i. the syrian people make their choice voting on a new constitution which would herald an end to fifty years of single party rule. sizes of people joined hands in a massive flash mob for fair elections by trying to encircle moscow city center a week before the country chooses its president. and thousands once again march in protest against education cuts in spain as the euro crisis takes greater hold around the mad while greece brings a sigh of relief with the final approval of a much needed bailout.

hello are you watching the weekly with me kevin oh in your article it's around the for the top stories of the last seven days and first voting is ending right now in syria where people have been having their say on a new constitution in the most significant poll for forty years it's thought turnout was high and the first results are expected on monday the opposition though boycotted the vote amid a backdrop of violence that's plagued the country since last march for national reports from damascus. security has been tightened up and police officers are literally everywhere we've seen many of them today patrolling the streets trying to watch the situation there was issued and has indeed been boycotting the vote but not only that they've been calling actually on all people to go to strive not to go cast ballots and to take to the streets to protest against president bashar assad and to ask for him to step down the violence is continuing in the country with

reports on people dying literally every day we've been able to visit to polling stations here in the capital damascus and people some of them have said that yes we know that there are armed groups in the countries who are trying to make provocations who are trying to prevent us from voting but we hope that this referendum in this constitution as part of the package of democratic reforms promised by bashar al assad and his government will be able to bring peace and stability to our country so we are voting no most of what they say but of course the pressure from the opposition as well as from the international community is very high because they call this vote laughable. ballots instead of bullets mesta mr asians and violent protests have been rolling across syria for almost a year. the syrian government desire calling for the people to shape their future together it's

a completely new era it is good for everybody even opposition can take part it's for all amendments to the country's number one law have been among the key demands of the opposition since the uprising began it starts with eliminating baath party supremacy which have ruled the country for the last fifty years introduces a multi-party system and sets a two term limit on any future president however if these reforms a cause in controversy. he hardened his friend odin flower shop in damascus he says this new document draws a line between him and his muslim business partner. there is a big contradiction article thirty three says all equal number three says only move them can be a president what about the other term percent we're not here temporarily we've been living together for ages we want to be counted. now maybe ten percent of the people to speak about this ok but maybe if we was removing this article

from the new constitution the ninety percent who said well why you take this article out public debate on the draft constitution have been organized to bring the people and the authors of the new document together they don't trust. their own sources. here is that. you want. to be the studios where you see this becoming but some say there is still a long way to go to that new syria and they don't believe the government will follow through with the reforms and the third if i were against the constitution somebody will in the world will shoot me clashes and protests almost every day but some hope that the referendum will not only breed and you constitution it might even be able to stop the bloodshed refinishing r.t. damascus syria so as the syrians vote an international coalition led by the us

teamed up against president assad this last week calling themselves the friends of syria seventy countries agreed to slap new sanctions on damascus russia didn't attend the get together and one of moscow's foreign policy architects explains why . moscow refused to take any part in that meeting because judging by the statements we've been hearing and the format of the so-called friends of syria club the sole purpose of that conference is not to find a way out of the current situation but to promote the idea that the conflict can only be resolved if assad leaves i have met with mr assad and with the representatives of two opposition groups i did not get the impression that it is the people versus assad in this conflict the situation is different some people are all hosing the regime while others support mr assad but some support the regime passively and they do not back the idea of outside interference it's not black and white it's not a scenario where the whole nation rises up to overthrow a government they don't like when representatives of the gulf monarchies which do

not have a single democratic institution start complaining about a sense regime being undemocratic i believe that undermines the political and moral legitimacy of the friends of syria is it a club of syria's friends or a club of people who want to measure i said gone that's the question we have to ask . just couple of minutes and i put in the smart money on nuclear intelligence while the u.n. tomic agency struggles to reach a conclusion about iran's nuclear weapons and america's intelligence agencies have their own evidence and it's not sitting too well with israel as we find out. before that though a ring of solidarity that was the hope of protesters who are calling for free and fair elections in russia thousands of people took part in today's attempt to surround the center of moscow holding hands they wanted to complete the city's garden ring the road that in circles the historic center is correspondent peter oliver was there. the goal of sunday's demonstration was to form

a human chain around the garden ring in moscow and i will but is as a ring road that goes around the downtown area of the russian capital. now the activists who are organizing this event today it called on supporters to come out wear white in support of their cause which is to see free and fair elections in russia no they were able to complete that journey around the garden ring that human chain around sixteen kilometers from one end to the other so clearly masses of people coming out and taking part they're all there were also some supporters of the blood of mia putin for president who turned out it is a week before that presidential vote and there were some heated exchanges at times between supporters of the various political factions here in russia all of them peaceful but a few raised voices at times all of this coming as i say a week before russians go to the polls to elect the next president and we've seen a a space of political rallies in the last week we've seen supporters of the to me of

putin for president also supporters of the the leaders of the liberal democratic party and the communists as well as other groups coming out and showing their support for the particular candidate that they want to see take the top job. next sunday's presidential elections. well as we heard the next sunday russians will pick their next president choosing from a number of candidates who've been hitting the campaign trail but the contenders keeping a relatively low profile is stirring a lot of buzz abroad laura smith reports from london. russians a used to seeing blood putin in all manner of surroundings not only in top level meetings also out in the wilderness and even singing to a hollywood a list crowd. but there are always new heights to scale and he'll currently find him looming large on

a london icon the double decker bus route in is coming it proclaims some may find the wording of the advert slightly sinister but it's all to do with a new book which analyzes putin the man not the politician the books the result of a six year collaboration between a british author and russian journalist alexander caught up put in is probably the most interesting political from in the world at the moment and yes the right people who feel and be violent towards putin the rebels who love him or those who do but the most important thing is that sort of more would you can see that they don't. although as it turned out that wasn't quite true. but it might be desperate or russia today. probably approaching you supposing the russian who is i got no bad. times or russia back you

got it the authors say friday's book release isn't connected to next month's election in russia but it does come hot on the heels of two separate british documentaries involving putin one a look at the controversial political youth group nationally and the other a critically acclaimed full part counter through relations with the west during his twelve years at the top there will be the world's attention on him again and people want to know is this a man we've seen before or is he changing. can he face the new challenges and how does the recent protest movement affect his politics and his outlook having his face on double decker buses won't help you say this russert is prepared to go to the polls but love him only fair to say his reputation is russ's strong man has captured the imagination of documentary makers and also here in the u.k. and elsewhere whether it's fame or infamy it's an open question laura smith r.t.

. still ahead this hour accused of aiding the enemy america was famous whistleblower gets his first court hearing after nineteen months in custody in just two weeks of the big nomination for the nobel peace price or about bradley manning in a few minutes. spain's students are refusing to sit quietly with thousands again turning out mainly over those planned education cuts they're facing but also after police came down hard at their last rally officers were accused of brutality at a protest earlier this week which left several people hurt and over forty arrested sarah firth reports next from a cost of blank. we all know the problems that face every day students lack of money competition for jobs adds to that spain has the highest unemployment in food the nine percent the sixteen to twenty four year olds unemployed in the country and factor in that they just had recent spending cuts that is affected

education in fact they badly some of these students who come to the streets say they haven't even got basic heating in the closets and well this is the result really thousands and thousands of people already out on the streets protect protests some of them that is right the way along the main high street here in the city of villains here now some of the signs reading and now students about it enough that's mbak prince to the protests we saw at the beginning of the week where the police were condemned to their actions which were seen as being excessively violent scenes of them chasing and hitting some of the protesters spoke very fierce reaction from a lot of the public and a lot of anger his guilt about these actions huge number of people joining in this protest and a lot of anger and of course this part of the why did demonstrations we've seen happening in recent days as the all start images that have been voted in by the new

government have provoked this angry reaction. across the mediterranean greece managed to snatch it so from the jaws of default this week it took months of waiting but the leaders of benchley declared the latest hundred thirty billion euro bailout was clear but at a cost of imposing further cuts economists rob the shakespeare told us it's no more a story to the greece needs is a complete overhaul. the plain fact of the matter is these are manipulations the justify the banking occupation of greece the greece people revolts because they are being smashed into the ground their suffering t. is being destroyed their property. assets are being sold off they're being put into poverty and debt peonage not just for the rest of their lives but for their children and their grandchildren's lives the whole thing is a fraud all that they need in fact is a new policy that policy must start by controlling the banks which create money out

of nothing put it at compound interest and do not put it into the real economy and in particular to the spreading of the real economy unless you're but then you open up an interest free supply from your own national bank but to do that greece must get out of the euro and take its own destiny forward in the same way as iceland is now doing and doing very successfully. focusing on afghanistan seven u.s. soldiers have been wounded after angry protesters threw a grenade into their base that comes amid the sixth day of anti american riots across the country sparked by news that copies of the qur'an have been burnt at a u.s. air base washington's apologize for what it called a mistake and the afghan president is urging calm but hamad karzai said the sentiment of his country was a legitimate reaction and called for those who burned the qur'an to be punished dozens of people have been killed and the rest since tuesday including two senior

u.s. officers. she's a think tank director in neighboring pakistan the spokesperson says americans neither understand nor respect afghan culture. in the decade that the u.s. military has been in afghanistan for the first time even in smaller places and provinces and towns wherever there is a u.s. presence ordinary afghans are laying siege to these places even after two years it seems the americans don't know who they're dealing with they don't know the very well u.s. military are increasingly treed into what i would call anti islamists and they are constantly sort of indoctrinated into into into treating islam disrespectfully i sailed to see how the u.s. military personnel and the other east and afghan army personnel would be able to restore the level of trust that existed lissie five days or six days ago. when

world news headlines around the world now and they come from explosives that ran into a church in nigeria it's killed at least three and wounded several others the church was packed with sunday morning worshippers when the suicide attackers struck in the city of joss radical islamist group boko haram is being blamed although no word yet admitted carrying out the attack the sects killed over three hundred people this year in its quest to impose should be a little. pakistan is more than halfway through demolishing a summer bin ladin. final hideout the al qaeda leader was shot dead by u.s. forces that were bought a compound last may after hiding there for several years no official reason has been given for the demolition but it's thought the authorities don't want the site to become a shrine. in yemen army shelling has killed five al qaeda linked militants officials say the strike began in the southern town of jinja bar on saturday night and then continued into the early morning a yemeni soldier was also killed when he stepped on a mine in the same area government forces have failed to oust militants from the

south of the country we've managed to seize control of several parts of the region in the past year. the standoff over iran's nuclear program is showing no signs of reaching a resolve with u.n. atomic officials saying to rand has failed to cooperate they visited the islamic state twice this year and they say that iran has stepped up its uranium enrichment the western allies suspect surround is building a nuclear bomb but iran says it has a right to a civil nuclear program the country is currently struggling to under harsh sanctions from the u.s. and you while israel is threatening military action however u.s. intelligence has reportedly now said there's no evidence to support accusations that to ron is pursuing nuclear weapons reza marashi from the national iranian american council and also former u.s. state department officer spoke to me and said a new approach is needed i think. the american intelligence agencies and for that matter the israeli intelligence agencies and many other foreign governments intelligence agencies are saying that iran is not made the political decision to

proceed to weaponize stations and that leaves time for diplomacy to be pursued to find a peaceful solution that's beneficial to all parties and blocks the primary sticking point the primary truck problem that we see is that nobody trusts one another people in the us one don't trust each other iran doesn't trust anybody in the peace five plus one so in an effort to try and move things forward and shift that paradigm from the negative to the positive you know we need to get. international leaders need to find ways to take risks for peace anything from broadening the agenda to discussion issues not just focus on iran's nuclear program but things that iran is also interested in regional security energy security things of that nature jostle bringing in some outside actors who the p five plus one and iran do have trust within turkey and brazil being to keep samples of the parties that are played a kind of mediating role if positive inducements are not offered to iran and if the west doesn't seriously consider whether or not offering those positive inducements

to iran are in america's interest europe's interests i'm negotiating will fail because iran will not like israel's repeatedly making its threat of military action on iran's nuclear site saying that supping sanctions on the country isn't working the u.s. and britain meantime of want to get the move saying that would be disastrous for the region but as nazis were reports next around offensive already appears to be on the way. israel's leaders are actively drumming up the military rhetoric. iran is the biggest terror exporter in the world the israeli government and its security forces will continue to act forcefully systematically and calmly against international terrorism eating from iran. a potential israeli rocket clash looks more likely than never there is speculation a preemptive strike against iran's nuclear sites could happen as early as spring or summer although that's not causing undue concern in israel i think possibly people

you know they make their plans for a vacation you know pass or a vacation summer vacation possibly people are beginning to wonder well is there going to be a war is something going to mess it up or i think they're probably going ahead with it we sort of thought we're back it would be nice if we could get a flight that we could cancel you know you know it's that sort of thing israel has previous experience when it comes to putting in him visions which pose a potential threat in one thousand nine hundred one is jets wiped out reactors in iraq they struck again in two thousand and seven hitting sites in syria but with iran's nuclear program things may not be so simple that if israel attacks iran it will not stop iran forever from getting nuclear weapons the only postpone it for a relatively brief amount of time the. installations are too diverse and far flung to destroy practically israel does not have u.s.

poured white house secretary adviser was in israel warning against a move on iran saying it was better to wait for tougher sanctions to take effect in the coming months but mines may already be made up i think one of the things the create this aura of inevitability is to shut them up to shut up opposition at home and of course to convince the united states and europe that this is an inevitability it's going to happen. daughter poset in fact why don't you help us out there is a question mark however over whether israel has what it takes to carry out the mission i doubt whether we have the capability. creating damages to the extent of the mediating the program and even if israel's military prowess will allow it to carry out a strike on underground facilities in iran chances are it's bold and their president saddam hussein and bashar assad by the time they knew what was happening was over and could just you know grumble without having to fight back do you

imagine iran sitting still you know all day day after day day after day what israel is hitting trigger back i think any any sane person realizes that there will almost guaranteed be missiles falling on israel and consider your own fault one of the twentieth century's longest voice against iraq in the one nine hundred eighty s. it consequences could be far reaching and destructive. has or has been suffering some bad weather as of late but it's likely that even the strongest winds will blow the country's foreign policy off its course and when it comes to israel's forecast for iran this storm clouds seem to be growing ever darker in tel aviv r.t. in an hour's time a former american presidential advisor tells you how his country should give up trying to and will dictatorships and focus instead on its own interests rather than meddling in others is a preview. the idea that we're going to end tyranny in the world is utterly utopian

we never are we've had tyrants from time immemorial and what the united states should do in my judgment in its foreign policies is build a defense establishment strong enough to protect our vital interests and our vital allies and when problems arise whether it's in zimbabwe or somewhere else the people there have got to deal with their own problems there no doubt about it that throughout history tyrants have a reason and seized power in one place or another and as long as they don't threaten our vital interests or threaten and kill our people the fact that they rule and or misrule certain countries is none of our business i. the american soldier accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of secret military files to wiki leaks chose not to enter a plea during his first court hearing on thursday bradley manning who faces twenty two charges also possible deciding whether he wanted to be tried by

a military jury or a single judge if he's convicted of aiding the enemy he could be given a life sentence has no chance of parole who is considered a hero by many americans on has been nominated for the nobel peace prize there are doubts over whether the whistleblower can get a fair trial after president obama publicly stated that he broke the law for more war veteran michael prisoner says the u.s. government is using manning's trial to send a clear message to military personnel. the u.s. military before bradley manning was convicted of any crime he still hasn't they wanted to punish him and they wanted to punish him very harshly for with the accused him of doing but not only that it wanted to send a message to every other person in uniform every other service member that if the to decide to take that type of action that bradley manning is accused of taking that they will be well aware of very harsh torturous repetitions if they decide to do this and this is a real big concern for the u.s.

military because all that bradley manning did what bradley manning experienced was he was a rank and file soldier who went to the war in iraq and was repulsed by what he saw he was repulsed by the war and he was repulsed by that the things that he saw going on day to day and so he felt that he had to take a stand and thought that other people deserve to see what was happening what all of their tax dollars were going to and what their families were dying for now this is a war if this was a war that the vast majority of americans oppose a majority of soldiers opposing the war in afghanistan is no different the majority of those out where the majority of soldiers opposed that war as well so the u.s. military is really dealing with the threat of rank and file soldiers being the ones who take a stand and say this is wrong and we no longer want to take part of it that people need to know the reality of what's happening because the government is just lying to us. more news when you want it a. couple of stories online you might be interested in tonight the man who claimed

the hero at the time for averting a third world war really interesting story you can learn more about that on our website and also our t. dot com. legendary carnival coming to its colorful end with a massive show fireworks and thousands of exotic dancers join the celebration if you're not in brazil having fun you can watch all the footage it's the next best thing well most. programs lined up for you tonight the couple of minutes artie's technology update visits the home the does the house work for you and i don't know about you but sounds great place like that that's coming up for a headline. kevin zero in the live from moscow this sunday evening.

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if. the british. let. markets. find out what's really happening to the global economy. headline is. he.