetoric a dream shattered by the subsequent years of politics as usual curly what's inspiring me as a as a lot of us like that that's the thing that's inspiring you know like that's why i brought the fight so ws and the thing that inspired me about it is the fact that it's a grassroots movement. that had a like a very clear and transparent process artist shepard fairey seems similarly just an chanted releasing an updated version of his iconic hope poster replacing obama with his now clear support for occupy wall street with an economy still in crisis wall street largely unregulated social programs slashed and over forty five million citizens on food stamps it all starts with making

a decision to get in obama's familiar prose may not be enough to win back his familiar fan base who didn't produce what people wanted him to produce in two thousand and eight professor and author dr cornel west was one of obama's biggest supporters i think you get the beers you got the nooses. at the freshness taking part in more than one hundred campaign events but last april the prominent intellectual told r.t. that obama has failed he's the friendly face of the american empire abroad he's in the process actually of becoming very sadly a pawn of big finance and a puppet of big business and any politician here knows they are in trouble when the hollywood a listers start turning their backs are you happy with the way that obama has been running the country. now and i think i

really think he misinterpreted his. yes the approval ratings show voters are even more turned off with the alternatives leaving obama seemingly the lesser of two evils america's president clearly enters the twenty twelve race amid a growing band of disillusioned democrats most will still back barack obama over his republican rivals arguably with heavy hearts in two thousand eighty was the unassailable candidate of choice this time mr obama is likely to stay in my default. artsy new york egyptian prosecutors this week demanded that ousted president hosni mubarak behind for eventually ordering the killing of protesters during last year's uprising but also seeking the death sentence from the home to a minister and six other security chiefs more than eight hundred people died during the violence which of course out in february last year since his trial began in

august and three year old has appeared on a stretcher into poor health international relations professor mark owen says an execution could shatter the entire region. the. demonstrations. are already present in st. louis places. one of them going straight. to. why the route. we're in the wooden bar. so you. find kind of quaint which china has now. confirmed are not sure in fact i can. hear rock music but you can break down.

well that we report from a neighboring libya in a few minutes where prison policy means being on the right side at the right time despite hundreds of prisoners being released in the states i think. we look at the libyan people who are taking their place one guy also. what drives me it's the ability to influence. it's not making money or. you know being a boss or things like that it's you know doing being successful by doing good and making money. foundation course in that building a modern russia an ex-pat texan build it surrounds us while he's reaching for the sky here he's almost as profit to. some countries in debt laden europe may already technically be in recession when in came from the head of the international monetary fund christine the god this week

said that twenty twelve will be no walk in the park. any moment of may. at the end of last year consumer confidence well as the public felt the full bite of cuts greece is prime minister warned this country faces a disorderly default in march the consequent cash to prop it up next few weeks with time if it didn't stay in the euro. since quick action is vital to avoid the public voting to raise. the greek economy is going down like a stone. g.d.p. contracted by four percent in two thousand and ten by six percent in two thousand and eleven and there is probably worse to come in two thousand and twelve and i think we are now at the point where everybody in greece realizes that we cannot go on like this and that the unrest and even in the country is becoming so much of a threat that some drastic things need to be done and my reading of what the greek

government is doing is that they are trying to that they are looking for an alibi to offer to their public by which they can say well it's not our fault it's the international community that pushes this to work the exit of the euro zone and i think also here in europe at the brussels that's what is of european commission people starting to realize they really are at the end of the road there is no other option left for them they're in a deadlock they cannot rewind the greek economy and so they are facing in a big black hole. well in la and we have more news and analysis from around the world here's some of what's there right now cyber criminals in israel will now be treated just terrorists south of credit card details of almost half a million people with leaked online also. the. the. docs

believe is a live in russia and abroad celebrate the birth of jesus reports on the praising and the policy. sudan's president has offered libya his help in disarming former rebels. syria was in tripoli to thank its new leaders for getting rid of moammar gadhafi he was known to have backed sudanese militants sherry's wanted by the hague for genocide in his country he rights groups condemned his visit and question the priorities of the new leaders but analysts say they're just following the west's example. gordon brown shaking hands with get our feet in two thousand and nine at the g eight summit in italy or for example tony blair shaking hands with gadhafi in two thousand and seven just outside of his hometown where he was killed in certain two thousand and seven so i mean i think yes there are double standards here first at the same time western leaders are very open to doing this and do this themselves as well which is support the libyan

rebels who are fighting against gadhafi and have good material reasons to do so for a long time sit down in libya get out these libya. head and you can understand why bashir wanted gadhafi out and why now having supported speech the rebel uprising there would be some attempt to kind of welcome him. into libya no i must say that so many found of the national transitional council most of the time they weren't even in libya at all the people on the council themselves so off cozying up and getting the approval of western governments to lead libya rather than orienting themselves for the libyan people and actually fighting for democracy there i find it very striking that you have no question. criticizing the libyans for engaging with their neighbors and sorting out diplomatic relations always just i'm staggered by the battle of these human rights groups basically with a human right as missionaries in the nineteenth century wielded the bible in the

ten commandments to basically civilized countries seem to be inferior and incapable of governing their own countries and people with leader of libya's transitional government admits the country could be sliding into civil war he says it's a likely outcome unless the m.t.c. takes control of the militias and disarms them the country's justice system also remains a concern with thousands still behind bars without ever being charged and looks on a boy to report. it was one of the first amnesty of the new libya hundreds of men and women many of them sub-saharan immigrants released from a makeshift prison most of them spent several months in captivity for the crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. yes we are releasing those who didn't commit serious crimes there's been no one on their hands will be waiting for the prosecutors as it was when you off the riches were eager to pain the release as a goodwill gesture both the detention and the parole seemed entirely arbitrary some

of the dictators supporters as these people to be just work for government agencies and others happen to be domestic helpers or government workers and now equal before the law or rather if in the absence of it they are all still in prison was triple his top detention facility under gadhafi the tories for its mistreatment and arbitrary killings of inmates but while all of its prisoners rest south free in late august as the rebels are on the capital dozens possibly even hundreds of makeshift prisons sprang out around the country according to u.n. estimates up to seven thousand allowed to get out the loyalists are being held there a little chance for justice a fair trial just a year ago this place used to be a school today demain last i'm being told here is that during the transition to democracy quick reactions are a must when many in the new libyan government held positions of power under gadhafi

those who failed to jump on the bandwagon early enough and now finding themselves talking behind bars. you know in libya there are about a thousand people in detention and the problem is they haven't had any legal review they haven't had access to a lawyer they haven't been brought before any independent judicial panel or judges so that's what we're calling for now is a quick and. legal review and rebuilding the justice system the treatment is even more brutal outside tripoli they tell not to regard the gadhafi forces used to launch attacks against misrata is still a ghost town many of its former residents live in refugee camps and even their extraordinary renditions by militia are common this man says he was tortured for several days before finally being released. to you until you confess to things you haven't committed like entering homes or looting it's a grueling dilemma many of these mothers and wives have to confront to pray for

their loved ones to be rotting in a prison with torture being officially acknowledged ditto for their deaths children need their fathers and women need their husbands the government isn't doing anything to find them if they're dead that we want to know where they are more than a month since he's captured this most famous reason they're still doesn't have access to a lawyer and while many dollars safe will islam's ability to have a fair trial he still appears to be better off than many of his countrymen at least thanks to the limelight he's not running a risk of being executed like his father while many still are. artsy tripoli. or turning out to some of the stories making headlines today and first the coast of new zealand and a cargo ship which grounded three months ago has been torn in two by storm it's burning debris into the sea cleanup teams are on standby in case the remaining oil on board leaks out hundreds of tons of oil first got into the sea when the ship hit

a reef devastating wildlife in the area that's been described as new zealand's worst maritime disaster. an afghan investigative commission is accusing them merican military of abusing inmates held at the u.s. one attention center. after prisoners gave numerous accounts of abuse and torture and follows president karzai has demanded that the base be one day with the afghan . control the u.s. says it will investigate the allegations. a wave of sectarian violence targeting the christian minority has swept through eastern nigeria forcing hundreds from the homes attacks in the state of killed at least thirty extremist islamist sect thought to be the one that has multiple bomb attacks during the past month killing dozens has warned christians to leave the muslim dominated north. with me over the rounds presenters and barking on his fifth visit to latin america since

two thousand and seven of a new jobs being created stops in venezuela nicaragua cuba ecuador john boast around ties with the region for the movies being heavily criticised by washington as a sign of desperation in the press sanctions were imposed on iran for its edged weapons program tehran claims it's only seeking peaceful nuclear energy. well throughout the week r.t. has been the following of foreign entrepreneurs who have been making it big in russia turned out to meet today's pathfinder. before any business to power head you need the right facilities and that's where texan chris van reid comes in he explains now his part in raising a modern moscow skyline while learning a whole new way of doing things. we have. a vision which is we want to bring global

business to the russian marketplace so we're extremely motivated by this and what that means is you know taking away the grand idea is you know we want to help global business to be more effective in achieving their business objectives in russia and we do that by providing them with financial capital in the form of real estate so we build factories distribution centers and production plants for global businesses who are serving in the russian marketplace occurred to me that this is a very rich part of the world with stream lee intelligent people and they just get reorganized in this part of that reorganization there's gonna be all sorts of opportunities so it was the idea of really observing and participating in as you can as a foreigner to the extent you can as a foreign rather in there the rebuilding of the economy that drew me here i remember specifically coming out and she didn't want to i remember driving the city and seeing the ukraine hotel which was you know it's a beautiful building and you know it's that gothic style mystic type of architecture and it's strongly imposing is

a beautiful day and i realized that i was in a different part of the world you know this intimidating quite stimulating took me about a year to kind of come to grips with the differences and finally i summarise it for myself as following in the united states when i when i worked on wall street for anything we're working on there's basically a process you went through that process was twenty six steps and you go a b. c. d. and you're just overcome every step of the process and it's the result of what i realized in russia is that that approach didn't work and it would confuse the heck out of me because i said well wait a second we've got to get organized we all have the same goal how do we achieve that goal and what i realize that actually if you took a american approach to doing business in russia you could not be successful. because the rules of the game were information certainly in the ninety's and so there was no be there was an a and there was an end result and to get the result you had to kind of sort of move in a straight line you had to sort of expend enormous amount of energy just to keep

people on a common track towards the ultimate goal and you know sort of managing chaos and pushing it and nudging it to the desired result so once i learned that i realize that in order to be successful here it's stubbornness is extremely important where all the products of our upbringings and i was you know a child in a large family with you know wonderful loving parents and. you know wonderful loving and energetic brothers one was two years older than me and the other was four years older than me and for all of my childhood they were physically stronger than me and you know boys will be boys they will wrestle they will punch they will kick and if you get knocked down stand back up and you know maintain your composure and your integrity and things will work out well success has many fathers failure is an orphan and i feel that you know it's very hard for people. you know in this part of the world to accept failure and our mission is to you know continue to build out our existing projects in the south of moscow which is

a you know globally relevant product in the side and then replicate to a smaller extent the same type of concept across the major markets in russia you know currently we have as our major customer john deere we designed built in own their major factor in russia republic trucks is also an existing customer of ours we've done work for mcdonald's and we're negotiating relationships partnerships with kind of the who's who of the fortune five hundred were active in russia and looking to get more active so that's really our ambition is how do we help these you know great businesses to tap into the potential the russian marketplace and how do we save them from experiencing many of the frustrations that i experienced you know as an entrepreneur so our job is to hell. you know see that is a process to doing business in russia and it's not an unknown at the end of the day i do what i do because i enjoy knowing that i'm influencing things for the positive so when i go look at our project and i look at the customers we serve and i talk to

our customers and i see that they are quite happy with the results we've achieved for me that gives me enormous pleasure and that really is what drives me it's the ability to influence things it's not making money or you know being the boss or things like that it's you know doing. being successful by doing good and making money we want to be profitable but we want to really be doing something that develops this country in a positive way. shortly the storms ahead as we outline the financial forecast for the year before that i'll update you on the headlines in just a couple minutes to. the.

world with. science technology innovation all these developments from around russia we've got the future covered.

wealthy british style it's. right on. target. markets why. happening to the global economy because the report. more news today. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. corporation today.

the week's top stories in today's news now from syrians say their final farewells to the victims of friday's blast in damascus that's out of the observers prepared to reveal their initial findings on the country's unrest. iran announces plans for a new war games in the persian gulf repeated threats to keep its response to u.s. and european sanctions. the mud slinging u.s. republicans campaign. so far.