activists are accusing the government of a massacre saying that hundreds of civilians here have been killed in something that's hard to verify meanwhile the u.s. is setting an international coalition aimed at supporting rebels and their struggle these so-called proof friends of democratic syria will involve countries willing to proffer the opposition and pile more pressure on the regime although direct military action is has been ruled out some reports suggest the british and cuts are a special forces are already in the conflict itself there are now calls from washington to arm the opposition and as our teams merino portnoy i reports that the region has been flooded with weapons from the us. at the united nations security council america holds one permanent seat but when it comes to weapons the world's largest arms exporter is often seen as sitting on two chairs they say there isn't an international embargo on arms preventing them from doing that that is

a fact but that doesn't change the immorality of supplying a dictatorial regime that is killing its people in massive numbers every day and we are are deeply concerned about that as u.s. officials continue publicly scolding countries over relations with syria critics say the accusations are being thrown from a tremendous glasshouse the us is a hugely difficult in this regard because they've long been the largest arms dealer and most of those weapons the us sold the story quickly more than four hundred billion dollars worth of since the one nine hundred sixty s. have gone to the middle east and you can't argue. seriously that it's made that region any more stable in the past few years nearly fifty percent of u.s. weapons exports have been flowing to the middle east many countries with the biggest appetite for american weapons have also made headlines for carrying out

brutal crackdowns against dissidents and opposition groups if. you're ok and they are thugs you're not i mean this is for all of us who have been overseas the duplicity and. of american foreign policy is painfully. evident according to congressional figures america has sold one point four billion dollars worth of weapons to bahrain since two thousand and america struck its single biggest arms deal when saudi arabia ordered sixty billion dollars worth of arms the us has long subsidize the israeli military and recently supplied them with bunker buster bombs experts say this strategic arming of middle eastern. trees is aimed at iran and extending u.s. dominance in the region. is going on. against your own. you know human rights. it's all about some geopolitical

f.b.i. whistle blowers sibel edmonds has accused america of playing particularly dirty while leading a campaign for regime change in syria this is not some kind of. simultaneously op rising situation where people are a ballet and then suddenly they are mysteriously arms and mysteriously arms are being smuggled into syria from turkey well who who is providing this arms nobody is asking in the us media while these are u.s. arms shipped to turkey this as the u.s. military complex flush with record revenue continues to lobby its interests on capitol hill arms manufacturers are some of the biggest companies in america they're some of the most powerful lockheed martin not only do they making so much for the defense department around the world there are federal contractors and many other levels there are going to vote in elections this statue outside the u.n. headquarters is

a symbol of global peace and nonviolence but critics say the idea has been twisted by the u.s. which goes around advocating peace while arming countless conflicts all for the sake of profit marina point ny r.t. new york. curtis doebbler activist an international human rights lawyer has told me a little earlier in r.t. that a syrian solution must come from within and that foreign interference would be a mistake. in syria i think it is a matter of there are some very legitimate interest in the country of people who would like to be able to participate more in their government and i think the government has made some effort to respond they think it needs to make more of an effort but i don't think that comes through foreign intervention it comes through indigenous processes of the people in the country if you look at any foreign intervention over the last several years you see that after the foreign intervention many more people died then could have possibly died through any type

of indigenous process even one involving violence and i think that moscow and some of its allies on this matter are very wise in seen the pitfalls of foreign intervention and as the u.n. charter makes it very clear that the use of force should only be the last possible means of trying to deal with the conflict. could activist an international human rights lawyer talking to a little earlier from geneva. greece's prime minister has promised an end to the country's recession next year if the deal on the next bailout is reached he also wants senior government members would be fired if they oppose the cuts the creditors are demanding six minutes so far resigned over the deal while thousands of greeks have been venting their anger at the planned cuts on the streets of athens police clashed with protesters firing tear gas in response to stones and farm bombs as of today union strike brought the country to a standstill after

a tough multi-party deal the parliament is expected to vote on the austerity package on sunday but a junior coalition partner says it will not back the new plan euro zone finance ministers put the second bailout worth one hundred thirty billion euros on hold saying they want to see concrete action now it will go past in march economists yanis varoufakis has told me that e.u. leaders are only looking to secure their own financial stability. this government was always expendable the point of putting it in place was to ensure that this deal goes through. it's my prediction that it will go through this government lapse once it. is done these measures are part of a loan package the purpose of which is to delay. the steady this immigration of the euro zone and give more time to germany's politicians to find out what they are going to do with their with the german and the french banks which are insolvent so

greece is being sacrificed on the altar of the european procrastination what whoever is doing it is creating a very severe. medical issue by means of course if you don't have a little bit of a spirit what is happening here is that greeks are being threatened they keep borrowing money from germany from france from the i.m.f. from the e.c.b. we know that to keep repaying northern european and getting. banks then they're going to be thrown out of years and this is of course an empty threat here we have people six months who would have to live on top of everything here is a month while at the same time inflation is increasing and taxation is going through the roof. and that was greek economists yanis varoufakis with his assessment of where his debt laden country is heading. people in russia are becoming more and more involved in the political structure in their country ahead of next month's presidential election a group of journalists bloggers and proactive figures have created a league of voters in a bid to make the upcoming vote fair and transparent reports. it

doesn't take long to find videos of alleged violations during the recent parliamentary vote in russia just a couple of clicks is enough since years of these files have flooded the internet and even though most of the allegations are still to be proven in courts tens of thousands of people have been taking to the streets demanding fair elections with marches presidential votes just around the corner events are unfolding quickly where. people want to vote responsibly and to know where their votes go they want political competition independent courts and media forming voters league is not meant the idea was floating in the air the voters league was officially founded in january by a group of journalists bloggers activists all artists writers and other public figures and statements way g.d.s. like t.v. host and now activist. lady advocate or the head of

a charity fund and blogger who does appear to be also known as dr lisa. or other school martha ordinator of the blue buckets movement fighting for equal rights on roads for everyone. our league is an opportunity to gather people who are not indifferent to what's happening to more people with a similar position there are. better the league's main goal is to ensure fair elections it's published a list of initiatives on the web divided into groups that everyone can be a part of public discussions and online votes are the key instruments and letters have been sent to all presidential candidates asking them to cooperate with the week and even though the project is less than a month auld everyone has so far agreed including pledging to look into another candidate businessman mikhail prokhorov has already struck a deal with the leak you have to go on willing to authorize one hundred fifty thousand league observers would also arrange to put together

a unified database to keep track of the election points because according to its founders around ten thousand observers are needed to ensure a fair election in moscow alone. it's great that the civil society wants to be more active but it's clearly important not to cross the line and observers not only are a position it is serious so if the mutations not to take sides in the political process. the leads founders say they'll shut the organisation down if it ever starts turning into a political movement claiming there are keen to work with all candidates equally there's no doubt society has changed more people want to have more influence on russia's political life perhaps that's why it took less than one month for the vote was leaked to establish ties with both the authorities and the opposition and with the help promised from the candidates the league just may secure enough access to effectively monitor the vote in march as long as it avoids taking sides and protects its neutrality is going off r t moscow. more news in brief from around the

world this hour in a stunning pakistan eleven militants have been killed and over a dozen wounded after local security forces fired artillery shells at their suspected hideouts the crackdown took place in the could tribal region where dozens of died in fighting between soldiers and surgeons over the last few weeks pakistan's men. been conducting anti terror operations in could i'm since the beginning of the year. one strike by police in rio de janeiro over low pay could jeopardize next week's annual carnival despite a new group a rise of thirty nine percent over the next two years the enforces a demanding double similar industrial action in the city of salvador saw the murder rate double with one hundred twenty people killed during a nine day police strike thousands of soldiers may be deployed in brazil's capital to provide security. germany has delayed signing the controversial act of treaty after the justice ministry voiced concerns piracy stirred up mass protests across

the world a backlash that for several countries to postpone its ratification legislation aims to slash the amount of power to online content and protect intellectual property while critics say it would harm freedom of speech by censoring the internet. of police officers being killed and another injured in special forces surrounded militants and a house in dagestan in russia's volatile north caucasus now that's according to russia's interfax news agency the operation is at the village of key with gunfire still being exchanged police say there are three to five militants inside believed to be members of a wanted terrorist group additional forces are being mobilized to the scene and doug stone has seen ongoing violent attacks in recent years. by the way plenty of news and eye catching videos twenty four seven at r.t. dot com that's our website here's what's on life you right now hungry for power in the muslim brotherhood demand egypt's military rulers sacked the appointed prime minister and replace him with their own candidate. and

a cia spy is jailed former engineer from the military cosmodrome gets thirteen years behind bars for selling secret data on russian intercontinental ballistic missiles to the united states and that story and others for plenty of other stories that r.t. dot com. well coming up just a few seconds from now artie's moscow team takes off to explore winter wonders on the outskirts of the russian capital.

while some people embrace the winter and all the frost filled its beauties that come with it others like to hide into was staying in from the dark nights and zero temperatures. sleet and relaxation just like various animals that hibernate is an escape from many yes but still outside life carries on however cold the weather gets away from noisy traffic and the chaos of city center living a reality check can be a good thing. well it's fresh air. and exercise that can eat skate the city wrap up warm and venture outside.

hello martin here now it seems every day that i get invited to various parties and event by different organizations and people but i have to admit it just gets tiring after a while so i thought i want to travel outside the city center come face to face with nature and explore. true. light scapes the science of snow just a james and breathtaking nature frozen in time just take a look at these beautiful sights. as the largest country in the world to see it in magnificent scenery people flock to this country each year to enjoy the interactivity supposed to by fun loving and spits a precious few. muscovites to deal with months of freezing temperatures have learned to make the best of the season they celebrate and cherish what ever the weather brings.

me joy as many areas where you can i special a popular sports here fishing season generally last from december until march it's my first time trying this out first to take the sheet by screwdriver will be out as it's called pressure and strength is needed and eventually the break very. good you can see the water ice fishing is about as patience will the short rods in the small tracks the fish. wait. i see something i think. well. look at the parts more it's a success. the reasons why russians are so passionate about fishing on various. the chance to pick their skills against nature and to spend time in the

open at the like minded people ice fishing can be enjoyed as part of a stay in a nearby holiday resorts. presents a variety of entertainment programs by the children for grown ups and the company also prides themselves in being good for the environment. forced to always do what is eco friendly and it sits. didn't pollution free area of the moscow region one of the main attractions of the place is its location on the banks of the easter want to reserve water surrounded by beautiful untouched nature all the cottages here are built of natural materials like northern pine woods. of course in moscow and the surrounding region there are various winter sports one can enjoy such as snowboarding cross-country skiing or ice skating but this week's show myself and the production team are going to try and bring you something

a little more creative follow me. i'm here to try to have a ski dog sledding and straight off it's into the sled and off we go you can either sit or stand and there's a break at the back which controls like a friends at the front. siberian husky is a medium size dense coach working don't breed that comes in different colors the boys our club is called. to alaska results of the it was founded in one thousand nine hundred eighty and is located at the park in moscow we have ten siberian huskies our club offers various p. matic riding experiences in sled pulled by the dogs and there are excursions around the park master classes in managing the sleds and extreme night riding and also a special family trip to russian santas mansion is very popular among the visitors joined by their own a team we frantically slide through the forest in other words they love the snow job just stand guard and tacit.

sliding over the hills and through the forest this is an excellent attraction anyone can enjoy. what an alternative way of travelling in the woods about the show this is great five dogs are just beautiful that's so well looked after and anyone committed to the center and try this out it cost one thousand rubles. that's around thirty dollars for a twenty minute ride. but talk setting as a means of transportation and snowy climates is relatively outdated thanks to the snowmobile talks telling still remains popular in certain circles such as remote areas of russia. today in moscow and in other cold the cities around the world dog sledding is most often seen as a competition sports and of course such amazing dogs a popular as pets. the most popular one sport has to be either snowboarding or skiing including downhill cross-country there are several places

where you can enjoy such sports in the capital and surrounding areas outside the city there are various resorts such as volunteer. and they venture park. although please take note research well when it comes to prices as in the peak season deposits real charge is still high and refreshments can make a day trip a weekend very very expensive. because while there is no deterrent to many tourists who visit mr joining cold months they want to see russia in full each week to glory. a few adventurous you can bridge to eventually to the russian region in search of story tell images and usual tractions inflatables enhanced cheeping as it's called is extremely popular here an alternative to a sledge to grip the handles and slide down a slow coverdale purposely built track and company to get charles to discuss any fear will push down the route.

just like a roller coaster we plummets down the slope fortunately we have lots of space in the frozen river stop what. terrified. of being amazingly it was it was. good point it was scary to start with but it was a really really enjoyable experience tell me it's the middle of the frozen russian winter why must you come here to moscow and i we wanted to experience something totally different and we thought why not come to moscow when it's going to be really cold and see it for exactly what it is and it has been amazing if you're wrapped you know absolutely fine because in the u.k. i mean it's what. the temperature is you know in the winter it feels different it does i don't think people dress properly in the u.k. for the cold weather but here you kind of way tights long johns big hot gloves and

you're absolutely fine we went ice skating yesterday in gorky park and it was the most fantastic experience but we really will amid the tree lights on it was really lovely i don't think people realize how exciting it is here it's absolutely fantastic and we've just had the best time i recommend anyone coming. i know for the first time a goal the park i was rubbish but it was good it's amazing people here just embrace this this weather the seasons and they just you know they're passionate about it and celebrated in the u.k. but it's not and everyone just. starving and everything is closed and you know. yeah but here it's just you know people just get on with life and to sit just go on live you know live and work how they have to and i think it's great that everyone certainly embraces the russian winter whatever the weather i'm

from minus thirty plus thirty would you recommend anybody to come here to moscow definitely definitely tell my friends to just. lots of ok there's so much to do here just. brilliant so cultural. and yeah i'd love to come back. well it was great to meet you and i wish you luck in your next crazy sporting event thank you for. saving the best for last that screws of a frozen lives and drive of a deep blanket some gleaming snow on snowmobile speeding to the rescue countryside under a sufiah sky is a fantastic and gentle and filled way of exploring the moscow region. insulated snowsuit so clothes are needed and gloves boots and crushed helmets are provided if you have your helmet you really feel the wind on your face and feel the true speed racing across the snow we feel the frozen river atop a snowmobile is

a great way to see the region's breathtaking scenery just look at these wonderful winter images. wow. that was fantastic what the high. although the strains here on the frozen lake and with the first thing is. winter is a dynamic time in the person capital and the mr region offerings unique possibilities to travel to experience russian culture traditions and sporting activities and as my restaurant my cousin party invites regime of my return to the capital maybe it's time to spend time effort and money on chicago's activities besides winter exercising coming face to face with nature is only good thing for the soul. rocks

in the winter and a trip to moscow region with all its incredible winter activities is something not to be missed. wow what a day absolutely brilliant although we really did just highlight a few of the winter sports available here i'm definitely coming. it's the moscow region again next week although i think these new hobbies might be a little difficult for my balance well fortunately that's how we have left on this program for me i must go out production crew here bye bye for now. mom dad it's me do you think you can let me some more money i have some new skis i want to buy. oh.

you know 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 sorry welcome to the big picture. culture is that so much given to each musician to find the mark when the feet up in the battle for syria the international community is as divided as the syrians themselves when it comes to resolving a situation. the

first.

if you just joined us for a while can this is all to you live here in moscow with you twenty four hours a day top stories now in this hour a split within the ranks of syria's opposition fighters at first they claimed they were behind twin blasts in the country's largest city of aleppo which killed at least twenty eight people but another spokesman denied responsibility just an hour later. thousands of greeks lash out against more planned cuts as police used tear gas to disperse crowds people are angry lawmakers budget sacrifices after eurozone leaders put more bailout cash on hold six ministers have also quit over the deal. and russia's public figures come together to ensure

a fair and free presidential vote by forming the poaches lee to monitor elections that challenge now is to stay impartial and. to bring us up to date for the moment more news stories in half an hour from now in the meantime the second part of a special report on how the los angeles firefighters had to change roles to become paramedics. the orange dots show hospitals that are no longer here and the green dots represent those hospitals that are still in existence here what you don't see is any new hospitals because there are no new hospitals constructed in this area. if you look at this area from a health planning standpoint. the medical desert is enormous. today i came across to get from medical records in security state it's called i couldn't believe it was close.