french officers are reportedly detained in the heart of the uprising in syria while the u.k. with drawls all of its embassy staff all that amid a rising international chorus calling for the rebels to be on. massive protests and rallies all across the e.u. about the cuts affecting millions is putting a question mark over brussels forceful demands for continued austerity. israel faces international criticism over its policy of detaining suspected palestinian militants indefinitely without the chance of a trial. also as russia's presidential vote nears and we take to the streets of

moscow to gauge the mood of the people in a restless country recently awoken from a political slumber. and live from the heart of moscow this is our with me will receive shea syrian opposition forces say they've withdrawn from a key neighborhood in the city and battled cities he's made of homs government forces have been trying to take over the area saying it's used as a base by armed militants all this while the country waits for the arrival of kofi annan the new u.n. and arab league envoy who has vowed to stop the killing and start dialogue. is reporting for us in damascus. we are hearing that the army has entered homes in order to regain control over the city which has been seen to see big clashes between the opposition and the authorities for months now syrian media reports that

you're in this operation french officers have been detained reports say that demand can pass they were captured by the opposition fighters but failed to clarify why they were in syria we also hearing that france has already reacted to the claims by returning it some better to damascus these reports follow the free syrian army members claims that it's already received weapons and aircraft missiles from u.s. and french sources earlier the arab league has refused to rule out given to the opposition here in syria if the violence and the killing doesn't stop this in contrast to the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton who admitted that's only in the rubble here in syria could be very dangerous as weapons and potentially in the hands of al qaeda well this is a show here on the ground is very tense and complicated the u.k. says it is now it recreated its embassy here in damascus citing security concerns

but meanwhile peaceful after us are also taking place here joint arab and boy to syria kofi annan has said that he will be heading to the conflict on country country very soon trying to negotiate humanitarian access to the affected areas kofi annan has also vowed to persuade dollars between the opposition and the authorities on the warring sides claiming that the talks are a friend and the violence here in syria. for national reporting meantime. a contributing editor with online magazine comment says the desire of some foreign states to push for president assad's departure could ultimately. mediating. by sending kofi annan who's accepted by is almost a friend to a study in negotiations on many things they are trying to be a little bit more friendly than they've been until now. we'll see if that opens the door for them but i think i know they're not straight yet you have qatar and saudi

arabia state wanting to arm the opposition rather than support the present us ups at the end of the day syria is too big to fail it's not eleven and they can they can afford to have chaos and they're going thirty years too i cannot imagine them being able to live with scales in studio so they would try to increase the temperature for the regime that would send more arms even if it goes to say that it's not just sort of why i think it's right. and we discussed the intricacies of america's relations with syria with former u.s. attorney general ramsey clark and about fifteen minutes time you can watch the interview in full and also coming up just a bit later in the program here on ars he got the fear and see iranian rhetoric coming from the israeli government finding little support from the people the latest opinion polls suggest the idea of airstrikes on the islamic republic extremely unpopular less than twenty percent of israelis saying yes to the.

second day of strikes across europe as a walkouts paralyzed transport from athens to rome rather some of the biggest public demonstrations in recent history protesting against desperate government cuts to budgets designed to appease international paymasters but the measures are taking a toll as ati's some bottled reports and the austerity sentiment is reverberating all across europe. in belgium protests saying austerity cuts have gone too far in cities all across france and especially big demonstration in paris with the same message thousands of students on the streets in spain wanting to reverse cuts in education spending there and huge demonstrations in portugal spain and portugal people there really feeling the pinch here as their governments try to balance budgets and cut spending that's left that it really exposed to this debt crisis and

no more so than here in greece in the parliament behind me lawmakers have once again sat late into the night having to really make sound which cuts to their spending all across the sectors of the economy a twenty two percent cuts in the minimum wage has been made thirty percent if you're under twenty five in greece and half of greeks under twenty five are employed we've seen doctors coming out in a twenty four hour walkout massive cuts made to health care spending and to pharmaceutical spending there's many more examples everywhere you look in the economy nor makers having to take very painful steps to try and force a greek government spending down all of this linked to the one hundred thirty billion euros second bailout that's being dangled in front of greece's nose here there's a real human impact to all of these economic measures greeks are being forced onto

the streets just like people in spain in portugal in italy in france in belgium all with the same message these austerity measures are having a really harsh human cost no artist. i mean time lawyer a professor of constitutional law georgia ca truong. greek's government response to the crisis is turning their country into a third world nation. unfortunately very weak your view of the great society are suffering most fifty percent of the gaggle generation is unemployed it's just imagine that these are the official beater actually things are much much worse my wife's teacher other public school and there are two groups that are going. obviously. themselves so just imagine that we are going to be the. image of the world the only certain thing is that the existing political system cannot anymore express their will of the people i think that this force or one of

these latest protests come as the e.u. prepares for yet another summit that's going on today but our brussels correspondent has more on the trials and tribulations still ahead for europe summit today is the start of the summit yet another one african leaders still discussing the same old thing but today the main thing that go they're going to do is to be signing about a fiscal treaty that they've been talking about for months and this essentially means a new budgetary rules that countries are required to strictly and here to no excuses at this time and if they if they don't follow those rules there will be automatic sanctions so it's expected that about twenty five of the twenty seven in the nations are going to sign on to this fiscal compact with two countries that are not going to do this or the u.k. and the czech republic if they heard prime minister david cameron said in the past that he's going to be watching very closely to make sure that this is not undermine the single market however signing this treaty in. the spring of last year said

blowflies and still are rising with the introduction of this agreement as well as other issues that still need to be dealt with here is more than that. if previous east summits are anything to go by the bickering among the leaders is usually long and painful so this is being cancelled should be you never know but. we've less then those will last summits. and sure you agree a little less drama will do no one any harm. the main agenda signing the fiscal compact agreed in december last year putting into place tough new budgetary rules and automatic sanctions to get everyone to clean up their act all but two countries are expected to give it the go ahead if the needs to be ratified by at least twelve years old nations before it can come into effect

something seen as a done deal but the main question is is it going to work and what we have to see now to which extent member states liable to respect it because it's easy to convene come here and agree on all those principles of the only country that is likely to have a balanced budget soon as germany this balancing act will not be easy to pull off reducing deficits to three percent level required by the e.u. means having to squeeze already dried public coffers in several countries. and this is what could keep happening in big and small numbers. even miniature that. it might take more time but also very piecemeal in these two because while workers demand pro growth policies international observers have another approach to the crisis beefing up of the euro zone's financial fireballs

mainly increasing the permanent fund the e.s.m. for my scalp of five hundred billion euros but germany has opposed such a move yet another you know definitely they don't feel the urgency anymore and that's because of the success of the first injections of liquidity from the european central bank as economists were really look to see that the e.c. beautiful little bank operates. too much because their own markets are east and there is a politicians won't feel the urgency anymore for real reform for now the e.u.'s plan is to impose these structural reforms and watch like a hard call they may see such fiscal consolidation as a necessity in fixing the root of one problem another one may really it's head further down the road and these member states will lose sovereignty in the field of

budgetary policy i'm not so sure that all the ducks are going to be happy about it all that our friends i'm very sure the french are going to be unhappy about this at this point one may be hard pressed to find anyone who isn't. just our cilia r.t. brussels. i recommend you live from moscow and israel is locking up suspected palestinian militants giving them no idea how long they'll be held or even what they're accused of international concern pick twenty one prisoner came close to death following a sixty six days on a hunger strike caesar nicholas crowe went to meet his family hundred loans wife wishes she could forget the day she was arrested but it's a memory the just won't fade but the day of. the soldiers came to our house around two am and took my husband out of the bathroom and led him away who were many of

them all of john's they all acted like animals. israeli authorities have already arrested hundred eight times before believing him to be active within the palestinian islamic jihad a group israel regards as terrorist hundred nine was put under administrative detention meaning no trial and no charges being brought a practice widely used by israel in prisons like this one but hundreds of palestinians are being held suspected of terrorism by accused of nothing their prison can last for years with no formal charges being brought against them the detention can last up to six months but there is no limit on how many times it can be renewed at the moment more than three hundred palestinians are illustrated detention but during the height of the second intifada uprising just over a decade ago thousands were put in jail without trial many of them youths. who was just sixteen when he was arrested. or used to frighten us terrified by screaming.

pushing us and forcing us to the ground they keep us in cells for two or three months in order to take confessions by force we were so frightened. imagine a free young person suddenly finds himself in jail israel insists it's doing nothing wrong and that it's necessary to protect informers identities but human rights groups both here and abroad beg to differ slightly give not only as extreme but also because israeli authorities applied all too liberally towards palestinians it's one of the basic moral principles that we you know that our society founded on that if you deny a person's right to freedom you have to have a very good case and you have to have a trial and you have to lead defend themselves against these accusations when palestinians are placed under administrative detention they're not told what they're suspected of there is no charge and there's no trial as long as family now awaits his really silly parole. you know know what it's like with hunger strikes it

could end well but at the same time you cannot explain to your children by their father look someone may see need when they saw him on his hospital bed he cried i couldn't have known said his sixty sixty eight holger strike was not in self interest but to draw attention to other postilions in similar circumstances has a hospital the moment unable to walk and is being fed intravenously but there is already talk of moving him back to prison when he recovers his lawyers say that at least his shackles have been taken off even if only for the time being illegal israel and the west bank i've heard less than a fifth of israeli supporters a unilateral military strike on iran majority are against an attack in fear of the consequences that is the result of a poll taken ahead of a crucial set of meetings between u.s. and israeli officials about saran nuclear program a film director stone the son of all of us stone in recent islam convert shares the

concerns of most israelis. also the point is to prevent or stop but i think as we're walking into world war three at the moment between syria being destabilized that iran it's on its border being threatened by israel and america to me it's really a very dangerous time and we don't recognize what the causes consequences will be not only not only regionally but to the world what's happening is we are now in a state of martial law and war a global everything is now it can create conditions for a total war state i mean mccain called for. america becoming part of the so-called battlefield that america is the battlefield the whole earth is about to feel so we're already at war with iraq you can't engage people diplomatically if you're already trying to isolate them and what do you basically creating is more radicalism on their part because you're trying to push them into a corner. and what you see it's so good to have you with us today do you mind if you missed any of our stories just log on to our website www dot com you can bring yourself up to date there are twenty four hours a day some of the stories are standing by for you there right now for example of

stirring up the past a latvian president sparks outrage saying that won't war two veterans who fought alongside nazi troops are not criminals and they deserve respect and the reaction to that old line also. the occupy wall street movement heads out of the bleak winter months as hundreds take to the streets to stage a get more protests. are not far off from the world update her on r.t. but for now russia is gearing up for its big election day and the people choose their next president but this year's race has a really broad changes in the political life of the country that has seen some of the biggest demonstrations in recent history. grieves also took to the streets of moscow to check out the pre-election temperament. well simpler time there was

a notion that russians weren't all that bullshit about politics but now that seems to have changed this year's race for the presidency has caused injury and i have ever since found it created announced to be running different words have been splashed about characterize the campaign so far and here are some of the most distinctive he is full public we've seen increasing number of people take to the streets both for and against the government the smoking a growing sense of civil activism the peace rally this flash mob sansa a powerful signal not only to what they were put in but all the russian politicians present in the sense that they have understand that the site has a vacant political law is. oh it stands for reform on the back of them astray sions president medvedev has put forward

a number of electoral changes stretching as far as how parties are registered and who can be on the ballots over is for oligarch mikhail prokhorov has gone advanced media coverage and is the only candidate not to be backed by a party in the duma owner of n.b.a. team the new jersey nets and netting an estimated eighteen billion dollars he said by far the most cash to splash in his campaign is message is business orientated police officer stood out for his riches a murky past struggling to resonate with public twitter and other social media have been crucial for organizing demonstrations embodies the very public and spontaneous nature of some of the opera felt around russia he stands for election commission the ruling body overseeing voting day its head planning nature of has been in the spotlight after allegations of electoral fraud were met with an action

this is forced the beneath the a buzzword for prime minister vladimir putin's campaign so far seen by many as one who restored economic order a theist of hardship the power of this was resonates just how popular man still is testing despite his popularity has been difficult here for bradley hootin a chew toy president not used to such discontent. moscow and st petersburg and the big cities that really only. these are not really his territory anymore and i mean maybe he'll get them back but it seems to me that he's sort of thinking that he has to rely on almost the other russia strange phrase for putin the russia of the region right he would probably manage to win with you know a recent majority at this election is that one of the best slogans for the appropriate camp is if not putin who three other candidates are also a seasoned political veterans struggling to convince voters they can deliver change

and all those downs that make this the most definitive word so far in the election campaign by mass there astray since protests regardless of the winner of the results on the fourth of march these guys have had their say and how it impacts on russia's future do you greece moscow before we get to k.t. with the markets up there let's do the are two world out ahead for you some of the global headlines in brief will start with turkey a remote controlled bomb exploded in istanbul wounding fifteen police officers and one civilian it was mounted on a motorcycle and it went off close to the headquarters of the country's ruling party as a police vehicle passed by the blast comes amid calls from turkish kurds for autonomy and a crackdown on kurdish rebel group the p.k. k. . up to two hundred people have reportedly been detained after clashes with police in the city of coup in northern azerbaijan and the violence began after

demonstrators burned the house of a local governor and occupy the town hall there angry at perceived insults from the official police then used tear gas in raging protesters of the ten thousand strong demonstration interior ministry riot troops and armored vehicles had to be called in as reinforcements. well and speak to katie for the latest hourly update on the market a hello to you katie so a bad news bad news stop the money presses. yes i mean that's exactly the case that u.s. special was the term and ben bernanke he stopped short of announcing in the towns injections he also said the u.s. economic growth is and that the jobless rate remains exceptionally high and i keep believe i'm now joined by nick parsons from national australia bank. they'll tell

me how this cash does this mean to us and when we can still recover. yes i think the u.s. economy is very much in recovery mode and let's not forget that it's because of that fact that mr bernanke he was able to announce yesterday that the prospects for a third round of quantitative easing were less than they might previously have seen so it's not that the absence of q.e. is going to choke off the recovery it's rather that the fracture of recovery is going to choke off q e. ok now we know that there was strong anticipation of q e three but is it fair to say that the market reaction was short lived so therefore it is slightly new now. have a lot of. how much does it not. well it doesn't matter quite so much let's give an example here in in just over half an hour we're going to get the latest read on u.s. manufacturing industry will likely to find that for thirty first consecutive month

that's almost three full years for thirty one consecutive months the u.s. manufacturing industry has been expansion territory we've seen that over the last five months the u.s. employment has risen by almost a million over that same period we've seen almost a one and a half percentage point drop in the unemployment rate so whichever way you look at it and however gloomy one might wish to be it's still very difficult to see anything other than a decent solid expansion it's not spectacular by the by the scale of previous expansions and previous recoveries but it's certainly solid and it's probably as much as markets can hope for is for that reason i think that the disappointment was indeed short lived ok so reasonably optimistic that as far as the u.s. is concerned the let's. talk about jobless rates that we put in e.u. summit coming up to discuss that to discuss the fact that it's now

a new high unemployment where well do you see europe sitting and if you were fired what do you expect me saying what do you think is going to be on the agenda. i think the interesting thing you know is that we haven't had a formal agenda published we are going to get the signing of the initial agreement towards a fiscal compact that's going to be the the smaller number of e.u. members those twenty five of the twenty seven states are going to sign that but no formal agenda is actually been published i think we're in danger of rather getting some retreat over kill. the because there are too many summits or quite simply too many of these meetings there is plenty of scope for disappointment when they don't actually announce or achieve anything so you'd be much better to have more telephone conference calls to have more informal bilateral agreements and then only then when everything's in place to announce a summit with a solution or indeed a proposal i think the scope for disappointment is possibly quite large but the

markets themselves have become more tuned to this more might hopefully expect that any disappointment in close terms at least will be quite limited ok let's let's talk about greece so long the agenda for the year recently now as the heart's racing sister let's. say do you think it's inevitable what's the situation what's your call you know grace tonight. you know technically a default is inevitable we did have an announcement this morning from the swap dealers association which ruled that the decision to exempt the e.c. b. from the collective action clauses wasn't itself a technical default but there's another meeting of is on either the tenth or the eleventh of march and we would expect that that will be a default i don't expect though that this will produce the chaos in markets that

might have been feared say twelve months ago and the reason for that is that many of the derivative contracts which had been written upon deep fault have already expired it's proved rather a costly exercise for people to buy this insurance it is tended to expire worthless as a much smaller amount of c.d.'s actually in existence at the moment and our best guess is that greece can default it will default it will be ruled by is there to be in default but actually it will be as nothing in terms of its impact on the market a year ago it might well have proved catastrophic i think in two weeks so i'm very very little will come of it the market is prepared for this and i don't think it will cause a shock. i tell them thank you very much indeed for your time dick parsons you know how to phrase that at national australia bank thank you spend time for us today thanks very much. and i say all for now i'm actually going to have the i mean

figures for the u.s. economy for a short in a few minutes time tony for that later on now. well for british science. sometimes that's right.

markets finance come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with much stronger for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into cars a report on our cheap.