with a look back at the past seven days and the latest developments this is the weekly on r.t. fresh clashes have broken out across syria with at least eleven government troops and ten civilians reported killed the violence rages on as the arab league gathers to discuss the progress of its observer mission to the country critics say the league's failing to oversee a peace plan and of which the syrian regime agreed to end its crackdown on protesters more than one hundred civilians have allegedly been killed by government troops since the first observers arrived last month on friday doesn't start in a suicide bombing in the capital damascus which the regime is blaming on terrorists . claims his forces are fighting an armed insurgency funded from abroad and some observers agree. right from the start the demonstrations were not truly peaceful but there were many incidents of. perpetrating crimes against the army against the security forces against the civilians and of course

there were denying it the so-called opposition 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 life in syria they're not aiming their aggression only against their regime but against the whole syrian people against the whole syrian obviously what we we're witnessing 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 it 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 and on

the whole area. iran says it's planning new military exercises near the strategic strait of hormuz following its ten day maneuvers in the persian gulf tehran also renewed its threat to close the strait that's one of the world's most important oil routes in response to u.s. and european sanctions last week new washington sanctions began targeting iran's financial and oil sectors to hamper its nuclear program france is even calling for tougher measures as well meanwhile the chording two and it raining newspaper iran has begun to rein him in richmond the peaceful purposes at a well protected underground facility near the city of qum ass and continue to accuse iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons a charge to randomize editor of the colbert report card affairs website says pressuring iran further and eventually lead to war in the region. i think it's quite remarkable to think that france and the u.s. 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 really just a recipe for military disaster i think. still ahead the fate of a dictator as prosecutors in egypt call for the death penalty for ousted president mubarak we hear why his execution could result in more violence for the whole region. europe is in for a rough ride this year is recession and economic instability creep closer towards the heavyweights. and stories to come but first in america the race for the presidency is in full swing with six republican hopefuls competing for the chance to challenge barack obama in november as vote front runner mitt romney is taking flak from his republican rivals who dismissed him as a mere business manager but romney has a comfortable lead after the iowa caucus this week ahead of the first primary vote in new hampshire in just two days time voting will take place across the u.s.

in the coming months before a single presidential candidate is chosen at the republican party convention in the . season politician. paul is trailing far behind. and former congressional aide. that's because i think that gender is appealing but not the members of his politicians because he took so much money from the 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. affairs 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 neo conservative and ron paul does stand out amongst them voters want to see him. leading the party and getting other republicans on board to really change the agenda no he hasn't 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 that kind of positioning will not win the general election against president obama. as the republicans slug it out for the right to take on a bomb of the president himself is ratcheting up support for his reelection bid but with his approval rating down and the economy still on the ropes some of those who voted for the yes we can man back in two thousand and eight say they made a mistake. as more. four years ago one historic campaign turned us politics into a pop culture phenomenon. free for 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 you know wait you just straight from a straight has been donated to the movement that became a phenomenon in two thousand and eleven there are twenty people holding out david mulford 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 up 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 in 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 you 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 perfessor an offer dr cornel west was one of obama's biggest supporters i think you get the beers you get the newness he's. 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. 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. you know. and i think i really think he 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 by default. r.t. new york. well still to come this hour for you the new toy in the sky turkeys to launch a military satellite that could give the rest of the world closeup images of israel

for the very first time also. reaching for the skies well arty's pathfinder series meets a texan builder who shares his experience in creating new opportunities for business in russia. egyptian prosecutors this week demanded else to president hosni mubarak be hanged for allegedly ordering the killing of protesters during last year's uprising and also seeking the death sentence for the country's former interior minister and six other security chiefs moscow's expressed concern over the possible death penalty and call for a more humane verdict for the more than eight hundred people died during the violence which forced mubarak out in february last year since his trial began in august the eighty three year old has appeared on a stretcher due to poor health international relations professor mark ullman says an execution could bring more violence to the region. the. demonstrations. and street.

one of. the. under mr goodbar instance can hire a person. fire and say there's no current which i knew was marie. explain more than my life so in fact why the perspective if you are your sex you can do great damage. to. russia's republican chechnya now where several security service officers have been wounded and two reportedly killed in a shootout with militants reports suggest two militants also died. but the other culture never has the latest from the caucasus region. lisa conti terror

operation is still going on between russian special forces and the terrorists in the south of the republic. when these terrorists were found they refused to surrender they opened fire and the police fired back the main hideout of terrorists it was also packed with explosives and weapons according to the latest information there are from five to turn terrorists there are still on the run and at the moment russian special forces are surrounding this area russia's a north caucasus still remains quite volatile and basically a range of the most dangerous place in the country but still change in comparison to other regions that surround this area has seen the number of terror attacks decreased in the last twelve months so really is this operation that we've been seeing today is such a big is a big thing for the whole republic but in the other regions and own the contrary

the number off attacks and terror raised increased in the last twelve months and according to russia's interim ministry over three hundred militants were killed in a race and among them was a chief al qaida operative of the north caucasus basically russian authorities have been repeatedly underlying the connection often militants there present here in the north caucasus with al qaida but despite a number of first successful anti terror raids and a dozen terror attacks that were prevented by russian special forces still the problem terrorism remains here and search operations continue it. thomas as in world news in briefly the first to nigeria where days of sectarian violence have killed at least forty four the latest attack occurred when the radical muslim sect of baka harm targeted a church service in the country's northeast killing at least fifteen the violence

comes after the group promised to kill christians living in nigeria's largely muslim north and nigeria's president has declared a state of emergency for areas affected saying the unrest is worse than the country's civil war which took place in the one nine hundred sixty s. . afghan investigative commission says the american military abused detainees at the country's largest detention center inmates of baghran prisons they were tortured and held without evidence but the u.s. run facility president hamid karzai has demanded the u.s. hand over control of the prison to afghan authorities within a month the u.s. says it will investigate the claims. sudan's president omar al bashir has offered to help disarm former libyan rebel fighters and integrate them into army and police forces in a state visit to tripoli the leaders said the overthrow of colonel gadhafi was a gift to sudan the proposal from bashir was wanted on war crimes charges in the hague sparked outrage from amnesty international looking at rogers if you're struggling to disarm rebel groups which were formed to fight gadhafi join the

country's eight month civil. about this then a miraculous escape as seen here in this video showing the twenty two tourists pyramids and sandy's river in what snapped during a bungee jump. erin lange worth took a leap on new year's eve she had to fight against wrong currents and rapids in the river to the shore and the boat off its. seriously injured. it's been a rough start to the year for the eurozone with some this country's believed to be in or heading into another wave of recession two of europe's larger economies and spain facing a crucial investor confidence test next week as they race to raise public funding italian prime minister mario monti met french president nicolas sarkozy in paris on friday to discuss the spiraling debt turmoil which threatens to engulf their

economies they call on the other member states to show more confidence in the single currency the meeting comes amid fears of the crisis knocking at the door of the heavyweights meanwhile greece is one of the sort of the people who march it can't secure more bailout cash only analysts overbuilt says that greece is exit from the euro zone is inevitable. 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 a point where everybody realizes that we cannot go on lying list 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. well it's not our fault it's the international community

that pushes us towards the exit of the euro zone and i think also here in europe brussels that quarters of 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 big black hole. well for more on the eurozone struggle with its debt and what may be in store this year you can stay with r.t. for an interview with a prominent dutch economist coming up in about ten minutes from now. security conscious israel is the only country of which close up images can't be easily found online but turkey has announced plans to launch a new military satellite that could provide the rest of the world with detailed images of the camera shy country for the first time. this report. 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 through. to enable them american troops to very high resolution. 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 bureau the scrutiny that plays along with it which means even with google earth one can zoom into israel but only so far to control 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 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 would solve directly or invaded through 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 exterior 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. since very often sharing military intelligence but where is turkey was once israel's a closest ally in the muslim world today it is ankara that is asserting itself without a tell of if it's a powerful player in the region turkey is trying to say that he isn't really not to be granted the special. services. to have a saying these are military and ignore the playground of. different countries and

one should abide by the same laws should 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 friend is policy r t of a line israel. or throughout the week r.t. has been introducing foreign entrepreneurs who came to russia in search of success and found it is time now for the latest edition in our part find a series. in order to help an enterprise grow you need the right facilities and the go to person here is texan chris van reet he shares his experience experience i should say of adapting to the russian where doing business and explains his part in raising a modern moscow's skyline. 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 ideas 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 you get reorganized in this part of that reorganization there's going to 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 this economy that drew me here i remember specifically coming out and she to me too and 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 on a stick type of architecture and it's truly imposing is

a beautiful day and i realize that i was in a different part of the world and it was intimidating and 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 is basically a process you went through and that process was twenty six steps and you go a b. c. d. and you're just overcome every step of the process and you achieve the result you're looking for and what i realized in russia is that that approach didn't work and it would confuse the heck out of me because i said 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 the end result and to get that result you had to kind of sort of moving to a straight line you had to sort of. an 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 learn 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 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 globally relevant project in terms of size and then replicate to a smaller extent the same type of concept across the major markets in russia you know currently we have our major customer john deere we designed built inone 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 who are 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 help them see that it's a process to doing business in russia and it's not an unknown you know 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 sort of 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. don't forget we have more news and features for you on line or you have to do is log on to our web site is r.t. dot com here's what we have for you that right now. north korea's new declared ukraine leader kim jung un is marking his birthday on january the eighth but his exact age still remains something of a mystery plus. new on

the. members of the orthodox church all across russia and abroad celebrate the birth of jesus mass a much more on l.t. dot com. well i'll bring you the recap of this week's top stories in today's headlines after this short break stay with us here on alt.

well the. syrians technology innovation all the latest developments from

around russia we've got the future covered. wealthy british style holds no time to write. in. markets why not scandals. find out what's really happening to the global economy in cars a report on. morning news today violence is once again flared up. these are the images the world has

been seeing from the streets of canada. china corporations are today. live from the russian capital this is r.t. top stories now and the latest news on the week's top stories i should say there's no hope to the killings in syria as the arab gathers to debate the future of its observer mission overseeing a peace plan predicts the league's efforts of failing to end the syrian regime's crackdown on the opposition. and navy drills in the persian gulf and threatens to block a key oil route in the region if the country's crude exports are affected that says the west tighten sanctions targeting to iran's oil.