thanks for being with us a three o'clock here in moscow karen tara ferals i have been held in syria for the victims of friday's bombing in the capital damascus at least twenty six were killed in what the government believes was a suicide attack thousands joined a funeral ceremony organized by the syrian authorities fiasco violence comes as arab league observers prepare to present their initial report on the situation activists claim hundreds have been killed since the monitoring team arrived two weeks ago trying criticism both from within syria and the arab group the mission is to broker a peace plan to end ten months of protests which the u.n. says has left more than five thousand people dead and also patrick heading something somewhere else in syria are being manipulated to promote regime change. a lot of these so-called human rights reports definitely skewed in favor of whatever the current western policies coming out of the u.s.

or london and paris and what they would like to see happen in syria which is me. people in the u.s. state department and the u.k. foreign office and the u.n. i want to frame this argument is that assad is having a crackdown on dissidents these are not dissidents these are in some cases armed insurgent and they're being backed in a material way by the u.s. and by some of these countries who actually are in the league guitar also has an interest in regime change in this country libya has sent al-qaeda fighters under the command of their tripoli governor to go and fight in syria this contravenes all united name and laws ok if the u.s. is actively involved in supporting this then they are culpable in international court. iran has announced it's planning to hold another round of naval trials in the harm a strait following its ten day maneuvers in the gulf that's been threatening to

block the world's most important oil route in response to u.s. and european sanctions britain says the move would be illegal are not successful in international waters american warships are also there to ensure the passage remains open but tapper on promises it will take action if u.s. warships sail through the strait last week near washington sanctions began targeting iran's financial an oil sectors to hamper its nuclear program france is calling for even tougher measures the editor of the corbett report current affairs website says pressure on iran further will eventually lead to war in the region. i 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 erodes iran 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 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. really just a recipe for military disaster i think live from moscow this is r t still have this hour a matter of life and death as prosecutors in egypt call for the deposed president

mubarak to hang on we hear why his execution could kill any hope for peace and the entire region. and europe still nursing a new year money hangal there with a warning that some states could already be in recession while greece may have to abandon the single currency altogether. and the u.s. republicans are holding key debates this weekend ahead of tuesday's primary new hampshire opinion polls put former massachusetts governor mitt romney as the front runner anti-war advocate hall and social conservative rick santorum are trailing far behind primaries and caucuses will take place in every u.s. state in the coming months before finally choosing a candidate at the party convention and all this the winner then takes on barack obama in november presidential election former congressional aide and diplomat michelle reuben told our affiliate on the ron paul stands out he's unlikely to secure or any other support but really. in 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 in the national affairs and some areas that can be good he's opposed to military action with the run he was opposed to the rock war but the other candidates are all extremely hawkish on foreign policy very conservative and ron paul does stand out among them makes voters want to support him by the spars and leading the party and getting other republicans on board to really. know he 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 of how much of a challenge president obama can still pose to them four years ago he was the

ultimate choice for millions of americans but today his army of supporters seems to be thinning as marine important i reports. four years ago one historic campaign turned u.s. politics into a pop culture phenomenon in. the world 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 a way each straight from the straight has been donated to a movement that became a phenomenon in two thousand and eleven other about 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 is up is over to us like that that's the thing that's inspiring you know like that's why i brought the fight so ws on 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 involved 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 get the newness is. 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 too 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're 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 you misinterpreted his. his mandate yet 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 and eight he was the unassailable candidate of choice this time mr obama is likely to stay in my default arena. new york some news were just getting in here at our team five policemen have been injured in a shootout with militants in russia's republic of chechnya the local investigative committee a says the officers were wounded while trying to reach militants in their hind out as we understand at the fierce fighting is ongoing and the extra troops are being sent to the area we'll keep you updated on developments as we get them. gyptian prosecutors this week demanded that the deposed president hosni mubarak be hanged for allegedly ordering the killing of protesters during last year's uprising there also seeking the death sentence for mubarak's former interior minister and

six other security chiefs more than eight hundred people died during the violence which forced mubarak out in february last year since his trial began in all this the eighty three year old has appeared on a stretcher due to poor health talk show host and author stephen leatherman believes the military rulers are using mubarak as a scapegoat to hide their own shortcomings that this is a distraction these. three east region including. believing the state. if he didn't try to absolve themselves of the process seems the worse no wonder the military and. note also the people running the country hussein was closely learned with no barry. you see because all the grievances the people who are too but i think the problem is.

the people won't be fooled the violence will continue to struggle that it will go calls for mubarak's execution are being seen as a part of a wider battle by egypt's military rulers to curb the ongoing public anger on the other front of the country's non-governmental organizations suspected of fueling the protests with foreign help as reports from cairo. the revolution may have toppled hosni mubarak the manager passions accuse of corruption and suffocating freedom but now it's the ruling supreme council of armed forces which finds itself in hot water with the west following raids on human rights organizations last week i feel this is a very dangerous situation because you have to elections on the one hand producing . but the people on the streets pushing for change of secularists who have links with these groups so that the big tension really between washington and kyra

left jobs cell phones and more than twenty boxes of documents were reportedly seized during raids by the police authorities promised all will be returned yet several questions remain what prompted the raids and what could possibly be so suspicious about energy all of the races in post revolutionary egypt. and the members of the arabic center for an independent judiciary never did get an official explanation for the confiscation of their documents or the victualling from their office that followed. we don't know what they were searching for we told them we could give them anything they wanted but they came in search of everything and didn't give a simple answer whether they wanted bank statements or anything else the money doesn't make him sitting on a sidewalk by their former office the vixen to n.g.o.s workers point out a certain irony this never happened when mubarak was in charge he says our surprise . to. the police like the. ticket system at least

this is you can't take a position. against the human rights activity and believe they should. see. this is a new year for us human rights activists in egypt believe the razer are attempts to punish them for accusing military rulers of failing to carry through democratic reforms but. western observers say the authorities are becoming increasingly wary of the ever watchful eye from washington and the true purpose of raids is to prove foreign funding over again is ations which authorities accuse of destabilizing egypt the seems to be a strand of opinion inside the military inside the state machine that. is very disillusioned with the old friendship with the west and may be trying to find evidence to prove that some of the trouble on the street some of the troubling times has been in some way fostered by these and. washington tirelessly repeats the

older dog of the importance of its relations with egypt as a key player in the middle east but boy talk may hide a very different agenda washington doesn't want stabilization they want permanent i need so that they can you know use that as a lever in the entire region egyptian activists aren't too happy with western help which they say can do more harm than good. and i don't like the way foreign countries pressure on egyptian authorities that's pressure has to come from the egyptians and we as a human rights organization should provide it with some of the common money from us whatever the real reasons for the raids of n.g.o.s offices the increasing internal strife in the country could portend a shipwreck not just for egypt's relations with the west but for the country's revolution in cairo. r.t. coming up in a few minutes why recchi freedom doesn't stretch to the country's journalists but

they merican troops gone reporters say they're being beaten and intimidated by the regime left in charge that's actually supposed to bring democracy. and libya releases hundreds of immigrant prisoners in the first amnesty is following gadhafi is death but we hear about the libyans taking their place for backing the wrong guy . some countries and late in europe. may already technically be the recession the warning came from the head of the international monetary fund christine legarde this week she also said that twenty twelve will be no walk in the park eurozone unemployment remains at a record high at the end of last year and consumer confidence style as the public felt the bite of cuts greece's prime minister warns the country faces a disorderly default in march if it can't secure more bailout cash to prop it up and the next few weeks will determine if it can stay in the euro economic analyst johan's and oversell says quick action is vital to avoid

a public revolt in great. degree cami 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 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 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 towards the exits of the euro zone and i think also here in europe at the brussels escorting the european commission people start 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. online we've more news and analysis from around the world here some of what's there now cyber criminals in israel will now be treated as terrorists it's after credit card details of almost half a million people were leaked online also. pointed out to believers all over russia and abroad celebrate the birth of jesus we report on the praising and the partying at our teeth dot com. since the final american troops left iraq the country is learning to cope by itself but the consequences are so brutal for some reporter sebastian meyer spoke to journalists who say instead of freedom and democracy they face imprisonment and even torture for questioning the u.s. backed government. this spring iraqis inspired by neighboring arab countries began

protesting against their government in a square in baghdad one which shares its name with the better known counterpart in cairo a tough guy. but iraqi journalists trying to cover these protests are all but silenced by the government security forces and today's iraqi journalists who speak out are routinely imprisoned beaten or just simply killed it seems to be a high level of intolerance or dissent or for public criticism of either government policies or particular leaders use it all to me a freelance journalist showed r.t. some shocking youtube footage from the protests this february that explicitly show iraqi security forces targeting him because he's a journalist. he shouts which is arabic for journalist over and over again but it makes the police more violent three or four maybe five

right police were around me one of them slapped me in the head other one kicked me in the and they kind of you know grabbed me fast yousif managed to escape arrest thanks to two foreign journalists who intervened but since the arrest of one of his colleagues he stopped covering protests altogether became hard for journalists for example to go to tahrir square i myself i don't go there i stopped there long time ago not because. i'm not that scared to be arrested. you know i'm worried to be mistreated we tried to speak to journalists who've been arrested in baghdad but everyone was too afraid to appear on camera so we came up here to the more peaceful kurdish region to see if the situation was any different here i met ahmed a young photographer who was arrested while covering similar protests in the kurdish region but after the interview he called to tell me he was scared of

reprisals from the government and asked to blur his face and change his name after his arrest in april he was imprisoned for four days and tortured. six men came to the room and started to shout at me and to beat me with cables then they gave me electric shocks they wanted me to admit that i hadn't been at the protest. when he was finally released after four days a friend took pictures of his wounds and published them in a local magazine immediately ahmed was rearrested as a punishment for publicizing his initial arrest. came and they held me for three days and made me sign a document declaring that i would not talk to the press again back in baghdad the government spokesman admitted to r.t. that individuals in the iraqi government were indeed using their powers to silence the press not just that people been. using there but this is again is not protected by the government the government is against that and i think and you can see that there are people in the midst of interior for example they

have misusing their their power against the citizen and there is this year and that is they keep accountable and some of them has been fired almost nine years after the invasion u.s. troops are home but what of the country they're leaving behind with politicians using the security forces to silence journalists it appears that iraq lacks any credible press freedom or freedom that is essential to any democratic country sebastian meier r.t. iraq. turning to some of the stories making headlines today first of the coast of new zealand a cargo ship which grounded three months ago has been torn in two by a storm spilling debris into the sea cleanup teams are on standby in case the remaining oil on board leaks out hundreds of tons of oil first gushed into the sea when the ship hit a reef devastating wildlife in the area and what's been described as new zealand's worst maritime disaster. and out again investigative commission is accusing the american military of abusing inmates held at the u.s.

run detention center and it's after prisoners gave numerous accounts of abuse and torture and follows president karzai demand that the base be handed over to afghan control the u.s. says it will investigate the allegations. and wave of sectarian violence targeting the christian minority has swept through eastern nigeria forcing hundreds from their homes attacks in the state of the wall killed at least thirty with the extremist islam the sect boko or rum thought to be behind them the group has carried out multiple bomb attacks during the past month killing dozens and has more and christians to flee the muslim dominated north. president is offering to help libya disarm its former rebels president bashir is wanted by the hague for genocide in his own country he's been visiting tripoli to thank libya's new leaders for removing gadhafi who is known to have backed sudanese militants human rights groups are outraged by bashir is offer to libya which he has yet to respond. the leader of

libya's transitional government admits the country could be sliding into civil war he says it's a likely outcome on less the m.t.c. takes control over militias and disarms them the country's justice system also remains a concern with thousands of still behind bars without ever being charged as oksana boyko reports. 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 prosecutor's decision while the new off the richest were eager to pain the release as a goodwill gesture both the determination 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 rather before 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 off the loyalist i beheld 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

tugged behind bars. now 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 the tunnel to run a good 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 the loop it beat you until you confess to things you haven't committed like entering homes or nothing 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 his most famous reason they're still doesn't have access to a lawyer and while many dollars say phil 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 shortly the story of an american vigilante waging a one man war on illegal migrants on the us mexico border that's after the headlines in just a couple minutes. well

the true science technology innovation all the news developments from around russia we've got the future covered. one stream cascading from mom slopes the view is miss mirage. but this beauty brings death and a speed of more than four hundred kilometers per. step is not

a long. morning's today violence is once again flared up the full these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. china operations are the day. could you take three. three. three.

three stooges. video for your media project a free media our t.v. dot com. thanks for being with us and happy as they are here's a quick look at your headlines syrians say their final farewells to the victims of friday's blast in damascus that's as arab league observers prepare to reveal their initial findings all the countries on the rest. iran announces plans for a new war games in the persian gulf after repeated threats to block a key oil route in response to you was signed european sanctions. and the mudslinging ramps up as u.s. republicans campaign for a chance to challenge obama while the president himself the same one supports slip away.