paired for a military confrontation with iran if it decides to shut a key oil brewed as the waters of the persian gulf filled with words. and in the business bullets and despite a record else pulls in twenty eleven this year most experts see no threat of rubles evaluates the details and. it's three pm here in moscow this is art to you coming to you live on needs to now with our top story and the u.k. has admitted for the first time that it was using a fake rock to spy on russia six years ago the chief of staff to then british prime minister tony blair has made the revelation in an interview in two thousand and six the u.k. dismissed the allegations that appeared in the russian media let's not now let's now cross live to london marty is ivor bennett has more details for us live or what

exactly did jonathan powell have to say. all these comments of come from jonathan powell as you mentioned he was the former chief of staff of the then prime minister tony blair so it's not like they've come from some anonymous operative very senior figure who's practically at the top and all of the powers certainly someone who is in the knows so i think what they do is really confirm what many suspect to be true anyway which is that the british government was spying in russia using a transmitting device concealed as a rock to pass and receive data to agents out in the field. and now these allegations actually first came to light back in two thousand and six when a russian television report and they were always fiercely denied by the british government m i six for intelligence says tony blair tried to laugh them off and in the murky world of spies spooks and cold war stereotypes it's very hard to discern fact from fiction and question marks always remained over this story but these

comments now from jonathan powell i think it pretty conclusive evidence is what he had to say. the spy rock was embarrassing they had us bang to rights clearly they had known about it for some time and had been saving it up for a political purpose. these revelations will be hugely embarrassing for m i six and the british government firstly because they were they were spying in two thousand and six remaining on an agreement with the u.k. made with russia the end of the cold war not to spy on each other and secondly that the fact they were caught doing so by russian television the report actually showed two videos one of one man walking along a path in the moscow park slowing down looking at this rock and slowing down again almost to a halt before walking off and it's believed that he was using a handheld device to actually date to a computer inside the rock then another video showing

a different man walking on the same path looking at the rock actually bending down and picking it up and checking on it and as obvious as it seems from that so long as the british government actually stayed silent and denied these allegations then they would have remained top secret and the this sort of thing doesn't come to light for another thirty years or so after it happens but the fact that this is actually come from someone within the establishment here and saying no these were this didn't happen this story is indeed true not only is it hugely embarrassing for m i six and the british government but also potentially very damaging to. the average bennett live from london with those details on the fact that the fake rock was real six years ago thanks that. well with international pressure mounting on syria's president the e.u. is ready readying fresh sanctions against the regime russia says it will block any u.n. security council move to authorize military intervention in the country saying dialogue

is the only way out of the ongoing violence this eerie and government and opposition remain at loggerheads as time runs out for many in the country r.t. saraf earth reports. how do you stop the fractured country from falling apart a country where some cities now resemble the. where the economy is on its knees and what children being shot dead on the streets. it's a question everybody's desperately trying to find an answer to you right now nobody knows what's going to happen some are calling for military intervention others a calling for dialogue this sit in case is not isolated. and i mention i mention the west and i mentioned russian digression. everybody has its own interests but russian foreign minister sergei lavrov re-offend that moscow would not authorize a u.n.

resolution involving military intervention has struck a resident chord with the main opposition in the country. we refuse on principle any type of military foreign intervention because it threatens the freedom of our country often model damascus has promised to push through reforms including parliamentary elections later this year to some hit that's simply not enough. this could have been done in the past but the killing in the violence pushed the population and the opposition and the people not to believe anymore in the promises of the regime. protestors had started by calling for reforms and now more than ten months into the unrest and they simply want president assad gone. you're thank god that many in syria right now simply want peace in their country and they hate reforms might be a way to achieve that. the president announced we will have an expanded government

and independent opposition if all the parts were included this would be better for us all having different opinions is much better than having one sided discussion of a few room only she can see the opposition want to take can't then of course why not they're all syrians after all we all care about our country. as the country descends deeper into crisis everyone's desperate to find a resolution it's take that the government reforms will go some way to building a bridge between the t. sites but those who are forms have been a long time coming and with so many lives already lost they're going to come at a very high price so. the best guess. for sarah is also updating what's happening online you can follow her blog at r.t. dot com for her first hand experiences from syria now the former british ambassador to syria basil eastwood doesn't hold much optimism that the crisis will be resolved

anytime soon with no effective opposition to replace president. i don't think there is a b. plan syria is sliding into a probably largely sectarian civil war. there is no government in waiting there is this syrian national council which is based outside syria which has a temporary president. but it does not command universal support amongst the dissidents. and its links to those who are actually on the streets whether armed or unarmed in syria seems somewhat tenuous at times. from divided syria to war stricken libya in a few minutes and we investigate why countries who were pushing so strongly for regime change in tripoli are now clamoring for business contracts in the country

also. hundreds of russians around the country will be all deserving the day of the pissing me as that they dive into a subzero. find out if i will take the plunge if i'm brave enough to do it. first washington is fully prepared for an armed conflict with the wrong says the u.s. defense department the pentagon chief leon panetta says there's still room for dialogue but sufficient military forces are in the persian gulf in case tehran decides to block a vital little group there this comes after iran said it would close the strait of hormuz only if the country's security and the security of its nuclear facilities is threatened tehran is backed by russia which says military action would be disastrous with bring disastrous results iran already agreed to resume six party talks over its atomic program but there are fears the country is already under attack after the latest murder of one of its nuclear scientists which tehran blames on israel former cia officer philip giraldi says

a military confrontation in the gulf could lead to a new world war. the real danger here is that it could produce a shooting war if the united states does follow through on its resolve to keep the straits open which will be that easy and i think that it virtually guarantees that iranian naval forces and u.s. naval forces would come into conflict the problem is that iran is is surrounded by a number of countries that are essentially hostile to it and some of them are nuclear armed and this is a perfect cauldron for for starting something with a very minor relatively minor incident escalates and escalates and escalates and once the president has a major war the worst case scenario was world war three. i'm afraid i think a kook over war is being waged by the united states and israel i think in this case the actual pillars of the scientist were who are probably a rainy and were recruited by mossad or the cia outside of iran and then she

intended to do the work and i believe that the intelligence used to locate this man and to target him probably came from the united states and probably was intelligence that was shared with israel. more scared libya is slowly rebuilding its cities and its economy western companies and entrepreneurs are a buzz of profit making opportunities the country now presents as acts on a boycott reports it's the same powers that helped destroy the regime that are now lining up for a chance to cash in. they may have how bring down the house. but they were very careful not to burn bridges as libya rises from the ashes of civil war the contras the poor the well into the fire and now lining to gas sheen i'm doing the damage the believe that russia benefited more than all others from trading with get out his regime is very widespread here and simply it's simply not true in two thousand and ten moscow was number seventeen on the least of libya's

main trading partners accounting for just zero point four percent of its international trade the countries that had the largest trading volumes get off is a plus sized me the one that spearheaded the campaign against him the european union the united states and turkey and they're all on our jostling for contracts to rebuild believe some of them help to destroy you do. everything right did a good. american business is still a bit of an oddity here but it's already catching our construction firm on our richard peters arrived in tripoli just before their prizing to seal a multi-million dollar contract with get off his government. the war and peter subsequent incarceration threw him off track but now he hopes to make up for it i don't condemn anybody even the people that work for him you don't have a choice here if you don't work for him what do you do die. to reach your companies

also involved in rebuilding iraq in afghanistan after the u.s. led invasion and lead to is familiar turf he even says the country's business potential make shamble all over their post conflict areas there's nothing they don't need here you know if you compare it to like the united states everything they need everything we have you know everything there infrastructure has to be totally redone all the all the facilities you know and some of the things we were involved you know was executive centers with golf courses theme parks these people haven't really had any entertainment all these years so now you can imagine getting you know a theme park or a little disneyland americans and the only ones just looking for food called turkish airlines was the first to resume commercial flights to tripoli and they're now packed with businessman scouting for opportunities. even during good at this time turkey was pretty comfortable doing business in libya and was tripoli's fourth

largest trade partner lost here but many now hold for even better deals following its early recognition of the rebel authority is definitely few have a strong paternal ations. says self-confidence with someone but it's confesses and he says an instrumental for the business. is not the book it's the only ones who are so far slow wonder it claiming their business interest in libya or russia and china both countries for vocal in their opposition to the use of force in libya a stance that has already backfired most russian companies who did business in libya prior to the war are still has it into some personnel bag x. parts of war and that the waiting game may not be the best strategy. yes. we are going to lose libya like we lost iraq syria and the yemen will follow they see they can drive russian others out of the market and then take advantage we have to work there we will take measures we're going to enter those markets they are waiting for

us if interim government see we don't take care they will say a few words about russian business is being driven out then just step aside. but they once losing the most i believe themselves in two thousand and ten day economy grew by about ten percent reaching abbey seem like that growth now seems as have a load as building the country from scratch subway car to see. well a new baby as quickly putting its past behind it but the children of the country's late leader are seeking justice for their dad for the death of their father there are two talks to the lawyer of colonel gadhafi daughter about her determination to have his murder fully investigated. the father was murdered in a brutal fashion. the whole world saw it. prosecutor the international criminal court has an obligation to investigate all aspects of the conflict which was

referred to the united nations security council. and that would include also the local law on the gadhafi especially since the prosecutor himself has stated that there are grounds to believe that this is a war crime in the present instance we don't believe that there could be more for these as they stand at present you the have the will the capacity to carry out such best gratian and that's why we're calling for the investigation to be conducted immediately we shouldn't be sitting here today talking about why is an investigation taking place it should have started a few days after the murder itself. even this on the very same day. we watched the full interview with the lawyer to get out. his daughter in just over an hour here on our team. now the english language work of p.b.s. is back online after a twenty four hour blackout over anti-piracy bills being debated by the u.s.

congress the biggest online encyclopedia says the legislation would damage internet freedom the action has let eight senators who previously supported the bills to withdraw their backing jay waltz from the wicked media foundation says no government should control the web. we don't think that this kind of legislation should exist so it shouldn't it shouldn't empower the united states government to take these kinds of actions against projects i mean it's a great it's what we call a gray area there's there's a lot of a lot of information hasn't been confirmed in this this bill as occurred in scream state doesn't answer all of those questions but certainly i think after this day we're going to see a global community of internet users who are going to say you know we don't want to meddling with the way that the internet works in the united states so in so much as we compete in a lot of other projects online are based here you should research here in the us yes that legislation does effects internet users around the world and we don't want that to come about but what i can say is that certainly these this legislation

affects people outside of the u.s. it was just it was to come forward the ability to share information from the web site to another the ability to for people to collaborate widely from all over the world you know this is going to come in. so what is what is in fact. an open collaboration environment which is which has changed dramatically we certainly don't think any individual the government should have the ability to control what everybody in the world sees on the internet. margy dot com is never down and always has more news for you any time you can check it and activists there are sounding the alarm over another plan that they claim is curbing freedom online that you can find how this time the streets of new york anything you carry will be privy to electronic i at the city's police had the poses to install body scanners throughout the big apple. also a group of ukrainian women go back to basics air their grievances at the indian embassy in kiev find out why they're there are demanding an apology at our t.v.

dot com. it's. down the official. one called talks from the. video. and. now in the palm of your. machine on. the d.n.a.

of a woman has been found on a gun that killed russian journalist on the point of course the sensational discovery has been made during forensic analysis five years after her death the main sauce fact chechen born for stomach more than of was arrested in twenty eleven after several years on the run but the latest analysis has now baffled the investigation that's even believe the expert who carried out the procedure five years ago. we have the whole case up a blind alley on the political scale was shot dead in her apartment building in two thousand and six in what became one of the most high profile murders in russia's modern history. look now at some other headlines from around the world this hour a suicide bomb blast as left six civilians dead in kandahar in southern afghanistan according to local officials the attacker detonated his explosives while trying to get through the gate of an airfield used by u.s. and coalition forces it's the second suicide bombing in the troubled south of the

country in as many days. rescue efforts have been resumed at the shipwrecked cruise liner despite dwindling hopes for twenty four people still missing search operations had been suspended when bad weather caused the vessel to shift leading to fears it might slide into deeper water levon bodies have been recovered so far from the wreckage meanwhile italian authorities have initiated a salvage operation to drain more than two thousand tons of fuel from the ship ship to prevent a possible environmental catastrophe. the prime minister of pakistan appeared in the country's supreme court today to face contempt charges after his failure to reopen a corruption investigation against the president use of drugs which lonnie in long refused to initiate the probe on grounds the president has immunity from prosecution the court proceedings could result in the disqualification of both political figures forcing early elections within months. now it may be the middle

of a freezing winter here in russia but that's not stopping the determined from taking a dip a midnight immersion in water on january the nineteenth is the traditional way to celebrate the orthodox holiday piss in the bud was artie's being with side brave enough to test those waters. and nine there is the day that the russian church all the way to handle christmas time as well as many did we need is said to be the day when jesus was baptized and russians believe that by diving into subzero would they be cleansed during the ceremony the. rest of the world so which then turns into a whole you would say man the plan to be good and bad they saying god when in rome where the romans do all right so you will find

a way to darwin myself like you do would not and never. look back at all. but. most of the time. but. then subzero wasn't fleas they had never bit into that i've done and.

i would never say that subzero wasn't freezing i think that's obvious here in moscow certainly we look at a recent high profile economics count for you here in r.t. before that let's get the latest business with natasha. twenty four minutes past three pm here in moscow you're watching business r.t. despite record outflows in two thousand and eleven most experts see no threat of ruble devaluation for the past three days the ruble has been appreciating against the dollar with money market rates rising the most in a month that russian companies convert overseas earnings to local currency to pay taxes but better than and from troika dialog says russia is in a very good position right now. what's wrong clothing do you state what. it would mean you. would be eligible to go where were you calling

a meeting with her she would demand internally with reversed actually. quite stable over three weeks. with your position or still better you can extend it to the people in the other part of the world what you are sure we would have to go to the . russian banks to report of record high profits for twenty eleven despite the economic uncertainty the central bank says the total profits reached twenty seven billion dollars to help guide storm go from one to the central bank expects a lower profits this year around twenty two billion. less now check out the markets oil per standards gaining for the third day on improved sentiment about the global economy the w t i is that almost one hundred two dollars a barrel brant is that one hundred and eleven dollars. and now on to equities european stocks are in the black following the i.m.f. decision to move to one trillion dollars the amount of money set aside for fighting

the euro debt crisis in london the footsie is that around to tell you the percent germany's dax is gaining roughly the same. and that's another choppy trading day for the russian markets but they're managing to stay in the positive territory at this hour as the r.t.s. is a third of a percent higher than my sex is up to temp of a percent. and now let's see the biggest movers on the license financials are on the rise this hour with russia's biggest lender is the bear bank gaining half a percentage point of metals want to positive it's reported that fifty seven percent growth in earnings for the fourth quarter of last year and electricity producing t.g. k nine is among the main gainer somebody is that its parent company is merging its energy assets with gas problem. and speaking up. that margarine gazprom and i eat s. holding have made a second attempt to join their electricity assets aiming to create the country's

biggest power company in december they pulled back their application from the federal antimonopoly service saying the parameters of the deal had to be revised due to the regulators criticisms now that companies hope to finalize the deal by the end of march. first as car market grew whopping forty five percent last year according to pricewaterhouse coopers pressure is the fastest grow were among the auto producing countries including the united states and china but as the only route from the points out it saw a matter of perspective the growth which was spectacular forty percent was largely because of the fall in the market in previous is was so spectacular as well so what's really happened is the market has begun to recover almost a pre-crisis level so that forty percent growth needs to be understood in the context of what was before secondly though it's very interesting point this is

psychological front the russian market reacts extremely to what's happening around the world when when things are going towards they react well and when things are going bad they're very cautious and that's one hundred the last crisis of the markets fell by fifteen twenty percent the russian market fell fifty percent because people stopped buying not because they didn't have the money they just stopped buying and now we've seen that as people got money they're spending more of it so we have this kind of volatility so it's a good year but you need to understand those two things. and that's all the latest the sour join my colleague cutting the main account for an update in about fifty minutes. of.

wealthy british style. that's not on the right time. markets why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy with my scars are there are no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into a report. is .

a pretty dirty p.r. mosque. time these are the top stories on our t.v. the u.k. finally comes clean about spying on russia admitting it plans a high tech robbery in a moscow park six years ago the transmitter device calls a storm of controversy at the time spied claims from downing street that the story was absurd and. more sanctions in the works for syria as the e.u. mounts a pressure on the regime of russia says it will block any u.n. security council move to authorize miller.