to us today now we'll start with the situation in iran because it's very much in the news that the maidment the e.u. has banned all new oil contracts with the country and it plans to extend sanctions on the iranian central bank how much do you think that's going to cost iran the e.u. and the global economy in general it's certainly going to cost to run we've seen today the real local currency it's weakest. level against the us dollar in history and the fact is that iran exposed a sizeable amount of its oil to the you and coupled with american sanctions unilateral sanctions are already in place against iran it's going to hurt but what we're seeing essentially is the first phase of economic warfare against iran and the problem is that the west has iran all wrong just as it has the middle east all wrong he believes that sanctions will increase the divide between the regime and the people and historically this doesn't happen there's no proof that this happens whatsoever it's people feel pressured and they look where that pressure is coming

from and that's the west and so it makes them more anti west and that's the only logical outcome he also hopes that if there is serious instability as a result then because iran is very ethnically and geographically divided that certain groups will rise up against the regime or there will be a popular uprising but again it's wishful thinking it's not going to happen at all and we saw years of sanctions in iraq didn't wait is that a comparison that you draw you know and then we saw a war and all of this is leading to war the whole in washington there are allies in saudi arabia and israel are absolutely absolutely determined to bring iran to its knees and it seems like it's now or never and they're going for broke so what will happen next you think well what does that usually involve what they're hoping for is that iran is backed into a corner and some incident occurred. whether by accident or design that makes it

seem that the rain ians the first hour as well and then because there is very little support in the west for unilateral strike against iran the fact is especially if it's done at the behest of israel and they need iran to do something whether it's the us carrier mine in the strait of hormuz or whether it's just rhetoric on the part of the iranian regime. it's everyone's up up in the rapture to the extent that something has to happen and the americans wouldn't militarized zone to the extent that they have if they weren't expecting the final outcome outcome to be war do you see that that could be the a rainy and looking the straits of hormuz the gulf oil export reaches that now promising that they well you know though it's not saying that it will do that just as a result of sanctions it's threatening to do that in the event that it is attacked

and that's just one of many things that iran is threatening to do and has the capability to do if you are very worried about ethnic divisions all through to middle east which she said comes the fore in both iran and also in syria if sunni islamists gain control of most of the middle east what do you think the outcome could be for the majority shiite iran obviously all of this is bad news for iran i think if you look back at the arab spring the turning point came in late february when saudi arabia was given the go ahead by washington. and what happened then is related very much to everything that's happening now because it's the only country that is shared majority ruled by a sunny minority and iran has the story claims to the island and the u.s. navy's fifth fleet is grace the salute be crucial to containing iran and so essentially what we've seen is a son. the shia divide reimagine the middle east with washington clearly backing

sonny powerhouse saudi arabia close american ally and saudi arabia and turkey along with taken control of the revolutions out swearin so for example its funding and into the main islamic party in tunisia the muslim brotherhood and more extremist groups in in egypt are on the record as saying they go substantial funds from saudi arabia the yemeni government has openly criticized for interfering in its internal affairs and funding radical islamists and of course in syria they are the main opposition is made dominated by the muslim brotherhood and the so-called free syrian army is dominated by not only radical jihadi is from within syria but also you have these from throughout the region where we're told constantly that there's no real threat because these are moderate islamic parties but of course the definition of moderate makes absolutely no sense in any rational because saudi

arabia is often described in the western media as a moderate arab state and i lived in saudi arabia for three years and i can assure you there is absolutely nothing moderate about our country that's all you say that . is the miscreants who have stepped into the breach in many of these countries are you saying these were genuine people's uprisings at the time. they idea. behind it is that they hijacked the revolutions and precisely because they were in fact islamists inspired the beginning in tunisia could never have been because it's rather in prison already and the muslim brotherhood in egypt openly came out against the revolution initially the problem is that the motivation for these revolutions was economic internees here for example it started in the deep south even the deep south in syria it started in. a city named jordan which hadn't been

experiencing a drought for three years i mean egypt an extensive opinion poll carried out even among those who went to her just after mubarak fell showed that only nineteen percent of the free and fair elections and free expression and so on of the top of their gender their main priority sixty five percent was the economy now the people who are evolutionists foolishly declared their revolutions leaderless and they didn't have an agenda anyone who knows anything about revolutionary uprisings in the past and specifically ron the most ready for the seventy nine revolution in iran knows that what happens in the post-revolutionary chaos is that the groups that are most disciplined. and most ruthless politically then fill the vacuum and so when you couple that with the fact that they then with the funding that we've been talking about from saudi arabia qatar able to manipulate the electoral process . they were perfectly poised to to step into the into the cap and

fill the vacuum and that's what they've done what about the free syrian army is that fighting for a genuine democracy and you'll see whether or not they're fighting for democracy is an open question what kind of democracy we then have to us and i just took hold and go to the coverage that this jihadi outfit is being given you can't get a word in edgeways and trying to criticize it will trying to illustrate just what a horrible bunch of extremists these people are very string of credible reports that are showing that. especially another gulf states have been funding jihad is not only from within the country but from libya for example and i'll swear i find it very difficult to believe that. it's all to go western style democracy employer is admitting freedom is what we're seeing in syria basically an export. islamic

revolution absolutely if we've been hearing constant greatly exaggerated predictions of the syrian regime's d. minus for eleven months now if a popular revolution was going to happen it would have happened already the fact is that though they may have no great love for the cucumber face president. the. general feeling of better the devil we know and you talk about the arab league do you think that the mission in syria has essentially played into the hands of days to exacting pressure on the syrian authorities and it is overstepping its mark when it makes demolishes while the mediating the arab league essentially has no credibility on the arab street and everyone knows that it's the top of the g.c.c. and so it's a means not to create momentum that the arab league itself can then implement although it counting and has imposed sanctions and they suspended syria and could possibly impose

a no fly zone what they're going to do is what they did with libya before you remember before the u.n. resolution on libya the arab league and conveniently almost all of those who voted were from the gulf cooperation council in support of the no fly zone in libya what the arab league mission is trying to accomplish is get enough evidence concrete evidence about human rights abuses on the part of the assad regime to then take that to the u.n. and the evidence will be so strong that even russia and china would feel compelled to work but as of now one month after this mission started they seem to know the monitors seem to know more about what's going on the ground than they did at the beginning and so it all looks like it will be going back to square one and in contrast to libya so far western nations did not see adamant that they're not going to go into syria why do you think that is it doesn't have a seaport. in the way that it's not on the coast in the way that for example.

benghazi was on the coast in libya and so it's far more difficult militarily to get in supplies it's also not resold resource rich. you know obviously they went into libya because it has a great deal of oil and they continue to support saudi arabia and because they have a great deal of oil and gas there's no great payoff immediate payoff when it comes to syria but there is a great deal to be gained geo politically they can buy their time and they're hoping for an internal collapse or barring that that the arab league somehow money she's to weaken the regime enough that we've had for example the. mayor of cut saying that arab league troops should be sent in and so the west is quite happy for the time being for the arabs to do that work john albright they thank you very much thank you.

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mission. couldn't take three years for charges free. arrangement free. three stooges free. old free blow clothing videos. free media. not a must march in poland as the country signs up to a global pact to take. it covers everything from movies and music to fashion and pharmaceuticals but the deal will give big corporations too much power. and. heavy clashes in syria as troops stormed a densely populated damascus suburb after a confrontation with opposition fighters last week and security council could vote in the next few days now on a resolution aimed at stemming the escalating violence. in the battle for russia's

top job goes viral with creative thinking. of politics internet. videos of fast becoming more conventional. thursday night sport. thanks for joining us this is for to day plenty head over the next ten eleven minutes or so including the following. verses as a rank russian on the belorussian will do battle for the is truly an open title this year with the world number one ranking all so let's take. a dozen not all i'd say ask them all still defeats on the do f.a. is in basketball surely to stay perfect in the tournament. on final call in liverpool manchester city over two legs to book their place in the carling cup

decider where lower league side cardiff city awaits. we begin at the australian open where there will be a distinctly eastern european flavor to the women's singles final this year and that is after maria sharapova booked her birth at the expense of patrick give each of us a few hours back the twenty four year old russian involved in a tough old tussle against the czech shroff the eventually wrapping up the win six two three six six four that means the world number four will now take on victoria azarenka fellow whose side are the winner also set to take away the world of all ranking from coraline wasn't. so much to be back in a grand slam final stages in before she years ago. it's nice to get that far again after losing quite. so that means a lot to me and i'm playing some. results and it's been the last couple of times

and i just really wanted today. to herself seeing off defending champion kim clijsters of belgium also in three sets to qualify for her first major final the minsk nation seeing at the time six four one six six three meaning it's the bottle of the screw. russia versus valorise and salvage winner takes all and conquer. running like a marathon out there but. i'm just trying to start to be more aggressive in trying to play my game and you know start from the beginning you know i have one more set to go i have another i don't know hour thirty minutes forty five minutes to make a difference so that's why i was my mentor. to all of the sports greatest served up yet another classic grand slam encounter at melbourne park rafael nadal proving once again to have the opera house and roger federer but at modern most meeting worthy of a finalists with the perpetrating set surly all were number two would turn up the

pressure by taking the thirty seven six with the third reich federer not able to hit the heights again he too thought was a night champ in the tell taking it in for six six seven six two seven six six four he'll be aiming for his second destroying open title and eleventh grand slam overall while federer hers one only two notches out of ten against a major events through the roman. riding the other i want to football we go where liverpool will take on cardiff city in england's carling cup final to the reds through their second semi final leg with manchester city to a pace to advance on our group gets city lost the first day clash at eastlands by a single goal that's needed to up their game in the return fixture when they started off in the right way and actually young levelling modish after. liverpool though striking back right away stephen girard the man converting from the spot but the sky blues would again take the lead in the spanish putting city in the driving

seat on the way goals scored but liverpool weren't to beat the night craig bellamy's paul making it to two in the night allowing that belief his charges to press three two i. barcelona have once again got the better of rio madrid the spanish and european champions making the semifinals of the cup a dollar a at the expense of last practicals barcelona went into the game leading. from the opening leg double to minutes from the break thanks to the four time whistle blowing it was on the night. letting rip with an absolute beauty from the edge of the box and rejuvenating ryall would take to the field in the second period goals from are now the one leveling matters but. how it ends for three and i rate another defeat against the old enemy from marino for the joy for fifa monitor of the year. they're

a very physical team and when it comes to playing two legs it makes it more difficult we already had a good first leg result and they obviously played as if they didn't have anything to lose the most difficult thing in sports is when you defend something that you considered already one if you want i will congratulate both the learner for the win at the certainty i'll go bonnabel for last weeks when they won with conviction. the hard. was stunning run in the europa league shows no signs of slowing down. twelve zero thanks to victory over turks f.a.'s here in the russian capital for danny watch the action for. what does it take to. today cisco wins these games shoot much more than the first. two ton and be champ in. the other man starts ahead of their first home game in the early ixtapa sixteen or

just slowest eleven wins out of eleven games in the tournament this season and the muscovites produced their victorious dozen in style in front of a cheering home crowd in fact it was only the first quarter which saw some tough competition on the court. but as soon as the host center and christie each start a dominating in the paint both scoring and rebounding the armaments lead began to grow. the turkish side was far from giving out that easy they were struggling and grabbing points well to scalp plate sure in their class over and over again for eight three six but intermission. the game kept the same course in the second half here is discuss there are many hundred go with a slam dunk and even when they are women missed. they still scored in the end. making cisco a team which hardly has

a weak side start saving. with thirty points that. we can difference to give. something. to our shots. of this. first of all we played great defense and that is very important often face for your friends for. a huge advantage. for the first game pretty close. so the confident on the way to the euro leaks point for the during the last one in two thousand and eight. forty. things also going to plan for russia's other representatives in the euro league tunics the fifth beating reigning

champions pof and i called on wednesday to climb atop the summit of their top sixteen group it was the host though who had established a twenty two seventeen lead after the open quarter unix improving their shooting in the second however to finish the first half just a point behind the greeks and then after the big break the visitors well they would dominate henry dummer come top scoring for the winners with twenty three points the game finishing up eighty nine eighty three in favor of the russian. in women's basketball moscow region side sparta k.s. moved top of your only group c. after thrashing cross basket toronto on home court those pretty slow out of the starting blocks however leaving the italians eighteen sixteen to do good after quarter one of a pokey charmant charges but they found their groove afterwards the second quarter belonging to the moscow ladies twenty four points while tronto could only manage eight forty twenty six swore at the big break sparta they didn't let up either in

the ensuing couple appear at seventy seven fifty three how the school board would look at the finish up a comfortable win then for the poor time your league champions he moved into the pool position in the bottom of this like compact truck off the first place you can see. the ski courses which will be used for the sortie twenty fourteen winter games will soon get broken in a steal world cup stage in february among the events set to allow a gold medal hopefuls a chance to get to grips on the future olympic slopes that course will be tested by f.i.o.s. world cup competitors starting february if. youth team will be first to try the mike before three out cleats from the country compete in the senior section of dunhill skiing on super combined on the menu but the top women stars may be in for a surprise the course director saying challenging amendments whomping made especially for the ladies. as far as skiing is

concerned we have substantially remodeled the women's course we basically added four hundred challenge meters to the course and that stretch should really pulls a lot of problems for the female skiers in their fans downhill descent. about is how your sport looks at this hour i'll see you soon but the overhead weather is just around the corner. sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realize everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harpur welcome to the big picture.

soon which brightened. soon from phones to impressions. screens from stunts on t.v. don't come. wealthy british style.

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i the polish people to march against the country signing up to a multinational web piracy pact. people fear that these documents will give corporations too much power to take regular users offline i'll explain why in just a few moments. violence flares in syria as a resolution to oust president assad. desks but moscow vows it won't let foreign forces intervene. and swapping hustings for house tags in russia's

presidential race viral videos and online campaigns are the new battle battleground . russia's nanotechnology corporation is looking for investors to join business our team twenty minutes for an exclusive interview with the company's head which is looking for ten percent shares to be sold this year. for moscow at nine pm you're watching r t well welcome my name is kevin now in our top story key websites wide jackson thousands of internet freedom supporters marched outside in a major to protest in poland because the country's just signed up to a global web piracy pact covering everything from movies and music to fashion and pharmaceuticals but it's net street.