an opposition stronghold in the rest of syrian city of homs is back out of government control and humanitarian aid is on the way as a resident reveals to r.t. atrocities she blames on rebels. russia's prime minister putin says the rise in opposition activities hasn't energized the government to respond to changing public mood but refuses to back new parliamentary elections if you win sunday's presidential poll. also with just two days before the russian presidential election it's not just the war of words but also a competition in creativity which has become central to canada's halfords votes. and leaders prepared to see

a key fiscal pact aimed at keeping member states deficits within the limits which critics say will cost nations their sovereignty when it comes to body during policies. of the russian capital you're watching r.t.m. arena joshie welcome to the program now syrian government forces have regained control the baba amr district in homes which has been the main center of armed resistance for almost a month rebels say they have retreated for tactical purposes but authorities seem confident they've broken the backbone of what they call terrorist operations are these marie ivanovna spoke to residents of the besieged city who gave an eyewitness account of what she said were a trustee's the rebels committed while in control. clashes continue in homes but we're hearing that one of the opposition's main strongholds here in syria is now under the governmental forces control also the rebels withdrew from the city after

the army is offensive to cleanse the rebel held baba amr area humanitarian situation on the ground is really very dramatic infrastructure is badly damaged no water no electricity in the city garbage is everywhere mobile coverage and lead line is also broken after many attempts we've finally been able to talk by phone with homes residents a woman who's identified herself as the lena. the self-proclaimed revolutionaries are really bandits they can shoot in the back of the queue people rob house one can be shot down for no reason we're afraid to go into the country and our car can be scanned and we can show on the kill both young and on the people from their homes and chop them into pieces and put them in plastic bags and then throw them out she's also so that's a world retreating from. the area known as baba amr the rebels have moved to

another area in the city have media and they've killed many many people there especially christians. are tired of syrians and want peace and the law. but the syrian soldiers who protect us are being killed every day we've heard that mercenaries from france tunisia love and. we don't go anywhere and just see this wilfried of snipers people like. shortly after the rebels was drawn from the city the syrian main opposition group formed a military council to organize the armed resistance and to provide the rebels with more weapons the fact that shows just how deep the militarized the conflict has become recently here in the country while syria is very and very close to a civil war. free financial reporting there from syria meanwhile the syrian authorities have given the international red cross the green light to answer the embattled city of holmes on friday as follows a call from the u.n. security council to allow immediate meditating access to the worst affected areas

also supported by russia and china are these wary of organized has the details from new york. it's been nearly seven months since we've seen any type of consensus coming out of the security council with respect to syria but that consensus is coming through the form of a press statement issued by the security council with respect to humanitarian aid in syria we are seeing some consensus coming from the security council on humanitarian front but how to end this conflict is where un security council's remain divided the security council members remain divided russia has said and continues to say that there needs to be a cease fire in syria were both sides put their weapons down and begin to engage in dialogue at that point was really underscored by kofi annan on the un's our envoy to syria a newly appointed envoy by the u.n. and the arab league so he of course saying the same thing russia has been saying

for months now that both parties participating in the conflict in syria need to now begin engaging in some type of a negotiation we do see that the u.s. and western allies have been pushing for more of a regime change that is a push they need through two separate resolutions that were presented to the security council and of course vetoed by russia and china because russia and china hold the position that the international community cannot just push out the governments that with respect to syria the syrians need to decide what will take place in their own sovereign country. now washington says it will keep up afterwards to convince russia and china to put pressure on president asad and impose tougher sanctions against the syrian regime to go analyst chris bambery says however the only aid the west is pursuing is to replace the current government was one loyal to western interests. any western intervention whether it's direct or indirect a great through only the praise of creating a regime or

a regime and waiting all across the board of which will be loyal to the west and loyal to. reveal and it's in the west interest to do this they are not interested for any and for any question human rights of no given the human rights of the region as we know from bahrain or from yemen or through a previous record actually regarding regarding syria libya they don't care about that what they want to ensure is that what will fall on their side regime if the assad regime falls is something which is loyal to their known as a top priority one of the problems in syria of course is that the whole way the west united states a looking serious rule looking over the shoulder of syria iran the possibility of all through on your side regime might well be a way of getting it around by looking away as a key ally in the situation the americans are still not completely clear whether or not they have the ability to strike iran successfully. now sort of time here on r t a serbia moves its staff closer to joining the e.u.

some are not so excited believing their belgrade will suffer if that it becomes a member part of the watch. now russia's prime minister vladimir putin has a rise in opposition activity in the country has helped energized the authorities the premier and presidential candidate was speaking at a meeting with foreign media just three days ahead of the presidential vote but its relations with his opponents and his ties with president get also came under scrutiny i despair oliver has the details. with just a few days to go before that presidential vote the questions coming thick and fast for a lot of me at putin he is of course standing there for president this time around . the only subject of opposition protests and political activism in russia where we've seen a real spike in following the the poll of entry elections at the end of last year but to me at putin said well the authorities must listen to the legitimate some of

the legitimate grievances of these protesters and it's up to the authorities to act on. those that are legitimate grievances and and put them right saying it was a good experience for russia we also heard a lot of address the prominent opposition leader alexei laval need to be lawyer turned blogger an anti corruption activist saying that well as though but to be important supported all activities that would lead to fighting corruption in russia that people shouldn't use corruption as a political football seeing corruption in places where there wasn't any for the facts for their own personal political achievement so my eyebrows were raised when it was announced. yet it would be a small positions with list critique of the president just let me get this deputy the role of prime minister you know but anybody saying this was

a decision that was taken based on the fact that the time but if we had a high approval rating it would have made more sense in their eyes to him to run as president now. did say if he is elected as president that he wouldn't move away from me the reforms the political reforms that need to be made good of his be putting in place throughout his his time in office now he said there would be a toughening of the political stance in russia however mr putin did say that if you . he becomes president that he won't call an early parliamentary election enough had been something that the opposition protestors in russia had asked for well foreign policy a major issue going into the presidential election and putin addressing the relationship between russia and the united states pacifically focusing on the reset as it was called in relations between the two countries now with regards to the united states has proposed anti-missile that then shield in eastern europe but to

me it putin really saying that reset had failed however he did go on to say that in other realms such as the economy that leaps and bounds had been made as regards to the relationship between washington and moscow the lowest it's an arguable question if three senators borne fruit it hasn't given practically anything on anti missile defense but it was useful on a new wave of incentives we managed to come to green went on for the strategic arms reduction treaty on cooperation in the spirit of peaceful nuclear development and on russia's accession to the world trade organization with direct u.s. supports when it comes to foreign policy and foreign issues at the moment all eyes are really focused on syria got to me a putin using this opportunity to say that he opposed any decision by the west that would see he would oppose any decision by the west that would see arms put into the hands of the syrian opposition saying that putting guns into their hands would

really make it far more difficult to get the opposition and the assad government to a table to try and discuss a diplomatic and political solution to the situation in syria. now for more on this let's now talk a little analyst alexander as our thanks for being with us here in the program now as you probably know some people in the west are not particularly enthusiastic about put his return to power so how does this layer session with foreign journalists manage to probably appease some of the concerns there. well i believe that i wouldn't ask you to lie it's clear evidence that it's the well being in russia the average citizen as paroled tremendously over the last decade and i see years like convincing answers to foreign journalists of what's he actually has achieved use position of precedents while being prime minister of russia so i seem to quite successfully evidence has been given to do some of the successes put

in both as president and prime minister. let's not now let's now are talking about. what might happen if. the report is elected president so what about his team will he renew it and are we likely to see any opposition members taking posts in the new political set up what's your take. so put has already said he's open to dialogue with the opposition leaders but it's very difficult to discern the soul leaves out the opposition all those leaders you all trust trust i mean who have the populace faults and we today we see those national working as i call them networking show men and so they show off a lot so they are in a lot but these are not propose much in terms of some concrete smashes of how

they're going to prove the popular control over the political system in russia the elites in russia and it is it makes it all very difficult for the. put a price the incentive the prime minister say actually sports. in this you know right seat for all the opposition for the leader who's trust was weak and didn't want to still be responsible for all those polled his proposals and especially time in station so when those elites are who can't be responsible and who will represents the populace pulls off who will represent the whole array of those leaders then i believe we will i think make us both this trustworthy plights representative opposition leader quotas are going to think can see this new set up as you were saying but you know i just want to ask you one more question about the new possible team there as you know. in this period in

the past period and their opposition was a body has been quite prominent do you think he is likely going to need team. why nots i believe that he might have given a chance to improve the situation in sense of corruption because we know their positions south as the answer property fights up so i believe that we need fees elected presidents will give him a chance to achieve some tangible results in this in this direction in these fields because you know it's very easy to well because alex in a bottle he has obviously been quite successful the crazy those speeds are now based services that allow people to contribute soup for option fighting and i believe he might be given a chance maybe not as a minister not at the ministerial position as a representative of some of those

a big government initiative institutions that will allow him to rally people around and don't contribute to the problem solving in this field in russian fighting that is my take. how is our thrown out of political analyst thanks very much indeed for sharing your thoughts with us here on our clothes thank you. and so i have for you this hour on the russian presidential campaign from a different angle. it looks. promising terrigal rapin fake or videos to comic strips and children's cartoons we'll look at who's got the upper hand in the battle for creativity to ruvo earth and iran are two directions. and next hour people of our and his guests will bring the polarizing attitudes towards a lot of reporting to closer and i would crosstalk here's

a preview. the average russian version this is such a person is relatively out there searching partly because they think there isn't much of a real choice and secondly because they think. he's going to win will be organized and he wins whatever the voters do so i think this will be probably more even if he wins and even if we give even if he wins it's rigged i mean it seems to me that kind of argument caves in on itself erick if i can go to you i mean it's just hard for the outside world to understand that but i mean everything is research popular . well there's something very embarrassing for the journalists we've heard a lot in the western press about how putin was losing his popularity how the facebook protests in moscow in the demonstrations meant that the regime was on its way out and of course when the polls which i can't give any numbers on but the polls have certainly shown a very substantial rise and that mr putin is going to sweep to victory in the first

round so i understand that he is unpopular with some of the foreign powers. case. which the. serbia is now formally a candidate for e.u. membership of brussels decision follows three years of talks and concessions from belgrade including a major on improving ties with cost of oil which is recognized by almost all states canada as the status is just a first step towards membership with years of negotiations still have their devotion mileage and expert on serbian history says it's only the benefits from the accession process. the e.u. exhibit really going to use to be anything but a diplomat answer when you can talk everything it's already lost a lot it's lost it is pretty much been forced to surrender its claim to problems of

control and it is currently staged only in people it has been forced to and basically subordinate its foreign policy to brussels and to a lesser extent washington and now i've heard it there is talk from brussels about the necessity for serbia truthful russia's most favored nation status if we treat it remains only been a staunch as government supporters actually speak of it and you can hear me i don't think anybody in serbia honestly expects the problems to be resolved by joining the e.u. especially after seeing right and speed in greece the problem is nobody really cares . and none of the people in government really care because they don't really care what their people think of the decision to grant her a candidate his status has come as a surprise on the first day of the brussels sort of center stage however is the so-called fiscal pact which the leaders are going to sign later today are just as are silly reports on what's to come if brussels gets powers to police member states fiscal policies it's been talked about for months claimed as

a solution to europe's crisis fiscal compact this crowd talked a new free school rule by the end of this today summit this fiscal stability compact will have been signed sealed and delivered this pact comes with tight budgetary rules that must be strictly adhered to or else face automatic sanctions member states must maintain a balanced budget or have a surplus keep a budget deficit of three percent or less. and schreiber balanced budget rule into national legislation within one year firmly within the constitution if budgetary targets are not met the guilty nation could be brought to the european court of justice and be obliged to make penalty payments the reins of strict budgetary oversight will be in brussels hands now we've in europe in brussels we've got our first saw and it's a good start and he's going to police all the bridges all the member states and these member states will lose sovereignty in the field of budgetary policy.

is the population going to accept this. a population that's already been forced to accept want tough story measure after another good couldn't be some of that if you are doing austerity if you were to go towards crisis everybody is no tackling people because if we're cutting expenses everywhere then you crush it when nobody's consuming nobody's investing their growth is the point of this trip is a continuation. of that. so we are exactly going to work we haven't done that i think three years. in the us e.u. leaders see the budgetary discipline discussed with the believe pact is expected to bring as a step closer to solving the eurozone structural imbalances and help crisis here countries ease their way out of their predicament but it's a one size fits all approach worried about the impact it could have on healthier

economies and could lead to huge fiscal consolidation by us so you can do is count just the kind of your fiscal situation. with their fiscal accounts which can depress comic activity at a time when banks face problems and they don't have to be one two and not a desirable scenario where the new buzzwords are growth and employment that's are cilia artsy brussels. and log on to r.t. dot com to discover why nicolas sarkozy was late for the e.u. leaders meeting in brussels. running a gauntlet of throwing and spitting hurts asters the french president has a tough day on the presidential campaign trail watch this video in full on our website r.t. dot com. also a smuggled secret nasa reveals a computer containing comedown code for the international space station has been

stolen the details on our air team. and i was watching presidential campaigns in the final straight ahead of sunday's vote image makers behind those running for the top job have been finding new creative weapons they've been using everything from extravagant internet clips to less imaginative street banners to support our discussion or chart takes a look at a wide range of tools being employed and if they work. there is been a lot of singing dancing drawing and even cooking this election season as presidential campaigns go he's been hot and creative.

with your opposition is a force hard in the online wars from rapping and slating the continued bet in tandem to posting not so innocent video fakes. charges against putin include embezzlement financial fraud and abuse of office. compared to the grassy anti crowd in complaining that broke out in videos can seem a little toothless. to me. you can't. believe that a half years. to. the topic of ukraine not going to russian gas proves that this video has been made on the

kremlin's orders otherwise i don't understand who would be interested in spending money on this but even for putin is a useless video if someone made up their mind to vote for putin definitely won't make them any firmer in their decision and on the contrary if they're against putin it definitely won't make them change their mind this prominent journalist and blogger believes it's not only putin losing the war of creativity other candidates look desperate to. avoid the latter wouldn't sound as if we were still where we might. see a mole not just only zero zero zero zero zero. no it was right before. me who the candidates videos are annoying it seems that they hired the cheapest directors to film this fast food horrible quality this only proves one thesis about these elections none of the candidates are striving for

a victory one is the outspoken leader anyway and the others think of this campaign as a dull ritual they have to go through which they don't really want to spend so much money on. so with the real candidates they're really putting in africa supporters or opponents are taking the lead using the internet as a free media to play they are killed politics. however when we go offline grittiest aside giving way to clear images advantage of camera angles and easily understood slogans tried and tested method which has steadily secured votes for several generations of politicians in this country. yeah. yeah. you're right you're just when you're. introducing. unlike the four other candidates billionaire heilbronn who are of his running for the first time he's also the youngest on the list but analysts say he's very

conservative in his choice of words images and even colors in the manner of blood in our pollutant. if there had been five candidates breathing down each other's necks then every creative video could win votes from the others in our case there is a firm core afoot in support of us thirty thirty five percent which is very hard to shake and i cannot imagine what could enjoy his office could do in the last few days before the election to lose these funny videos won't change anything beyond the ring a small percentage of undecideds but some are willing to do whatever it takes to win over those floating voters right to the last minute. need this party for the. people who have. to change. the way. good girl you know it take her away. the fact that you're going to do carol. we have

sound. good now give the next want to hear it in a gradual r.t.e. . all right we're turning now to the world of business humor in a coffee business again good morning to you marina and the russian markets are open now what are we seeing red or black well now we're actually seeing black and i'm all a green on the screen but it's actually black which is a positive thing for the russian markets the arts yes and then my socks are getting close to a half a percent this hour and what have a breakdown for you of the major movers on the bisects for us in the next hour in the meantime let's move on to our other stories we have russian innovative start ups which will soon have an easier way to get financial support the russian venture company the r.t.s. mice exports and high tech from are all setting up a joint venture to trade shares of the state high tech companies and analysts say

will become a business incubated for promising firms willing to list own the russian markets. and other news the deadline is now over for those interested in getting a piece of moscow's dome idea the air war and as it turns out only one company wants the boy it's and that is russian investment holding. the owners of the mindset of are looking to get out of the light a billion dollars for the airport but no one seems to be willing to this much money well let's take a look at the markets most of the exchange rates the euro is trading slightly lower against the dollar and some concerns of what is happening in the euro zone and as far as the ruble is concerned was seen a similar picture to what we saw yesterday it's losing a little bit against the greenback by gaining against the euro let's move on to the asian markets as opposed to for a picture there and in japan exporters are benefiting from a weaker again but that's not the case with muscle which is the reason of word supercenters out and financials are on the rise in hong kong which is pretty much

similar picture in most of the world in that sector and of course bank of trying over a percent and unfortunately that's all we have time for this hour but do join me for another update in fifty five minutes.