syria waits to discover whether democratic reforms will come into effect as people vote on a new constitution are counted by the opposition boycott of the ballots amid escalating violence. in libya style interference in syria russian premier and presidential candidate putin outlines his foreign policy plans ahead of this sunday's poll. and the anti austerity drive grips the eurozone as spain's and publish students lash out for cuts in a been abandoned by the government.

there and welcome to r.t. international news and comment twenty four hours a day well syria is awaiting results of sunday's referendum on a new draft constitution but the government already hailing it as a success the vote which went ahead made reports of ongoing violence a set of senior high turnout despite being boycotted by the opposition party reform is in damascus for us. interior minister has said that it will take hours before the preliminary results come out with the main results so far is the fact that this referendum actually happened they've been fears that those against the ballots could try to wreck the referendum they've been attempts to intimidate people reports have been circulated in local media about possible terror attacks at the polling stations the syrian opposition both the one base the bread and help has not

only boycotted the vote in but also has been repeatedly calling all people to go on strike to take to the streets to protest against this referendum and against president bashar assad this referendum and this constitution has been considered part of a package of democratic changes democratic reforms promised by assad's government we've seen demonstrations both prayer and to government here in damascus criticism pressure from the international community has also been quite high the main concern was that the very chain comes amid a valance to continue in in the country especially in the besieged city of homs north of the capital damascus indeed we are receiving reports about people being killed in the clashes between the opposition and authorities literally every day but the fact is that it hasn't stopped people from casting their ballots we have been able to speak to a number of voters and the feeling we've gathered is that people are simply tired

of instability and unrest in that country and they say that if the results like charles that this referendum and this constitution i were you able to bring peace to the country it's worth to try this chance. for neighboring lebanon is one of the countries calling for a peaceful resolution to quote it in syria in an exclusive interview to our t's arabic channel lebanese foreign minister. says meddling in syria's internal affairs worsen the crisis. and over to asia had we rejected the idea of interference from syria's internal affairs from the very start as meddling from the outside will not serve the interest of its people or the syrian government such interference will only complicate the conflict that's why we've said the dialogue is the only way out of the crisis we think that russia and china have taken a wise position after all where does the outside interference lead to there are many examples of this in the region does it lead to stabilization as afghanistan

become more stable in the last ten years no one can look at what's happening in the arab states outside interference only worsen the crisis in terms of both the struggle and causes the outright damage to the people and the economy we're standing by syria by its people and its government we're standing for a solution to the crisis. and the u.s. and its allies are teaming up against present us at one set to freeze the assets of syria's central bank its latest efforts by nato states to put pressure on them ask us however beirut based political analyst national but he says it's counterproductive saying it fails to address the needs of the syrian people. the direction is western politics and the western plan to remove a president from office and they don't care at what cost if one or wants to be really caring two with the city and people really caring for the basic human rights

basic a human preserving human life one should call for dialogue one should call for. between the different groups within the syrian cultural diversity to come together and bring in a new solution and i think this step that was done with the vote of the referendum for the constitution the amendments is a step maybe a small step but it is a step forward in that direction towards reconciliation and a true reform through democratic reform that can save syria the destruction that is being prepared for it apparently from some forces in the west. little analyst among the shabby talking to. libya's regime change must not be repeated in syria so says presidential hopeful that he met putin and his latest newspaper campaign article ahead of the election on sunday let's get more on this now this can offer. putin is known for his outspoken comments isn't he and this

time he's had some strong words of the situation in syria what do you make of it. well the prime minister is known for his strong words on this article is no exception and speaking about syria stressed once again is that any foreign military intervention into the situation there is absolutely unacceptable similar to how the events unfolded with the libya when the international community took one side of an internal conflict of a country which led to what putin called wasn't even a medieval but a barbaric execution of more margaret i feel instead of a fair trial and the prime minister is also mentioned iran saying that his vision is that this country has the full right for a peaceful nuclear program as long as it's under the full control of the international atomic energy agency in fact touchy touching upon the issue of

nuclear nonproliferation which inside that its. foreign military interventions into sovereign states that actually cause governments to want to develop nuclear weapons thinking that if we have a nuclear bomb then were safe and this obviously doesn't only hamper the process of nuclear nonproliferation but actually creates more instability and more threats in the world in general. is also voiced support for china and the debt stricken usa what's the suggesting that. the prime minister sees. back to the chinese economic growth only to chinese economic might to rather only to grow in the future and says that this shouldn't be seen as a threat but actually it should be viewed as a challenge and as opportunities as an opportunity for other countries to work with

china and to catch on that train and according to identify which in moscow is only going to increase cooperation with beijing and work more closely together on various business projects so the same goes for the brooke block which is brazil russia india and china of course and speaking about the european economy with the e.u. being the biggest trade partner for russia. which and says that any economic problems are very definitely affected the entire global economy and russia is keen only on seeing a healthy european economy and is going to work to support that and still with the foreign policy put in described russia's relations with the united states says unstable why. but you know fortune says that the relations with washington have seen this traditionally they have been always unstable having their

ups and downs and this is caused mainly by what putin says are still the remains of old cold war era stereotypes in the relations between the two countries but also russia is often not agreeing with some foreign policies conducted by washington for example and says that the united states is trying to explore it and politicize the issue of human rights which moscow doesn't agree with you know which in has outlines that there is no question absolutely that the human life is the most valuable thing but sometimes using it as an excuse for. intervention into the issues of other sovereign nations could actually cause even. even more deaths and violence i didn't put in did however mention some examples of

successful cooperation between moscow and washington praising. president obama's efforts for russia's accession into the world trade organization in general said that moscow is ready to work with all foreign partners. respecting their interests as long as they respect russia's interests also. ok article pissed off talking to us from central mosque a thank you. well you're watching are still ahead this hour here gauged in this fights with politicians who was detained for a drunken brawl at an airport or former trainee and ministers set to learn his fate even more serious charges the details just ahead. our eurozone leaders are hard at work to boost the union's fire wall to prevent financial troubles from spreading but spain's so-called lost generation of unemployed youth are already

feeling the pinch of deep cuts pushed through to shore up a national finances were students have been taking their grievances to the streets this is visions with the promise of euro prosperity is not a surfeit reports. if you were a sentiment was riding high after spain during the year is saying back in two thousand and two that a decade on in years of us starting to put us all back to work with an economic crash yeah gainst. government policies and we were we were into was no question of quality but for all the latest round of cuts and reforms but nationwide protest in spain in valencia and it was the students leading the way as they took their complaints out of the classroom and onto the spanish streets and we're spending millions like we're rich but actually we're seeing that we're not rich at all i mean we have high schools without without

heating you know there's no money there are cutting where they shouldn't they're cutting the low income people and. and they just don't see anything that's they think it's right thing. to bring not the basic reason of names but have led them to places and to think about is the coming late this country in the grip of the year and there. wasn't a moment thousand people take the reins that look right now and again we are in dire financial you could understand because of all the population was spain's protests have been peaceful they were worrying a familiar scenes last week a spanish riot police clashed with protesters worry about the same thing happening here is it happening going. yeah we do worried but we think we're just a little bit of and resolve the political helping is more or less the same way. that you have it because there's no money spain is not there yet while being

a very different country with very different problems it's now facing a scarily similar scenario to the us agrees with the press population being squeezed even tighter we are about two years should be going to greece in terms protecting of. but you see the policy which the troika. and the international more uniformed european central bank and european union are imposing on but if for countries greece italy spain portugal it's economics one o one is very simple to understand that i mean if these countries are. with problems and you. got public spending you. push them deep into recession like greece spain billions in foreign debt held largely by germany and france it's money which wouldn't be paid back well spain to

leave. schools without heating teachers without jobs came listeners and unemployment on the rise make for a bleak prognosis and as the country tips into a second recession and with more protests planned for later in the week seems like these could be set to become much more common on the streets of spain surface r.t. valencia in spain. where anti austerity protests have been a familiar sight on the streets of greece it's finally been saved from a painful default of the e.u. cleared its next bailout of the cost of massive new cuts but germany's interior ministry has said that athens can get back on its feet if it exits the euro zone vestment advisor patrick young believes greece should have left the currency union longer there. greece is truly a tragedy in every sense of the word and i didn't what we're not doing is they're not only cutting i mean they're cutting flesh in fact they're possibly cutting into their own arteries and let's face it what does this deal actually do for greece

well what it says is that essentially if you want to go another five or six years old total potential destitution in all sturdy you might just end up with one hundred times the debt that they basically harbor the moment in countries like germany or canada totally unreasonable and unbelievable the tragedy of greece is that two three years ago when it first came to light that their financial figures were a complete fiction and we finally knew the truth that we'd all suspected all along they really should have been out of the euro at that moment instead we've got this absolutely psychotic desire by a group of frankly well economically illiterate people in western europe particularly within germany who are desperate to manage to hold this all together then we've got another group of people who are absolutely determined to try and keep greece in the euro zone which are the credibly highly paid greek politicians and the poor greeks themselves are absolutely stranded there is no way that greece

can manage to bring together all of these cuts so there is no possibility that greece is going to survive in the euro with the long term why we're throwing good money after bad and why we're beggaring actually the good people of greece on the ground absolutely defines a larger. well a moral euro zone's a debt woes on our website dot com where they're check out some other stories we find out today and circling moscow thousands held parents to surround the city's garden bring you trash from their elections just a week before russia chooses its next president. and smartphone spyware that some occasions that's not. then to straight to internet companies the details are all to dot com. it's easy to.

download the official altie allocation to your i phone or i pod touch from the top story. life on the go. video on demand all teasing my old girls and already street now in the palm of your . question on the dot com. a senior member of ukraine's former orange revolution government will learn on monday if he faces the next few years in prison a court is expected to deliver its verdict on the x.

interior minister you're in that sync up who's charged with abuse of office and corruption. reports. noted that his speeches once ignited thousands of hearts during the two thousand and four orange revolution where your real center was one of the driving forces now with no less inflammatory rhetoric from ukraine's former interior minister is heard from behind bars. among the worst you know president yannick which in a gang fight against corruption that's lawful they are corrupt through and through that's why they orchestrated this case against me which has nothing to do with criminal law only with their desire to get rid of political rivals. you know from unlawful distribution of high place jobs in the interior ministry to using state money to buy a flat for his personal driver the charges against could land him in prison for up to four and a half years so his trial has lost it for more than a year during which look santa went on

a hunger strike several times it is drawing clear parallels with that of ukraine's former prime minister yulia tymoshenko currently serving seven years in prison for abuse of power in both trials loud protests of support were ever present and say experts such strong public outcry has seriously changed the country's political landscape but it was. the ruling party's reading drop below you'll to mission calls party the public doesn't approve of persecution that's why the mission because reading is two to three times higher now even higher than that of president you know coverage the ruling elite unwillingly made let's go into mission symbols of a struggle against themselves and any political force can now use these symbols to gain votes. just like his caseload sanctus career had also been filled with controversy from fist fights with keef's mayor to being detained in frankfurt airport for a drunken brawl that along with doubtful decisions during his ministerial work

makes the ruling party believe he is guilty then will you do it with your if you didn't have enough education and law for this job that's why he made many mistakes for instance he wants bragged of issuing a speeding fine to the president's son he had no right to do that there's only traffic police could and it was a violation if a person is in the wrong place he makes mistakes and one needs to pay for his mistakes. goes defense said weeks ago that whatever the verdict they would file a lawsuit with the european court of human rights because expected to review his case on april seventeenth combined with the continuous global criticism of the tymoshenko trial this could put even more strain on kiev's ruling elite the opposition has been picketing central kiev ever since june last year and tymoshenko daughter says that the protests will not die down even when the euro twenty twelve football championship comes to ukraine so the case will definitely add more spice to what is expected to be a rather turbulent year for the ukrainian politics alexey recessed the r.t.

reporting from kiev in ukraine. resolution at the u.s. congress has caused a stir in pakistan representative from california has introduced a bill that's calling for sorenson for pakistan's province of which has long sought separation. which a contributor says the fallout from the spill will not be easy to mend here is representative from california. on february eighth initiated non-biodegradable the aleutian hearings the us congress stands and calls for the independence and separation of the province from pakistan despite the best efforts from the white house and the state department to disavow the us congressman initiative the irreparable damage to their bio lateral relations between pakistan and the united states has been done and that is to face a clear and present danger from the us policy of both can ization in pakistan which

is the hidden agenda aims splitting federalizing pakistan in the same fish as iraq almost five years ago if the us policy of balcon eyes or various federalizing iraq didn't succeed it doesn't mean the u.s. policymakers wouldn't give it yet another shot these time in pakistan. what are some other stories around the world now a large explosion has hit ports in eastern afghanistan killing at least nine and injuring many others the blasts went off near the entrance gates destroying several cars parked in the area the taliban said the attack on the airport was revenge for the burning of copies of the koran that an american military base. south korea and the u.s. have begun a joint military naval exercise despite north korea's threats of possible retaliation

according to seoul officials the twelve day drills are largely computer simulated and purely defensive the north's national defense commission has denounced the military display as a silent declaration of war. the train occurring some seventy five people has derailed in canada three railroad employees were killed and dozens of passengers injured carriages which were traveling from niagara falls to toronto came off the tracks close to a real way station agency crews have been working to free those who remain trapped in the wreckage because of the derailment is not yet. and celebrities of the silver screen have gathered in hollywood for the annual oscar ceremony. just clipped to the best director oscar for. the artist the three seventy favorite martin scorsese's film hugo it's taken five

awards for the prestigious best picture award isn't up for grabs. the finance ministers of the world's leading nations met over the weekend to discuss greece's second bailout package that's now where cross top is this to see how the markets are reacting to that. indeed investors have plenty to react to of course on monday they will react specifically to the results of the g. twenty meeting over the weekend and then move on to plenty of other statistics coming out namely the fourth quarter results. of the g.d.p. results coming out of the states as well as the home sales data and then by thursday the purchasing managers index coming out of china it's an important indicator of the health of the chinese economy now a bit more details about that g twenty meeting the finance ministers of the world's leading economies met in mexico to try and iron out their differences when it comes

to the second global rescue package the idea is that europe has to put more money if it wants the rest of the world to join and help. and of course the idea is to stop the euro zone debt crisis from spreading and to facilitate the recovery but the main sticking point there is germany it said it will decide sometime in march whether it wants to put any more money and we'll see if these results actually satisfy the investors and the only way to gauge that right now is of course if you look at the way the asian markets are trading since everything else is close this hour now so far so good the nikkei is putting on around point seven percent as you can see there and course the exporters are gaining on a weaker yen and in hong kong the hang seng is also up that's putting on around the quarter percent. and it's about two hours ahead of the opening bell here in russia

and what it was a pretty bullish week for the russian equities in fact the my six close to three and a half percent higher and it was a whopping five percent gain for the r.t.s. we'll see how the markets opening this monday and in the states it wasn't a bad week at all even of some investors were slightly disappointed that the dow didn't reach the psychologically important thirteen hundred level benchmark but overall it was a very good week because it ended up closing almost a four year high and of course this week the earning season this winding down so the main driving factor there will be the macro economic headlines and let's now move move on to the other important story and that is of course crude prices tensions over iran's nuclear program is still one of the main factors driving the oil market and as you can see there it's actually slightly down following

a major rally over the past couple of weeks analysts say the price of oil is now carrying the so-called fear premium of around ten to twenty dollars per barrel and will. and to new to do so over the coming weeks and of course a higher dollars also putting a lid on the growth of oil prices the dollar's currently trading higher against the euro and on friday the ruble strengthened against the dollar. and of course that's all the latest from the business news from the business desk will be back with the update in about fifteen minutes see them.

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